UniBlog: Two Good Days Split By A Bad One + Green Flag Chaos

Good evening - or morning - whenever you read this blog.

As seen by the title, the strong start Monday promised didn't quite make it through the entirety of the week - but it made to Wednesday, which in my books is a half decent week.

Wednesday 21st October, 2020

Wooohhoooo! I've survived my first month of University!! Here's to the next 156 Months Ahead!!

Wednesday began with breakfast, waking up at 12 or so, before I called KwikFit to book an appointment to get the car repaired.

I got no response from this call, so I got up off my bottom, and marched (ok, walked) over to KwikFit which was "a stone's-throw" away, and much closer than I realised, and booked an appointment for 9:30am on Friday.

After getting back home to my accomodation, I sat down for a bit, before going out to ASDA and buying some chocolate cake to celebrate our one month anniversary at University.

The cake was tucked into later on that evening, during one of mine and Annie's frequent and thoroughly enjoyable Glee Binge Watching Session - so a 30 second celebration (inc. cutting the cake) was held before we all dived back into our own man-caves.

All in all, it was a very enjoyable and somewhat productive day.

Thursday 22nd October 2020

Sometimes in life there are days just so mediocre and disappointing that you just want to forget they existed and move on from it...Thursday was one of those days.

Waking up an hour after my lecture started was the start to this absolute horror of a day - from then the day just slipped by.

It's worth noting (as a disclaimer) that I have since emailed my professor to apologise to him, in addition to finding out what the issue was - and why I didn't wake up (alarm in bed, silenced by being underneath a pillow/blanket - to fix: always put alarm clock on bed-side table)

Whilst we're on the subject of something a little more negative - Writing Association Society.

I missed the one and only session during Welcome Week, now weather they have a special website/software/meetings or other, I'm not sure - but from what I have heard there haven't been any further sessions to my knowledge - which is a massive shame because I was thoroughly interested and as a journalism student, I truly believe this could have helped me.

One fun thing I did manage to do (later that evening) was play Wreckfest on my Laptop - which did cheer me up a little.

Let's end on a positive note - the pictures from the zoo the prior weekend.

Friday 23rd October

Oh, look, that's today!

I've caught right up! I'm only 7 hours behind (Friday's blog starting at 8am in the morning) - so let's get straight into it!!

8am. I wake up - this time I do hear my alarm - and almost get fooled into thinking it's the fire alarm...which is fun. I call Green Flag just to double make sure the recovery vehicle will be coming at 9:30....and of course it's not...

This story does requires a little bit of context, so lets rewind to earlier in the week.

So Kiara (The Kia, yeah I know, I named her, deal with it) would break down, and then I'd call Green Flag, who'd diagnose it as a "electric wire on starter motor fault" - and since the engine couldn't turn on, I'd have to get it towed to KwikFit, which was up the road. This would give me a little anxiety since I had quite large plans for the weekend, and didn't want the car failing to start ruin this. (Wed) Green Flag told me to phone KwikFit for an appointment, and long story short, nobody picked up the phone, so I walked there and booked an appointment at 9:30am on Friday Morning. I got back home, and rung (rung? ringed? phoned? called? Telecommunicationsed?) Green Flag to tell them I'd like the car taken from the University Car Park to KwikFit - and so they did...but then I received a text immediately saying that the recovery people would be here at 6.30pm that very night. So I called them back, and let them know that I didn't need them (that evening, since the service/repair was booked for Friday) So it turns out that the 6.30pm was successfully cancelled but apparently so to had the 9.30am on Friday - which was awkward as this was when the appointment was. So after quite a wee hassle, I was able to book the appointment between 9am and 2pm (3pm being when the garage "finishes" work on cars for the day) Dan, the recovery truck man would arrive at 10:30 or so, and due to the closed campus gate, would first have a little look at Kiara, before driving the recovery truck onto campus (10:48am)

He'd roll the car forward using the power of GRAVITY and the releasing of the handbrake before loading the Kia up onto the flat-bed and taking my pride and joy away.

~ I got a call later that my car would be done by 12:00 - an absolutely record-breaking service (I've never broken down before, I'm not sure how long these things are supposed to take) from KwikFit.

During this, they inform me it was a battery change - nothing to do with the ignition wire previously suggested. Batteries are a PITA (Pain In The Arse) to source and replace (I assume), so costed a little more than the estimated cost of repair. Since their phone is "inconvenient", lets say, I walk back up to KwikFit, and there my girl Kiara is sitting grinning at me (if cars could grin) I enter and am told to take a seat, informed that a dead/dying battery is just "one of those things" that happens - especially when the battery is close to 9 Years Old. (maybe it's been changed before, but not to my knowledge)

So, following this positive exchange, I pay for the repair/battery replacement, take me Keys (Or should I say Key-a), unlock it and get in. oh boy does she feel good - it's been almost a WEEK and I haven't driven her. Not sure if it was my memory, or if it was actually different, but the start up sounded/felt a lot quieter and smoother than it did - not sure.

I immediately (or almost immediately, after waiting for an Uber to finish blocking the exit/entrance to KwikFit) drove to ASDA and filled her up with some fuel before driving back home.

My perfect day would then be slightly hampered after a foolish, but Dyspraxic mistake.

After piling all my stuff into my room, I wasn't sure if I had locked the car...so, I'd dash out, with only my bank-card and car-key, lean my head out the Wiltshire door, locked it (or double locked it), went back inside annnnnnnd then I realised my mistake.

The door to my corridor requires a fob/key. And guess who left their fob/key and shoes in their room...moi. I'll cut a massive chunk of time wasted down, and say that I was hopelessly standing outside the corridor door, gave a few knocks, and then after what felt like an hour, asked someone to borrow their phone to message Jya on instagram to tell him to let me in!

And that's where we are now! I've been let in (a short while ago), I'm writing/written the blog and now I'm on a Discord Call with Dominik (GUMI) and watching him smash some cars!!!