An update

I'll do a bullet list since it's been so long without an update..almost three months...ughhh..

• I made my first trip on my own.Went to London , to stay at a CI friend , who also is a very dear friend to me , but the trip was both exhilarating and scary.Had to face myself in a few ways , and some of my biggest fears had to be tackled head on.I'm glad I did the trip , but I also feel half-regret that I did it.Does that make sense? I'm still processing it...I've learned some very HARD lessons, and I have to reinforce them so some things won't happen again...
  
• Also , when I was on the trip , I made a point of visiting Chinatown and the Chinese parade.While I did not see it - too much of a crowd , and me and one friend were very unnerved from that, it was quite the hearing moment to hear the fireworks and the crackers!I also tried Chinese food.It was DELICIOUS.
  
• While at the trip , I could understand almost everyone except my host , which had me frustrated to the highest point.We made it work , communicating via other ways , but I was resenting myself for that the entire trip.Feelings were run a big high...
• Since the trip though , even if it was in London , and I talked almost exclusively in English with a few exceptions , I've seen a LOT of improvement in my speech and my hearing.The most scary was today's speech session : I had to do my usual exercise - where speech recites from a text , and I have a xerox of the text and I follow along and repeat..well , today I did not have a xerox , we did a new text too , and other than having a few repeats, I could hear her..I had to look at her for a few new words , but that was it.That was scary and exhilarating , and when the session finished , I was feeling like it was something I must be dreaming..
• My laptop broke when I got back...since it wasn't worth it to get it fixed , I acquired a new one instead , but meanwhile , I had to make do with loaners for two weeks..I was TIRED of loaners.I got my new laptop yesterday , activated the warranty and I've set down to work that has been neglected for a LONG time.
• I celebrated my birthday while in London , twice.It was a very nice birthday , and actually the kind of the birthday I wanted - even if I never told my friends that , they DID ask me though what I'd like , but I would evade the issue.I always feel embarassed when they're putting attention on me , that's why.But , it was just what I wanted , with an additional surprise :)
  
• I have a new sound : I don't like hearing myself type on this laptop , it's a bit noisier.But , again , my old laptop was an store-brand that lasted 3 yrs , while this one is a well known brand , and I hope it'll last me for at least 4-5 years , if not more!
  
• My telecoil link broke last week , and I had to order a new one.I went today to get it , but they told me at the courier site , that I should have gone to a different shop...HUH?but yours is the closest to my home? I got confused.She told me to call...ummm, HELLOOOOOOOOOOO? she got it after a few repeats , thankfully.She told me , but you can't be deaf! You have impeccable speech! LOL.She decided to get it delivered in her shop , and I'd get there tomorrow to get it.
  
• Braces are going good.I was afraid they'd break while in London , and that wouldn't been the best thing , but they lasted ,and now I'm on a bit of a different regime..put some retainers myself , every morning.That one is clearly hard! Every time I remove one to replace it , I can't help myself but yawn really hard , lol!
  
• Today it's Mardi Gras day in Greece , which is a tradition to bake or fry things , mostly meat and whatever else we will deny ourselves in Lent.We're also in the swing of pre-Lenten Carnival.While walking to speech I saw several families in the pavement having meat on coals , the smell preceding them a block or two.Meats , sausages , steaks , bread , fries , souvlakia , whatever you'd want to eat , was on coals.I also saw SEVERAL motorbikes that were from delivery food places all over the way , one nearly mowed me in the way back! ( In my defense , he was going the WRONG way in an one way street! ).The Mardi Gras harks from the olden days in Greece , where we used to bake meat in fire , and the smell was the food of the Twelve Gods.
  
• Since I was ill the last few days , I'm not going to celebrate Mardi Gras , but stay in , and make a cake for the Carnival party I'm going to , tomorrow.Yummmm.I haven't decided what I will dress up as.
• I've been reading a book about American history , and it was VERY interesting..I haven't finished it yet , but I keep underlining things , googling details , and also , using my iTouch's dictionary apps for new words.I also have been catching up on news, and it's been quite the thump on earth.

That's it...Off to make the cake for the party :)