DIY makes me lose my appetite. Really. It must be concentrating on getting something right - I am perfectionist - that makes me forget to eat.
I used to laugh at people; with my anorexic history too I know, who said they forgot to eat. But it is true.
Friday: Museli bar I think
Saturday: A couple or three plain rivita
Sunday: A bowl of oven chips M put in front of me
Today: A bit of white bread
I am also forgetting to drink so I better make a cup of tea now as I haven't drunk anything yet today either.
This is bloody weird.
Today, by my own hand, I have:
- A shiny mid-grey front door. The colour reminds me of those discreet grey doors you see on houses in Kensington or Barnes. I can but dream.
- Painted the rendered walls outside my flat in a vanilla colour that's like clotted cream.
- Painted my exterior woodwork white.
- Painted the 'flashing' (it's a technical term the builders tell me) at the bottom of my flat matte black.
Edges, edges, sodding edges.
Now I have cold icy fingers and need some tea.
NB: In reply to the lovely mail I received at VOX I am a woman, early thirties and engaged. I am definitely not a gay man thankyouplease. That made me laugh ;) My icon by the way is Hedy Lamarr.
... my own TV for the first time yesterday since October 18th, go me.
What was on? The new series of Torchwood. I christened my TV with gay men, swearing and random aliens.
James Masters was in it! It was almost like having Spike back. He still looks thin and apart from not having blond hair looked mighty fine. The accent and snarky script made him sound just like Spike (even a reference to "you need a blonde" woman - a BtVS homage perhaps?)
And he kissed Captain Jack! All we needed was an emo David Boreanaz appearance and we'd of had the full set.
It was like watching slash* written by some of my mates.
Welcome back the big bad.
(A funny article in the Observer about slash, notably Harry Potter. Oh fandom I love you so.)
My life in points:
- I washed my hair for the first time yesterday since Boxing Day. You do the maths.
- There are men outside my flat with big choppers.
- I keep getting distracted by the books I am unpacking.
- I am now going out for pie, I am hungry.
Laters.
... washed my hair for 11 days due to the shower being ballsed up.
And whoever said hair starts cleaning itself after a week of not washing it lied.
Well I am now in bed (well technically I am on a mattress as the bed will not be finished until Sunday, but I digress) as my sore throat has morphed into a horrid headache and earache.
On the bright side today the repair man fixed our darn expensive integrated microwave / combination oven on his first visit today so I am moments away - as an Estate Agent would say - from being able to defrost. On the less bright side he was a very odd person indeed and had a bad back so he couldn't lift anything, like ovens. M was practically incandescent with rage when I told him about it. For instance the repair man asked have I got a 13 amp extension? He hadn't got one on hand. Erm, well I don't even know where my plates or knickers are as all my possessions are in packing crates - next question?
John Lewis delivered our final order (to me in my pyjamas no less) - so I now have Simple Human recycling thingymebobs and a dish rack. Kitchen glee will follow when I can summon the energy to unpack the box. More glee will come as I have just placed an order with Lakeland for microwave cookware. Not having had a microwave before really I am not sure I'll do much beyond reheating or defrosting but hey.
By the by Lakeland is like domestic crack isn't it? How do people spend less than £40 when browsing their wares? Their site is extremely dangerous and should be classified as a class A source of kitchenalia.
Waitose have also been applied to for some food. I'm buggered If I'm going out in this weather to get shopping. The first shop when you move house (or back into our house in this case) is always heavy and bulky anyway. A good excuse to get some burly delivery man to do it. I booked a 'green' slot which means their van was in my area anyway and so will use less petrol. They also take back the bags they deliver in and reuse them so I can feel a bit less guilty that I didn't go and get the food myself on foot with my trolley. Yes I have a trolley; it's a floral house coat next.
But for every bright spot there must be a black gothlike smudge of doom. The new shower valve isn't the same width as the model we currently have but can't use (our hot water pressure isn't over 1 bar apparently). So guess what? Yes, more fucking holes to be made in the walls, more broken tiles and more work to be done in my perfect bathroom. If they touch my sealant I will go ape.
Happy Friday peoples.
and Pope Julius II I am wondering "when will there be an end to it?"
The electrician completed his work yesterday so we are now all electrically safe. Despite his pronouncements of doom every five minutes - "it's impossible!" - and leaving all the sockets off when he left (thanks for scaring the fuck out of me) all seems well. He has left us with many holes which the plasterer should be filling but he can't come until Monday, the slacker.
Our second lot of builders, who went on holiday on the 21st and haven't been seen since, have their boss apparently calling them constantly to get them back on site to finish the carpentry... again fucking slackers.
These delays are holding us up. Without their work being complete we can't paint or finish laying rubber floors easily. While builders are still tromping through our flat with little concern for final finishes or our possessions we can't unpack. So we still seem to be living in a building site. The bedroom however is very nearly finished and is our refuge.
The bad luck continues.
- We used the shower for the first time on New Years Day - it doesn't work. We now have to get a new thermostatic valve and more plumbers back in. We are hoping they can fix it without having to tear into walls and finished tiling (which will have to be redone) or my precious sealant which took a total of nine hours to bloody do and much anguish from yours truly.
- The brand new microwave combination oven we tried to use for the first time on New Years Eve - it doesn't work. The electrician was on site at the time and pronounced the socket and plug OK. John Lewis won't take it back as we've had it more than 30 days (not being used as we were waiting for electricians to make the sockets safe). Now we go down the root of repair men... which may take weeks.
- Stuff from IKEA still hasn't come after ordering it more than two months ago.*
- The bed we bought from Ilva and were assured would fit our existing bed slats (which require a central beam) doesn't. It's all unpacked on the bedroom floor and we must return to Thurrock once more (borrowing a car to do so) to get new ones. So our mattress is still sans bed.
It seems we have a ratio of two things going wrong each day to one going right. Why must things be done and redone at least three times? Why can't builders just do it right first time - like we have to do in our jobs? That would be a bloody novelty!
I am truly fed up and now have the beginning of a horrid cold and sore throat.
I must work on the flat though as days off are precious. The investment bank have been great and have given me until the 15th off to get our flat sorted out once and for all. I hope the second lot of builders come through because I may lose my job if they don't. They don't seem to realise I can't wait at home forever for them and we both have to work for a living. M has gone back to work after a month off - he has used most of his 2008 holiday allowance already so going to NYC or on honeymoon holiday this year looks unlikely.
Fuckety fuck.
*We
went to IKEA last night and finally managed to get it off the shelf for
next day delivery. Everything on our list was in stock for once, a
minor miracle at IKEA.
