Thursday 14 May 2026 in 2026

Dear A,
I woke up at half seven this morning. I was supposed to go swimming, but the thought of fluorescent lights, damp changing rooms, and pretending to be energetic before eight in the morning was absolutely unbearable, so I didn’t go. Instead I made breakfast and sat reading for a while. Yogurt, two dates, pumpkin seeds scattered over the top. One coffee only.
I am trying to cut back on coffee because apparently my body has decided that the thing I love most now qualifies as self-harm. More than one cup and the heartburn starts. Proper day-long heartburn too, not just a little discomfort. The annoying thing is that I genuinely love coffee. Not those monstrous syrup-filled dessert drinks from Starbucks that taste like liquified birthday cake. I mean actual coffee. Strong filter coffee with just enough milk to soften it slightly without ruining it. Hot, bitter, and disgracefully comforting.
By noon I had managed to turn activating a bank card into a full psychological event.
I mostly use Monzo for saving random bits of money through the year while Nationwide functions as my actual bank. Anyway, I discovered Nationwide charge fees to use your bank card abroad while Monzo don’t, so suddenly the bank card I had ignored for over a year became extremely important because I leave for Italy tomorrow. Banks charging you for accessing your own money feels faintly ridiculous to me considering they are already financially benefiting from holding my money hostage in the first place.
The problem is that I do not trust technology in the calm, emotionally stable way other people seem to. Activating the card in the app was not enough. I needed proof. Physical proof. I needed to see the thing function in the real world before trusting it in another country.
First ATM: disaster. Or what I immediately interpreted as disaster. I tried the card four times and nothing happened. At this point I had already mentally transported myself to Florence where I was apparently unable to buy an espresso from an Italian waiter because my bank card had failed.
Second ATM outside Tesco: success. Pin worked. Account appeared. Tremendous relief.
Naturally, I still did not trust it completely.
So into Tesco I went for the final stage of Bank Card Verification. I bought a few things for the holiday, including a tube of Pringles for the flight, then stood at the checkout waiting to discover whether modern banking infrastructure was about to ruin my entire holiday.
Anyway, the card works. I have now verified this through an app, two ATMs, and a tube of cheese and onion Pringles, which feels excessive even by my standards.