COMPUTER ZAUBERER

The transport strike is over, thankfully. Not that we minded walking approximately 70 blocks a day to do stuff (fun only if you haven't got a job to get to at a certain time or are freezing to death on picket lines ), but if I'd had to watch the same three commuters moaning on and on one more time on that 15-minute-loop-excuse-for-a-tv-news-channel-New-York-1, I'd have personally gone out and bought a bus myself to drive them home. Amazed nobody did that actually - not like an American to miss a good business opportunity.

It is the best Christmas present I could possibly have for Maff, F and the Elf to be staying here for a couple of weeks, and I am astounded by how much the Elf has grown up since I last saw her 5 months ago. She is now holding long conversations about various historical and political discoveries in (almost) two languages, and has become alarmingly computer-savvy. I woke yesterday morning to a series of attachments being sent to the laptop next to my bed from Maff's computer in the kitchen. On rising to investigate I discovered that said Elf had set up her own blog and was now demonstrating the various formats in which one can mail photos (uh?!), whilst her parents still slept.
Today her early morning solitary surfing resulted in the download of several new games.

Maff is getting anxious - 'How do I put parental controls on the laptop?'
Me -'No idea......ask the Elf'.