I forgot to post a picture today

Here is the mayor of my town.  We like him.

Me and all the other losers (weirdos?)

Being amongst the people-who-don't-have-computers-at-home is an ignoble accomplishment.  As I look around me, there are some real strange dudes and,not necessarilly people around whom I enjoy being.  In fact, PEOPLE are getting on my nerves more and more.  Last night attended a free demo on Windows 8 and a woman behind me was sniffling and chewing gum noisily.  The other attendees were old and strange, except for one sort of youngish couple.  The instructors down at the Cape May County Library technology center, however, are young men, just brimming over with information and willingness to share and help.  Too bad it involves an hour drive from Bridgeton to Cape May Court House.

Book review: Stranger here : how weight-loss surgery transformed my body and messed with my head, by Jen Larsen.  I must return this book today as it is OVERDUE.  I borrowed it from the Vineland Public Library (613.24 Lar)  I wanted to read this because she was a librarian, lived in San Francisco and had weight loss surgery, to which I am sort of opposed.  I figure, if you are going to have to eat less and exercise, why bother getting surgery, why not just DO IT?  She details her transformation and her breakup with her long time boyfriend and her poor eating habits, even after surgery.  I was amazed to learn from the dust jacket and flap that she now lives in Utah and is a lesbian.  I didn't see THAT coming.  I learned the jargon of these many patients, including the desire for Onederland (once you get below 200 pounds)  People who have undergone these surgeries seem to be obsessed with it (even five years out) as they used to be obsessed with dieting.  One of her large friends is worried about the changes in their friendship..."I wanted to tell her how I had no controls, no checks, no balances, no boundaries.  There's being fat, and there's being on a runaway train.  I had to get the surgery.  And I was so sorry."  I know that feeling.

Still working on my taxes.  As I get closer to sending it in, I have totally forgotten WHY I did WHAT and fearing that it is WRONG.  It sure is complicated!  I really should do it online next year, because I think that is what THEY do and then they find all of my mistakes.  My philosophy on taxes is....DONE is better than RIGHT.  Also, a little known cheap way to do your taxes is to just send it in and then they redo it and send you the amount of money THEY think you should get back.  This is CHEAPER than paying H & R Block $250 to help me.  I know I should get some help about every five years, but by the time I get around to looking for someone to help, it is April already.

Stressful morning

Was rushing to get to my exercise class.  Got into the line at McDonald's although it was horrendously long.
Noticed in the side view mirror that the guy in front me was SHAVING like he had narry a care in the world.  Finally he drove off without even going through the drive in to get food.  Grrr...Then had to go to get car maintenance done.  Brought an overdue library book.  I forgot that one has to listen to country western music in the office.  That was hard enought for me (not good at multitasking)  Then a guy who was waiting kept getting phone calls and his ringer was gangsta' rap.  I am as fond of gangsta' rap as the next fella but NOT when I am reading AND listening to country western music.  I was missing Paris where people are quiet and well behaved, not IN-YOUR-FACE like people in my town.  I really detest listening to other people on the phone.

How did I run out of time?  Planned to use the computer for an hour and then do other stuff like photocopying and reading the newspaper on a stick (cheap thrills, as was pointed out by Kramer on Seinfeld).  Drove an hour to go to a demo on Windows 8 although not sure why I want to learn about it.  May have to get an ipad or an iphone soon.  But I don't say no to some free education.

Tried to look up my favorite yoghurt from France to see exactly HOW fattening it was.  But the stats are not like ours, so I couldn't figure anything out.  Thought I would post a picture of it anyway.  Yoghurt with chestnuts!  How come WE don't have that?  In fact, the yoghurt selections in Paris were WAY more than we get.  I brought home one of the little glass jars to remember it by.  (We couldn't figure out what to do with all of them anyway).  This is from their collection called Les moments plaisir (pleasurable moments).
I know you can FRIEND my favorite CHEESE on Facebook (Caprice des dieux) but not sure about stuff from La fermière.

My worst nightmare...

...is that a barking dog will move in RIGHT NEXT DOOR.  I wish this dog would run away.  I really HATE having my peace disturbed by a barking dog.  Not to mention the issues of trash, noise, ambulances, and police with drawn guns.  Other than that, they are just your average Mexican family with North Carolina license plates, a pit bull, and relatives who are going to move in with them.  My general philosophy on neighbors is..."I'll WAIT them out".

Restaurant review: Mi familia pizzeria and ice cream on Burlington Road in Bridgeton, NJ.  Around here you can blink and restaurants are closed or have an entirely new name.  Usual door was locked, but we got in the front door.    Four policeman were out front talking to a lady (some sort of disagreement about a Diet Coke).  I kind of liked it although my friend was not happy with her meatball sandwich.  What I liked:
- waitresses trying really hard to please
- you can get a WHOLE WHEAT pizza crust
- on a salad you get a choice of romaine, spring mix or spinach
- I ordered a small salad and waitress pointed out that by ordering the SPECIAL I could get a large salad for less money

I am starving right now, but I am trying to get more used to it.    Usually, I bring a snack to the historical libary, but I didn't today.  Another guy usually goes to the store to get lunch but he isn't going today.  Someone else usually bakes bread but he didn't today.  Luckily someone produced a bag of almonds and a container of raisins, so this will tide me over.  We are in a small town with NO stores....just a country store with a sign posted that says, "We are doing our best to open as soon as possible".  I am waiting anxiously.  The last people who ran it did not have Diet Coke as they said that no one drinks it in Greenwich.

Boss bitch?

Saw a woman at lunch with this tattooed in BIG letters on her chest.  I told her that once someone put graffiti on my house that said BOSS BITCH in big blue letters.  I asked her whether I should have been complimented or insulted.  "It wasn't me!", she claimed.  I looked it up in the urban dictionary (online) at the time and found that it meant a tough woman who won't take no s#$t from anyone.

Checked the weather in Paris.  It is about 10 degrees cooler and cloudy.  I AM enjoying the SUN here in New Jersey.

Went to see an author last night.  Couldn't decide whether to go to the Sea Isle City library to hear Lisa Scottoline or to the Free Library of Philadelphia to see Walter Mosley.  I decided to go to Philly as I had seen Lisa once at a library conference.  Managed to find a parking place right in front of the library and also figured out the parking kiosk (new technology intimidates me).  It was "only" $4 for 2 hours.  He spoke for 45 minutes.  Talked about his new book in the Easy Rawlins series.  Not sure if I have read one of those.  Just printed out the list of all of his books and series from Wikipedia so that I can systematically read some more.  He seemed rather acerbic and world weary?  He has great character names like Socrates and Leonid and Fearless Jones.  Writings are all over the place...mysteries, nonfiction, science fiction.  Mostly known for his crime fiction.  In his latest book he resurrects a character he killed off in 2007.  Most of his books involve redemption, he said.  This one involves resurrection.  He said that in the beginning, black men did not come to his talks.  Black men prefer TRUTH, so they read nonfiction.  He has pointed out that most of the lies in the world come from nonfiction.

Camera displays people naked

Guy next to me on the computer is looking at that on Youtube.  I am using my free headphones I got on the airplane to use with the ipad they loaned me.  I need headphones EVERYWHERE, just like I need scotch tape, staplers, telephones and waste baskets everywhere.  Have misplaced my special ones yet again.  But I got TWO new pairs....on the way to Paris and on the way back.  And they are nice and LONG....I don't have to check out the headphone extender cable like I had to with my regular earbuds.  I had to give back the ipad but they didn't want to headphones back.

I like this cartoon in the New Yorker,since I am laboring in obscurity on this blog.

Book review: Murder, she wrote, a slaying in Savannah by Jessica Fletcher and Donald Bain.  Actually, I have listened to this audiobook before, narrated by Cyntha Darlow.  Amazingly, the narrator manages to almost SOUND like Angela Lansbury, who played Jessica Fletcher on TV.  As a former cataloguing librarian, these kinds of books used to drive me crazy.  Jessica Fletcher is a FICTIONAL character so how can she be writing a book?  Jessica is called to Savannah upon the death of a good friend.  The friend left one million dollars to a literacy foundation she ran with Jessica.  The money is contingent upon the solving of a murder by Jessica.  So she stays in the big house of the deceased, along with fortune-hunting boyfriends, ghost-chasing "tenants", servants who have been around for decades.  She solves the murder with a clue that sailed completely by me. 

Becoming a lazy bum again

Now that I am not forced to walk all over Paris, I am back to my sedentery ways...driving, reading, using the computer.  Amazingly, the eating evened out with the walking and I didn't gain any weight during my ten days in Paris!  How to get that level of activity into my life?  Today it is too HOT and I don't have any TIME....oh, I can go on and on with the excuses.

Vowing to add PARIS to my list of frequently read categories.  Of course, all of the others are GENRES (biographies, nonfiction, mysteries), not SUBJECTS.  A friend I visited there is obsessed with Paris in the twenties.  I think I am more into the late 1800's.

Last night was talked into going to a concert in Atlantic City.  I really don't like staying up late and I wanted to go to bed early as I am still jet lagged and I had never heard of Deana Martin, but I went, because I didn't want to be such a big party pooper and I was offered a free ticket and a ride.  Have I been living under a rock?  I never heard of her and she had a list of accomplishments two pages long.  One of Dean Martin's 7 (?) children, she basically sings his songs and others of that ilk.  It was very entertaining and was helped with a big band in back.  It was a fundraiser for the Schulz and Hill Foundation to fund arts in the schools.  The audience was high society down-the-shore people....I called them "sequins and botox".  They all knew each other but I didn't know anyone except the three people I came with.