Hello everyone. It's a somewhat humid Sunday afternoon as I start this blog entry. My ride to church didn't materialize this morning. That's happened quite rarely with this church. They've been excellent about the whole transportation thing. Stood out there for just shy of half an hour enjoying the outdoors. I don't mind the humidity as much as a lot of people seem to. Had to use the AC a little yesterday when I got back from Ava's fourth birthday party just to take out some of the heat and stuffy ness. It seems to be quite a good little air conditioner. Nice to know it'll be there when I finally cave in and need it. Having been married to a woman who got all out of sorts in the heat and then lived with parents who liked the windows closed for most of the Summer, I'm pleased to at last be somewhere that I can actually enjoy the hot season for what it's supposed to be. I just hope my social life warms up a bit.
And what, you may wonder, did I decide to do while I thought I would have been in church? Elementary, my dear reader. I satisfied my long-standing curio city about how Hollywood chose to interpret Ann Rice's book Queen of the Damned. Deliciously unexpected and delightfully twisted of me, wasn't it? Admit it. You'd never have guessed in a million years. Sadly, any redemptive elements found in the book were summarily dismissed by the film. I might have known. My optimism has received a number of small kicks in various areas lately so why leave out that incurable hope that says not to entirely give up on those multi-million-dollar creations? Glad I waited until I got the descriptive file and didn't waste money on that one. Avatar was quite a nicely done movie but essentially, it was Dances With Wolves in another time period all over again. The acting was excellent as was the music. However, you'd think marines would be equipped with energy weapons or something other than machine guns by the time we explore other worlds. Laser weaponry is being worked on right now for crying out loud.
What other small kicks has Mike's legendary optimism received lately? The update for the Trekker finally arrived. I took it out for a test with Adam coming along in case things went cocky. It was a damned good thing I didn't just march out there alone. Things went pretty well until we went under Glen Erin. From that point on, it thought we were off-route. My landmarks eventually got us to the Meadow vale Town Centre but the routing instructions didn't ever catch up with us. What did work extremely well was my Blue Snowflake microphone and netbook as recording apparatus. Soon, there should be an update to the maps used by the Trekker Breeze. Mine must be at least a few years old now so that very well might be part of the problem. That new feature which searches for nearby points of interest will point you in the general direction but I wouldn't trust it unless I had no other choice or was in a different less urban area. It may route you to the Meadowvale Town Centre but don't expect it to get you to any of the store entrances on the outside of the mall. Later this week, I plan to go out with my father and give it a fair crack at redemption. An attempt to go to Symposium Cafe on my own didn't go so well either. I had originally wanted to just walk around the lake but a passing bicycle rider informed me of a bee's nest on the path. I didn't want to chance giving accidental offence by unwittingly tapping on their home so I change my plans and headed out to the mall. I actually remembered a little more of the route than I thought I would but the GPS didn't call out direction despite numerous resets. I needed to ask three people for help on the way there and was thankful that Peter, a custodian in my building, happened to be heading back and offered to take me back also after my drink. The fruit freezie was splendid as always. It would be so damned nice to actually have a girlfriend to enjoy those with.
As dubious luck would have it, what would have been my first gathering of new friends in my apartment fell apart on me. Chrissie and Angel had to go elsewhere despite their having picked Friday night to visit Sandy and I. I had been keenly looking forward to having them all here. It would have been an indication that my social life had at last truly taken a turn for the better. It would have meant a great deal to know that I had at last found a couple of ladies around my age who found me worth taking the time to hang out with. I know how busy life can get for sighted folk so I refuse to take it personally. Circumstances just didn't pan out this time. They gave us lots of notice so it's not like I ordered extra stuff that would go to waste or anything. I told you. "a couple of small kicks." Not a knockout blow. Even if this Summer does turn out to be a lonely one, I still consider myself well ahead of where I was not even three months ago. So much solitude while being near so many people is going to eat at me and will doubtless frustrate me to no end. There'll be countless times when I go to Symposium Cafe, try, and fail not to dwell on the fact that nobody else is sitting at my table. That won't stop me from going there. "Build it and they will come." the saying goes. I'm making both myself and my apartment as ready for friendly company as I can make them. Hopefully, sooner rather than later, they will come. Before I pass any long-standing judgements on how things are going to go here over the long haul, I'll keep doing what I'm doing for at least a year. That ought to give me at least enough of a baseline to start adjusting stuff to deal with whatever foundation for long-term happiness I've managed to build by then. Who knows? Perhaps, Plenty of Fish will even startle the wits out of me and cough up another interested special lady who happens to be close enough to actually get to know. That's one area where my optimism is truly starting to fade. It's been over a damned year now.
I haven't seem much of any of the new acquaintances I've made lately. Cesar came over for help with another essay. He gets a little better at it each time he writes one of those. I've pretty much given up looking for a shortcut for him. It'll just take more practice and exposure to proper sentence structure. Time, unlike company my own age, is something I generally happen to have. It certainly beets helping people I'll never meet. There's actually some friendship growing there. He's a good man with a whole lot on his plate. Lela and Fernando have been pretty busy also. I bumped into Fernando on his way to a dentist appointment. Now there's a trip I seriously don't envy anybody. For the most part, my teeth have been surprisingly good to me especially when you consider my love of sweets.
On Thursday, I joined John in Sandy's apartment and we managed to get a scanner working in tandem with Kurzweil1000 on Sandy's computer. At last, there's something simple I'll be able to teach him to do with his computer which ought to truly benefit him. That's one project for this coming week.
Another project has come up in the form of an old friend and reader of this humble blog. She wants to try a collaborative writing project with me. As far as story and such goes, I've been dry as a post for quite some time now. On that unexpectedly empty Friday night, she hooked up with me over Skype. We were pretty good friends in secondary school. I remember spending many happy lunch hours in the school cafeteria with her and the rest of our small group. It did me a whole lot of good to talk with her again. As usual, she's way to far away to hang out with and perfectly happy single. She sounds a whole lot like I remembered her sounding but different than I would have expected. A very pleasant person to talk to just as she always was. I won't say too much about our project until I'm firmly convinced it's going somewhere. She has somewhat more faith in my writing ability than I do at the moment. Enchantment's Twilight hasn't gone anywhere lately. Perhaps, working in a new universe with a thoughtful and intelligent partner will kick start my writing engine again. At this point, Summer is looking pretty empty unless I get something going. Short of shooting myself in the head to impart motive energy to my brain cells, I'll try damned near anything to shake off this creative paralysis. It's a nifty opportunity and it might even ultimately be published. If she's willing to give it a try with her busy schedule, I'll certainly do my best to hold up my end. I guess that's what it all comes down to. I just have to keep ready and open to whatever opportunities present themselves. Sooner or later, I have to believe it'll all lead somewhere less solitary but hopefully just as comfortable as where I am now.
Ava's fourth birthday party was this weekend. It seemed to go quite well. I brought my netbook and Blue Snowflake microphone along. The recording turned out quite well considering the unfavourable acoustics. I'll have a bit of a job editing the 108 minutes down to some of the highlights which recorded nicely. Goldwave and I are slowly becoming better acquainted but sound editing will never really be my art. Just hearing those kids run around the place was exhausting. Initially upset at the prospect of turning four, Ava ended up really enjoying the party with her friends. Amia wasn't left out as I thought she might have been either. They all enjoyed it. So did her Uncle Mike. I'll try to get more events recorded as she continues to grow up. She'll have more than pictures and I'll have a little more to work with than fading memories. I'll have to acquire more shirts with pockets. I found it ever so convenient to just stick the mic in there and have both hands free. Also, the cable leading to the netbook doesn't interfere with my cane at all when the pocket and netbook are on the left side. It's not stereo but I'll happily settle for very good omnidirectionarl mono recording.
It's now a very pleasant Monday morning. I had an excellent sleep. I've just enjoyed a couple of cinnamon crunches plus a bowl of pineapple for breakfast. Perfect when followed by the wonderfully aromatic hot cup of chai tea I've just polished off. Things feel very fresh and new today. Last evening, I indeed went to church as planned but ended up taking the first of the membership classes I had thought started somewhat later in May. So far, things are tracking with what I remember from the Oakville CRC church. It's been quite a while so these classes are a very welcome opportunity. Pastor Sam is keen for our group to get to know each other which, as you may imagine, suits me just fine. It's a good group with thoughtful people spanning all of life's ages. Last time I took membership classes, we were all around the same age so this ought to be even more interesting. If nothing else, it's something stimulating to end the next several weekends with. Very welcome indeed.
After returning from church, I thought I'd take a stroll on my balcony. My cane struck something unexpectedly soft and large. I stood still waiting for the squawk of some injured bird or animal but nothing came. Bending down, I discovered that either a small set of track pants or perhaps a heavy shirt lay at my feet. It must have blown or fallen off a balcony above me. I knocked on my neighbour Red's door to see if he knew where we were to take found objects in the building. He was busy cooking dinner and looking after one of their kids. Despite that, he was still up for sharing a couple of drinks and some very welcome conversation. He shared some wine with me and I brought over a beer which he seemed to enjoy. I got to know Marco a little. He's feeling a little under the weather but still enjoyed his father's cooking and was a very pleasant and polite young lad. Hopefully, he got a good sleep. I was able to inform Red of some of the places he might enjoy taking his family. I hope he manages to find work soon. He and his family are very conscientious hospitable folks who are eager to learn about Canada and its culture. I'll cheerfully do whatever I can to be of help to them. Events like last night's unexpected get-together do a great deal to brighten my outlook on the future here. There is a real chance for me to build a more robust social network for myself here. It'll just take time, patience, and the odd stray or mysterious article. Think I'll head down and check my non-electronic mailbox. Later, folks.
Not a whole lot is happening in the world according to the news I just heard at noon. Writing hasn't gone overly well this morning but the day's only half over. I have my balcony door open and there's a nice breeze coming in. Apparently, there may be some thunder more towards the evening. My father and I are planning to go on a walk tomorrow with the Trekker Breeze. Hopefully, we won't find ourselves wading through wet stuff.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Friends, Fish and Past Days
Hello everyone. It's ben quite a good week. Steve's visit went quite well. It was fantastic to have such a good friend there to enjoy this place with. He got to meet my pastor as well as Sandy. Neither of us really had discovered anything of interest to the other in terms of software, music, etc. However, Steve enjoyed listening to A Study in Scarlet as dramatised by the BBC. He also enjoyed an interesting audio drama from the BBC called Alpha about a kind of assassin/priest who worked for the vaticon in the near future. He and I enjoy the kind of deep soul-searching questions raised by that excellent drama as well as by our lengthy and at times late conversations. One piece of software which interested him was Microsoft Security Essentials which I helped him obtain and install. It's a lot less troublesome than AVG has become when it comes to working with screen-readers.
Sandy also got to have his first experience with chatting on the Internet. That was a hoot. One flurtatious wild southerner mistook him for a lady. Sandy does have a high-pitched voice and has an unfortunately gender-nutral name to go with it. Put it through any kind of transmittion process and it's easy to make that mistake. Even still, it'll be a while before the jentleman lives that blunder down given his long-standing delight in sturring the pot where women are concerned. Hearing him get a kind of divinely engineered just desert was priceless.
Steve was divinely aided when he left for Toronto also. Pastor Sam had offered to drive Steve to the Go station when he came to visit us. Steve was originally just going to call a cab. However, I thought I'd check to see if Sam was actually available. It was a good thing he was. The ticket booth was closed and Sam was able to help Steve buy a ticket from one of those automatic machines in time to catch his train. HI found it interesting hearing those two have a good conversation; A new friend and one of my longest surviving friendships. They come at the world in such different ways. Steve's going to get images of windmills on his eye patches. That certainly sounds like it would look neat. Hope it turns out to suit him visually. Talk about meddling with what you don't understand.
Hopefully, when Steve next decides to stay a couple of days here, I'll be confident enough to take him around the lake or to Symposium Cafe. I'm gaining more confidence in doing that. Earlier this week, I went out on my own for the first time and managed to have a good walk from which I returned safely thanks to the Trekker Breeze. Dad and I just discovered that the route I recorded going to Symposium didn't record correctly so it'll have to be re-recorded next time we go there for lunch. I'm glad it was that specific instance of a route and not the software in general that was misbehaving. I'm still waiting for that update for the Breeze.
Friday was a big day. John Morgan came over and brought a terrific computer desk for Sandy. I basically spent the whole day in Sandy's appartment. John ended up assembling the desk all by himself despite many offers of assistance. I expected to be turning screws, holding boards in place, etc. That's how things usually happen with my father. I figured that with his experience with so many blind people, he would expect one or both of us to lend a hand and be able to explain what he needed done. Sandy and I ended up talking for most of that time which seemed to interest John while he worked. After the desk was all together, John had to leave. That was when my work began. I set up Sandy's computer in its new permanent home. Those speakers caused me some unexpected grief and I certainly gave myself a workout crawling and contorting under the desk connecting cables. Once things are permanently in place, they ought to be splendid though. The control puck makes adjusting the volume and base nice and easy. AFter things were set up, Sandy made dinner and we enjoyed some of the evening. I was quite tired and slept like a log last night. Haven't felt as productive and satisfied with what I got done in a day for quite some time. It's just one step at the start of a very long road. However, it's a pretty important step. Sandy has quite a bit to learn and I'm just beginning to discover how he likes to be taught.
Yesterday started with me going down to investigate a buzzing noise Sandy heard coming from his speakers. It turned out that he had jiggled the speaker cables and screwed up the contacts. Those jacks are pretty sensitive to that. Otherwise, he's got some superb speakers there. He's planning one more rearrangement which I anticipate might move those cables. After that, things ought to remain stationary and I'll likely never have to crawl under the desk and fiddle with those cables again. The only two pieces of hardware that I feel uncertain of my ability to help him set up are the monitor and printer. I've connected the monitor but have no way of knowing whether I got that right until somebody sighted takes a look at it. The printer is one of those combination jobs and I have no experience with them at all. I'd rather have someone who can see present when that gets set up. I still have reservations about how useful that contraption will end up being for him. It isn't immediately obvious where you'd put things like mail which needs to be scanned. Kurzweil1000 ought to be able to control pretty much any scanner but you have to be able to physically put stuff in and line it up.
Yesterday, I ended up finishing a very good psychological thriller called Equation For Evil. It was set in California. The subjects explored included why people commit acts of hate, racial identity, and the nature of society. The lead characters, a special agent and a psychologist, were both very well written. I felt bad when one of them didn't survive. The book leaves you hanging in the sense that you want to know how numerous characters get on with life after the story ends. I don't often turn to mysteries but that one passed a good bit of time very pleasantly.
I was going to try for a second walk around the lake yesterday afternoon. It was a nice day out there. Unfortunately, the Trekker Breeze didn't lock onto me even after ten minutes wandering out there. I didn't find the path around the lake but took a brief walk around a fenced area where there are benches and I suspect a pool in the centre of the area. I didn't want to lose my orientation so I headed back before that might have hapened. I spent a little time out on the balcony with my netbook. However, there's just no percentage, other than fresh air, of being out there by myself for any great length of time. That'll change once I get a balcony table set up out there. I'll then be able to set up my USB speakers and work far more comfortably. I can also position my Blue Snowflake microphone for some nice Summer time internet chats. Hopefully, I'll spend a good portion of this Summer with people who I come to know in person around here. I'd like to think that things are finally moving in that direction. However, just like yesterday turned out, I have to face the fact that people just won't always be around when I'm eagter to enjoy the outdoors or feel like companionship. To one extent, I'll always be forced to live more of an introvert's life than I'd like to. It just isn't easy finding people who are interested in sharing the kind of stimulating conversation, programs like DNTO on CBC Radio or From Our Own Corespondants on the BBC. I may never find a group of people my age who I can truly share life experience with in person rather than online despite all my efforts in that direction. I'm far from giving up hope but a little voice in my head is saying: "Be ready for that possibility." The only real way to do that is to make certain there are enough islands of companionship to break up the solitude. Easier said than done, but at least I have an actual shot at pulling that off here over the next five years or so.
Today is one such island. It's a soup lunch day at church. Another chance to get to know some good people a little better. Something which differenciates the weekend from the rest of the week. People who work all week must have no way to imagine how time can stretch out when there are no clear borders to break it up.
Soup lunch was great. I met some new people and touched base with some long-standing acquaintances. Sandra was one of them. Haven't run into her since a gathering at her place a number of weeks ago. She was unfortunately sick recently. However, because of that, she at last found time to enjoy Stranger Than Fiction. I had lent it to her a while ago thinking that it might appeal to her. I'm glad it was there when she wanted something to take her mind off being sick. It was there for me when I needed to distract myself from the failure of my marriage. I also got to see Julius, Angel, Shane, Sue, Carl, Rose, and a few other people. Coming back from this excellent outing, I called on Sandy and was in time to meet a couple of his good friends from Toronto. They come across as the kind of friends anyone would be fortunate to have and it's obvious how much they care for Sadny. It's no wonder he misses Toronto. He's fairly far from them here in Mississauga and a lot of them don't have cars. It was a pleasure meeting them. Apparently, more of Sandy's friends have recently contacted him again and may eventually make their presence more felt in his life. I can only hope so. It was certainly interesting meeting Tom and Liz.
It's after nine o'clock on sunday evening now. I've come back from the second-last of a series of evening programs our church had which concern how to make people who think and believe differently than us feel safe and welcome in church. The focus was on people who were gay and lesbian but a lot of things could well apply to any marginalised group. I hope that if and when an opportunity presents itself for me to make a positive difference for someone, I'm ready to put some of what I've learned into practice. As open-minded as I believe myself to be, there are doubtless people who would present challenges. I have very little natural patience for overly negative people. While I try to be patient with people for whoom verbal communication is difficult, I can doubtless use some exercise in that particular area also.
Tomorrow, I'll be heading down to do some work with Sandy on his keyboarding. I believe a worker from the CNIB is coming also and it might then be possible to take a crack at setting up that printer. At the very least, I'll find out whether the monitor is actually working. I'm almost positive it is, but there's that nagging little doubt. I should have thought of asking while Sandy's two sighted friends were present. oops. Hopefully, it won't take too long to get to a point where Sandy feels confident enough to start trying things on his own. It's looking more like he'll have to find some way of affording his own internet access. That's too expensive for me to take on. I've found a way for him to be able to listen to CNN over the Internet. However, he'll miss out on a lot of sports he likes. I don't know where he could find those online but haven't investigated that area much yet. I'm not interested in sports myself and am not the best person to do that. However, it would certainly make the prospect of giving up cable TV more bearable for Sandy. Sadly, it's going to come down to a hard choice like that for him. I believe the Internet will do him a tremendous lot of good. However, music and TV are pretty much all he's had to count on for quite some time now.
For supper tomorrow, I really ought to bite the bullet and grille the tilapia I've got in the fridge. I removed it from the freezer thinking I'd need more than I ended up using when Steve was visiting. There are four fillets. I thought I'd have had more guests over the past little while. The tilapia is very enjoyable. If one has to eat something a few times in a row, there are a great many worse things to be stuck eating. The fillets grilled quite nicely for Steve and I. There's no reason to think they won't come out delicious another time. Which spices to try out on the fish is something to consider. Garlic worked well and I would think oregano might. Not so certain about other spices like sage or rosemary. Sounds like a job for Google. Well, it's getting a tad late. I believe I'll post this and turn in for the night.
Sandy also got to have his first experience with chatting on the Internet. That was a hoot. One flurtatious wild southerner mistook him for a lady. Sandy does have a high-pitched voice and has an unfortunately gender-nutral name to go with it. Put it through any kind of transmittion process and it's easy to make that mistake. Even still, it'll be a while before the jentleman lives that blunder down given his long-standing delight in sturring the pot where women are concerned. Hearing him get a kind of divinely engineered just desert was priceless.
Steve was divinely aided when he left for Toronto also. Pastor Sam had offered to drive Steve to the Go station when he came to visit us. Steve was originally just going to call a cab. However, I thought I'd check to see if Sam was actually available. It was a good thing he was. The ticket booth was closed and Sam was able to help Steve buy a ticket from one of those automatic machines in time to catch his train. HI found it interesting hearing those two have a good conversation; A new friend and one of my longest surviving friendships. They come at the world in such different ways. Steve's going to get images of windmills on his eye patches. That certainly sounds like it would look neat. Hope it turns out to suit him visually. Talk about meddling with what you don't understand.
Hopefully, when Steve next decides to stay a couple of days here, I'll be confident enough to take him around the lake or to Symposium Cafe. I'm gaining more confidence in doing that. Earlier this week, I went out on my own for the first time and managed to have a good walk from which I returned safely thanks to the Trekker Breeze. Dad and I just discovered that the route I recorded going to Symposium didn't record correctly so it'll have to be re-recorded next time we go there for lunch. I'm glad it was that specific instance of a route and not the software in general that was misbehaving. I'm still waiting for that update for the Breeze.
Friday was a big day. John Morgan came over and brought a terrific computer desk for Sandy. I basically spent the whole day in Sandy's appartment. John ended up assembling the desk all by himself despite many offers of assistance. I expected to be turning screws, holding boards in place, etc. That's how things usually happen with my father. I figured that with his experience with so many blind people, he would expect one or both of us to lend a hand and be able to explain what he needed done. Sandy and I ended up talking for most of that time which seemed to interest John while he worked. After the desk was all together, John had to leave. That was when my work began. I set up Sandy's computer in its new permanent home. Those speakers caused me some unexpected grief and I certainly gave myself a workout crawling and contorting under the desk connecting cables. Once things are permanently in place, they ought to be splendid though. The control puck makes adjusting the volume and base nice and easy. AFter things were set up, Sandy made dinner and we enjoyed some of the evening. I was quite tired and slept like a log last night. Haven't felt as productive and satisfied with what I got done in a day for quite some time. It's just one step at the start of a very long road. However, it's a pretty important step. Sandy has quite a bit to learn and I'm just beginning to discover how he likes to be taught.
Yesterday started with me going down to investigate a buzzing noise Sandy heard coming from his speakers. It turned out that he had jiggled the speaker cables and screwed up the contacts. Those jacks are pretty sensitive to that. Otherwise, he's got some superb speakers there. He's planning one more rearrangement which I anticipate might move those cables. After that, things ought to remain stationary and I'll likely never have to crawl under the desk and fiddle with those cables again. The only two pieces of hardware that I feel uncertain of my ability to help him set up are the monitor and printer. I've connected the monitor but have no way of knowing whether I got that right until somebody sighted takes a look at it. The printer is one of those combination jobs and I have no experience with them at all. I'd rather have someone who can see present when that gets set up. I still have reservations about how useful that contraption will end up being for him. It isn't immediately obvious where you'd put things like mail which needs to be scanned. Kurzweil1000 ought to be able to control pretty much any scanner but you have to be able to physically put stuff in and line it up.
Yesterday, I ended up finishing a very good psychological thriller called Equation For Evil. It was set in California. The subjects explored included why people commit acts of hate, racial identity, and the nature of society. The lead characters, a special agent and a psychologist, were both very well written. I felt bad when one of them didn't survive. The book leaves you hanging in the sense that you want to know how numerous characters get on with life after the story ends. I don't often turn to mysteries but that one passed a good bit of time very pleasantly.
I was going to try for a second walk around the lake yesterday afternoon. It was a nice day out there. Unfortunately, the Trekker Breeze didn't lock onto me even after ten minutes wandering out there. I didn't find the path around the lake but took a brief walk around a fenced area where there are benches and I suspect a pool in the centre of the area. I didn't want to lose my orientation so I headed back before that might have hapened. I spent a little time out on the balcony with my netbook. However, there's just no percentage, other than fresh air, of being out there by myself for any great length of time. That'll change once I get a balcony table set up out there. I'll then be able to set up my USB speakers and work far more comfortably. I can also position my Blue Snowflake microphone for some nice Summer time internet chats. Hopefully, I'll spend a good portion of this Summer with people who I come to know in person around here. I'd like to think that things are finally moving in that direction. However, just like yesterday turned out, I have to face the fact that people just won't always be around when I'm eagter to enjoy the outdoors or feel like companionship. To one extent, I'll always be forced to live more of an introvert's life than I'd like to. It just isn't easy finding people who are interested in sharing the kind of stimulating conversation, programs like DNTO on CBC Radio or From Our Own Corespondants on the BBC. I may never find a group of people my age who I can truly share life experience with in person rather than online despite all my efforts in that direction. I'm far from giving up hope but a little voice in my head is saying: "Be ready for that possibility." The only real way to do that is to make certain there are enough islands of companionship to break up the solitude. Easier said than done, but at least I have an actual shot at pulling that off here over the next five years or so.
Today is one such island. It's a soup lunch day at church. Another chance to get to know some good people a little better. Something which differenciates the weekend from the rest of the week. People who work all week must have no way to imagine how time can stretch out when there are no clear borders to break it up.
Soup lunch was great. I met some new people and touched base with some long-standing acquaintances. Sandra was one of them. Haven't run into her since a gathering at her place a number of weeks ago. She was unfortunately sick recently. However, because of that, she at last found time to enjoy Stranger Than Fiction. I had lent it to her a while ago thinking that it might appeal to her. I'm glad it was there when she wanted something to take her mind off being sick. It was there for me when I needed to distract myself from the failure of my marriage. I also got to see Julius, Angel, Shane, Sue, Carl, Rose, and a few other people. Coming back from this excellent outing, I called on Sandy and was in time to meet a couple of his good friends from Toronto. They come across as the kind of friends anyone would be fortunate to have and it's obvious how much they care for Sadny. It's no wonder he misses Toronto. He's fairly far from them here in Mississauga and a lot of them don't have cars. It was a pleasure meeting them. Apparently, more of Sandy's friends have recently contacted him again and may eventually make their presence more felt in his life. I can only hope so. It was certainly interesting meeting Tom and Liz.
It's after nine o'clock on sunday evening now. I've come back from the second-last of a series of evening programs our church had which concern how to make people who think and believe differently than us feel safe and welcome in church. The focus was on people who were gay and lesbian but a lot of things could well apply to any marginalised group. I hope that if and when an opportunity presents itself for me to make a positive difference for someone, I'm ready to put some of what I've learned into practice. As open-minded as I believe myself to be, there are doubtless people who would present challenges. I have very little natural patience for overly negative people. While I try to be patient with people for whoom verbal communication is difficult, I can doubtless use some exercise in that particular area also.
Tomorrow, I'll be heading down to do some work with Sandy on his keyboarding. I believe a worker from the CNIB is coming also and it might then be possible to take a crack at setting up that printer. At the very least, I'll find out whether the monitor is actually working. I'm almost positive it is, but there's that nagging little doubt. I should have thought of asking while Sandy's two sighted friends were present. oops. Hopefully, it won't take too long to get to a point where Sandy feels confident enough to start trying things on his own. It's looking more like he'll have to find some way of affording his own internet access. That's too expensive for me to take on. I've found a way for him to be able to listen to CNN over the Internet. However, he'll miss out on a lot of sports he likes. I don't know where he could find those online but haven't investigated that area much yet. I'm not interested in sports myself and am not the best person to do that. However, it would certainly make the prospect of giving up cable TV more bearable for Sandy. Sadly, it's going to come down to a hard choice like that for him. I believe the Internet will do him a tremendous lot of good. However, music and TV are pretty much all he's had to count on for quite some time now.
For supper tomorrow, I really ought to bite the bullet and grille the tilapia I've got in the fridge. I removed it from the freezer thinking I'd need more than I ended up using when Steve was visiting. There are four fillets. I thought I'd have had more guests over the past little while. The tilapia is very enjoyable. If one has to eat something a few times in a row, there are a great many worse things to be stuck eating. The fillets grilled quite nicely for Steve and I. There's no reason to think they won't come out delicious another time. Which spices to try out on the fish is something to consider. Garlic worked well and I would think oregano might. Not so certain about other spices like sage or rosemary. Sounds like a job for Google. Well, it's getting a tad late. I believe I'll post this and turn in for the night.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
An Eventful Weekend
Hello everyone. It's been an interesting past while. On saturday, I hooked up with Mark and Wendy for a very good burger and fries with copious delightful conversation as my main condiment. They're doing quite well and it was good to spend a couple of hours in their company. As has happened a little more frequently these days, I dozed off during a chunk of the afternoon. It seems to happen even when I think I've gotten a good night's sleep. Sandy thinks it has to do with the change of weather and I suppose there could be something to that. I hope it doesn't last too long. I find it a tad disconcerting. That evening, I went down to visit Sandy and our new friend Cesar. He lives in a house which is part of the complex that includes my building. He's had an interesting life. His conversational English is quite good. He wants me to help him with his writing which I'm very happy to do. He's been helpful to Sandy regarding furnature. Sandy did an excellent job, despite not getting full instructions, cooking the pizza and fries we enjoyed. Yes, it's been a particularly heavy potato weekend. Good thing I never get tired of them. Thank goodness he can now use his oven in addition to the elements. The CNIB is at last going to bat for him in fine style. He's also found some more friends willing to help when he needs it. We've heard from Mr. Morgan who's getting recombobulated after returning from England. He's got quite a bit on his plate but I'm hopeful he can come round to see Sandy and I soon. Sandy is eager to get his computer set up in a better safer location than where we chose and start digging into learning the keyboard. That's when I can start helping him in the way I had originally figured I would rather than in the surprising ways I've tried up until now.
God certainly likes to throw some interesting curveballs my way. A couple of nights ago, I was awakened once again from a dead sleep by a fairly loud knocking which I thought came from my door or the wall of my bedroom. This has happened on a number of occasions since I've gotten here but hasn't been consistant. Until now, I had chalked it up to my dreaming. However, last night's episode involved at least six loud knocks that I was conscious of. The last way I wanted to meat my neighbours was after having done something to cause them grief but I was at the stage where I had to try to figure out whether I had in fact done this or merely been hearing things. I went to the apartment directly above mine where I met a shift worker who wouldn't have been disturbed whatsoever had a bomb gone off down here. Right adjacent to my apartment where I figured would be the only other likely place where anything I did might be noticed, I met a nice man who hadn't heard anything either. I'm always happy to meet good people and pleased that I haven't inadvertently disturbed their slumber. However, Sherlock Holmes's saying about the impossible, however unlikely, having to be the truth once more likely alternatives have been eliminated does tend to point to the unsettling conclusion that I imagined all those knocks. Of course, there also could have been hammering or knocks somewhere else in the building which carried through it to me. Still, the more I think about it, the less certain of their reality I become. At least I've now introduced myself to my vertical neighbour as well as my immediately horrizontal one. It's nice to have at least a minimal sense of who's close at hand. Thanks a bunch, Mr. Holmes. GRRRRRR!!! Hopefully, I won't be needing the modern day equivalent of Dr. Watson any time soon.
Yesterday, [monday], was grocery day again. I got pretty much everything I ordered this time. Only two minor substitutions of junkfood. Not bad at all. Everything's stowed nicely away. I know I dozed off during part of the day again. It would be damned annoying if I had anything I needed to get done. As it is, such short dozes are merely erksome to my sense of how a day ought to be lived. Rebellion against the effects of age? Perhaps. It just isn't what I'm used to. I wasn't awakened by any knocks in either sunday or last night. One acomplishment other than storing the groceries was editing Cesar's second essay. Doing that to a piece of writing about how happy he is to have met me certainly has a way of making yours truly acutely selfconscious. I'm very happy to have made a good and selfless man like him happy. He seems to be getting better with each attempt. I had to correct fewer sentence oddities and it was much easier to follow his train of thinking. Apparently, his wife wants some help with her English pronunciation. Doing things like that certainly makes me feel far more like I'm living a good and useful life. When days can go past without much consequence or interaction at all, it's easy to lose that sense of connectedness. I thank God for all the people I'm encountering here and through the church. I've felt so hung out to dry for so much of the time since Janene left me. That sense has retreated marvelously over my residency here. Over time as more people come to know me, I believe I'll have a more sustained positive impact.
Monday ended with an email from my friend Steve Murgaski. He's coming over to visit tomorrow and will be the very first guest to make use of the ability of my futon to turn into a bed rather than the couch that it normally is. It'll be damned good to spend some time with him again. I called my worker for Halton Housing to inform her of this as I've been instructed to in my leace. She sounds like a pretty conscientious woman. I think it's safe to say we'll get along well enough. It feels damned odd to have to do that before a friend stays over. Very unnatural. Presuming I ever get into a serious relationship again as I'd very much like to, it'll feel even more awkward meetting that condition. So much for spontenaity. They can't refuse me the right to have guests stay over but it almost feels like one is asking permittion rather than informing them of one's plans. I guess I'll get used to it over the years ahead. In all other respects, it's hard to imagine being in better circumstances as a single man. I can certainly deal with the odd sour note like that. I'm not going to have people stay overnight all that often in any case.
Things are as ready as they can be. I figured out how to transform the futon couch, tidied up, stocked the fridge with drinks and made damned certain there are icecubes aplenty. He couldn't have timed his visit better as I've just gotten my groceries. We'll have a couple days of excellent conversation, doubtless listen to some digital audio of interest from our respective collections, and very likely meet up with my parents for a meal out and to test my Trekker Breeze. No, dear reader. The update still hasn't arrived from the folks at Humanware. I figure that the longer they work on it, the better it'll be. I'm a patient man even if I'm dying of suspense to see what they've come up with for the little gadget. Until I kick the bucket, there's always tomorrow. My Snowflake microphone arrived today. It seems to be quite an excellent microphone. I still have to test it more with my netbook and may try doing a better audio tour of my apartment for Blindcooltech. I'd be able to record directly into mp3 using Goldwave. We'll see how that goes.
It's approaching eleven o'clock as I sit here at my desk. I have a nifty piece of instrumental music from the Lady in the Water soundtrack called Charades. It has a wonderful adventuresome feel and blends well with the forest soundscape generated by Aura. I feel tired and hope that tonight will be a restful one. Guess I'll post this entry and find out.
God certainly likes to throw some interesting curveballs my way. A couple of nights ago, I was awakened once again from a dead sleep by a fairly loud knocking which I thought came from my door or the wall of my bedroom. This has happened on a number of occasions since I've gotten here but hasn't been consistant. Until now, I had chalked it up to my dreaming. However, last night's episode involved at least six loud knocks that I was conscious of. The last way I wanted to meat my neighbours was after having done something to cause them grief but I was at the stage where I had to try to figure out whether I had in fact done this or merely been
Yesterday, [monday], was grocery day again. I got pretty much everything I ordered this time. Only two minor substitutions of junkfood. Not bad at all. Everything's stowed nicely away. I know I dozed off during part of the day again. It would be damned annoying if I had anything I needed to get done. As it is, such short dozes are merely erksome to my sense of how a day ought to be lived. Rebellion against the effects of age? Perhaps. It just isn't what I'm used to. I wasn't awakened by any knocks in either sunday or last night. One acomplishment other than storing the groceries was editing Cesar's second essay. Doing that to a piece of writing about how happy he is to have met me certainly has a way of making yours truly acutely selfconscious. I'm very happy to have made a good and selfless man like him happy. He seems to be getting better with each attempt. I had to correct fewer sentence oddities and it was much easier to follow his train of thinking. Apparently, his wife wants some help with her English pronunciation. Doing things like that certainly makes me feel far more like I'm living a good and useful life. When days can go past without much consequence or interaction at all, it's easy to lose that sense of connectedness. I thank God for all the people I'm encountering here and through the church. I've felt so hung out to dry for so much of the time since Janene left me. That sense has retreated marvelously over my residency here. Over time as more people come to know me, I believe I'll have a more sustained positive impact.
Monday ended with an email from my friend Steve Murgaski. He's coming over to visit tomorrow and will be the very first guest to make use of the ability of my futon to turn into a bed rather than the couch that it normally is. It'll be damned good to spend some time with him again. I called my worker for Halton Housing to inform her of this as I've been instructed to in my leace. She sounds like a pretty conscientious woman. I think it's safe to say we'll get along well enough. It feels damned odd to have to do that before a friend stays over. Very unnatural. Presuming I ever get into a serious relationship again as I'd very much like to, it'll feel even more awkward meetting that condition. So much for spontenaity. They can't refuse me the right to have guests stay over but it almost feels like one is asking permittion rather than informing them of one's plans. I guess I'll get used to it over the years ahead. In all other respects, it's hard to imagine being in better circumstances as a single man. I can certainly deal with the odd sour note like that. I'm not going to have people stay overnight all that often in any case.
Things are as ready as they can be. I figured out how to transform the futon couch, tidied up, stocked the fridge with drinks and made damned certain there are icecubes aplenty. He couldn't have timed his visit better as I've just gotten my groceries. We'll have a couple days of excellent conversation, doubtless listen to some digital audio of interest from our respective collections, and very likely meet up with my parents for a meal out and to test my Trekker Breeze. No, dear reader. The update still hasn't arrived from the folks at Humanware. I figure that the longer they work on it, the better it'll be. I'm a patient man even if I'm dying of suspense to see what they've come up with for the little gadget. Until I kick the bucket, there's always tomorrow. My Snowflake microphone arrived today. It seems to be quite an excellent microphone. I still have to test it more with my netbook and may try doing a better audio tour of my apartment for Blindcooltech. I'd be able to record directly into mp3 using Goldwave. We'll see how that goes.
It's approaching eleven o'clock as I sit here at my desk. I have a nifty piece of instrumental music from the Lady in the Water soundtrack called Charades. It has a wonderful adventuresome feel and blends well with the forest soundscape generated by Aura. I feel tired and hope that tonight will be a restful one. Guess I'll post this entry and find out.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
A Happy Easter Weekend
Hello everyone. Compared to last Easter, this one is kicking some serious ass. My grandmother came over for a visit this weekend. It was fun to have her visit the apartment. She was impressed with all the gadgetry her financial gift allowed me to purchase as well as by the building in general. Now, she has some sense of what my living circumstances will be for the foreseeable future. Last year, right around now, I was enjoying another Easter weekend confident that I was well on my way to marrying Janene. I'll doubtless always think of her around Easter time. So much love, trust and respect built up over two years just tossed aside. So much opportunity for a future at least a little closer to the kind I had hoped for and still hope for eventually. I know I'll live an enjoyable life here. There'll be friends, social gatherings to go to, family close at hand, and provided I stay disciplined about it, no extreme financial worries. I definitely won't be starving any time soon. Once you've experienced love, however, even if it has ended in failure, there's just no going back. That sense of incompleteness and wasted potential for good just doesn't go away. It retretes for a while and then returns in force in all too frequent moments of silence and solitude. What does change for the better is one's ability to get past that and enjoy life's blessings. Tomorrow ought to be another excellent day. There's a lot going on at church including games night which I haven't attended in a while. Life does indeed move on. There are simply a lot of days where it does so all too slowly. But I get ahead of myself. I really meant to start with thursday.
On thursday, Dan came over with his family. Ava and Amia were getting into some nifty April Fools action. They had put toothpaste inside some Oreo cookies to fool Dan. I think he suspected something but went along anyhow. They brought a cake over for their grandfather who soon discovered that the cake was a cardboard box covered in icing and decorations. Everyone had a good laugh. Ava and Amia were as full of energy as ever. I think they overwelmed their great grandmother a tad. They got their Easter bunnies early as well as some rather different eggs. These were made of different colours of sidewalk chalk. They certainly got tried out on our driveway and seemed to please Ava and Amia. That night, we went to Score's for an excellent dinner.
Whenever my grandmother visits, you can bet there'll be at least one outing to a casino. This time, there were two. After an early rise and therefore quite relaxed morning, they came by the apartment to get me. I went in expecting to lose twenty dollars and this was precisely what transpired over a couple of hours. Chance favoured none of us that day. We went back to my parents' house for a rather ordinary lunch. I had been looking forward to a meal out either at the casino or perhaps a stop at Symposium when we walked there. As things turned out, neither of those occurred. Dad, my grandmother and I walked over there to show her my GPS in action and then simply turned right around heading back. Dad and I get along quite well but I find that I increasingly run into places like this where he just doesn't have the same view of what makes a day special. It would have been great to actually go in, have a drink and rest a bit. Dad just tends to always want to get home from things. In fairly short order, I should be able to get there myself and have at least one place where I can simply choose to stay if I like. One of the reasons I don't tend to gamble is so I have some spare money to enjoy hanging around a place like Symposium. It looks like it'll be a special spot for me for years to come. The first place I learned to get to safely where I made enough of a difference to be remembered by the staff there. It would have meant something to stop there so my grandmother could have gotten more of a sense of the place than just going up to the door. That just seems to be how things go though. It's one of the ways I feel increasingly divided from how my family does things. For most of my life, I've had to deal with the reality that I've nearly always been on someone else's schedule when travelling anywhere. I've had to leave an event when whoever took me there felt that it was time to go. That was one of the big reasons why New Year's Eeve parties with friends became so meaningful to me.
Mark and Wendy are two people who seem to have some sense of this sort of thing. I always enjoy visits and outings with them. They like to soke up whatever place we go to. I guess it's partly just that they're still in their thirties and my father isn't. Same with the church people I'm beginning to know. They're certainly a busy lot but still manage to truly enjoy a good time without there being an almost audible timer ticking down in their heads. A part of my sense of this has to be a product of the unusual circumstances society has seen fit to put me in where I have vastly more time at my disposal than most people but find it so hard to go to many places. I'm aware enough to have a sense of the kinds of experiences I could have but paradoxically can't enjoy alone.
At least in this immediate area, that will all start to change over the next while. I'm beginning to find new friends who seem interested in doing things with me who are astonishingly close enough to easily arrange this. It won't be an imposition to come and get me. Also, now that I've got a couple of the bus stops in my GPS, people can come to see me and I can get them safely back to my apartment. Admittedly, there will then be the bus schedule to contend with. Eventually, I may take yet another crack at getting better with bus routes. That's at least a couple of years off though. First comes everything within walking distance. Now that I'm here for what could be the rest of my life, it actually makes sense to put in the time.
Getting back to my apartment for the afternoon seemed like the best idea. Everyone else seemed ready to nap or rest anyhow. I figured I'd get a coke and go out onto my balcony for the afternoon. I brought out the netbook complete with lapdesk and speakers to test out how well it would all work while I didn't have an actual table out there. I went back to retrieve the full glass of coke classic I had poured and put ice in. That was where things took a turn for the worse. I misjudged where the glass was by a little and knocked it backwards on the corner of my desk where I had left it. The good fortune so conspiculusly absent at the casino stood me in miraculously good stead here. The torrent of coke was first thwarted by the paper towels I usually keep weighted down by the soapstone bear ready to deal with what are usually minor spills at my desk. These towels absorbed and slowed the coke in its headlong rush for the cable-rich area behind my desk. The Shamwow which I keep ready to hand also did an utterly astounding job here. Unless you face a circumstance like that, you'd just never believe how effective the things are. I spent around an hour I had looked forward to relaxing in cleaning up all that cola. Miraculously, I seem to have succeeded to the point where mom couldn't see any remaining for her to wipe up. Note to self; Next time, take the coke out first and stash it safely in a corner of the balcony out of the way. In dire need to relaxation at this point, I went out with a fresh coke and sat on a lawnchair. Sadly, I soon discovered that my lapdesk wouldn't work due to the arms of the lawnchair and the cable of my USB speakers was too short to have them rest on the balcony with the netbook on my lap. Before I spend any serious time out there, I'll need a set of patio furnature with enough weight so that wind won't blow it right off over the railing. I eventually got my small netbook case which doubles as a lapdesk. This doesn't allow for the speakers but at least rendered the netbook and WIFI adapter useable. The adapter worked splendidly in tandum with my new router giving me terrific Internet speed. I got CBC Radio1 streaming perfectly via Winamp and put up with the less than stellar sound of my netbook's built-in speakers while at last enjoying an ice cold Coke Classic. It'll be a great setup when I have a table to asemble everything on. As it was, I didn't stay out all that long. It's just a whole lot easier to enjoy oneself seeted in comfort in front of a desktop PC with Bose Companion3 speakers, plenty of room for a drink and nothing precariously pirched.
Later that evening, we went to Jim and Carol's for dinner. That was a very good meal. The cardboard cake made another levity-causing appearance. Before they started watching TV shows and playing cards, they brought me back to my apartment. I don't take an interest in either the particular shows they like or in card games. Both activities tend to somewhat inhibit conversation. My old friend Minney phoned so I spent some time out on the balcony while talking to her. She seems to be doing well but be very busy. I have some faint hope of her visiting within the year. I don't intend that to sound as crass as it might. She's just one of those people who never finds the time. Life sweeps her along as she tries hard to make ends meet. She's the only friend who I've kept in touch with from the Clearview church. Thank goodness I seem to be doing quite a lot better at the Meadowvale CRC in the friendship department. It makes a substantial difference.
Today was another very good day. I ended up breaking even at the casino so I effectively only lost twenty dollars. I'd have paid that to treet to a meal or go somewhere else on an outing with family so I don't mind that. We took my grandmother to Bright Ontario where she'll visit her sister Kay for a while. We had a good lunch there. She was happy to hear about my new apartment. Coming back to the apartment, I soon heard from Fernando. He had tried to call me from his balcony but another person on the ground was also talking to me so I didn't figure out that it was him and wasn't even certain until later that he spoke to me. However, I called him on the off chance that he had. That was fortuitous. He brought over some beef and chicken he had barbecued along with some salad. He's a splendid cook. I enjoyed an impromptu early dinner and treeted him to a couple of beers. It felt great to have him over for a good talk and a couple of drinks like that. Our conversation was pretty wide-ranging and most enjoyable. I look forward to many more such with him and his family. After Fernando left, I tidied up a little and then though to open my balcony door. It got quite windy this evening. Standing out there with so much air moving around was rather neat. I must confess to have been sorely tempted to get one of those Glad garbage bags and let it rore off propelled by one of the strong gusts. Of corse, such acts are sublime when contemplated but lose their lustour once perpetrated. I know I would have worried that the bag might have made someone else's day more difficult than necessary. Still, it doubtless would have sounded nifty.
On thursday, Dan came over with his family. Ava and Amia were getting into some nifty April Fools action. They had put toothpaste inside some Oreo cookies to fool Dan. I think he suspected something but went along anyhow. They brought a cake over for their grandfather who soon discovered that the cake was a cardboard box covered in icing and decorations. Everyone had a good laugh. Ava and Amia were as full of energy as ever. I think they overwelmed their great grandmother a tad. They got their Easter bunnies early as well as some rather different eggs. These were made of different colours of sidewalk chalk. They certainly got tried out on our driveway and seemed to please Ava and Amia. That night, we went to Score's for an excellent dinner.
Whenever my grandmother visits, you can bet there'll be at least one outing to a casino. This time, there were two. After an early rise and therefore quite relaxed morning, they came by the apartment to get me. I went in expecting to lose twenty dollars and this was precisely what transpired over a couple of hours. Chance favoured none of us that day. We went back to my parents' house for a rather ordinary lunch. I had been looking forward to a meal out either at the casino or perhaps a stop at Symposium when we walked there. As things turned out, neither of those occurred. Dad, my grandmother and I walked over there to show her my GPS in action and then simply turned right around heading back. Dad and I get along quite well but I find that I increasingly run into places like this where he just doesn't have the same view of what makes a day special. It would have been great to actually go in, have a drink and rest a bit. Dad just tends to always want to get home from things. In fairly short order, I should be able to get there myself and have at least one place where I can simply choose to stay if I like. One of the reasons I don't tend to gamble is so I have some spare money to enjoy hanging around a place like Symposium. It looks like it'll be a special spot for me for years to come. The first place I learned to get to safely where I made enough of a difference to be remembered by the staff there. It would have meant something to stop there so my grandmother could have gotten more of a sense of the place than just going up to the door. That just seems to be how things go though. It's one of the ways I feel increasingly divided from how my family does things. For most of my life, I've had to deal with the reality that I've nearly always been on someone else's schedule when travelling anywhere. I've had to leave an event when whoever took me there felt that it was time to go. That was one of the big reasons why New Year's Eeve parties with friends became so meaningful to me.
Mark and Wendy are two people who seem to have some sense of this sort of thing. I always enjoy visits and outings with them. They like to soke up whatever place we go to. I guess it's partly just that they're still in their thirties and my father isn't. Same with the church people I'm beginning to know. They're certainly a busy lot but still manage to truly enjoy a good time without there being an almost audible timer ticking down in their heads. A part of my sense of this has to be a product of the unusual circumstances society has seen fit to put me in where I have vastly more time at my disposal than most people but find it so hard to go to many places. I'm aware enough to have a sense of the kinds of experiences I could have but paradoxically can't enjoy alone.
At least in this immediate area, that will all start to change over the next while. I'm beginning to find new friends who seem interested in doing things with me who are astonishingly close enough to easily arrange this. It won't be an imposition to come and get me. Also, now that I've got a couple of the bus stops in my GPS, people can come to see me and I can get them safely back to my apartment. Admittedly, there will then be the bus schedule to contend with. Eventually, I may take yet another crack at getting better with bus routes. That's at least a couple of years off though. First comes everything within walking distance. Now that I'm here for what could be the rest of my life, it actually makes sense to put in the time.
Getting back to my apartment for the afternoon seemed like the best idea. Everyone else seemed ready to nap or rest anyhow. I figured I'd get a coke and go out onto my balcony for the afternoon. I brought out the netbook complete with lapdesk and speakers to test out how well it would all work while I didn't have an actual table out there. I went back to retrieve the full glass of coke classic I had poured and put ice in. That was where things took a turn for the worse. I misjudged where the glass was by a little and knocked it backwards on the corner of my desk where I had left it. The good fortune so conspiculusly absent at the casino stood me in miraculously good stead here. The torrent of coke was first thwarted by the paper towels I usually keep weighted down by the soapstone bear ready to deal with what are usually minor spills at my desk. These towels absorbed and slowed the coke in its headlong rush for the cable-rich area behind my desk. The Shamwow which I keep ready to hand also did an utterly astounding job here. Unless you face a circumstance like that, you'd just never believe how effective the things are. I spent around an hour I had looked forward to relaxing in cleaning up all that cola. Miraculously, I seem to have succeeded to the point where mom couldn't see any remaining for her to wipe up. Note to self; Next time, take the coke out first and stash it safely in a corner of the balcony out of the way. In dire need to relaxation at this point, I went out with a fresh coke and sat on a lawnchair. Sadly, I soon discovered that my lapdesk wouldn't work due to the arms of the lawnchair and the cable of my USB speakers was too short to have them rest on the balcony with the netbook on my lap. Before I spend any serious time out there, I'll need a set of patio furnature with enough weight so that wind won't blow it right off over the railing. I eventually got my small netbook case which doubles as a lapdesk. This doesn't allow for the speakers but at least rendered the netbook and WIFI adapter useable. The adapter worked splendidly in tandum with my new router giving me terrific Internet speed. I got CBC Radio1 streaming perfectly via Winamp and put up with the less than stellar sound of my netbook's built-in speakers while at last enjoying an ice cold Coke Classic. It'll be a great setup when I have a table to asemble everything on. As it was, I didn't stay out all that long. It's just a whole lot easier to enjoy oneself seeted in comfort in front of a desktop PC with Bose Companion3 speakers, plenty of room for a drink and nothing precariously pirched.
Later that evening, we went to Jim and Carol's for dinner. That was a very good meal. The cardboard cake made another levity-causing appearance. Before they started watching TV shows and playing cards, they brought me back to my apartment. I don't take an interest in either the particular shows they like or in card games. Both activities tend to somewhat inhibit conversation. My old friend Minney phoned so I spent some time out on the balcony while talking to her. She seems to be doing well but be very busy. I have some faint hope of her visiting within the year. I don't intend that to sound as crass as it might. She's just one of those people who never finds the time. Life sweeps her along as she tries hard to make ends meet. She's the only friend who I've kept in touch with from the Clearview church. Thank goodness I seem to be doing quite a lot better at the Meadowvale CRC in the friendship department. It makes a substantial difference.
Today was another very good day. I ended up breaking even at the casino so I effectively only lost twenty dollars. I'd have paid that to treet to a meal or go somewhere else on an outing with family so I don't mind that. We took my grandmother to Bright Ontario where she'll visit her sister Kay for a while. We had a good lunch there. She was happy to hear about my new apartment. Coming back to the apartment, I soon heard from Fernando. He had tried to call me from his balcony but another person on the ground was also talking to me so I didn't figure out that it was him and wasn't even certain until later that he spoke to me. However, I called him on the off chance that he had. That was fortuitous. He brought over some beef and chicken he had barbecued along with some salad. He's a splendid cook. I enjoyed an impromptu early dinner and treeted him to a couple of beers. It felt great to have him over for a good talk and a couple of drinks like that. Our conversation was pretty wide-ranging and most enjoyable. I look forward to many more such with him and his family. After Fernando left, I tidied up a little and then though to open my balcony door. It got quite windy this evening. Standing out there with so much air moving around was rather neat. I must confess to have been sorely tempted to get one of those Glad garbage bags and let it rore off propelled by one of the strong gusts. Of corse, such acts are sublime when contemplated but lose their lustour once perpetrated. I know I would have worried that the bag might have made someone else's day more difficult than necessary. Still, it doubtless would have sounded nifty.
Friday, March 26, 2010
life's improving tambour
Hello everyone. I guess it's been a couple of weeks. Time certainly proceeds apace here. There have been a couple of very enjoyable gatherings. Last friday evening, I went to one and made some roasted potatos which seemed to have been enjoyed. I'm still tinkering with the timing of those but have reached a point where I can count on them turning out well. It was good to get to know the people who attended the event better. The food was terrific. Mainly though, I enjoyed the conversation. I felt like I was in my element.
My futon, coffee table and two end tables arrived last week. Mark and Wendy came over and assembled the tables for me. It didn't take them long with the help of one of those diagrams. The futon didn't need much assembly and the delivery guys handled that. One of them bumped my desk on the way in and was surprised when my computer's voice suddenly began speaking. It seemed to break the ice wonderfully. I gave them a couple of softdrinks as they left. It was a marvelously warm day and I figured they could use them. The place feels so much more complete now. It makes a relaxing change to sit on that futon and enjoy music, podcasts, etc. The two tubchairs will get here some time over the next month or so. There are a number of people who I'm very much looking forward to inviting over for visits including a Spanish couple who I've become acquainted with who live in the building. I've seen Sandy a few times and have helped him move some stuff around in his apartment. He's have some ups and downs healthwise. However, he has at least been in contact with some more helpful people. They've managed to assemble the new furnature he recently got. It seems like he's pretty serious about making the best of life. There's still a kind of listlessness to him but it's no great surprise given what he's experienced. There's a lot more sunchine in him than when we first met though. He seems to think I've done him some real good already and we haven't really gotten to serious computer efforts yet. It'll alll some in due time though. I expect we'll be hearing from John Morgan soon. I wonder what he got up to in England. Some day, God willing, I'll go there with a special lady or one or more very good friends.
I'm still slowly proceeding through Stephen King's Duma Key. It's keeping me interested so far. Also, I've started going through a book called Brain Fuel which is filled with scientific facts about all sorts of foods and other things. I believe it will eventually cover more than chemistry and biological stuff. I still have quite a bit to go through. Browsing the CNIB digital library, I found another interesting-sounding book called Our True North Strange and Free. Apparently, that's got a bunch of strange stories and facts about Canada. Books like that are splendid for when you don't really feel like engaging with a story.
Tomorrow, I'll be taking another stab at trying to help improve the situation with the router my parents have. Dad's computer is just wizzing along on the information superhighway but nobody else is able to connect. Dad looked at some pretty negative reviews on Future Shop's site which may have given the key to solving the problem. Apparently, all the trouble might be resolved by updating the firmware in the router. We got it on sale just before Christmsa and I never would have figured he'd have to bother upgrading the firmware this soon. My own router seems to have come with the latest firmware already installed. Thankfully, it appears that D-link has made the updating process quite easy. Here's hoping that this step restores mom's ability to go online with her laptop.
Adam came over on wednesday. He arrived just as I was heading back upstairs with my laundry. We had a good visit and went to Monahan's in Oakville for wings. That certainly brought back some memories. The wings are more pricey now but thankfully, the taste hasn't changed. We'll doubtless head back over there on a monday to take advantage of their wing night. We hoped to play a game called Settlers 7 but found that my computer just wasn't up to it. The lack of a wide-screen monitor doesn't help its gaming capabilities. However, its CPU and outdated graphics card are larger issues. It will still be perfectly suitable for my own needs. Accessible games don't have nearly the same hardware requirements. Nor does any other software I'm likely to use. Fortunately, Hinterland turned out to be playable if a bit awkward due to not having a wide-screen perspective.
I'm taking it fairly easy today. Other than this blog entry, there are two weeks worth of groceries to order. It's that time once again. I'll have them come early next week. It has gotten quite cold here again. The weather people don't think that'll last too long. Hope they're right. I've never been fond of the cold. CSUN is happenning right now in the states. Still no word about either Trekker Breeze's update or of the Blio Reader. Their site is still up but I haven't had any news from them since sighning up for their news updates. I hope nothing has tangled them up. Regarding Dragontavern and Plenty of Fish, I'm toing equally dismally on each of these fronts. Seeing as I haven't yet sorted out my profile on POF, that's not too surprising. I also haven't kept up with the forums there and have to sink some time into all that soon. DRagon Tavern is another matter entirely. I've had a run of utterly dreadful luck. Poor Eldrex has been killed so many times now that I'm laybouring under a half-million-point XP debt. Every time I manage to chip away at it, another nasty fate befalls my brave adventurer as his controller, yours truly, takes one too many chances with his fate. What can I say? I find it good to have one area in life where decisions can be made and risks taken without fear of consequence.
It looks like I'll be seeing my two new Spanish friends Lila and Fernando tonight. We'll have drinks and some good conversation. It'll also be interesting to let them have a look at the various talking gadgets I have in here. Nice not to have another empty evening to look forward to. My grandmother will be coming late next week so she'll also get to see my apartment. I expect I'll be going on one or two family outings over the next while. The haircut I got recently seems to be a good one judging from the feedback I've gotten so far. All in all then, I'd say things were going pretty well. Think I'll end on that high note, whip up some hot chocolate and then look through the Grocery Gateway flyer which arrived in very timely fashion into my in-box.
My futon, coffee table and two end tables arrived last week. Mark and Wendy came over and assembled the tables for me. It didn't take them long with the help of one of those diagrams. The futon didn't need much assembly and the delivery guys handled that. One of them bumped my desk on the way in and was surprised when my computer's voice suddenly began speaking. It seemed to break the ice wonderfully. I gave them a couple of softdrinks as they left. It was a marvelously warm day and I figured they could use them. The place feels so much more complete now. It makes a relaxing change to sit on that futon and enjoy music, podcasts, etc. The two tubchairs will get here some time over the next month or so. There are a number of people who I'm very much looking forward to inviting over for visits including a Spanish couple who I've become acquainted with who live in the building. I've seen Sandy a few times and have helped him move some stuff around in his apartment. He's have some ups and downs healthwise. However, he has at least been in contact with some more helpful people. They've managed to assemble the new furnature he recently got. It seems like he's pretty serious about making the best of life. There's still a kind of listlessness to him but it's no great surprise given what he's experienced. There's a lot more sunchine in him than when we first met though. He seems to think I've done him some real good already and we haven't really gotten to serious computer efforts yet. It'll alll some in due time though. I expect we'll be hearing from John Morgan soon. I wonder what he got up to in England. Some day, God willing, I'll go there with a special lady or one or more very good friends.
I'm still slowly proceeding through Stephen King's Duma Key. It's keeping me interested so far. Also, I've started going through a book called Brain Fuel which is filled with scientific facts about all sorts of foods and other things. I believe it will eventually cover more than chemistry and biological stuff. I still have quite a bit to go through. Browsing the CNIB digital library, I found another interesting-sounding book called Our True North Strange and Free. Apparently, that's got a bunch of strange stories and facts about Canada. Books like that are splendid for when you don't really feel like engaging with a story.
Tomorrow, I'll be taking another stab at trying to help improve the situation with the router my parents have. Dad's computer is just wizzing along on the information superhighway but nobody else is able to connect. Dad looked at some pretty negative reviews on Future Shop's site which may have given the key to solving the problem. Apparently, all the trouble might be resolved by updating the firmware in the router. We got it on sale just before Christmsa and I never would have figured he'd have to bother upgrading the firmware this soon. My own router seems to have come with the latest firmware already installed. Thankfully, it appears that D-link has made the updating process quite easy. Here's hoping that this step restores mom's ability to go online with her laptop.
Adam came over on wednesday. He arrived just as I was heading back upstairs with my laundry. We had a good visit and went to Monahan's in Oakville for wings. That certainly brought back some memories. The wings are more pricey now but thankfully, the taste hasn't changed. We'll doubtless head back over there on a monday to take advantage of their wing night. We hoped to play a game called Settlers 7 but found that my computer just wasn't up to it. The lack of a wide-screen monitor doesn't help its gaming capabilities. However, its CPU and outdated graphics card are larger issues. It will still be perfectly suitable for my own needs. Accessible games don't have nearly the same hardware requirements. Nor does any other software I'm likely to use. Fortunately, Hinterland turned out to be playable if a bit awkward due to not having a wide-screen perspective.
I'm taking it fairly easy today. Other than this blog entry, there are two weeks worth of groceries to order. It's that time once again. I'll have them come early next week. It has gotten quite cold here again. The weather people don't think that'll last too long. Hope they're right. I've never been fond of the cold. CSUN is happenning right now in the states. Still no word about either Trekker Breeze's update or of the Blio Reader. Their site is still up but I haven't had any news from them since sighning up for their news updates. I hope nothing has tangled them up. Regarding Dragontavern and Plenty of Fish, I'm toing equally dismally on each of these fronts. Seeing as I haven't yet sorted out my profile on POF, that's not too surprising. I also haven't kept up with the forums there and have to sink some time into all that soon. DRagon Tavern is another matter entirely. I've had a run of utterly dreadful luck. Poor Eldrex has been killed so many times now that I'm laybouring under a half-million-point XP debt. Every time I manage to chip away at it, another nasty fate befalls my brave adventurer as his controller, yours truly, takes one too many chances with his fate. What can I say? I find it good to have one area in life where decisions can be made and risks taken without fear of consequence.
It looks like I'll be seeing my two new Spanish friends Lila and Fernando tonight. We'll have drinks and some good conversation. It'll also be interesting to let them have a look at the various talking gadgets I have in here. Nice not to have another empty evening to look forward to. My grandmother will be coming late next week so she'll also get to see my apartment. I expect I'll be going on one or two family outings over the next while. The haircut I got recently seems to be a good one judging from the feedback I've gotten so far. All in all then, I'd say things were going pretty well. Think I'll end on that high note, whip up some hot chocolate and then look through the Grocery Gateway flyer which arrived in very timely fashion into my in-box.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Friday's Man
Hello everyone. I've had myself quite a good friday. The groceries came with only one substitution. Probably should have gotten another bottle of dish detergent but I think what I have will last until the next order. It feels wonderfully fresh in here. I had the balcony door open for quite a while. The ceiling fan drew the outside air in and spread it around nicely. Cooking was on the whole successful. The only exception being a new Stofer's barbecue chicken penini I figured I'd try. I couldn't scan or otherwise access the cooking instructions beyond determining that it was indeed microwaveable. I overestimated the time required and nuked the first one to an inedible crisp. I was annoyed but gleeful at such tactile wanton destruction. If there was a speck of liquid in the hot brittle pile that felt ready to crumble to dust, I certainly couldn't sense it. That thing was bone dry and utterly wrecked. The second one turned out splendid. Now that I know what I'm doing, I'll have to order a few more next time. They make satisfying light lunches.
I got more done on Enchantment's Twilight this afternoon. However, it's mostly game mechanics and possible locations. The character roster still hasn't materialised for me. That's beginning to annoy me. I had a good roster in those damned notes I threw away when I thought that any desire to work on an accessible game had died along with my marriage. I still have a kind of dim faith that something or someone will inspire me at some point. It'll just click into place like so much has in my creative efforts.
I went through my music folder on the backup drive. I tend to keep a stripped down version on my computer for regular use but keep every song I purchase or have otherwise obtained on the backup drive. I discovered something like 109 songs which I had eliminated from my hard drive one by one after Janene left me. They would come up in Winamp's random drawing and I would simply find them just too painful to hear. They seemed too much a part of what she and I had together. I couldn't stand them seeming to pounce on me laiden with all the memories of jenuine love, deep friendship, comfort, and good conversation which I had so suddenly lost any hope of enjoying further. Now, at last, those songs are all mine again to enjoy. Things like Matchbox 20's Real World, Creamy's Little Yellow Fish, and at least 105 others. Putting those songs back in the playlist gave me a quite unexpected sense of restorationn which seems somewhat disproportionate to the act and situation. God knows if I'll ever be fortunate enough to find another level-headed cheerful lady remotely interested in this unemployed blind ammature writer and digital do-gooder. Even supposing I get that lucky, whether I'll actually be able to trust her enough for love to happen at all is a very open question. I guess what I've discovered is that life has changed enough for me so I can wait for time to answer those questions. Meanwhile, I can continue to build this new life I have here with the whole of my being. I feel complete again. I've reclaimed what's mine.
Adding to this triumph was tonight's dinner. I cooked chicken wings and an experimental roasted potato in the oven. It all came out perfectly. Now, it's just a matter of trying out different spices. Once Sandy's all better, I can introduce him to the potatos that used to bring the superintendants in the apartment I shared during my marriage knocking at my door.
At last, I've started reading a new novel. Over the past while, I've been turning to old favorites like Raymond Feist's excellent Serpent War sauga. However, today, it was time to start Stephen King's Duma Key. I may or may not have that spelling right. Wouldn't you know it? The book is about a man whose old life comes to an end as a result of an accident which damaged his brain. On the advice of a psychologist friend, he goes to Duma Key in Florida to start over again and figure out who he is. It certainly strikes a chord with me. However, in my case, I believe that I've at last come to a place and situation where I can fully express myself and discover a lifestyle in keeping with my desires, goals and resources. A somewhat different journey similar in its scope of possibilities.
That life continues tomorrow when I'll likely be off to Hamilton to visit my two neaces and perhaps Dan and Allison. It'll be fun seeing Ava and Amia again. On sunday, I have church as well as a possible outing with Shane and one of his friends. Sundays are becoming far less likely to be empty these days. That suits me perfectly as week days can still drag at times. I still enjoy them but have that sense that there ought to be more people in them. I think this spring and summer will expose me to a lot more people living here. That should let me find an excellent balance. Presently, I think I'd better turn in for the nigh after an great friday.
I got more done on Enchantment's Twilight this afternoon. However, it's mostly game mechanics and possible locations. The character roster still hasn't materialised for me. That's beginning to annoy me. I had a good roster in those damned notes I threw away when I thought that any desire to work on an accessible game had died along with my marriage. I still have a kind of dim faith that something or someone will inspire me at some point. It'll just click into place like so much has in my creative efforts.
I went through my music folder on the backup drive. I tend to keep a stripped down version on my computer for regular use but keep every song I purchase or have otherwise obtained on the backup drive. I discovered something like 109 songs which I had eliminated from my hard drive one by one after Janene left me. They would come up in Winamp's random drawing and I would simply find them just too painful to hear. They seemed too much a part of what she and I had together. I couldn't stand them seeming to pounce on me laiden with all the memories of jenuine love, deep friendship, comfort, and good conversation which I had so suddenly lost any hope of enjoying further. Now, at last, those songs are all mine again to enjoy. Things like Matchbox 20's Real World, Creamy's Little Yellow Fish, and at least 105 others. Putting those songs back in the playlist gave me a quite unexpected sense of restorationn which seems somewhat disproportionate to the act and situation. God knows if I'll ever be fortunate enough to find another level-headed cheerful lady remotely interested in this unemployed blind ammature writer and digital do-gooder. Even supposing I get that lucky, whether I'll actually be able to trust her enough for love to happen at all is a very open question. I guess what I've discovered is that life has changed enough for me so I can wait for time to answer those questions. Meanwhile, I can continue to build this new life I have here with the whole of my being. I feel complete again. I've reclaimed what's mine.
Adding to this triumph was tonight's dinner. I cooked chicken wings and an experimental roasted potato in the oven. It all came out perfectly. Now, it's just a matter of trying out different spices. Once Sandy's all better, I can introduce him to the potatos that used to bring the superintendants in the apartment I shared during my marriage knocking at my door.
At last, I've started reading a new novel. Over the past while, I've been turning to old favorites like Raymond Feist's excellent Serpent War sauga. However, today, it was time to start Stephen King's Duma Key. I may or may not have that spelling right. Wouldn't you know it? The book is about a man whose old life comes to an end as a result of an accident which damaged his brain. On the advice of a psychologist friend, he goes to Duma Key in Florida to start over again and figure out who he is. It certainly strikes a chord with me. However, in my case, I believe that I've at last come to a place and situation where I can fully express myself and discover a lifestyle in keeping with my desires, goals and resources. A somewhat different journey similar in its scope of possibilities.
That life continues tomorrow when I'll likely be off to Hamilton to visit my two neaces and perhaps Dan and Allison. It'll be fun seeing Ava and Amia again. On sunday, I have church as well as a possible outing with Shane and one of his friends. Sundays are becoming far less likely to be empty these days. That suits me perfectly as week days can still drag at times. I still enjoy them but have that sense that there ought to be more people in them. I think this spring and summer will expose me to a lot more people living here. That should let me find an excellent balance. Presently, I think I'd better turn in for the nigh after an great friday.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
laundry day
Hello everyone. Life is going pretty well at the moment. Yesterday, I went out to Best Buy with my father to help him get a new computer. He thought it was time to take that big step and get his own rather than just using the laptop provided by the company he recently retired from. I've steered him towards getting an HP Pavilion which came with a good sised lcd monitor. Computers and monitors certainly aren't the heavy things they once were. We had no trouble carrying anything. They pack that stuff very well to the point where it took time just to get everything out and assembled. Once all the cables were plugged in, the startup and installation was quite simple. The only snag happened with the N wifi adaptor which wouldn't link up with the router without some extra prompting which shouldn't have been necessary. There are some differences with how Windows7 does things but most major elements like the control panel seem to be the same as with XP. We downloaded and installed Microsoft Security Essentials. I figure that this software combined with the firewall built into Windows ought to be plenty of protection. In fact, after reading numerous favorable reviews, I've decided to uninstall the security package I've paid for to start using the free Security Essentials on my netbook. So far, I've been quite impressed. It takes up a lot less memory. The interface is very accessible. We'll see how things go over time there.
I got a call about my long awaited furnature at the Brick. Apparently, most of it will arrive at the store on the 12th. I'll be getting a call to set up an appointment for delivery soon. Two tubchairs will take a while longer to get here. Having the futon here will certainly make the place feel more complete. I can start to have more than one or two people over and feel like I can properly accomodate them. The futon should seet three people comfortably when in couch form.
On tuesday, dad took me out for a walk. It was wonderful weather and I was actually hot when we got back. Getting to the Meadowvale Town Centre will be easier than it was from my parents' house. I'll only have to cross one small street. There are a few branches on the path which I'll have to avoid accidentally taking but nothing dangerous. Also, there were a lot of people out there and plenty of benches and areas for outdoor activities. I expect I'll spend a lot of time out there this Summer. The Trekker Breeze is working quite well. I still await the release of an update for it which ought to be out fairly soon along with the Blio Reader.
I had a great deal of fun on Sunday. The church service was excellent as always. It was followed by what is becoming a fairly regular but deeply appreciated ocurrance of having lunch with Shane and his family. After that, we attended the games night event held each month. It was a good thing Shane brought his computer. Something had gone wrong with my copy of Jim Kitchen's Monopoly version. Later on, I figured out that re-installing the game fixed the problem quite simply. It looks like Shane's in to games as well so I imagine we'll be attending more of them together. Hopefully, Joseph will also be able to join us. Life has definitely taken on a far more social aspect since I've moved here. I'm can't express how deeply grateful I am for this. There are still many moments when I keenly feel the lack of a special lady. However, barring some catastrophic change, I can be more than merely content here. There are enough friendly people around that I can picture things becoming even more fulfilling over time as I meet more of them.
Saturday evening was an unexpected interesting experience. I went out to lend my knowledge of trivia to a table attending the Mississauga MS Society's trivia fundraising event. I had a lot of fun, got to know some very good people and even came up with some answers in timely fashion. Earlier on Saturday, I finally bit the bullet and removed my outdated copy of Jaws from my desktop computer. I'm strictly using System Access and NVDA on the desktop. That let me install a long overdue update to my graphics card drivers which ought to make gaming with Adam here more palitable to him. It has also greatly sped up my computer's boot speed and made things generally more snappy. I won't be able to play some treasured games on it anymore. However, I plan to keep Jaws on my netbook for occasions when its strengths are needed. So far, System Access has done quite well. The major exception was the day before yesterday when I was ordering my groceries.
Today is a laundry day put off nearly to the last moment. It's been a tad over two weeks. I'll definitely be getting my laundry money's worth this time around. I wonder if the nicer weather we've been having will have any impact on how busy the machines are. While I ate breakfast, I heard an excellent BBC Radio4 Choice podcast about the large hadron colider. I remember how excited I was when that massive and complex machine went online around a year ago. It looks like they're finally ready to continue with experiments. Hearing the people involved discussing what things have been like at the LHC was absolutely fascinating. Even more was hearing about their hopes and speculations on what might be uncovered by the machine. I have the same sense of how intrinsically worth-while such exploration is as I do about our ventures in space. I've learned first hand how utterly empty life can get if there's nothing new to experience or contemplate. Hopefully, that sort of stagnation is at last behind me for good.
The laundry is half done now. There was absolutely nobody in that room today although at least one machine was running. Pretty soon, everything will be back up here and hung or stashed in its proper place. I always feel better when that's the case when it comes to laundry. I prefer my disorganisation to be in other areas of life. After the laundry's all squared away, things ought to be pretty relaxed. I have leftovers from yesterday for dinner although I may throw some green pepper on the grill to add to them. I've been accidentally neglecting those lately. My new order of groceries will come tomorrow. I don't think I'm going to over-spend on groceries this month. Keeping supplied with fresh fruit and vegetables takes some consideration. Online shopping can be quite economical once you get into a good rhythm and learn to space things out properly. I ought to have that more in hand in another month or two. Things are certainly moving in a nice direction in that area. I'm getting the hang of things like that again fairly quickly.
I got a call about my long awaited furnature at the Brick. Apparently, most of it will arrive at the store on the 12th. I'll be getting a call to set up an appointment for delivery soon. Two tubchairs will take a while longer to get here. Having the futon here will certainly make the place feel more complete. I can start to have more than one or two people over and feel like I can properly accomodate them. The futon should seet three people comfortably when in couch form.
On tuesday, dad took me out for a walk. It was wonderful weather and I was actually hot when we got back. Getting to the Meadowvale Town Centre will be easier than it was from my parents' house. I'll only have to cross one small street. There are a few branches on the path which I'll have to avoid accidentally taking but nothing dangerous. Also, there were a lot of people out there and plenty of benches and areas for outdoor activities. I expect I'll spend a lot of time out there this Summer. The Trekker Breeze is working quite well. I still await the release of an update for it which ought to be out fairly soon along with the Blio Reader.
I had a great deal of fun on Sunday. The church service was excellent as always. It was followed by what is becoming a fairly regular but deeply appreciated ocurrance of having lunch with Shane and his family. After that, we attended the games night event held each month. It was a good thing Shane brought his computer. Something had gone wrong with my copy of Jim Kitchen's Monopoly version. Later on, I figured out that re-installing the game fixed the problem quite simply. It looks like Shane's in to games as well so I imagine we'll be attending more of them together. Hopefully, Joseph will also be able to join us. Life has definitely taken on a far more social aspect since I've moved here. I'm can't express how deeply grateful I am for this. There are still many moments when I keenly feel the lack of a special lady. However, barring some catastrophic change, I can be more than merely content here. There are enough friendly people around that I can picture things becoming even more fulfilling over time as I meet more of them.
Saturday evening was an unexpected interesting experience. I went out to lend my knowledge of trivia to a table attending the Mississauga MS Society's trivia fundraising event. I had a lot of fun, got to know some very good people and even came up with some answers in timely fashion. Earlier on Saturday, I finally bit the bullet and removed my outdated copy of Jaws from my desktop computer. I'm strictly using System Access and NVDA on the desktop. That let me install a long overdue update to my graphics card drivers which ought to make gaming with Adam here more palitable to him. It has also greatly sped up my computer's boot speed and made things generally more snappy. I won't be able to play some treasured games on it anymore. However, I plan to keep Jaws on my netbook for occasions when its strengths are needed. So far, System Access has done quite well. The major exception was the day before yesterday when I was ordering my groceries.
Today is a laundry day put off nearly to the last moment. It's been a tad over two weeks. I'll definitely be getting my laundry money's worth this time around. I wonder if the nicer weather we've been having will have any impact on how busy the machines are. While I ate breakfast, I heard an excellent BBC Radio4 Choice podcast about the large hadron colider. I remember how excited I was when that massive and complex machine went online around a year ago. It looks like they're finally ready to continue with experiments. Hearing the people involved discussing what things have been like at the LHC was absolutely fascinating. Even more was hearing about their hopes and speculations on what might be uncovered by the machine. I have the same sense of how intrinsically worth-while such exploration is as I do about our ventures in space. I've learned first hand how utterly empty life can get if there's nothing new to experience or contemplate. Hopefully, that sort of stagnation is at last behind me for good.
The laundry is half done now. There was absolutely nobody in that room today although at least one machine was running. Pretty soon, everything will be back up here and hung or stashed in its proper place. I always feel better when that's the case when it comes to laundry. I prefer my disorganisation to be in other areas of life. After the laundry's all squared away, things ought to be pretty relaxed. I have leftovers from yesterday for dinner although I may throw some green pepper on the grill to add to them. I've been accidentally neglecting those lately. My new order of groceries will come tomorrow. I don't think I'm going to over-spend on groceries this month. Keeping supplied with fresh fruit and vegetables takes some consideration. Online shopping can be quite economical once you get into a good rhythm and learn to space things out properly. I ought to have that more in hand in another month or two. Things are certainly moving in a nice direction in that area. I'm getting the hang of things like that again fairly quickly.
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