My f-list always provides me with the best distractions...

[clo_again]

I forsee many a happy hour waste- uh... I mean spent productively doodling on this: http://artpad.art.com/gallery/?i6ro3h1c2bo0

So fun. :-) I love the internet.

Except for when it doesn't work on my laptop. That part sucks. -_- Stupid internet.

I have spent too much money this weekend. Bought a TV licence for £121 today. That's like... nine weeks food or something for me. Plus everyone in our flat has one - that's the government getting over £120 off eight people and that's jsut our flat. No wonder students are traditionally so f**king broke. One between the whole flat yes; each?!!! I hate governments. Gggrrr.

In other news bought Green Day's American Idiot and it's good. And it's going to be my last indulgence buy until Christmas; stupid TV licence has made me feel horribly broke. I'd like to *not* spend my entire student loan thanks. So it's basic food and very few treats for the next month. Fantastically I got my Winter ball gown from the Monsoon sale yesterday - reduced to £20 from a £135! I was smug. ^__^ Got a silk Japanese-style top to wear over it for £5 instead of £65 along with a few other reduced things. I was a very happy bunny since my entire Winter Ball outfit only came to around £28 instead of the £70-80+ I was planning on spending. Which makes me very happy. Whee! :-D

Fireworks were stunningly pretty last night (November 5th is our firework/Bonfire Night for the non-Brits on my f-list). Parents are going to a big display at a friend's tonight and I'm invited... but I have a terrible feeling I need to START and preferably do a good chunk of, my Philosophy essay. I adore fireworks; I look forward to November 5th every year... but I really need to start doing some work. Plus I know if i go I'll be deadly bored during the times before and after the fireworks since parents no doubt will stay and chat and drink for hours after. Woe. I love fireworks.

Nineteen-Eighty Four is going well - only a little bit left to go. It's okay - interesting but not the most intensely gripping book I've ever read. Think it was worth the money though. I think I need to read something relaxing and none-political afterwards though otherwise my brain might melt.

Off to eat ice-cream and be lazy for a little while now. It's nice to be home.

Clo

Comments

TV License.

[dukedee.livejournal.com]

You should've gone for the quarterly payment option, as you pay for 3 months, then another 3, then another 3, then cancel it before the 3rd. You should make sure you claim back what you don't use though. I've found that Chris Moyles is big compensation for paying the BBC so much money. His show truly is worth the lisence fee alone.

Re: TV License.

[dukedee.livejournal.com]

Ooops! Meant cancel it before the 4th. Was being distracted by my mum on the phone.

Re: TV License.

[clo.livejournal.com]

The woman asked if I wanted to pay it all at once and I just couldn't be arsed with all the hassle of qurterly payments and direct debit and just... ack. I will definitely cancel it the moment I stop using it though - wasn't sure if I could. ^__^

Makes me feel a little better about paying such horrendous amounts of money. ;-)

[greenwitch.livejournal.com]

What's the lisence for? Is that so you can get any tv at all?

At my school it's included in our semester bill, so I don't know how much it is, but DAMN, £121 seems like a lot per student...

[clo.livejournal.com]

Over here you have to have a licence to *watch* TV (I'm fairly sure if you own one but never turn it on you don't need a licence... however pointless that seems.) If you're planning on watching *any* TV you need a licence - cable/Sky costs extra per month on top of that initial licence. I think the money is intended to fund the BBC which are considered to be 'free' channels... but I'm not too clear on how it all works.

You don't need a licence per TV, only per house - so for example we have three TVs currently in our house but only need the one licence. However since I've 'technically' moved out, I'm supposed to have my own licence. We discussed it in the flat and said we wished it was only one licence per flat which could be automatically included in the rent, split between us all - but that would lose the government nearly all our money, which of course is unthinkable... *sighs

Horrible amounts of money per student. Hopefully I can claim some back next summer when I come home and don't need it anymore, but I'm not sure how that works.

[greenwitch.livejournal.com]

Wow, that sucks. We have a few broadcast channels here that we don't need to pay for, they're funded by advertising (lots of horrible advertising)... then there's a few PBS (public broadcasting stations) that are funded by donations and public funding (few if any advertisements, generally "educational" programming and some britcoms), then there's the cable/satellite channels ($50/month is like, the least).

So I understand a yearly fee for TV watching... per household, but per person when there's 8 of you in the flat? Damn.

[clo.livejournal.com]

I know. The government loves squeezing every penny they can get out of students right now.