WTF?

So we called the Verizon tech support line to ask when I am getting a real land line. And the guy said my order number and phone number weren't Verizon numbers, despite the fact that I called Verizon to set it up, and that they were Pac Bell ones.

Two seconds later, my land phone rings, it's a Verizon guy, he confirms my order and tells me my phone is now working. What is going on?!

At least my phone works now.

Library!

Wow, the Los Altos library is crowded on weekends! Good for it! It always makes me happy seeing a nicely used public library. I still kind of miss the Princeton one though, especially the nice little cafe they had. But I do like how this one has sci-fi/fantasy in one section so I can easily find stuff. Unfortunately, they don't seem to have more obscure fantasy, but I did see some Kara Dalkey, who I keep wanting to read but can't find, Pamela Dean's Tam Lin, which I've wanted to reread to see if I'll like it better, and Jane Yolen. I don't understand why it's so hard to find Jane Yolen books. They've also got White Jenna, but I couldn't see Sister Light, Sister Dark, which is the first book! Argh. Maybe will wait till they are reissued in the near future. They've also got a whole collection of Windling and Datlow's Year's Best Fantasy and Horror anthologies, which I really need to check out. I've still been trying to find the older books in Windling's Fairy Tale series (Dalkey's Nightingale and Wrede's Snow White, Rose Red in particular), but they seem to be out of print. Some day...

I ended up getting EL Doctorow's Ragtime, Emma Donoghue's Kissing the Witch, Ellen Kushner's Thomas the Rhymer and some random romances. I have such a hard time finding romances I like. I read part of Mary Jo Putney's China Bride, and... well. Was very irked by the portrayal of Canton and the alternating racism and PC-ness. But I figured it was a romance, and I am an EAS major who specializes in this and should probably cut the author some slack. But then she had the heroine try to throw herself on a knife when the hero tried to get her back in a very ridiculous scene. At which point, I threw the book away and promptly returned it. Ugh. Stupid heroines. I hate that breed. So now I am trying Karen Robards, whose last two I've read have been enjoyably fluffy, and Robin Schone, because she's caused such a fuss in the romance community. And... Christine Feehan because she writes vampire gothic romances. I (obviously) have a thing for vampires.

I found this off LJ: Booklend. It's like Netflix for books, but free. The guy who runs it pays for the postage (both ways!) all by himself. I'm very impressed. I wonder if he wants help....

I also tried making blueberry jam today, because I didn't feel like eating all my blueberries. I don't know if it's actually jammy, but if not, at least it'll make syrup for my waffles. And then I made peach jam/syrup! This is fun.