I can mess up any space

My computer space at the library looks like a whirlwind hit it....clipboard, container of wipes, plastic folders bulging with papers, plastic bags containing all of my little essentials, a ring of keys, my cell phone, thing that I keep my headphones in, thick folder of books I want to look up, pile of "New business", big black calendar where I keep a two-page-per-day manual calendar. plastic folder of things-to-be-filed in current file folders that I keep in the car, a large blue purse, a larger brown leather briefcase, ripped papers to go in the trash can. Some of my friends refer to the library as "my office".

Going to a lecture about George Agnew Chamberlain downstairs at 7 PM. Enjoy living in my neighborhood for HISTORY reasons....three of Bridgeton famous historical characters lived or visited at my house or across the street....Mother Bloor, Sylvia Beach, and George Agnew Chamberlain. Unfortunately, there is not much left of the good old days. I guess they weren't so good because Mother Bloor and Sylvia Beach couldn't wait to get away!

I have a sudden need to replace my fence. The only thing uglier than my fences are the neighbors on either side. I have a dumpster on each side. I know, I know, I should be throwing crap in their dumpsters. I want to put in a HIGHER fence so I don't have to look at the neighbors. But who knows what regulations or permits are needed? That is why I fix nothing!

It is harder to schleppe in winter

I have enough trouble getting my many bags from here to there without the addition of a COAT! I find that everything slides off of my shoulders when wearing a coat. I should just break down and clean up my clutter enough that someone can get into my house to install the wifi. I have been informed that WIFI is not the same thing as WIRELESS.

Starting a relationship with my new phone. It is probably smarter than I am, but I foresee many happy hours of getting to know it. Missing my KEYBOARD with my old LG phone. I can't deal with "pictures" of keys. My nephew and my brother-in-law tried to straighten me out on some procedures with the Samsung Galaxy S IV. There are scarily on top of technology. I am at the other end of the spectrum. What is the opposite of an "early adaptor"? I have to be dragged kicking and screaming into anything new. Not really the update kind of a girl.

It is so frigging COLD around here. I must try and plan some future vacations. A friend called and told me he got a round trip ticket for $60 on Spirit. How come I never see those kind of deals? Plus, I DETEST Spirit for their nickel and diming of customers.

The satisfaction of sorting STUFF

Buckled down this morning and went through a box of stuff my sisters gave me shortly after my father passed away. OK, he passed away in 2002. I knew there was some cash in there, but found $900, $200 more than I expected. Also some sweaters, shirts and many wet ones, kleenexes and travel and purse items. Oh, and OOODLES of socks, which I plan to wear. Never enough socks! Next, I will have to get the BOX out of the house, probably containing some things to give away.

Paris from $95 a day, by Haas Mroue. Borrowed through the Overdrive system at the library and read on my Nook. It doesn't matter that I am not planning to go to Paris. I did make a few notes but much will be outdated by the time I ever get back to Paris. It is a good idea to maintain a list of things to do, in any case.

Went to McDonald's today to organize my Monopoly pieces and enjoy at two-for-one Egg McMuffin. Guy at register somewhat baffled by my coupon. Perhaps I am the only one filling out the surveys online? I am gonna get SOMETHING out of this...either a job or a free something. A guy left his car running while he went in. I thought of confronting him about the damage to the environment but not sure how to do that nicely. I was dismayed to see a new sign: NO LOITERING PLEASE - TIME LIMIT - 30 MINUTES WHILE CONSUMING FOOD. Oh dear, there goes my two hour computer session! I was the only white person hanging around in there.

A woman with style

Have been looking for a wheeled contraption so I can lug my stuff around between the car and other places. A woman came in with, essentially, a briefcase on wheels. But she was stepping lively, dressed fashionably and wearing high heels and managed to look cool and effortless. Somehow, I only end up looking like a bag lady.

Meant to be early to work today but I ended up being late and had to speed. I HATE that. I like to be early as I only work one day a month and there are bound to be some rude surprises at the workplace. Better to figure them out BEFORE the rush. By now, I have figured it all out. The main surprises today were passwords that had been changed. But I managed a work-around and got it all straightened out eventually.

The sun has disappeared. There won't be any "Vitamin D bathing" today. Milder, though. I don't really care since I am stuck inside all day.

Grumble grumble

Can't find much good about today. It is rainy and gloomy and having difficulty getting over the freezing mark. Called REI and found out that I RUINED my cross country skis by getting them wet and then leaving them in the car overnight while the temperature went down near zero. The base peeled completely off of one of my skis, and, according to the guy at REI, IT CANNOT BE FIXED. The problem with STUFF is that is needs to be cared for and I am terrible at caring for stuff. I have a whole garage full of uncared-for stuff that I let get dusty, dirty, damp, cold and hot.

Finished a book on the Nook, probably a FREE FRIDAY (Barnes and Noble) book. Bring on the blessings, , by Beverly Jenkins, is a heart-warming tale of a town that needs a lift. The townspeople, who are black, agree to take on sponsorship of needy children. I think a rich woman helped them. Various badly behaved orphans came to town and were assigned to single people and married couples. I think some people actually moved to the town to take part in this experiment. The match up of the kids and adults is interesting and the whole town takes part in this project. In addition, there are past lovers and new residents to spice up the story.

Another nonfiction book I borrowed through the Overdrive program through the Vineland Public Library. I gained a few morsels from People can't drive you crazy if you don't give them the keys, by Mike Bechtel. Most of the time I was thinking I don't HAVE any "crazy" people in my life but then I realized my neighbors and people on the roads did aggravate me just as he described in his examples. I was glad when this book was over.

Christmas is now officially over

It is the 7th, even past three kings day. Saw a Christmas movie today (Madea). Time to put away the Christmas-themed return address labels and stickers. I think the last presents were exchanged today as well. Time to start dieting and exercising.

The cold is horrific - only consulation is that the sun is shining. Looking forward to getting home since I have been running around a lot. NOT looking forward to it, as my heat can't deal with the extreme cold. I turned the heat way down to give the heater a rest. A bill approaching $700 was delivered along with my oil yesterday. The wind is making it a bitterly cold day. Had to come out, however, for exercise class and Christmas breakfast date and movie and library visit. I guess it could be worse....I could live in Minnesota.

The good news is that I cross country skiied. The bad news is that my skis fell apart while traveling in my car. Read something on the Internet about the base peeling off of older skis that had not been properly cared for. Certainly my skis have not been cared for at all. There they sit, at the base of my steps, waiting for winter to roll around so I can try them out. This year, it worked, but now my skis are broken. Seems like much in my life has been ignored for so long that it disappears into dust. Sigh.....

Threshold amnesia?

I was told this is an actual condition, but maybe he was kidding? Whereby upon going from one room to another, you forget why you came in there.

Had great fun at an antiques appraisal yesterday. Had never been to something like that, but plenty of people came lugging their treasures. I was helping to organize the people waiting. We were there for 4 hours, had 54 people with over 100 items. The man doing it was very entertaining and I learned a lot. Of course, it is very hard for me to part with anything, but it is fun to dream about the possible value of your possessions. I vowed to start taking better care of my STUFF. I brought a Hummel figure of a kid playing doctor. While Hummels are too plentiful to be very valuable, it seems things like doctors could be worth more. Must research online. There are websites devoted to Hummel figurines. Then I had a tin lantern with a candle in it. My great aunt told me that she had a darkroom and made postcards. The appraiser suggested researching photographic collectibles for that one. Also, I should see if I can find any of her postcards for sale online. I know, it is a longshot.

The weather has been so phenomenal this fall! Every day I wake up to the same gorgeous sunny weather as the day before.

Bridgeton noise complaint ends in dead silence

I went to the City Council to complain about the neighbors and a reporter there put it into a NEWS article in the paper!  The online title was better.  The title in the paper was "Dog complaint ends in tragedy".  I am not used to being so OUT.  In the papers twice in one week.  Time to go back under my rock.

Hate rushing around to get my Internet in and my exercise in on the weekends.  Everything closes early....libraries, the pool and the health club.  Sunday is even worse.  There are NO libraries, pool closes at 4 and health club at 3.  Barely enough time to get to church and lunch and have time for anything else.  Sigh...

Flash drive is a mess. Can't open and save to a new place.  Have to copy and paste each document into a new document and then save it.  I bought a new flash drive and it has STUFF on it which I do not understand.  Better leave it there.  It is a Cruzer something.  Doesn't even come up as a flash drive.  I HATE progress.

Neighbors from hell

  Looking forward to a trip to PARIS.  Trying to get all of my ducks in a row.
Not sure how I am going to handle all of that WALKING.  I am used to car to house to car to library to car to store to house.  Also I have to resort to WHEELS to lug all of my crap around.  It will have to be a new and lighter me to get around Paris.

Not so light today though.  Gained weight overnight.  Probably cause I ate hors d'oeuvres all day.  Need a new approach for that.  Can't eat everything in sight just cause it is going to be my "meal".  Next time I should try one of everything and only have seconds if it is something HEALTHY.  We had Cinco de Mayo snacks after church and more delicious food offerings after an author lecture.

Boy, do I need a change of scene.  The scene directly around my house is really getting on my nerves.  I have a letter I wish I could send to the landlord of my neighbors.  I haven't written it yet but it details about 10 things they have done to annoy me in the month that they have been there.  Now, I know they are not doing it specifically to annoy ME, but how can people like or not notice trash all over the place and loud dog barking?  I was only home for two hours on Saturday and that d*&^ pitbull was barking for at least one of those hours.

In a windowless room at the beach

My plan for the day was to lie on the beach and then take a walk.  Also spend a few hours in the computer lab at the Ocean City library. And maybe visit a friend in an aging place.   Well, the beach was wild and windy.  I should have been happy as it was beautiful and I was allowed to access it and there was NO ONE THERE!  But I was freezing as I swore never to wear a coat any more a few weeks ago.  I will have to find somewhere inland to get my walk in.

So I came over to the library.  I love this library.  You sit in the computer lab with comfortable chairs and very few people.  They are all well behaved.  Only problem is, there is not enough room for all of my STUFF.  But, hopefully, they still allow you THREE hours on the computer if no one is waiting.  Now, that is more like it! I am always struggling to get all my computer chores done.  It is a never-ending battle.

Actually, this is an "excursion" day.  I need to plan one a week.  Haven't even been able to get THAT in as every day seems to have an event.  Sometimes only one event, but an event nonetheless.  But now I am thinking that I need to schedule TWO excursion days....one for the beach and one for all the other places I would like to go.  Why not?  I AM retired, after all!  I could visit oh-so-many beach towns and get back to my idea of exploring every exit of the Garden State Parkway.  And suddenly, miraculously, my Sprint navigator started working again!  I do have some slight fear that the saleslady at the Sprint store might have signed me up by pushing a button that I never push.  She was trying to show me how to load a picture onto Facebook from the phone.  That, BTW, was NOT successful.  Only a small portion of the picture appeared on Facebook.  It looked good, but was incomplete.  Back to the drawing board on that one.

Small business Saturday

Sitting in the window of Little Mama's cafe in Bridgeton, NJ, trying to be supportive.  Eating a sandwich which is WAY over my diet limits but it is delicious.  Sad how few people stop in to Bridgeton shops...like this one and the art gallery where I volunteer.  If it was New York City these cupcakes would be selling like hotcakes.  Prices not bad...I got a large sandwich, a bottle of Dasani water and a free Hershey's kiss all for $6.43.

Finally an absolutely fabulous weather day!  Sun is out, wind is less and cold is fading.  Tomorrow the forecast is similar.  I need Spring badly.  I am indoors right now but at least I have a very nice view of the outdoors.  Table is too wobbly and there is no electrical outlet but I am making concessions for the view.  Perhaps they should pay ME for sitting in the window.

Tonight going to a fundraiser for someone who was in a bad car accident.  Seem to have misplaced my ticket.  Beef and beer, two foods I don't/should not eat.  Looking forward to the silent auction.  Just what I need, more STUFF.

Walmart does have some good ideas

Although I am philosophically opposed to shopping at Walmart, I do go there occasionally to get cheap drugs.  I have to admit that they do have some good ideas...
- They have wet wipes for the carts
- The bathrooms are right near the front door and they are well maintained
- The whole entire curb out front is missing making ts really convenient for the passage of shopping carts and wheelchairs
Since my personal frugality rules dictate that I can buy only one thing per day that costs over $20, I just walked past all the temptation directly to the pharmacy and paid my $35 for my Clarinex.  I walked out without buying one additional thing. That isn't really so hard because I actually HATE shopping and kind of pride myself in my ability to get along without new stuff.  I am kind of embarrassed to admit that I took a shopping cart for this purchase because my PURSE is too heavy to lug around!

I was dreaming about a lake upon which my father lived.  Of course, it looked nothing like the lake where he really lived.  There was a lack of water and there were some boats in the lake sitting on the grass. There were three (red?) motorboats sitting together on a grassy knoll in the middle of the mud. The banks of this pond were really high, like mountains.  I thought to myself that I would invite my mother and father out for dinner one night.  Then I woke up and remembered that they were dead.

So many bad pens in the world.  I hate to throw them away.  Used to go downtown to the office supply store and get refills.  But that is just too difficult in the age of Staples with everything wrapped up in plastic.  Hard to get help.  So I guess we are just supposed to be wasteful and throw stuff away.
That is freally hard for me, being a hoarder.

Another week of winter

Not forecast to get out of the thirties for the next week.  I hate it.  Today snow (OK, it was pretty), sun, and wind.  Not fun shoveling, but I did it.  Schlepped all of my stuff to the library but an hour will pass and I won't have time to USE any of my stuff. 

I DID throw out one bag of trash today and took one box of stuff to the donation store.  I SHOULD feel some sense of accomplishment but I just feel overwhelmed.  Trying to part with anything which has fallen to the floor.  Also, I found a box of stuff which said "too small, 2001".  So, I just got rid of it.  It was somewhat painful, but I am overwhelmed with clothes, papers, books, etc. 

I guess I should return this book, since I am in the library from which it came.  However,  I will miss it when the book club discussion comes around.  Galileo's daughter : a historical memoir of science, faith and love, by Dava Sobel.  I admit I wasn't very enthusiastic about reading this book as we just got done with another historical book and I am not that wild about science.   The book was pretty interesting and it was amazing how scientists were punished for coming up with theories which disagreed with the Bible.  Galileo's eldest daughter lived in a convent not far from where he lived in Florence.  He placed her there when she was 13.  Suor Maria Celeste wrote many beautiful letters to her father and they were both involved in each other's lives, even if from afar.  Hard to believe that someone would know enough about a topic to consider writing a book called, Discourse on bodies that stay atop water or move within it.  Galileo's contention that the earth moved around the sun was the cause of much distress for him as the Bible contradicts that theory and states that "Thou fixed the Earth upon its foundation, not to be moved foerever".  Because of his theories, he was brought before the Inquisition and had to live out his life under house arrest.  He and his daughter sent each other different types of birds that they liked to eat and she was his constant supporter.   Galileo Galilei lived from 1564 to 1642.  His clash with Catholic doctrines continues to define the schism between science and religion.

How electronic things work

This is ironic, but I checked out a book on my Nook. It is called How electronic things work....and what to do if they don't. The weird thing is, this book caused a problem I have never before had on my Nook! I can't figure out how to make the page advance. A strange message came up that I have never seen before. So I went back to another book that DOES work. Is that stupid or what?

Spent a lot of time with friends over the weekend. Also a lot of time with some six year old twins who seem to love me right now. I know that these stages are very temporary so I am taking advantage of it. They tore my sister's whole house up and made pretend houses out of chairs and blankets and cutlery and pillows and wall decorations and snacks. We had some playing cards and we were pretending that they were cell phones and video games. My sister and her boyfriend were just too tired to be disciplining so things got pretty wild. They are like whirling dervishes and love machines. It is so very upsetting to know that kids of that adorable age were murdered in Connecticut. Later Sunday night I was crying as Obama gave his speech at the memorial service in Newtown. It came on right after 60 minutes, which is the only TV show I actually watch ON PURPOSE.

I am kind of starving, waiting for a Christmas party to start. Using the computers at Rutgers Camden where I have staff privileges. Unfortunately, I no longer have parking privileges so I had to put over $4 in the street meter. Just got out a wheeled cart I knew I had to practice wheeling my "crap" around. My purse and my traveling folders and other bags full of business stuff are really wearing me down. I was surprised at how well this thing works. It is designed for one suitcase (back in the days before they thought of putting the wheels ON the suitcases) and is more lightweight than I had remembered. Guess I won't ask Santa for that, after all. It "kind of" works if I pile my stuff up and don't go over any uneven surfaces.