My shiny new iPod is arriving today! It is on a the truck, which left Marina del Rey at 7:50 AM! I love package tracking.

Susan, the Klingon thing is HILARIOUS.

I missed Chuck and need to see if it's available online

Did you find it? It's here, all shiny and official like.

Clearly, Gloomcookie has stolen Trudy's iPod.

eyes GC sternly.

Bad GC. No sticker for you!

Glad to hear that ita's mum's visit went so unexpectedly well! Congratulations on what sounds like something of a seachange, or at least milestone, in your relationship. Good to see.

(And well done PC with the bluntness, incidentally! I cringed for you, but I was also v. proud. Good job.)

Meanwhile, here I am freshly returned from a night at the ballet watching a contemporary dance version of Romeo and Juliet in company with the Queen of Thailand.

Well, that's not to say that I was sitting next to her or anything (although 2 kids from our school, whose mum is top mates with her, were up there in among her entourage), but she was up there watching from her Seat De Swankiness. Sadly it seems that despite all the diamonds she cannot afford a watch. The ballet was half an hour late in starting because we had to wait for her majesty to arrive. That said, it was quite cool in its own sweet way, and she did look very fabulous. Particularly considering she's about 75 years old - fair bloody play to her.

The ballet, meanwhile, was about as non-traditional as it could be. I'd observed that it was to be contemporary dance, but most of my colleagues were expecting sets and tutus, and were rather gutted. What we actually got was rather wonderful, but also not particularly accessible - it started out with a bare stage and a gentleman wearing quite skimpy underwear with a crash helmet on his foot. Said crash helmet-on-foot was a recurring motif, and resulted in much fascinating precarious dancing/contorting, which was very impressive but also more than a little opaque.

I enjoyed it a lot, but it did make me feel rather stupid, and that's a bit frustrating. Particularly when I know the play inside out and back to front, and thus really should have been able to have a pretty fair grasp of what was going on onstage at any given point, you'd think - I mean, I've watched the damn play in Portuguese quite happily, and I speak nary a word of it. But this...it was stunning, and clever, but rather hard going.

Thank fuck it's (nearly) Friday, say I! Comparatively light academic workload and cocktails after school. 'Course I've got another kid visiting my class tomorrow with a view to joining the school, which will take my class up to 21. (Theoretically the class size doesn't go above 20. Theoretically.) Said kid apparently speaks not a word of English, taking my total number of non-English speakers up to 3 1/2. (Because Guy the wee BeetleBoy is really quite good at English now, compared to the others, who have only a handful of words.)

If my iPod comes preloaded with PORN, then I'll know it was Trude's.

Fay! and I imagine any child, whatever language they speak, will look at you, the classroom, the stuffed animals, and INSIST on being in your class.

Hey SA. What part of England are you heading to? I have a friend who just moved to London. Real nice gal. Lemme know if I should net-roduce you two.

I'm moving to York, so a bit away. Thanks, though!

I missed Chuck and need to see if it's available online. I suspect it conflicts with Monday Night Football so I need to start recording it.

Chuck reruns on Sundays on USA, a week late. This past Mondays will be on a week from Sunday. My Tivo got confused and didn't record the pilot, so I went looking for other showings and actually found one!

Damn it. I threw away my student parking access card from last year and now they tell me they reuse them and to replace it will cost me $25. Not that that's a lot of money, but what the hell? You don't tell me I need to hang onto it plus I just paid almost $600 to park there for the next year. Asses.

thanks, ita and -t!

Is it the Steven's Point job that he's looking at?

It is, indeed.

Sorry I ran off to pick up the stroller from the Craigslist lady. That was a $25 steal even for an older, worn model. Those things sell new for $125-$180. And I hope this means I can sell my behemouth double and free up some space.

Also stopped by the gym and am finally back on time for 15 minute miles after sluffing off for vacation and post vacation virus. Oh, and I got a $25 gift card for a referral I made so today has been good, overall.

ita, you're out of the hospital? How's the noggin?