It's official. I'm pissed off.

We just got a new rota schedule in a couple of weeks back at work.

Needless to say, it got changed within a week.

And in doing so on both counts, they screwed up my, and more to the point, my better halfs, Christmas and new year arrangements

The idea was to have been for my other half to come up from the west country, and spend the new year with me. So much for that idea, when the new rota came out. Nope, new days off are over Christmas (four of them), and one day off on New years' Day.

So, we re-arranged our arrangements. I'd travel down there for Christmas, and have a quiet New Year at home instead.

Well, that was the idea, until I tried to get travel arrangements sorted out. Remembering that my sodding car is off the road (long story, repeated often and at irritatingly regular intervals to some of the folks at work, so trust me, no car is the order of things right now), I considered the trains. No joy there. There aren't any trains worth a damn running on Boxing Day, of course - and as to getting between London Victoria and Paddington, forget it: The tubes are on strike on boxing day, just to add icing to the transport chaos bug... So, Coaches, then. Nope, no coach stop within five miles of where I live. However, there IS a coach stop at Mitcham Junction, ten miles away, and I can grab a tram to get there, so all was not lost... or so I stupidly thought...

Anyway, I then tried National Expresses online system, to find that it wasn't taking bookings for the trip until the 2nd of January - DO WHAT?! So, I tried their phone service.

An 0871 number.

Half an hour later I gave up in disgust after hanging on in their queuing system with the sodding thing ringing off the hook.

Now, I understand they need to sort out the cancellations due to the weather we've been having of late. I'm not totally without common sense, even if I do work on the buses, k?

However, you might have thought that they'd INCREASE the number of "agents" at the call centre at this very expectedly busy time of year, wouldn't you? ("Agents"?! what, they carry guns and yell "FREEZE! FEDERAL AGENT!" down the phone when a punter looses their rag at their appalling customer service?)

Well, apparently, they haven't thought of it, or the bean counters hit, or Martians landed, someone's planning to shoot down Father Christmas, or whatever the hell goes on up on Birmingham at this time of year that buggers things up again.

Anyhow, the upshot is that I've exhausted all possible ways of being able to spend meaningful amounts of quality time with my better half over Christmas, so I guess it's plan "C". Some time in January for a link up. As you might imagine, it's got me well depressed. I wanna hug (Sorry, the other half likes teddy bears, and I promised ages ago I'd find a way to stick one into the Blant!)

Trust me when I say this: Without my better half to keep me going and cheer me up beyond all reasonable expectations, I am going to be so bloody bored witless over Christmas that it's positively frightening.

And as to organising my next visit to my better half, I haven't a clue WHEN in January - or February come to that - it'll be, as the current rotas so truly stuffed up six ways from Sunday that it'll be a sodding miracle if the scheduling section even manages to work out that a Sunday follows a Saturday, and that there isn't a "Z" in any month in the English Speaking Calendar

Anyhow, I just tried phoning my better half, but I guess they're all up to their armpits in Turkeys in the pub ...um... I meant the food, not the customers!