"Φοβού τους Δαναούς και δώρα φαίροντα"
1) A most heartfelt thank you, from my bona fide bones (and Françoise) to the very earnestness of my soul, to everyone who had the enormous kindness to remember and take part in comemorating my 21st birthday this past week.
2) More than a few people contributed some pretty fantastically glorious (and grossly unecessary, really, you oughn't have, but how kind!) gifts, but amongst them I did want to highlight these highly-visual ones that pleased me particularly and which I feel others would enjoy:
Kids, you know who you are, and you're both wonderful / damned funny; everyone else: take note - anything involving Napoleon & excellent graphic design / handwriting skills and / or medals and diplomatic sashes making me look like a Napoleonic ambassador will get you special recognition on this blog.
3) No, really, I love you all. My birthday was great, and you kids made it so, so danke, danke.
(And you can hear all about it, and the rest of the week, in the next post, which is not this one.)
Edit: Also, I nearly forgot - after much hype and hearing about it from a million sources, I've installed Skype onto my computer, and it works pretty amazingly (with said program I was able to speak with multiple persons on fixed lines in the home territories whilst arranging affairs earlier this evening, and I just spoke with Iñaki on his cell phone), so do let me know if any of you have it because, well, it's always a pleasure to hear voices. It works free between computers, and at .017 euro cents from a computer to a non-computer line, so it's a cool deal in that I can now, more casually before, call-up and catch up while completely avoiding those disgraceful international charges, so, aye, I recommend it (it's clearer, even, much of time, than the fixed house line we have here).This implies: I can interrupt Robin's studies at multiple levels now ("I can't concentrate with you calling my house and sending a barrage of pictures of cats with hats via aim!!!"). But no, really, it implies I (we, everyone) can communicate much more easily and a far less expense, which is a fine thing, what what. So, kids, if you have it, tell me; if you don't, all you need in a microphone, basically, and magically - communication via voice the same way you would by aim. Bloody brilliant, methinks. So yes, perhaps I'll be literally talking to some of you soon, exams and whatnot providing, of course.