Two major life-changing events have happened to me since my last post: I finally got my act together and bought a new washing machine, and I’ve started and finished a twelve-hour history lecture on ancient Mesopotamia.
Things will never be the same again.
Well, by that hyperbole I mean that my flat will smell better and, erm, something relevant about the Middle East. Still, it’s nice to finally have clean sheets and clothes and towels. It’s the little things.
I cancelled that acoustic guitar order, as I really was annoyed how at long it took them to inform me it was out of stock. It was a mistake they’d made, and they should have called me on the phone immediately to give me other options, not leave it three days until late on a Friday afternoon to tell me by email I’d have to wait a few months. That’s not acceptable. When I ordered my new washing machine from a local, independent electrical company (who I assume are busier than a music shop), they rang me by the end of the day to confirm my order and discuss delivery. They didn’t have to, as I’d put in the order at about 1630 that afternoon, so I wasn’t expecting any contact from them until the next day. Now that’s customer service. Luckily, that music shop hadn’t taken any money off me yet, so it’s all cool. I bought an electric guitar from a trusted supplier instead. Suckers!
Speaking of bad customer service, I’ve missed nearly a week of antidepressants and diabetes medication due to how slow my pharmacy works these days. To give myself some credit, I did try ringing them every day this week, but they either didn’t answer, or just hung up on me. I’m getting pretty bad withdrawal symptoms now from both tablets, including the battery acid dizziness from the antidepressants. I also nearly cried during an episode of Modern Family, which ain’t right. I did try picking them up yesterday morning but, of course, they apparently stopped opening on a Saturday morning a few months ago. I mean, why the fuck wouldn’t they?! Am I right?! So I’ll pop out tomorrow, then come home and change my nominated pharmacy (that my GP automatically sends my prescriptions to). I hate going to my local shops anyway, it’s infested with semi-retarded adult chavs and feral street urchins. Yesterday was particularly bad.
Oh yeah, I’m really enjoying Modern Family, by the way. I think I’m into season four now. I was worried that things were starting to falter when they introduced a cute dog for Jay, Gloria and Manny, but things still seem pretty steady. I think Luke is my favourite character. Nolan Gould’s comic timing is flawless, plus I think his relationship with his immature dad is adorable. Second in line for favourite character is Gloria. I don’t think I need to give a reason. I’ve even started talking like her in my head. Seriously, she’s typing this post, not me. I believe Sheffield is twinned with Bogota too, which is convenient.
Belief is a powerful thing.
Since we’ve starting talking again, I send my old gaming buddy daily clips from Modern Family that I find particularly funny. I checked he was ok with it, and he enthusiastically said “yes” and asked for them more frequently. That’s good. Although, he does seem to have gone quiet on me the last few days, as he does. As mentioned in previous posts, he’s very hot and cold in terms of friendship. I’m not expecting much contact with him now for a few weeks. At best. Sigh. My heart just isn’t strong enough for this.
I’ve still not heard anything form my guitar guru either, even after posting a guitar amp demo on YouTube yesterday. I did get a like for it though, so maybe that was from him. He hasn’t left a comment or texted me about it though. Who knows. I had felt he was going quiet on me too, so I’ve steered clear for a while.
Oh yeah, I bought an actual vintage 1954 amplifier last week. It’s lovely! I’m a bit concerned that it may burn my flat down, but I’m always careful to switch my gear off after I practice. The music shop assured me they’d PAT tested it anyway. Hmmm. After I had a really bad fall on the steps leading up to their entranceway, I’ve got my doubts. The steps are a pre-health & safety set of concrete slabs with no railing. Very disability-unfriendly. I also managed to break my white cane in the fall, which really upset me. The impact to my knee, which still hurts, wasn’t much fun either. Oh well, at least I got it done, plus I handed in a guitar I bought last year for a setup. It’s a nice guitar, but it just feels indefinably not-quite-right. They’ll know what to do. I think they’ve had to get a whole new bunch of staff in since the lockdown, and the new repair guy is an absolute sweetie-pie. The last one was very cocky and intimidating, like he knew how irreplaceable he was. I guess the shop sure showed* him.
*Quite the little tongue-twister, huh?
I think I’m going to ease off on my Brewster’s Millions-esque spending spree until my birthday in May. It’ll be nice to treat myself around that time. I’ve still got until the end of November to get rid of this government back-payment (otherwise I’ll actually have to start paying rent on this shithole). I think it’ll be a dreadnaught acoustic next, mainly because the word “dreadnaught” is really cool. In reality, it just refers to its body shape.
I’ve started playing the non-combat mode of Assassin’s Creed: Origins recently. It’s a terribly boring title for a game that is wowing me on a daily basis. It’s set in Hellenistic Egypt, and you basically go around learning stuff about the region and period, rather than just getting into fights with random NPCs. I do a few tours each night, and I’m not bored yet. It’s been a good way to test what Bob Brier’s been teaching me in audiobook form. Being able to climb the Lighthouse of Alexandria is pretty sweet too. The mode is called “Discovery Tour”, and I’ve done one live stream of it, just to feel out interest. Spoiler alert: there is none. Oh well, I’ll just keep playing it offline. Here’s the one stream I did:
Social services dropped off my new cane the afternoon after I’d spoken to them, which was really cool. She literally stopped off on her way home from work. How awesome is that? It is a pretty important piece of mobility equipment, to be fair. She also showed me the Seeing AI app, which scans and reads hardcopy text for you. It even reads the text on DVD/Blu-ray discs, which I always find nearly-impossibly to read (due to the busy artwork in the background). My mind has, officially, been blown. It’s a piece of technology that will definitely improve my life. I actually said that to the social service woman, and she seemed genuinely touched that she’d made a difference. Bless.
She did keep asking me whether everything was ok and if I needed help with something else though, which concerned me. I should have asked “Why, does there seem like there is?”, but I didn’t. I have had a lot of bangs and falls lately (sometimes to do with my eyesight, sometimes to do with alcohol), so maybe I have bruises on my body that concerned her. Or maybe she was just being thorough. Who knows.
I’m still going down to the train station pub once a week for drinks, instead of my regular down the road from here. I’m still feeling a bit paranoid about how some people were treating me in there. It’s fine, and nice to have a change. Hopefully my mental state will strengthen so I can make a glorious return, but it doesn’t feel like that’ll be anytime soon.
Well, I think that’s all for now, folks. I can year the supermarket delivery guy coming up the stairs, so I best go deal with that. I hope you are all well and getting less injured than myself.
Do stay in touch, darlings.
Toodles!
P.S. Yes, I did have to look up what the capital of Columbia was. Give me a break, I grew up in the 80s and 90s. The UK didn’t do education back then.
P.P.S. The title of this post is meant to be the sort-of opposite of "Modern Family". Did you get it? Does it work? No? Never mind. DON'T LOOK AT ME.
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