So many books ...

I have finally sorted through my books and have about 100 to be donated to the Save the Children Fund; I am just waiting for some boxes which I will, hopefully, collect from Himself on Saturday night when I go there for a party to celebrate a couple of things. I have asked for, and been promised, the boxes which the wine comes in as they are just the right size, i.e. not too heavy when full of books.

My new Kobo e-reader arrived a couple of days ago and I have set it up and bought my first e-book which I am enjoying. It takes a bit of getting used to and I miss the 'bookish' feeling but I have to be realistic about the number of books I can take with me and the number I will be able to house in the new apartment which, according to the powers that be, will be ready in the first quarter of next year. I AM NOT READY.

I have shredded all the old financial records and used paper and I can actually see the floor of my study again - and the bookshelves are half empty. The next job is the storeroom/laundry and although it will be a hassle it will not be emotional and I cleared it all ten years ago when I had the house painted so it will not be too bad. I just have to be firm with myself and get rid of the stuff. There is a council collection in November and I can put out any junk I have left.

I have been good about exercising and have bought myself a new pedometer but am having problems adjusting it as it seems to read either high or low so I have put it back to the default setting and at least I will have a comparison and some sort of a record. I'll do the WII a couple of times per week because I was amazed at just how fit it kept me after I hurt my hip and couldn't walk distances any more.

I phoned Big Sis today but received no reply so she was either out, ill or dead. We are not a very close family and last time she ended up in hospital on life support it took the authorities five days to find out who her family were.

CYNOPHOBIA [n] The morbid dread of dogs. Condition of cats and postmen.

Down for the count ...

Today is election day after a short and extremely boring campaign. The opinion polls show both major parties almost neck to neck with the probability that the Ranga will win. Both sides are pretty dire but I would prefer the Budgie Smuggler to get his nose past the post as the Ranga's big new tax on the mining companies will affect my shares.

I have started back on a walking programme as Little Bro said that it was the way he lost quite a lot of weight in quite a short time. I used to walk along the beach most mornings until I sprained my right hip, after which I started doing the WII Fitness instead as it is easier on my hip. However, that is getting better and the WII certainly didn't cause me to lose any weight ... a point which it made very clear to me every morning when I weighed in. Little Bro used a very fancy pedometer to count his steps; I had a very cheap pedometer which counted my steps very nicely but yesterday, after I had worked out how far I needed to walk, it died and I realised that it was like a throwaway watch - when the battery dies you buy another one. I might lash out and get myself an electronic one which has a USB connection to keep a record - or I might simply keep walking from one surf-club to the other one and home again, which takes me about 75 minutes.

However, I have lashed out and bought myself an e-reader which should arrive from Melbourne early next week as it was posted on Wednesday. There arae about 1 million books in e-reader format but most are books which are out of copyright. Nevertheless, I have no objection to re-reading Rider Haggard, Conan Doyle, Wilkie Collins and John Buchan and hopefully a few more will be made available as time goes on. Already the 'Girl' books are in e-format as is Dan Brown's latest book whcih I tried to read in paperback form and managed to get to about page 120 before it bored me almost to death and I gave up on it. His books are getting longer and duller and more oriented to America and all its works, both esoteric and masonic.

The reason for the e-reader is that I am getting rid of my books and Cyberflirt is one of the books which has to go so no more hints for now but I might slip in an odd word every so often.

And here, from The Completely Superior Person's Book of Words by Peter Bowler, is your word for today:

MERKIN: [n] A pubic wig for women, or, to quote Grose's Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue 'counterfeit hair for women's privy parts.' Do not ask the author to explain this. The lexographer's duty is merely to record. To others remains it to remark, with Ambrose Bierce, "Can such things be?"

Books, Books and More Books

I have spent the last five days sorting through my books with a view to donating most of them to charity before I move house as the plan of my apartment doesn't seem to allow a great deal of room for bookshelves.

As a replacement I have ordered an E-book reader which is on its way from Melbourne and should be here next week.

I have been having a lot of fun browsing through the e-books which are available. There are almost two million books listed but most are out of copyright with only about five new releases. However, here are quite a number of old favourites such as John Buchan and Conan Doyle, Rider Haggard and Jules Verne, most of which I haven't read since I left school; and a great number by Charles Dickens which I have never heard of and which I suspect never actually made it past the first printing.

The finishing date of the new apartment seems to be being advanced somewhat and I am not sure what to believe but I heard a whisper when I was having my hair cut this morning that David Jones has paid out big bucks to the builders to get the building finished earlier than planned. That means that I might have to think about putting this house on the market within three or four months. Hence the need to severely prune my book collection. It is not easy ...

I went to an OT who specialises in hands today and now I have several little splints for my sore finger, just about one for every occasion. At the moment I am trying out the computer one which holds the joint steady when I type and so far it seems to be working well and I can touch type again - except that I have got into the habit of not using the little finger on my right hand so I am a bit all over the place at the moment. Hopefully the splints will solve the joint problem because it is quite painful.

And I am finally learning how to use my mobile phone to text - I think!