Going for a Shmoke and a pancake.

I'm just getting packed up ready for a trip over to Holland for a couple of days to sort out paperwork for my new job, and most important view and hopefully sign for an apartment the University have helped me find.

Furnished apartments turned out to be quite expensive, so I've had to look for somewhere unfurnished. Unlike the UK though, The Dutch have an interesting view of renting unfurnished apartments...they mean that more literally than you can imagine, no flooring, no skirting boards, no light fittings, nothing, you get an empty box that you are supposed to decorate to your own tastes, and when the time comes to leave you can negotiate with the new tennent to see what parts of your decor they want to buy, including apparently the wallpaper???
Unfortunately my new apartment is just that, brand new, so there's nothing to negotiate and its about as bare as you can get..see the photos

Again though the university have come to my aid and have put me in touch with a decorator who will hopefully be able to get everything done before I make the official move over. I'm just going to get the most basic of wall paper, curtains and flooring done to get started with, I'll collect clutter as I go.



And in other news

While getting ready to nip over to Holland I went to the post office to get some Euro's for the trip. I was really annoyed though, because despite having a perfectly valid debit card with some cash in the account, and a valid Visa card, the post office's stupid system refused to take my cards.

Ok ok, these things happen, but why does it have to print out innacurate rubbish which leads the cashier to assume you are usings stolen cards or something.

The print out said, card declined, please refer to card issuer....which as you all know is credit card speak for, he's an axe murder, give him a dirty look and send him on his way.

Now as I said the cards both had funds in them, as I was clearly able to prove by nipping out to the cash machine, and coming back with crisp new notes to pay for my euros.. Of course, taking cash out on a credit card (my debit card having a stupidly low withdrawal limit, so I had to use both) meant I got charged an extra 1.5% on that cash transaction.

All because the Post office can't get its card system to authorise valid cards or is it just another conspiracy to charge us for using cards.....grrrrrr

Ahthankyew