Catching up

On Monday I ventured out into the wide world after not being out of the house for nearly a week. It was a downright giddifying experience. I wanted to buy yarn and needles for a knitting project. In the process I bought new luggage to replace some of the pieces which we brought home from Greece in 1999. One is a lovely mauve, the other blue. I got freshly-roasted peaberry coffee beans. I got yogurt and fruit. I bought a birthday card for my brother and a money order to renew my subscription to one of my science fiction magazines and mailed both of them. I did not get yarn or needles.

A bridal shower for my niece is taking place this weekend. Of course I won’t be there, considering it’s in another province, but I never called in the RSVP. Hubby said we should send a gift anyway. My reaction was not exactly what he expected. First, he has no idea what a bridal shower entails. The whole raison d’être for the party is to present the future bride with presents which she then proceeds to open in front of all the guests. Not attending but sending a present anyway would be as useless as showing up empty handed. Second, we’ll be giving her a generous wedding present. We are not required to give her more than that (or even that, actually, but I’m not that crass), and in my opinion, that’s plenty.

Last night after supper (at which I drank a glass of red wine) I was so tired that I ended up going to bed at 9:30. At 1 a.m. I was wide awake with a headache, and stayed awake for several hours until the pain killer I took did its job. This morning I woke up at 9:05, leapt out of bed and had to scramble for my first student at 10:00 a.m. Talk about cutting it close.

Unfortunately, the student I rushed to meet is the one I dread teaching every week. She gives a whole new meaning to the word dense. Today I asked her to do something very specific for me, extremely specific. I showed her how to do it. I told her exactly what to do. She could not do it. I asked her to go through a series of steps designed to get her to perform a desired action in a desired way. She had no idea what I was doing or what I expected from the exercise until I told her exactly why and what. I wanted to yell at her. I forbore. I am a saint.

I also found out that one of my best students, the one who is only studying here because of me, will be leaving to go elsewhere in the fall, to the theatre school he auditioned for. Out of 200 applicants, he was one of 12 selected. He’d be an idiot not to go. I shall miss him, though.

I’m also trying to write a short “travel” piece to submit to the online writing group I joined. It’s incredibly slow going. Inspiration is at a premium these days, it seems.

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