This is How I Feel.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZdJRDpLHbw&feature=player_embedded

May 1st Already

It used to be that when I was in school, those days would start off slowly. First day of orientation for what was expected in those classes, seat assignments (if the teacher was a stickler for that kind of detail), textbooks, and then lunch which was always welcome, but it seemed funny because in those hours, we hadn't worked hard enough on anything to be relieved that lunch had come. That would happen in the subsequent weeks.

Now here I am, long out of school, and the year doesn't do the same thing anymore. Sure January 1st comes, and there are the celebrations, and those slow minutes to appreciate the time that we may have spent doing good for ourselves in the year past and hoping for even better in the year to come. But now, after January 1 comes February 12 and the day after that, March 18, and look; here we are! May 1!

I've barely thawed out from winter (Ok, it wasn't as cold here in Southern California as it had been on the east coast, but I hate it just the same), and summer's already coming? So I get a few more weeks before 100+ degrees isn't just a temperature on the oven.

And I've also got a few weeks now, just this month really, before the County of Los Angeles's transfer of the Santa Clarita libraries to the City of Santa Clarita begins with the libraries closing for nearly all of June. With that facing me, I haven't even begun to work as hard on my research as I should now, in order to make sure I cover the major books before I have to return everything, including Joseph Ellis's book on George Washington, and American Lion, about Andrew Jackson.

Well, I've got to get back to work. Hanukkah presents later today, and then I've got to express my annoyance that the neighbors haven't figured out something else to put up for Christmas besides the reindeer that keeps turning its head.

Here's a Pinch

Among the many things gotten at Ralphs today, I decided to try those Werther's Original hard candies again. Nothing genuinely harmful to a diet, and I wanted to see if my tastes have changed in the many years since I had them. I didn't like them so much back then.

The copy on the back of the bag says that the creator of the candy, Gustav Nebel, "used the best ingredients--real butter, fresh cream, white and brown sugars, a pinch of salt, and a lot of time..."

According to the "Nutrition Facts", there's 45 mg of sodium in three pieces. So 45 divided by 3, and it's determined that a pinch of salt is 15 mg. For the pedant, calling it "15 mg of salt" may suffice. I'll stick with "pinch."

What a Great Name!

I finished reading a short biography of Jimmy Carter by Julian E. Zelizer, part of the "American Presidents" series published by Times Books, an offshoot of Henry Holt and Company, and I've moved on to Grover Cleveland by Henry F. Graff. It's likely that all you might know about Cleveland is that he was the only president to serve two non-consecutive terms, as our 22nd and 24th president.

After I transcribe what I need from each book in this series of books (and so far, I'm on the third book, though not in any particular order), I find the "selected bibliography" to be incredibly valuable. I open up a new Word file and save it as, say, "Jimmy Carter - Books" and enter into it whatever books the author used to write that book, those books that would be useful to me. I could use Amazon for the same purpose, but it's better for me this way to get a sense of the books that authors relied on, and also I don't always have to scroll through personally uncharted territory.

Instead of waiting until I'm done with this Grover Cleveland biography to make the "Grover Cleveland - Books" file, I decided to do it now since there's not a lot of books in the "selected bibliography" section, being that Cleveland wasn't as widely written about as, say, Lincoln or Kennedy or Clinton. There's another book titled Grover Cleveland that was published in 1968, and I love the name of the author: Rexford Guy Tugwell. It should be the name of a character in some whimsical novel.

Shoddy Music Choices at Westminster Abbey

I get that "God Save the Queen" is reserved for Queen Elizabeth II. Fine. But I'm disappointed that when Elton John walked into Westminster Abbey, the musicians didn't start playing "The Bitch is Back." There are some moments when decorum should be chucked temporarily, and that was one of them.

Oh, and Prince William for King. Not Charles. Yay.

The Royal Wedding. That Totally Happened.

I know it happened because Mom stayed up through the night to watch it, and is asleep now. I woke up during the night because of the light in the living room and the TV there, but went back to sleep not long after.

You're probably going to read the same thing elsewhere that I'm going to write: I didn't feel that great grasping need to watch it. I wasn't interested in all the proceedings. I needed my sleep like anyone else, particularly so I could continue my book research without falling over on the couch today, pen markings where they probably shouldn't be. I know. Probably not as interesting as the ceremony and all that.

Actually, the really interesting part comes later when Dad and Meridith get home from work and I get to find out who was absent today. Dad says he figures a lot of people will have called in throughout the district on a PNRW: Personal Necessity Royal Wedding. I just want to know if there was anyone who stayed up through the night to watch and then thought it would be a good idea to come to work anyway.

The Horror of a "Just for Men" Commercial

You know that "Just for Men" commercial with the little girls? I like to think that the guy in the commercial wants to say so badly, "Get away, you heinous devils! You're not even mine! You live next door!"