Why This Is Hell

A month or more back a representative from Safestyle, Sussex House, Lower Stone Street, Maidstone, ME15 6YT called at my door, reassuring me that he was not selling me anything and offered me a free quote on double glazing with a special offer. Against my better judgement - I would not be able to afford this - I said yes to the quote.


I pondered what kind of quote could be given without measuring up. But, still, he said he'd post the quote later.


Later I get a phone call, seeing if they could come round to measure up. That touched the buttons, and I said I thought they'd be wasting their time.

Flashforward to this afternoon, and the phone is ringing just after I arrive home - Safestyle, Sussex House, Lower Stone Street, Maidstone, ME15 6YT are ringing to see if I got my quote. I ask if they are selling anything and they assure me they are not. But if they give me a quote, sure they want me to buy something? I point out I cancelled it, and rather pompously point out that I am registered with the Telephone Preference Service and they should remove me from their database.

Seven minutes later, the phone rings again and it is Safestyle, Sussex House, Lower Stone Street, Maidstone, ME15 6YT. I ask him if he is mad. Apparently not. I point out that this is the second call in seven minutes, and I want to speak to his supervisor. Sadly he is not available. In retrospect, I should have said I was prepared to wait.


I hung up.

But I suspect I may well fill in a few junk mail forms with their address. And maybe mail some cat litter their way.

This year's world tour has been brought to you by the letter L.

Leuven, next.

Pissed: let me count the ways.

The MA validation event was fine, and I sometimes actually believe I am good at this shit. Though I must learn to shut up in meetings. I can't help be feel that we were validating four MA programmes, or at the very least two with multiple pathways, but we are only getting paid for one. The early start on Friday meant I skipped the hotel breakfast, but that was no great loss. The station I needed appears to be situation a mile from the town it serves. The campus is rather more than the ten minutes' walk trhe map claims. Thankfully I found a bus.

Oh yes, Virgin. Half an hour late due to diversion via Northampton - but table facing direction of travel as booked was not seat against direction of travel. Given the comparative emptiness of the train, I should have moved.

Odeon Cinemas. Can you really justify charging £2.50 for a bottle of water? I will smuggle in in future, as I usually do. Coraline was pretty, especially the bit at the end of the credits. 3D is exhausting.

Liverpool One. Your shops are mostly dull. And I felt like a criminal for taking photos. I'm almost disappointed that you didn't try to stop me taking them. Your identikit nubuild hi street is dullsville.

New secondhand bookshop. Why are you in the electronic yellow pages if you aren't open yet? I suppose it isn't your fault that I got the map of Liverpool upside down, and so I'd set off in the wrong direction, then at ninety degrees, but.

Hotel - don't list the fact that your hotel is in a noisy area at the bottom of a long webpage. Let me know earlier so I don't book. More than three hours sleep a night would be nice, but failing that, three consecutive hours.

The good burgers of Liverpool: do you have to be so loud at 4am? Don't you know there's a credit crisis on? Do you really need laser beams until 3am?

FACT. It's a silly name. You need better signage pointing out the cinema is on the fourth floor.

Caffe Nerd kiosk on Liverpool Station. Do I not even get the option of a black Americano then?

Caffe Nerd kiosk on Victoria Station. When I asked for a large black Americano without any milk, your offer of milk was superfluous.

Tesco being closed. It's a nation-wide problem. (Maybe this is a sign. Given how many branches Liverpool have, I thought the whole world had been assimilated.)


Work. Let's not talk about work.

ETA: All the traffic lights being out on the way to work. Again

Is it just me or -




Fair enough.





(The Guardian online front page since you ask. Too much stuff to navigate)