Pointless points

I’ve bought a car. I also have an American Express card for the first time in my life. My desire has been to pay for the car on the American Express, because allegedly the points are good with travel, and dammit all I want to travel again.

Problem is, the car is much more than I can put on the card in one go. So I had to go in to the dealer today, look longingly at the vehicle, and then go back again on multiple trains because I have to wait for the first payment to register so I can clear it and do it again. Patience is a virtue.

The car dealer is in Lingfield. It’s a short drive to Brighton but I have to take the train and change at East Croydon. Being unschooled in matters American Express related I thought perhaps the first payment would register in a couple of hours, so I took a recommendation from James at the dealership and ended up killing time having lunch at The Wiremill while I waited for nothing to happen. Thankfully that pub was the highlight of my day. I was there for a bit too long considering how busy I am, but I’m blaming that on optimism. I kept on thinking the payment would register. I’d have been there even longer, refreshing my app, if I hadn’t started to run out of mobile phone battery. I’m glad I didn’t stay though as it still hasn’t registered and it’s evening now.

It was lovely, The Wiremill. By a lake. “I’ll come again,” I told the waitress. “Well, you’ll have to book if you do,” she replied. “We’re rarely this empty.”

Mao is alone in Brighton and I’ve got tons to do. The car would’ve made things so much easier but instead I had to do Southern Trains back to London quickly to pick up my laptop and phone before getting the one I’m in now back to Brighton so I can play with Mao and make sure he’s well catered for. My alarm will be going off earlier than I want to think about and it’ll be yet another expensive train back to London in order to grab a van at 8am tomorrow from New Cross. Seems I’m still biting off a bit more than I can comfortably chew when the opportunity arises. Old habits die hard. Also, frankly, whatever points I might have got from paying on the card are likely already spent on train tickets and faffing around, and will be for sure by Friday when I go back to Lingfield to finish the transaction…

Hey ho. I’ll learn one day. Or not.