Harry's Blog

While I was away in Los Angeles attending the E3 Expo I expected to be paid by the client I was representing out there. But my payment is late. That didn't stop my bank letting me withdraw cash in the US though, even though it couldn't let me check my balance. Oh no, it just let me go past my overdraft limit and then charged me £30 for the privilege.

Oh what joy, especially now another direct debit has gone through today with still no sign of a payment in and you guessed it, another £30 charge by my bank. Looking at the trip to E3 it now seems something of a financial folly. I paid out lots of money for a US Visa, the money for transport to get the Visa, travel to and from Heathrow airport, the charges for withdrawing dollars in the US and now today an additional charge. It seems my many calls to the US Embassy to find out which Visa I'd need have cost me over £30 according to today's phone bill.

I suppose I've only myself to blame really for going out to LA. But when I compare what I've earned by going out there, which is next to nothing because the client only pays four hours per day no matter the long hours I worked out there. Then compare this to how much the trip actually cost me, I find that I have actually lost money by going to Los Angeles.

Add to that the physical hardship of going out there and of course missing my beloved L, just to play some bloody videogames in the sweltering heat of the Los Angeles Convention Centre it now seems all rather daft. Today is my first full day returning to work and I'm still exhausted and suffering from jet lag and wondering what exactly was the point I was trying to make. But that's nothing new.