Hello

I could offer my customary excuses as to the lateness of my updates - exams, casual introspection...but no, after the less than kind comments from my last update you get no platitudes, no platitudes for you.

I do need to say a couple of things.

Firstly, some of my readers have indicated that they enjoyed/appreciated/were sated by what a wrote a few updates ago. Now I think there is some sort of expectation of quality here...ummm...bad news, if you have known me for any length of time (Including and up to five minutes) then you know that I am without any quality.

Secondly, there is ONE person whoI ring on the weekends to say hello who keeps asking where all the nice pictures of Italy are...(I am squezzing my forehead in consternation). For the last bloody time my laptop which holds (Perhaps held if they cannot be recovered) my pics is arsed, so I have NO pics...sigh

I am currently revising and sitting my exams, with one down and two to go. Thanks to the lecturerers action short of a strike, one of these has been given to me in advance, cheers. I have secured my flat for next year though I have not the faintest as to who my flatmates will be (Though I have recieved an email saying that three ladies have taken the top floor). I have seen the Da Vinci Code and, yes, I have seen many, Many films in my time and while I am not a critic but I must offer my brief comments. Do not bother. Seriously, I am one of the 5 people in the world who has NOT read the book and I disliked it. Those who have read it and saw it were even less enthused. It is simply long, boring and anything but captivating (I know, not even Audrey Tautau with her sassy urban haircut could keep me entralled (But Hank's hair on the other hand...I hear it has been optioned for the next Indiana Jones flick)). That is as much as I can extract from my last few weeks.

Oh I saw the EuroVision Song Contest for the first time and it was beautiful. Now I think Canada should compete next year (Israel got in somehow, Canada should be able to). Now to those who have no idea what this is, the countries in Europe offer up...well...the best produced worst song from the country...that is it, and then vote for each other (The sodding Balkans, it is all political). Now I saw a picture of the Finnish group a few weeks before and promplty declared without seeing any of the other contestants, that they were going to win. The betting odds were 25/1..and they bloody won...I could have made SO MUCH...oh well, here is a pic of LORDI...
Bloody sweet, singing Hard Rock, Hallelujah


Clicking off,

A B

As I stand in line to purchase some tissues, a boy and his mother in front of me move up to the counter. The boy jumps up to the front grasping in his hand a packet of gum, excited with youthful energy. The clerk looks down smiling at him and says in a joking manner "Are you jumping the queue?" With adult attention on him, the boy, shy and nervous, hurries a step back to his mother's leg. The clerk smiles at his mother who returns the expression. She takes the packet of gum from her son and places it on the counter next to the flu medication she also is purchasing. After the clerk runs them through the scanner, she gestures towards the debit machine. Placing her card in and keying in her code, the mother turns and rubs her son's head, who looks up smiling at her. The clerk looks down at the boy again and ask "Would you like a little bag for your gum?" Again too shy, the boy turns his head into his mother's trousers. Glancing at the her screen the clerk tells the mother that the payment did not go through. After keying in again the purchase fails once more. The clerk says nothing, simply shakes her head with the slightest of shrugging shoulders and makes eye contct with me. The mother, flustered, moves the items to the side and pushes her son towards the door. His is confused as he is leaving without anything. His hesitation cause his mother to say gruffly "Lets go, hurry up, Move!" as she hurrys him out the door.

I step up to the counter.