Island Time

Well, I'm officially on "island time" - and I mean that both figuratively and literally!  They do not "fall back" for daylight savings time down here, so as of Sunday, I am an hour ahead of NC and two hours ahead of IL.  And the goal is to do a better job of enjoying island time - in the figurative sense!

Enjoyed a day off work today, thanks to all the Veterans!  I was still up bright and early, as my friend Jeff had offered to teach me to scuba dive, but the effects of yesterday's storm put a damper on those plans.  Yes, I am just fine - thanks to everyone for your care and concern.  Luckily my apartment is at the top of a hill, so no flooding, but sounds like lots of damage to much of the island, especially on the West end not too far from my place.  I am thankful to have only suffered a few power/internet/phone outages as my only inconvenience.  Jeff said the water looked like chocolate milk, and as much as I love chocolate milk, it sure doesn't seem like what I want to be diving in!  So I really had a free day - all this time on my hands, with no plans.  I decided to tackle my to do list - starting with an oil change and laundry (seemingly simple and quick chores, right?!?).

To be honest, I can't even recall all the stops I made this morning - and at one point ended up back at the apartment to make lunch - at which point I had not succeeded at either of my errands a few hours into the day.  I did learn a lot about my Jeep, though - which was probably good for me.  I've never changed my own oil before - back home, you just pull into the service shop, and 20 minutes later you drive home.  Well I had to go to one place to buy the filter, another to buy the oil (thanks Jeff for answering that phone call!), then finally back to the service station.  The guys were great and Jeep is in good shape - but wow, what a process!

Went to the laundromat a few weeks ago, but one of my neighbors also told me about the hotel down the street with a coin-operated washer and dryer.  Let's see, I can go sit in a warehouse and more efficiently do my laundry ... or I could do one load at a time and sit on the beach / lay in the hammock / go for a walk in between cycles.  I'll choose door #2 please!  Funny how at first it bothered me not to feel very productive, given how early I was up and running and took me ALL DAY to only get two things done, but it also forced me to slow down and just enjoy it - and that's not a bad idea at all =)

As I was waiting for my laundry, I went for a walk on the beach and ran into the couple who lives in the apartment next to me, Nadine and Randy.  We are always very cordial, saying hello every time we see each other, but I have not had a chance to get to know them better than that.  They spotted me and hollered my name, so I walked over and we had nice little chat.  They were both born and raised here, but have spent the past ten years in North Carolina!  And Nadine used to work for Bank of America!  Crazy!  A few years in Durham, then most recently in Mebane.  We got talking about the Panthers, Bobcats, Carowinds, UNC, Duke, etc. - ah, how cool is that?!?  Small island ... small world =)

I also met my neighbor Bill who lives downstairs.  His car is in the shop and he did not have a ride to work ... so I graciously offered to take him as I was heading that direction anyway.  And I'm especially happy to return the favor after not having wheels for the first few weeks!

Off to trivia tonight ... and we are on pace to win ... stay tuned!