Weekly Log - 14 through 20

Monday Sept 14

Somehow, I managed to fix my mp3 player. Well, sort of, there are still some bugs in that, but it is to be expected. The device is old, and had been stuffed in a drawer since my second year of college. What happened to it, you ask? I haven't the foggiest idea. One day, it got stuck in Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit and had been smelling for years. Since I've been devoid of music for months, I picked it up out of despair and connected it to Ubuntu's Gnomad. And voilà! I've said so once, I'll say it again: fuck Windows.

I had been considering getting a cellphone with mp3 player. I always end up considering the tale of the fucked-up printer... my printer, that is. See, I have a printer with a built-in scanner. The day the printer stopped working, so did the scanner. Do you see where I'm getting? The day I drop the cellphone and it breaks, I am also left without an mp3 player. And I do drop shit all the time.

I'm still auditing calls. Tomorrow, I skip work to see a lawyer about the debts my Mum has, and try to find a way to solve it before she gets trialled for it, or gets her paycheck partially taken to pay for it. Needless to say, if we're a little fucked now, if she has even less money a month, we're very fucked.

Tuesday Sept 15

We left home at nine for an interview at half past eleven. We got there around one. The lawyer lives far the fuck away - two train rides and a subway trip away, to be exact, and nearly ten euros in tickets for each of us. We discussed the debt - it is the first time I actually learned how much we owe.

Ten big ones. 10,000 €. Holy mother of crow!

The lawyer's idea is to have it solved outside courts. For that, Mum's company itself needs to recognize the debt and take some of the responsibility - the loan was made in her personal name, and the money used for the company, and this deal would force the company to take some of the blame. And for that to take place, Pops needs to agree to pay for the debt, since he's the one running it now. My hopes dropped down to the soles of my boots - we're screwed. There is no way in Hell he will agree to do this, I know. If he didn't agree to do it when it was all word-of-mouth, why should he when the only change is a couple of papers? Mum still believes, apparently, because she said he would, and took the papers for him to sign. I don't want to lose any more time with this issue than necessary, since my bosses don't take kindly to absence, so we made out way back and marched into Pops' office.

He complained he had no money to pay for it, adding that he barely managed to pay his brother's salary. His brother being the sort of guy who is sent out for parts and spends the first half an hour at the nearest pub, talking to his friends. My Mum has wanted to fire him for ages now. In fact, she didn't even want to admit him in the first place. It never happened, just like anything that would make her will more respected in the company never happened. She says it's going to happen now, she's calling Social Security and having him fired. I'll believe it when I see it. I know all too well how these stories end up. Pops didn't say yes or not. We wait.

What a heinous day. I'm already struggling to keep this job and find another one for the mornings, now I have ten thousand euros looming over my shoulder as well.

Wednesday Sept 16

I was supposed to pick up my new desk today. The one I bought fifteen days ago and didn't want to spend 50 euros with for assembly and delivery, remember? Well, fuck that. Pops must come with me because I can't carry the package on my own and he said we'll go tomorrow. Still peeved, it seems.

I hate having to depend on him. I hate having to depend on anyone, really, but especially Pops. It's my dream that one day, I will be able to live with my own paycheck, on my own house, and do my own shit without anyone meddling or interfering. It's my dream never to have to borrow money again. It's also a far, distant dream, as things go.

Thursday Sept 17

Finally, the desk. Kid Bro had to help me carry it up the stairs... and while he was downstairs with Pops, he got a talking to about the no-ticket fine he got the other day. By talking to, I mean he was given the three usual sentences Pops uses when he wants to discipline his children. First comes the one he hopes will call our attention, the one he thinks we won't ever forget ("I am very disappointed in you."), then the instructions far too late ("You should've called me and I would have given you a ride"), and finally the tales from his youth ("When I was your age we didn't have any money for the bus, and I went everywhere on foot"). I still got the worse end of the deal: having to hear Pops say he was going to maul my brother into a bloody pulp several times. Why do I get bullshit from everyone, even when it's not my issue?

Bonus bullshit: as soon as he got out of Pops' hearing distance, Kid Bro became upset the usual way ("What does HE know?") and I was left to assemble my desk on my own. Sometimes, I feel like I've watched all of my life on a sitcom before.

Friday Sept 18

That desk is not a piece of furniture. It is a worthy adversary. It is a black wood finish and metal Oni made in China. It is a thing of Hell meant to hold a computer, books, anime figurines and whatever else I want to place on it. Holy shit.

I spent five hours trying to assemble it yesterday. The screws are too big for the holes, and only with a great deal of strenght can you get one in. So you say, "But Seion you sexy specimen of the Lusitanian minx, you assembled most of your bedroom furniture as well as your brother's!", which is true. The problem is, if you'll recall, Kid Bro lent our toolbox to someone who didn't give it back... so the screwdriver I have is not the proper one for the job. Just my luck... what pisses me off the most, I guess, is the fact I'm aware this is difficult for a reason. If I had an electric screwdriver, I would've had everything done fast, and the people who get paid to assemble these things do own electric screwdrivers. So you see, once again, I am pretty much getting the short end of the stick because I decided to save some cash.

Mum managed to assemble the main structure, but we needed another key for the rest of the job. This morning, I strolled down to the Chinese store and bought one. Finally, I managed to get everything up and running - now to get all my shit transferred from the old furniture to the new one. It made me realize I actually do have a lot of shit around this bedroom. The books alone were a pain in the butt to arrange. And I don't have half as many as I hope to get.

The Chinese puzzle is now solved, though. It's great to sit at the desk again, and have most of my stuff at arm's reach. It will also make the cleaning up easier. And it looks great with the red walls too. Now to get me a second bookcase...

I went out with the guys for Allied Friday, which as usual is the highlight of my day (and it's usually done at night...) We're planning a major drinking game sometime soon, which I am very much looking forward to. See? I'm easy to make happy. Give me some cards, fellows to play them with, and plenty of beer...

Weekend Sept 19 - 20

Getting my bedroom fixed still. Plugs to sort out, books to place, DVDs to find room for, and once again the notion I have a lot of shit in this bedroom. I've watched a lot of stuff this weekend, I'm not sure if they're all worth reviewing: Boxing Helena (1993), which I had seen years ago but took the chance to recall, Return to Oz (1985) which I had seen as a child and didn't remember anymore, Rehearsal for Murder (1982), which is very interesting... and a shitload of 'Allo 'Allo.