2011 Begins
I know, not the most original subject line, but oh well. Wow! Already another year behind us. It went by so quickly that I feel like I never got properly adjusted. Will anything be different on this trip around the sun? It's hard to say.
It at least got off to a better start than 2010 had. It is probable that I never recovered from that craziness.
Interupting to note that iTunes Radio is playing One Moment In Time. One of my favorites, and a great song to inspire me! Ok, two-minute meditation done, I think I'm ready to continue now.
I didn't bother writing about Christmas, because nothing really happened. A friend was going to come and visit, but I think she changed her mind due to the pending snow. So I just read a lot and listened to radio, while being entertained by my online friends. It wasn't too bad, actually. I don't think my family did much of anything anyway.
That blasted snow did come, though. This meant I was stuck inside from Saturday the 25th till Tuesday, on which I finally decided I had to get out and head somewhere. There was still a lot of snow and ice, or as I've taken to calling it snice, on the ground, so my walk to the bus stop was slow and treacherous. I made it though, standing upright the entire time. The sun was out, so I basked in that and awaited the bus's arrival.
I went over to Franklin Street again so that I could run a few erands at once. I needed quarters to wash my extensive pile of laundry, so I ducked into Bank of America. I enjoy chattering with the person who assists me while I wait in line. This woman was from Chapel Hill originally, had attended UNC, worked in Bank of America branches in Greensboro, Virginia and Las Vegas Nevada at different times. "I finally got tired of all that moving," she said: "and so I came back to settle in Chapel Hill".
That done, I went to pick up batteries for my hearing aids. Then I ventured over to Suttons for lunch. I think I'm already becoming something of a regular in there, even though I'd not eaten since mid November. The waitress remembered me though and took a seat at my table to chat with me some. I hadn't thought it would be so crowded in there. I didn't think many people other than students really lived in this community. On my way back out to the bus, I ducked into Krispy Kreme to nab a couple doughnuts. Yummy!
I hadn't done much else prior to Friday, except for setting up my netbook so that I could do the online job more mobily. I really love it: sitting outside made time go by so quickly that I'd already put in an hour before I knew it. This even seems to have had a carry-over effect into my home environment, when I decide to work on the laptop.
The most exciting parts of this vacation were New Year's Eve and day. My cousin came up from Charlotte with his girlfriend, and they treated me to two good outings.
Yesterday, we were having a bit of a time figuring where we should go to ring in the new year. We did cruise on Franklin, but she said many of the restaurants were either closed or appeared to require a reservation. Not to mention I can't imagine there would really be an easy place to park. So we ended up going to Champs Sports bar in Durham. It was nice, if a bit loud. They had music blaring, and there were quite a few people there. I sat across from my cousin and his girlfriend and just listened as hard as I could. Of course they know my hearing situation though, so I didn't have much difficulty remaining in the conversation. They did have to advise me a little on what the waiter had asked or told me, which I appreciated. I had a huge! chicken parmesan sandwich, some steak fries and two buds. Yeah I know I should've gotten a classier drink, but hey that stuff was expensive! We just chattered and laughed until 12 came, counted down and clinked glasses. After paying, we couldn't find my debit card for a second. This definitely had me concerned. I think it had just been left behind somehow. I think others were singing a bit on the microphones as well.
Today was more laid back, but no less enjoyable. I went to his girlfriend's place, where she'd prepared the traditional New Year's day dinner. We had meatloaf, mashed potatoes, black-eyed peas, collard greens, cornbread and banana pudding. And this being the south, I topped all that off with a nice, tall glass of, as someone from Indiana joked, a little tea with my sugar. Hey, don't hate. It's good for ya like that!
I also attempted to help my cousin figure out why he couldn't download books from the BARD website, the portal that gives patrons of the National Library Service for the Blind access to online audio books. As it turns out, they'd only signed him up for the catalog I guess. He had been given a username, but his e-mail address wasn't entered into the system. I told him to just call the NC library on Monday and have them forward another application to his in-box. Somewhat disappointing, but ah well.
And I suppose this entry is long enough already. I'm nervous about the oncoming semester, assuming I manage to enter it. I will write about how things go on that front as they begin to unfold, though. Hope all of you had a blast this holiday season, and I continue to wish you a wonderful 2011.
It at least got off to a better start than 2010 had. It is probable that I never recovered from that craziness.
Interupting to note that iTunes Radio is playing One Moment In Time. One of my favorites, and a great song to inspire me! Ok, two-minute meditation done, I think I'm ready to continue now.
I didn't bother writing about Christmas, because nothing really happened. A friend was going to come and visit, but I think she changed her mind due to the pending snow. So I just read a lot and listened to radio, while being entertained by my online friends. It wasn't too bad, actually. I don't think my family did much of anything anyway.
That blasted snow did come, though. This meant I was stuck inside from Saturday the 25th till Tuesday, on which I finally decided I had to get out and head somewhere. There was still a lot of snow and ice, or as I've taken to calling it snice, on the ground, so my walk to the bus stop was slow and treacherous. I made it though, standing upright the entire time. The sun was out, so I basked in that and awaited the bus's arrival.
I went over to Franklin Street again so that I could run a few erands at once. I needed quarters to wash my extensive pile of laundry, so I ducked into Bank of America. I enjoy chattering with the person who assists me while I wait in line. This woman was from Chapel Hill originally, had attended UNC, worked in Bank of America branches in Greensboro, Virginia and Las Vegas Nevada at different times. "I finally got tired of all that moving," she said: "and so I came back to settle in Chapel Hill".
That done, I went to pick up batteries for my hearing aids. Then I ventured over to Suttons for lunch. I think I'm already becoming something of a regular in there, even though I'd not eaten since mid November. The waitress remembered me though and took a seat at my table to chat with me some. I hadn't thought it would be so crowded in there. I didn't think many people other than students really lived in this community. On my way back out to the bus, I ducked into Krispy Kreme to nab a couple doughnuts. Yummy!
I hadn't done much else prior to Friday, except for setting up my netbook so that I could do the online job more mobily. I really love it: sitting outside made time go by so quickly that I'd already put in an hour before I knew it. This even seems to have had a carry-over effect into my home environment, when I decide to work on the laptop.
The most exciting parts of this vacation were New Year's Eve and day. My cousin came up from Charlotte with his girlfriend, and they treated me to two good outings.
Yesterday, we were having a bit of a time figuring where we should go to ring in the new year. We did cruise on Franklin, but she said many of the restaurants were either closed or appeared to require a reservation. Not to mention I can't imagine there would really be an easy place to park. So we ended up going to Champs Sports bar in Durham. It was nice, if a bit loud. They had music blaring, and there were quite a few people there. I sat across from my cousin and his girlfriend and just listened as hard as I could. Of course they know my hearing situation though, so I didn't have much difficulty remaining in the conversation. They did have to advise me a little on what the waiter had asked or told me, which I appreciated. I had a huge! chicken parmesan sandwich, some steak fries and two buds. Yeah I know I should've gotten a classier drink, but hey that stuff was expensive! We just chattered and laughed until 12 came, counted down and clinked glasses. After paying, we couldn't find my debit card for a second. This definitely had me concerned. I think it had just been left behind somehow. I think others were singing a bit on the microphones as well.
Today was more laid back, but no less enjoyable. I went to his girlfriend's place, where she'd prepared the traditional New Year's day dinner. We had meatloaf, mashed potatoes, black-eyed peas, collard greens, cornbread and banana pudding. And this being the south, I topped all that off with a nice, tall glass of, as someone from Indiana joked, a little tea with my sugar. Hey, don't hate. It's good for ya like that!
I also attempted to help my cousin figure out why he couldn't download books from the BARD website, the portal that gives patrons of the National Library Service for the Blind access to online audio books. As it turns out, they'd only signed him up for the catalog I guess. He had been given a username, but his e-mail address wasn't entered into the system. I told him to just call the NC library on Monday and have them forward another application to his in-box. Somewhat disappointing, but ah well.
And I suppose this entry is long enough already. I'm nervous about the oncoming semester, assuming I manage to enter it. I will write about how things go on that front as they begin to unfold, though. Hope all of you had a blast this holiday season, and I continue to wish you a wonderful 2011.