back to reality

once again, i was on my way to the airport. i was getting a bit tired of this, but luckily, there were a good 20 of us in the bus so i got to chat with everyone, which was really nice. it's a bit hard to get any kind of long conversation going when surrounded by 80+ people...

once at the airport, i first helped find a wheelchair for R. and then left him and L. to take their plane while i went to check in for mine. once i'd done that, the rest of the crew were sitting nearby so i got to say a proper goodbye, after which my aunt and i went to get something to eat (well, i ate, she just had something to drink). we then went through the security checks and, funnily enough, met all the others. my flight was for once nearly on time, but i still got plenty of time to keep chatting. that would have been one time i wouldn't have minded the plane being a bit later...

the party

after a day of sightseeing for the out-of-towners, it was finally time for the big do. and what a party! despite all the last minute changes (new vegetarians, late arrivals, etc), it pretty much went off without a hitch. as master of ceremony, i was in charge of welcoming everyone and organising the speeches. i also made the rounds of all the tables a couple of times to check that everyone was all right.

in the end, there were 8 speeches plus some singing - a fine Danish tradition! it was really moving to hear all the nice things people said about my father. nearly cried a couple of times. i was surprised to be included in one of the speeches: N's father had prepared something quite long, where he basically explained how long he'd known dad and how happy he was that the friendship continued through the kids. very sweet. then we got H. to join the band and play some good old jazz. it's funny how he hates to talk in public but playing the piano in front of people's not a problem. i was impressed that he even explained what they were gonna play. but he certainly put people in the dancing mood so i didn't even have to worry about that.

back and forth

after not so many hours of sleep, i was off back to the airport to pick up those guests who were arriving by plane. the bus got there at about 2pm, at which time some people had already been waiting for quite some time. i found the second cousins quickly - amazingly, the ex-spouses actually chatting together in a good humoured way (considering he'd told her not to come because of something that had gone wrong in the divorce...). all was good. now it was just about getting the others. most of them arrived off the same flight, which made it really easy. R&L had me paged, as they couldn't find me and after a while, i was just missing 3 people. 2 were delayed an hour and a half and one was missing - her plane had landed over an hour earlier, but i couldn't find her anywhere. i got her paged but nothing happened. i was giving up, having called dad for news of her and we'd just decided i had to go when she managed to call him to tell her where she was.

once we were all onboard the bus, we of course got stuck in Friday afternoon traffic out of the city and then, a little later, behind a combine harvester. we were quite a way out of the schedule and the kitchen closed at 9pm - we were having dinner at a nearby hotel. in the end, i sorted out a timing that worked, even though it meant some people would only have 10 mns to check in and get rid of their luggage. we all made it to dinner - all sixty of us.

arriving at my father's

we finally arrived at my father's at 1am. i was exhausted.

my sister had actually landed and was waiting for me at the airport when i arrived. we checked in fine and had a bit of food while waiting for the girls. their check-in was a bit more complicated, as ebookers had made yet another mistake. apparently, they'd been rebooked on a flight the following day, except there was no flight on the following day, so that took another half hour to sort out.

we eventually made it onto the plane - the flight was delayed - and we were very pleasantly surprised by the service we got. there seemed to be more legroom and the staff was very nice. we were also served food, for free! a rarity these days, if you're not on a long-haul flight. it wasn't very much but it was enough, served in small portions. we even got seconds cos the girls asked for some more...

once we'd landed, we picked up the rental car and drove off. we made it home in 1h40. 1am and dad was still up, waiting for us. nice.

flight chaos

my sister was supposed to fly into Toulouse tomorrow and land at the same time as us, but because of strikes in France, the airline cancelled her flight. luckily, they did this yesterday, so she was able to reschedule for tonight, but once again, the airline decided to cancel! so now we're looking into any way to get her down there before Saturday, the day of the big party - my father's 70th birthday. but it's a bit complicated. now my father's trying to get her to fly down here so that, if stuck, we're at least all together... this is really not what we needed.

dating

i met this guy last week and thought he was very intelligent and quite funny, so i sent him an email to see if he wanted to have drinks sometime. which he was instantly up for. so we met up, had drinks, then dinner, then after-dinner drinks, after which, if i'd been in any doubt that he liked me, well, i wasn't anymore!

however, i didn't feel it. it, the thing i was supposed to feel. i knew this after the first date, and the first and later kisses, but i thought i should at least give it a try. in many ways, he was really great and it was probably because i barely knew him that i wasn't feeling it, and once i knew him better, it would all work out. but after three dates, i wasn't thinking i couldn't wait to go home with him. i was thinking that despite our conversations and all his lovely attentions (really lovely) and all my blushing at his compliments, i didn't know what to say to him and i just wanted to go home and sleep.

i decided to be honest and told him how i felt. he made some valid points about me putting too much pressure on us both, and about other things, too. but there were also some things he wasn't getting and i've been there before and that kind of attitude just doesn't work for me. so maybe i did sabotage it, but i'd like to think that if i did, it was for my own good. maybe my hopes, dreams and expectations are completely unrealistic but honestly, i only feel relief right now.

moving office

as i was leaving work the other day, i found out i'd be moving office this week. this wasn't a problem in itself. the problem was where to (yes, we have space issues) and when. the when was going to be today (as in, 2 working days later). hmm. considering how much work we still have, i didn't think it'd be feasible, so i was impressed when i walked in this morning and found all my stuff had indeed been moved. the setup wasn't complete yet, but i had what i needed to work and that was the most important thing for me.

also, in the end, i was moved into my supervisor's office. it makes sense, seen as we work together (now i won't have to move to talk to him), and i'll learn loads from just being in the same room as him - on how he deals with clients, what to say, etc. and we're both very organised, think it's too warm in the main room and like the same music (which he plays in the background), so i'm quite looking forward to it.

last minute work drama

at the beginning of last week, i was basically all set for the new term: all my classes had a teacher, all the timetables worked, everything was fine. but then i got a call from one of the teachers, who'd just come back from holiday and had just seen his timetable. in fact, he wouldn't be able to teach on such day at such time cos he already had a lesson. someone had forgotten to update his timetable. ah.

that problem took most of the week to sort out, and finally did thanks to some genius work on my part that was the result of another nearby client wanting an extra group formed. i was getting good at this. all i was waiting for then, was the confirmation that this new French teacher was really starting and i could confirm the last classes. i'd know more on Monday.

Monday came, and with it, a near certainty formed: the new teacher wouldn't, actually, be working for us after all. he'd confirm on Wednesday. just great. classes were starting the following week, Thursday was a day off and thus most people would also take Friday off. meaning Wednesday would be the last day i could sort anything out.

Wednesday came and all the replies to the emails i'd sent came back negative. i had another look at the timetable, conferred with my boss and found only one teacher who could take the courses for me, if we moved something else around. and i basically ended up begging her. normally, when a teacher says s/he won't take the course, i ask someone else. but as i pointed out in my apologetic reply to her email, there was no one else, so would she please, please reconsider? i laid out all the arguments, crossed my fingers and prayed. and was overjoyed when she finally agreed to take them. what a relief! in the meantime, i'd been sitting at my desk for over 8 hours without a single break (and this was after a hour's teaching). i'm sure this is normal for a lot of people, but since i don't smoke or drink coffee, i make a point of taking my whole lunch time and going out (or at least, leaving my desk). needless to say, i was exhausted

pedal boating

i'd never been pedal boating. had wanted to for a long time, and had thought it was gonna happen last year, when we went on our work outing, but it had rained so we'd ended up visiting a fort, which was fine, but not pedal boating.

this summer, i made sure people knew i wanted to go and a couple of them were up for it, so it was just a matter of the good weather coming back and i was set. and finally, today was the day. so S. and i got our pedal boat for an hour and went off on the lake. it was fun! shame the water wasn't warmer, so we could have swam, but what the hell. it was nice to be on the lake, seeing different views, without being surrounded by loads of people (the lakeside is generally swarming with people when the weather's good).

getting my bus pass

the euro's really weak at the moment. really. so i thought i'd double check what the euro price of my yearly bus pass was. and that's when the fun started. first, i discovered that the two websites which had the information had different quotes: on one, it was 670 euros, on the other, it was 600. this was strange. then, as i knew it was going to be a nightmare to get the bus pass in Geneva cos it was the beginning of school term and i'd forgotten to do it early, i thought i could get it in my town. but when i went to get it, i found out the price was 570 euros. turns out the local community council pays 30 euros to help out. great! so i paid 100 euros less, or , with the current exchange rate, nearly 200 swiss francs. nice and easy way to save money!