7th November

My loan papers have arrived.

I repeat, my loan papers have arrived.

Please do not under-estimate the amount of joy this event, and it’s knowledge have brought me! In “three to five working days” as the lady who subsequently scanned said papers said to me, I will be in the money for the first time in what seems like years. I have been getting progressively poorer, riding the debt elevator down as far as it will go literally, and I am now £1,560 from being “in the black”. If it wasn’t for my earlier foray into the world of car wing mirrors and dents, I would stand some chance of being “in the black” for more than a few days, by my second loan payment. But this is not to be.

Whilst on the subject of money, I’d like to point out, HIGHLIGHT, the anger I am currently storing from my flatmates. As those who have read or found out might carefully remember, I have the smallest bedroom in the house, as from seven weeks ago. One of the preconditions of this room “blow softeners” if you will, was what I have uselessly come to call “soft rent”; money that the other housemates pay the guy in the small room, that’s me. Ten pounds a week we agreed, but of the Seventy quid I am now owed I have none. I don’t think I would be beyond my overdraft limit, or have incurred the £25 fine I did today had they kept their word. They have in this sense, let me down. It’s not as bad because they have been helping me in a time of need over this car business, but that’s not enough to keep me from the edge of starvation. The day before yesterday it came down to just one tin of spaghetti in my cupboard, nothing else. Beans, bread, sausages and everything else, all drinks all spam all milk gone.

Today is To_’s birthday. I got him a card, and drew him a mini on half of it, I was actually rather proud of the effort. Like last year we tried to make him do 20 shots, one for each year. This time I think we didn’t make it.

I only had funds to have about four pints, and get To_ a drink too. By the time he appeared at the Polar Bear pub, he was quite inebriated. He had gone to a house (or two) to meet course mates before coming down. He was swaying all over the place, and the only reason he managed to get served is that we told the staff it was his birthday (and that a few of us looked sober enough to care for him!). My contribution to his yearly shots was the 12^th 13^th or 14^th, I cannot remember.

After this I walked back home, accompanying some of the girls from the old G1 flat of Bede, Ha___, Mi___, Ca__ and Rh___. All this got me well ready for bed and I promptly fell asleep.