one more bag

Uffffff, I'm knackered! I'm just not used to so much action on a Thursday morning at all. Together with my boss and 2 colleagues I spent about 4 hours at a school this morning, giving a Power Point presentation about Japan (boss) as well as calligraphy and origami workshops, showing them a short film about Japan and demonstrating how to put on a kimono. I did the origami part and can only say that trying to get the attention of 2 classes (with 27 children each) of 13-year-olds is no piece of cake. Teachers definitely deserve that long summer vacation of theirs.

When I came home from my Slo(w) course last night, a parcel from my friend Frida was waiting for me. Frida's not really called Frida, but she's an artist who once did a video where she styled herself as Frida Kahlo, moustache and all, so I thought the nickname was apt. Anyway, Frida whom I've know for as long as I've known the Mermaid and the Pampered Princess moved to Paris earlier this month with her husband and two little boys in tow. She received a grant (in the form of a rent-free studio) from the town of Klagenfurt for half a year so she will let Paris inspire her. I know, it's a tough job, but someone's got to do it! She's the friend who gave me the super-cool messenger bag for Christmas and whom TD and I will be visiting in March with our cheap tickets purchased at SPAR.

Good friend that she is, she sent me a birthday present from Paris, knowing just what I like. (Apart from the bag I also got a small cosmetics bag and a Japanese-style comb with a lady in kimono on it). Being greedy and impatient, I had to rip open the wrapping paper on the spot although my birthday's not until Sunday. Well, I also already got/bought a coat, a cashmere sweater and a bag as pre-birthday treats and "prematurely" opened a parcel from Istanbul (contents: a hat, a scarf and 3 pairs of socks with funky patterns) earlier this week. I loooove spreading out birthday gifts for as long before and after the actual day as is possible. A birthday-festival, more like.

No recent purchases to confess but just FYI: novala proudly informed me that she bought one of those sexy little washing powder boxes yesterday ;-)