Sunday 21st February, 2016                              0130

Yes, I have to be up in seven and a half hours for my guest spot playing games master to eight kids, Anna and a new teacher fresh out of the cardboard box. What the hell, it’s only 40 minutes and as the timing has been retarded by 40 minutes so I finish at the noon lunch break, a free lunch is looking increasingly likely!

Today in an effort to get myself used to occasionally having to wake up earlier I set my alarm for ten. Certainly I woke up but didn’t get out for bed until twelve thirty. Not that I slept, mind, just kept my eyes closed and let a multitude of thoughts pass through what grey matter I have. None of it was enjoyable I can assure you.

But get up I did and then sat at the laptop after showering, waiting for a message from Kevin to let me know if we were meeting tonight. To nick a famous quote, “No such undertaking was received” and so at 1630 and deciding he was otherwise occupied, I set out for town.

I had no option if I wanted to sleep at all tonight because I had completely run out of cat food. Any cat owner reading will know that they are not the best of creatures when they are deprived of sustenance - and I have five of the bloody things.

On the way to south gate there were a few students coming back (although only a couple of dormitory blocks displayed lights tonight) and I got to town. Knowing I would be buying at least a heavy bag of Whiskas I elected to eat first and shop after.

I went to the steakhouse. Normally I stick to a steak (or in one case the fish but that was like my own failed fish and chips but with spaghetti there) but one thing has been catching my eye so I ordered it. No, not the gristle pot or the brain with rice but sea and furnace.

Trusting that “furnace” didn’t mean it was really spicy, I ordered it. I won’t again but it wasn’t too spicy, it was simply far too much to eat. The furnace was the tea light they stuck under the pot to keep it warm.

Anyway, half way through my meal Kevin texted to suggest we meet there at six. In forty minutes time. Bit late in the day to make arrangements, perhaps he is turning Chinese, and so I responded that I was already eating there. Long story short, he and Vivi came at six after I finished and I drank while they ate. We actually stayed for ages, in fact I ended up looking at my watch trying to work out if I had time to do a quick shop and then a double bus ride home. The cat food was a must.

It was probably the most meaningful conversational evening I have had in six months. You can chat with people you meet, work colleagues and the like but unless you really know them well it is just that, chat. With someone you can go ballistic with and insult them mercilessly and still be friends? Then that is a good conversation. I thoroughly enjoyed tonight and I think he did also. Vivi of course was more interested in her mobile phone and her fat face because her wisdom teeth are giving her gyp. I did at one point suggest that when she has them taken out perhaps she could donate them for Kevin to have them put in.

All in all a great evening especially as Kevin drove me back to campus. He only had to drop me outside south gate because the bike was parked inside. The guards were outside chatting when we pulled up and clearly knew the car so used the remote to open the gate for him, unnecessarily but nice that they still remember him.

Mum’s wound is still open but looking good and tonight I finally gave her half a can of wet dog food with some Pedigree biscuits. I really hope she doesn’t come to depend on me once the students are back, I really cannot fork out something of the order of 10% of my wages feeding her every night, once the kids are back she needs to forage for herself.

I am waiting for the barbers to open desperately. I am turning into my mother again.

One thing this evening though, after discussion, it was opined that if I am at least going to attempt to stay here against the ageist policy was that I should host a dinner of course with director Xu but also Prof Fang, her assistant Miss Xe, and Miss Yin. Somehow I think it will be money down the drain but at least I can say I tried. The one person who will not be invited is the new dean.