Just tried the new sandwich at McDonald's. I LIKE it and it only costs $1. Well, I can't seem to find it on their website. Seems like a regular cheeseburger but it has caramelized onions on it? Already ate out ONCE today so now I can only eat out if it is CHEAP.
I only have two stations I like at the Cumberland County Library. They have the dainty mouse instead of this huge Gateway thing. Both stations were busy. So I went into the lab hoping to avoid the noisy, amnoying people. But I still have to use the ginormous stupid mouse.
Had a handyman come over today. It makes me anxious as I have a very limited attention span for accomplishing things. Even though it cost me quite a bit, I enjoyed "puttering around" with another person. And the weather was quite decent! (sunny and perhaps in the 40's?) I shouldn't begrudge him the money as I only have help very rarely. Here is what we accomplished (and I really did feel good after working outside for 2 1/2 hours):
- Replaced broken window pane in garage
- Pulled most of ivy off of garage
- Replaced bulb in front door light
- Replaced two motion detector lights in back
- Replaced two motion detector lights up above
- Pounded in loose boards on fence
- Rewired bird feeder after the squirrels ate through the wire supports
- Took all stuff out of my trunk and sorted through it
- Went through a few boxes of stuff in my garage
- Threw out some of my books from Hollins Abroad in France (1967)
- Realligned fence gates so they latch better
- Clipped some branches touching house and hanging down
- Filled suet feeder
- Filled trash bin up to the top with trash bags
Saturday, January 5, 2013
Friday, January 4, 2013
Once is not enough
Things that you need more than one of...candy corn, potato chips, hours of computer time. Things I have in EVERY room of the house....scotch tape, scissors, stapler, waste basket, phone.
Still hanging in with that audiobook (The ruins). Now all the people are up on top of the mountain and out of the mine shaft at least. They are surrounding by the hostile Mayans at the bottom of the hill who have built fires all around the hill. They are waiting for daylight. Not that there is much hopeful to look forward to in the daylight. Perhaps drinking their own urine or hoping that a plane flies by so they can try and signal them. Or maybe the friends of Pablo, the Greek, may come looking for them, but they might get trapped too and they don't speak their language. Of course, no one has a cell phone. There is something really creepy about these flowering vines. When Jeff tried to go down to the bottom of the hill, they were really tangling around him but on the way up, they seemed to part for his passage.
It is amazing how hard it is to meet my goal of ONE movie per week (at the movie theater, that is.) One friend pooped out on me TWICE this week. Everyone says they are sick but I don't know. Luckily, another friend called and the day got reorganized. The first person I called (my sister) could not commit. She ALSO said she is sick. I may have to give up EXERCISE in order to fit in going out to lunch, however. That is not a real hardship since all exercise is an up hill battle for me. I was debating between senior swim or lifting weights. I may just have time for computer usage, going out to lunch at Andrea's trattoria ristorante, going to a movie (This is 40?) and then an art opening at Gallery 50 in Bridgeton. Then it will be time for READING and getting into my delicious warm bed. (I felt like getting back into it when I was MAKING it this morning).
Still hanging in with that audiobook (The ruins). Now all the people are up on top of the mountain and out of the mine shaft at least. They are surrounding by the hostile Mayans at the bottom of the hill who have built fires all around the hill. They are waiting for daylight. Not that there is much hopeful to look forward to in the daylight. Perhaps drinking their own urine or hoping that a plane flies by so they can try and signal them. Or maybe the friends of Pablo, the Greek, may come looking for them, but they might get trapped too and they don't speak their language. Of course, no one has a cell phone. There is something really creepy about these flowering vines. When Jeff tried to go down to the bottom of the hill, they were really tangling around him but on the way up, they seemed to part for his passage.
It is amazing how hard it is to meet my goal of ONE movie per week (at the movie theater, that is.) One friend pooped out on me TWICE this week. Everyone says they are sick but I don't know. Luckily, another friend called and the day got reorganized. The first person I called (my sister) could not commit. She ALSO said she is sick. I may have to give up EXERCISE in order to fit in going out to lunch, however. That is not a real hardship since all exercise is an up hill battle for me. I was debating between senior swim or lifting weights. I may just have time for computer usage, going out to lunch at Andrea's trattoria ristorante, going to a movie (This is 40?) and then an art opening at Gallery 50 in Bridgeton. Then it will be time for READING and getting into my delicious warm bed. (I felt like getting back into it when I was MAKING it this morning).
Thursday, January 3, 2013
High anxiety
Things making me anxious:
- A "for sale" sign went up outside my neighbor's house. The known annoyance is better than the unknown one. And the new owner will probably rent out TWO apartments because that is what they DO in my neighborhood. Double the opportunity for noise, dogs, too many people, etc.
- WHEN is the weather going to improve? I really can't stand it when it approaches freezing. I am not comfortable in my clothes, in my apartment, outdoors, or ANYWHERE.
- My audiobook is really making me nervous. The ruins incorporates hostile Mayans, very aggressive flowering vines, strange traveling cell phone noises, broken backs, language barriers, bloody gashes, food and water deprivations and the fear of never being rescued.
- I took two anxiety pills today
Finished a book on my Nook. Must be a young adult. I choose it because a friend of mine is REALLY into Meg Cabot. The book is called All-American girl. It is about a teenager who is artistic and a picky eater and not really in with the popular kids. She sort of accidentally saves the life of the president and gets catapulted into celebrity and popularity. Another theme is figuring out which boy she really likes. It was enjoyable and a quick read.
Don't know if it is this computer or my eyes, but some of these letters look green and some of them look black.
- A "for sale" sign went up outside my neighbor's house. The known annoyance is better than the unknown one. And the new owner will probably rent out TWO apartments because that is what they DO in my neighborhood. Double the opportunity for noise, dogs, too many people, etc.
- WHEN is the weather going to improve? I really can't stand it when it approaches freezing. I am not comfortable in my clothes, in my apartment, outdoors, or ANYWHERE.
- My audiobook is really making me nervous. The ruins incorporates hostile Mayans, very aggressive flowering vines, strange traveling cell phone noises, broken backs, language barriers, bloody gashes, food and water deprivations and the fear of never being rescued.
- I took two anxiety pills today
Finished a book on my Nook. Must be a young adult. I choose it because a friend of mine is REALLY into Meg Cabot. The book is called All-American girl. It is about a teenager who is artistic and a picky eater and not really in with the popular kids. She sort of accidentally saves the life of the president and gets catapulted into celebrity and popularity. Another theme is figuring out which boy she really likes. It was enjoyable and a quick read.
Don't know if it is this computer or my eyes, but some of these letters look green and some of them look black.
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
The ruins
Am listening to an audiobook by Scott Smith called The ruins. Everything is ominous. A bunch of friends are in Cancun and they go on an adventure to find the missing brother of a guy they ran into. The story is fraught with confusion and dread. The Americans are traveling with a Greek who speaks no English, and a German, the brother of the missing guy. They run into unfriendly Mayans who speak no English. There are flies and snakes and unhelpful people and secret paths and it is all making me very nervous;
Speaking of The ruins, I feel like a bit of a ruin myself. Think I am going to have to make an EFFORT to lose weight. I can't think of another way to stop the inexorable march of time. I am feeling decrepit. I look around at some of my women friends who are over 70 or over 80 and they look great. I feel like crap and feel like I look the same way. I have tried exercising and I don't feel any better.
Finished another library book, Started early and took my dog. I love that title. The book is by Kate Atkinson. I found it enjoyable but very confusing. Many characters moving around. A murder, a snatched child, a social worker, a detective, many car trips. From the flap I learned that the author has written several other books featuring the same former private detective Jackson Brodie. I liked this quote, "Now, like so much else in Jackson's world, videos were obsolete". I liked the Britishness of this book. "He came to the end of every day feeling as if he had failed somehow.....He lived his life in a state of guilt, every day waiting to be found out. He wasn't even sure what it was he had done". "Speaking truth to power. That was what the Quakers said, he'd had to arrest a few in the eighthies, peaceniks, yacking on about "direct action" and Cruise missles. For people who worshipped in silence they seemed to talk a lot."
Speaking of The ruins, I feel like a bit of a ruin myself. Think I am going to have to make an EFFORT to lose weight. I can't think of another way to stop the inexorable march of time. I am feeling decrepit. I look around at some of my women friends who are over 70 or over 80 and they look great. I feel like crap and feel like I look the same way. I have tried exercising and I don't feel any better.
Finished another library book, Started early and took my dog. I love that title. The book is by Kate Atkinson. I found it enjoyable but very confusing. Many characters moving around. A murder, a snatched child, a social worker, a detective, many car trips. From the flap I learned that the author has written several other books featuring the same former private detective Jackson Brodie. I liked this quote, "Now, like so much else in Jackson's world, videos were obsolete". I liked the Britishness of this book. "He came to the end of every day feeling as if he had failed somehow.....He lived his life in a state of guilt, every day waiting to be found out. He wasn't even sure what it was he had done". "Speaking truth to power. That was what the Quakers said, he'd had to arrest a few in the eighthies, peaceniks, yacking on about "direct action" and Cruise missles. For people who worshipped in silence they seemed to talk a lot."
Monday, December 31, 2012
Laughter yoga
Just took my first laughter yoga class. I couldn't imagine what that could possibly entail! Also, I was feeling very grumpy and resisting the idea of laughing. We did do some fun and interesting little exercises and even worked up a sweat! I like the laughter pill exercise, where you take a pretend pill and it sends you off into laughter and silliness. Each pill that you take causes MORE hilarity. I could really use a pill (pretend or otherwise). So, we did stuff for one half hour and I called it exercise. Laughter meditation, done with the eyes closed, almost made me want to cry, not laugh. I was thinking about my mother at the time.
Americans are exercise maniacs, at least the ones who are bothering. Read an article about somewhere in California where the outdoor classes are annoying to other people. The oceanside park is filled with mats, equipment, emoting and sweating people and the cries of instructors. They are obstructing running traffic, messing up the grass and being noisy. So, they are thinking about charging more money for instructors to use the outdoor space or limiting the number of people per instructor.
Playlist working TOO well today. Playing songs in order. Usually I have to select each one, but I am used to that method now.
Americans are exercise maniacs, at least the ones who are bothering. Read an article about somewhere in California where the outdoor classes are annoying to other people. The oceanside park is filled with mats, equipment, emoting and sweating people and the cries of instructors. They are obstructing running traffic, messing up the grass and being noisy. So, they are thinking about charging more money for instructors to use the outdoor space or limiting the number of people per instructor.
Playlist working TOO well today. Playing songs in order. Usually I have to select each one, but I am used to that method now.
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Another close call
So I missed a step and my computer and myself came crashing down in the dark entryway. My life is so full of booby traps. Once again I have emerged unscathed (OK, maybe my finger is black and blue) but my computer is definitely working. I really have to get the Internet at home. Don't like coming out in the freezing cold wind. Although once I reached the local McDonald's, it is pleasant enough.
Have been exercising and waiting to feel better. I still feel like crap and hate most every minute of it. Every week I add five minutes to my requirements. This week I should be exercising for 50 minutes each day. Today was the third day in a row. Tomorrow I think I have "laughter yoga". I can't imagine what that is all about. At least I don't have to drive so far to get to it.
Finished an audiobook, Back to blood, by Tom Wolfe. It was read by Lou Diamond Phillips. It was way over the top. Taking place in Miami, a Cuban cop and his Latina girlfriend were in most of it. Very intense racial relations between WASPs, Cubans, Russians, Haitians. He points out how little anyone is into religion any more and that we are all going back to our blood lines and our ethnic and racial prejudices and preferences. Where he went too far was in naming famous people CLOSE to their actual names and one woman was actually called Miss Titsapoppin. "Tom Wolfe is off and running headlong into the only city in the world where people from a different country with a different language and a different culture have taken over at the ballot box".
Have been exercising and waiting to feel better. I still feel like crap and hate most every minute of it. Every week I add five minutes to my requirements. This week I should be exercising for 50 minutes each day. Today was the third day in a row. Tomorrow I think I have "laughter yoga". I can't imagine what that is all about. At least I don't have to drive so far to get to it.
Finished an audiobook, Back to blood, by Tom Wolfe. It was read by Lou Diamond Phillips. It was way over the top. Taking place in Miami, a Cuban cop and his Latina girlfriend were in most of it. Very intense racial relations between WASPs, Cubans, Russians, Haitians. He points out how little anyone is into religion any more and that we are all going back to our blood lines and our ethnic and racial prejudices and preferences. Where he went too far was in naming famous people CLOSE to their actual names and one woman was actually called Miss Titsapoppin. "Tom Wolfe is off and running headlong into the only city in the world where people from a different country with a different language and a different culture have taken over at the ballot box".
Saturday, December 29, 2012
The end of your life book club
I need to return this overdue library book. My sister gave it to me for Christmas so I will take my notes to that copy to peruse. I love books ABOUT books. This is about the books Will Schwalbe and his mom read and discussed as she was dealing with pancreatic cancer. He is gay and has a cooking website and his mom was involved in many good works, schools for Afghanistan being one. There is a list at the end of all the books they read. Of course, I am going to copy it. I wanted to read this book because I had a very good friend who died of pancreatic cancer and I love the title of the book. I didn't read books with my friend but I have very poignant memories of movies and plays we attended during his illness. He was wild to LIVE and to SHARE.
The other book I finished was NW, by Zadie Smith. I enjoyed it in spots, but it was somewhat confusing. Lots of London geographic references and switching of characters with no notice. Even the format is odd, going from single space to double space and choosing not to indent the beginning of paragraphs. It gave me an odd feeling of vertigo. (It probably doesn't help that I am reading 10 books at one time!) Someone (I forget who) voted this one of the top ten fiction books of 2012). Just sayin'.... NW stands for Northwest London and four characters are followed, 2 women and 2 men. They all grew up on a council estate called Caldwell and are now trying to make their adult lives. It is about "people who live somewhere special and others who live nowhere at all. And many people in between".
The other book I finished was NW, by Zadie Smith. I enjoyed it in spots, but it was somewhat confusing. Lots of London geographic references and switching of characters with no notice. Even the format is odd, going from single space to double space and choosing not to indent the beginning of paragraphs. It gave me an odd feeling of vertigo. (It probably doesn't help that I am reading 10 books at one time!) Someone (I forget who) voted this one of the top ten fiction books of 2012). Just sayin'.... NW stands for Northwest London and four characters are followed, 2 women and 2 men. They all grew up on a council estate called Caldwell and are now trying to make their adult lives. It is about "people who live somewhere special and others who live nowhere at all. And many people in between".
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