In which our hero foolishly agrees to move a piano

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I helped a coworker move a piano and man, those things are fucking heavy. I didn't hurt my back, which is good, but I'm still going to feel it tomorrow. Afterwards, we headed to a pub that said coworker knew in Cambs that had nice atmosphere and good beer. Unfortunately, he didn't really remember where it was and after getting turned around a few times, we ended up in what seemed like a good pub from the outside but turned out to be Cambridge's equivalient of the Peel Pub (as a side note, even the website is ghetto!!!). I mean, it would probably be great if I were a single 18-21 year old.

As it was, the music was too loud, there were too many people and the beer came in plastic cups. You get the picture. I wasn't into that scene when I was the right age for it… Katy called me while we were there. She's not doing so good and that bummed me out cause she's there and feeling like crap and I'm here and there's nothing I can do to make it better and I hate that feeling. I hope she feels better soon :(

All in all, this day was a write-off. Hopefully, tomorrow will be better.

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Landlady

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The situation with my landlady is really weird. One minute, she's getting on my nerves like there's no tomorrow, the next, I'm scared shitless of dealing with her. And then I spend 10 minutes talking to get and realize that she's a really nice person.

I'm wondering who's bipolar, me or her….

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weekend update

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I've been told that I haven't updated in a while so I'll try and compensate in a big one.

Went to Leicester for the weekend to see the Katygirl. She's feeling less than stellar. Poo. She's going to be spending a few more days in Leic, which is a good idea cause her parents can keep an eye on her and that cough of hers, but is bad because I miss her. Between all my trips and her op, we haven't had lots of quality time in the last little while and that sucks ass big time. Blergh.

So, the weekend. I slept in the guest bedroom because I didn't want to smack into her in our sleep (which I've done in the past). The box room has a very small and less-than-comfortable bed. It didn't help that my feet hung off the edge and didn't have enough pillows. I didn't sleep well, and my back hurts. Minor annoyance.

I spent saturday trying to make salsa and my mom's tomato ketchup. The salsa is a bit too liquid, but really tasty. It was a learning experience. Next time, less vinegar (that Polish stuff is really potent!), and make sure that the tomatoes are really, really ripe. The ketchup… I'm less sure of. It tastes good, but doesn't look right. For one thing, it's really darker than my mom's. One reason, I think, is that I used red onions instead of white and I think that the color bled into the mix a bit. Also, I think that I used black mustard seed instead of yellow, which also might have contributed to the darker color. The proof will be in the tasting. Unfortunately, I didn't have enough room to bring them back to Cambridge with me so there's still in Leicester. It was a bit of a bummer though that 3 kg of tomatoes only makes 5 and a half jars of preserves. I was expecting more. Anyway, like I said, learning experience. The highlight of saturday was going shopping in the market. Lots of good food for cheap. Also, I got to wear my new cotton trader duds, which are really really comfy.

Today was supposed to be a slow day, but my back had decided that it really hadn't liked that bed and I couldn't get comfortable sitting down or standing up :( Dinner was yummy, and I took a train back to Cambridge. Hopefully, Katy will feel good enough to travel by mid-week.

Tomorrow, I move a piano. Joy.

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I miss Montreal cabs

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I went to the surgery to drop off a prescription renewal for Katy just before catching my bus for work. I thought I had loads of time, until I saw the queue for the reception. Suffice it to say, the blue-rinse brigade caused me to miss my bus. Crap. The only way I had to get into the office was to take a cab, because the bus to Hinxtom takes forever – when it's running, that is. Unfortunately, you just can't hail a cab in Cambridge, you have to order one and it took me 20 minutes to get one. Then there's the price…. 20 quid to get to work!

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An exercise in pain

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I think getting a mortgage is going to be even more fun than I thought. From talking to a few people at work, a mortgage advisor suggested by my estate agent and the mortgage department of Natwest, it seems that nobody is really sure what the criteria are for me to apply… Getting a 100% mortgage is difficult, getting a mortgage when you're a foreigner is difficult. Getting a 100% mortgage when you're a foreigner who doesn't pay UK income tax and whose partner is a UK resident is… possibly impossible.

Seriously, I don't fit the nice pigeonholes, so people don't know what to do with me. Natwest tells me they can give me an 80% mortgage (if I pony up 20% of 165K!!!) but I also need to have more than a 3 year work permit. But since Katy will also be on the load, that muddles the issue. They want to know what my gross annual salary is, but that's also meaningless as I don't pay UK tax!!!

Urgh. It should come down to the fact that we can afford the loan we want. You'd think it would be simple. NOT!

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Growing up

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Katy and I went to see a house yesterday.

As in, seeing-for-interest-in-purchasing.

As in, man, I'm getting old.

The house is ok. It needs some TLC paint-wise, and the kitchen needs to be redone, but it has lots of potential and ain't that expensive. I'm tempted, and so is Katy. We've started talking to mortgage advisors to see what the costs are and how much we can borrow. Apparently, even though I make a damn good salary at the EBI, the fact that I'm a foreigner and that I'm not paying income tax in the UK will be a problem. Meh, we'll see what happens.

In the meantime, if you're curious about the house itself, have a look at it here.

Your comments welcome as to what you think of the place.

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