What presents?

While our hopes were raised by the Post Office leaving a note telling us that they had failed, yet again, to deliver a parcel to us, those same hopes were dashed when on our getting the parcel it turned out not to be the books that we were hoping to get which would have completed part of our Christmas shopping but rather some First Day Covers ordered months ago.

I have to admit that I am rather pleased with that last sentence which I feel is positively Miltonic in its unnecessary complexity with clauses falling over each other to obfuscate and mislead!

My Covers have been delayed because they were sent back by the Spanish Post Office, as the address was impossible for them to understand.  The package was returned with the same address and, surprise, surprise they actually got it to me!  There is a special part of my soul which has been shrivelled to a desiccated walnut by my dealings with the Spanish Post Office.  But let it pass, let it pass!

Toni has just heard that he has been accepted on an IT distance-learning course to start in February.  The sheer effort it has taken to register has to be experienced to be believed – and he has yet to pay!  That in itself is a world-wearying experience he has yet to enjoy!  But we celebrated with a menu del dia (I mitched off school in the afternoon) and bought another part of the Christmas presents that are almost, but not quite, complete.

The dark night of the soul continues as I wrestle with the pros and cons of buying a new computer.  I was shocked at the complete lack of sympathy I got when I explained that I wanted to buy an Apple computer with a built-in CD/DVD slot and that the new iMacs did not have one.  One colleague actually used the word Luddite to explain my attitude!  And I prefer to link myself to Captain Swing!

The end result is that I am now in two minds – or rather one mind and a faction – about whether to take the plunge and buy in spite of my reservations.  I am prepared to be swayed by an educational discount!  I will return to the Apple Store and see what I can see.  And spend what I can spend!

Three days to go.  And I don’t mean days I have yet to complete in school.  Three days to complete the first of the assignments for the OU.  We have arrived at something approaching a final draft and there only remain the details of presentation and referencing to complete.  Thank god!

Tomorrow is a full day at school and so I will have a little siesta when I come home and then we will have to go out and try and complete the Christmas shopping.

And I have marking which I will complete tomorrow and then I will be free to plan the most efficient form of escape from the school that I can.  As far as I can work things out, my Friday should be, to say the least, deconstructed – and if I can’t take advantage of educational chaos, who can!

We now have to think about subduing our better nature and lowering our cultural barriers and bring out that icon of tastelessness, the Christmas tree.

I fear that there has been a rationalization of the number of strings of lights that we now possess – the Great Clean-up and Formation of the Tea Room on the Third Floor necessitated wholesale destruction of carefully garnered clutter of many years brought across Europe to fill out foreign space.  I fear to think about what I will not find when I finally unearth the decaying tree and its limited number of decorations.  One will put on what show one can.

Anyway the new bonsai of blue lights makes up for everything!