I am back! Much, much turkey was eaten. Also pie. And various and sundry other foodstuffs. It is possible that I may not need to eat again for months. Like a snake.
Also, much shopping was done, including a trip to Powell's, where I bought enough books to break my suitcase. (Well, the handle part of the suitcase. Which was an exceedingly cheap and crappy piece of luggage, anyway. Still, it sounds impressive, doesn't it?) More surprisingly, I am also now the proud owner of a new smartphone. Which I almost immediately sort of regretted, as I'm not sure I'm going to get enough use out of it to justify the monthly data fees. But, man, it is shiny! And very handy for when I'm travelling. And, unlike, my old one -- and I do mean old one -- it's actually usable. Which means I'm more likely to actually, you know, use it. So, anybody know any cool apps I should get?
And then I went bowling for the first time in something like ten years. We bowled two games, and on the eighth frame of game two, apparently I suddenly remembered how to play. I imagine now I will go another ten years before I try it again, at which point the entire experience will repeat. (Really, it may be just as well given my deep, deep disapproval of the shiny modern bowling alley we went to, and its assumption that watching TV is infinitely more important than actually being able to properly play the game you came to goddamned play. But perhaps that's a rant for another time.)
And I got to see various family members again, of course, which was the main point of the exercise. Thanks again to my sister and her husband (who will read this), and to my mother (who won't, but that's OK)!
Anyway, now I am home. The cats are a bit freaked out, as cats tend to be at any disruption in their lives, but they are all alive and well. At least, the ones here at home are. I have to go pick Mickey up tomorrow morning after the vet's office opens. They still haven't called with his test results, but the vet did say it would be "a few days," so likely they didn't get them back before the holiday intervened. I'll ask when I go pick him up.
So, how has everybody else been?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Here I was, ready to comfort you after surpassing your book quota for the month, when it turns out I have to tell you that you are utterly correct about the bowling alley.
ReplyDeleteIt took so long to get used to the one where my league bowls, mostly because the lanes are so shiny and synthetic looking, but also because it had obviously been redone and didn't look like a bowling alley should look. Then, I walked into the one where the school's annual faculty/staff tournament takes place, and I said, "Now this is a bowling alley!" You need to visit The Noog, so I can take you.
(And if that doesn't convince you, remember that, the last time we bowled together, we both beat our lifetime high scores.)
The book quota system is, um, kind of on hold until the end of the year. But at least I managed not to go back up over 400 on the To-Read Pile! Just.
ReplyDeleteAnd, dude, not only were the lanes shiny and synthetic, but they were topped with giant freaking TV screens showing goddamned football, with goddamned commercials. And although it was possible to ignore those and concentrate on the pins when necessary, they glared so much on the shiny, synthetic lanes that it was utterly impossible for me to see the mark I was aiming for. Grrrrrrr.
And if that doesn't convince you, remember that, the last time we bowled together, we both beat our lifetime high scores.
That is so not going to happen again at this point. :)
Welcome back!
ReplyDeleteWelcome back! It's good to see you again. That sounds like a good time away (not least, the books! I hope there were good things in there.
ReplyDeleteWhat sort of smartphone did you get?
Oooh, I was just checking your LibraryThing. Of your recent haul, I think the only one I knew was My Antonia, which I loved when I read it for the first time in the last year or so. I hope you enjoy it, too.
ReplyDeleteThanks guys!
ReplyDeletePaul: It's a Verizon LG Vortex, running Android. Not a terribly fancy phone, as such things go, but compared to my ancient, dumb one... :)
And I'd heard several people speaking glowingly of My Antonia on LT, without absolutely nobody appearing to have a word to say against it, so when I found it at Powell's for five or six bucks, well, there was no question!