Old Women Annoying Me; Serotonin Book; Tony's Christmas Wish; Running out the Clock; No Christ in Chinese Christmas, Christmas will be on a Wednesday

• I like to sit at back of bus which I take to work. There are four seats there in that back row, and I often have them all to my self. However, one day these three women had to sit by me. They nattered like hens so that I couldn't concentrate enough to enjoyably read. I got off the bus in a bad mood and then lost my temper at a old woman who cut in front of line of me at the bakery I always go to. I call her a f***ing bitch three times loudly. Everyone in the bakery stared and me, and I believe they understood the foulness of my language, but the old woman I was screaming at looked at me blankly. I couldn't tell if she was deaf or was incredibly inscrutable.

• Finished reading Serotonin, a novel by Michel Houellebecq . I sympathized with the novel's main character's alienation from the society; however, I envied his sex life and financial success. I felt like a real loser after I finished the novel.

• Tony doesn't know what he wants for this Christmas. I asked him one early morning in early December, and he quickly answered that he didn't know. He then came back to me later that day, and told me that he still couldn't think of what he wanted. What does tell me? Either he has everything he wants, or the only things he could possibly want are to be had on a computer or his Iphone.

• I had a few classes where I was really, really just trying to run out the clock. I had this two hour class where I was to prep these high school age students for the speaking portion of the IELTS test. Two students showed up. One of them, a male, didn't have the English ability to understand anything I was saying. The other, a female, had spend a year in an American high school and so I had to wonder what was the point of having her in the class. They both were more interested in their smartphones. The last ten minutes of the class seemed an eternity to get through and when I finished, I quickly stood up and gave them a goodbye with I hope I never see you again tone. I then had another class with young kids who didn't want to be there. Despite telling them constantly that they have to answer with more than just a one word answer, they would always answer yes or no and mumble the rest of the answer when I asked for more. Trying to explain a phrase to them, I saw that none of them were paying attention. The last twenty minutes of this class was an eternity. I couldn't run the clock out fast enough.

• No point in celebrating Christmas in China. It is Christmas without Christ. The Christmas parties, I have had to go to here in the past, are nothing better than a cake and cookie party for kids accompanied by clueless parents. I have this nightmare that our school will have a Christmas party this year and that they will ask me to be Santa Claus. Thinking about the nightmare, I wonder if I would have the gumption to tell those asking me to fuck off.

• Christmas is on a Wednesday this year. I don't think I will have any luck asking Jenny to let Tony stay home that day. Consequently, I won't be doing anything for Christmas. If it means not going to a school Christmas party, that won't be such a bad thing. I will be happy to have the 25^th off. I will observe the religious aspects of the holiday with the many prayer apps and prayer books for which I have access.