If you notice any glitches in my column this week (any more than usual, that is), it's because I'm between computers. The tech guys at Staples are still configuring my new desktop computer and transfering over the data from the old laptop, so I've been writing on the public computers at the Bayard Taylor Memorial Library and on my father's machine, which works fine after it boots up; unfortunately, that takes easily 20 minutes, which seems like an eternity.
And each keyboard really does have its own different feel. I keep hitting the CAPS LOCK button on this one, for instance.
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Paperwork
I had a couple of days between editing projects this week and one of my tasks was cleaning out junk. I was appalled to find that I still had stacks of financial records and receipts dating back to 2001 -- no wonder I can never find enough desk space! So I spent a full afternoon shredding documents, and it was a fascinating look back into what seems like a different era, before Facebook and before stinkbugs.
I used to pay FOUR different phone bills: my landline, my cell phone (and back then it was not a smart phone), my long-distance carrier and a carrier specifically for calls to Delaware. The bills listed each call and its duration.
My credit-card bills from a dozen years ago showed that a tank of gas at Landhope cost less than $30. Most of the merchandise that I purchased was from brick-and-mortar stores, no Amazon or eBay charges.
And my bank statements listed only deposits, checks and ATM withdrawals, no automatic or online payments like we have today. And they used to send back your actual cancelled checks, not a digital image (banks charge for even that service now). I was surprised how many checks I used to write: now I pay most of my bills online.
I jammed the poor shredder several times (it's supposed to take only three sheets of paper at a time) but eventually filled up a large packing box and several tote bags. I'm happy to announce that I now have a lot more shelf space.
I used to pay FOUR different phone bills: my landline, my cell phone (and back then it was not a smart phone), my long-distance carrier and a carrier specifically for calls to Delaware. The bills listed each call and its duration.
My credit-card bills from a dozen years ago showed that a tank of gas at Landhope cost less than $30. Most of the merchandise that I purchased was from brick-and-mortar stores, no Amazon or eBay charges.
And my bank statements listed only deposits, checks and ATM withdrawals, no automatic or online payments like we have today. And they used to send back your actual cancelled checks, not a digital image (banks charge for even that service now). I was surprised how many checks I used to write: now I pay most of my bills online.
I jammed the poor shredder several times (it's supposed to take only three sheets of paper at a time) but eventually filled up a large packing box and several tote bags. I'm happy to announce that I now have a lot more shelf space.
A perfect storm
Frequent readers know that I enjoy a tough workout at the gym, but even I was a little worried when, before class,our gym teacher announced that she was not having a good day: her phone died, she had a fight with her boyfriend, her hair wasn't behaving, and her podiatrist had advised her that she needed to replace her expensive running shoes at least every three months. Oh, and she was hungry and had forgotten her gym shorts, so she had to work out in sweats.
I exchanged wary glances with the guy behind me: "The perfect storm," he whispered to me with more than a little trepidation.
Fortunately for us, her mood lightened considerably during class. Exercise tends to do that!
I exchanged wary glances with the guy behind me: "The perfect storm," he whispered to me with more than a little trepidation.
Fortunately for us, her mood lightened considerably during class. Exercise tends to do that!
Easter break
Is Good Friday morphing into a secular holiday?
I noticed that Kennett Borough offered free parking for shoppers on Good Friday. A hair salon promised to make their customers "look good on Good Friday." And on Friday morning, Perkins in Avondale was packed; in fact, the cashier told my breakfast pals and me that they brought on extra wait staff because they knew everyone would have the day off and would probably want to enjoy breakfast out.
When I was a kid, I seem to remember Good Friday as being a somber day, with lunchtime church services for the observant, but only especially religious companies gave their employees the day off.
Not complaining, just observing.
I noticed that Kennett Borough offered free parking for shoppers on Good Friday. A hair salon promised to make their customers "look good on Good Friday." And on Friday morning, Perkins in Avondale was packed; in fact, the cashier told my breakfast pals and me that they brought on extra wait staff because they knew everyone would have the day off and would probably want to enjoy breakfast out.
When I was a kid, I seem to remember Good Friday as being a somber day, with lunchtime church services for the observant, but only especially religious companies gave their employees the day off.
Not complaining, just observing.
Impatient
A normally even-tempered friend who lives on Newark Road here in West Marlborough texted me the other evening, half-furious, half-frightened. Seems someone had been tailgating her on her road and then blew past her -- passing blindly while going up a hill. And a few days before, she said, there had been a four-car pileup near her driveway.
I'd bet everyone on Newark Road has similar stories, and I actually think it's getting worse. A few weeks back on Street Road, a guy was on my bumper from Newark Road all the way to Lamborntown Road, at which point he gunned his engine and zoomed past me. Seems he wasn't happy that I slowed down to let an opossum cross the road.
I was glad to see a State Trooper parked at London Grove Friends Meeting the other morning watching for people running the stop sign there -- which they do all the time.
I'd bet everyone on Newark Road has similar stories, and I actually think it's getting worse. A few weeks back on Street Road, a guy was on my bumper from Newark Road all the way to Lamborntown Road, at which point he gunned his engine and zoomed past me. Seems he wasn't happy that I slowed down to let an opossum cross the road.
I was glad to see a State Trooper parked at London Grove Friends Meeting the other morning watching for people running the stop sign there -- which they do all the time.
Old barns
Fredda Pennock, a member of the Kennett Township Historical Commission, called me the other day to tell me about a lecture her group is sponsoring at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 16, at the township building. Seth Hinshaw, historic preservation planner with Wise Preservation Planning of Chester Springs, will be speaking about old Kennett Township barns. The talk is free and open to the public, with no registration needed.
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Deterrent effect
In the Y locker room today, I noticed that the woman next to me wasn't locking up her stuff, and I suggested that she might want to do so.
She explained that she comes to the gym straight from doing barn work, so all her possessions smell strongly of animals and manure.
"I mean, anybody who tried to steal my stuff -- they'd take it and then they'd put it right back!" she said, chuckling at the very idea.
She explained that she comes to the gym straight from doing barn work, so all her possessions smell strongly of animals and manure.
"I mean, anybody who tried to steal my stuff -- they'd take it and then they'd put it right back!" she said, chuckling at the very idea.
To their credit
This afternoon I made a significant purchase at Staples, but I suppose upgrading my computer every 10 years really isn't extravagant. Maybe a minute later, just as I reached my car in the parking lot, my phone rang. It was an automated call from my credit card company asking if I had authorized the purchase. Yes, I told them.
I'm impressed. I don't know what tipped them off, whether it was the amount or the fact that electronics are a favorite target of scammers, but I like the fact that their algorithms flagged the transaction immediately. Well done!
I'm impressed. I don't know what tipped them off, whether it was the amount or the fact that electronics are a favorite target of scammers, but I like the fact that their algorithms flagged the transaction immediately. Well done!
Lending a hand
A Good Samaritan walked into the Jennersville Starbucks this morning holding up a molded piece of black plastic. "Does anybody drive a gold Jetta?" he asked. A young woman waiting in line for her coffee said, with some trepidation, that she did, and he explained that apparently she'd scraped her bumper on the curb while parking, and this plastic part had come off. He told her he'd try popping it back into place, and if that failed, he'd just leave the piece on her roof. She seemed stunned by his kindness and thanked him over and over.
The World of Wayne
Charming town! Lots of little coffee shops, a French patisserie called Aux Petits Delices (I had an amazing mocha eclair), a nice used bookstore called The Readers' Forum with guess-the-book opening lines taped on its front window, "Out There Outfitters," a clothing store I'm going to return to when I'm on my own, a couple of do-it-yourself art places like the new one in Kennett, the venerable Anthony Wayne movie theater (where as a teenager I saw "Barry Lyndon" and "2001"), Wayne Jewelers (some adorable French provincial dinnerware in the display window; also some lovely rubies), and a watch shop, Whittle's Watch Works, that specializes in fixing my obscure type of watch (YAY! It has needed a battery for a while now).
The Women's Exchange consignment shop is still there; every single time we drove past as kids, my father would declare he was going to trade my mother in "for a new model."
We had a late lunch at Teresa's: mussels and pommes frites with Chimay white ale; refreshingly, there were no TVs in the place, even though it's March Madness season.
I should add that Wayne also boasts an Anthropologie clothing store, the suburban branch of the White Dog Cafe, Margaret Kuo's restaurant, and a Lululemon Athletica shop.
My only disappointment was that Wayne Toy Town, a fixture of my childhood, is no longer there. They always had a great selection of Troll dolls (and my brother fondly remembers the Corgi toys).
Sunday, March 24, 2013
The more the merrier
An equestrian pal of mine was delighted when her trainer returned from Aiken this past week. She arranged to meet her for lunch at Hood's on Friday for a serious, one-on-one chat about her horse's proposed training program for the spring.
Well! She should have known that wasn't going to happen. First a foxhunting friend of hers showed up. Then I showed up. It became eminently clear to her that this was NOT a particularly good spot for a quiet working lunch.
I even offered to sit at a separate table -- I'd brought a couple of days of the Wall Street Journal, hoping to catch up on my reading -- but my friend, resigned to her fate, invited me to pull up a chair. Of course, the four of us ended up having an entertaining conversation.
As I left, she and her trainer were standing outside scheduling a time when they could talk the next day. On the phone. Without interruptions.
Well! She should have known that wasn't going to happen. First a foxhunting friend of hers showed up. Then I showed up. It became eminently clear to her that this was NOT a particularly good spot for a quiet working lunch.
I even offered to sit at a separate table -- I'd brought a couple of days of the Wall Street Journal, hoping to catch up on my reading -- but my friend, resigned to her fate, invited me to pull up a chair. Of course, the four of us ended up having an entertaining conversation.
As I left, she and her trainer were standing outside scheduling a time when they could talk the next day. On the phone. Without interruptions.
A really silly joke
If you heard someone howling with laughter by the lake at Anson Nixon Park on Saturday afternoon, I'm afraid it was I. A friend who just started taking an antibiotic for his stubborn ear infection told me this joke: Guy goes to his doctor, and the doctor tells him to stop exercising and gives him a prescription for some pills. "I want you to take these three days running, then skip a day," the doc tells him. The patient replies, "But I thought you told me not to exercise!"
I cracked up (I'm easily amused). My friend was astonished that I'd never heard that bit, which he said dates back to vaudeville days.
I cracked up (I'm easily amused). My friend was astonished that I'd never heard that bit, which he said dates back to vaudeville days.
Township business
Here's my usual reminder that West Marlborough Township officials will be holding their monthly municipal meeting on Tuesday, April 2, at the township office/garage in Doe Run Village. The planning commission starts at 7 p.m., with the Board of Supervisors meeting commencing after they conclude (usually around 7:45 or 8 p.m.). Come join those of us who are fixtures at these meetings!
Speak, Tilda, Speak!
On Thursday morning I was live on WCHE 1520 AM's Morning Magazine talking about "Unionville in the News," and it was a blast! I talked about how the column started and how, much to my surprise, it has developed a significant following of loyal readers (very much appreciated).
My radio hosts were Doug Stirling (pastor of the Kennett Square Bible Methodist Church and a former Kennett borough council member) and Chester County Commissioner Ryan Costello, both of whom said all kinds of nice things about the column -- how it celebrates our distinct sense of community and includes something for everyone each week. Thank you, gentlemen!
My radio hosts were Doug Stirling (pastor of the Kennett Square Bible Methodist Church and a former Kennett borough council member) and Chester County Commissioner Ryan Costello, both of whom said all kinds of nice things about the column -- how it celebrates our distinct sense of community and includes something for everyone each week. Thank you, gentlemen!
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