Tuesday, November 29, 2011

I'm Happy, Hope You're Happy Too

Quiz! We won tonight, against our über-nemesis too. Superior music knowledge. Hurrah!

Life goes well on the whole.

Denise and Justin indulged me in post-quiz pub time, which was hugely appreciated and (I hope) enjoyed by all.

Work is busy-busy. I should probably hit the hay so that I'm fresh for it in the morning... But wanted to briefly and imprefectly record the happy.

Oh and I had an amazing weekend with my brother. Life goes well.

Monday, November 21, 2011

half your age...

I'm loving Kid Rock's work just now... it isn't making me feel better but it is making me smile.

We won the quiz tonight! Beating our long-term nemesis in spite of our team only being me, Ivan and a very bruised Liz*. YAY! us.

* We're the best ones anyway after all, and Liz makes being bruised into an art form.

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Consultation

Not usually one for political messages but I think this is important. So if you haven't already, (and you're a Scottish voter) please take a minute to respond to the Scottish Government Consultation on Equal Marriage.

Thanks!

Darkness

The annoying thing about the clocks going back, is that in moves what little daylight we get at this time of year into a part of the day I seldom use.

Boo.

Friday, November 04, 2011

5 A Day

Unexpected bit of comedy at the supermarket this evening. Scanning my items at the self-service checkout and I came to the lettuce I'd picked up - no label so I push for produce by weight... flip through lists for a while finding no mention of lettuces.

Hmm

At this point I flash my best "something's gone wrong" smile at the friendly young shop assistant monitoring the self-service lines, and she wanders over to help. We'll call her Belinda because I'm reasonably certain that wasn't her name.

Patrick: Um, there's no label on this and I can't find it in the lists by weight.
Belinda: Oh...
Patrick: Have I maybe picked one up without a barcode?
Belinda: Yes, probably [takes lettuce] I'll get another. [toddles off in direction of produce aisle]
...
Belinda: [returning with lettuce in one hand and a green cabbage in the other] um... is this it?
Patrick: No, that's a green cabbage.
Belinda: Oh... [ponders] do you think it might be more expensive?
Patrick: [stifling giggles] maybe... but more importantly, it's a cabbage not a lettuce.
Belinda: [Looks despairing] Oh... *sigh* I don't even know where they are!
Patrick: That's OK, I do, shall i go get another and you keep an eye on the till?
Belinda: [Beaming with relief] Yes! [pushes both offending alien green items into my hands in the manner of a toddler who can't make their toy work]

Bless.

I should be appalled that she didn't recognise the difference between a lettuce and a cabbage, but I'm too tickled by the whole thing.

Wednesday, November 02, 2011

almost forgot...

we won the quiz

(and I did! They had the Hulk on)

[BANG!] [splosh]

One way to meet the neighbours I suppose: "Hi, um, I live downstairs and I think part of your bathroom just fell through my bathroom ceiling"

Last night I was minding my own business, when an almighty BANG! came from the direction of my shower. I opened the door to find water coming through the ceiling, above which is a header tank. Uh oh. Opened the access door to the header tank and was relieved to find no water falling from under it, but somewhat perturbed by the water falling from the ceiling and the big hole that had appeared there.

The friendly bewildered australian women who live above me in flat 6 were in the process of fathoming how their blocked shower had suddenly unblocked itself when I knocked on the door... Apparently something similar happened to them last year: flat 8's shower caused their shower's ceiling to collapse. Given I've been complaining to the letting agent since I moved in that my shower tray is in danger of causing a leak through into flat 2 (below me) I feel somewhat vindicated by this. Clearly a kind of tenement plinko is underway.

We swapped letting agency details and agreed to each call in maintenance in the morning. ClickLet's plumber sounds to be with them already. Dove Davies had already been informed of the leak when I rang them at 9:15 which was pretty impressive I thought... They hadn't heard about the hole in the ceiling though, and were as unsettled as I am by the news that my bathroom's cold tap is now spouting gunk and occasionally blocking... seems likely that it feeds off the header tank*, so I've shut off the hot water too (since presumably similar gunk will be going into the immersion tank if I use it) leaving me with one working tap - the cold in the kitchen.

The lovely thing about renting is that all of this is someone else's problem to sort out.

* which is also kinda icky. Though at least now I know.