Work Will Have To Be Done

I have just received alarming news about my building's internet service. It will be out of commission for a full 10 hours tomorrow, beginning at 9:00 a.m. This puts me in a tough spot. I may actually have to do some reading. I can't even fall back on chores to distract me. I knocked out both my laundry and scrubbing the bathroom as acceptable reasons to shove the books to one side today. (And by the way, when will I learn about bleach? Scouring the tiled floor by hand does indeed get it sparkly clean and sufficiently sanitized, but it also leaves my nostrils burning and a host of pre-cancerous cells in my lungs. There goes 3-5 years off my life. Great.)

The first day of my reading week has not proven to be such a grand success...little reading was done. I did manage a few pages while I had tea in the city and then again on the bus ride home. A ride which generally takes about 20 minutes, but tonight took close to an hour owing to the horrendous traffic. Oh, and note to self, do not sit on the upper deck of the bus while it idles in traffic for 15 minutes at a crack and try to read your book. I still feel queasy from that epic journey.

But all this non-reading talk is so negative. Let me speak of that which was accomplished. Again, chores, in addition to two significant purchases, one a fetching army green knit skullcap for those blustery Dublin days which are upon me and two, a frosted pink hairdryer so I can stop leaving the apartment with wet hair, which is both bone-chilling and unattractive. For the record, I was actually in search of a particular sugar canister when I stumbled upon the hairdryer. After cleaning the kitchen on Saturday, I noted that someone has developed the habit of leaving their unsightly bag of sugar on the table and I happened to remember a nice tin canister, on sale, I had seen at one of the department stores downtown. Wouldn't that look so much nicer? Well of course it would. So, I was meeting people for a movie on Saturday night and thought I'd just pop round to the store in question, get the canister (and maybe another for the unsightly flour bag in my cabinet) and then head to the theatre. The problem arose when I realized I couldn't remember which store it was, and there are plenty of department variety stores in the city centre. So, after unsuccessfully plowing through countless housewares and kitchen departments, I happened to find the hairdryer in question. It's pink! It matches my towel! (Because I only have two and the other one is ivory) And, best of all, it was ON SALE!

Right, so that's all very positive. And I watched loads of movies, and I rented even more today. Also, I bought a pair of shoes off of eBay (no, seriously, I really need them) which I seem unable to pay for because PayPal no longer trusts my legitimacy as a consumer now that I reside in Ireland. I bought groceries, which is always an epic struggle to haul home my foodstuffs minus the assistance of pack mules or a Conestoga wagon. (You know, I understand that non-perishable food items make great holiday gifts for overseas students...I mean, if you know anyone who fits that's description...) I made stew (no, not Irish). ... Okay, big round of applause.

That's the stuff I did.