We spent the remaining minutes of 2006 glued to the TV, watching the live telecast of countdown at Time Square, NY. Dick Clark, the host, appeared not to be unduly handicapped by the heart attack that he has recovered from.“Ten, nine, eight, …” While the countdown continued, I was in a mad rush to get my digital Cam to freeze the passage of the momentous occasion, but failed. It’s not easy to get shots off a TV display as attested to by my several shots of either a bright blob that masks everything or streaks of wavy lines criss-crossing the image. So the best we could do was to commit the flashes of the frolicking celebrations around the world to our memory, knowing too well that they will fade away, just like memories of the misfortunes, injustice, and suffering attendant to the tumultuous year that was 2006.
On the other hand, good memories do linger on. Especially when they are chronicled, which my blog is meant to do. So on this particular day, the penultimate day of 2006, we decided to capitalize on the advertised sale in JC Penny. This one is at the Westshore Mall, at the end of a concourse shown here. Once in, we each gravitated to different corners of the store but my role was strictly restricted to one of browsing, and the more onerous one, the pay master. But I did get something for myself from the Mall, a pair of slip-on leather shoes from PayLess.
The purchasing mission at JC Penny completed, we adjourned to the food court for a quick lunch. There was plenty of food to choose from the food vendors lining both sides of the foot court, with the central area reserved for dining tables and chairs. We ordered Chinese fastfood.
While seeking more bargain goods in the deep bowel of the Westshore Mall, which comprises a labyrinth-like network of branch alleyways, we bumped into this self-advertisement monolith, the Bath Fitter. Hey, there’s where Dan works, but over at Portland, Oregon. According to Dan, the Portland store that he helps manage, one of the many franchises throughout US (mostly along the East Coast and Chicago areas, for now), uses exactly the same bath model with worded advertisements on all sides.On the way home, we decided to make a detour to drop by at the Tampa store listed on the brochure. And after some trial and error navigation, we found it. But it was closed for the day. Otherwise who knows what kind of networking that could have been struck up by Dan ...
After close to a week of sunshine, warmth, sand and surf, Night at the Museum, not to mention the great variety of culinary delights (Chinese, Italian, Thai, and home-cooked), CY and Dan bid us goodbye yesterday to return to the fold of the familiar Oregonian winter. But I have a strong feeling that they shall return ...
So there goes my first blog for 2007, fittingly one of family get-together, farewell, and looking forward to the next reunion, which will include WJ who has been holding the fort in Malaysia, and doing an admirable job at that.
4 comments:
We miss Florida already! Especially with forecasts of snow in our immediate future... D'oh!!! But yes, we shall return soon. :D Dan has even looked up job opportunities in Tampa...!
Dan & I watched a bit of the same New Year's show in Portland (albeit not live), but ended up going to bed around 11:30, too tired to stay up for the whole thing...and when we woke up, lo and behold, it was 2007! Now I can say, "I slept from 2006 to 2007." ALthough, needless to say, my year was actually chockful of events!
Serious? We promise we would remain invisible if both of you decide to come east.
HAHAHAHAHAHA
(That was sarcastic. Although it's aimed mostly at Mom.) ;)
Of course we will always be around to help out if needed.
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