HeyChristine.com

Tuesday, October 22nd
On this date last year...

"Whatever works..."

So Tommy's got my laptop, and our home computer is just way too slow, so I spent the morning at the public library using the computers there to get some work done until Mom came to pick me up in the early afternoon (I haven't yet renewed my drivers' license, ugh...) to visit the Happy Chinese Astronaut, yet another appointment Mom made for me when she found out I was coming home for an extended visit.

That was fun.

Afterwards, we ran tons of errands and finally got ourselves a make-shift home-office, bookshelf/desk console for the smaller bedroom. Now that I am back in the States and expect to visit the folks more often, I need to get SITUATED, and this of course will help them too (lol).

It took us forever to set up the home office, but once we set up the unused fax machine that had been sitting in the closet and brought the printer over from the other room, the idea of my actually being productive VERY SOON got me all pumped!

We'll see what happens...

"On life in America..."

Some random observations so far:

U.S. television shows
Shows in the U.S. are definitely entertaining if not altogether compelling, with all kinds of neat sitcoms, Hollywood entertainment shows, continuous news about the sniper attacks (which I cannot bring myself to comment on), this one show which redoes people's living rooms, etc. And I got my first introduction to Dish, Tivo, and DirectTV (woah).
American television seems so much a part of the American way of life, si?
On several occasions, I found myself glued to the t.v. screen just staring away like a zombie...
However, as entertained as I was, I gotta say, each time I finally walked away, I felt pretty gosh darn empty, as though I lost time to do something more productive or at the very least, useful.
Not knocking t.v. per se... just deciding not to spend too much time in front of it.
U.S. grocery store checkout lines
Yesterday, we stopped by the local grocery store to see if they sold Starbucks ground (which they did), and as I rounded the corner to the checkout counters, I was STUNNED to see this huge CONTRAPTION which looked MUCH like that crazy-ass coffee maker on Chitty Chitty Bang Bang!
Or whatever it was...
This big THING evidently allows me to scan my own food items, pay for them by inserting cash or a credit card of my choice to this machine, collect my change and/or receipt, and then bag my own purchase!
DIY at the grocery store?
NO ONE EVER TOLD ME ABOUT THIS!
One of the cashiers nearby must have seen the look on my face because she promptly came over, grabbed my bag of coffee and did the whole thing FOR me with barely a smile on her face.
By the time she was done, I wasn't sure if it was the machine I was afraid of... or HER!
A kinder, gentler, and HEALTHIER... me!
One more thing I noticed is how much more AWARE I am of my health and the stuff I'm eating, compared to when I used to live here in the U.S. More specifically, I drink a LOT more water (I never used to drink water at all... still hate the way it tastes but do it anyway...), and going to gym is always in the back of mind. Also, I keep staring at the skyline... it's so pretty... never noticed it before...

Anyway...

My hours are completely out-of-whack, I am unable to get my regular latte which is killing me, I have yet to get to the gym, and I have been trying to be LOW KEY and not contact friends just yet until I can freakin' get myself organized.

But... certain individuals are more in-tuned with my travel schedule and have tracked me down at my parents' home anyway (rofl!) ... and others are sending me emails that start with, "so..." followed by stuff like,

"Hey Christine! ... Gimme your contact info there so I can harass ya a bit!"

Yeah right!

Alright alright, I'm being mean...

I admit, I have been getting a regular stream of calls from old, old friends and am touched each and every time someone says, "Missed ya..." That they remember me AND miss me, too, is just tooooooo much for me to handle!

LOL!

I guess 7.5 years is a long time to be away from anywhere, eh?

Nice to be back!

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