Here we go again

The alarm goes off at 5:35 so I have exactly one hour before having to get out of the door and start another day at M25 Group. I hate Gabe.

After 5 to 10 minutes of lying in bed, I get up, go straight to the bathroom, and hope none of my flatmates are there. Or were there. That’s when I start my beauty routine…shave so Sebastian will not give me a ticket, brush my teeth cause who knows and splash water on my face so everyone else will think that I’ve been working hard already and won’t ask me for anything.

I then head to the kitchen to have breakfast. Lately (over the last 6 years), it has been a cup of coffee and a cigarette. Very healthy, I know, but like Dire Strait says, Nicotine for breakfast, just to put me right.

After breakfast, I get ready and do my very minimal workout that includes fighting with my team leader and howling at the moon if it’s winter…in the summer, I bark back at all the dogs in the neighbourhood.

I usually get out of the house around 7 am and head to work, which takes about 45 minutes… we don’t talk much in the van; it’s quiet time. We begin work at 8-9, depending on traffic and on the operation manager. He sometimes wants us to have a morning meeting with the rest of the teams where he takes our complaints and makes paper planes with them during his oh-so-very busy day.

When we get to work, I stay in the van for a few minutes doing my breathing exercises and mindfulness tricks to help me deal with what I’m sure will be a great, calm and generally ‘happy to see us, client’. While in the van, I watch one or two YouTube videos of idiots falling all over – it makes me happy. It’s my quiet time, plus it pisses off my team leader 🙂

Let the fun begin

Now, kidding aside, I love this work. Well, maybe love is taking it too far but give me an office job that just goes on and on and I will slowly but surely die inside but this work, meeting new people everyday (I love Londoners – do you know how strange you are in comparison to the rest of the country? Beautiful!) Everyday for me is a new project that tends to start and end within a day or two, keeping me fit and tolerant to pain, the time passes so fast and I know you’re going to think that Gabriel made me write this, but yes, seeing the clients in awe of our speed and strength gives me a sense of purpose. I’m not kidding.

Job Done. Like a boss

Best part of the day, really 🙂 I mean we do get the occasional client who for no reason at all, just because we come at the end of a very emotional process (divorce moves are the worst, we need to witness life built over years get split in hours, it feels like we are the executioner sometimes) is angry and as there is no one else to take it on… well, you get the point. But 99% of our clients are decent and more, tips are nice and proper, none of this 6 pack and a handshake or few pounds they find in their pocket nonsense, though yes, I’ll take the beer with that £20 bill hahaha I mean it’s cool, no? We just finished moving you to a million pound home (average home in London is 450K and M25, don’t mess around) with all your amazing goods – what’s £20 for me and my team? Less than that parking ticket we saved you by talking to the parking inspector, right?

Do you want me to go on? Are you sure? Might get emotional… I mean it – there could be tears 🙂

Home sweet home 

Getting home after a full day working hard is just great, the shower feels so good and one of us (there are 3 of us in the flat – best friends really) makes dinner, my speciality is an omelette hahaha no kidding, I make a killer tofu salad…. Hahaha, kidding again, Sylvia (logistics manager) is trying to get us all to be vegetarian ….we just smile and shake our heads like we agree, mean ol’ boss this girl. So anyway, back to our subject of making dinner, my speciality is pasta with meatballs! Boom! I bet you couldn’t guess that it’s evening now, Marco just came back with the beer (the case that the client gave us today…the guy drinks Budweiser – can you believe this??? British?? Drinking bud??? The world is going to hell after all) and the pasta is ready, the game is on and there we are, a day in the life of an M25 Mover.

BTW – I didn’t mean it when I said that I hate Gabe because I don’t.

Really, I don’t.