Sweet and Sour

It's the 20th of November today, ten days until Saint Andrew's day, which in itself is 25 days before Christmas.
Well after going into town this morning to do some shopping, I am fed up with Christmas. Every single shop has sickly sweet Christmas music already. Outside of Shoppers' Drug Mart a jaded Santa wearing sunglasses is standing ringing a bell and collecting money for the Sally Army. How annoying, you can't go in or out without passing him, and that'll go on throughout December. Ho, Ho, ARGH.

Yesterday we went for an Indian meal with some friends, we are trying to find somewhere up to the standards of the Goa in Southsea. Fat chance, but this was cheap and cheerful. They also had sweets. I have noticed that a lot of Indian Restaurants here claim to be something plus sweets, whereas I've never seen much more than odd flavoured ice-cream as pudding in Britain.
Well, the sweets seemed to be made out of playdough and so brightly coloured you can become hyperactive just from looking at them.

As we stepped outside, a police car was chasing another car down a side street. Then another police car, then another, eventually we counted ten police vehicles all involved. It seemed exciting until someone pointed out that if the police were investing ten cars in this chase you can bet there were going to be guns involved at some point. We scuttled off in the opposite direction.

I had an appointment this morning with a lady at the Employment Centre. She wanted to look at my CV. It was all wrong. She didn't like that I had my name at the top of it. ?? Under 'Qualifications' I had in fact put...my qualifications. Wrong! I should have put what my skills were. She crossed bits out and scribbled things in. She didn't like the font I used, it was too clear. Hmmmm. I'm not sure that she got irony, but she seemed like a nice lady. She told me, I thought quite rudely, that I could do this because I was a teacher. Of course, I thought, being a teacher I can split atoms and perform brain surgery, and if I have to walk on water to get there, so be it. I told my inner sarco to shut up, I really don't think it was her intention to be rude. Then she chatted to me in a sociable way. It was odd, like finding bacon in the middle of a chocolate bar.

I leave for England on Thursday. Already and for a couple of days now, I have had this Donnie Darko thing going on. Like that watery tube that Donnie could see coming out of people ahead of them, connecting them to their futures. It's like I'm here, but I'm already connected to the future.
Partly that's because I've placed an order with Sainsburys online that will be delivered to Austen and Sue's ahead of my arrival and another one with Amazon. This is going to be a whirlwind tour, I have at least the first week planned out.
I'm greatly looking forward to seeing everyone, I'm just not looking forward to the travelling.