New Year

The first trip to a mall for the year was accomplished. My iPad's Smart Keyboard opted to not behave, requiring a trip to the oddly named Genius Bar. It's being replaced-yay extended warranty!-and it was great to be out with my friend window shopping. Don and Jerry stayed home, and since I got back I've been under guard-my lap became a dog bed for a while, but he's moved over to Don. There's a hockey game underway, and Jerry is monitoring for when he needs to block the screen... Don is "watching" the game, so I'm amusing myself.

Apart from the keyboard, which had required an appointment. we had no urgent business. We wandered the mall admiring the window displays and wondering how some stores stay open! As much as I enjoy exploring stores, there are some kinds of merchandise that are of no interest to me-nor many others, judging by where shoppers congregate. I also did an unconscious comparison with mall stores in Trinidad. There, stores are on average one-third the floor space of the Canadian ones, but they carry similar levels of inventory. It does mean that browsing is easier in Canada as there's more room. Today, as we walked around I looked in the stores. They were mainly empty, but the mall was as busy as it was pre-plague. The lines in the food court stretched a long way, as they did for treats, coffee, the Apple store and department stores. The smaller, niche places, with intricate displays, were mainly occupied by employees. It was nice seeing people out and about, but we were masked throughout. After 2 + years with no colds or flus, I'm keeping my mask on.

Finally, I've got to return to the mall soon, as the keyboard wasn't in stock, and I've got to physically return the non-functional device. That means that the collection of "My Little Pony" stickers that my niece used to decorate the cover will be lost. I'm sure that she will remedy that on my next visit... she enjoyed "beautifying" my "book phone." I'll go looking for stickers that I might enjoy-no "my little pony" ! No "Frozen"! And limited glitter. Note how firm and clear those requirements are... we'll see how long that lasts when I'm back with the kids.

I'm anticipating being able to type again. While I enjoy writing with the Apple pencil-both my writing and the software's recognition have improved, so there are fewer errors in the transcribed version-using the keyboard gives more editing control. I no longer have a laptop/ notebook/desktop computer-my iPad is my fulltime device. It's great for almost everything I need to do, and the keyboard brings it closer to the notebook experience. I miss having things like a DVD drive and USB ports, but I'm otherwise self-supported. (I do have adapters to let me read external devices, but 90% of the time it's too much of a hassle to connect. Yes, I'm lazy sometimes.) In the store today, my friend was considering a smartwatch (I'm never far from my phone/tablet, so I 'm unconvinced of the value) and also looked at a new iPad. I did too, but decided that I'm fine with this one. The latest model doesn't seem to offer much of an upgrade over mine, so I'll just "drive it 'till the wheels fall off." as Don put it.

So, with a feeling of smug satisfaction of saving money, I'm home, being petted by a small dog. (Role reversal!) Good night!