Out Of My Tree

New Year’s Freakin’ Eve.

The one night of the year that everyone is supposed to go out and have a good time, and the one night of the year when the pressure is almost too much.

As I write this I am in bed.  Trying to get an hour’s kip and trying to come up with an excuse to not go out that won’t make me look like a whingy party pooper.  Although that is exactly what I feel like.

We, as a family, are going to a local pub where they are having a Black and White party.  There will be no one we know there, and it is unlikely that I will talk to anyone but my family.  This is good for me as New Year’s Eve is the one time my brain shuts off and I do very very very… very stupid things.  I will probably drink too much and then have to suffer tomorrow.  And the music will be rubbish.

And the worst thing is I’ll be alone.  Yes, with my family, but alone.  And being alone in a crowd is way worse than being, you know, on your own.

But if going out makes this year end then let’s get on with it…  Although all I really want is a cup of lemon tea, my pyjamas, Jools Holland on the telly, and bed.

Yes, I am a whinging party pooper… but I’ll stick a mask over it tonight!

But, grrr, sigh, I really do hope you all hav an excellent night with your nearest and dearest, and that the New Year brings you all your heart’s desires!

Barring alien invasion or anything truly exciting happening today I think it’s safe to say that I can review 2007 as ‘fair to middling’. Yep, there has been some truly horrible bits and, yet, some bloody marvellous moments too. It’s all balanced out in the end. Of course, didn’t think I’d be back at my parents at the close of the year, but I have a job I enjoy and no work related stress going on. Can’t complain.

Had you asked me yesterday, ooo, complain? I was doing the whole mumbling under my breath, grinding of my teeth bit. It was not pleasant. It was mostly to do with the totally lack of internet. For those of you who didn’t see my Twitters, the broadband died 10 days ago. It died at the same time as the new TV was installed but I chalked that up to coincidence (yeah, right) and moved right on to swearing about Virgin Media instead. The tech guy on the phone was completely unhelpful as they always are and gave me no alternative way of getting online. He also told me that Firefox was not compatible with Virgin broadband, and that I should use Internet Explorer. When I advised him I was using a Mac, he still insisted that I needed Internet Explorer. That was the moment I knew, I just knew, that I was completely screwed.

After a 30 minute phone call he told me that he would send out an engineer…

In 10 days.

I mean, I know it’s the holidays and probably their busiest time but seriously?! 10 days?! I then released the anger and frustration I had been holding onto an, well, vented about how that really didn’t work for me and how on earth was I supposed to get through the Christmas period without onlineyness. He muttered something about not being able to do anything else and I begged him to take me through what the tech would check and do and I would check and do. Then he got all official about unofficial installations and basically you bugger about with our equipment and ooo there’ll be trouble… I dropped into sulk mode and Twittered from my mobile.

Fast forward to today (Yes, Christmas happened and it was lovely and the usual and TV was great. Yes… Doctor Who… Am not saying anything about it. Just allow me this:

and I’ll move on.)

Yes, today…

The technician shows up, complete with those plastic things over his work boots, and after about two minutes he tutted and pointed out the main cable coming into the building had been unplugged and re-plugged into an isolator on the cable feeder. He explained that whoever had installed the TV was obviously a muppet (I would like to point out that this is my word and not one that a representative of Virgin would ever use to describe an installer-monkey (actually that’s insulting to monkeys (sorry monkeys)) from the fecking useless company that installed the TV. I mean there was ABSOLUTELY NO NEED for him to even touch the cable connections. Pulling out the scart connection and replugging it in. That’s installing the TV. Oh, and pressing automatic retune. Please tell me why oh why he had to fiddle with wires that had nothing to do with the job he was doing?

Oh, wait. HE. Man. Male. Balls.

No no no no no no no NO.

I am not ending 2007 on a men are useless rant. i refuse to. Because men are lovel, wonderful creatures who I will never understand.

And short of the blinding hangover I am bound to have in the morning I think I have tomorrow’s post.

Have a wonderful New Year’s Eve. I hope you have fun in whatever you are doing to celebrate the turning of the year. I have a bottle of Southern Comfort and Jools Holland’s Hootenanny in my future.

Love you all!