Remember card catalogs in libraries? I do, and I loved them. I was disappointed when, after going to a computer system, they discarded the stacks of narrow little boxes. Couldn’t they have kept them both? They made searches so much easier, and there was frequently the joyous experience of finding an even better book (or books!) in the next card or two down the row – Dewey Decimal System, anyone? I thought I – a science fiction fan from an early age – I was being a troglodyte in regretting their disappearance, but have found I am not alone. For example, there’s this:

I do want to say that the Internet, with its powerful search engines, is fabulous and I use them avidly. But I wish there was an app or something that would make connections like the Dewey Decimal System did.

The writing has slowed down again. I wish I knew how to restore my muse!

I am going to the dentist in a little while. It seems that in the last six months my teeth, especially the crowns, have deteriorated sharply. I went in for my bi-annual cleaning and I was shown photographs of the inside of my mouth and was shocked. The porcelain lining of my bridge has chipped away and a natural tooth has broken and there are other signs of wear. It’s like I’ve been chewing pebbles. So now I have to return to get the bad news from Doctor Lunden.   What is it going to cost to restore my mouth? Are my teeth salvageable at all?