Fingers crossed

I want you to all think good thoughts and keep your fingers crossed for my on Friday between midday and 6pm (UK time) or 1pm and 7pm (European time).

I have a man coming from the internet company to fix me up.

My Weekend

It's Monday morning and I've just spent a long weekend sleeping, watching television and eating (very, very slowly).

When I was a teenager I had a great capacity for sleep, something which used to infuriate my mum (to this day I don't know why) but as I've got older my overall need to sleep had diminished. However, since finishing the DELTA, I've discovered a whole new ability to sleep the morning away. The difference is that, as I know I can put in the long working hours when I need to, I feel no guilt or sense of loss if I choose to sleep til midday or later during the weekend. As I've said before, there's little or nothing to do here anyway.

In between the marathon sleep-a-thons, I've been watching television. Now most of what I watch are US crime series (CSI, Cold Case, Close to Home - that sort of thing) with an occasional light-hearted fluff series (The Gilmore Girls, Beautiful People, Men in Trees), all of it eminently forgettable and just what's needed to pass a boring weekend. The interesting part, however, is the commercial break.

I recognise that daytime ads on British TV are not the height of sophistication. How many times do you need to see June Whitfield going upstairs in a chairlift to a walk-in bath while telling you about the new vitamins and minerals she takes to prolong her health and vitality until the day she cashes in the funeral insurance policy you need to protect your heirs? However, in comparison to Argentine ads, June is an Oscar winner.

Typically, the ad here starts by showing you the problems - maybe it's ill-fitting shoes or a sewing machine that's old and awkward to use. This part of the ad is done in black and white with the most incredibly hammy over acting possible, everyone is frowning or miming pain and nobody can stand upright.

Then you are shown the solution - a shoe stretching gadget, a portable sewing machine etc. This part of the ad is done in colour, everyone is smiling and having fun. Every little piece of the device is explored and it's myriad of uses highlighted for your information (a TV dinner table is said to have eighteen, yes eighteen, different configurations - that's three slightly different heights and six different slopes on the tabletop - go figure). A variety of people are shown enjoying the use of the device for a variety of different activities (or a variety of different materials to be sewn together). Throughout the ad there is the same repetitive muzak and, if they have paid for a longer time slot, parts of the ad are repeated (several times). And, and this is the interesting point, at no time are you told the price. To purchase the delightful gadget you have a choice, telephone the number given (for your country) or go on-line. The final indignity is when a product reaches saturation point (or hasn't sold well), then the two for the price of one offers appear. Now, I can understand two shoe stretching devices - most people buy their shoes in pairs - but two portable sewing machines?

Fangs ain't wot they used to be

I went to the dentist yesterday. Actually, it was the Orthodontist (posh eh?).

Those of you who have known me since I was a kid may remember I had braces on my teeth for a while in an attempt to straighten them. The treatment came to an end when I was sixteen (I think) because it was no longer free (such a long time ago, I really can't remember for sure), so my teeth were partially straightened but no follow up work was done.

Anyway, after selling the house I decided that now is the time (I kinda wish I'd started this last year but hey...) so I now have braces on my teeth again. The difference is that this time it's both the top and bottom teeth and, whereas before I had a plate that I could take out and clean, these braces are glued to my teeth and have ceramic 'pillows' which hold the wires. They are less intrusive but more permanent and I have to be careful after eating that I don't have food trapped.

At the moment everything is still a little tender and I can't bite anything but I can chew cautiously - I foresee this being a method of losing weight - as long as I chop everything into small pieces.

I take some photos at the weekend and terrify you all.

LIfe

So, what have I got for you today? Well, not a lot really. The teaching is getting back to normal and the level of tension in the school has dropped dramatically. People are smiling again and the sun is shining (and not just metaphorically). I've started sleeping till late in the morning but I kind of miss this morning rush so that'll stop soon (promise!).

Went to a birthday party on Saturday night and drank loads of beer. I haven't had that kind of beer buzz for a long time, you know, when you're feeling smiley happy but you know what you're doing. And no hangover in the morning.

Can't say I've noticed anything interesting or exciting to tell you about although I am intrigued by the flat opposite mine. They've got black plastic sheeting all over the balcony windows. I know they're in there because I see them on the balcony and the light comes out around the sheeting. So what are they trying to hide? To be honest I'm not that intrigued, just mildly curious.

Note to self: must get a life.

A day late and a dollar short...

It's Sunday morning here in sunny BsAs and it's quiet. This is normal for Sundays, I guess everyone is recovering from the night before. The only people about are the elderly, walking their dogs and me. I usually wake up early on Sunday, mainly because it is so quiet. On the whole BsAs is a noisy city (though not the noisiest I've ever lived in – that prize would go to Cairo) so these Sunday morning oases of silence are treasured.

It's odd, I did my externally assessed DELTA lesson on Thursday and I thought I'd be relieved afterwards but that hasn't happened. It's true that I'm no longer feeling stressed but my sleeping pattern is still disrupted and my concentration is shot to hell. I find myself losing it half way through a sentence or even, on one memorable occasion, starting a sentence, not finishing it and still demanding an answer. Luckily this was with other teachers so the blank looks were just funny.

I'm going to try to get the internet at home again but I don't know how long that will take, so in the meantime, I'm typing these at home (where I have time to think without disturbance) and then uploading them at school.

I have a few catch up phone calls and emails to make and I'm working on it but, more importantly, I need to dedicate some time to teaching my students again. Things have got a little sloppy over the past few weeks. Having said that, I could feel your good thoughts and best wishes and I'll be speaking to you again soon.

It´s Over

It´s the day after and I´m feeling tired and emotional. Nope, I didn´t get drunk last night, I was, and still am, too tired for that.

So, for better or worse, richer or poorer etc. it´s done.

Will start working on the home internet access on Monday. I miss writing for you people.

XXX

Today is the day

Ok, so today is the day when I get to show the man from Brazil what I can do (although I´m thinking it´s more like what I can´t do). I am extremely nervous, finding it difficult to eat, alternately wanting to throw up and cry. I can´t remember being this nervous.

Normal service will be resumed tomorrow.

Promise.

More than ten words....

So, here we are again. Sorry for the lack of posts recently, it´s a combination of no internet access at home, a full teaching workload and finishing off the DELTA.

I have my externally observed lesson on Thursday 17th May at 2:15 local time so be thinking of me at 6:15pm if you´re in the UK or 7:15pm if you´re in Europe (don´t know the times of the other places I sometimes get visitors from). I´m sure your good thoughts will help me.

On the internet access front, I´ve cancelled the order with Arnet - should you have the misfortune to be living in Argentina do not do business with this company. They make promises they have no intention of keeping and tell bare-faced lies to cover their own incompetence. I´ll look into other suppliers after the 17th so bear with me.

Other news: I´ve had the second appointment with the orthodontist. She´s taken moulds of my teeth and lots of photographs so I´m well on the way to getting them sorted out. I remember when I had this done as a kid. The plastic moulding ´stuff´ tasted foul, went down my throat making me feel like I was being choked and seemed to take forever to set. This time it´s different. The plastic mould stuff starts off bright purple (think Barney), tastes of nougat and turns white when set (which takes about 2 minutes). I´m going back in a couple of weeks, hopefully to have the brace fitted - it´s like being 15 all over again!

The weather here is freezing. Ok not literally freezing, that doesn´t happen in BsAs, but cold enough to see your breath in the morning - and they still haven´t turned the heating on in my building, it´s a bit parky when I get up and I don´t like it. I´ll be doing something about that today!

Ok that´s it. Don´t say I never tell you anything!

But I do miss you all and I miss writing to you, normal service will be resumed soon.