Love musicals

I just saw Hairspray. What a treat! Even with John Travolta in it! He was good as was all the cast. It makes me wish there were more musicals in the world. They are uplifting with messages that truly say seomthing and make you feel good on it inside.

I know - what if one day a year everyone on earth had to sing all day - sing their conversations - like a living real opera. What a difference that would make, huh. Maybe people would actually listen to each other and give us all a common bond - together. It doesn't make a difference if you can't carry a tune or if you are Pavarotti. It's music that is the earth's really uniform language.

Ah! I love weekends

I just love weekends. I can sleep in and decide to do whatever I want - usually grocy shopping and house cleaning. But sometimes, I will do something fun. What? Me doing something fun? Of course - starting next weekend. I am going to visit the Museum of Natural History. And then, well I will have to see what I want to do and where I want to explore next.

But here is a picture of Davy when he visited. And here is his traveling companion - Nevin!
I was so happy they visited.

Well we are finally getting a little bit of rain each day and hopefully things will be better.
And I can't wait for Hairspray to arrive in the theaters.

Back to work!

Well, my friend Davy was here with his traveling comapnion. we had a good time visiting and catching up. But boy was I really sad when they left.

And it was raining all day (yeah) but that makes one blue as well. But I guess I got over it and got ready for work today.

Only 2 more weeks of summer programs left and then on to planning for the fall! It's never ending - but always exciting to what we can do that will bring people in.

I learned a lot today from a speaker about Alabama in the prehistoric age. It was mostly underwater and themain "dinosaurs" that roam ed here were called MOSASAURS



They were big and ate whatever they wanted! Also I learned that the Union Chapel Mine, near Jasper, Alabama, is one of the best fossil trackway sites in the world.
Pretty cool!!!

Lonnnnng Time

Well, it's been 2 months since I posted. I am so bad at keeping up.
But since April, I have been back to Florida and had the wonderful opportunity to see some friends graduate high school
as well as visit with lots of friends and former co-workers. But I was glad to come home to Tuscaloosa.
But I sure do miss Rob and Shelly. I know they are doing a great job as directors for the puppet troupe. Just look at how intelligent they are!

And I went to Washington DC to conference. That was a lot of fun, but tiring as usual.

So I am back and work and looking for ward to the 4th and seeing another friend who will stop by and say hey!

Hopefully I can get some more pix and post them next week.

Long time!

It's been quite a while since I posted and I just got lazy is the only legitimate excuse I have.

Lots of things happened over the month. One staff person got promoted (yeah for her!, 1 got emergency surgery, and 1 put in her resignation. So needless to say, the "luxury" of not working nights and weekends has flown out the window for now. But we are surviving and gearing up for summer. Luckily we do have any programming scheduled for May. That helps a lot.

I am still getting some PT for my leg. I don't think it helps the real problem, but it is good since that leg has had a lot of things happen to it over the years.

Am still trying to control my diet and really need to step up the exercise.

I do hope to visit my former home for many years in May and see my teen friends graduate.

I did have some fun guests at the end of March. The Lambert brothers came for a brief visit. I admitted to them I enjoyed their company more now since they are older.

Pre Green

Well tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day. And I have worn green almost all week! Not that I am Irish. But it is a great color and I felt it was the right thing to do. So today was a very successful meeting with staff about summer. we are almost ready to get the materials ready for press and I feel good about everyone's involvement.

It'e been a week since I last wrote, but this week was spring break here and I presented 3 kite programs at different facilities. Here is what we made.


Pretty easy to make - scotch tape and scissors! I think all the kids liked it, even though it took some time to do. About 160 people made kites.

This week is full of medical tests and author Alan Gratz wwho wrote Samurai Shortstop.

Wednesday Redux

Well, today was as busy as the others. Except for beinf scared about my health. So will have a stress test in a few weeks to make sure tings are okay and if not, fix them.

I was thinking about why we do things and can't explain them. Sometimes it's a basic reaction - to pain, joy, frustration, jealousy, etc. But sometimes God does have a path for us. Now if you don't believe in God, you can substitute a Higher Power, if you like.


I believe that God sent me here to be among people who are more concerned about me as a person - my health, my sanity, my overall persona. Not that my former city had people who didn't care. It's just that they were so busy with they own lives, they didn't have time to help me with mine. I tended to help them was the thing, at least I thought I was helping them. I do miss and love them all so very much as individuals and hope to see them when I visit in late spring!

Enough for today. Can't wait for the next Dancing with the Stars!

See these two? They are Rob and Shelly. They met at the library and have been dating for 2 years - almost! They are smart, sweet, and fun to be around. I miss them.
As well as the other teens I formed a friendship bond with.

Well, one day, I may find some teen friends who are as dedicated to doing cool things for the library as these 2 are.

Got some more stuff done and hopefully the program on Sunday will be great.

Monday busy Monday

Well it sure was busy today. I needed to finish up a lot of projects - some ending this week - others later this month.

Yesterday, I had a wonderful chat with a former staff person. It's nice to keep in touch. Unfortunately I am so very bad with keeping up with folk, must make that more of a priority this year, along with losing weight, paying off bills, etc.
Same kind of stuff lots of other people work on as well, I expect.

So I bought a headset with a microphone attached and have downloaded an interesting program called Audacity !
So one of these days - pretty soon, I think I will try doing a podcast. It sounds like fun. I've heard others before.

Another day another $.50 in Alabama

brain burps

Well, long time no write! I got distracted with nothing and got lazy.
This is what happens when you don't follow a pattern - you lapse into doing nothing productive! Need to stop that!

Anyway, here is a picture of some beautiful tulips and some paperwhites.
I love tulips and daffodils. And you can really get some beautiful flowers here. The weather is mild enough to grow all kinds of lovely things. I enjoy that and will turn my patio into a garden this spring.


Also, I wanted to share my fireplace with you. I have never had a fireplace and it is fun to have one. Granted, I haven't used it much. But until Marsha and Fran showed me how, I just wished it would operate by itself! Silly me. Anyway, now I know and I am hoping to use it once more before it gets too warm for a cozy fire.


I am trying to finalize several programs here - 2 in March, 1 in April, and a big summer program with lots going on. I need to wrap all of that up before Mid-March - so have my hands full. And I am running for a national office, so would like to see if that happens. But I will try and keep up.

BTW, everyone is okay here after that awful weather last week. I was looking at all of the black clouds and thinking that in Florida they look like this and produce lightning and lots of rain.
In Alabama they look very similar,but not only do they produce lightning and rain, they spawn tornadoes! Anyway, I am happy it was over and am sad that those students were killed in Enterprise.

Well, I MUST do my taxes today, so will get back tomorrow - I promise!

3 days off - Whoo Hoo!

Valentine's Day was okay. I received come cute cards from co-workers and one from a lovely friend in Brooklyn who is overcoming an illness - YOU GO GIRL!

Be sure and go to YouTube and see "March of the Librarians". It's hysterical.

And I thought I could leave early today, but didn't want my staff to be alone, so took off in the middle of the day. Haven't done that in a while and I admit I didn't like it as much as I used to.

But this weekend will be nice. Don't know yet what I will do - kind of like leaving my options open. Maybe I will dress like Calvin Coolidge and speak very presidentially on President's day.
Anyway, each day will be interesting!

Dorothy with no shoes

Well, today was interesting. I drove to one of the branches to do a program and there was a tornado warning at the site. So everyone was in a small place and we waited and waited. The warning kept expanding and then there was word that hail was forming as well!

By 5:50pm we all decided to cancel the program.

So I drove home and it was wet, but clear. Thank goodness no major damage where I could see, but other counties north and south of us got hit pretty bad. I guess that's life as we know it in Alabama. I heard that Tornado season is generally March through August, although tornadoes can occur at any time of year. They tend to occur in the afternoons and evenings: over 80 percent of all tornadoes strike between noon and midnight.

How exciting (not!)

Anyway, it's supposed to get more colder this weekend, dipping down into the 'teens!


Well we'll see!

Well, sorry about not corresponding. It's been busy. And since Valentine's Day is coming up, I need to get writing again.

I now have my CPAP machine and it has helped! I actually started having dreams - not that I can remember them, but I do know I have dreamed most nights. And some unexpected benefits that I didn't foresee, but if I tell you then you will get TMI (too much information) about me.

Thinking about Valentine's Day - sometimes I wish I had someone to care about me - a guy - so that I could feel what many other people feel - passion about someone else. Maybe love is a many splendid thing - I wouldn't know. I have never been in love. I have resigned myself to never experiencing that emotion with a member of the opposite sex. Actually I gave that up in my 30s.


Whoa - you say - how sad. Not really. I love a lot of people, just not in that way. Maybe one day I might believe in love again, I don't know. That's not for me to say, but a greater power.

Anyway, tonight is the start of the Westminster dog show. What fun!

Getting better all the time!

Well, I was at the sleep clinic last night and used the CPAP mask/machine.

It helped a lot and I did a lot of REM sleep. So tonight I will begin using my mask/machine at home. I also bought a wedge so I can position myself so I won't lie on my back. When I do, my oxygen level goes down.


I also found out that my sister is going to a sleep clinic soon for the same thing! Sleep Apnea runs in families and as we talked today we decided that both our mother and father had this. So - naturally - we would have it. Only it showed up when we are both in our middle years.

I am staying WW legal today and and trying to down all that water before early evening.

Today was a beautiful day outside - not too warm but not too cold. And I am trying to get through the Newbery winner "Higher Power of Lucky" by Susan Patron.

It's okay, but I am not very into it, although I am almost through with the novel. If a book grabs ya in the start, then that is a fabulous book - like Lois Lowry's "The Giver" series.

Anyway, enough of that.

Looking forward to seeing what happens on American Idol and if there is an outstanding voice - not like I am any judge. But it is fun to predict and see if you have a favorite that will make it to the finals. Dancing with the Stars was like that - very entertaining and I got hooked into it - enough to vote every week online.

Well - it doesn't take much to entertain me.

Sleepy time

Well, tonight I go back to the sleep clinic and get tested all over again with the C-PAP machine.

I am hoping that I will have a good experience tonight as I would love to go to bed and sleep all night and wake up refreshed.

Just a wonderful goal!

So I will find out soon enough.



What about those Colts? Great as I like Coach Dungee a lot and also Peyton Manning isn't bad either!

Chilly nights - hot tamales?

well, today is almost done. Our meeting went long and everyone will eventually find that this summer will be a good one. I will not let people's fears and words affect me - not anymore!

I am letting go of things that will damage me - emotionally, spiritually, and - one day - physically.

I feel for my boss - she is going thtough some hard times. I hope everthing will be resolved one way or the other.

I don't have much to say today, but will try to do something more creative tomorrow.

Well, today is almost over. It was a pretty good day, although we were supposed to go to another library to visit and the weather was too raw to go out.


So finished up notes for a meeting tomorrow and a friend and I went to the Olie Garden for lasagna - Mmmh Mmmh Good!


And tomorrow we are going to search for the Mysterious location of Einstein Bagels - I just found out there was one and not too far from work! So will report back this weekend to fill in details.

Don't let the "raindrops keep fallin on your head"

Sleepless in Tuscaloosa

Okay - here's the scoop on a night in the sleep clinic.

1. The sleep technologist places a lot of nodes on your head, face, legs, and cchest. They monitor your breathing and all sorts of things.

2. So you sleep the way you usually do. Ane for me, I get up about 3 times a night.

3. The next morning yousee what you did. I learned that:
a) I snore very loudly
b) I stop breathing a lot - and sometimes for over 1 minute!
c) I don't have restless leg syndrome.

4. So I am going back next week to do it all over again - and use the CPAP, a machine that forces a steady flow of air into your windpipe and forces the tongue not to cover your windpipe. We'll see. I hope it works, cause I sure could use a good night's sleep and wake up refreshed and upbeat....

Anyway, the diet is not doing well this week, but I will jump back on tomorrow!

Never on Sunday?

Well, today I did something that I have been wanting to do since I moved. I finished all of my thank you notes - including those to the publishers who sent invitations. And I even sent some letters off to former teen friends Katie and Paul. I would love to have their pictures up but I don't have any as yet to upload.

I also didn't exercise or follow strictly to my meal plan today, but will have that straightened out tomorrow.


It is also quite chilly today. when I went out this morning to buy groceries, it was in the 40's. However it is in the 30's and I might just use my real wood fireplace. Thanks to Marsha and Fran (who gave me a wonderful christmas present by visiting me over Christmas) I now know how to light a fire in it. Before I would just stare at it, wondering how to do it, but now - TADA! I can do it. Such simple things can bring a crazy person joy!

Anyway, as the days go on, I will tell you about my ALA experience and other little things. But now must take trash out. oh, btw, did you know I was the garbage queen? I can generate more garbage in one day than most anyone. Such a weird talent, but can't help, that's the way I am. and I never knew it until I moved farther away from a dumpster/garbage bin.

Tomorrow I visit Dr. Snow at the Sleep Clinic. I have been nodding off at work for a while now and I need to find out if I have sleep apnea. Will report back when I know.

About the picture

The picture below is one that I enjoy. The 4 attractive people are former teen volunteers/Yaccers/Puppeteers when I worked in Clearwater, FL. This was our first reunion, right before I retired from the job I had for 30 years!

Start of my personal health journey

I decided that today would be the first time I actually started to blog for real!

I really need to be healthier and since I am such a procrastinator, I figured that if I kept ac account online and stuck to it, then I could force myself to be serious for once about my weight and health.

of course, I was inspired by my friend Kevin Brown http://downtownkevinbrown.blogspot.com/ and the video diary of John Green, YA author of Looking for Alaska and An Abundance of Katherines http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=vlogbrothers .

Also since I stay on my computer way too much and play games, I might as well become better at using the stuff that is avalable to me.

So I have started the Weight Watchers online thing and even exercised today!!

will see what tomorrow brings.