A view through the Kalaedescope

Poll #1364827 Ooooh Ooooh
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: None, participants: 3

Tell me something! Anything! Bonus points if its a secret!

Well, Most of my posts are locked these days - but it doesnt give people much of a chance to talk to me if I'm talking to them and they don't have a livejournal.

So, here we go! An open post in the middle of nowhere. Anonymous comments are enabled, yadda yadda yadda.

So much to do before I go on holiday, and I'm rushing to get it all done.
I can't wait till 5:30... I'll be heading home and trying out my ideas for the Halloween costume...after that, I have to pack, and then get as much of this work done as I can before tomorrow.

I think I'll be sleeping very very well on Friday night. hehe.


Oh yeah. I'm on holiday from tomorrow night, and I'll be back in london *late* on the 6th, so... have a good time folks and ill see you when I get back.

I think I'm in a really good mood.
I received the account from Thames Water, as I expected.... but surprisingly no new bill for the property I moved into.
So, just now I was there ringing up to ask if there was a problem when the lady told me that there is no active account for my property and it looks like the building is covered by a joint account (Which means its included in my rent!)
My old bill was £215 for the year (18 / month)... which may not seem like a lot, but it all adds up! Hell, that's half of what my new mobile phone bill will be.
All I need now is for lewisham council to come back and say I dont have to pay council tax and I'll be convinced I'm in a dreamworld ;-)

I'm going to speak to Tony the caretaker later on and confirm this is the case, but if so - wohoo my place is better value than I thought.
Once I get my new phone - new bank account, etc etc... I really need to work out my finances and how much money I have coming in / going out. So much is changing its hard to keep track of it all!


[edit]
I've spoken to Tony, and he says that quarterly they will just come round with a bill. I'm going to hold onto my previous bill so I can demonstrate what I *was* paying in case its stupidly huge...but hopefully it'll be alright.

So, not quite as amazing as I thought.... but hey - it was nice to think so!

As I'm living in london, and with my travelcard have easy access out and about, Greg has pointed me at http://www.sroaudiences.com/.
Standing Room Only Audiences - the company that deals with live TV show audiences.

I've signed up for their mailing list so I'll be able to see if anything cool is coming up that I want to see if I can get in to watch.
Tickets are free, which is a bonus - and as I have free access to Zone 3, all ill need to do is just keep my fingers crossed when i apply for something :-)

It has a lot of potential.

And now for a happy post, to bring things up a little. Tony, the caretaker for the building I'm in, has offered to find me furniture for the flat. I've given him a short list of things that would be good if he can get them...
Double bed
Wardrobe
Chest of Drawers
Sofa
Coffee Tables
Bedside Cabinet

Lets see what bits and bobs he can pick up for me. =)
Its really great because I was told the place was rented unfurnished, and now I've spoken to the actual letting agents who are managing it and they've told me that furniture can be supplied for no extra cost :)

So, yay for random surprises! That should save me a bit of money, and if I get better furniture myself at a later time - then I can always return their furniture to them and put it back in the lockup.

Yeah, and as if that wasn't bad enough I've gone and lost the scarf that I got for Christmas last year.
I really really liked that scarf as it was just perfect for me. A warm thing to keep the cold of the world out, and I was using it to keep my neck warm while I've been ill.

I think someone nicked it while I was playing pool the other day, and I'm really annoyed at myself for not paying closer attention to it. :(
I know its only a scarf.... but... yeah. It was important.

Ok... Get ready for a shock people.....


I DON'T EXIST
yep
you heard....

After applying for a new phone with Orange (ok, they screwed that up a bit... but that's a tiny problem), I was told that my credit check had come back declined. Apparently, Experian (the company they use for referencing) has no record of my existence.

So - if I want to prove that I exist I have to send them a copy of

my passport
both parts of my driving license (currently its with the DVLA changing my address)
or birth certificate (which I believe my mum has somewhere)
and then two forms of identification linking me to my current address....
now, seeing as I've just moved into my new property, I don't *have* any recent utility bills, so I'm going to have to be a bit creative.

I can't really do anything till my driving license comes back from the DVLA, and their automated service isn't being particularly helpful for actually getting to speak to someone.
So - I'm basically stuck until I get back from holiday.
I'll probably send them a copy of my tenancy agreement, a statement from NatWest, the opening "welcome to BT" letter, a copy of my passport *and* a copy of my driving license just to make sure they know who I am. Then when they get that sorted, I'll be able to get my phone sorted.

Additionally, Intelligent Finance use Experian too, so I *have* to get it sorted before I can get my new bank account sorted too.
*shakes fist*

So, yet another weekend down in the south.

The meteor shower prompted me to make the extra effort and head down to see my girlfriend this weekend, and I think its the first time when I've been down in poole and its been raining (well - significantly raining) for most of the weekend. Luckily it cleared up at all the right times, but it was still a bit touch-and-go at moments.
Spent time shopping in Bournemouth, did some clubbing at Sound Circus, and spent most of Sunday trying to warm myself from the night out watching the stars.

All in all, a very enjoyable weekend, and I'm looking forward to my holiday starting next Friday :)

(Now... where am I going to get stuff to turn me into a zombie for the Halloween party from....hmm.....)

In other news, my good buddy craig sent me a message this morning just as I was leaving for work - which was cool as I haven't heard from him in a while.

Yay for cool friends. I'm now walking around with a grin on my face. (well - sitting, coughing and dying with a grin on my face)

Raaaa - Im back coughing and spluttering today because some evil person has given me a cold. Last time it was one from dorset I picked up, but Im pretty convinced this one is from London, and more specifically from Nick in the office who was ill just a day or two ago. RAaaa.
*cough*
*splutter*

I wish I was in bed.... with a real bed... wrapped up in a duvet... with hot chocolate, or lemsip.

Everybody needs good ones apparently, so I went round introducing myself to a few of them the other night
I feel like I've been dropped into a tacky BBC1 soap.....

A chap who looks like Shane Ritchie runs the local cornershop. However he speaks with a thick Mexican accent. He seems quite cool though, and likes to think he's funny. (he makes jokes about all kinds of things, and his assistant laughs at them....even when they aren't funny.... but hey - he seems nice).

Directly opposite me is Ashley and Katie. Very typical East End London girls.... in that when i saw them I thought "hmmm.... I bet they'll want me to get them pregnant so they can steal my life/money through child support forever.".... So I was nice / polite to them, but other than that I think I'll be cautious about those two. It wasn't anything particular they did, just the "hungry" look in their eyes, and their body language that made me think that. (no - they aren't that attractive guys, so don't come over for a quick/easy girl to hook up with)
Then there is the token black couple that I've met on my floor. Paula and Patrick. Very very friendly couple, but it takes them *ages* to answer the door. You can hear them standing on the other side going
"Shall I answer it for you?"
"No, Its my turn, I'll get it for you"
"no, I insist deary, please let me get it for you. It might be for me anyway"

etc etc.....

Now, I say Token black couple in the loosest sense. Its supposed to be a black neighbourhood, so I would expect to see a lot of them around, but thus far these two are the only people in the building I've seen who have coloured skin.

they were the only ones I've met from my floor sofar, but I have met a few other people in the building.

Gary - somewhere on the 3rd floor. Business man. Very friendly - gave me a bit of info on the layout of the flats as we hurried to the station in the morning. Reminds me of Skinner from the X-files (both in looks and the way he speaks).

John - Gave me a hand in with my stuff last night and was really friendly. Lives Somewhere on the 1st floor. I think he's gay - but he could be a designer. He talks very camply anyway.


All in all, an odd bunch - but they seem nice enough. There's no one I'm wary of thus-far (except perhaps the predatorial looks from the girls directly opposite me), so I expect its going to go quite well here.

Sarah gave me a call last night while I was shaking my fist in the air at BT for not having my broadband done, which was cool. It was only half an hour, but it was just when i was feeling a little isolated from the world - so it put a smile on my face.

Yay for random co-incidences with good timing.

Well, I've moved in to my new property! Hurrah!
Been there just a few days, and as always there feels like there is so much to do, but it's all worth it. The view from my flat is pretty spectacular, and I woke up yesterday morning with my head in the clouds! (literally. There was a fog-bank around my building).

I've got the landline sorted, just placed order for new mobile, and broadband is on the way (BT say 25th, but I'm hoping a lot sooner)- so I'm gradually knocking things off my to-do list. I'm still miles from being fully unpacked, and I really want to give the flat a good clean at some point (well - hoover at least, if not shampoo the carpets).
Its quite tough at the moment.... as I don't have internet access, and Jade's phone is broken I'm feeling quite isolated from her at the moment. I'm sticking around in the office to get what little extra time I can with her before heading home to unpack, but I'm really looking forward to seeing her and watching the meteor shower with her this weekend.

So far I have the kitchen fully unpacked, put away, washed down, and ready for use. Hurrah! I can come home and cook amazing meals for myself when I've had a hard day at the office. Next up should be the bathroom (when i get my hoover home - tonight I expect). I'm already in love with the shower - its a godsend after the last place, and definitely somewhere I can see myself spending a lot of time.


Oooh, ooh, and also I haven't had the heating on yet - and don't consider the flat to be "cold"....so I could end up saving money on the electricity depending on how cold it ends up getting in the winter.
I'm sure I'll add other things as I think of them - but if anyone wants me address / phone number - please email me alex dot sweetman at gmail dot com.

[Me] Hey Greg - I'm going to the villa tomorrow night... Its going to be soooo cool  \m/  . Do you have any plans?
[Greg] I'm going to see Lacuna Coil *tonight*. Yes - I'm on the guest list. And its going to be waaaay cooler.
[Me] .... >:(

Woah, talk about timing. Just as I finished the last of the cleaning, and picked up the very last bits I had in the flat (Spade and Broom of all things) - the heavens opened and the most torrential downpour I've seen in a while happened.

I've now handed the keys in, cleaned the flat, and left my contact details....so all I need to do now is wait for my deposit to come back (tyvm.) and I can forget about that place
\o/

Oh....how strange it feels to be homeless.

on a plus side, with all my stuff in the office it was easy to change into clean dry clothes when i got back to the office....I'm now sat here with my towel around my neck, gently drying myself and trying to keep my hair looking good.
(aren't I vain?)

Every now and again in the circles that I frequent, there is a discussion about the degradation of the English language over time, and I was wondering if anyone here had opinions of it.

Now, I don't claim to be an Angel, or perfect at my use of grammar and sentence structures, but I certainly try to improve my English (speaking and writing) any chance I get.
If I see people making obvious errors (or ones that *really* get on my nerves), then I will try to politely correct them - however some people are impossible to correct without offending.

Individually, mistakes and errors do not contribute much to the confusion regarding a phrases true meaning, but each does detract from the clarity of the message and it will eventually reach a point where a casual observer cannot understand what is being communicated.

So - what are your pet annoyances with people butchering our beloved language?

Obvious choices include the their/there/they're threesome, the your/you're conundrum and other substitutions of words that sound the same (but mean completely different things)...but I'm looking for the more obscure ones....

like "I could care less" instead of "I couldn't care less". Very very different, but I hear the former said a lot more when the speaker means the latter.



Another thought - as there is talk about making immigrants have a "Comprehension of English" assessment - does that mean that locals who do not reach the required level should be deported? ;-)
And also any gripes you have with American English vs English English (I would call it British English, but I know we have even more differences than the combined United Kingdom)


If you see people making mistakes, do you try to correct them?
Also, are you the kind of person who likes to improve their language skills, or would you rather remain at your current level of skill and never have your mistakes pointed out?


Now, I know nadriel and shadow_exe will be tempted to point out every mistake in this post - so go for it guys! Do your worst!

Well,
  I believe I have somewhere to live. Barring everything going horribly wrong, I should be signing my contract and moving into my new place as of Friday this week. Hurrah.

This has prompted me to give some thought as to my finances, bills, and general things. as I'm going to be moving everything over to the new property once I moved in - I really want to review whether the service level I'm getting from things for the price I pay is really worth it.
e.g. my Internet Connection. I've never really gone above 512k as quite frankly I don't need that level of speed. I don't do a great deal of downloading, and when I do I'm more than willing to leave it transferring while I do other things.
So, I want to rethink :
My bank - Am I getting the best deal (erm....NO???) for my money? How can I improve it?
My telephone - Again - am I getting the best value from it? What do I use it for? and How much do I end up spending?
Coupled with
My Mobile! - For the amount I put on it, could I be better off with a contract? Or even a BT light user landline and then get a better mobile contract?

So yeah - looking at ways of saving money, and then storing said monnies for spending on important things. It's certainly a time of change!

Well, my landlord is a bit of a muppet.... I don't exactly hold him in high regard, but his mother is a glorious wonderful lady.
Anyway, rather than speak to him about the cleaning of the property I decided it would be more prudent to talk to her about whether it would be ok for me to clean the flat rather than get in £££ cleaners to do it.
She's said it wouldnt be a problem, and she's spoken to him, and its all ok now :) So Hurrah for little old ladies!

Yay

So, thats saved me £130. All i need is a bit of elbow grease and it'll all be good. And clean! I might even get rid of the mice (temporarily) I'm in such a good mood over that.

Well, its nearly time to move out, so I thought I would do a little reflection on the last year.....
Well, its quite easy to judge how long it is because I was moving to London this time last year, and so what I'll do is month by month pick a song that I feel reflects the mood of the month.

And so here it is
( A Year in Song )

Its been hard to tie the months down to specific songs....but I think each of those songs will remind me of enough to remember this year.
So, raise a glass to another chapter.... and life moves on. *clink*