Get the Internet or listen to Phillip Glass Einstein on the beach?

Why do I continue to come to the public library to use the Internet? Frequently seen patrons insist on talking to their friends at the computers with a certain cadence and vocabulary that irks me horribly. I almost got into it with a woman but now, at least, she has stopped talking constantly to people on either side of her. I put on Phillip Glass from Youtube and this is a great way to block out talking!

On the move (book): a life, by Oliver Sacks. What good timing. Just as he announced that he is dying from some condition, he put out a biography. He fills it with zingers such as recounting a sexual incident and then saying that he didn't have sex again for 35 years. He fell in love again at age 75. I am semi-interested in his books which are all quite different, although all focusing on the mind. There is a picture of him on the cover as a young motorcycle stud and a picture of him today on the back at Machu Pichu (?) writing something. He did drugs and had casual sex (didn't we all).

The language of flowers (audio book), by Vanessa Diffenbaugh. This book was somewhat excruciating in spots. I just wanted to shake her or stop reading it. But all turns out OK in the end. Flower communication is quite interesting...although human communication is seriously lacking. I did not really enjoy it much.

Dissatisfied

Sitting here typing feeling unhappy with my hair and my body. Not a great haircut? Too long without exercising and too much good food!

Wonderful weekend with old school mates...we have forgotten the problems of youth and who was friends with whom or not. Now we are mostly all just feeling the love. Lots of hugging and talking and eating. Weekend just whizzed by without a moment to use my computer or my bathing suit or my calendar. A waste of time to lug them all over to Newtown, PA. Of course, I FORGOT something in the hotel room. Left a six pack of O'Doul's in the fridge along with a bottle of Diet Coke. Really could have used them as I was driving around later!

Moby Dick (audio book), by Herman Melville. Wow, did I enjoy this! Beautiful language and great meditations on the whale, blackness, whiteness, friendship, Nantucket, the sea, whalers, etc.
I was always a bit intimidated about taking this book on, but very glad I finally got around to it. Now I must read the book Why you should read Moby Dick.

Out of audio books

Started an audio book called 13 1/2 by Nevada Barr. Wait a minute! It is not about her usual heroine, Anna Pigeon, and it says it is about HORROR. I don't DO horror. Well, the first CD starts out with some asshole raping a nine year old. Nope, not gonna do it.

During my Senior Stretch exercise class, I have ample opportunity to ponder since I have done this class so many times. Was thinking about things I hate:
- Underwires in bras
- the complications of our tax code
- trash all over our countryside and my neighbor's property
- barking dogs
- people who reassure you but don't know what they are talking about

And things I love:
- adorable, earnest college students in our Praise and worship band
- sunshine
- good friends
- snacks
- living across the street from my church

The age of doubt (audio book), by Andrea Camelleri. OK, now I have the formula down. A body is found. The detectives must determine what happened and, usually, who it is. Our Detective Montalbano lives by the sea in Sicily, is a terrible driver, smokes, drinks, loves his food (which is rendered in delicious detail), and cheats on his girlfriend. You get a good feel for the pace of life in Italy, the traffic jams and other aggravations. The interpersonal interplay is good, the names are a bit confusing.

Fast and furious

I do not ordinarily do action movies, but agreed to go with a friend. I jumped into Fast and furious 7 (movie) even though I had not seen 1 - 6. It was preposterous! In retrospect, it was all about fights, explosions and car crashes....and nobody ever DIED?!?! They got out of these smashed cars like it was a walk in the park. Rarely did anyone bleed or complain.
the PREVIEWS were hard to take, especially the one for the redo of Mad Max. What a disgusting movie!

Jersey Angel (audio book), by Beth Ann Bauman. I picked up this young adult book cause it was about the Jersey shore. Not my shore, I am pretty sure. The town is unnamed but it seemed like Long Beach Island area. Boy, these high school students were pretty dissipated...drinking, drugging, smoking and sleeping around. Angel was a bit of a loser with no goals. She wasn't very likeable. She made some bad decisions but vowed to do better in the end.

A very dreary day. Drizzle and back to being cold. At least my ceiling does not seem to be dripping onto my table.

Unwholesome lyrics

Trying to delete really wicked songs off of my Youtube list. It is hard to delete Eminem and Elton John singing Stan at the Grammy's, but the lyrics are really bad. I am KEEPING, however, Janie got a gun, by Aerosmith.

The memory palace (audiobook) : a memoir, by Mira Bartok. Had to stop listening to this. Essentially, I am not interested in hearing about the schizophrenic mom who had lots of great ideas, but ended up homeless and crazy. Her daughters come around for her dying days. The narrator sounds kind of drugged, adding to the general gloom. (Bridgeton Public Library - AUDB BIO BARTOK)

Feeling somewhat self-righteous, as I cleaned part of the bathroom today. Also, I cooked a turkey burger from the Amish market and had it with some summer slaw I bought at the Acme. Nice to have some REAL food, for a change.

What I like about yoga

I like that yoga is SLOW. That is me. If I had to identify with an animal, it would be a turtle, hesitant, sluggish, and prone to hide.

Here at the library with the great unwashed and the I-don't-know-enough-to-not-use-my-cell-phone-constantly-in-a-library crowd. Unpleasant sights and smells, which I am trying to overcome by listening to Joni Mitchell real loud on Youtube. One of my five things to accomplish this week is to figure out how to get the Internet at home. There is just too much to do, watch, or listen to online! Two hours a days (and not every day) is just not cutting it. My piles of papers and things to investigate just keep on getting bigger. But, then again, this has been my life-long problem!

The PMS outlaws (audiobook), by Sharyn McCrumb. A few too many characters who went by their initials. I am easily confused these days. I liked the mental institution patients the best. The plot involved college friends, brothers and sisters, interior decorating, lawyers becoming criminals, mistaken identity, long held grudges, home-made alcohol and other fun stuff.

Photographs I should have taken

I'd like to TAKE pictures, not just regret NOT taking them later...
- the FOOD at the recent Chinese new year celebration
- the shoes sticking out under the blanket at the homeless shelter
= the geese all over the field in Vineland

Today I DID stop and take a picture of something that catches my eye every week. It turned out disappointingly, but at least I TRIED. It is a dead tree with dried corn stalks behind it.

The storyteller (audio book), by Jodi Picoult. I don't know what has come over me, but this is the second audio book I have stopped listening to. I am getting kind of sick of Holocaust fiction. There is quite a spate of it and other WWII stuff these days. I just did not want to listen to a guy with a German accent describing the horrible things that he did. There was a bit on an interesting premise to start....a young woman and an older man meet in a grief support group. He confides in her his secret that he was a Nazi. She has Jewish ancestors and a terrible scar on her face. I just did not want to hang around to hear about how she acquired that scar.

Feeling like a bull in a china shop

Winter has settled in around my waistline. Lack of exercise and excess of stuffing my face has led me to feel like a blimp. Add to that bathrobes and bulky coats and my usual clutter around the house and I feel like I am always knocking into things and making oddly perched boxes of what-not fall to the ground. Have STOPPED wearing a coat for just such reasons....all of my shoulder bags fall off my shoulders with all that excess bulk. I had to pick an outrageous weather week/month to go coatless. The weather is brutal, the wind is ferocious and my house is cold. Spending today in my car (WARM!), at the Health club (oh so proud of myself), in the library (right now), at the chiropractor, and volunteering at the college performing arts center. Staying home just depresses me since I have no fireplace.

Freedom (audiobook), by Jonathan Franzen. I usually try to listen to an entire audiobook, no matter how it displeases me. But this one I had to abandon halfway through. There were no people to like and they were making a lot of inappropriate, pedantic speeches to each other. It followed three friends from college into later life. They all were assholes in their own way. Things happened and then the narrator went back in time and told the story from another perspective.

I'm a stranger here myself (ebook) : notes on returning to America after twenty years away, by Bill Bryson. I like this author and read much by him. They are all so different. This is essays on life in America. He married a British woman and then they moved back to the states and took up residence in New Hampshire.

Vegetarian cooking for everyone (book), by Deborah Madison. Had to get this out of the library because my sister made some really good oatmeal pancakes from it and I wanted to copy the recipe. I have a few more to copy, like a sage and butter sauce, which is what I had in Italy. I aspire to be a vegetarian. Do not really enjoy meat most of the time when I get it.

Where does the time go?

OK, so I was LATE getting to the library. I wanted to get my TWO hours on the computer (the bare daily minimum a person needs, in my book). I was puttering around the house this morning and called my cousin. We only see each other every 5 or ten years and don't communicate all that much, but I love her. She caught me up on most of the family down there in Cajun country and said she would be at Disneyworld during Mardi Gras. That was OK by me since my February is totally overbooked already.

I can't believe the head of the reference department just reprimanded me for having my wet ones next to the computer. She thought it was a beverage and then thought it looked too much LIKE a beverage and asked me to put it away. Yes, I do sometimes expect special privileges since I used to be a librarian. Strange that I get more special privileges at libraries I DIDN'T work at.

The chocolate castle clue (book): a chocoholic mystery, by JoAnna Carl(MYS Carl JoAnna at the Vineland Public Library). I picked this up at a "Cozy mystery" display. That is the kind of mystery I like but I didn't like this one so much. Silly with stupid characters and too many of them. There was the culinary theme, which I sometimes like. I ended up skimming this light-weight book.

Murder at a Vineyard mansion (audiobook), by Philip R. Craig (AUD CD MYS Craig Philip at the Vineland Public Library). This was a find, probably because it was read by Tom Stechschulte. I must get more books narrated by him. A main character, J. W. Jackson, used to work for the police solves crimes within the limited purview of Martha's Vineyard. I have been there and enjoyed hearing about the local landmarks. He has a nice relationship with his wife. So I am also interested in reading more in this series. I guessed who the murderer was.

I think of many good titles during the day

But, now that I am on the computer, I can't remember any of them.

The Boston girl (audiobook), by Anita Diamant. A good fictional rendering of a biographical story of one woman's complicated life growing up in the early twentieth century. Born to immigrant parents, becoming modern is very difficult for the three daughters. The tale is told by a grandmother who is asked how she got to be who she is by her granddaughter.

Tales from Code blue....working with the homeless to shelter them when the weather becomes REALLY cold. I was sitting in a chair near the front door waiting for the snow to fall. It started at 11:30 PM and I realized I was listening to a really LOUD symphony of sounds.....snoring from many quarters, farting and one guy grinding his teeth (this makes a sound like a duck quacking).

Martin Luther King day

Trying to figure out whether trash is being collected on a regular schedule today. Could not determine this from the website of the city. I was going to volunteer for the code blue program as my volunteer activity for the day, but they are not having it (though I think it is going to just about cold enough). Perhaps I will pick up some trash? And I did help the lady next to me on the computer. I showed her how to make her viewable screen bigger. We are encouraged to have a "day of service" on MLK's b-day. Could go to see Selma, but saving it for a friend who is out of town this week.

Don't even think about it (audiobook), Sarah Mlynowski. An interesting premise. A home room gets the flu shot and it causes them to be able to hear thoughts. This causes a variety of happenings, some good and some awful. Then, their eyes start turning purple. Quite a few relationships come and go due to this ability. Then they are offered an antidote and have to decide if they want it. This is a young adult title that I borrowed from the Vineland Public Library.

Have to go to lunch now, which is good, cause hunger is making me shaky!

A fucking bitch?

That's what I was called today by a woman at the nail salon. I asked her if she had headphones to use with her phone cause the video she was watching was annoying. She had been on the phone the entire time she was getting a pedicure so I already thought she was rude. When she left she started off with "Have a nice day" and soon progressed to calling me "a fucking bitch". It seems that the video she was watching was of her nephew who had died yesterday. That didn't stop her from getting her nails done. I should have known I was in trouble when she called someone from the dryer station and asked if the person hadn't received her text. Then she said over the phone, "I'm not going over there, cause if I open my mouth, I'm gonna punch her in the fucking face". Such a high class of person we have in Vineland, New Jersey. How can I escape? I should have just ignored her or put in ear plugs.
It just occurred to me that she was probably talking about ME!

Discovered a new author, about whom I am wildly enthusiastic. Unfortunately, none of my local libraries have any of his works, other than this audio book, Let me be Frank with you, by Richard Ford. It is the fictional meanderings in the mind of Frank Bascombe, age 68, living in New Jersey. These stories almost sound like a novel which takes place the Christmas after Hurricane Sandy. I enjoyed his cynicism and social satire. I am going to have to work to find his 3 or 4 previous novels.

Noisy people in the library. Trying to keep my mouth shut, although I feel like giving them a librarian-like shusshing. Also trying to block them out with my Youtube. Finally discovered that Youtube problems can be overcome by using CHROME to get on the Internet. Crafty little devils, aren't they? (Google) Shall I make a separate French and Spanish list on Google? Then I could more easily share with lovers of the language.

Resolutions or to do list?

So, it is January 2nd and I haven't organized my January calendar pages. Nor have I made any New Year's resolutions. Maybe I should list ACCOMPLISHMENTS of 2014 first.

Lucky us (audio book), by Amy Bloom. Didn't really like this book much or was it the reader? A lot of weird stuff goes on during the era of the second World War. Not much thinking or describing, just stuff happening.

Sunny today, but a bit cold. Listening to the soundtrack of the new movie, Into the woods, which I plan to see later today.

Still working?

Boy, was it hard to get up and out today. Had to be in Camden to start work before 9 AM. Also, needed to do several errands on the way to work. To add to the misery, I was sick, had a TERRIBLE night and it was dark and cold. Well, now I am at work and it is quiet and peaceful and I am catching up on my computer work and sucking on cough drops.

This is what I hate about winter:
- the dark
- the cold
- the lack of sun
- the wearing of coats
- the wind

This is what I love about winter:
- the bare bones of the trees
- the pastel sunsets
- a tiny bit of snow

The zone of interest (audio book), by Martin Amis. This is a despicable book. I picked it up without much thought, thinking that Martin Amis was a good writer. I started off trying to figure out what it was actually ABOUT. I knew it was about some misogynistic men of the German persuasion. So, it is about men who work at concentration camps during World War II. Other unpleasant topics are suspected adultery, abortion, murder, torture. I couldn't wait for it to be over. Also, it was hard keeping the narrators straight.

Elizabeth and Hazel : two women of Little Rock (book), by David Margolick. Got this on loan from another library for a book club discussion. It is the story of an event, the integration of schools in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1957. More to the point, the story of a photograph taken on September 4th, 1957 of a black girl walking down the street surrounded by a crowd of angry white people. One face stands out, that of Hazel. The photo becomes an iconic portrait of America. The two women did get to know each other and even become friends later in life, but the raprochement did not last. The author examines the legacy of the Little Rock nine and the attitudes of the townspeople and the country in memory and in present time.

Will I continue reading this series?

Maybe not. There are often some preposterous things that go on in a book involving humans, daemons, witches and vampires. A discovery of witches (audio book), by Deborah Harkness. The first in a series which includes SOME of my favorite subjects, such as books, libraries, history and French. Sentences like, "The library will be whatever the witches want it to be" don't make a whole lot of sense. Our witch masquerading as a human attracts the attention of a French vampire in the Bodleian library at Oxford University. A complicated plot ensues to find out why a particular book seems to be under a spell and can only be broken by Diana. Things only get worse since vampire/witch relationships are forbidden.

Am very pleased with the wreath I made yesterday. I couldn't wait to come home and put it on my front door. Took a nice picture and texted it to my sisters. Have only heard back from one of them. Not sure if the others are accepting/checking text messages. Getting to know my new phone is a slow process.

Waiting around the library to see the movie on movie night. Afraid that I have already seen it. All I knew was that it was in German. Seeing fewer and fewer films these days but I did see quite a few back in the day. Seems like I have missed months and months of this film discussion series. I am one of the few loyal attendees until I am not.

Reading, reading, reading......

Rodin, sculptor (book), by Helene Pinet and Marie Sellier. I think I bought this little book at the Rodin museum in Philadelphia. Wish it was the original French edition. A kid's book with lots of illustrations. "Beauty is everywhere" said he.

The redeemer (audiobook), by Jo Nesbo. Now I see why they call it a THRILLER. Never have a seen more imaginative methods of killing people. But all is not as it seems. So many twists and turns in this mystery of a hitman hired to kill a ranking officer of the Salvation army in Oslo, Norway. And the weather is always hideously cold.

Whiskey, sun & fish : the early year of Fortescue, a fishing village on the Delaware Bay (book) by George Carlisle, illustrations by William Thomas Ternay. He wrote this thin book in 1959 and had to go back and edit it. Most of the people he interviewed for the book are gone, now. Illustrations are black line drawings which are given a two page spread whenever they occur.

New drug names are laughable

Whenever I see a new drug advertized on TV, the names seem really outrageous and stupid. I don't know what it is for, but a new one is Latudo.

The lowland (audiobook), by Jhumpa Lahiri. Not wonderful, but I listened to the entire thing. Did it get better as it went along? Not sure. Two brothers, living in Calcutta, India. One goes to the states to study and live (Rhode Island) and the other one stays at home, gets married, is involved in revolutionary secretive activities and dies. The other brother marries his wife and takes care of his child, but everyone seems to be hidden and silent and unhappy. This problem continues into the next generation.

Good things about retirement:
- you don't have to set the alarm
- you can appreciate the fine days during the fine hours
- you don't have to rush out and get your car fixed in order to get to work
- you don't have to be rushing and speeding all the time
- I don't have a boss

A very self-indulgent day

Had a manicure AND a pedicure AND a chiropractic adjustment AND an hour massage all in one day. Plus, eating out all day, which is very self-indulgent and not so healthy.
Now I don't feel like going to the training I was going to go to tonight. But, I guess I should since it is only one hour. Training to work with the homeless this winter for the CODE BLUE program. Sheltering the homeless only when it is really cold or really wet. I SHOULD get involved, but do I really WANT to?

I work at a public library (book) : a collection of crazy stories - - from the stacks - - ., by Gina Sheridan. First, let me say that I should have written this book. It is filled with some of the outrageous, stupid, unbelievable, annoying, surprising things that can happen while working with the public. Nothing I really highlighted but some laugh out loud moments, for sure.

Feed (audiobook), by M. T. Anderson. Quite clever book for teenagers making me reevaluate my dislike of science fiction. Fast forward to the future, to the post-print society, when all information is beamed directly into your brain by "the feed", including peppy music and advertizements all geared to your interests. You can shop online, chat with your friends, watch TV, get high and so on. Titus meets a more serious girl on a trip to the moon (which is on the way to becoming the 51st state). Her old fashioned attitudes ruin his good time and make him think.

Headphones on.....

Enjoying Youtube....Train and 50 ways to say goodbye. Using the computer at the Millville Public Library. I enjoy the quiet sounds of a library. Had to get out the headphones when I started fixating on woman sniffling, patron with that really annoying bird-like phone cheep, other ignorant, too loud patrons conversing.

Tuck everlasting (audio book), by Natalie Babbitt. Has been on my list a long time, not sure why. Charming tale of a young girl who meets a rather strange family. They tell a tale of living forever and try to convince her it is not a good idea. Who will learn and use the secret?

Yikes! I tried to get into the library before the school kids. Now they are driving me a bit crazy.

It has been four days since I got online. My pile of things to do is growing, as my piles are wont to do.

The never-ending two-for-one deal

So, I go to MacDonald's, buy something and fill out the survey form on the Internet. For doing this, I get two for the price of one. When I go to pick them up, I get ANOTHER receipt and fill out ANOTHER survey and get yet ANOTHER two for one deal. It may be that this campaign has an end...otherwise I am trapped in this endlessly repeating cycle! I spend a lot of time filling out surveys online and so far I have not won any free movies or any sweepstakes. The best thing I got was a free chicken sandwich at Chick-fil-a and I didn't even have to buy anything. It was a bit salty and came with only a pickle and some white bread but the price made it extra delicious even though it is not the most healthy choice and I shouldn't really be frequenting Chick-fil-A at all due to their anti-gay stance.

Aimless love (audio book), by Billy Collins. It was only one CD but I LOVE Billy Collins. He is just so accessible as a poet. My favorites are The trouble with poetry and The golden years.

Hanging out at my previous place of employment today. Trials and tribulations there. I call it "the law of untended consequences". They are getting a new roof, but a recent rainstorm FLOODED the place where the roof hadn't been very well finished. Upgraded the memory on the computers, but now they are printing an extra blank page at the end of everyone's documents for which they need to be reimbursed. The best laid plans.....