Adventures with trains

I'm off an adventure today. It's just too boring up here so I'm going down to London to absorb some culture with a girl.

The date yesterday was okay, I mean pleasant enough but there wasn't really any sparkle. I suppose my mind was somewhere else, and that somewhere being plotting being in London today.

I've got out a spiffy suit, and even more spiffy shirt and possibly the world's greatest hanky. Oh yes, I'm going to be massively overdressed for going down to London but then that's half the fun.

Career advice with Thomas Hardy

I currently feel like I'm in a Thomas Hardy novel, and I hate Thomas Hardy. For example did you know that the character Tess of the d'Urbervilles was based on actually had a lovely life? So ol' Tom just saw someone having a lovely time and decided that wasn't on and wrote about her having an awful time instead. What a berk.

Anyway, earlier in the month I did some work for a government organisation. Actually, thinking about it, it was last month. It was really engaging and I enjoyed doing it. I worked my socks off, especially since they would be paying me by direct bank transfer and so payment would be prompt.

'The government eh?' I thought to myself 'they shouldn't have a problem paying me' and I sent off the invoice.

A week later I phoned up the accounts department and the lady said she hadn't looked at it yet but when she did she'd have to send it off and it would take a couple of weeks to sort out.

Now I understand their are various steps to paying new people on a system and things like that but seriously, two weeks? This is a rather sensitive time of year as a chap will have to go crimble shopping and so being paid before the twenty forth is important.

This late payment has taken a darkly comic turn now because well I've just landed a short-term contract at a place I'd love to work. This place is outside of London and it's going to cost me quite a bit to get there every day. Quite a bit indeed.

The combination of increased transport costs and late payment means that I may be unable to physically get to the job I have tomorrow. Yes, like some Thomas Hardy novel I've got the promise of something wonderful, and yet it's actually going a bit wonky.

Normally in a situation like this I'd either cycle to work (stolen earlier in the year) or walk but even if my bike was available this wouldn't be an option because this job is really far away. I'm not sure what my options are, I could try and sneak on the train but I have a special super human ability to always get caught when breaking the law so that is unlikely to work.

Oh and for a bit of extra Christmas cheer the accounts deparment at this new job have already hinted that they might not be able to pay me before Christmas. Ho Ho Ho.

Fuck you Thomas Hardy.

I'm leaving, on a packed train, don't know when I'll be back again

I've got a return journey to London today to pick up the rest of my stuff. I'm not really looking forward to it - I hate moving house at the best of times - but at least once it's done it's done so that is good.

The current plan, or at least the vague ideas masquerading as one is to stay down here for the rest of the summer (going up to London a couple of days a week when I need to) saving cash (this bit is going well) and then return to London for the winter with far, far less stuff. Realisitically I could get by with a far more stripped down selection of items - perhaps one or two novelity suits and that is it.

In other news I asked two of my dad's friends for motorcycle advice. One of them was really helpful the other one, who was for a while my dad's best friend in the world was less so. It was a bit weird really.

Well enough whiffling on about this, I have to catch a train.

No wales for me

I'm not going to Wales today either. My dad took a turn for the worse in the night and now he doesn't want anyone to visit him.

I don't think he really understands at this time people want to see him most. Organising a surprise visit would be tricky to say the least. Where he lives is almost impossibly remote and hard to pronounce. Getting a train would still involve a half an hour taxi ride to somewhere I can't really name and then up a track that most cars can't go up.

I suppose I could hire a car and drive, I've done it before, but it's not something you should do (drive I mean) if you are going to be upset at any point. last time I did it the journey home was a harrowing experience, and rather dangerous.

What I really need to do is steal a helicopter, with a pilot and keep him hidden in the private garden behind the flat. Then if I need to travel at a moments notice I can, and I don't have to drive. First I need to find the key to the gardens, nothing is easy, is it?