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

This is about the 38th time I've moved - not the whole kaboodle, just moved base. So it's not the moving itself that's traumatic - hey, this is my fourth place in Oxford and I've only been here a year and a bit. Neither is it because of the nearly overwhelming amount of emotional stuff going on with me at the moment now that I've stopped anaesthetising my problems with alcohol.

This time will be harder than most because of who I'm leaving behind. House setup: landlady (Bertha, late 30s), landlady's son (Max, 12), fellow lodger (Jane, 23). Landlady: a blunt, humourless, posh hippy, she dogmatically clings on to suspect views and is used to ordering people around imperiously. And cannot take a joke. Max: sarcastic, thoughtful and damn smart. Jane: vivacious and funny, but is friends with the landlady and tends to side with her.

Add mid-30s emotional, caustically ironic ex-heavy drinker with anti-authoritarian tendencies (especially towards older women), and stand well back. For the first couple of weeks, I felt like I was part of the family. But I had an almost prescient ability to say the wrong thing to Bertha, and when it came to financial arrangements, apparently I was dictating the terms of my [rather late] rent/deposit payments rather than suggesting them, which I still don't understand

Meanwhile, I got on fine with Jane and Max: we could laugh and joke together, no problem. The only tension was between me and Bertha - I think this was exacerbated by how well I got on with her son, whether she was jealous, or, more reasonably, thought I was irresponsible, acting too much like a big brother and not maintaining rigid parental distance, I don't know.

But, whatever the reasons, after three weeks, she gave me a month's notice, claiming it was a group decision. A couple of nights later me and Jane made things up at a party, where she revealed it wasn't really her decision [Bertha had oppressed the others into agreeing with her, in other words] and she still wanted to be friends. Being a like-minded person, Max brought out strong parental-type feelings in me, and I'd also like to keep in touch with him in an avuncular capacity. But contact with her child is of course entirely in the hands of Bertha, and, to be frank, the chances of her agreeing to this are slim.

Which means, tomorrow morning, I have to just walk away from that house, quite possibly never seeing Max again. What with all the pain and grief there is currently swimming around in my life at the moment, it's going to be incredibly hard

It was hard. It hurts like hell. But I maintained my dignity to the end, not uttering a single bitter word to Bertha, so that when she shut the door in my face in lieu of saying goodbye I knew I was worth ten of her. So I won on that count - the rest only involves degrees of losing of course.

Yesterday I came across a copy of 'About a Boy' by Nick Hornby. Last time I read it, it was just a story; now it has strong parallels. Bloke in mid-thirties with teen-like lack of attachments develops bond with kid, 12. His life is thus redeemed by gaining a new purpose, caring for others etc. Except in my case the last part has just been edited out, just leaving me hanging here without a happy ending/waiting for the punchline or something.

and

Thanks

wen are u cumin back i will miss ya only messin u are snd evon tho even if i avnt ever saw ya befor ...

Spammed by a gobshite. That'll teach me

Ooh! We're allowed to say 'gobshite'. That can't be the reason my PS won't save, then.

Yeah - it's naturally just become my cussword of choice.

Well! I'll be intercourse up the bottomed!

I'd forgotten about gobshite. I must remember to use it more often. I'm really on the road this time (next weekend in fact), as I am leaving the continuous tale of woe that has been Oxford behind and moving on.

Where to isn't final, but it'll probably be Reading for a year or so, then who knows?

A journey with no destination - sounds like fun! All the very best of luck with the move. If you're looking for final destinations I can highly recommend Devon or Cornwall. Been down here a few weeks now and I'm rather enamoured with it.