BurbleChaz

I may have been a teensy bit curmudgeonly yesterday. Maybe not. We get to find out tomorrow.

Kevin the Electrician is a man of his word. At 0725 he turned up at the flat, gave the electrical facilities a good staring-at, and issued a certificate. The Slightly More Snoozlish One pottered down about 0930, and took the certificate to a place with faxing facilities. I had to stay in the freezing cold flat waiting for the Telstra guy to turn up, and the Last Furniture Delivery Ever I Really Mean It This Time to be delivered.

I phoned helpful, charming, powerless people at the energy supplier to see if they could find the fax. Dialogue by Franz Kafka:

• Them: Which fax did you send it to?
• Me: The one you told me to send it to yesterday.
• Them: Ah. Probably the wrong one.
• Me: (insert strange noises)
• Them: It's OK. I can probably find it. Over to Hold Hell you go, Victim. I mean, Valued Client.
• Me: <chews own nose off>
• ---Intermission with Hold Music---
• Them: We've sent the fax to CitiPower. But it might not have been high enough quality.
• Me (after some possibly intemperate thoughts): So, what does that mean?
• Them: Well, we may need you to send it again.
• Me (breathing deeply): How will I know?
• Them: Well, if your electrical supply comes on tomorrow, you don't need to send it again.
• Me: ??????
• Me: Couldn't you, perhaps, phone me before we go round this sordid loop again?
• Them: We will. Just like we did on Friday.
• Me: (spluttering noises) You mean, just like you didn't on Friday?
• Them: Is there anything else we can do to help?
• Me: Well, as a matter of fact, I think there is.....<insert detailed biological description>

So, we'll have power tomorrow. That, or a Crime to Shock Australia. Involving fully energized electrodes. I'll even pay for the electricity consumed.

To be fair, I could have driven this a bit harder. I should have spent the weekend hassling people by phone, paying an electrician, finding a fax bureau, chasing the fax receipt, building a generator with my bare hands and solving world hunger. But I had shopping to do. I want to send money to these idiots in exchange for energy. Begging to do so was never really in the plan.

On a more positive note: Telstra Guy turned up, connected the pair at the DP, tested every point, and left on time. $300, but the landlord's going to pay that. The furniture delivery turned up, so we now have a bed and the world's best dining table. The building facilities guy intercepted the delivery, directed them to the delivery entrance, and gave us sole use of the lift. He's a really helpful bloke.

Our next challenge is buying a car. More drivelling about this soon.