Lent

This year for Lent I decided to try and better myself and make a more positive impact at work.  I was going to give up rolling my eyes and making snarky comments and pulling faces at work.  For every time I did, I put £1 in a jar which I would donate to charity.  Seemed like it would be easy!  I decided this at 9 am on Ash Wednesday.


9:30 - company meeting...rolled my eyes.  £1 in the jar
10:30 - My computer takes 5 minutes to send an email....made a snarky comment. £1 in the jar
11:30 - meeting at work...made several snarky comments and rolled my eyes several time.  £3 in the jar
12:30 - come out of meeting with a task list a mile long.  Task list consists of things that a senior director should be doing herself, but for whatever reason, has chosen not to.  I make an announcement to my team.  


"Look guys, I'm putting £10 in the jar.  This should is going to cover me for the rest of the day."


£20 later...I decide I need to find a new thing to give up.  


In my defence, I've had a bit of a rough week.  Monday night, some prospective tenants stopped by to look at the flat.  They asked if they could test the water pressure in the shower.  When they turned it on, it was just a dribble.  I said, huh that's weird, but maybe it's because I just got home from work and the boiler hasn't turned on.  I swear it's good pressure.  I go to bed thinking, huh the heat's not really working, but it's supposed to be the coldest week we've had in a month, so maybe it's just getting warmed up.


Tuesday morning, wake up to shower.  The water pressure is still just a dribble and it's freezing.  I try and figure out what the problem is, but just suck it up and shower with it.  Not a great start to the morning.  I get to work and email my contact at the agency asking her to check it out.  I get an out of office from her.  I forward the email to a colleague of her's whose contact info I also have asking if she can help me. 


"Hi Kat

Sorry no, I can’t help unfortunately. Liz will be back in the office tomorrow.

Thanks

Hannah"

I reply back and inform her that not having heat or hot water qualifies as an emergency that's she's legally obligated to help with, so if she won't help me, she needs to find someone who will.  Magically, I get a call 20 minutes saying a plumber is on his way out.  

At 5:15 (9 hours later) I get word that a plumber has been by, has found nothing wrong so he "re pressurizes" the pump, and all should be resolved.  I get home that night and, shocker, it hasn't been fixed.  I call the agency and they say ok well we'll send some contractors out tomorrow AM to take a look to fix the problem.  I spend the night with no heat or hot water.  Awesome. 

Wednesday morning I get to work early to shower in the shower we have in the office.  My CEO had a lovely surprise when I walked out of the bathroom (clothed) with a towel on my head.  I call the agency and say, what's going on.  They are sending people out now.  In the afternoon I hear back.  The pump is broken and therefore no water pressure.  Since no water is going through the hot water heater, there is no heat either.  They are ordering the part and it should be here tomorrow (Thursday).  Spend the night with no heat or hot water.  It hits a low of 30 degrees Fahrenheit (0 Celsius) overnight.

This morning I got to the office early to take a shower here again, only to find the cleaner in the bathroom for 20 minutes.  By the time she gets out, my CEO is here.  I don't really feel comfortable getting in a shower with my boss 20 yards from me.  I'm currently sitting in my own filth.  Luckily, we've got people in the office who are far smellier than I am, so I just try and give wide berth to everyone and no one seems to notice.  I've called, left a vm, followed up with an email, and finally things seemed to be fixed.  Hopefully tonight I'll go home to a warm flat and can take a hot shower.  

I'm now giving up gossip websites instead.  If this week is any indication of what the next few weeks are going to be like, I think giving up snarky faces is going to send me to the poor house.