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RAIN FINALLY STOPPED

Yesterday's weather was quite an absolute & total nightmare. Today, though, at least it's not raining though it is unusually cold for August. That tornado that's been making the news these days has been getting the weather all out of control in other places too. I finally started listening to the Catholic radio station in this area yesterday. It's 1550 am & is known as the Station of the Cross. I even got through, on the phone, to a talk show of theirs last night. I've been re_reading that Shakespeare play too. It's a little tougher than most of the stuff I'm used to. All the obsolete language & footnotes get me stark raging nuts after a while. So far, the library is absolutely dead compared to most days. On the average summer day, I get kicked out by about the the time I've been here for around an hour_ish. Soon I suppose I shall have to get another haircut. I never used to go to the same place twice in N.Y. but over here I've so far never once set foot into anyplace except the Eighth Street barber shop. I just got an e mail from Robin, the latest birthday girl. She says she & her niece will soon be visiting Mary Anne & family. A while ago I got an e mail from John, one of my N.Y. Carmelite connections, about a site that enables one to identify exactly which accent he has. It claims I have a Washington State accent. Duh! I've never even been there. Of course, on the bright side, I always have been quite full of surprises.

ICY COLD & POURIING

Today I woke up to a stark raging miserable morning, weather wise. It's icy cold, pouring & pea soup foggy. Other than that, all's been going well. Right before 8:00 a.m. Mass at St. John the Baptist, I made sure I stopped at Unimart for the paper & a lottery ticket. It's going to be a $250.00 million jackpot tomorrow night. Plans are still under way for my cousin's big upcoming birthday bash. A splendid time is guaranteed for all. She's not supposed to find out, though, so make sure you don't even think of telling her. My mother was forced to go out for a ten o'clock doctor's appointment. Anyone who doesn't have to travel, shouldn't want to either. Oddly, people always have seemed to enjoy shopping like crazy on days like this. That's just not for me. I go bananas with claustrophobia. I'm pert near finished with that Shakespeare. Then, I reckon, it's on to yet another. The famous Bard of Avon has always been quite a regular fovorite of mine & I even took an entire course entirely about him a while ago. Cousin Robin's birthday was on the nineteenth so kudos aplenty to her.

RAINY & COOL

On Saturday night, I lectored at O.L. Sorrows. Laura somebody, who was supposed to be my sidekick, never showed up. I got stuck alone. It was more than a smidge confusing to me because, unlike my days at O.L.P.H. I'm still entirely brand spanking new to this bunch. I seemed to have gotten away with it though. After Mass, my father & I went to the legendary Pittston Tomato Festival, where we met Michelle's parents. It was a fun time for one & all. I highly recommend it. Yesterday was the big annual Carmelite day of recollection at St. Matthew's. All went well. I went with Mary Anne & Rosemary. Rita & another lady went in another car. While there, I met a woman who grew up on Long Island. Another woman even said she travels 112 miles each way for her meetings. I'd go nuts even thinking of that. There are lots of flea markets in Pa. & the parishes in that area are most certainly no exception. St. Matthew's is in the area where they have fake animals mixed in with their real ones. It's all rural & mountainous. I've always really liked that kind of environment. It was very cool & rained for a while yesterday. The weather is about the same today. I'd really rather have the sweltering heat back.

CARMELITE MEETING TODAY

This morning I went to this month's Carmelite meeting in Wilkes_Barre. We were talking about our need for new members. We're on South Meade Street in case anyone in Northeastern Pa. is interested. Our meetings are on the third Saturday morning of each month at 9:00 a.m. This month Anne, Mary Elizabeth & both Rosemary's, among others, showed up. It's too bad Mary Anne left us a while ago. Dana came at the very end of the Mass. He showed up with his three children. Besides his son & daughter_both toddlers_his wife just had another baby boy. One of the Rosemary's just came up with the interesting idea to nominate me to be the new treasurer. I gave the Carmelites my website address so now they get to keep tabs on me. Tomorrow everybody's supposed to meet at the Little Flower Manor & go to the day of reckoning at St. Martha's in Stillwater. Fr. Joseph Kakareka will be in charge. I went last year & it was very good. Yesterday & last night, the weather was an absolute nightmare. There was a tornado watch for all the counties in this general area. It was extremely violently windy all night & there were frequent hail storms throughout the day. It's especially nice & cool today though. I have no idea where in Sam Hill 99% of my billions of books could possibly be so for a change of pace I started reading Shakespeare's "Troilus & Cressida". It's a play of his I've never read before.

CARMELITE MEETING

The weather around here has been nice & cool lately each morning. It always seems to get moocho hotter over the course of each day though. Today as I was driving down Eighth Street to get back home, I ended up having to wait for at least a couple of emergency vehicles zooming to somewhere. Either there was a fire, accident or whatever in the general area. The University of Scranton sent me a notice yesterday asking for a few details about how exactly I fit into things demographically. They are required to do that to all job applicants. The legendary Pittston Tomato Festival started last night. I didn't show up but I'm hoping to get to at least a little of it. It has a really good reputation & always gets such rave reviews. Yeah, I know but hey, you have to remember this is Pa. we're dealing with here. Tomorrow morning I have to be at my monthly Carmelite meeting. Now they start at 9:00 a.m. They used to start at 8:30 a.m. By now I know my way around Wilkes_Barre like a for really & for truly goober. Mary Anne, Steve, & young uns got back from Ireland a couple of nights ago. That must have been quite an exhausting, eventful trip. I finally & at last finished that Jane Austen book yesterday. Now I shall have to start another book.

WOODSTOCK & ELVIS

On this day in 1969 the famous Woodstock Concert was going on. Exactly eight years later, Elvis(uh.huh,uh.huh)Presley died. I can still remember both those times. Cousin Larry says he even tried to go to Woodstock. Of course, he blew it because it wasn't really even in Woodstock. It was in Bethel on Max Yasgur's now legendary farm. I've never all that much liked Elvis anyway, but Woodstock era stuff always leaves me stranded in sock_it_to_me time. Things lately have been quite droll for me. Many of my internet connections are complaining of a heat wave, but I've been noticing a smidge of coolish around here lately. At the very least, I most certainly don't have to suffer in my car these days from heatstroke. It's always entirely too hot for me on a hot day. I went for a walk yesterday, though only a very short one compared to what I've gotten used to by now. I can walk at least a mile or two at a time but yesterday_or as it the day before?_I went only a fraction of that.

NICE DAY SO FAR

So far, today has been a reasonably good day. I went to 9:00 a.m. Mass at St. Joseph's for the Feast of the Assumption. I got the paper at the machine instead of bothering to go to the store. Lately I only get the Citizen's Voice instead of bothering with the Times Leader. It's all local gossip anyway. Mary Anne sent me an e mail asking exactly what the University of Scranton job would entail. I hope I get a chance for at least an interview. I should really like to end up there in that kind of environment. That kind of world has always struck me as especially interesting. It's hard to believe that the summer is pert near over. It goes by so fast. Leonard, Alan & their gang will be going on their infamous annual fishing trip over in Michigan pretty soon. I've never been on one with them but from what I've heard it usually turns out to be quite a hoot. The itinerary would drive me stark raging nuts. That's the main reason I'm glad I've never gotten around to it. As much as I've always enjoyed fishing a long tri....still pure hell for me.

COOL QUIET DAY

Uncle Frankie & Aunt Lauren both showed up at around the same time last night. He comes over much more frequently than she. I'm pert near finished with that Jane Austen book. It's relatively short but even at over fifty pages a day, it still takes a while. I sent out resumes to the University of Scranton & Borders. Mary Anne & Steve have connections that may even be able to help me with one of them. Oddly, even though I have already been here for well over an entire hour, it's not even the least bit crowded compared to yesterday. Anytime now, though, the disaster may start so I have to hurry. Cathleen just told me that she'll be giving blood soon. She says she usually gives blood on Valentine's Day & Halloween but anytime works out well for me. My turn was last week. I always highly recommend blood donations. I got my Lindenhurst KofC Council newsletter, the Tidings, yesterday. Pretty soon my old parish, O.L.P.H., will be installing a new pastor. Congratulations to Father Anthony M. Trapani. He has most certainly quite a tough act to follow. An entire generation of O.L.P.H.ers literally grew up with Msgr. Hamilton.

KICKED OUT OF WYOMING EARLY

Wyoming was entirely too busy for me today. The librarian kicked me out after around an hour. I'm in West Pittston's library now. It's on my grandmother's old street. Today I made sure I sent a resume & cover letter to the University of Scranton. I most certainly hope I get an interview over there. Next Saturday night I shall have to lector at O.L.Sorrows at 5:00 p.m. Mass again. That's also the weekend of Pittson's by_now legendary tomato festival. Saturday morning I shall be at my Wilkes_Barre Carmelite meeting. Last month, to my chagrin, I couldn't possibly get to it because of Stacy's wedding. I didn't go last year to the tomato thingy but my parents did. They got me a truly groovy tomato t_shirt. As it turns out, Pittston is the tomato capitol of the free world. Isn't Pa. all full of surprises or what? I cut the grass this morning. There wasn't much of it left so it only took a little under a half hour. What there was was way high though. Of course, Uncle Frankie showed up yesterday & last night. It was his birthday. He got us some t_shirts. Today's Mary Ellen's birthday so I made sure I remembered to send her a Beatle posty.