A bookie’s life calendar.

When I was a kid, my life calendar was all about the next holiday and not having to go to school.

It wasn’t so much that I didn’t want to go to school but that I didn’t want to have to get up so dang early. (They could have made school start at ten instead of eight and I’d’ve been a happy camper.) The getting up early, though, wouldn’t have been such a problem except that it interfered with staying up late the night before. So why does a kid need to stay up so late — it’s all about the books.

Yep, this girl’s a reader. My life calendar these days is measured in books instead of days and weeks.

And holidays? They’re just one more opportunity for a family squabble, so who needs ’em!

I can’t remember a time in my life when I wasn’t holed up somewhere reading a book. It drove my grandmother bonkers. She hated to see me inside reading when my brother and sisters and cousins were out playing. She used to make me watch afternoon soap operas with her to keep me from reading but I’d have an open book across my lap, sneaking peeks and distracting her when I needed to turn the page. (I’m pretty sure she knew I was doing it but, as long as I kept up with the soaps’ story lines, she let me get a way with it.) Granny loved her soaps. Wonder what she’d have thought about blogging.

Back to topic …

I read while waiting in the drive-up line and I read while waiting at red lights, too. (I get a lot of beeps from the cars behind me.)

I read while I should be watching what I’m cooking on the stove. (I’ve developed a real affinity for charred food.)

I read while I’m watching TV and, yes, I’ve even been known to read while I’m blogging.

It’s a sickness, this book thing, and there is no cure.

Yikes!

What is your passion? What keeps you going day after day, year in and year out? What’s the big thing on your life calendar?

A light bulb moment!

Posted by goodoldgirl

You’ve probably noticed by now that incandescent light bulbs are scarcer than hen’s teeth. Yep, plain old light bulbs are dang hard to find these days!

Image via Wikipedia.

In 2007, George W. Bush signed into law the Energy Independence and Security ACT (EISA). This law set an efficiency standard for light bulbs with the first phase going into effect in 2012. I’m not going to bore you with a lot of info about the why’s and wherefore’s of this new law. I’ll just say that it appears that our elected officials were making a valiant effort to conserve our natural resources and let it go at that.

I have problems, however, with this new law — aside from the fact that I don’t like the Feds telling me what kind of light bulbs I can use.

Now, before all you environmentalists, including my own daughter, start yammering about the efficiency of compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs) and what a jerk I am for mourning the demise of the incandescent bulb, let me state, for the record, that I’m fine with CFLs. I use CFLs. In some places. Like closets and porches and places where ambient light is appropriate and the laundry closet. (Oh, I already said closets, didn’t I?)

But, I have some issues. For example:

When CFLs first hit the scene a few years ago, I was excited about it. A new light bulb that would save energy and last much, much longer! I bought ’em, compared ’em. Now, not so excited. Incandescent bulbs created more light than the same watt CFL bulb. How much light a bulb emits is important to me. I read. A lot. And I need good light to do that until the wee hours of the morning. Why? Because I have something like 20-80 vision. Glasses help of course, but the cataracts make it more difficult. (I am having surgery to fix that little problem in a few weeks so maybe that’s not a valid argument.)

Incandescent bulbs are dirt cheap. CFLs, not so cheap. I’ve heard the arguments about how CFLs save money in the long run but I tested that when CFLs first came out, and I’m just not convinced. I am willing to concede, however, that there may have been improvements in the last 5-7 years, so maybe I need to retest. We’ll see.

Incandescent bulbs put out heat. My cats like sitting on the table with their little heads close to a warm light bulb. CFLs won’t keep their little ears toasty. And I’m pretty sure Ollie’s sinuses will stop-up permanently if he can’t melt them with heat from my reading lamp. Aside from that, if the lamps are putting out heat, then my actual heating bill should be less. Right?

I have lamps (lots of lamps, well, three) with clip-on shades. Ever tried to get one to clip onto a CFL bulb? I have. It doesn’t work.

There is movement in Congress to delay the implementation of the EISA. It will be interesting to see what happens.

Will my clip-on shades survive the light bulb debacle of 2012?

We’ll see. Or, maybe we won’t. See, I mean.

And poor Ollie.

Oh the inhumanity!

Pssst, see that pic above? The one with the two light bulbs? That big ol CFL bulb wouldn’t allow the glass cover to go back over the light fixture in my closet so I had to leave it bare-bulb just to be more “green.”

How tacky!

Runaway Keyboard

Posted by goodoldgirl

I’m an avid reader. Always have been. Always will be. Except …

I can’t seem to get this blogging thing out of my system. I was sure it would die after a few labored posts and then I could get back to the book I was reading. I only got into this on a whim and a push from my kid sister anyway.

So what gives? Why can’t I keep away from this keyboard?

I spend all day on a computer at work and now at home as well. It’s too much!

My fingertips have calluses!

AACK!!

[Deep breath.]

Okay, so I spend a lot of time on a PC at work and a MAC at home. Yep, I’m a MAC fan. (Not the point.) The point is that this blogging thing is interfering with my all-time favorite pastime — reading.

I have a stack of books, sitting over there on the shelf, watching me as I type. I can hear them calling to me. (Help me! Help me! They sound just like The Fly. The original Fly with Vincent Price, not the new Fly.)

I can feel Amazon trying to get my attention up there on the bookmarks bar.

I feel the need to read!

But, here I sit — blogging. (Not that there’s anything wrong with that.) It’s fun. I enjoy blogging. I just didn’t realize when I started that it would take over my life and I’d turn into a “stats” hound — 495 hits and counting. Okay, so that’s not the highest number in the world and lots of other bloggers have much, much better stats than me. So what. Don’t care. I like my stats. They’re mine and I’m keeping them. So there!

[Deep breath.]

Where was I?

Oh, yeah, I have brand spanking new, shiny, glossy magazines to read. Haven’t touched them other than to bring them in from the mail box. Had to tear myself away from the blog to even check the mail box. Now, that’s just awful, though, not as bad as the snarly looks I’m getting from my two cats Emmie and Ollie. Bet they can’t even remember what my lap is like. It’s not that I completely ignore them. I do feed them and tidy their box. (Yucky chore. When they’ve gone to cat heaven, I will never have another cat. A dog, maybe, but no cats.)

And, let’s not talk about the housecleaning that’s gone by the wayside. If I don’t wash some dishes pretty soon, I’m going to be eating soup from the can. Is it that you can put cans in the microwave or that you can’t?

Oh, well. Details.

Now, that the frantic urge to create a post (pure dribble though it be) has passed, I can go back to reading my book. It’s a good one. Long. But good. Has dragons in it. Did I mention that it’s a five-volume series. I’m on the third book in the series. Well, I should go now.

Okay, gone now.

Bye.

Now, what did I do with that can opener?