Can't quite bring myself to take a 2008 Rick Steves Rome travel guide on my trip. I love old travel books but it would probably be missing a lot of important info, such as the name of the Pope! Shall I just wing it? Going to Italy with no phone, camera, computer....back to the olden days of pencil and paper. Not so bad except I might miss stuff, but that is OK. I have already DONE Italy, even if it WAS 46 years ago! Also, I don't speak Italian.
Will probably return my audio book unfinished. The Darling Dahlias and the Texas Star, by Susan Wittig Albert. I think I enjoyed one of hers before but this one just seems trivial and with too many characters. I have to keep reminding myself that it is supposed to take place in 1932. Don't like the readers so much, either.
Everybody's got something, by Robin Roberts. Trying to finish it before my trip. She had breast cancer and then another disease requiring a bone marrow transplant. What a great personality! Always smiling, she has a ton of friends. Has recently been more open about her girlfriend. They live separately and have no plans to tie the know anytime soon. Difficult days such as finding out her diagnosis on the same day that her morning show topped the ratings for the first time. And her transplant was proceeded by her mother's death by only a few weeks. Luckily she has sisters.
Thursday, May 22, 2014
Saturday, May 17, 2014
My schizophrenic day
Perhaps that is not the name for it, but I have gone from serene to angry to pissed off to happy again. Started out at Cape May Point listening to the ocean, painting in the sun, smelling the flowers, enjoying the peace and quiet. Then I drove to my town and up to get an emergency manicure for a party tonight. Top nails is so unpleasant I had to leave. No one acknowledges you and when I spoke to a woman she looked like I had done something HIGHLY inappropriate. I was hating it so much I couldn't even stay. Accidentally walked out with one of their nail polishes. That's what they get. Then working up a sweat at home trying to get all of the things done for party tonight and spending several days away from home. I am all discombobulated. Laundry, phone messages, trash, sheet of sister appreciation, stuff to wear, etc. Left with only a few minutes to get an audio book for my long drive and check the email at the library. Lo and behold...in addition to air conditioning, they had new big screen computers and the kind of mice that I like, the small, dainty ones. I am in seventh heaven! And they got FASTER too.
Am in a real Diane Keaton phase. Finished the audio book of Let's just say it wasn't pretty, humorous essays about her life and loves and kids and beauty and aging. She has 48 pictures of men "imprisoned" on her wall and is a serial house renovator. She has lived in 10 houses in 15 years. I can't imagine that!
Really enjoyed this audio book and laughed out loud in several spots.
Now someone is hacking and coughing next to me. OK, I forgot about the other irritating thing after the nail salon debacle. Came home and ALL THREE of the annoying dogs in my neighborhood were barking at once. I really do resent dogs that bark at me when I am just minding my own business. That was the best thing about Cape May Point, no friggin' barking dogs.
Am in a real Diane Keaton phase. Finished the audio book of Let's just say it wasn't pretty, humorous essays about her life and loves and kids and beauty and aging. She has 48 pictures of men "imprisoned" on her wall and is a serial house renovator. She has lived in 10 houses in 15 years. I can't imagine that!
Really enjoyed this audio book and laughed out loud in several spots.
Now someone is hacking and coughing next to me. OK, I forgot about the other irritating thing after the nail salon debacle. Came home and ALL THREE of the annoying dogs in my neighborhood were barking at once. I really do resent dogs that bark at me when I am just minding my own business. That was the best thing about Cape May Point, no friggin' barking dogs.
Friday, May 16, 2014
Things I learned about birds
There are 426 species of birds in Cape May, New Jersey. In the month of May is when songs of birds are most heard. In the Spring a lot of birds are colorful. Their plumage becomes duller in the fall. I saw a bunch of birds in Heislerville, East Point Lighthouse and Thompson's beach. The best named bird is the Ruddy Stoneturn. The cutest bird was a barn swallow. Yesterday was a great day for bird watching and rescuing horseshoe crabs. Today it was rainy and windy but the hardcore birders kept at it.
Cape May was a bit sad today in the rain. It is only limping into the summer season anyway. Saw a jogger and two women riding bikes like it wasn't even raining, but generally speaking, not much is going on. Nice and quiet in Cape May Point, just the way I like it. The body of water across from our rented house got very active later in the afternoon. It was enjoyable to watch and listen. But the very BEST part of the day was waking up and seeing the sun rise over the pond out the window while I was still lying in bed. I am looking out of a window right now and seeing the beam of the lighthouse. It is nicely framed by the window.
Read the current edition of the newspaper called Exit zero. That is the exit off of the Garden State Parkway for Cape May. It is a rag filled with advertisements and pictures of people posing and posed. You get a good idea of what goes on around here.
Cape May was a bit sad today in the rain. It is only limping into the summer season anyway. Saw a jogger and two women riding bikes like it wasn't even raining, but generally speaking, not much is going on. Nice and quiet in Cape May Point, just the way I like it. The body of water across from our rented house got very active later in the afternoon. It was enjoyable to watch and listen. But the very BEST part of the day was waking up and seeing the sun rise over the pond out the window while I was still lying in bed. I am looking out of a window right now and seeing the beam of the lighthouse. It is nicely framed by the window.
Read the current edition of the newspaper called Exit zero. That is the exit off of the Garden State Parkway for Cape May. It is a rag filled with advertisements and pictures of people posing and posed. You get a good idea of what goes on around here.
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
41,959 people
That's how many of us were at Citizen's Bank park for the Phillies game last night. I was really there to see Mike Trout, local boy and success story who still loves his home town of Millville. Let's just say it was an experience. Many nice, helpful people and then some who just gave totally erroneous information and didn't seem to care. It was all quite confusing, what with the elevators, the escalators, the condiments bar and the freezing cold wind. I found escapes....the VIP elevator entrance, the freight elevator closet and the ladies room. Mike's team won. He didn't do much exciting but then again he didn't make any errors, either. He was very SMALL as I was sitting on the fourth row up (the "nosebleed section") Our home team (the Phillies) is not his team (The Los Angeles Angels) so there was a lot of cheering to both sides. Hope I am not going to catch a cold from the extremely frigid and windy conditions. Some people had on ski jackets and gloves and there were a lot of young girls with even less clothes than I had on.
Came down to Cape May Point where my sister has rented a house for a couple of days. Unfortunately, it looks like a couple of raining, cool days.
But fun to get a change of scene.
Spent the day cancelling newspapers and mail and doing I don't know what.
Came down to Cape May Point where my sister has rented a house for a couple of days. Unfortunately, it looks like a couple of raining, cool days.
But fun to get a change of scene.
Spent the day cancelling newspapers and mail and doing I don't know what.
Monday, May 12, 2014
I finally finished The goldfinch
Didn't get tired of it and kind of sorry it is over. Finished the 26th CD after reading only one third of the book and starting all over. A coming of age story about a few friends, all with very unusual circumstances. A fictional story about a real painting, which I saw at the Frick Gallery in New York City. A great tale of dissipation, lying, neglect and many surprises. The goldfinch, by Donna Tartt, received the Pulitzer prize for fiction.
A somewhat nice Mother's day, even though I am not a mother and I no longer have a mother (living). Whiled away the morning at church and then went out to eat with two women and their son. Discovered saffron mussles at the Green Olive. May have to replace my usual item which is a feta and spinach omelet. Of course, the BEST thing was the warm really delicious bread and the butter which helped to sop up some of the creamiest sauce I have ever had on mussles.
The day was marred by my Mexican neighbors on Oak Street who think they OWN the block. Many loud parties in the back yard. Laughing, yelling, music, two barking dogs and many friends and relatives cluttering up the place. Once in awhile I wouldn't mind....but all night THursday and now all day on Sunday. I can't even enjoy my yard and have to turn on music and TV and air conditioners to even enjoy the inside of my home. I did call the police about the extremely loud Mexican music, but I am not sure if they turned it down. I am determined to call the police once a day every day they are bothering me. It could be worse, at least they are not cursing or fighting, but still.
A somewhat nice Mother's day, even though I am not a mother and I no longer have a mother (living). Whiled away the morning at church and then went out to eat with two women and their son. Discovered saffron mussles at the Green Olive. May have to replace my usual item which is a feta and spinach omelet. Of course, the BEST thing was the warm really delicious bread and the butter which helped to sop up some of the creamiest sauce I have ever had on mussles.
The day was marred by my Mexican neighbors on Oak Street who think they OWN the block. Many loud parties in the back yard. Laughing, yelling, music, two barking dogs and many friends and relatives cluttering up the place. Once in awhile I wouldn't mind....but all night THursday and now all day on Sunday. I can't even enjoy my yard and have to turn on music and TV and air conditioners to even enjoy the inside of my home. I did call the police about the extremely loud Mexican music, but I am not sure if they turned it down. I am determined to call the police once a day every day they are bothering me. It could be worse, at least they are not cursing or fighting, but still.
Thursday, May 8, 2014
I love the beach off-season
Being sort of a hermit, I love the beach when no one is around. Today I lay right down on the sand as I couldn't find my beach blanket in the trunk. I had a big lunch and after driving for an hour I felt a bit sleepy. 15 minutes on each side was for my "Vitamin D bath". My, but it was relaxing! Seems like I spend my life avoiding people, crowds, bothers of any kind. Like the mother of all the arts in Millville, who insists that negative topics not be discussed in her art studio.
Returned my library book and the fine was only 15 cents. Now I am ensconced in the computer lab (no windows) at the Ocean City Public Library. Also wonderful to be in the car so I can listen to my audiobook of The goldfinch. (I LOVE Boris). I am approaching the end and am always on pins and needles about what is going to happen.
Finished another book that was assigned by my book club. I didn't like it so much. Dirt music is by Tim Winton. It takes place in Australia and involves a love triangle (?) between three people who have a lot of unpleasant histories, not necessarily together. I liked the fact that there were a lot of unfamiliar words, which I am going to look up. But there was so much unpleasantness of various kinds and the ending was really confusing. Too much about bodily fluids and the sentences are often fragments and when someone is speaking, there are no quotation marks. Not sure about other books on that point but the difficulty comes when he moves between what they are saying and what they are thinking and you are not sure which it is. It was also in large print and I sometimes wonder if that affects my view of the book.
Returned my library book and the fine was only 15 cents. Now I am ensconced in the computer lab (no windows) at the Ocean City Public Library. Also wonderful to be in the car so I can listen to my audiobook of The goldfinch. (I LOVE Boris). I am approaching the end and am always on pins and needles about what is going to happen.
Finished another book that was assigned by my book club. I didn't like it so much. Dirt music is by Tim Winton. It takes place in Australia and involves a love triangle (?) between three people who have a lot of unpleasant histories, not necessarily together. I liked the fact that there were a lot of unfamiliar words, which I am going to look up. But there was so much unpleasantness of various kinds and the ending was really confusing. Too much about bodily fluids and the sentences are often fragments and when someone is speaking, there are no quotation marks. Not sure about other books on that point but the difficulty comes when he moves between what they are saying and what they are thinking and you are not sure which it is. It was also in large print and I sometimes wonder if that affects my view of the book.
Wednesday, May 7, 2014
"The Villages"
Imagine over 107,000 people over 55 living within 5 square miles. It is the fastest growing metropolitan area in the country! I don't think I would like it. Too crowded with wealthy retired people. It was founded by a billionaire and is known as "Disneyland for adults". It is in Florida, not sure exactly where.
A job has become available in my area of expertise. However, it is a "starter" job, downsized to 20 hours in order to save money on benefits. While it would be nice to have some extra money, the thought of having to commit myself to a schedule is not appealing and I would rather escape from some of the people who hang out at his place rather than help them. I am not proud of that sentiment, but there it is. I was there yesterday and some people came in and sat at the adjoining table. I couldn't wait to leave. Two people, one handicapped, curse words every other word, and a rank odor of cat piss. I am very sensitive to the smell of urine and unwashed bodies and stale smoke. (Hmmm...maybe I WOULD like the Villages?!)
Nice to wake up today with only the prospect of my usual research haunt and choir practice. Sometimes I wear myself out running around to all of my various activities. Like tomorrow, when I have arthritis exercise class at 8 AM, followed by art class from 9:30 - 12:30. Then I have to run down to Ocean City to return a library book. I tried to renew it, but someone had put it on hold. French women don't get facelifts talks about aging gracefully without too much intervention.
A job has become available in my area of expertise. However, it is a "starter" job, downsized to 20 hours in order to save money on benefits. While it would be nice to have some extra money, the thought of having to commit myself to a schedule is not appealing and I would rather escape from some of the people who hang out at his place rather than help them. I am not proud of that sentiment, but there it is. I was there yesterday and some people came in and sat at the adjoining table. I couldn't wait to leave. Two people, one handicapped, curse words every other word, and a rank odor of cat piss. I am very sensitive to the smell of urine and unwashed bodies and stale smoke. (Hmmm...maybe I WOULD like the Villages?!)
Nice to wake up today with only the prospect of my usual research haunt and choir practice. Sometimes I wear myself out running around to all of my various activities. Like tomorrow, when I have arthritis exercise class at 8 AM, followed by art class from 9:30 - 12:30. Then I have to run down to Ocean City to return a library book. I tried to renew it, but someone had put it on hold. French women don't get facelifts talks about aging gracefully without too much intervention.
Saturday, May 3, 2014
The goldfinch
Remembered a little bird I saw in a museum so I tried to find it online. I believe it IS what gave the idea for the book The Goldfinch. It is in the Frick Gallery in New York City. I started the book and only got 1/3 of the way through it before it became overdue. Then started all over again with the 26 CD audiobook. It is quite compelling!
Finished Then again, by Diane Keaton. I love reading autobiographies and finding out who knew whom and such like that. I am eager to read her new book as I enjoyed this one on my Nook. She never married (I like THOSE role models) and adopted two children. She also went through a lot with the decline of her mother.
Someone has been in my yard and it gives me the creeps. Came home and found one of the wooden pieces broken off on my gate. Then we found a SWEATER and a CELL PHONE under the steps. Just what I need, a careless, vandalizing trespasser. I have enough dislike of my neighbors without them invading my space. Called the policeman and he was very polite and took the cell phone although he thought it was broken and useless.
Finished Then again, by Diane Keaton. I love reading autobiographies and finding out who knew whom and such like that. I am eager to read her new book as I enjoyed this one on my Nook. She never married (I like THOSE role models) and adopted two children. She also went through a lot with the decline of her mother.
Someone has been in my yard and it gives me the creeps. Came home and found one of the wooden pieces broken off on my gate. Then we found a SWEATER and a CELL PHONE under the steps. Just what I need, a careless, vandalizing trespasser. I have enough dislike of my neighbors without them invading my space. Called the policeman and he was very polite and took the cell phone although he thought it was broken and useless.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)