Sorry, were you using that?

The power went off but it came back on immediately. Twenty minutes later it went off again, but it came back on immediately. I heard someone talking out the back so I guessed someone was checking the fuse box. Then the power went off again so I went to check the fuse box. The guys upstairs had an electrical problem. All their power points worked but none of their lights or air conditioners worked so they had been turning off the power to check the fuses. I asked them to tell me before they turned the power off and they borrowed a screwdriver from me. The power went off six more times at ten to twenty minute intervals, twice they shouted a warning seconds before the switch was thrown. Eventually they fixed the problem so I turned my appliances back on and reset my clocks. An hour and a half later the power went off without warning. It came back on ten minutes later. I suspect the fuse box is now a fire hazard.

Nola had a birthday on Thursday. Many happy returns of the day, Princess.

I was wondering if I should start applying for (significantly) lower paid jobs simply because I can ace the selection criteria and get moved. I could do a thirty hour week on an IT helpdesk in my sleep. But then I tidied away the paperwork which had accumulated on the table over the last fortnight (or pay period) and noted the union fees, car insurance, bike service, storage rent and magazine subscription. I think I'll leave the 20% pay cut until June.

Or May. It depends on how many more times I have to park on the street for the privilege of listening to the bass from someone else's stereo rattle my window panes, accented by randomly distributed heavy footfalls and gradually more frequent hollers of vulgar drunken abuse, until four o'clock in the morning (when the rest of them come home and the fight starts).  ¶ 01:16