Dec
3
dAriNg nEgotiAtion!
Filed Under Daily
I called the locksmith to fix my door handle. He told me that this type of service would cost 120 Euros. I immediately replied that I would not pay more than 60 Euros. He accepted right away reluctantly, he did not want to negotiate with me. He had the feeling that I was too serious and that I’d drop the deal without hesitation. He would waste his trip for nothing in that case.
My “ex-colleague” told me that her son, who got himself locked out last Sunday, was asked to pay 1200 Euros to unlock the door. I was shocked. She got the deal down to 700 Euros but it was still crazy for me. I would sleep in a hostel (even an expensive one) and wait for a normal week day and negotiate something much cheaper.
Dec
2
cAr InsUraNce
Filed Under Daily
I switched to “Direct Assurance” for my car insurance and divided the cost by two: 875 —> 434 Euros / year. I also chose to pay it all at once (-34 Euros bonus). I have optimized all my “secondary” expenses:
- Internet/TV/phone (+ free basic phone SIM card): 2 Euros / month
- Mobile phone (4G + 50 Gb): 4 Euros / month
- Car Insurance: 36 Euros / month
And my “primary expenses”:
- Electricty: 21 Euros / month
- Gaz: 50 Euros / month
Total: 113 Euros / month
I did not decrease the quality of these services. Most people would pay much more for the same service!
Nov
29
a uNIquE cHance!
Filed Under Daily
I received an email this morning asking me to clarify my vision if I was “the new director” and to make some propositions to develop the project and the goals of the association. It did sound like they want to push further!
This job offer is a chance of a lifetime and it seems that the interview did not go too bad after all! I would be really happy and proud of myself if I get this unique opportunity. Experience after 39 years of struggling with life!
The email was sent on a Sunday at 9:34 am! Sounds promising to me 🙂
Nov
27
sTreSsFul Week!
Filed Under Daily
I had 2 hours of sleep on Thursday because I had a job interview on Friday at 15:30 in Nancy. It took me 4 hours to drive to Nancy and 4 hours to drive back. I did not eat and my stomach hurt.
I did not perform well I think during the interview. One dude tried to put me in an uncomfortable position at the begining and it was hard to reverse the negative momentum. There was something else in the dude’s mind and I do not know what… Maybe he was trying to keep this position for himself. I had 4 people in front of me and it was a hard mental exercise!
I like the job offer. I will keep on finding these. I will receive the “No answer” sometimes next week :)! Such is life.
Nov
25
a dEad trEe!
Filed Under Daily
There was a tree (“a birch“) that died during my first year here and I kept on asking the company that I fired to replace it according to their contract. They did not believe that I could engage in a very serious battle with them for one single dead tree. After 6 months of an enduring battle, they finally accepted to replace the dead tree with a new one!
The “birch” tree was insured for a year and it died. It was clear to me that the old company had either to pay for the tree or to come back and to plant a new one. They preferred to plant a new one in the end.
Nov
24
Two postmen came 2 times today to ask my feedback about their new postal service and they wanted me to correct one small mistake on my online form. I explained to them the loopholes in their registration system.
Despite my mistake, the postal service tried to find my place because I was the FIRST who succeeded so far. It seems that this service is important to them and they told me that some postmen already knew my name. I wonder if that makes me an official weirdo in this small town.
Nov
16
I just downloaded the EXTENDED version of “The Hobbit: the Battle of the Five Army”
I really enjoyed the extra scenes, at the end, it was much more intimate and deep than the cinema version.
Nov
13
gOoD fLick!
Filed Under Daily
Woman in Gold: Not my type of a “feel good movie” usually but after 5 min I could not quit. It got me to cry few times!
Nov
12
Since my parents just canceled their Free account recently, I will move my site back to my own account. The forwarding link remains the same of course:
This is the new host! WordPress + Php + SQL server + ftp transfer: 5 hours of my life to look exactly the same in a new location!
Nov
12
I had lunch on a regular basis with my old colleague and we’ve talked about her oldest kid (~21 years old I think). She is trying to teach him responsibilities. It was fun when she told me that her son found his GF on internet, that his GF came and lived with them the past 6 months and how they moved out in their apartment last week. I always tried to be very smooth and light with the matter.
It was funnier when I asked: how far is his new place from your house? “296 m”, she replied proudly, and we both laughed at that answer. Indeed, she admitted that even her husband went to Google map and checked the distance.
My reply at the end of our good and long laughs: “good job! one down, two more to go!”
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