Tuesday 28 November 2017

#326 Sunday night

10:40pm. The Barbican. I'd trekked out to this concrete fortress yesterday and today for a change of scene. Too stubborn to take more than one tube line, I'd decided to walk from Southwark. At least there was a KFC en route.

The room search had been going badly. During the past three days, I'd messaged 27 adverts and still didn't have any viewings lined up. In an effort to make it rain, I'd broadened my range, as well as my criteria. Maybe tomorrow, I'd get a few responses.

With no better options and nothing else to do with my time, I decided to press on with the search during the coming week. If I stayed open-minded, I could probably continue to find new rooms to enquire about every day although it was getting harder.

They'd just announced the closure of the section I was sitting in. It wasn't worth trying to find a plug socket on the ground floor for the last twenty minutes, so I packed up and headed out into the cold.

My housemates use of the kitchen after 11pm now wound me up so much that my latest strategy was to try and be out of the house while they might be in there. To this end, I'd been killing large chunks of time at night. I walked slowly over to Liverpool Street and sat in the station playing with my phone for a while. I then caught the central line to Stratford, changed to the Jubilee, and took it back to Canary Wharf.

I spent another fifteen minutes walking around the shopping centre. It was now midnight. If I stayed indoors any longer, I knew security would move me on, so I left the building and found an outside walkway with a roof. I walked halfway along it and sat on the concrete floor shivering for twenty minutes. It took another ten to walk home.

I'd been aiming to stay out until 1am but 12:30 would have to suffice. Fortunately everyone was upstairs and Miguel was already home. If I was lucky and there wasn't too much noise the following morning, I'd have enough energy to return to The Barbican. Or elsewhere. It did me good to get out of the house. I wondered how long it would be before I could leave for good.

4 comments

Fizzfan said...

Sounds pretty bleak Dan. You must be sooo pissed off.
You’re doing well to remain so philosophical.

So hope you get some respite soon.

It’s pretty cold right now too!

I think I’d stay indoors, sink into my duvet, surround myself with some foodie treats and Netflix and just stick my headphones on til after midnight.

Feel for you....

Profound Familiarity said...

Yeah, do that.

It is getting cold, isn't it? About ten days ago, I wasn't even bothering with a coat. Now three layers doesn't seem like enough.

What're you watching?

Fizzfan said...

Peaky Blinders and Celeb Ge Me Out Of Here!
There’s a series on 4 about Trumps life which is pretty good too.
The A Word and The Apprentice.
Can’t beat a bit of First Dates and Gogglebox for light entertainment too.

Just started Mr Robot but I don’t think you get Amazon Prime?

How about you?

Profound Familiarity said...

Yeah I don't think I get Amazon Prime either.

I've been watching Tudors a bit. Before that it was Stranger Things 2.