I booked yesterday afternoon off from work as I had the Comet repairman coming to fix my oven (you might remember that its developed this phobia about getting hot and switches itself off when it gets to 150 degrees – not a good selling point for an oven). When I’d booked the appointment for between 12 and 6 they told me that the engineer would call an hour beforehand to let me know he was on the way, giving me time to clear the decks.
So anyway, at ten past ten my mobile rang – “Hello, I’m the Comet engineer, I’ll be there in about 15 minutes”
“Hang on, you’re supposed to be there between twelve and six, I’m still at work”
“Well that’s no good to me mate, I’m in London this afternoon, I’m doing all my Watford jobs this morning”
I decided that it was pointless in arguing with him and managed to get home for an hour to let him in – thankfully he got there 5 minutes after I got home.
As luck would have it the cooker cut out just as he was saying that he couldn’t see what the problem was. He took the top off and prodded around inside for a while, finally deciding that he needed to order some parts
“So I’ll book you in for a service call on Friday 17th then, can’t give you a time I’m afraid”
“But will the parts be in on the 17th”
“No, I’ve not ordered them yet”
“But theres no point in me booking a day off if the parts aren’t in is there, who do I need to contact , you or Comet”
“I really don’t need this today, I’m having a bad day and I really don’t want to be here”
“So who do I chase up to see when the parts are in, am I better ringing Comet”
"Yeah, ring them mate, the numbers on the top of this slip, sign it by the cross, ta"
And that was it – gone in 10 minutes – no cooker for another week, and a snotty letter winging its way to Comet Customer Services!
As an aside, my housemate went to a Foam Party at Destiny last night, he rolled in at 3am (on a school night too!) you should have seen the state of him heading to work this morning !
07 August 2007
06 August 2007
"No, its frostbite !"
Well dear readers – what a stunning weekend, the sunshine came back with a vengeance didn’t it ? Unfortunately on the hottest day of the weekend I went out totally unprepared and so I’m sitting here on Monday, glowing a lovely shade of dusky pink !
But I digress, I’ve got three days worth of postings to rattle off here so I better get going :O)
Friday evening I went to visit my cousin who lives in Hoxton Square near Shoreditch. If you’ve never been there you really should give it a visit (not my cousin of course, the square!) It’s a green haven in the middle of an otherwise pretty grim area. A nice square with trees and grass and the perimeter made up of clubs, bars and eating houses. It’s a bit too busy for me, coming from the leafy backwater that is Watford, but it is nice being able to leave the flat and have this vast selection of places to go on the doorstep.
I stayed over there far too late really, considering my plans for the weekend, but managed to make it back home by 2:00 am
Saturday morning I was up at 7:30 and went around to collect my friend as we were going down to Brighton for the day for the Pride carnival. We made excellent time, arriving there at 10:30, and managing to get parked almost exactly opposite Preston Park where the after parade party takes place. We took a nice walk down the parade route and decided on our vantage point to get the best photographs of the procession – thankfully a steward pointed out a traffic island where we had an excellent position, didn’t get squashed nor asked to move on.
After about an hours wait (which passed quite quickly) the main parade started to pass us. This was the first time that I’ve seen the parade and it didn’t disappoint in the slightest. The theme this year was musicals and some of the costumes and routines were excellent. The highlight for me was the Wizard of Oz float with the 30 Dancing Dorothys – if I can work out how to post it onto you tube, I’ll post the link here.
After the carnival passed we waited for a while, comparing out photos, before walking up to Preston Park. I can honestly say I’ve never seen the park so mobbed – the combination of the good weather and a great atmosphere must have bought the crowds out. We stayed in the park for a couple of hours before taking a drive into Brighton and getting something to eat.
Now the last time we went, we found this Tapas bar on the seafront which looked really good and we said that we would go there next time we visited. Unfortunately it didn’t live up to expectations . We had to wait about 15 minutes for a table, another 10 minutes for a waitress to come and take our order (Meatballs, spicy potatoes and chicken/chorizo stew) and an hour later we were sitting there looking at empty drinks glasses and still no food – I think it was about seventy minutes from placing the order to getting served – really spoilt the meal.
Now I’d arranged to meet up with my mates from Cambridge whilst we were down there and he called just as we finished eating – he was leaving the park and coming into town. The idea being that we would meet up and go for a bite to eat and a drink with them. Unfortunately I’d only put 3 hours on the parking ticket, so thought it was better to go back to the car and put some more money in. Only to discover that after a 25 minute walk in the blistering heat , the car park was free after 6:00 (by now it was 6:30! Bugger :O( We just grabbed some water out of the boot and walked back along the seafront into Brighton
We eventually met up with Paul and Simon at around 8:00, found some nice little restaurant around the corner where I had fish and chips (nice) and they all had pizza / pasta dishes.
After that we just walked about trying out the bars and people watching – a really nice way to pass the evening. By the time we’d said out goodbyes and got back to Watford it was 2:00 am but a very enjoyable day – roll on next year !
Yesterday morning I work up quite late feeling the effects of two late nights, a lot of driving and the quite a bit of sunburn – ho hum !
I called my friend Odd-Thomas and asked him if he wanted to come and help me put down the decking in the back garden – luckily for me he said yes
So he arrived armed with a bag of Magnum ice creams and we started working. Unfortunately I bought the wrong type of drill to use on the concrete path and after 5 holes, it gave up the ghost on the 6th – the end snapped off and it turned into corkscrew !
Eventually we got about a third of the decking done, then my housemate Paul came in from work so we called time for the day and relaxed with beers, Jack Daniels and a barbeque – a fitting end to a great weekend !
So this morning I’ve come into work, still looking a lovely shade of lobster, and people are coming up and asking “have you been in the sun over the weekend ?” No, I got caught in a blizzard and its frostbite !
But I digress, I’ve got three days worth of postings to rattle off here so I better get going :O)
Friday evening I went to visit my cousin who lives in Hoxton Square near Shoreditch. If you’ve never been there you really should give it a visit (not my cousin of course, the square!) It’s a green haven in the middle of an otherwise pretty grim area. A nice square with trees and grass and the perimeter made up of clubs, bars and eating houses. It’s a bit too busy for me, coming from the leafy backwater that is Watford, but it is nice being able to leave the flat and have this vast selection of places to go on the doorstep.
I stayed over there far too late really, considering my plans for the weekend, but managed to make it back home by 2:00 am
Saturday morning I was up at 7:30 and went around to collect my friend as we were going down to Brighton for the day for the Pride carnival. We made excellent time, arriving there at 10:30, and managing to get parked almost exactly opposite Preston Park where the after parade party takes place. We took a nice walk down the parade route and decided on our vantage point to get the best photographs of the procession – thankfully a steward pointed out a traffic island where we had an excellent position, didn’t get squashed nor asked to move on.
After about an hours wait (which passed quite quickly) the main parade started to pass us. This was the first time that I’ve seen the parade and it didn’t disappoint in the slightest. The theme this year was musicals and some of the costumes and routines were excellent. The highlight for me was the Wizard of Oz float with the 30 Dancing Dorothys – if I can work out how to post it onto you tube, I’ll post the link here.
After the carnival passed we waited for a while, comparing out photos, before walking up to Preston Park. I can honestly say I’ve never seen the park so mobbed – the combination of the good weather and a great atmosphere must have bought the crowds out. We stayed in the park for a couple of hours before taking a drive into Brighton and getting something to eat.
Now the last time we went, we found this Tapas bar on the seafront which looked really good and we said that we would go there next time we visited. Unfortunately it didn’t live up to expectations . We had to wait about 15 minutes for a table, another 10 minutes for a waitress to come and take our order (Meatballs, spicy potatoes and chicken/chorizo stew) and an hour later we were sitting there looking at empty drinks glasses and still no food – I think it was about seventy minutes from placing the order to getting served – really spoilt the meal.
Now I’d arranged to meet up with my mates from Cambridge whilst we were down there and he called just as we finished eating – he was leaving the park and coming into town. The idea being that we would meet up and go for a bite to eat and a drink with them. Unfortunately I’d only put 3 hours on the parking ticket, so thought it was better to go back to the car and put some more money in. Only to discover that after a 25 minute walk in the blistering heat , the car park was free after 6:00 (by now it was 6:30! Bugger :O( We just grabbed some water out of the boot and walked back along the seafront into Brighton
We eventually met up with Paul and Simon at around 8:00, found some nice little restaurant around the corner where I had fish and chips (nice) and they all had pizza / pasta dishes.
After that we just walked about trying out the bars and people watching – a really nice way to pass the evening. By the time we’d said out goodbyes and got back to Watford it was 2:00 am but a very enjoyable day – roll on next year !
Yesterday morning I work up quite late feeling the effects of two late nights, a lot of driving and the quite a bit of sunburn – ho hum !
I called my friend Odd-Thomas and asked him if he wanted to come and help me put down the decking in the back garden – luckily for me he said yes
So he arrived armed with a bag of Magnum ice creams and we started working. Unfortunately I bought the wrong type of drill to use on the concrete path and after 5 holes, it gave up the ghost on the 6th – the end snapped off and it turned into corkscrew !
Eventually we got about a third of the decking done, then my housemate Paul came in from work so we called time for the day and relaxed with beers, Jack Daniels and a barbeque – a fitting end to a great weekend !
So this morning I’ve come into work, still looking a lovely shade of lobster, and people are coming up and asking “have you been in the sun over the weekend ?” No, I got caught in a blizzard and its frostbite !
03 August 2007
Shopping fun
I went shopping in Watford last night, trying to find clothes and a pair of trainers for the weekend. Now unfortunately I never have much luck when looking for clothes – everything that I like always looks better on other people, or I’ll see somebody wearing something that catches my eye, and I can never track the thing down.
T-shirts and tops are the worst, why on earth do they make them longer, the larger size that you pick up. Generally I fit most ‘M’ sizes, but if I pick up a top that’s a bit more ‘fitted’ I have to go up to an ‘L’ – this usually ends in the item fitting around the chest and arms, but it hangs down past my waist and well on its way to my knees. I think the only retailer that is any good in this respect is H&M. Don’t they understand that not all men have that are large around the chest have beer bellies and need the extra length of cloth to cover their girth :O(
Another of my gripes are the ‘greeters’ – to me theres nothing more offputting than seeing a shop with no customers, six staff laying in wait and an array of things that are screaming ‘buy me – you know you want to!’ You just know that as soon as you set foot in the door, one of them will peel off and ask if you are ‘ok, mate’ or if you need any help. NO ! I just want to look without feeling like I’m a prospective shoplifter being watched every step of the way .
And then you always get the one that follows you around the displays, just a couple of items behind where you are looking, straightening up the piles or adjusting the items that you have looked at. Grrrr !
This reminds me of shopping in Burtons in Harrow years ago when this assistant wouldn’t leave me alone – he must have asked me six times if I needed any help or if I knew what I wanted. In the end I said “yes, you can help me – I’m trying to get one of these jumpers up my coat without anybody noticing – do you think you could turn your back for ten seconds ?” Eventually he muttered something and walked off – and I walked out ! :O)
Anyway, last night wasn’t too bad in the end – I managed to get a couple of tops in Blue Inc and a pair of trainers from Sports Soccer – at least in that shop the assistants actively avoid you :O)
T-shirts and tops are the worst, why on earth do they make them longer, the larger size that you pick up. Generally I fit most ‘M’ sizes, but if I pick up a top that’s a bit more ‘fitted’ I have to go up to an ‘L’ – this usually ends in the item fitting around the chest and arms, but it hangs down past my waist and well on its way to my knees. I think the only retailer that is any good in this respect is H&M. Don’t they understand that not all men have that are large around the chest have beer bellies and need the extra length of cloth to cover their girth :O(
Another of my gripes are the ‘greeters’ – to me theres nothing more offputting than seeing a shop with no customers, six staff laying in wait and an array of things that are screaming ‘buy me – you know you want to!’ You just know that as soon as you set foot in the door, one of them will peel off and ask if you are ‘ok, mate’ or if you need any help. NO ! I just want to look without feeling like I’m a prospective shoplifter being watched every step of the way .
And then you always get the one that follows you around the displays, just a couple of items behind where you are looking, straightening up the piles or adjusting the items that you have looked at. Grrrr !
This reminds me of shopping in Burtons in Harrow years ago when this assistant wouldn’t leave me alone – he must have asked me six times if I needed any help or if I knew what I wanted. In the end I said “yes, you can help me – I’m trying to get one of these jumpers up my coat without anybody noticing – do you think you could turn your back for ten seconds ?” Eventually he muttered something and walked off – and I walked out ! :O)
Anyway, last night wasn’t too bad in the end – I managed to get a couple of tops in Blue Inc and a pair of trainers from Sports Soccer – at least in that shop the assistants actively avoid you :O)
01 August 2007
And then there were two
Paul, my housemate returned from holiday last night – he’d been for a 10 day break to Dubai and came back looking sickeningly healthy with a lovely tan, and he reckoned that he’d lost loads of weight over there as it was too hot to eat
I wonder how long I’d need to be there to get the figure that I’d like!
His most poignant comment to me yesterday was ‘I can’t wait to get back home to have some decent food’ – it just didn’t seem the right time to tell him that the cookers broken :O)
On another note, Chanelle has left the Big Brother house – well hurrah for that !
I was discussing it with one of my colleagues at lunchtime – Jan was of the impression that Chanelles outbursts were down to the way that she’d been treated by Ziggy – personally I think she was just a bit of an attention seeker who was worried that she might get a few boos when she finally left the house. Did you see the fuss she made about playing that violin and in the end she was quite good – and then when Ziggy had to perform his song / dance routine she was running about telling everybody that ‘my boyfriend's a pop star’ – it was ok when it suited you love, wasn’t it !
I wonder how long I’d need to be there to get the figure that I’d like!
His most poignant comment to me yesterday was ‘I can’t wait to get back home to have some decent food’ – it just didn’t seem the right time to tell him that the cookers broken :O)
On another note, Chanelle has left the Big Brother house – well hurrah for that !
I was discussing it with one of my colleagues at lunchtime – Jan was of the impression that Chanelles outbursts were down to the way that she’d been treated by Ziggy – personally I think she was just a bit of an attention seeker who was worried that she might get a few boos when she finally left the house. Did you see the fuss she made about playing that violin and in the end she was quite good – and then when Ziggy had to perform his song / dance routine she was running about telling everybody that ‘my boyfriend's a pop star’ – it was ok when it suited you love, wasn’t it !
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