Tuesday, January 22, 2008

A SURVEY ON THE COST OF EXISTING...


ATM machine fee to get cash for parking meter: £1.50
Cafe macchiato to get change for parking meter: £1.20
Parking for 2 hours: £7
Haircut (including tip): £63
Lunch gobbled in 4.3 seconds to get back to car before meter ran out: £10
*Penalty charge notice inadvertently incurred on way to hairdressers: £120

Total: £202.70

Well. By no means the most expensive haircut in London. The only mitigating factor is that I quite like it. I do kind of wish I'd had more than a trim though. To console myself with receiving the notice in the post this morning (lightning fast are TfL - my *alleged contravention* was only yesterday afternoon) I went to Dover Street Market and stroked some Lanvin. In fact if I hadn't got a bloody ticket and also did not have to pay an entire year and a half's income tax in ONE PAYMENT by the end of the month I would have done more than merely stroke it. I implore anyone who isn't broke to go to DSM now - practically everything is 70% off. Except Lanvin actually which is 50% I think.

I then spent much of the afternoon alternately composing nasty letters to TfL outlining their blatant failure to provide clear signage which is obviously an evil masterplan to trap motorists into either getting a massive fine or paying the cc charge - and day dreaming about what life would be like if one were Alber Elbaz's very best friend and muse.

*the ticket was for turning right at a traffic light on the border of the congestion charge zone so as not to stray into it. It didn't say "Ahead Only" and there wasn't a no right turn sign. However, I have since learned that a white arrow in a blue box pointing forward doesn't mean go ahead but you can turn right if you feel like it.

14 comments:

RD said...

Like the nightmare MasterCard advert... Condolences.... BB

Anonymous said...

heheheh oh i was about to write something similiar but BB beat me to it! :)
delphine

Anonymous said...

Oh dear.. this is crap. BUT indeed, at least it's a quite liked hair cut! Wish I could go to DSM and spend lots - shopping becomes a bit rubbish when you don't have any/enough money/you've just had to pay a ticket, doesn't it?!

BTW, am thoroughly enjoying Franny & Zooey at the moment so thanks for the recommendation! xx

travel notes said...

Oh maaaaan... x

erica said...

wow, that sounds even more confusing than driving in boston. i never can figure out where it's ok to park...

Anonymous said...

Everything is expensive in London! It costs like 20 just to breathe! ;-)

xox Girl and the City (very thankfully in Paris, though sometime missing London..)

http://girlandthecity.wordpress.com

Siru said...

what did you do to your hair?

juliet xxx

Bexy said...

i know it's rubbish
it's all too expensive
the cc is shit especially trying to miss it
the tube system ~for the most part~ is a joke and again way too expensive
(although i love the jubilee line and the dlr)
when it's grey and dull it's GREY and DULL
...and yet there is nowhere else i would rather live, i've been in newcastle for a year and a half and i'm homesick for london everyday~and remarkably, this post of yours could make me cry with longing for the best city in the world.
i HEART london and all it's faults

bexy

Anonymous said...

I'm with Bexy - why does this post make me homesick?

Claire said...

People missing London - I missed London loads when I lived in Italy but when I eventually came home I went to get a coffee and it was a: cold, b: slopped all down the side of the mug, c: £4.50, d: replaced by a monosyllabic teenager who avoided eye contact and didn't apologise and e: still tasted like shit. The grass is always greener!x

Anonymous said...

When are you posting a picture of your lovely self with your lovely haircut??
BTW, was the 10£ lunch a pizza at the story deli???
Oh god, wish I was there...
xxx
Mia

Joanna Goddard said...

i know exactly what you mean. life adds up!

i want to see your haircut :)

Joanna Goddard said...

ps. sigh, lanvin....so beautiful....

Claire said...

Juliet, Mia and Joanna - my hair is so boring and not photo worthy! It's basically exactly how it was before with a less heavy fringe so I can grow it out. C'est tout!