...I've been absent again for a while. I blame the Germans and ebay. I've been busy entertaining both of them, one lot with food, the other with my wallet. I managed to buy eight watches this week, but before you implode with exasperation at my dissolute ways I'd like to point out that some of them cost me $5.99. Yes, there are bargains to be had, my friends.
Honestly, ebay is one of the most splendid ways to make money, er, for the ebay owners, I mean.
One evening I found myself sitting intently in front of the computer at midnight waiting on tenterhooks for an end to the bidding on a Timex Marlin. Now, Timex maybe doesn't conjure pictures of diamond encrusted timepieces on the wrists of arab oil sheiks, and a good thing too I say. The Marlin is a range of watches from the 1960s-early 70s with really great dials and bullet-proof reliability. One came up on ebay (or the bay, as we regulars like to call it...) complete with its original box and warranty card (though this being the 1960s the card is sparse in its cover; it basically says you've got four minutes to tell them if something is wrong. Presumably if the watch is broken you have to count the four minutes out by yourself).
Anyway, I started bidding and like the novice I am I thought, I've got this baby in the bag. But seven seconds before the final virtual gavel came down some geezer in Brooklyn put in an offer a dollar above mine. I feverishly made another bid but alas the American trumped me. I fumed a lot, let me tell you.
Meanwhile, the Germans leave today. They have left their room tidier than when they arrived and my computer now works 48 times faster and is linked to the Pentagon. If you need to know anything, just ask me.
In other news, as some of you may know, I mark journalism correspondence course papers and they've just asked me if I'll mark all the New Zealand papers because they've bought a Kiwi correspondence college. They sent me the first batch this last week so I've been busy with those too. The parchment is lovely and some of them handle a quill pen very well indeed. I hope next time they can send them by airmail though, and I don't mean that pigeon again. The Kiwi students have Dickensian names like Franklin Smudge, Betty Ann Arbuthnott and Seamus Feague - wonderful. I shall give them each a commendation and seal it with wax - that'll make them feel at home.
This week I'll concentrate on writing book two a little more. The book I've finished writing is still with a couple of publishers. One is interested and has asked me if I would consider making some small changes, so we shall see how that goes.
That's about all for now, though I should just add that I'm rather disappointed I haven't had election contendees Kevin Rudd or John Howard come and shake my hand yet. Mind you, they are both busy kissing babies. It made me laugh - yesterday they both kissed the same baby in some shopping centre. Talk about me-too politics.
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06/11/07 @ 10:55