Tuesday, August 06, 2013

Packing Lists

Has anyone used one of these lately?
Okay, we're all feeling a little better now.  But while we were sick, someone from the 1990's stopped by and left a pile of phone books on our front porch.  Any ideas on what to do with these anachronistic monstrosities?  I don't have any kids young enough to need a booster seat anymore.



I think I'm supposed to be getting ready for our camping trip to Cape Cod.  Although, aside from the 15 loads of laundry I always end up doing the day before we leave, I can't really think of what I need to do.  I mean, I've already bought the requisite camping junk food.  Maybe I'll just go through my yarn stash and plan my knitting activities for the week.  Although that might bring on another attempt by Larry at an intervention...

Vacation bliss
I've got a pile of books (left from my birthday) to pack, too.  I keep looking at it and rubbing my hands together in anticipatory glee.  There's non-fiction memoir-type stuff, as usual: one by Dani Shapiro called Slow Motion, another by Roger Ebert titled Life Itself.  Oh, and here's new territory (for me): a book by Mary Roach, Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife.  I've never read anything by her, so I'm looking at it as a growth experience.  Also, the word "science" is in the title, so it counts as educational, right?  And, speaking of educational, I've got a puzzle magazine, too.  It's never too early to start fending off Alzheimers, you know.

I think I've forgotten how to spell "Alzheimers."

You know, maybe I'll just send Larry out sightseeing with the kids every afternoon while I take a break in our pop-up trailer with my books and my knitting (fingerless mitts!) and my cryptograms.  That sounds like an awesome vacation to me.  Anyone agree?


11 comments:

  1. Mary Roach makes science fun. And a little naughty, if you read Bonk.

    Phone books? Don't get me started. I live in a really small town and I have 5 (FIVE) different phone books. Why????? Put all together, they're not even tall enough to make a decent booster seat.

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  2. My husband takes the delivered phone books and deposits them directly into our recycling bin. Problem solved!

    Your vacation plans sound great to me!

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  3. Oooh, nice mitt pattern! I hope you let me know if you'll be driving by on your way...

    My husband and I have a test of wills going on with the phone books. One sat in the driveway for 2 weeks before I finally gave in and put it on the table outside. He walked over it every day; I'm not sure why *he* couldn't pick it up. He drove over the 2nd & 3rd ones, so I picked those up too. But they're still sitting on the table. I'm going to see if he ever does anything about them...

    (As far as using them, they're good for collaging--I need a clean scrap paper to put under whatever I'm putting glue on, because if you reuse the scrap you'll get glue on your piece, and with a phone book, you can just keep turning pages.)

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  4. take the phone books ... vacation ... paper airplanes.

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  5. I love Mary Roach. If you enjoy "Spooks", try "Stiffs" next.

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  6. I agree with you about vacation activities. On our recent trip we returned to the hotel in the late afternoon and just read our books all evening. Heavenly!

    Oh, the phone books. Around here, anyone who puts them in the recycle bin is consigned to the third circle of hell for breaking the recycling rules. So we have all these useless phone books sitting around.

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  7. Sadly, that would be me. I still keep a drawer in the kitchen just for the phone book and I looked something up as recently as yesterday.

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  8. To add insult to injury my book is about 5 years old. My husband keeps recycling the new ones before I can get my hands on it. Whatever, I have notes in the margins of mine listing what numbers I have tried that have changed and x ed out ones that have been disconnected. It really is a little sad, isn't it?

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  9. The last time I used a phone book I was trying to find the location of an animal vet that was open for on weekends. I'm with you. I keep a few around, but when they land on my doorstep I'm covered up in despair. Is there some place to recycle these things?

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  10. My books go from porch to recycle bin with no intermediate stops. I love Dani Shapiro--like I've read everything she's written love. You should definitely go with that plan.

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  11. I hope you will keep in submitting new articles or blog posts & thank you for sharing your great experience among us.

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