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

Oh, please don't get me started about phone bills. I've had too much problems with the phone bill to last me two lifetimes. You see, I had a flatmate who has a girlfriend in the US, and they call each other about 3 hours every day. Calling from the US here may not be too bad, but calling from here to the US kills the phone bill. He managed to get a bill of £118 for just over a months worth of calling. And then he refused to pay it, because "it will have to wait." And since the bill was in my name, BT wasn't happy at all with me. Especially since he had done the same thing with the previous bill that was a bill for £425, which he de-prioritised because he "had to" go see his girlfriend, and had to buy a flight ticket for the money he could have paid the phone bill with. Gaah!

I know what you mean about the family thing. It's always good to have a family. Far away. Preferably in a different country, don't you think? The freedom is second to none. And all they can do is call you every once in a while, to see if you're okay.And who wouldn't be okay when you're living on your own, able to do anything?

They might be taking you with them to LA? Sweet Jeebers, that sounds fun. Be sure to send a post card when you get there.

I guess I'd call it a breakdown in communication about the fridge. People assuming that other people had informed yet other people about something, which they hadn't. Oh well...

Miracle of miracles, the phone bill thing might sort itself out!! One of my flatmates asked today had it arrived, and when I said it hadn´t she said that if it didn´t arrive by the time they left then she´d give me her address and I could post it on to her.

Perhaps this is a new dawn of friendly relations with my flatmates for the last week they are here ........ *remembers broken cupboard they refuse to fix, dirty towels all over the bathroom floor and their complete ability to realise that anyone else might want to put something in the fridge* ...... then again maybe not

Oh well, only a few days left and then they´ll be gone and I´ll have over 2 weeks with the place to myself. Listening to jazz at full volume and sitting at the kitchen table reading and drinking tea without being disturbed.....Heaven!

You are so lucky. I had to hound my flatmate to pay the phone bill that he had run up. And he still didn't. He currently owes me £100 for that damn phone bill, that I had to pay or BT would set their lawyers at me. And he's trying to avoid me, the bugger.

It is the best thing ever to have a place for yourself while your roommates are away, isn't it? I experienced that twice already this year, as my old roomie went to the US twice, staying a couple of weeks each time. To have the place for yourself, not having someone waking you up too early on weekend mornings and as you said, being able to play music as loud as you like. Total bliss...

And I used to think that I'd never manage to live alone, that I'd always want someone around. I think now I could handle nicely! Although a friend in the flat downstairs might be nice.

I'm counting the days until they've gone now - I just never seemed to get on with them, which is a pity, seeing as my flatmates last semester were great and we're still really close. Oh, well, I'll know next time not to move in with Italians who dont speak any German or English!!

Italians? Oooohhh.. I'd say that my personal view is that Italians are almost as bad as French people. We have quite a few of each here at work, since it's a big call centre with lots of people from all over Europe. I think that I'll try to find roommates (if I have to have roommates) that shares at least some cultural traditions or values with me.

Funny thing with my moving abroad is that I have never been home sick. I mean, really homesick. Sure, I do miss some stuff from home every once in a while, but not enough to make me go: "GOD, I wanna go home!!!" Possibly because I'm the one in the family noone was really surprised to hear about that I was moving abroad. My brother and sister would never ever do that.

Most people nearly fell off their chairs when they heard I was going away, and I got loads of comments like "I'm sure you'll do just fine..." which really meant they had no idea how a meek little girl like me was ever going to survive so far from home. When they saw the photos that I brought back at Christmas involving me dancing on tables they realised I was quite cabable.

My brother now... I couldn't see him mananging to live anywhere away from home unless it had an included laundry, cleaning and cooking service!!

Hmmm.. Speaking of comments when people got to know about me moving.. I think the majority of the comments were the kinds: "How nice that you're moving abroad to get a job." and the likes. In hind sight maybe they just said that because they were glad to get rid of me.

I wonder if my brother knows how to work the washing machine. He did move out directly from our parent's house to his own, and when he did, his fiancee moved in with him. So I'm not sure if he knows how to do the laundry.
And I'm not sure if my sister knows that either. She's never lived away from home, and our mom is always nice enough to do our laundry once we're at home. Silly, but true. I guess she's just being a mother.

Personally, I think laundry is the most boring thing in the world, except for ironing, but I just love cooking, and I do make a great lasagna.

Well, time to go home for the day. Be back tomorrow.

SOME people get to go home nice and early!! I'm still stuck in college cramming for the big exams tomorrow (well, they aren't that big - really just a cup of tea and a chat!). I love study groups - myself and my best mate have spent the past two and a half hours studying together - and we stop every fifteen minutes to have a chat!!

Lasagne - that's fairly impressive you know. Mine is always a disaster - but I'm pretty good at chicken and mushroom in a cream white wine and oregano sauce (invented last semester when they were the only ingredients I had, I had promised to cook my flatmate dinner and all the shops were closed!!

Right, back to the study - by this time tomorrow I'll have only one more exam left!!!! (Except it's horrible - the influence of English on German)

*sighs dramatically as she trudges up the stairs to the library*

Yes, I admit. We do get to go home really early in the afternoons. But then again, we start at 7 am, so we have to get up really early in the morning. Personally, I wouldn't complain about working the "Out Of Hours" shifts. Okay, so the shifts are 12-hour shifts, but you get to work 4 days, then have four days off, then you work four nights, then you have four days off, then you repeat. Fairly good schedule. And much better pay, with the overtime.

From what I remember from school (last time I was near a school was -97) studying with your friends usually ends up with you sitting around, talking about other stuff. And then you end up with the quick read-through of the notes just before the test anyways.

Chicken and mushroom in a cream white wine and oregano sauce? Sounds very impressive. Like a restaurant dish, actually. I could see that on a menu in some fancy restaurant. And as most things, it's born by necessity from what's in the cupboard. I like "cupboard-cooking". Maybe because I usually have pretty much in my cupboards, but still. On the other hand, I can't use the "the shops are closed" excuse if I'm missing anything, since Tesco is open 24/7.

Hope you did well on your exams.

We actually managed to get a lot of study done yesterday - it could be because my friend has a lot more willpower than I do (mainly because she has more to cover!). I haven´t made it to todays exams yet though - lectures first, but always before lectures, the computers!! Addiction is a bad thing

We´re thinking of going to EXPO today - it´s Irish day, and there´s a filthy rumour circulating that if you go with your passport on your national day then you get in free - hmm must investigate that.

*re-reads previous message, and then has to sit back for a minute in shock* ...what do you mean Tesco is open 24/7??? Please tell me that´s just a cruel joke!!! The supermarkets here have only just realised that if you stay open until 8pm you get customers coming in after work. Most of them close at FOUR on Saturday, and there is nothing open on Sunday. AT ALL.


Oh, to be back home! (At least for the shops!)

To start off with the Tesco question. Yes, the local Tesco store is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Don't ask me why, maybe it's because they like to have drunk people staggering in after a good saturday night out, to buy some hangover cure (ie IRN BRU) for the following day. I must admit that it's pretty handy when you get a severe case of the late night munchies.
Bad thing is that they're not allowed to sell alcoholic beverages after 9.55 PM (stupid time limit if you ask me) so you can't go from the night club to Tesco to buy more to drink.

Free entry on showing of passport? That is a cool thing, if the rumours are true. I wish they could do that around here somewhere too. Like somewhere in Glasgow or something.

Computer addictions are bad. I had withdrawal symptoms when I got here, because I had to leave my computer at home in Sweden, and the only computers I had was the ones at work. BUbt eventually, I got over it. Well, almost, anyways.

Once again, good luck on the exams.

*types very, very slowly and quietly as the noise of the keys hurts her head*

Yes I am hungover this morning. The exam went so well that myself and my friend went drinking straight afterwards (at 3 in the afternoon!), then we decided to treat ourselves to dinner at the local Mexican place (and more drink). I eventually had enough at about midnight and crawled home. The others were still at the pub and probably didn´t get in until about 4 am. Oh the joy of being an ERASMUS Student.

One more to do tomorrow and then I´m FREE!! Don´t you just hat us students??

Well, I have to admit that a few people over here treats this job as if it was a prolonged vacation where you get money every month. They go out partying two, three times a week and do silly things when they're drunk.
Being hungover on a thursday is common around here too.
But yes, I don't particularly enjoy hearing of people (students) who can sleep in because they don't really have to get up at all. Especially since I have to get up at 6 am every bloody morning to get to work. *sigh* I'm dead tired today. But can I go home after I finish work today? Noooooooo.. I have to go to an evening course where I have to "learn" about some stupid SmartSuite application. I just don't feel like it today. I just want to go home, put on some calming music (like the Art of Noise or Enya) and just drift away into sweet dreams...

"Enjoy" your hangover as long as you can. And congrats on the exam.

They are gone! Finally the flat to myself...room in the fridge, a clean(er) bathroom. Life is good.

I also met a friend this morning who tod me the exam I have to do in half an hour is not that bad, that the professor is really nice, and that I should have learnt enough. So panic is over and I´m just trying to compose my thoughts before I go in.

Art of Noise??? Excuse my ignorance ... but who are they??

Having a house or an apartment all for yourself is bliss, isn't it?

Art of noise....? Hmmm.. Difficult question to answer. They are/were a group of people that put together music by using different kinds of sound effects. They were the ones who did the background music for Tom Jones' version of "Kiss", and several other groups have borrowed sound effects from the Art of Noise to use in their songs as well. One example is the song "Firestarter" by Prodigy. They basically make a lot of abstract chill-out music. It's a group of the 80's (lasted from 83-90) and originally consisted of four persons. In 1998 they released a new album, called "The seduction of Claude Debussy", but this time without one of the original members.
I would say that the Art of Noise is somwhat of an acquired taste in music, but most songs are really good chill-out music as well.

Hmm, they sound interesting. I might take a little listen if I can find something here (Germany is generally the land that good music forgot). I can't see them being much to my taste, but then I said that about Nirvana too until I was sitting in the pub one night after work (well, 5am - but technically it was AFTER work) and one of the barmen put their unplugged CD on. I surprised myself!

The exams are over - so now it's time to start reading all those books I promised myself I would and getting all healthy (well, apart from in the evenings at the parties!). And before you start complaining about students, I'll start work as soon as I get home in July. This is my holiday (and the only one I'll get before I do my finals next June - poor me )

Working hard??

Hope you did good on the final exam today. Enjoy your holiday. You've most likely earned it.
I'm not going to start complaining about students, since I honestly don't do too much at work nowadays. Since they sent me off to the new department to act as backup, my call ratio for the days have dropped from about 30 calls a day, to about 12-13 a day. BUt then again. I keep busy doing all kinds of things. Like waste(?) time at H2G2.

I know about not having much holidays. I think I've had a total of 5 weeks of vacation in 2 years. So I do think you should take time off and enjoy every second of your holiday.

Have a nice weekend. I'm going home now.

I was suposed to work today (I need to keep my bank manager happy somehow!!) so I got in, opened the pub, set up the beer garden - and then my boss rang to tell me the weather wasn´t nice enough that I´d have to close! I mean, it was 20 degrees!! It just wasn´t that sunny. At home the place would have been packed. But these Germans are odd - I mean they were sitting out in the beer garden yesterday and stayed out then when it started pouring rain.

Working tomorrow too, and Wednesday, but I´ve the rest of the week off. Sleep is urgently required

Who ever said that Germans weren't strange? 20 degrees is still 20 degrees, no matter if it's sunny or not. I hope it's going to rain during the day today. A bunch of seagulls used my car for target practice this weekend and the rain would help take care of that. At least a bit. What the rain won't take care of, though, is the parking ticket I got on saturday. And that will definitely not keep my bank manager happy either, especially since I've got about 130 pounds on my account and I need 85 to pay the road tax to be able to drive my car. Then another 20 for the ticket and probably 10 or 20 more to pay for the petrol I'll use during the month. That leaves me with about 10 quid til the 24th.. And it's the 3rd today!!! Dammit.. I don't like this.
I need for my ex-roommate to actually start looking for a new roommate, so I can get my deposit for that place back. I need that deposit. Urgently. Or a second job that is paid weekly.

I do seem to recall that sleep is something you get a definite shortage of during the time you're a student. I wonder why that is.

Now, it would be so much easier (and cheaper) to travel as I do, and as all the students here do - by bike! Of course that may be very practical when you're going down to the Uni and wearing jeans. When you are on the way out for dinner with friends and you're wearing a long skirt (short ones are difficult too) things get a little more difficult.

Sounds like it's going to be pasta and baked beans on toast for the rest of the month for you!! I'm lucky - I got paid today, so I'm trying to decide on what little trip I'll take at the weekend. I've only 2 weeks left here, so I might as well make the most of it.

The boss told me not to open up again today. I have to wait for three hours to see if it improves. It's crazy, I can't really do anything except wait around the Uni. The one thing is, he can't contact me before then, so even if the weather really improves I'm NOT OPENING until 3!!

As for jobs that are paid weekly - whatever you do don't choose bar work (or check your boss out carefully first )