How did I live and work in snowy Vermont? I had my very own pair of snowmobile boots with liners. My car spent 6 months dead in the driveway. I had to be picked up by a guy from work who offered me a beer at 6 AM. I drove a Snocat and a Bombardier on Killington Mountain in the early 70's. I was the first woman to do so.
Just finished a book I read because it was recommended in an article in the New Yorker, from February 13 & 20, 2012. The custom of the country was written by Edith Wharton during the years she was preparing to forsake the United States permanently (1913).Undine Spragg is ambitious and greedy. As quoted in the New Yorker, "she anticipates two other hallmarks of modern American society, the obliteration of all social distinctions by money and the hedonic treadmill of materialism. In Undine's world, everything an be bought, and none of it will ever be enough." She visits several continents and has a few husbands and is selfish throughout. I learned a good word..."the auriferous world of the Degens...." (meaning containing gold)
Had an "assessment" at the health club. I was sort of dreading it, as I feel like my input is always going to equal my output, no matter what I do. And also because I want to do what I want to do and not what someone else recommends that I do. But it was an encouraging experience. The guy made me feel like progress COULD be made if I would just agree to working up a sweat. I told him that I have a problem with my attention span and that I do not like to sweat.
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Another abandoned blog?
Losing interest in this blog. First, all the interesting things that happened to me seem to be quite long ago. Then, my life with stuff is falling behind, not progressing ahead. So, I am having a mid-life crisis, as it were.
Just read an article about how Facebook is a stressful environment for some and envy causes some people to not want to be on there a lot. Seems like there are PLENTY of people who want to put their whole lives out there, though. Other people's vacation photos can cause the most unpleasant thoughts about your own life. People who just lurk are, apprarently, the most disatisfied of all.
Went to an interesting program last night about Microsoft Access. I have always been a bit intimidated by this database creator and felt totally comfortable stopping with Excel. But this teacher actually made it interesting and made me want to create a database or be more interested in the topic in general. Can't attend part two tonight, but maybe someday. I just happened to be at the Cumberland County Library when it started and thought it might do me some good to stretch my brain muscles, so I went in. Maybe I will take all of the classes. I feel that my computer knowledge is not advancing, either, in retirement. No annoying patrons to force me to learn new things.
Just read an article about how Facebook is a stressful environment for some and envy causes some people to not want to be on there a lot. Seems like there are PLENTY of people who want to put their whole lives out there, though. Other people's vacation photos can cause the most unpleasant thoughts about your own life. People who just lurk are, apprarently, the most disatisfied of all.
Went to an interesting program last night about Microsoft Access. I have always been a bit intimidated by this database creator and felt totally comfortable stopping with Excel. But this teacher actually made it interesting and made me want to create a database or be more interested in the topic in general. Can't attend part two tonight, but maybe someday. I just happened to be at the Cumberland County Library when it started and thought it might do me some good to stretch my brain muscles, so I went in. Maybe I will take all of the classes. I feel that my computer knowledge is not advancing, either, in retirement. No annoying patrons to force me to learn new things.
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Bumped from the blog
Oh dear, my privileges for the blog of my prior workplace seem to have been revoked. And just when I was feeling like posting a book review there. Sigh...
It is so amazingly, horrifyingly COLD around here. A friend flew to Florida yesterday and boy, did he have the right idea. When I woke up, I thought, now this isn't so bad and it is actually quite lovely what with the snow and all. But by evening, I was fed up TO HERE with it. Plus it is windy. And not even out of the twenties.
Finished up an audiobook. The best thing about it was that it played in my car without any problems. But, I digress. The book is: A drop of the hard stuff, by Lawrence Block. Copyright is 2011, but it is kind of old fashioned. There are pay phones, for example. A good story involving a lot of twelve-step atmosphere. Recovering alcoholic investigates suspicious death of a friend in the program. Can he figure out which one of the guys on the list is the killer before they get to him? Takes place in New York and involves Block's private detective Matthew Scudder. The reader was very adept and in particular, I enjoyed the portrayal of the gay guys.
It is so amazingly, horrifyingly COLD around here. A friend flew to Florida yesterday and boy, did he have the right idea. When I woke up, I thought, now this isn't so bad and it is actually quite lovely what with the snow and all. But by evening, I was fed up TO HERE with it. Plus it is windy. And not even out of the twenties.
Finished up an audiobook. The best thing about it was that it played in my car without any problems. But, I digress. The book is: A drop of the hard stuff, by Lawrence Block. Copyright is 2011, but it is kind of old fashioned. There are pay phones, for example. A good story involving a lot of twelve-step atmosphere. Recovering alcoholic investigates suspicious death of a friend in the program. Can he figure out which one of the guys on the list is the killer before they get to him? Takes place in New York and involves Block's private detective Matthew Scudder. The reader was very adept and in particular, I enjoyed the portrayal of the gay guys.
Sunday, January 20, 2013
An armed society is a polite society
Somewhat puzzling sign at a Guns across America rally recently. Picturing the world boiled down to a war between the gun owners and the non-gun owners. I guess I know who would win.
Have been down with something....a cold, I presume. I am always so cocky and proud of my record as a person who never gets sick. Well, now I am humbled. Spent the entire day in bed yesterday listening to NPR. So unimaginative of me. But the path of least resistance. Hard getting re-motivated. My sister made me chicken soup and loaned me her wireless.
Was going to cancel my subscription to the local paper but I am reconsidering. Yeah, it's an "old white man's" paper, but it's all we've got. I think I would miss it if it went out of business, which it probably will do. They had an article in the paper about how they laid off a bunch of people. So, maybe I should just HANG on and help them out with my subscription. They regionalized (hate it) and I say periodically that "I'm not INTERESTED in Salem or Gloucester counties". But, then, I saw an article about someone I went to school with and saw an interesting program advertised.
Have been down with something....a cold, I presume. I am always so cocky and proud of my record as a person who never gets sick. Well, now I am humbled. Spent the entire day in bed yesterday listening to NPR. So unimaginative of me. But the path of least resistance. Hard getting re-motivated. My sister made me chicken soup and loaned me her wireless.
Was going to cancel my subscription to the local paper but I am reconsidering. Yeah, it's an "old white man's" paper, but it's all we've got. I think I would miss it if it went out of business, which it probably will do. They had an article in the paper about how they laid off a bunch of people. So, maybe I should just HANG on and help them out with my subscription. They regionalized (hate it) and I say periodically that "I'm not INTERESTED in Salem or Gloucester counties". But, then, I saw an article about someone I went to school with and saw an interesting program advertised.
Friday, January 18, 2013
The last computer
Not really in the mood for spending a lot of time online today, so it is just me and a computer at the Camden County Library. This library is named after someone, but I refuse to complicate my life by using the name. Nothing I like better than a whole room full of people minding their own business and quietly working on whatever they are working on (probably Facebook). They have a rather loud air circulation system which actually helps as it hides incidental noises.
Attended a lecture here this morning called, Why can't I be happy? Me and a bunch of other senior citizen ladies. Oh, and a man with a walker. I actually knew one of the people, but due to depression or due to my cold, I didn't say hello. The speaker was a geriatric psychiatrist, really young and cute. I shouldn't be out and about, but I am getting really bored with staying home, AND not even accomplishing anything at home. My cough has gotten worse and my nose started running last night when I was on the massage table. I thought it was just because he was doing such a good job massaging me that my sinuses were clearing out. So, now I have added SNEEZING to my repertoire. I try to be sensitive as to how annoying I am to others, since I know, I, personally, HATE sick people and wish that they had stayed home. My voice is really rough, so it is just easier to be anonymous and not talk to people.
My plan is to go over to the semi-good movie theater and catch a film, since I am all the way an hour away from home. They have some really comfy chairs and a lot of film magazines. The drive up was beautiful, with finally some sun and a few minutes of SNOW.
Attended a lecture here this morning called, Why can't I be happy? Me and a bunch of other senior citizen ladies. Oh, and a man with a walker. I actually knew one of the people, but due to depression or due to my cold, I didn't say hello. The speaker was a geriatric psychiatrist, really young and cute. I shouldn't be out and about, but I am getting really bored with staying home, AND not even accomplishing anything at home. My cough has gotten worse and my nose started running last night when I was on the massage table. I thought it was just because he was doing such a good job massaging me that my sinuses were clearing out. So, now I have added SNEEZING to my repertoire. I try to be sensitive as to how annoying I am to others, since I know, I, personally, HATE sick people and wish that they had stayed home. My voice is really rough, so it is just easier to be anonymous and not talk to people.
My plan is to go over to the semi-good movie theater and catch a film, since I am all the way an hour away from home. They have some really comfy chairs and a lot of film magazines. The drive up was beautiful, with finally some sun and a few minutes of SNOW.
Thursday, January 17, 2013
66 books
Read an article by a guy who knew how many books he had read during the last year. I would like to have that statistic. Thought of starting a record of all books read. But, I guess, if I write them all up in this blog, I could find out that way how many I read.
It was too quiet at my house. I am recovering from a chest cold so that was my excuse to lie down for several hours. For awhile, it seemed a bit brighter out, but now it has gotten grey again. The Millville Library is the opposite of quiet. In fact, I don't have the nerve to ask for more time as it is so busy here.
Finished an audiobook called Sweet tooth, By Ian McEwan. Didn't get to hear ALL of it because my CD player in the car is acting up. Add to list of problems. The story involved Serena Frome and her "career" with M15. She seems to get involved with every guy she meets. It is about writers and writing and about spying. It is the least suspenseful story about spies I have ever read. I enjoy the Britishness, especially good in the audiobook version.
It was too quiet at my house. I am recovering from a chest cold so that was my excuse to lie down for several hours. For awhile, it seemed a bit brighter out, but now it has gotten grey again. The Millville Library is the opposite of quiet. In fact, I don't have the nerve to ask for more time as it is so busy here.
Finished an audiobook called Sweet tooth, By Ian McEwan. Didn't get to hear ALL of it because my CD player in the car is acting up. Add to list of problems. The story involved Serena Frome and her "career" with M15. She seems to get involved with every guy she meets. It is about writers and writing and about spying. It is the least suspenseful story about spies I have ever read. I enjoy the Britishness, especially good in the audiobook version.
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Mesmerizing
The thing on the Google home page is really mesmerizing today. I am sure there is a name for that thing. Anyway, it is an ice skating rink and people keep coming and going on it. Do they change it every day? Is that someone's job? I remember seeing results of a contest they had for schoolchildren to compete for a design for it. The display was at the American visionary museum in Baltimore.
I am still really annoyed that I have gotten sick. Can't seem to get out of bed lately at a timely hour. I prefer to just lie there with my thoughts because if I listen to NPR I get side-tracked. At least I am not coughing all night, but I AM coughing enough to feel the hurt. This AM was hoping that a friend would call and invite me out to breakfast. The first phone call was from The fraternal order of police. I told them I was too sick to talk. Then the census lady called me. I was relieved that the only two questions were:
- Are you still retired? (Yes)
- Are you looking for work? (No)
Finished new Barbara Kingsolver book, Flight behavior. I think she is my favorite author. The title is apt and refers to the situation with the monarch butterflies, which are somehow in the wrong place, and also to the interior life of the narrator, a married woman eeking out an existence in that place. There is tension between the life of the poor people who live in this mountainous region and the out of town environmentalists who want to save nature. The main character is married with two kids and her family wants to sell off the land. But she discovers a whole field full of monarch butterflies and it becomes a subject of scientific research and a tourist attraction. Dellarobia starts working for the visitng scientist and develops a crush on him. Although this ultimately does not work out (his gorgeous wife comes for a visit near the end), it allows Dellarobia the courage to leave her husband and go back to college. The butterflies are in the wrong place (probably due to climate change) and Dellarobia realizes that she is in the wrong place, too. A telling moment in the interaction between the cultures is when Ovid (the scientist) gives her the carbon footprint test. He tells her she should eat less red meat (she is trying to GET some red meat), eat out less (she hasn't eaten out in two years) and fly less (she has never flown).
I am still really annoyed that I have gotten sick. Can't seem to get out of bed lately at a timely hour. I prefer to just lie there with my thoughts because if I listen to NPR I get side-tracked. At least I am not coughing all night, but I AM coughing enough to feel the hurt. This AM was hoping that a friend would call and invite me out to breakfast. The first phone call was from The fraternal order of police. I told them I was too sick to talk. Then the census lady called me. I was relieved that the only two questions were:
- Are you still retired? (Yes)
- Are you looking for work? (No)
Finished new Barbara Kingsolver book, Flight behavior. I think she is my favorite author. The title is apt and refers to the situation with the monarch butterflies, which are somehow in the wrong place, and also to the interior life of the narrator, a married woman eeking out an existence in that place. There is tension between the life of the poor people who live in this mountainous region and the out of town environmentalists who want to save nature. The main character is married with two kids and her family wants to sell off the land. But she discovers a whole field full of monarch butterflies and it becomes a subject of scientific research and a tourist attraction. Dellarobia starts working for the visitng scientist and develops a crush on him. Although this ultimately does not work out (his gorgeous wife comes for a visit near the end), it allows Dellarobia the courage to leave her husband and go back to college. The butterflies are in the wrong place (probably due to climate change) and Dellarobia realizes that she is in the wrong place, too. A telling moment in the interaction between the cultures is when Ovid (the scientist) gives her the carbon footprint test. He tells her she should eat less red meat (she is trying to GET some red meat), eat out less (she hasn't eaten out in two years) and fly less (she has never flown).
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