Bits and Pieces

Sunday January 31st

Greetings on this Sabbath day. We are doing classes the same as always today so it's hard to tell the difference from any other day of the week.

I have just had the greatest fun. In conversation with the Psychology Prof. (Stewart Schwartz) last night George mentioned that we did patient simulations at McMaster. Almost without a moments thought he turned to me and said What do you do? I named a few cases and conditions and he said Would you come and be manic for my Bipolar class? This is one of my favourites because you can take it from and to the top with a certain amount of freedom. I asked when and he said Be in my class at 8 am tomorrow morning. Well! I honestly expected a little more time to think about it: this was at supper.

So after a sleepless night of wondering how and what to do I did appear in the class on time. We had pre-arranged the moment when I would interrupt him and it was to be after the discussion on Depression, second power-point slide in, at the beginning of the discussion on Mania. So I tensely sat through the first part of the class feeling quite apprehensive. There were about twenty five students and one Life Long Learner whom I didn't really know. As soon as the second slide on Mania was shown I shouted from the back"You know Dr Schwartz your class is really depressing!" Stewart looked wonderfully shocked...he really didn't know what I was going to say, so I said that the slide itself was hopelessly unexciting (it happened to be one in small print which no one likes) and I added "I could probably teach a better class than you anyway because I know alot about this stuff, should I come up and try?" he sort of swallowed a Yes (actually he was very good!) and up I went. I looked out of the window suddenly and asked if anyone could tell me whether "those birds are albatrosses or red footed boobies", he said 'What?! red footed what?"so I explained how important it was to 'my husband' that I got my birds right. I made up a fun story, partly true, about George never getting me a birthday present and how in Waikiki I had taken off and 'done' the jewelry shops buying a diamond pendant...and earrings. (not true) How much did that cost you he asked so I just said 'You don't want to know. I used a credit card so it's OK, but I'm in alot of trouble with my husband.' I also described the really cute guy I had met in a Waikiki bar but added 'You're cute too...did anyone ever tell you you looked like Woody Allen?" which he does. I held my breath ...had I gone too far? After all he might absolutely loathe Woody Allen and his looks...fortunately the class laughed and so did he. I should say that most of the students were still looking gob smacked and very uneasy that this dreadful woman had simply stood up and taken over the class.

Anyway to cut a long story short I eventually apologised and said I must leave. He followed me out and then took me back in and introduced me. I always love the part where I return to normal and this was no exception. The students were sooo relieved! I gave the SP programme at McMaster a great plug saying that Mac had started the whole concept but confessing that the two people who created it were actually American which they were. Heavens that was over 30 years ago! So a fun start to the day.

Last night for our Sino/American relations class I watched two movies, one about Mao Tsetung and the other fascinating and rather amusing one Nixon's visit to China in 1967. I enjoy these so much having lived through those times and thinking while I was doing whatever, they were doing this! Even though we lost Jonathon in Hilo to return to his home in the US, I am still thoroughly enjoying the classes with the remaining two professors, John Israel from the University of Virginia and Professor Shun from China. We were hearing yesterday about the Taiwan situation when Obama's decision to send money for arms to Taiwan was a news alert. One can't help wondering why this action is repeated time and again almost to rile China. I want to ask today whether there are any parallels to be drawn with Hong Kong which has been largely left alone by the mainland government because it is such a money maker. Next class this afternoon.

Later: 15:00 hrs here....putting our clocks back again tonight.

Just to put you right in the picture, it is a sunny day with some puffy clouds but lots of blue patches (enough for a pair of sailors' trousers I think), the sea has a few white caps but is fairly calm and there is a light breeze.

During our Sino American lecture I'm afraid to say I almost nodded off three times, my head actually fell forward and I was right in Professor Shun's line of vision. That'll teach me to lie awake worrying about 'simulating'! I really do enjoy these as I said and it was interesting to hear another (two versions) of Nixon's visit.

Did I mention that both my eldest daughter Sheona and I saw Chou en Lai "in the flesh" and I've always had a great respect for him. When we lived in Accra and Sheona was a toddler, the compound in which we lived was right across the road from the Party Headquarters. Kwame Nkruma was president of Ghana at the time and the murals on the walls depicted him as Osagyfo, which is what he was called. It means 'redeemer' and he was painted as a sort of Christ. I used to wheel Sheona around in her stroller as though the place was an art gallery. Anyway Ghana received visits from many famous people and they were always driven to the headquarters. We stood and watched Chou en Lai, the first Russian woman astronaut, Svetlana something-or-other, and best of all Gene Kelly! Accra fell in love with him and they serenaded him in the streets, hotels and bars all night. There wasn't I must confess the same wild enthusiasm for the other two!

I'm going to be reading the two plays written by our on board playwrights with the other students in the class this evening. I'll be really interested to hear their thoughts. Sally remember how I hated Lunch Hour for the play reading committee....how very wrong I was!

Liz, Audrey and George are all attempting to fill in immigration forms for Japan and it seems are having some difficulty. George is going to pop down to give them a hand but from the look of his face (and there is a guide on our TV set) it won't be any time soon. Aren't I lucky I just get to chat with all of you.

I'm off now to continue my novel....I am really deep in Vietnam which seems to have been a dangerous place not so long ago. This was written after a return visit in 1997. I remember our invitation last year to join the crowd at a communist annual celebration in Cat Tien National park. They were having the best time of the year obviously and knocking back shots of some strong liquor like Saki or rice wine and getting louder and happier by the second but they were very friendly! They kept shouting this one word and we wondered what it meant and asked our guide "Drink!" he said.

I think I'll publish this and have a short sleep before our five o'clock happy hour in the bar....not really, we do have to pay eventually. More tomorrow.

Special message for Liam, Katie and Bryn: Have I told you lately that I love you? Have I told you lately that I care? Have I told you lately that i miss you? Well darlings I'm telling you now!! That goes for your Mums and Dads as well.

More later. We are now 11 hours behind Ontario and tomorrow it will be 12. By the way there is no 3rd February on this ship...it is the day we lose... so I shall take advantage of that and remain the same age through 2010 and George is off the hook for a gift! He is giving me a special dinner which we are to share with Liz and Audrey, Lynn and Marc.

By the way some of you might not know that Andy Murray was beaten in the finals of the Australian Open by Roger Federer. This is possibly the only match I wish Federer had lost! Never mind Andy is only 22 so he's got lots of time....I followed it for a time in 'live text' on the BBC.