h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

* eats gratefully *

Thanks Joanna!

[Urgh. YK isn't here. Mackenzie is.]

Sorry, Makenzie. I was up all night and I'm not necessarily typing what's in my mind...

* understands and browses the menu for another *

[Mackenzie eats her donut.]

Thanks Joanna.
Can I also have a honey ?

<BB<

A chocolate supreme please, Joanna! Can I also have a bag of assorted lovely s for eating on the train on Doobry morning on the way to the meetup?

Yeah, sure *hands all donuts out, in stall bags*

Eat and enjoy, people....

Oh jeez I am in *such* a bad mood...

[Mackenzie] Why? What's wrong?

* inspects the selection of s in the bag *

Cool! Thanks Joanna. Now, what's wrong? Feel free to de-stress at us, we won't mind.

Well, firstly, its my housemates and the cleaning rota. I have three housemates, K, MS and MCT. MS and MCT are very good friends, and at the beginning of the year they said that 'we didn't need a cleaning rota. People will clean when they feel like it'. K had however suggested that we have one. I thought that having one was fine cuz we had one in the same house last year.

Anyway, not having a cleaning rota meant that we didn't clean that much. and MS and MCT figured that they were doing way more than their fair share, that they were matyrs and whatever, but instead of talking about it to K and me they just stewed it over between themselves.

Then, last thursday, they put up a rota. This rota was bad because: a) K and I are down to clean on five weekends, including a big clean at the end of term where we do all the normal stuff plus clean the fridge and oven, sweep the stairs... MS and MCT are down to clean on three weekends. They also had K and me down to clean the weekend of MCT having a birthday party...

So I spent all the time from thursday when I was not worrying about my essay worrying about this rota, how unreasonable it was, and how rude it was that they'd just put it up, not even as a draft, and how it seemed like they thought they had the right to order me and K around.

So eventually I put a postIT up on the rota saying that we need to *discuss* it. I mentioned this to MS, and he said, "well, we need a rota, so...", implying that he didn't see any problem with them just putting one up without saying anything. Last night I hoped we could all talk about it, but K was out. I didn't mention anything about feeling ordered around, or that K and I have way more to do than MCT and MS, but I just pointed out about the party and said that *we* needed to rearrange things. MCT did the rearranging all by herself later when I wasn't there, and put up a postit to the effect that someone needs to clean the bathroom and living room.

K found the note this morning, and now thinks that me and her should stick up for each other. I've been trying bloody hard not to get into an 'us and them' situation this year, but with this rota and not thinking about what they wrote I've been effectively forced into one by MS and MCT

So now I don't know what to do. I've worried myself almost literally sick about this, and MS and MCT have no idea. I've blown off steam on Andy, my mum and now you, and in trying to consider the feelings of one set of other people have caused a whole other set to worry. MS and MCT don't realise about them bossing us around because I didn't say anything last night (how could I? I'm not like that, I hate confrontation) and now K is on the semi-warpath about this and an issue she has with bills, which I didn't care either way about up until now.

Other things bugging me are the general ineptitude of my environmental physics lecturer, and the ITS who've charged me for a printout that didn't work and blamed me for its failiure apparently because they don't think I pressed print preview, which I did. I am going to take the printout to them tomorrow and SHOUT. well, probably not, but let them know how annoyed I am. How was I supposed to know that if PSP prints out fine on a black and white printer it won't on the thermal wax one? it doesn't say on the website, and it doesn't say you should go and see them if you want to use that printer, anywhere.

But this weekend is still something to look forward to. As well as seeing you guys I also get to see my uncle's new church (he's a vicar) and meet a school friend who I've not seen since the summer.

I understand perfectly about house stuff. In my house we're generally getting on very well, but there is some tension at times. However, the cleaning rota and the kitchen rota (four people cooking simultaneously in a kitchen the size of a matchbox? I don't think so!) seem to be working quite well. We have the advantage of being able to sit down and talk about things reasonably. But yes, it is frustrating when some members don't admit that something is a problem, or don't communicate, or many other things I can see that have gone wrong for you.

We had a problem with washing up not being done for quite a while, but it seems to have slackened off now - evidently the housemate in question got the message. Or some of it. Eventually.

And as for the printer thing... well, who knows? One would expect it to work... provided someone wrote the printer drivers correctly, that is.

Well, I just went to the ITS helpdesk all primed to complain... and it turned out that Ben was working there today, a History PHd from my college who was my friend's tutor in first year and I've always been able to chat to, and he refunded my printer credits straight away, as soon as I said what the problem was

*hands round ley donuts*

Can I have one with honey on?

<BB<

*hands BB a honey smiley *

Eat and enjoy

[Mackenzie] Glad to see things are doing better, Jo.

At least some things are good in life.

GoingtoLondonTomorrowGoingtoLondonTomorrowGoingtoLondonTomorrowGoingtoLondonTomorrowGoingtoLondonTomorrowGoingtoLondonTomorrowGoingtoLondonTomorrowGoingtoLondonTomorrowGoingtoLondonTomorrowGoingtoLondonTomorrow

[Mackenzie] Not going to London tomorrow. Oh well, that's okay! No plans for it!

* joins in with Joanna *

* bounces a bit *