Why am I doing this? Is it FUN reading the booklets from cover to cover each year, twice? Am I good at math? No, no and no. Double checking my numbers in order to get the amount down that I owe, I am only finding mistakes that take me in the wrong direction. Certain mind fucks like....why do I have to pay taxes on dividends and gains NOW and then again when I cash them in? It seems wrong, so wrong. Just learned about a new form, 8949, so you can summarize from this one onto schedule D. Why did I ever think that my life would get less complicated after retirement? It still seems to be getting worse every year. I seem to owe over $3000 and that is giving me a royal pain in the ass.
We are water (audiobook), by Wally Lamb: It seemed way too long. Excruciating in spots and I wanted it to be over. Then it got OK again. Story is told from too many viewpoints and jumps around in time. First I liked it as it just went from husband to wife and you saw how they got to be the way they are. Then the kids got into it and the new girlfriend and the evil cousin. The basic theme is family secrets and how they mess up generations of people. I felt a bit more sympathetic when I listened to the interview with the author and found that he teaches writing in a women's prison and has second-hand knowledge of abuse issues with a great proportion of the prison population.
Warm today, too warm. We had guests at breakfast, which was very nice since out breakfast club has been decimated by illness and death. Sat out in the back yard as I ate my lunch and was pleased to hear only birds and cars, no barking dogs or cursing neighbors. My neighbor left me a variety of gorgeous daffoduls in a honey jar. He's a sweetie.
Saturday, April 12, 2014
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
ERRANDS...(what I do best)
Recent legal news about a photography company which is being FORCED to take pictures at a gay wedding. Why would you even WANT someone opposed to gay marriage to be photographing you? How could they even do a good job?
Tao: Phoenix rising (performance group): Japanese drumming including dance, cymbals, flute, costumes. It was truly special. High energy made me want to go to Japanese drumming camp (if there only was one!) I loved the whole androgyny thing they had going...all part of the tao. White and black, good and evil, feminine and masculine, positive and negative. All things are really their opposite or eventually get back around to that. I loved the women not acting ladylike: dressed in gorgeous floor length white gowns with bustles and slamming the drums with all of their strength. Men with long hair dressed in skirts. Touring from Japsn and passing through Vineland, New Jersey. I thought of about 20 people I should have invited, who would have loved it.
Amish businesses have a 95% success rate and they only have an 8th grade education. What is the secret of their success?
Tao: Phoenix rising (performance group): Japanese drumming including dance, cymbals, flute, costumes. It was truly special. High energy made me want to go to Japanese drumming camp (if there only was one!) I loved the whole androgyny thing they had going...all part of the tao. White and black, good and evil, feminine and masculine, positive and negative. All things are really their opposite or eventually get back around to that. I loved the women not acting ladylike: dressed in gorgeous floor length white gowns with bustles and slamming the drums with all of their strength. Men with long hair dressed in skirts. Touring from Japsn and passing through Vineland, New Jersey. I thought of about 20 people I should have invited, who would have loved it.
Amish businesses have a 95% success rate and they only have an 8th grade education. What is the secret of their success?
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
Crossing three things off of my list
Got online - a daily need (like sunshine). Completed arthritis class this AM. The good thing about an 8 AM exercise class is that you can cross it off the list. A friend took me out to breakfast and then we went to see the Muppets most wanted movie. Seeing a movie is a weekly goal of mine.
Big beat Miami 2014 (album), by David Guetta and a lot of friends. Enjoyable as techno background but no songs that really speak to me and say SAVE ME on Youtube.
Muppets most wanted (movie): Funny with lots of famous people on for about 3 minutes each and good songs. Then I went to Hoopla and was able to borrow the album, which made me very happy. Nice seeing the Muppets travel around the world as I like seeing the world. Went with a friend to the early show (11:35 AM) and we were the only people in there so we could laugh as loudly as we wanted to without bothering anyone. It is very disorienting to come out of the movie theater and it is only the middle of the afternoon. Particularly enjoyed Tina Fey. Usher was....an usher. We had to get the popcorn, even though we had just had breakfast, because it was $2 popcorn Tuesday.
Big beat Miami 2014 (album), by David Guetta and a lot of friends. Enjoyable as techno background but no songs that really speak to me and say SAVE ME on Youtube.
Muppets most wanted (movie): Funny with lots of famous people on for about 3 minutes each and good songs. Then I went to Hoopla and was able to borrow the album, which made me very happy. Nice seeing the Muppets travel around the world as I like seeing the world. Went with a friend to the early show (11:35 AM) and we were the only people in there so we could laugh as loudly as we wanted to without bothering anyone. It is very disorienting to come out of the movie theater and it is only the middle of the afternoon. Particularly enjoyed Tina Fey. Usher was....an usher. We had to get the popcorn, even though we had just had breakfast, because it was $2 popcorn Tuesday.
Monday, April 7, 2014
Am I multitasking?
Trying to listen to an album by David Guetta while writing. Very dance beat and techno. Song is Shot me down. On the album Big beat Miami 2014. As close as I am going to come to nightclubbing in Miami. He is of the DJ era...not sure what he actually DOES.
Enjoying using my own laptop at the Cumberland County Library. Their computers are getting so old, so slow and so undependable, that I can hardly use them.
Hoopla: New library service where you can borrow music, audiobooks, television and movies. I am enjoying the ability to borrow and listen to entire albums....what an old-fashioned concept!
Growing up Amish, by Ira Wagler: Learned a few things but, really, this book just went around in circles and wasn't very compelling. An Amish boy feels like leaving the community, so he does and eventually returns, again and again and again. I selected this from the system Overdrive (also provided through the library) because of all the Amish markets around here.
Enjoying using my own laptop at the Cumberland County Library. Their computers are getting so old, so slow and so undependable, that I can hardly use them.
Hoopla: New library service where you can borrow music, audiobooks, television and movies. I am enjoying the ability to borrow and listen to entire albums....what an old-fashioned concept!
Growing up Amish, by Ira Wagler: Learned a few things but, really, this book just went around in circles and wasn't very compelling. An Amish boy feels like leaving the community, so he does and eventually returns, again and again and again. I selected this from the system Overdrive (also provided through the library) because of all the Amish markets around here.
Saturday, April 5, 2014
On the turntable....
A feature I like from a Japanese blog I follow. Less glamorously, I only listen to music on Youtube....right now original With a little help from my friends, by Joe Cocker at Woodstock. Boy, what was he ON?
El mariachi (movie): Saw at Cinema series at the Bridgeton Public Library. Way too violent for my current day tastes, but the protagonist was charming and innocent and was forced through a case of mistaken identity to kill a lot of people who were trying to kill him. I saw it when it came out in the early 90's at the Philadelphia film festival.
Enjoyed Amish market yesterday. Breakfast and then ran into a bunch of people I knew. Quite a pleasant place. The Amish are so restful..which is weird cause I know they work very hard.
El mariachi (movie): Saw at Cinema series at the Bridgeton Public Library. Way too violent for my current day tastes, but the protagonist was charming and innocent and was forced through a case of mistaken identity to kill a lot of people who were trying to kill him. I saw it when it came out in the early 90's at the Philadelphia film festival.
Enjoyed Amish market yesterday. Breakfast and then ran into a bunch of people I knew. Quite a pleasant place. The Amish are so restful..which is weird cause I know they work very hard.
Thursday, April 3, 2014
Where does the time go?
No time to exercise today. Getting worried due to upcoming trip to Italy. Will I be able to keep up, handle it? Old, charming stuff....I love it. BUT...hard to be away from my car...walking, walking, walking and lots of hills. I can hardly walk up the steps to the second floor without getting winded. Must lose some weight and go into training. (Also getting nervous about spending, spending, spending)
Well, I WAS "busy" all day. Stopped by my doctor's office to get tested for thyroid level. Then got some cheap gas, only $3.25 a gallon. COuldn't resist! A bit late to my art class. I did a nice drawing of a glass pitcher of daffodils and a plate of fruit (apples and pears). The watercolor I did was less successful. Tried to do another glass pitcher with tulips. Teacher complimented me but then wanted me to "complete" the background. I think I ruined it. I am a very hesistant painter. Working small and constrained. When I went to paint, I had lost my paints...left them there last week. So then I stopped by the Bagel place and had an onion bagel sandwich with shrimp salad. Not that great and quite expensive. Next, to the chiropractor where I had a substitute massage person. She did it so slowly, I wasn't sure she was going to accomplish much in 1/2 hour. Also music was dirge-like. Then stopped by the new Shoprite for something different. This resulted in my being lost. And ran into an old patron who used to sing to me in Spanish and ask me out in the library. Then was tired and could not resist driving through the McDonalds to get a chocolate milkshake. Next home to rest for an hour. Listening to the radio (NPR) was not so restful so I had to turn it off. Rather difficult to get up out of the bed to come to the library but now that I am listening to Youtube and printing out some essential paperwork, I am glad I did. Really came out to be supportive of cinema series. GOing to the basement to sit in a hard chair and watch El mariachi, which I already saw many years ago at the Philadelphia film festival.
Well, I WAS "busy" all day. Stopped by my doctor's office to get tested for thyroid level. Then got some cheap gas, only $3.25 a gallon. COuldn't resist! A bit late to my art class. I did a nice drawing of a glass pitcher of daffodils and a plate of fruit (apples and pears). The watercolor I did was less successful. Tried to do another glass pitcher with tulips. Teacher complimented me but then wanted me to "complete" the background. I think I ruined it. I am a very hesistant painter. Working small and constrained. When I went to paint, I had lost my paints...left them there last week. So then I stopped by the Bagel place and had an onion bagel sandwich with shrimp salad. Not that great and quite expensive. Next, to the chiropractor where I had a substitute massage person. She did it so slowly, I wasn't sure she was going to accomplish much in 1/2 hour. Also music was dirge-like. Then stopped by the new Shoprite for something different. This resulted in my being lost. And ran into an old patron who used to sing to me in Spanish and ask me out in the library. Then was tired and could not resist driving through the McDonalds to get a chocolate milkshake. Next home to rest for an hour. Listening to the radio (NPR) was not so restful so I had to turn it off. Rather difficult to get up out of the bed to come to the library but now that I am listening to Youtube and printing out some essential paperwork, I am glad I did. Really came out to be supportive of cinema series. GOing to the basement to sit in a hard chair and watch El mariachi, which I already saw many years ago at the Philadelphia film festival.
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
I shouldn't have hugged all of those senior citizens yesterday
Feeling a cold coming on. I HATE sick people and do not wish to become one. In fact, I PRIDE myself on my ability to not get sick. So the somewhat sore throat and the sort of sniffling is bothering me. I last had a bit of a cold around Christmas. I should have kept my distance from all of those elderly ladies who have retired along with me. What was I thinking?!?!?
At least the sun is shining. Sprung a new leak in my ceiling and am hoping it only happens when it is pouring? Usually hoping does no good with roof leaks and they rarely get better.
Don't know if I am going to be able to SING tonight. Choir practice at 7:30 PM. Taking wipes. I probably CAUGHT a cold from those stupid chimes. I seem to be the only one who cares about cleaning them off.
At least the sun is shining. Sprung a new leak in my ceiling and am hoping it only happens when it is pouring? Usually hoping does no good with roof leaks and they rarely get better.
Don't know if I am going to be able to SING tonight. Choir practice at 7:30 PM. Taking wipes. I probably CAUGHT a cold from those stupid chimes. I seem to be the only one who cares about cleaning them off.
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