A feeling of well-being

Is it thanks to recent trip or summer or what? Or perhaps as was quoted in a New Yorker story..."He had worked as a carpenter and landscaper for years and was happy, as he often said, to have no other responsibilities but to watch the sun rise and set."

Approaching the ATM machine, I am appalled at the litter of all of the receipts people leave around. I feel sort of lucky when I see so many that say "insufficient funds" or have a balance of $8.94.

Getting more emails and enjoying them less.
- Yahoo: 20535
- Google: Hundreds
- work: thousands
- left at my previous job: thousands

A lot of things on my mind

Trying to THINK while listening to Moves like Jagger on Youtube. Couldn't get a CD to play on this computer so I switched to Youtube just to see if it was the sound? (It isn't) I LOVE Youtube, except for the fact that you can't find any Prince old music videos on it. Wonder if I still have that VHS tape from the early days of MTV when it was all videos all day. I know I had him singing Little red Corvette.

Started the day with Yoga, trying to forget that I didn't get up early enough to shovel the snow or feed the birds. The snow wasn't very deep and the birds will just have to wait until tomorrow. Also had a one-hour massage. Living the life of Riley. Commented on Facebook and now my email is filled with junk mail about all the people who commented after me. Sigh....I really don't get (or like) Facebook. Anyway, Yoga was great except that she made us do the Cobra THREE times. I don't like the Cobra...I only like the Sphinx. But she switched it up today with a few surprises and the music was on "shuffle" which created some more interest. We did the 4th chakra which is about the heart. Good timing with Valentine's day. Forgot the great quote we repeated 6 times....but we created a lotus flower with our hands and this chakra focusses on compassion and self-love, two things I really need more of.

Was supposed to go out to a Downton Abbey viewing party last night but it started snowing. So we all stayed home and watched it and had a conference call afterwards to discuss it.

Limited time free access to local sluts

This is just one of the fascinating emails I receive. It is hard sifting through the crap to get to the nuggets of "real" mail. I set up another email account to give out now that everyone wants you to give your address. But I still can't ignore it.

Returning the Estelle CD to the Vineland Public Library. Didn't like it all that much. It has too much talking on it, for one thing. And my favorite Estelle song isn't even on there. The CD is called All of me. I probably bought it when I was the CD buyer there.

Getting less done online these days. Getting MORE done at home. I love sorting through my piles. Always discovering things I haven't thought about in years. I DO throw some of it out, but save things like good quotes and postcards from my mother. Just ten years ago she was in her right mind and had friends and went to art openings and sent me postcards. I treasure these findings. Sometimes they make my cry.

More stupid things I have done lately

The other day I got freaked out when I could not get into my Google account. Since I have heard that hackers deter you from getting into your own account, I changed my password. (I must say that Google makes that process somewhat simple). Then I realized that I had forgotten something about my own password and that it was my own fault that I couldn't get in. Senility, here I come!

Yesterday, did not go on my excursion to New Brunswick due to obstacles such as SNOW. So I drove a few miles to shop at Peebles, since you can get a discount on Tuesdays. Stupidly and tragically, I locked my trunk and realized that in addition to my purse and my phone, which I MEANT to lock in there, I had left my KEYS in there. So, there I was, far from home, with only my Peebles credit card. I decided to WALK home. It was a ridiculously long distance and the day was dreary, frigid and windy. Boy, was I feeling sorry for myself...wishing that someone I knew would drive by and offer me a ride. After about an hour of walking, an old black man in a big black pickup rolled down his window and asked directions to the Manor. I said I would show him the way if he would drop me off downtown. He asked me if my husband would mind. Uh-oh, but it was fine. When I got to my house, I got the hide-a-key, where I hide a car key and a house key. Went inside for a rest and called three friends. Unable to reach anyone, as is par for the course these days. Did legs-up-the-wall for a bit. Then I realized that the day was waning and I had better get busy walking back before it got dark. So I bundled up some more and set out, hating the day. Was feeling sympathy for the poor, the homeless, the Phillipinos, etc. I heard a whimpering sound and thought, "What is a kid doing outside on a day like THIS?" I found a young black boy huddled between the storm door and the door of a house, crying. The school bus had dropped him off but his mother was not home or not opening the door. I knocked on the door, but the house looked buttoned up tight. Then a man came across the street and knew the kid and was partners with his dad. He started calling all around but got no response from anyone. But he offered to keep the kid and DRIVE ME up to Carll's Corner. My lucky day. I went in his house which was very warm and immaculate (not much furniture). There were three little boys and two women in there.

The weather is scaring me. I DETEST winter and can't believe that I used to live in Vermont! It is BREEZY in my home and I am too cheap (and cluttered) to get new windows. I thought I could stand it as long as it was over 32 degrees, but I hate the wind and the gloom and the rain and the snow. I MUST get down to planning some trips to escape. My plan at Peebles was to buy "something warm". All the clothes were quite unflattering so I ended up buying just some black tights.

Diet Coke has an expiration date??!

That is a scary thought. You mean to tell me there are FRESH ingredients in Diet Coke? Yesterday I was drinking one that had an expiration date of the previous day. Not too worried about it. Anyway, recent thinking is that the expiration dates are just a suggestion.

I can't believe they are cancelling the show called Hoarders. Although I guess once you have seen one hoarders you have seen them all....chubby, low-class, unsmiling people with lots of crap. I enjoy watching it from time to time for a few minutes and hope that they are worse than me. I don't think I have animal excrement in my home. But I DO need to keep a trash bag in each room.

Having an ongoing struggle with Yahoo mail. Who are all of their customers? I don't know many people who still have Yahoo. I was fine with it until they started "upgrading" and trying to be like Google. Their customer service SUCKS. They have all kinds of online forms and aids but you can't get to a real person unless you have an account access issue.
That is what is the most frustrating thing. I have sent off at least 8 pissed off complaints just today. It is bad when the help instructions are just plain WRONG. I am losing emails (especially ones I have forwarded) and cannot change my signature, which I like to do once a week.

All things shall pass, even the bad ones

Usually, if I could be more patient, the neighbors will move and Yahoo will get around to fixing the things that are broken. Every time they "upgrade" I go crazy looking for things that I could do before. Just in case they aren't paying attention, I submit at least one complaining support ticket each day.

Started off with a good reunion of the French group. Now that we have had a meeting in the daytime, more hours have opened up as possible gathering times. It is absolutely amazing how difficult it is to get 5 people together, even though we are all RETIRED! Then the sun came out when it was not forecast. I LIKE those kinds of surprises. Brought leftovers down to my Wednesday hangout. My sister made some yummy quiche - one was watercress and spinach and the other was CAULIFLOWER and pepper jack cheese. How creative!

Today is election day. Even thinking about our government makes me sick. I would like to strangle some Tea Party Republicans. I can take some comfort in the fact that I live in a BLUE town in a BLUE state.

My mind is boggled

Went to a workshop on Google Chrome.  Interesting but intimidating.  Realizing that now that I am not working, I just try to get by on my existing knowledge.  OK, I have ALWAYS been like that.  The teacher of my class has TEN email accounts.  When am I gonna have time to investigate all of the things I learned tonight?  I guess it is good to stretch my mind occasionally.

Having a rough week.  Today we had TORRENTIAL rains.  And I was driving an hour to get to this class.  Also, the gas company is working on the street in front of my house and making quite a raquet.  Sounded like they were dragging something really heavy over concrete and they probably were.  It was making me feel out of sorts.  So I took a Xanax and laid down on the bed.

Still mad at the city and planning to rewrite my letter of outrage.  Pisses me off that I have received NO explanation and NO apology and PLUS I had to PAY for interest and costs of a late and unpaid water and sewer bill.  Plus the humiliation of having my name in the paper for tax sale.  No one has called me about it.  So either no one is reading the paper or I have no friends.  I guess there could be some other reasons.

It's a gorgeous Mother's day

Except for the crowds and the large lady covered with tatoos.  Made the mistake of going to Bob Evans and Starbucks on Mother's day.  God...the crowds!  The health club was relatively quiet but I was forced to watch CNN, which is really getting on my nerves.  They announce all of this stuff that you heard about two days ago like it is this fabulous new discovery.  They also give wrong info and pronounce things badly.  It is almost more than I can take to listen to the "news" these days.  After you listen to the latest hostage crises and murders, you wonder how there can be any Americans left living.

Yahoo is acting up, yet I am fearful of "upgrading" to the new Yahoo.  Upgrades usually get rid of several features that I liked before.  Upgrades are one of my many fears.  Here are some more:
- fear of getting a new phone
- fear of getting a new camera
- fear of plans going awry
- fear of being awakened in the night
- fear of going on a trip without a phone or computer

Felt better AFTER my workout than I did before.  Went to work out right after eating too much at Bob Evans.  Now I sit at Starbucks being sorely tempted to get a large mocha cookie crumble drink with chocolate whipped cream on top.  I can only imagine the amount of calories in that one.  Was driven inexorably last night to eat stuff I shouldn't and of course, gained a pound this AM.  Feel kind of hopeless about getting my weight down.  Really hard being here in Starbucks constantly confronted with beverages that our populace consumes with narry a thought about it.

Slower by the day

OMG...it took me TWO hours to deal with my email today.  I thought one hour was a long time.
Of course, there have been some side trips, like verifying that Ella Reeve Bloor lived in MY HOUSE in 1895-1898.  I learned two other interesting facts about this somewhat obscure socialist/communist.  She wasn't actually married to Mr. Bloor; they just pretended to be married while researching for Upton Sinclair about the meat yards of Chicago.  Sinclair later published a best-selling book on this topic called The jungle.  I also learned that she is buried at Harleigh Cemetery in Camden, New Jersey.  She grew up in Bridgeton, New Jersey, another one of our moderately famous residents-who-don't-live-here-anymore.  Others in that category are Sylvia Beach, Jonathan Adler, and James Galanos.  I am one of the obscure people who still live in Bridgeton.

After seeing Paula Poundstone at the Landis Theater in Vineland, New Jersey, I had to listen to the audiobook version of her book, There's nothing in this book that I meant to say, read by the author.  It was funny, sometimes laugh-out-loud funny, but a lot of jumping around between historical stories and her own life.  Celebrities discussed are Charles Dickens, Sitting Bull, Lincoln, Helen Keller and Joan of Arc.  Perhaps if she paused at the right times, the jumping around would not seem so glaring, but then again, maybe not.  I learned a lot about her, such as that she is not into sex (with anyone), is a recovering alcoholic, adopted three special needs kids, is a compulsive talker and cleaner, bites her nails, and lives in Santa Monica.  You can find this audiobook at the Bridgeton Public Library (AUDB BIO POUNDSTO).

Where does the time go?

What have I been doing for an hour and a half?  That is too long to spend on just email.  OK, I have been watching some YouTube videos, including one from the Vineland Public Library I just posted.  YouTube is very time consuming, because you are supposed to WATCH and not just listen.

Places I would like to spend an entire day:
- the health club (I feel satisfied with myself if I go to ONE class, no matter how unchallenging it is)
- The Philadelphia Museum of Art
- Grounds for Sculpture in North Jersey

Things to do when it rains for three days this weekend ( I HATE that).  First, things I DON'T like to do when it rains:
- See it or hear it
- Drive
- Be home (conflicts with not wanting to DRIVE)
Things perhaps I COULD do:
- taxes - because it HAS to be done, like it or not!
- organize receipts
- movies

I hope it's not me

This really scary computer message came up about how you have to pay a lot of money to get your computer going again.  Now, I HAVE seen that hijacking message once before and it was at another library.  Could it be something I'm doing?  God forbid.  All I was on was blogspot and playlist.com.

It took me an entire hour just to deal with my email.  That gets to be a problem when libraries only let you use the computer for an hour.  I really do need to get the Internet at home.  This schlepping my stuff around is getting really tedious.  I am feeling like a real BAG lady. 

Feeling hungry.  Have only had oatmeal and an orange today.  Trying to get in the mood for diet and exercise.  Usually, I don't care about it.  But it is freaking me out that I used to weigh a good deal less and I thought I was fat THEN.  I am tired of being wide.

Thrift shop

Just added this song to my playlist.com.  Most of my email is SOOOO boring.  I did come across this gem on Philly.com called Spotify's top 10 most streamed tracks.  I am listening to each of these songs.  Not that I don't have enough songs on my playlist.  Almost one hundred.  More than I have time to listen to.  To get back to my email, mostly I get requests for money.  Plus I get email for another person with my same name who lives in Bradenton, Florida.  I called her up once or twice to discuss the matter and her daughter told me she never had an email even slightly like mine.  It is really irritating to get things from the wrong school and the wrong politcal spectrum.  Even the RIGHT schools or political parties are bothersome!

Have been spending a lot of time with various groups of friends or family lately.  Of course, it IS Christmas.
This morning I learned that they have a senior roller skating session on Monday mornings.  Too bad I have a yoga date then.  I should try skating again.  It has been over a decade since my last visit, whereupon I broke my wrist.  Prior to that I was very "devil may care" and went by myself a lot.

The longest year of my life has been the year I turned 65.  And the year is only half over.  The longest TWO years of my life have been my contract with Sprint.  It is over the end of December and I think I will enjoy the sense of FREEDOM for awhile.  Don't enjoy the need to make a DECISION, however.  What phone, what company?  I have to come to a (happy?) medium between the two realities:  1. I am FRUGAL, and 2. I want more features on my phone.