WWQP Bulletin Board Chat

Merry Christmas to all!

Doris, your "other project" inspired me to Google photos of snowflakes and I have been having lots of fun surfing and seeing. How they can take photos of such ephemeral things I don't know but I'm glad someone has. I miss snow for Christmas! I realise palm trees etc were in Jerusalem and Bethlehem at the time, but I need a good hard freeze and tingly air to get in the mood.

This yr we won't be going to the inlaws, they insist on a late-night big meal and DH's acid reflux requires him to eat at about 7, very lightly. So I will make a nice lunch for us, no turkey (it makes too much food), just a little roast and some potatoes, and veggies for me. His brother's widow apparently invited his sister and her family for the 25th, not a word has been said to us, but we are not "cut to the quick" as she might imagine. I would much rather stay home with my sweetie than put up with her for a day without her husband to take some of the sting out of her "sweeter" remarks. Both her sons have left her to herself, preferring to spend Christmas with their wife/girlfriend's families...hmmm. I may not be the one with the attitude problem. DH's sister spilled the beans and then tried to backpeddle, but she did not say "come along, I'm sure it will be fine" and we didn't ask. They don't realise we prefer our own company to theirs. Just call us Badger and Mole (from The Wind in the Willows!)

Spoke to Ginny in FL last night, apparently her computer is down with a virus. But she did send regards to all.

My talk on "the Christian quilt" is translated into English, if anyone is interested in seeing it. I ended up interpreting this AM for some Australian people who are working in Milan, Italy. Tiring but fun to see I can still do it. But I do realise that at 45 my brain doesn't take as kindly to thinking in stereo as it did, even 6 years ago. I was all done after about 25 minutes, to think I used to work 5 hours a day and think nothing of it. No wonder they say the primary cause of death among UN and other high-level interpreters is cerebral haemorrage!

One of my tutoring students called before her class Thursday and asked me to meet her downstairs instead of her coming up. I did so, and she announced, "I want to buy you a present!" We went shopping--in English! and she ended up buying me a pair of earrings that look like roses in full bloom. Very sweet and unexpected. I am inviting one of my students for dinner on the 28th, she is from Senegal and actually studying French Lit here (yeah, I know--in Spain???) but she has to do English as her "second" language and we do basic grammar together. I say "second" as she already speaks French, English, Spanish, Wolof, and a couple of other African languages whose names simply don't register when I hear them because I've never heard that combination of sounds before. Another very nice person.

And now I must go and get ready to dive into "slave narratives" for someone who has a term paper due after the break.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!
anna in spain

Labels: Christmas

posted by anna in spain @ 11:36 AM