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Today is full of things to grumble about. Here are some of them.

1. . It was raining hard this morning, and all four of my umbrellas were at work (because I am Prepared but only in one direction (and also an idiot)), so by the time I got to my new favourite coffee shop I was soaked. However, my drowned-rat appearance, complete with hair plastered to head, bedraggled eyelashes and water seeping in the side of shoes, was neither here nor there because -

2. My new favourite café favourite staff member wasn’t working, so I didn’t get any small talk with my coffee, just coffee. Not that there’s anything wrong with coffee, but I don’t get up ten minutes early in the mornings to have a special cup of coffee, do I? No, I get up ten minutes early so that I can walk to the coffee shop and banter wittily with the waiter, not that my banter is particularly witty at twenty past seven. Actually wait, what, my banter is witty all the time.

3. I had to stand up on the bus and the bus was HOT and MUGGY and I was GRUMPY (except for a short stretch after a young suit, who had been standing nonchalantly playing a game on his phone and pointedly not holding onto anything (as a mark of his urbane smoothness), lost his balance on a corner and nearly landed on someone). But the bus was not very much fun.

4. Work has been boring all day – this has contributed to my irritation exactly no more or less than any other day when work is boring (all of them), but it is still annoying. Actually, it’s not even annoying, it’s just rather draining. Ah well. Only 15 days to go and maybe we will have a fire drill this afternoon (although considering the weather a flood drill would be more likely – I wonder how you set off the flood alarm? Probably same alarm, really, isn’t it).

5. Sister Flatmate owes $500 on the power bill, which is in my name, and even though it’s way overdue she keeps saying she’ll pay it & not paying it, and there’s only so much I can nag before she gets really nasty and angry. I have offered to pay it and for her to pay me back, but her horror at this idea is overshadowed only by her apparent total inability to actually pay the bill. Also, I don’t want to pay it for her (I’ll never see the money again), but it’s in my name and it’ll be my credit history going down the drain. Have no idea what to do about this. Would pay it for her and give up on getting it back, but can’t really afford to. This is really, really stressing me out. She’s also going to argue the power bill is wrong, put off paying it for months, insist on calling the company to make sure it’s right, get all the statements, and generally put off making a payment until a) I go back to Chch or b) the power gets switched off. I don’t want to lose $500 just because she’s a bully, but I think I’m going to be left without many other options.

6. Spoke to horrible customer service representative from the bank – I won’t bother telling the story, but here is the feedback I gave them. "This morning I received a message to call (this number) re: payment of my outstanding personal loan. I was eventually transferred to a very nice and helpful woman in the legal team, but my call was initially answered by a very abrupt CSR called Richard who transferred me with no explanation, didn't let me know why the message was left on my answerphone and didn't stop talking long enough for me to ask any questions. This would've been forgivable if he hadn't adopted the threatening tone of a Mob enforcer throughout the call - I can only hope my modest $2000 of debt doesn't merit a horse's head appearing in my account overnight."

He was really rude. Although the feedback did make me feel a bit better.

And straight after that call, I answered the work phone and it was someone I’d never spoken to before, who was expecting a colleague of mine to send him some paperwork, which had not materialized. Before I got to say anything besides “Welcome to (company), you’re speaking with Ally,” customer – well, potential customer, and he referred to himself as that too, which I always think is rude, it’s such a blatant way to try and get preferential treatment – “I’m reminding you of my enormous importance to your business.” “Sir, you will make our business about fifty dollars a year if that. For the pleasure of not dealing with you, I’ll pay that myself,” is what I always want to say – went into a huge rant about how if this was the sort of service he could expect then he wouldn’t expect very much in the future rah rah. Was very, very close to saying “Actually, if you’re going to talk to us like that I’m not sure why you’re surprised,” and hang up, but didn’t. Just paused and sighed. Pretty sure he was offended. Also pretty sure I should’ve hung up…next time I get an unbearably rude customer I may! If I do, I promise to update this and tell you all about it and my subsequent firing.

7. I have to go to the doctor again. We all know how I feel about that. Let us hope the good doctor and her family enjoy their Christmas turkey, because we know whose ailments will be paying for that!

8. Sister Flatmate, who is full of imperfections this week, broke the TV, and now it is…broken. Which means that all she does is hang around the house being passive-aggressive, which I am far too tired and stressed and unhealthy to deal with. I am going to start packing and sorting tonight, just to stay out of any communal living areas. It’s only common sense. Feel the breaking point was when I got ordered away from watching Coro St because I had a persistent cough.

Sorry this has been a big rant. I am a grouch. Andrea says my life is like a sitcom. She is right – if I was watching it, it would be hilarious (when it wasn’t being boring), but I have a headache and headaches are not particularly conducive to enjoyable afternoons.

In good news…um…it is almost lunchtime, and it is also almost Christmas, and I only have 15 days left here, and I only have 3 and a half weeks before I move. OK I am going to go and get some teriyaki squid. Because I Can.