Sunday 13th September, 2015                      1700

Well high praise indeed for the enchiladas and only two left over from a dozen - the lightweights on the evening being Joan and me. It suited me fine because it meant last night’s dinner was sorted for me as well. Just as good was the fact that on the third attempt my bread pudding achieved the right consistency, just like Mama used to make! The answer? More eggs. the recipe I first followed stipulated just the one but tripling that did the trick, along with a little more sugar and spice.

It was a great night on which Joan suddenly found herself stranded because by the time she realised, her dormitory was locked. Fine by me, that’s what my spare room is for. I stayed in Andrei and Juliettes probably far later than perhaps they wanted me to but we did finish both their bottles of wine and I polished off one of my own I had opened earlier.

By the time I left I found myself wide awake so watched some internet and by the time the clock struck four I decided that as I was sure Joan had said she had to get up just after five to prepare to greet the freshmen who poured in this weekend (4,200 of them) that I would stay awake and make her breakfast when she woke. At 0515 I gave it up as a lost cause. She swears she never said she was getting up that early so maybe I misheard.

Plan B on the bus is an absolute must now, the bloody thing is chock-a-block all day at the weekends and of course I get a seat going but coming back is another matter entirely. The buses are already full by the time they get to RT Mart and then you either have the bus driver stopping short of the stop so all the young ones rush to board or it stops in the right place and the only way I am going to get on first is by committing genocide. Today for instance it happened twice so when the third bus arrived I used my weight. I still had to sit on the shelf at the back and inadvertently putting my carrier bag in some liquid sloshing around on the floor which I swiftly realised was from the infant sitting on the woman in the next seat - she had let the bloody thing piss all over the bus. I think I will either not go to town at weekends or start taking the bike again  - 30y for a taxi every time would make a big dent in the wallet.

Last night Joan was coming for dinner (me with leftovers, her with shop pizza) and she said she would come at seven but would only stay an hour. No problem, it was only quarter past four. I was in the office having a bottle or two and chatting with freshmen and lost track of time. I then looked out of the window and thought to myself that it had gone dark rather early. I looked at my watch and it was showing quarter to five. That couldn’t be right! My watch had stopped and it was ten to seven! Panic stations to get home and cook for her before she had to go to her dorm. In the end she took the pizza away and it was overdone because she spent ages opening a Taobao account for Andrei.

Those two found a huge glass display case discarded by the campus supermarket, I think it was used for nuts and snacks but they thought it would make a good aquarium. They bought two baby turtles and some goldfish and the first time they put water in it, it leaked all over the floor. Andrei bought a silicone gun and hopefully has made it watertight - too late for the fish (which have been replaced) because they jumped out of the overnight quarters and were beyond redemption by the time they got up.

The other night Andrei suggested I stick my watch in a bag of rice to eradicate the condensation inside. Being hygroscopic I assume that would work but I found a better way. As the battery had run out I took it to a street stall for a new one and the chap dried it out with tissue and a hand pump. Sadly the inside gubbins exhibited much verdigris and after working for all of two minutes it stopped again, meaning I had to take it back. He has kept it and I will go on Tuesday to hopefully collect it. It never cost me anything, it’s a Bulova I redeemed through doing surveys but it has been a damned good timekeeper so I don’t mind spending a bit on having it repaired. I might even take my Cartier special edition Ferrari watch to him to see if he has the right batteries - Kevin couldn’t find them anywhere.

Anyway, two nights on the trot of eating spicy food have had a detrimental effect on my digestive tract so tonight I am playing safe and just having a cheese and onion baguette - haute cuisine indeed!

Nearly forgot. Prof Fang is no longer the dean of our department. She tells me it isn’t a promotion but a sideways move, however she is now director of personnel among other things and also deputy head of some literature thing for the entire province - which is the size of England. If that isn’t a promotion then I don’t know what is but quite how that affects my job prospects for next year remain to be seen.