Updates

Working on the wireless network at the library and it's a bit slow.

1. Jeff got home last night reasonably early after driving all the way from South Dakota yesterday.  They got nine deer during their trip -- Jeff didn't get any (missed a bunch), but had a great time.
2. My finger is feeling a bit better today; at least it doesn't look like raw hamburger oozing out from under my fingernail any more.  It's been almost a week, will probably be several more days.  The bandaid makes typing a bit difficult.
3. The weather continues to be beautiful and it's difficult to believe that it's mid-November.
4. I have two unofficial job offers now for the holiday season:  Kohl's and Target.  Both are waiting for background and/or drug tests.  I'm hoping to get a real offer soon.  Frankly, I'd like to do both jobs since it's only for about 6 weeks.  The discounts would be great and would help with Christmas shopping.  We've become accustomed to a certain type of Christmas and I don't want to give that up now that I'm no longer working.
5. On Yahoo today, there was an article about Target having $3 appliances for sale on Black Friday.  I remember when they did something similar last year and everything sold old quickly.  I'd like to get the job in time to take advantage of that sale.
6. I'm going to do volunteer work at the Appleton Public Library.  I'm meeting with the person who would ok me in just a little while, and planning to come in tomorrow to get some training on doing shelving.  Not sure how difficult that is since I pretty much know the library system inside and out -- I'm a pretty regular patron.  I am totally looking forward to doing this as spending the days of winter in the library will be so fun.  Also, it will put me right in line for any jobs that come up.  I'd love to spend my retirement working part-time at the library.
7. Started thinking about Christmas shopping today.  Actually, I bought a sweatshirt for Jack while in London as it's for his favorite soccer team.  But, I spend a lot of time each year going through the amazon wish lists for all of the kids, combing through the sale ads for the stores, and making my shopping lists.  Those amazon lists really help as it would be impossible to know what everyone already has otherwise.  Gift cards would be a solutionm, of course, and I do give those so everyone can go shopping, but having gifts to open is the ultimate fun thing.
8. Had a tough time sleeping last night.  Saw this thing on Facebook about an e-book being made available through amazon, which is a pedophile's guide to getting sympathy.  Then, I made the mistake of watching "The Lovely Bones", which is a movie based on a best-seller that I had read several years ago.  It's about the murder of a child.  Even though I watched the movie early in the day and already knew the plot, it stayed with me while I tried to get to sleep. Guess I'll stay away from that type of thing in the future.
9. Today is Susie's birthday and she has the day off (holiday for Polk County).  Lucky girl.  I'm blessed that my siblings are also my friends, and grateful that my sister and I have gotten so close as adults.  Love you, Sis!
10. Today is also Veteran's Day and I want to give a shout-out to the veterans in my life:  my Dad, my brother Tom, my late father-in-law, two brothers-in-law (Tom and Mike), my nephew Matt, and two good friends still in service -- Steve Cook and Kevin Lucas.  God Bless all of you and thank you for your service in protecting all of us.  The USO is one charity that I remember monetarily on a regular basis.
11. I'm cleaning out my closets and shelves and storage areas at home a bit at a time.  In one of my closets are several beautiful suits from when I was with Marsh and when suits were required for trips to NY.  A couple have never been worn and one still has the price tags.  I tried putting one on ebay to see what would happen, but I couldn't sell a $175 suit for $25 (including shipping) so I'm going to give up that idea.  Instead, I'm going to keep a couple of the jackets to wear with jeans and other pants, and give everything else to a local organization that provides suitable apparel to displaced and retrained women applying for jobs.
12. Only a week to go 'til the new Harry Potter movie comes out.  A couple of days before that, there will be a simulcast of Les Miz 25th Anniversary Concert at the theatre.  Les Miz is my absolute favorite Broadway musical.  I see it every chance I get (including recently in London), I have the movie version, and I listen to the soundtrack all the time.  There was a 10th Anniversary Concert (which I have on DVD).  So, I'll be in the theatre for Les Miz on Wednesday night and back on Friday (or Thursday night at midnight) for Harry Potter.
13. I'm currently listening to an audio book:  "The Lodger".  It was written in the early 1900s (or maybe the late 1800s) and was inspired by Jack the Ripper.  Several movies have been made of it, although I haven't seen any of them and had never even heard of it until recently.  AMC had the movie on just before Halloween and I recorded it to watch, but never got to it.  Then, I was in the library and saw the audio book and thought I'd give it a try.  It is really, really good!!  When I'm done, I'll watch the movie that the critics liked the best (an older version), but I'm sure it won't compare to the somewhat chilling atmosphere of the book.  I read so many books that I get a little bored with the same plots and the same characters and what seems to be the lack of innovation among authors.  It's a genuine pleasure to come across one that really holds your attention.

Well, I guess that's enough for this day.  Perhaps I'll have a few more updates this evening.