Merry Christmas

I'm sorry I haven't posted more. I have a few updates which I have yet to put into a clear, concise thought. I will do that soon. However I did want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I hope Santa was very very good to you even if you were very very very naughty.

Anger Management

I very rarely get angry. Very rarely do I get so angry that I can hardly speak. The reason for this is when I get angry, I don't leave behind in Hurricane Metalchick's wake a couple of overturned chairs but my anger has far greater consequences. There is no physical mark left but a far greater consequence of leaving behind those words that will haunt a person for years to come. It is for this reason that I try to keep the tempest at bay. Unfortunately sometimes I fail. Yesterday it was a close call. A very very close call. You see, I have been trying to get in contact with my letting agent (aka person who manages the properties for rent) to finalize the letting agreement. I had phoned. I had emailed. I had already put down a 200 pound deposit. I just wanted to clarify one point. You see when I went to visit the flat (aka apartment) I had written down the address as 12 AddressStreet. But... BUT when I received the formal lease agreement it had 11 AddressStreet. An entirely different address all together! Deception really irks me. And ignoring my phone calls and emails on top of deception really really irks me to the point of no return. So yesterday, I bypassed a meeting and drove the 20 minutes into Reading to actually have a little chat with my letting agent. Eventually, after me sitting there demanding answers, I got what I wanted at the price that was promised to me and in writing. This whole move is really starting to get on my very very last nerve. I could scream. This morning I had to run for a full hour just to not yell at the next person I spoke to. And that's not me. Not me at all. I like people and I like being friendly and nice. But HOLY SHIT do I want to hurt someone right now. I can't wait for Dec 12. I can't wait can't wait. It's all i can think about!

A first...

I don't have much of a post today. But I did experience a first. (Other than my really good friend Vib) I received my first flower from a boy. Although I am not interested in dating him, it was really nice to get a flower from him. He bought me a rose at dinner the other night in Zoetermeer. It just made me feel really nice and good for a change. I've never had a boy buy me a flower or flowers. It was really nice. The end.


Apparently I have received more flowers than I remember. Vib sent them to me when I was sick and one of my other friends sent them as an apology. So this is occasion number 3 where I have received flowers from a boy. This is the first time it was intended as just a very nice thing to do for no apparent reason at all. Still very nice.

Old Country

Have you ever had one of those days? Yes. I suppose you could call it a case of the mondays if you prefer... where absolutely NOTHING... and I mean NOTHING goes your way. It's as if the gods looked down and in a callous twist of fate spite you with a simple wave of their oh soo blessed hand. Well Monday. Monday was one of those days. First let me preface this by saying that NOTHING in the UK is simple. Nothing. Even the most simple things that I take for granted are inconsistent in the UK. This is especially true for electricity. Electricity... Yes. I get power surges and have learned to protect my beloved laptop with dual power converters and a backup power supply to protect it from the ups and downs of the electricity surging through these buildings. It's no wonder Benjamin Franklin... An AMERICAN delivered after being ousted from this country. No wonder at all. I digress. Back to my spiteful day.

First things first. I am a at a bed and breakfast that also doubles as the local pub in this little tiny miniscule town called Aldermaston. (maps.google.co.uk ->aldermaston, berkshire... Then zoom out and find Reading. Yep. There I am... notice what's around me... NOTHING) There is all of 1 roundabout in this entire town and its singular claim to fame is that there is a wharf here full with a single draw bridge that congests traffic for 15 minutes! Landsakes alive it's a booming metropolis. This is where I am stuck. I am stuck at this bed and breakfast without a rental car for almost 2 days. I am told that breakfast will be served and it's free until half past 8. Great. Of course wouldn't you know it, after my 10 hour flight on Sunday, I collapsed exhausted into my bed. Of course I wake up after a very fitful and unrestful nights sleep at 8:31. GREAT. LOVELY. Thankfully there was still some prunes. yes. Prunes were still left out so that's what I had for breakfast.

After breakfast, I realize that my cell phone gets absolutely no reception here. Literally none. Not a single bar. No wonder I wasn't getting emails. GREAT. Now the rub... the wireless access that is supposed to work... doesn't work in my room. So I spend an hour walking around with my laptop trying to find a signal. Low and behold, I find the wireless access point in the BAR. yep. You got it right. In the pub that is already littered with a half dozen pub patrons.... It's 10 am PEOPLE on a MONDAY. Seriously. Get your ass to work instead of drinking into oblivion. I guess this town is even more depressing to them as it is to me. At least I have means to escape. So I sit. In the pub with my water and log in. I get on a conference call with Percy Sledge's - When a man loves a woman playing in the background and coughing up a lung as the tar from the cigarette smoke coats my ever so precious lungs. Every 15 minutes or so I am forced to take a break to breathe clean air outside in the damp English fall day.

Not to mention one of my coworkers encountered an issue and needed help with troubleshooting. So what did I have to do, stand in a single stop precariously balanced on one leg with my head out of the window to get cell reception. Yes. Picture it now. No wonder they think I'm weird. All I needed was an umbrella and a funky pair of yellow boots and I would have been ramona quiby age 8. Seriously people.

It's been a few days since that experience. It has taken me almost 3 to just get over the cell phone thing. The real kick in the pants was that I had to leave my hotel at noon to catch a flight that departed at 5:30 PM. To get to the airport, I had to take a car ride for an hour to a train station. Then wait for the train for 30 minutes (you must leave early because God forbid you don't allow for congestion on the M4). Then it was a 90 minute train ride to the airport (with one stop and wait). Of course I get to the airport about 2.5 hours before my scheduled flight because I really needed to check in and get to the airport lounge so that I could get work done... and they won't let me check in until 2 hours before the flight. @#*(^($#*^@#($*^*%#@_$*^#@_(%&^#@(^#$

Okay. Better now. Gotta love living in the OLD COUNTRY. There is a reason they call it that by the way and I am learning the hard way. Landsakes alive. I wanna go back to Texas with my sprawling lands and cows. And a puppy! If you haven't heard.... all I want for christmas is a small house and a PUPPY! I would do anything for that. Well... anything legal. so get your minds outta the gutter people. Sheesh!