We are now in Charlotte, NC. One of our co-workers got us to stay in a town house on our own to 'house-sit' it. It's a beautiful place, and I could tell that the woman who lives here and I would get along just beautifully. Her taste in music and books remind me of my own collection. Also, she has a cute little orange Scion that she, despite never having met us, is letting us drive while we are in town. I like to call it the orange dream machine. It makes that sound that my engine makes, and it's nice to be able to see out of my rearview mirror (you can't with our van).
We are here for three nights, though the original plan was for 7 nights. There was a last minute change in our schedule, and we ended up in Plymouth, NC for four nights. Way way way too long. Most of who we've met from High Point or Charlotte don't even know where that is. It aws a 4 hour drive from High Point, whereas Charlotte would have only been an hour away. So we basically are criss-crossing the state since Plymouth is on the Atlantic. It was a little dump of a town to be honest. We asked someone in Plymouth of activities he could recommend while we were in town, and he said, "Honest, there is nothing to do in Plymouth." Hooray we got to stay there for four nights. We did get a recommendation for the Mexican Restaurant that was across the way from us, which we did try, and which was pretty good. But other than that, there was naught else to do but hang out in our room watching TV or play on the very slow internet. We were so excited to leave.
Charlotte has been really fun. Our co-worker that set up this place for us, her name is Christina (who is also my new partner for next semester), got some of her friends to take us to lunch and dinner. Also, there is a couple of handy malls nearby. I spent today finishing up my Christmas shopping. The tricky part was fitting everything into my luggage with the knowledge that I will be flying back to California.
So the people we've met have been fantastic. The local cafe I tried on their recommendation this morning, Zeda Jane's, is quite delicious. It look like the kind of place my friend Erica and I want to run someday. It was clear that it was a local favorite as there were tons of people waiting to be seated. I, dining alone, got seated right away at the "bar" area. They had shelves of mugs all different. It look like a collection of home mugs, which I kinda like over being too matching for this kind of place. Above the mugs were wine glasses. Above the coffee containers was the wine. Perfect. The barman was simultaneously taking breakfast orders (it was 11:30) and making and shaking Bloody Marys. Like any time one sits alone, it was a tiny bit awkward at first, but the barman's friendliness, and the joyful conversations happening around me seemed to lift any discomfort. Sitting alone is an art. You have to mean it. It has to seem like it's a choice. But you also don't want to be cold and distant, so smiling at people around you isn't unreasonable. If it's not too intrusive, you might want to start a conversation. This, unfortunately was not something I succeeded to do. But it's all right. I loved my simple two eggs, turkey sausage, and (best of all) sweet potato hash browns. The latter was the whole reason why I came.
Anyway, I'm spent from all my shopping. I never want to set foot in a mall ever again. However, I'm excited to give presents to my loved ones.
Until next time, good night, dear void. Five more days until I head home!
