I should have stayed in bed today.

I am having the most frustrating day. It just keeps getting more complicated.

Last week, my magnetic fob that opens the front door stopped working. Our flat is 'managed' [and I use the term loosely] by uber-incompetent letting agency, Vanet Estates. I spoke with Sheldon who referred me to Joanna last Friday. She told me she could drop one off. By Wednesday, it had not arrived. Brennon and I had been sharing the remaining one by
locking it in the mailbox. When I got home from work last night, there was a dodgy looking eastern European man standing on the porch. I didn't think much of it and I opened the door and locked the fob back in the mailbox. When Brennon arrived home an hour later, the fob was gone.

At the moment, we have no way to enter the building. Apparently, Leah from Vanet is meeting me at 6pm on the front porch with a replacement and she'll order a second one. It remains to be seen. I pay way too much rent to be putting up with this BS. I actually miss Trasherella at Skylab. She may have been the epitome of 'white trash', but at least she was efficient in her work.

Tube fun [look up 'tube map' in google to find a diagram, too lazy to post it myself] - This morning, the Central Line
[red] was not running to Ealing Broadway. It was only going to North Acton [one stop before EB]. An announcement said that I could go to Hanger Lane and take bus 83 to Ealing Broadway. I did and it worked out, but I arrived at work 30 minutes late.

I was trying to figure out the best way to get home after work. I realised I could take the District Line [green] from Ealing Broadway. It's slow but steady. I just checked the Transport for London site and apparently the District Line is closed from Mansion House to the end of the line and I need to go to Tower Hill! There was a 'fire alert' at Monument. This isn't the first 'fire alert' for Monument. It's a pretty useless station. Why not just let it burn down and close it for good?

Now I'm going to get creative. I'll take the District Line from Ealing Broadway to Mansion House. Then I can walk 5 minutes to Bank where I usually transfer from the Central Line to the DLR and I can continue as usual from there. Although, the way this day is going, I feel that I'll be changing my route again by 4:30.

An hour after I got to work, the fire alarm went off and I got to stand outside in the rain for a half hour. Good times.

So I checked the Transport for London website before I left work to get an update on the tube lines. The District Line had been upgraded to 'severe delays' due to emergency essential engineering works at Cannon Street. This meant that I could not take the Central or District lines home and they are by far the most direct. I knew I had to leave work early to make it back for 6 to meet Leah. So, I consulted with people at work and I took the 207 bus to Ealing Common Station on the Picadilly Line. Then I rode that to Green Park where I transfered to the Jubilee Line to Canary Wharf. When I got to the wharf, the DLR was INSANELY packed with bland business people so I decided to walk 10 minutes home. I arrived at 5:50. It took 1h20min which wasn't bad because my normal commute is 1h10m. I stood on the front porch waiting for Leah [remember, our fobs are rubbish so I CANNOT even enter the building]. She was late. I followed someone in to get warm. I waited in the lobby until 6:30. She was late. I called Joanna. She told me Leah was stuck in traffic [thanks for letting me know]. I got Leah's number and rang her. She apologised profusely. I told her to just ring me when she got here cuz I was going upstairs to make dinner. She showed up at about 6:45. She apologised. She moaned about traffic from Chelsea to Poplar. IS SHE NEW TO LONDON? WAS IT HER FIRST TIME IN RUSH HOUR?! WHAT A BLOODY IDIOT!!!! I KNEW TO LEAVE WORK EARLY AND I'M A FOREIGNER!!!! Cholo Maria.

Now we have one fob and I'm really tired from one messed up day.