Monday, December 18, 2006

Post Office blues

A quiet day at work. Read through the brochure for next year’s work-related conference and decided I’d been right about my initial choice of seminars. It’s just that the management speak was clouding the sense of them. As it tends to do indeed. And I discovered a new university TLA (Three Letter Acronym, for the uninitiated …) – SMT, or Senior Management Team. Hmm. Why not just say “team of crazed professors” and have done with it?

Walked round the campus at lunchtime but decided not to chance any of the damp benches (gives you piles, you know) and instead attempted to post a review copy of “Pink Champagne and Apple Juice” to Canada. My first attempt failed as the campus PO had decided to close for lunch as there’s only one of her on counter today. So I popped back at 2.30pm and the queue was so long it was actually out of the door. Most of this appeared to be Japanese students attempting to post boxes to home, poor things. Suspect they won’t make it for Christmas now. I was so long in the queue (half an hour to be precise, but I stuck it out as it’s a quiet day at the office) that by the time I got to the top of it, I’d forgotten (a) how to speak and (b) what I was there for in the first place. My confusion was doubled by another queue-dweller asking me to get some stickers for her, but I wasn’t quite sure what she wanted, asked for the wrong thing and, when the right thing was handed to me, I attempted to fill it in myself instead of the Canada form I was supposed to be filling in. Are you with me so far? Hmm. Still, it gave the line of people behind me a few laughs, so never say we don’t provide an essential student support service in this office …

This afternoon, Lord H took time off to battle with the pre-Christmas food shop. At least he didn’t need to get mince pies, as I panicked earlier in the month and we now have six boxes of them. Which I do accept is probably too much for two people, but you can be sure we won’t run out. I intend to spend the evening watching TV and being a couch potato. And an early night would be good. I might do the odd sentence or two to “The Gifting” but I’m not holding my breath.

Today's nice things:

1. Lunchtime walk
2. Sending out a review copy of Champers
3. An evening in.

Anne Brooke
http://www.annebrooke.com
http://www.goldenford.co.uk

2 comments:

Irene Black said...

Ah - I sympathise, Anne. I also had post office insanity today. Not helped by trainee who didn't understand English and couldn't add up. Ne'er mind, soon we won't have any local PO's so we won't have to worry.

Love

I.

Anne Brooke said...

Yes, we'll be delivering our stuff personally, Irene!

:))

A
xxx