Tuesday 4.8.09

Today had two beginnings. I woke up in time to see Nick off to work, but made the fatal decision to go back to bed with my headache. I read quite a few chapters but then fell asleep, waking up to the sound of H with friends in the house. Embarrassingly, it turned out to be 3pm. I had lots to get done, and felt ashamed as it seemed too late and I had let everybody down again. Depression appeared in the form of octopus tentacles crushing the ability to have a coherent thought. I went out of the house without my keys, lucky H was in, then went the wrong direction for the tyre place, and then drove past it.

There was a bit of a moment when the tyre man said that I would need three tyres (I do think he was telling the truth but it wasn't a truth I wanted to hear). He quoted over £200 but he took me at my word when I said that I couldn't afford it and shipped in some cheaper ones for me. I subsequently see he has charged me £15 for a guarantee I didn't ask for or even know about. Since there's no explanation of what this guarantee is, I can't think how I'll ever avail myself to it. What are they guaranteeing? that the tyres will stay black? or round? or rubbery? Why would I want a guarantee when the Sale Of Goods Act protects me for up to four years? I think it guarantees they get £15 out of me for a cost to them of one line of computer print. I considered complaining, but it feels like too much hassle. I hate to be had, so maybe tomorrow though.

I started to feel better and did a supermarket run, got home feeling upbeat and made a family dinner. Everybody is in better spirits today, so the benefits of the holiday are still with us. We had a good chat and a laugh.

I watched Derren Brown's The Heist on 4OD. A group of successful middle managers are persuaded into holding up a security van using a toy gun. I was reminded of my former self, suited and articulate, attending motivational seminars and lapping it up. The oddest bit was where he persuaded them that they should each steal sweets from a shop. Out of the large group, only one had the sense to say that he had a teenage daughter and there was no way, even for fun that he was ever going to shoplift. Well done him. I'd like to think I'd have done the same, but I'm conscious that at the time, I would have been buoyed up by over confidence, and competitiveness and would have gone with it. Funny enough, now, because there's nothing to loose by being myself, I would be more likely to refuse. Anyway, the important thing is that I had a good laugh at the expense of the suited ones.