Sometimes I forget to convert how much things cost here in the UK into dollars, and most of the time that's a good thing. If I were a one pack/day smoker, e.g., I'd be spending almost $80/week on cigarettes.
As it is, I can't afford a holiday in the sun to bake out the winter blahs I've been suffering from. In today's news:
I have my share of a $500 Council Tax bill due on Friday and I'm spending about $80/week on petrol to get to and from work.
Not that I actually want to go to work. This week I'm stuck in Training hell as I found out (at only 3pm yesterday) I'm having to attend a 3 day super-user training on the new electronic patient management/prescribing system (which I will never use after this week & won't have to support when (if) it's ever introduced in our department --what a waste!)
And only last week I heard on the news while driving to work that our move into the newly-built cancer centre will be delayed by several months because the developers built a wall directly across a public footpath. My lady boss knew nothing about it.
Unfortunately, I've just finished my last box of Macaroni & Cheese from the US. Looks like bread & tea for me 'till payday.
10:34:00 PM
Today I rec'd a letter from the property manager of the old house I'd rented for over four years, indicating how much of my security deposit he intended to return to me.
The good news is that he decided to refund one half of the one month's rent I'd paid as penalty for breaking the lease early.
The bad news is that, among the nearly £1000 (~$2000) in charges and fees that are being assessed are a £100 (~$200) fee to "checkout" (pay a third party to take an inventory of the property & compare it to the initial inventory & note the condition of the house & its contents) and a £360 (~$750) standard charge for cleaning by professional cleaners (done whether the tenant cleans the property or not).
Guess who's living on ramen noodles and baked beans?
11:08:00 PM
Thursday, January 03, 2008
Race time.
NKC's sister invited us to her house for a small New Year's party, and we were able to give her kids some belated Christmas gifts. She'd made both a huge pot of chili and a chicken lasagna, and there was more than enough alcohol to go round. NKC had brought a DVD music trivia game which kept us entertained until we turned over the TV to watch the bells chime on Big Ben. Unfortunately the next day, after a hearty English fry-up, we were on our way back home for our last day off before both of us had to start work.
Yesterday, as a last hurrah, we had tickets to see Starlight Express at the New Theatre in Oxford. I had seen the show 20 years ago in London but couldn't remember many details. The traveling production dispensed with the actors' rollerskating along ramps in the aisles and instead had 3-D movies throughout; it was quite cheesy but entertaining and had us humming some of the tunes as we left the theatre.
3:27:00 PM
I'll pass
I had a nice Christmas, my second in the UK as I decided it would be too chaotic to visit the relatives in DC with their new addition. I took annual leave the week between Christmas Eve and New Year's. NKC and I decided to make dinner for ourselves and though I had to work Christmas Eve it wasn't a full day and I was able to make my way to Asda's to pick up the necessities... except Asda's had no stock of
anything. There were hordes of people shopping, but nothing on the shelves to buy: no potatoes, no turkey, no stuffing. I don't understand how a store can have such poor stock control. In the end NKC and I were able to go to Sainsbury's before they closed and got the necessary foodstuffs for the two-day holiday.
One of the best gifts I rec'd was a Tom Tom satellite navigator. I've used NKC's before and it's marvelous for getting around and avoiding speed cameras. I've downloaded some celebrity voices and enjoy having John Cleese or Eddie Izzard direct my to my destination.
I used it on Thursday to visit CM who was also off from work and who again went overboard on a delicious meal.
3:19:00 PM
Do I get a continental breakfast with that?
I'd known that moving into a bigger house would result in an increase in utility bills, but since I'm now splitting two ways it shouldn't have been too painful.
Shouldn't have been. I pay an estimated amount each month towards the electric bill, and get an actual bill once every three months. Since we don't have gas at the property, I rang up to see if we could get an estimated electric bill after our first month's of use. I was prepared for it to be on the high side, as both NKC and I don't like the cold and we've had some bad weather throughout December. We're not stupid about it, but when it is so cold my fingers hurt when typing, it's time to crank the thermostat.
I wasn't prepared for an estimate of £360 (~$700) for the month's (actually, five weeks') usage.
3:09:00 PM
You stupid bird
I haven't found the commute to and from work too troubling. It's 22 miles door to door and is mostly a straight shot up the M40 to the eastern side of Oxford, and I can make it in 30 minutes if the traffic isn't horrible (consistently doing 80-85mph for half the journey, which doesn't seem that fast as everyone else is going that speed). I'm lucky not to have to punch in upon arrival and can make up time if necessary.
The first week of commuting, I saw a pheasant walking on the side of the motorway. As I approached he continued walking into traffic & though I thought he'd be startled by a car bearing down at 80 miles an hour he didn't fly out of the way & I wound up pancaking him. Stupid bird.
We've got at least two pheasants on our around our property, as well as several red kites. CM bought us some bird feeders & food which I have to admit the squirrels have made short work of. Despite the cold weather there are still a large number of birds about & I don't mind throwing the odd stale crust out the back door for them.
2:48:00 PM
Chew on this
Lots to catch up on, and here it is in bite-size pieces:
I moved a week after the last post. In spite of having the week off before, I still hadn't packed everything by moving day, which turned into moving weekend. NKC and I had moved a van as his belongings were strewn about in three different domiciles across the country, and we'd wanted to pick up some furniture at IKEA. We paced ourselves and had everything at the house, and relatively organised, by the time Monday rolled around. Lots of driving and lifting and cleaning--much more than anticipated--which I hope not to have to repeat any time soon.
The new house is quite nice, particularly as we've removed the kitsch provided by the landlord and put our own stamp on it. It will be even nicer when the summer arrives & we're able to make use of the back garden. One neighbour brought a welcome card and bottle of wine, and the landlord has pretty much left us alone. Within a fortnight we'd had our first overnight guests, and we've had other friends come by for a meal, so were inspired to get the place in shape & presentable fairly quickly. Having said that, after an initial spurt of enthusiasm, there are still a number of domestic projects to take care of, in due time.
2:33:00 PM
