I meant to get my package, but as it turns out I waited too long. I figured the post ofice was open to about 6 pm, and was off by only an hour. But, well, I had to get the hard parts of the midterm exam graded, and they are, so that's that.
Each of the last couple days the drink stand at the canteen has tried giving me back one dollar too much in change. I've gotten it from two of the three regular cashiers there. I have the feeling that this is just going to keep up until I take the dollar. I did lose a dollar coin to a vending machine, and the person waiting for me to be done with the machine was more concerned with this than I was. I was ready to give up after trying the coin return and a few drink selections; he tried all of them and asked if I might want to try another dollar in the machine. ``No,'' I said, ``That was refreshing enough.''
Moving from coins up to bills there's been an influx of new polymer S$2 bills. Polymer ten-dollar bills were introduced last year, although they've been only slightly more popular than dollar coins are in the United States, where everybody gets one or two used as keepsakes, then sees maybe once or twice thereafter. I run across a polymer ten maybe once a month. The polymer twos, though, were unveiled at the start of the year and allegedly were snapped up by people who wanted to put them in Lunar New Year hong baos -- gift packets of money -- for their kids. If that's so it seems to have worked; they're all over the place and turn up in my change every couple of days. They also have an eerie tendency to uncrumple when left on the table.
Trivia: The 181-mile interurban trolley line from Indianapolis to Columbus at one point included sleeping cars. Source: The New Haven Railroad, John L Weller.
Currently Reading: A History of Modern France Volume 2: 1799-1871, Alfred Cobban.