Visiting Family in Tennessee
Wow, it's been quite a while since I updated this thing.
Here it is, the end of the year, and I am ready to reflect on another family trip. As I mentioned in an earlier entry, I visit my family in Tennessee about twice per year. Well, this is the third time I've been here this calendar year.
We headed out on the day after Christmas. The "we" that I speak of is my Mom, Mary, and myself in one car, and Beth, her husband Leonard, and daughter Faith in another car. On the way up here, I mostly slept. I didn't read at all, and I listened to some music, but I slept and talked with Mom and Mary for most of the drive.
I drove for the last two hours. My mom has a sleeping disorder. She feels tired all the time. She was diagnosed a while ago with some disorder, and she sleeps with an oxygen mask that makes her look like Darth Vader (if you have a good imagination). Mom hates being called that, and we love to call her it. Fun.
So I drove and got us to my Uncle George's house. We were earlier than they expected us to be, so I stayed out of the way while they cleaned up my guest room. The room I stay in is their extra room that they keep several insturments and miscelaneous furniture in. I actually like it because the couch is comfy and the room is pretty quiet. Also, I am able to pick up somebody's wireless connection from here, which makes interneting easier.
After a sound night's sleep, I woke up around 9 or 10 this morning, and showered. I love their shower. The guest bathroom has one of those mobile shower heads that you can hold in your hand and point anywhere... and it makes bathing a lot easier and more fun. However, their hot water heater isn't very big, which makes for short showers.
Then I went to have some breakfast with Aunt Karen. Kroger has some good off-brand cereal. We had the off-brand Honey Bunches of Oats, and I loved it. Karen didn't have many students today since we're between holidays, and decided to host the lessons at her house rather than at the store. Her student came and played, making me feel ashamed that I lack the dicipline to practice and excel.
After that, we went to the store and I hung around for a while. Apparently, they have had a WONDERFUL Christmas rush, and business was still booming today. There were customers in constantly the whole time I was there, which actually made it all very boring. I wandered around looking at the interesting music merchandise, and imagined in my dreamland what it would be like to have been raised here at the store instead of North Carolina. After that, I kinda sat around and listened to the customer-salesman conversations going on around me. Since they were slammed, I got no attention. So I went home with Karen to get a turkey sandwich for a late lunch.
Those sandwiches were GOOD.
So then I did nothing for a while, and went back to the store around 5:00. I basically did the same thing again until they closed at 8:00. But this time I had more fun, mainly because they slowed down enough to help me pick out my Christmas present. Mom and Dad decided to get me a bass guitar for Christmas, and let me choose it while I'm here. There was a price limit, but with the special family discount they give me (which usually goes under instrument's cost), I got a very nice bass. Ibanez Roadgear 5 is what they called it. It has a nice grey/silver body and a pretty cool feel to it. It's my baby.
I also got a soft black leather strap, a gig bag, a Shiloh Tee shirt (Shiloh is the name of the music store), and a 15' cable. With the special discount, it all came to exactly $200. That is amazing, considering the retail price of the bass itself was well above twice that.
So we came home at closing time, and we sat around chatting a while as we watched a dvd of a live concert jam session. Then James had to go home, and Karen went to bed. I finally got a chance to talk to my precious girlfriend (who will have her very own entry in my journal soon), and then George and I started our chess battle for this week.
Game 1: Pretty even gameplay. I played more agressively than usual, and he reacted pretty well. We each made a few mistakes, none were detrimental, but ultimately he won--barely. He roasted me with a King, Knight, and a pawn-turned-queen. I couldn't pull a stalemate, as much as I tried.
Game 2: Harsh beating. I savagely took advantage of his sleepiness (or strategically outmatched him, depending on who you ask). It wasn't even fair. I had him beat and he still had at least a rook, knight, bishop, and more than half of his pawns. I had all but a pawn, bishop, knight, and rook. It was a beating like none before.
So here I am, reflecting. Thats about it for the trip so far, and I'll keep a daily or bidaily log of it.
Here it is, the end of the year, and I am ready to reflect on another family trip. As I mentioned in an earlier entry, I visit my family in Tennessee about twice per year. Well, this is the third time I've been here this calendar year.
We headed out on the day after Christmas. The "we" that I speak of is my Mom, Mary, and myself in one car, and Beth, her husband Leonard, and daughter Faith in another car. On the way up here, I mostly slept. I didn't read at all, and I listened to some music, but I slept and talked with Mom and Mary for most of the drive.
I drove for the last two hours. My mom has a sleeping disorder. She feels tired all the time. She was diagnosed a while ago with some disorder, and she sleeps with an oxygen mask that makes her look like Darth Vader (if you have a good imagination). Mom hates being called that, and we love to call her it. Fun.
So I drove and got us to my Uncle George's house. We were earlier than they expected us to be, so I stayed out of the way while they cleaned up my guest room. The room I stay in is their extra room that they keep several insturments and miscelaneous furniture in. I actually like it because the couch is comfy and the room is pretty quiet. Also, I am able to pick up somebody's wireless connection from here, which makes interneting easier.
After a sound night's sleep, I woke up around 9 or 10 this morning, and showered. I love their shower. The guest bathroom has one of those mobile shower heads that you can hold in your hand and point anywhere... and it makes bathing a lot easier and more fun. However, their hot water heater isn't very big, which makes for short showers.
Then I went to have some breakfast with Aunt Karen. Kroger has some good off-brand cereal. We had the off-brand Honey Bunches of Oats, and I loved it. Karen didn't have many students today since we're between holidays, and decided to host the lessons at her house rather than at the store. Her student came and played, making me feel ashamed that I lack the dicipline to practice and excel.
After that, we went to the store and I hung around for a while. Apparently, they have had a WONDERFUL Christmas rush, and business was still booming today. There were customers in constantly the whole time I was there, which actually made it all very boring. I wandered around looking at the interesting music merchandise, and imagined in my dreamland what it would be like to have been raised here at the store instead of North Carolina. After that, I kinda sat around and listened to the customer-salesman conversations going on around me. Since they were slammed, I got no attention. So I went home with Karen to get a turkey sandwich for a late lunch.
Those sandwiches were GOOD.
So then I did nothing for a while, and went back to the store around 5:00. I basically did the same thing again until they closed at 8:00. But this time I had more fun, mainly because they slowed down enough to help me pick out my Christmas present. Mom and Dad decided to get me a bass guitar for Christmas, and let me choose it while I'm here. There was a price limit, but with the special family discount they give me (which usually goes under instrument's cost), I got a very nice bass. Ibanez Roadgear 5 is what they called it. It has a nice grey/silver body and a pretty cool feel to it. It's my baby.
I also got a soft black leather strap, a gig bag, a Shiloh Tee shirt (Shiloh is the name of the music store), and a 15' cable. With the special discount, it all came to exactly $200. That is amazing, considering the retail price of the bass itself was well above twice that.
So we came home at closing time, and we sat around chatting a while as we watched a dvd of a live concert jam session. Then James had to go home, and Karen went to bed. I finally got a chance to talk to my precious girlfriend (who will have her very own entry in my journal soon), and then George and I started our chess battle for this week.
Game 1: Pretty even gameplay. I played more agressively than usual, and he reacted pretty well. We each made a few mistakes, none were detrimental, but ultimately he won--barely. He roasted me with a King, Knight, and a pawn-turned-queen. I couldn't pull a stalemate, as much as I tried.
Game 2: Harsh beating. I savagely took advantage of his sleepiness (or strategically outmatched him, depending on who you ask). It wasn't even fair. I had him beat and he still had at least a rook, knight, bishop, and more than half of his pawns. I had all but a pawn, bishop, knight, and rook. It was a beating like none before.
So here I am, reflecting. Thats about it for the trip so far, and I'll keep a daily or bidaily log of it.