Life in Hell #1
I'm thinking it might very well be worthwhile to start a little "Life in Hell" series. For those times when things just keep going tear-inducingly, side-splittingly wrong.
Like this home-coming. Found myself locked out of my own home, bulky and heavy luggage in tow, sans blackberry (which is also my mobile) which unhelpfully died an unceremonious death midway through my holiday. An instant of panic: Plan A to run to my neighbours' door and throw myself at their mercy if they were in (please be in!), Plan B: go to the office? and maybe call someone to plead for shelter?
Thankfully Plan A panned out.
The next day, still jet-lagged. Left work happily at seven to catch up with cousin and move my baggage back home. And just as I am about to unpack, a call from the office: We need to start a presentation for a meeting tomorrow morning. We have about 8 hours to prepare. Can you come back into the office?
I look at my watch: half ten. Sure, I say, I'll get a cab. I tell myself that at least I get to come home early and sleep in the next day.
And thus all night till eight in the morning when I leave, with the instructions to go into work after lunch. I get to bed at half eight.
Eleven. My mobile rings. We need to make more changes to the presentation. Can you come in? Sure, I say, I'll get a cab.
I'm freezing. The heater was not working. I try to fiddle with the boiler before I leave the house. KAPOW. The power fails. I am at my wit's end. I dread the thought of no heat, light, internet when I get back (Hopefully in the afternoon, surely!)
I hop into a new set of clothes and into the cab. And thus until half seven in the evening. I am aching all over in all sorts of ways. Can barely keep my back straight, self upright.
Jetlagged, homeless, all-nighter, no heat, more work, and the prospect of a cold, dark night. I could not take another setback.
But I flip the fuse box switch as per my housemate's instructions (which is the fuse box, I wondered).
And then there was light.
Like this home-coming. Found myself locked out of my own home, bulky and heavy luggage in tow, sans blackberry (which is also my mobile) which unhelpfully died an unceremonious death midway through my holiday. An instant of panic: Plan A to run to my neighbours' door and throw myself at their mercy if they were in (please be in!), Plan B: go to the office? and maybe call someone to plead for shelter?
Thankfully Plan A panned out.
The next day, still jet-lagged. Left work happily at seven to catch up with cousin and move my baggage back home. And just as I am about to unpack, a call from the office: We need to start a presentation for a meeting tomorrow morning. We have about 8 hours to prepare. Can you come back into the office?
I look at my watch: half ten. Sure, I say, I'll get a cab. I tell myself that at least I get to come home early and sleep in the next day.
And thus all night till eight in the morning when I leave, with the instructions to go into work after lunch. I get to bed at half eight.
Eleven. My mobile rings. We need to make more changes to the presentation. Can you come in? Sure, I say, I'll get a cab.
I'm freezing. The heater was not working. I try to fiddle with the boiler before I leave the house. KAPOW. The power fails. I am at my wit's end. I dread the thought of no heat, light, internet when I get back (Hopefully in the afternoon, surely!)
I hop into a new set of clothes and into the cab. And thus until half seven in the evening. I am aching all over in all sorts of ways. Can barely keep my back straight, self upright.
Jetlagged, homeless, all-nighter, no heat, more work, and the prospect of a cold, dark night. I could not take another setback.
But I flip the fuse box switch as per my housemate's instructions (which is the fuse box, I wondered).
And then there was light.
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