On Troubles...

Always with the troubles. Two weeks ago it was flu, a fitness test and an exam. This week it's eviction and two exams. For crying out loud.

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Woke up. Coughed up a lung. Was asked to talk by my landlady. Said I had to go to the doctors. Went out.

Got a text demanding that I leave my current acom today as I've not paid my last two weeks rent. Negotiated to stay until Monday on the basis that I always pay what's owed and have done so in the past.

Got to the doctors, LATE by ten minuets, but managed to get in to see the doctor through negotiation [I'm getting good at reasoning with people it would seem...or lying anyway] which might have had something to do with the fact that I ran to get there on time and coughed up my other lung in the waiting room. Doctor said I had a chest infection [DUUUH] and prescribed me 9 anti-bios pills A DAY with a steroid inhaler which I need to take 8 times a day. Had it for 3 months and I'm not ridding myself of it and the NHS paid for the meds so wth.

Fun part is that after I take them they fuck with my senses and make me feel weird. Not bad precisely but I got on a train and went in the wrong direction twice before I got to my home stop. xD

My blood test for Hep B hasn't been delivered to my doctor, so I now need to chase that up from Lewisham Hospital, and my signature form required for my police medical is going to cost me 20 quid to claim, which is fucking criminal seeing as I need it to gain employment.

BY THIS TIME I felt like I was cooking so I spent a couple of hours cooling off in front of a fan with a window open.

Then I tried to look for a new room, but by this time it had gone 6pm so I could only phone a few of private leasers, and most of those turned out to no longer be renting. Resolved to get on with college work and then tomorrow morning and afternoon ring around to try to find somewhere to rent from. Either way, on Sunday I'm moving out, it just depends if on Thursday and Friday I can find a new room to rent or if I'm moving into a hostel on Sunday. I really don't want to go living in a hostel again, but on the plus side I can still look for a new room to rent after that point, and I'll have two weeks before Week 7 of my certificate in basic policing course, with yet more exams, so I'll have time to look for somewhere new to rent in week one and in week two do my college work.

I'll have somewhere to sleep, and that's the main thing, but given that it's now summer it's probably not going to be the same place for more than a few nights in a row, but on the other hand it'll only be for a week or so before I can move into a new room.

Stressful work, but in my current position it's my only option.

A few weeks to find a new place, a few more to purge this chest infection, and a few months to clear my college course and be hired by the police, whereupon my training pay will go to pay for:

• Better acom close to where I'll be working plus transportation.
• Covering the housing benefits overpayment not overpayment as I was entitled to the money
• The debt I've got and had with my bank for several years which is slightly more than the housing benefits overpayment

Plus, if I can find a penny or two, some new fucking clothes and other personal equipment which I needed replacing about a two year ago.

Now now I've taken about 30 minuets out of my very early morning college work time to write this, and I need some food to take with my meds.

So basically things are fine and not fine at the same time and I'm working from day-to-day here.

• Today I do college work, and then sleep.
• Tomorrow I search for new acom and write up revision mats.
• Friday I search for new acom and revise for my exams.
• Saturday I go to college and take two exams.
• Sunday I move my things out, probably in a hostel for fucks sake.
• Monday I search like blazes for a new room.

Which is a bitch to find because even though I'm technically a student and practically hired by the coppers, you tell people you're a needy individual on DSS [acom speak for housing benefits apparently] and they reject you out of hand as someone who can't pay their rent.

I spent an hour today convincing someone that it might be late but I always pay my rent debt eventually, which is quite accurate. Of course I wish I could hand a month and pay monthly and had the option of living somewhere which was at least adequate, but staying is hostels is what I've got to work with until I get into police training.

I'll have a bed, and that's about as much I can hope for at the moment in the short term.

It does seem sometimes like the harder I push to improve my life in the long term, the worse it becomes.

I could've started this 10 week course a year ago and had no issues passing both the fitness side and the academic side without this flu, chest infection, eviction fucking nonsense, but instead I get one weekend in hell after the next.

I'm amazed I've not terminally fucked something up yet, although the jury is still out on my Day 2 thanks to that fitness instructor, and as for getting out of this flat with everything I own and into another room without losing my shit...ask me in two weeks.

RIGHT: I'm done. Getting sammitches and then going back to college work for a couple more hours. About half a week left to do and 2-5's quizzes, so it's not that much, but I really need to review a fuckton of it, and need to put in some serious revision for Saturday's exams.

Unlike every other time in my past, maybe, just maybe, putting myself through sheer fucking torture, stress and hellish circumstances might actually pay off if at the end of it I actually become a policeman and get paid to do good work.

If nothing else though, this shit that I'm going through is teaching me two things; work under pressure and how to lie, react and negotiate with people who don't want to deal. I stopped myself at least three times when talking to my landlady from saying the wrong thing that would've seen me in a hostel right now, and I coughed more than I needed to in order to get to see the doctor this afternoon.

My course tutor was right; policing, dealing with people, is half due authority and half personal charisma. I didn't think I had any of the latter, but I got what I wanted out of today using my words rather than rights. Maybe I've got a bit of talent in that area. :)

FOOD. :O

On Events...

Mornink.

Just woke up from half a nights sleep, which might also might be called a nap I suppose. More or less going to be back to normal now. Sleep tonight, at night, and wake up early for college and I should be OK from now on.

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The writing of this blog is helping me tons for some reason. Getting my head straightened out so I don't feel so apathetic. Passing my Day 1 helps too. If I had failed that I probably wouldn't give a shit right now, especially with this bloody tribunal with the council coming up.

However, if I get hired as a policeman then they pay during training and I can start putting a dent in my debt backlog. Thirty less a week to cover paying back housing benefit isn't too bad really seeing as I'll be earning twice or more than what I receive on benefits, with pay rises to follow, whilst doing something I expect I'll enjoy. The Day 1 was a lot more fun than I expected, especially the roleplaying whereby we interviewed people about behavioral issues.

Anyway, going to go cancel the tribunal and just arrange them to dock my job seekers allowance pro tem and pay it all off when I'm hired with the police.

I mean, yes, I was entitled to it, and used it for the intended purpose, but a] I don't have time to run around collecting evidence and formulating a speech and blah blah blah, and b] if it goes badly wrong for some unknown reason they can cause even more damage with fines and records and all sorts of nonsense.

Better to invest my time in trying to get hired as a copper, take this dent to my ongoing finances now, and then cherish being employed later on.

I want to post on it in the future [On Goverments...] but for now I'm putting it in abeyance.

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Doing my college work today. Probably won't get through all of it, but I should be able to get the spade work done and be caught up by the middle of next week, no problem.

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Taken all but one dose of the mucus cough meds I bought and I can still taste something when I cough so it's doctor time on Monday I think cus this isn't just a cold or something.

The pharmacist in Sainsburys said that if you taste nasty when you cough then it's probably an infection.

Doesn't hurt, like in my throat, and I've never coughed up bloody or even odd colored mucus, so it can't be that bad, but it is bloody persistent as hell and I need it gone in the next two weeks.

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Before next Wednesday I need to start organizing the forms I need to hand in during the Day 2.

Nothing too serious really. The nasty stuff was prior to the Day 1 with the aptitude, intelligence and personality testing. Day 2 is all about medical and employment details plus posting preference.

Posting preference sounds awesome to me because I've lived in three areas of London since I've been here and like each of them quite a bit. I know the areas like. Obviously I'll try to move around and check out different boroughs of London for experience and so forth because if I'm gonna be a copper then I'll try to be the best one I can be. But I know these areas so it's good I can start out here.

I need to see to the forms before Wednesday because as I've been unemployed so long I need to get a reference from the job center for the Day 2, and I check in with them on next Wednesday so I can get what I need from them then.

Around all this, before 20/06/14, I need to do some serious exercise for the medical testing too. Already mentioned it previously but I haven't been running due to the bronchitis and this lingering cough, the medical includes a fitness test so.

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After that I just need to find somewhere new to live by the 23rd of June.

Start hunting down a new place on the 16th, a week before hand, because most properties available for people on housing benefits are privately rented and available soonest and taken quickly. Look for a place on the 16th and I could be moving in on the 17th style of thing.

Shouldn't be too hard if I can place a large deposit down, though I'm going to be careful to find somewhere I like. Can't be having housing issues and arguments with the flatmates whilst trying to finish off my college course and get into police training.

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Finding new accommodation is a ways off though. At the moment I'm thinking in the short term.

• College Work Catchup
• Cancel the Tribunal
• Find a Doctor
• Take care of Day 2 Forms
• Get some Exercise

Then find somewhere new to live.

GG.

PS: I swear I'm going to visually upgrade my blog at some point and make another for computer games and fantasy lore and books and art and things. Just, as should be plain by now, busy as a fuck.