Wednesday 11^th April, 2018 1245

Some days start with an omen, although most of us only realise it after the event. Mine did today and it's not as if it is this coming Friday the 13^th.

Last night I committed the cardinal sin of falling asleep at my desk, which resulted in my not being tired at 2100 when I had planned to go to bed. Of course, when my alarm went at 0500 this morning I simply cancelled it and awaited the second one to sound thirty minutes later. Quite why I do this I have no idea because I can never actually get back to sleep and might as well have got up on time but there we are.

After my shower I started checking the news sites and I cut myself shaving.

With an electric razor.

Don't ask, I have no idea and I didn't think it was possible but I did. I only noticed because my face felt wet and my hand came away red. That was my omen. I should have quit when I was behind.

In my office on east campus I enjoyed a cigar and a cup of tea and at 0800 went to the classroom. There was a solitary student studying and she wasn't one of mine. You get the occasional student who is late to class but never the entire form. I checked the Friday classroom just in case a teachers meeting had been called in my room but that was empty. Now my brain really woke up. Had I gone to work a day early by mistake? No, my telephone told me it was Wednesday and I had to reassure myself I wasn't going loopy, I definitely taught on east campus Wednesdays and Fridays.

I fired off a text to Janet asking if there was anything she would like to tell me in light of the fact my first class was missing.

“Oh sorry. You need not have classes this week.”

Well thanks for telling me! Nothing quite like getting up in the dark when you don't have to, it's a favourite pastime of mine. So now I had to decide. Did I wait until noon to get the school bus back or take public transport? Sod it, I went for breakfast. I intended to go for the large American at Pizza Hut but changed my mind and gave McDonald's one more try, after all it's half the price. And about half as enjoyable. Then I went on the hunt for some cigars, any cigars, seeing as I was going to run out before Friday.

I bought a hundred and they cost double what my normal smokes do and are half the size. And then to hell with it, I took the public bus home, at least at that time there are always seats. Anyway, I wanted to get some fluorescent tubes, a new watch strap and have eleven o'clock glued back in its rightful position on the face. Which I did and was still home before the school bus would even have left.

I suppose I should be grateful for the day off but I'm not. It doesn't feel like one when you actually got up early and commuted in. I am thankful for small mercies though, at least I know not to bother on Friday.

I must double check with Alice to ensure I do actually teach tomorrow on the other two campuses. She came up trumps last night, it seems as though she has found a freshman willing to be my cleaner each Monday, thank God, although it will be a first – I've never had a boy cleaning for me before!