Minor Gripes

It’s about three weeks since I moved house.

Haven’t regretted it, I still think I’ve done the right thing. About a week prior to the move, new people took the room next to mine. Having had to endure a pair of noisy and unsociable Lithuanians, it was a nice change of pace to have a friendly couple move in. The landlord had obviously seen what didn’t work previously and vetted the potential tenants accordingly.

The new house in Ealing was ready from the 1st of Feb, and I moved all my stuff two days before my birthday. Unfortunately, the dimmer switch in my room had broken, which meant I had to rely on a desk lamp for a week. And the internet that the house had been using had disappeared. Sensibly, whoever on the street that had unprotected internet had now locked it up!

I’m a bit frustrated that the television reception is pretty bad. I’m counting on the digital switchover in April sorting out any issues, but the back up plan is to get Virgin TV installed. There are, what looked like, satellite cables leading up to my room. A quick investigation and a few words with Gordon and it appears they’re cable tv cables. But I’m even  unsure I’ll do that, to be honest. I’m not a massive TV watcher and I’m not entirely sure its worth the expense.

Minor gripes aside, it’s nice to have things settled. I’d ideally like to stay in one place for a while, and I’ll see how this goes over the next few months just in case any horrors unearth themselves like they did at my last place. But I’m certain they won’t.

Away from the move, I’d applied for tickets to TV shows left, right and centre on a website that deals specifically in free audience tickets. I applied for tickets to see Celebrity Juice, and was amazed to see that I’d got them. Kind of. It’s not a ticket as such, you still had to wait in line on a first come first served basis. But nevertheless, I’d got tickets – and on my birthday as well.

The show is filmed in Hammersmith, so I got down there fairly early to check out the studios and where I’d have to queue. Doors didn’t open until 7pm and at 3pm people were already queueing. I joined the queue, I wanted in, but it was bitterly cold out there. I lasted about 45 minutes in the queue. I think I hold my health in higher regard than a TV show. And a TV show that is filmed quite often and in summer, when I don’t mind standing outside for four hours (maybe).

All wasn’t totally lost however. The original plan, even before the tickets, was to go to my brothers place for a few drinks. Which is what I ended up doing. A fairly low key 29th birthday then! I’m determined next years will be big.