~ ANNE! ~

Just quickly, because I'm on lunch -

Started my new job today, which will be good but crazy, I'm guessing. Tons of work to be done, but I won't be bored. Unfortunately the system is down at the moment, so I can't actually be trained.

The hotel did NOT have my cheque ready by the 28th as promised. I've just had a text from Kevin saying I can pick it up Thurs. We shall see. Craig can pay me on Friday for my bond. In the meantime I have £21.10 to my name. More later, but life is extremely crazy this week...

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Okay, stopped at an internet cafe (this not spending any money at all thing is not working too well for me somehow) and have time to update properly.

So this is what happened in the last two days. I got home from Spain, had a nap, and packed everything I own in this country into boxes. Then I called my new landlord and said I would meet him to sign the lease the next day, but that I could only pay half the rent till I get the bond from my old flat back. He was okay with this (thank heavens!!) so that's sorted for the moment.

Then my mobile completely died. Must have spilled something on it at some point during the packing process, because suddenly I couldn't text anyone or push any buttons. Which sucked. I ended up having a cup of tea and a long discussion with my former flatmate Dee's Irish mother (who was visiting) about what to do about it.

Then I went to a phone booth and called Tristen (former receptionist at the hotel) to ask if he'd help me carry boxes. Tris is a sweetie and said yes, so that was sorted too. Turns out he walked out of the hotel while I was in Spain and just never went back. In the meantime, the other receptionist quit as well (after being shouted at by the general manager three times in her first week there -enough to bring her to tears, apparently). I think I got out just in time. Tris, by the way, is suddenly moving to Bournemouth on Wednesday. Kind of sad, as he's my gym buddy and I will miss him. Have to keep reminding myself that that's what happens when everyone you know is travelling: they keep moving on!

Then I didn't really sleep that night (reoccuring theme!), got up at 6 am, and went to meet my new landlord. He was described as (and I quote) "a bit of a wally" by the former occupant of the flat, but I thought he was quite good. He seems to be on top of his legal requirements as a landlord and has solemnly PROMISED not to poke about in my room while I'm not home. (Anyway, there's a lock on the door).

It was about 8:30 am by this time, so I went by the hotel to pick up my cheque. Not that my hopes were high. And indeed, true to form, the manager who needed to sign the form for me was in London and no one knew when I would get paid. sigh... I also stopped by Carphone Warehouse and the guy sort of fixed my phone, so that was good.

Then Tris and I dumped all my boxes into a black cab and moved to the new flat. The new room is great! Quite small in comparison, but very light and sunny, and masses of cupboards for storage. And there is a huge drying green out back to lie in during the summer.

My flatmate is Brandon from Ottawa. He has lived in Edinburgh twice before and used to play softball with Jen last summer. He seems pretty cool, in a soft-ball obsessed kind of way, and I think we'll get on. We have one more person moving into the tiny room but we won't find out who until the end of the week.

So yeah, I'm all moved in (though not all unpacked). I started my new job today, which was interesting. The flat is powered by power cards, which you have to go out and buy... and we hadn't. Meaning no power and no hot water for the shower, since it's electric. Good start to my first day at work! Luckily Brandon sorted out the power issue, since he doesn't start his job till Wednesday and had the money and leisure to go buy some cards. So happily, I did manage to bathe. Was almost late due to not knowing the Stockbridge buses, and then the booking system was down all day at work. And then I got soaked on the way home. Pretty standard, really.

I still don't know where my head's at and everything is a little crazy. But it's all good, I think, if I can just get my wages from the hotel... And hey, it's never boring.