I gotta get out o'this town, if it's the last thing I ever do

Mexican doorbell at 6:30 AM.  Car horns honking, then loud Spanish rap coming from car waiting for whoever (whomever?).  Then more honking.  People are really inconsiderate around here.  I just try and WAIT them out.

The good news is I finally made a plane reservation.  The bad news is that I can't find my passport!  And there is a possibility that it has expired.  Was gonna go home and tear apart my house tonight but going out to dinner instead.  Which of the 52 piles is it at the bottom of?  Between the taxes not done and the passport not found, I am feeling somewhat frazzled.  But I could have worse problems....like no legs.

I hate, hate, hate our tax system.  Totally convoluted and confusing.  Called up an accountant hoping that she would know what I need to declare for my pension, but she didn't seem to have a clue.  I am sure if I contact my employer they will just say they can't give tax advice.  I am probably one of the few people who read the booklets cover to cover.  Did you know that you MUST declare all of your income from:
- bribes
- kickbacks
- illegal drug sales

A pit bull named Precious

Why are my neighbors so predictable?  Looking out the window, I thought I saw them with a small black and white terrier-type dog.  Yesterday I was introduced to the pit bull named Precious (no leash).

On my bucket list is to travel using frequent-flyer miles.  Trouble is, you have to GO somewhere in order to earn them.  I can't bring myself to spend money on travel.  Each day that I procrastinate about upcoming trip, the prices go UP.  I keep looking for a nice little $1000 vacation and not finding it. I have said NO to quite a few $3000-$4000 trips.  Should I just bite the bullet and go?

Nice to arrive in Greenwich today.  Nice and peaceful.  I stopped the car and opened the window. 
Delightful boisterous sounds of many birds with some chicken clucking in the background.

Anonymous blogs

Wrote to a guy who HAD a blog to ask some questions.  I liked his sense of humor and his self revelations.  He immediately responded with a long email which helped me.  He started off with an anonymous blog.  The more his friends discovered it, the more he had to censor himself.  This is my problem.  So, I am going to make my blog public again but STOP TALKING ABOUT IT.  I have learned that I really don't want criticism.  That is why I don't work!

According to statistics, most people abandon their blogs after 2 or 3 months.  I still feel like writing, despite my recent crisis of purpose.

It was so great to see so many friends over the weekend.  Since Monday things not going so well.  Spent an entire afternoon struggling with the tax stuff at the library and they didn't have a calculator to lend me.  Finally had to send off an extension form even though I do not believe in extensions.  Now that the post offices all close at 5, that was my deadline.  After spending 5 hours on it, I ended up brain dead, pissed off, confused, and a bunch of other negative emotions.  Then I went to my book club and couldn't think of much to say about the book, Zuka and the fire of life, by Salman Rushdie.  Today I woke up with noises of butchering of trees.  Went outside and found out it is MY neighbors with three types of heavy equipment going a bit overboard, if you ask me.  They proceeded to destroy a quite lovely fir tree because the owner wants to put a DUMPSTER back there, so he can renovate the downstairs apartment (and thus give me DOUBLE the trouble).  I had to take an anti-anxiety pill and leave home to get away from the noise and the thinking about it.

Millville, the next best thing to Washington, DC?

I am referring to the cherry blossoms I saw everywhere on the way to the Millville Public Library today.  It is grey and raining but they still looked beautiful.  Never in my life have I planned a trip or gotten to DC at the right time for the cherry blossoms.

Paris, here I come?  I am seriously "vacation planning impaired" but now I have a goal, albeit a bit late.  Some friends are going to be in Paris and have invited me to stay with them for a few days.  Can I do it?  Can I overcome my terror of any price over $1000 and actually commit?

In a rush today.  If I devote ENOUGH time to exercise and online activities, there is practically no time left over.  Thus, I find myself in a fix with my taxes incomplete.  Now, this is not uncommon as the earliest I have EVER filed is April 14th.  I used to say I was doing it so as to have compassion for the library patrons who would be rushing into the library at 8:45 PM on April 15th yelling, "What form do I need?"  It makes me anxious to realize that I will have limited time for my OTHER important activities from now until I am finished.  I don't believe in extensions, because I know myself well enough to know that I would need an extension to the extension.  Unfotunately, I have MANY plans for activities in the next few days.

The fish McBites diet

By the time I got around to writing about The fish McBites diet, McDonald's has done away with them!  I know that they weren't really good for me (fried and with tartar sauce) but the snack size fitted  (fat?) my budget and my calorie limits (almost).  I did read an article about how they weren't such a great success, but boy did they come and go fast.  I called it a meal.  So when they gave me the bad news (I had to drive to the first window to get it) I just ordered my "fall back"  food, a cheeseburger and small fries.  Combined with the Tastykakes (chocolate peanut butter patties) and the cereal for a bedtime snack, it wasn't such a great diet day yesterday.  But somehow the scale was down this morning.

Shall I change this blog since it is now PRIVATE?  Could be just ideas for future writing projects, if I ever get around to that.  Perhaps I will feel less pressure to write as often?  (It IS very time-consuming and for what?)  Now it can be my personal, private diary/journal.  Other ideas for blogs:
- a real fake identity with a name and all
- less mentioning of places and people?
- a better focus - reviews?
I think the problem is that I don't want to be read and critized.  It only took one criticism for me to take my blog private.  And I never really got compliments. (or readers, for that matter).  I think I have the blog idea backwards.  Most people write it so that their FRIENDS can see what they are up to.  I wish my friends would NOT see what I am up to.  I don't mind if STRANGERS know.

Here at the Vineland Public Library.  I am HOT (the prespiring kind of hot).  But it is nice to be retired and know that at any moment I can go outside and admire the flowers.   
PROS :
- can get two hours on computer (although today it is too crowded)
- chairs are comfortable with padding and good back support
- mice are nice
- only 15 cents a page to print
CONS:
- screens are small
- playlist.com will not work
- room to spread out can be limited
- have to wait one hour in between sessions if it is crowded (actually, that has never happened to me)
- sitting here with previous patrons

Going private

Trying to figure out how to take this blog private.  I am sure I saw it go by once but HELP is not helping me.

Saw my first azalea blooming today.  What a riotous week of exploding colors and hot weather.  My audiobook talked about "the wafting scent of the forsythia".  I stopped by the side of the road and I sniffed.  Just as I suspected, forsythia HAS no scent.

No luck trying to copy photos from phone over to here.  My phone automatically sends it to Yahoo email.  Copy and paste does not work.  Wanted to show some photos from Victorian house art tour I went on last night.  My friend has 3 story home and yard FULL of whimsy and beauty...art from Africa, Australia, Japan and Cumberland County, New Jersey.  Her home is in Newport, a quaint, quiet little town.

Mahogany, Marquise and Makiah

This goes against my blog policy of never NAMING NAMES.  But I found this piece of paper that I wrote on while I was working and I didn't know where to file it and I couldn't bear to throw it out.  So I am writing it down here so I CAN throw it out.  I just love these creative names that a library patron named her children, especially Mahogany.

Measures of popularity - Everything is measured now in number of friends on Facebook and number of Twitter followers.  You can't argue with the hard cold facts!  These poor late night hosts have to compare their numbers of Twitter followers to see who comes out at the top of the pack.  I guess my only measure of popularity is whether anyone comments on my blog, so please do.  I don't even know how to ASK for "followers".  And I cannot understand why anyone would want to be friends with someone on Facebook that they don't even know!?  I guess I don't get it.

Where does the time go?  I have spent two hours just organizing my computer and dealing with my email!  Went to get my new glasses and they were closed for lunch.  (There oughta be a law...why can't they take staggered lunches like we do (did) at the library)?  So I had to come in to Larry's II to use the computer.  Practically every table was taken up by some card playing group so I couldn't sit where I usually do.  It is ALMOST perfect here except there is no PLUG.  Sigh.  I wish I was in Portland (Oregon) in some cool cafe.

This is the nail polish I got today.  I'm such a GIRL.  I really enjoy my Vietnamese nail technician and trying to explain the names of the O.P.I. polishes to her.  Usually they are PUNS which are hard to explain to someone whose language is not English.  This is Charged Up Cherry.