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).

Becoming a new person

I am becoming a new person who exercises daily and is careful about what she eats.  So I WELCOME a lecture about getting exercise because I AM that person.  AS opposed to the days when I was only wishing I would be that person.  It takes time, that is for sure.  Time I used to spend WORKING.

Is it totally crazy to want to go down to the casinos to MAKE MONEY?  If I took a bunch of twenty dollar bills and visited a machine and walked away either when I WON a bunch or when my $20 went down to $10?  You can get a really cheap room right now during the week.  I learned this by going on hotels.com.
I did pretty well on the Hot hot super respin penny machine at Resorts.  Maybe they just make you win at first to hook you in and build up your confidence.

So I spend my time writing a blog that nobody reads.  Is is a good discipline for becoming a writer?

Forget the weather forecast

I was dreading the weekend as three days of rain was predicted.  It is now 12:18 on Monday and it hasn't rained yet.  But, it is supposed to rain and snow today!  What it is, is damn chilly.

Finished The uncommon appeal of clouds, by Alexander McCall Smith.  It is one of my least favorite of his series, the one called the Isabel Dalhousie series. Isabel is an Edinburgh philosopher and amateur sleuth.  She married a younger man and has a son.  She helps people with "mysteries" but does not get paid.  This one is about the theft of an art work by Poussin (he wasn't the thief, the thief was unknown)..  It is a "contemporary cozy" verging on the boring. Isabel can be a bit of a prig.

Had a fun day at the Atlantic City casinos yesterday.  I am not a gambler, but I COULD be!  If I gambled in order to win, I would spend 15 minutes and walk away when my money went up.  It is hard to fill many hours there without losing.  In the end, I was ahead $15, which paid for my lunch.  I only play the penny and nickle machines.  I used to take $20 and was ready to go home after 15 minutes.  Yesterday, I gambled with $65 and made it last quite a long time.  The show was so so.....guys (Andre & Cirell) who did imitations and sang songs of other more famous people.  Their interactions with the audience were stale and lame.  We went to Resorts, which was the first casino to open in Atlantic City.  It was opened by Merv Griffin back in the 70's.  It seemed not very crowded down there or in Resorts.  And all the people that WERE there were in the line for promotions, thus depriving me of getting a "Get the star treatment" card.  OK, the other reason I didn't get the card was because you needed a photo ID and I had downsized my purse to the point where I didn't have any ID.

Speaking of accomplishing nothing...

My sister complained that her son accomplished nothing over the Spring break from college.  I saw a great quote last night at Fibre Arts Cafe at the Village on High, in Millville, NJ. "My goal for today was to accomplish nothing.  So far I am ahead of schedule."

Maybe I am missing something, but...here is what I am NOT into:
- Facebook (barely)
- Twitter
- Tumblr
- Pinterest
- Memes
- Avatars
- Video games

How do I have the time when I am reading so much?  I don't even have time to watch TV or DVDs.  Here is what I am reading:
 - Current newspaper
- Old newspapers
- Current magazine
- Old magazine
- The man in my basement, by Walter Mosely
- Eccentric glamour, by Simon Doonan
- My beloved world, by Sonia Sotomayor
- Insane city, by Dave Barry
- The uncommon appeal of clouds, by Alexander McCall Smith
- Beautiful ruins, by Jess Walter
- The importance of being seven, by Alexander McCall Smith
- The blindside, by Michael Lewis
- Luka and the fire of life, by Salman Rushdie

Trying to copy stuff from Youtube

Not successful.  Sending the link there is a period where there shouldn't be a period.  If I take it out I just go to a white screen.   Anyway, I no sooner had listened to this song called The Harlem Shake and decided NOT to add it to my playlist, than I discovered it had become an Internet sensation.  I will try again to add the Vineland Public Library version which you can look for on YouTube.  Ok, now I am CUTTING and PASTING.  Sending through YouTube does not seem to work!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwIyIQTQCnA

Finished an audiobook today.  I spent a lot of the time NOT liking it.  It all began in Monte Carlo is by Elisabeth Adler.  It was narrated by Susan Boyce.  I borrowed it from the Vineland Public Library (AUD CD FIC Adler Elizabeth)  There were too many characters.  The annoying ones were REALLY annoying and I kept saying to myself, "Don't they SEE what is going on !?!?!"  There is Sunny, who leaves her boyfriend in Malibu and travels to Paris and ends up in Monte Carlo.  Then there is her friend, the ex-movie star and HER friend, the dumpy dumped wife.Anyway, her boyfriend is a respected detective known ALL OVER THE WORLD and there just happens to be a jewel robbery and a blackmail scheme for him to work on.  There is a lot of discussion about clothes and shoes.  I hate to admit it, but I probaby BOUGHT this audiobook because I used to purchase these at the library.

Another day of sun, but cold and windy.  It is my imagination, or am I obsessed with the weather and how my playlist works or does not work?  It DOES work nicely here at the Millville public library but not at Vineland.  And they just gave me another hour of computer time.  Life is good!

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 don't understand what you mean by "ha ha ha"

That Siri, she is a riot.  We were making fun of her and she gave us the above response.  My sister and brother-in-law were trying to show off with Siri, but she wasn't really getting it.  My sister fell in the river from the kayak and got her iPhone all wet.  Luckily, she found that her upgrade had just become available so she got a brand new iPhone 5.

Was awake in the night.  There was a curious beeping noise.  Then a few minutes would pass.  Just as I was about to fall asleep, the beeping would resume.  I was racking my brain for what new source I had brought into the house.  Finally, I got up and walked around waiting for the beep.  Turned out it was my PHONE.  I had entered the birthday of a friend of mine and I guess the alarm had started ringing around about midnight.  Jeez...Can't stand that calendar alarm!  Once I entered my WEIGHT and the alarm started going off.

Was late to my usual hangout today. the Cumberland County Historical Society in Greenwich, NJ.  When I got there, all the chairs were taken. I went before hand to the College to volunteer and also get free breakfast and lunch.  Sat with a few convivial souls and put address labels on postcards.  Now, after a long drive from Vineland to Greenwich, I have a nice view of almost good weather.  It is sunny but still chilly.  Watching a man trimming his bushes on Ye Greate Street..