O Joy, O Bliss!
Yesterday before class, I stopped off at Post Restante to see if the package from pescana had arrived yet -- she sent hers almost four weeks ago now. Instead, the lady came back with a package notice for Johnny Trash, and the woman next to me in line said, "Oh, that's very lucky!" Hee.
The always lovely and amazing seriouspenguin's package of our crap arrived last week and it made it through customs yesterday -- and she sent hers out a week after pescana! The precious cargo was protected by bubblewrap (yay!), some of Trash's dress socks (which he didn't realize he'd left behind), some of his tatty old guinea-Ts, my favorite yoga pants (which I'd totally forgotten about), and a pair of his manky old undies. Isn't it wonderful that the inventory of the entire box was labelled "gifts"? Hahahahahahahaha!
But Johnny Trash also has his dress boots now! And, I have some of my books, only five of them, but books I have determined I WILL finish: Possession by AS Byatt; Master and Margarita, by Mikail Bulgakov; The Magnificent Ambersons, by Booth Tarkington; Loitering with Intent, by Muriel Spark; and Affinity, by Sarah Waters. The Tarkington and Bulgakov were also requests for Trash, as I know he loves Russian authors and has always meant to read the book one of his favorite films is based upon. Verily, was I ever so glad to see my old friends. I even kissed Possession, with whom I have had a years-long difficult relationship, on its cover in a fit of glee.
ALSO, there were a couple of little comfort gifties for us in the box (aka, the Phooka Playhouse, we can't keep him out of it): a pound of Alterra's Delta Mud coffee beans (!!); two little Alterra Mint Meltaways -- and staying true to their name, they really did MELT enroute; and a beautiful glass Chambord French Coffee Press. Wow! Wow! We've seen the little tin presses all over the place, but nothing really with which to make regular black coffee, not even a French press. O, I am going to make BLACK COFFEE... as soon as I get a converter for our grinder ('cause if I plug it in without one it's going to bloooooooow!) or buy one of the little hand grinders I've seen.
Thank you, thank you, thank you, seriouspenguin*!
The bastards still charged us tax on the contents though. Johnny Trash showed the paperwork to his new friend, and Neighborhood Boss, Ngoc, who said we got jacked on it. He's going to tell us how we can complain and get it reduced next time; I say he's comin' WITH me when I go to pick up the next package. That'll fix 'em.
And it's my Friday (it's Wednesday morning here). I have the two speed classes with the outside kindergarten and the evening class with my favorites. Yay for the weekend!
*Oh, and don't get too excited about Minette Walters's The Breakers, it was a bit of a let down from her other books. A little too neat and short on her usual richness of character-driven plot.
I'm here at Sozo, the interweb is out at home again, and got all happy because I saw an Alice Hoffman book on their shelves and almost went right back home to get the Walters for swap, alas, it's one I've already read. Figures, the only Hoffman book I've seen would be one I've read.
The always lovely and amazing seriouspenguin's package of our crap arrived last week and it made it through customs yesterday -- and she sent hers out a week after pescana! The precious cargo was protected by bubblewrap (yay!), some of Trash's dress socks (which he didn't realize he'd left behind), some of his tatty old guinea-Ts, my favorite yoga pants (which I'd totally forgotten about), and a pair of his manky old undies. Isn't it wonderful that the inventory of the entire box was labelled "gifts"? Hahahahahahahaha!
But Johnny Trash also has his dress boots now! And, I have some of my books, only five of them, but books I have determined I WILL finish: Possession by AS Byatt; Master and Margarita, by Mikail Bulgakov; The Magnificent Ambersons, by Booth Tarkington; Loitering with Intent, by Muriel Spark; and Affinity, by Sarah Waters. The Tarkington and Bulgakov were also requests for Trash, as I know he loves Russian authors and has always meant to read the book one of his favorite films is based upon. Verily, was I ever so glad to see my old friends. I even kissed Possession, with whom I have had a years-long difficult relationship, on its cover in a fit of glee.
ALSO, there were a couple of little comfort gifties for us in the box (aka, the Phooka Playhouse, we can't keep him out of it): a pound of Alterra's Delta Mud coffee beans (!!); two little Alterra Mint Meltaways -- and staying true to their name, they really did MELT enroute; and a beautiful glass Chambord French Coffee Press. Wow! Wow! We've seen the little tin presses all over the place, but nothing really with which to make regular black coffee, not even a French press. O, I am going to make BLACK COFFEE... as soon as I get a converter for our grinder ('cause if I plug it in without one it's going to bloooooooow!) or buy one of the little hand grinders I've seen.
Thank you, thank you, thank you, seriouspenguin*!
The bastards still charged us tax on the contents though. Johnny Trash showed the paperwork to his new friend, and Neighborhood Boss, Ngoc, who said we got jacked on it. He's going to tell us how we can complain and get it reduced next time; I say he's comin' WITH me when I go to pick up the next package. That'll fix 'em.
And it's my Friday (it's Wednesday morning here). I have the two speed classes with the outside kindergarten and the evening class with my favorites. Yay for the weekend!
*Oh, and don't get too excited about Minette Walters's The Breakers, it was a bit of a let down from her other books. A little too neat and short on her usual richness of character-driven plot.
I'm here at Sozo, the interweb is out at home again, and got all happy because I saw an Alice Hoffman book on their shelves and almost went right back home to get the Walters for swap, alas, it's one I've already read. Figures, the only Hoffman book I've seen would be one I've read.