straw into gold

I do have to say it's been a strange ol' week.

More straw on the camel's back but also some really incredibly sweet things too.

As you may have guessed- or I've probably written about but my memory is total crap at the moment-  I'm a total pessimist. But as Alain de Botton ( he's as close as I get to pop-philosophy) covered in The  Consolations of Philosophy, pessimists are often happier than optimists. We like it when things are bad because we are proved right and  we are pleasantly surprised when things are only a little better than expected. Also I have to say I don't trust optimists, I think they are often deluding themselves and that cynic gene in me just makes me roll my eyes at their naivete. So now I've pissed off most of the population who like to smilingly label themselves 'optimists'.............

I've been thinking that my op-shop gene has broken/mutated/shutdown but I had one of those experiences today where I know its still working fine. I went out to Blackburn this afternoon and on the way back along the North Eastern Freeway I got that tingling feeling (and it wasn't a urinary tract infection). I turned off and headed to Your's Now Mine (what a name for an oppy!). While I was ferreting around a woman came in to drop off some stuff. I took my chance and although normally new stock must go out the back to be marked I somehow convinced the ladies to let me have the Actil cotton sheets (still in box). There was more stuff my fingers were itching to go through but I decided that that would be pushing it. 'Don't be greedy!' is often a good mantra to chant in an op shop as it seems to bring even more things your way. I prefer to be an 'opshoptimistist'.

This was not the only treasure that I scored today. My class at RMIT had their big pattern test this morning. It's really hard sitting there for 4 hours watching them working and being unable to give help. And marking the time off is hell, each 1/2 hour, then each 15 minutes and then 5 minutes and finally the last few minutes. But they got through it- although they still have lots of work to do. 

And then at the end of the test they gave me a card and a present. I got all shy. Very touched.

And I had lovely encouraging emails from special people (thank you Miss E).