Author: Buck

We were happily watching The Matrix on Sunday night, Neo was in mid tussle with Agent Smith in the subway, when Wendy went into the kitchen. She heard a running water sound. I looked outside, no rain, I went upstairs nothing running, nothing leaking. Went back down. Suddenly water started pissing down the kitchen windows, from the inside, then pouring out of the overhead light socket. Not good. I ran around in a flap, finding and turning off stopcocks. Two under the sink, four in the airing cupboard.

By this time Wendy was on the ‘phone to our landlords and screeching hysterically “IT’S COMING OUT OF THE LIGHT!”

We don’t have a mop and bucket so I set to with the improvise, adapt and overcome. I put a bunch of towels on the floor to stop the water from flooding into the front room. Wendy’s brother, Peter and his father in law, Terry laid that wooden floor, I’d be screwed trying to do it, so that was my first concern. Then it was a case of soaking a towel and wringing it out outside the back door.

After them telling me there was no work for me this week, and me therefore being all responsible and frugal and shit so not going to extra Karate classes on my days off, they called me in today, (Thursday) so that’s 2 shifts. They want me to go in tomorrow to do my store training then do a run for them. 3 shifts. Possibly do a shift on Saturday. 4 Shifts.

The trainer guy saw me today and said they usually have a lull of about 3 weeks, then the new season stock starts kicking in and they pick up again.  Also, from tomorrow I’ll be store trained so that adds loads of extra work that I can do. The other driver who started the same time as me, but has somehow managed to get himself signed off as store trained, was on for 6 shifts this week!

The long and short of which being, I can hang in here and wait for a proper job, I don’t have to go back to the thrice damned Hermes. Possibly still make some fairly good money while I’m waiting. 3 shifts a week would be enough to see us comfortably through. And if the lull is as short as the trainer said, I would be willing to take one for the team and put my feet up. I’m a giver.

Another quick update.

Everything was going swimmingly, paying the card off, gone from £5K down to £2K, paid for washer and dryer this month, paid £379 for the car repairs and still paid nearly £600 off it. We were hoping to pay it off by the end of February.

I’ve joined a Karate club, (Still to pay the £60 for Gi, year’s insurance, membership) and ordered some MMA gloves and and pads (£59) plus there’s the £36 per month lessons fee. There was no work on Sunday for the last two weeks, but the first time I got an additional Friday shift to cover it. I only got a four day week last week. No Sunday again this week, I went in and did my Monday shift, at the end of which I asked for my start time for the next day as usual. Nothing for Tuesday. Oh. Or Wednesday. Thursday, Friday or Saturday!

Not an awful lot has happened since last night, but I’m feeling good so I’ll make a note.

First off, my toe. It was throbbing last night, I thought I might have got some crap into it, but it’s been OK today.

As you can see, not pretty but not infected.

I’m back! Back to Karate. Of sorts.

The first lesson I was hugely disappointed. I chose this club because it’s run on 6 nights out of 7, so I can fit it in around my shifts. Originally I was looking for Lau Gar Kung Fu, it’s one of the original Shaolin temple styles of Kung Fu. Massively impractical but *so* cool!

There are no classes in Warrington, nor any in the North West that run often enough for my hit and miss days off. I think Wing Chun Kung Fu is probably the most practical, but that needs constant practice with a skilled partner.