With gas at approximately $4.00 a gallon, there’s never been a better time to live in a walkable neighborhood. Walk Score helps you find the most walkable places to live. By entering an address, it finds the distance to the nearest stores, post offices, restaurants, libraries, and other useful destinations. Walk Score ranks 2,508 neighborhoods in the largest 40 U.S. cities. The Top Four Cities are: San Francisco, CA, New York, NY, Boston, MA, and Chicago ILL. Walk Score, www.walkscore.com, is the perfect tool for anyone looking to find a home or office in a walkable neighborhood.

I recently went to a very interesting Consumer Health workshop. One of the many good websites discussed was Ask Me 3. Basically, this website helps people have better communication with their health care professionals (doctors, nurses and pharmacists). Ask Me 3 refers to three fundamental questions that a person needs to ask:
1. What is my main problem?
2. What do I need to do?
3. Why is it important for me to do this?
Some suggestions for clear health communication are as follows:
Bring a friend or family member with you to the doctor’s. Sometimes we all need a second pair of ears to better understand and remember what is being said.
Bring a list of all your medicines and supplements.
Ask for further information if you don’t understand.
More information and links to printable brochures are given. Everyone has a right to know what their doctor is saying to them. Don’t be afraid to ask again!

If you have not applied for the Economic Stimulus Payment, you still have time. The IRS has extended the deadline to October 15, 2008. If you have applied but not received your check yet, if you received a different amount than you expected, or have any other questions, check out the IRS information page or call the Rebate Hotline at 1-866-234-2942. Even if you are not required to file taxes, you must file form 1040A in order to receive a stimulus payment. It does not mean that you will have to pay taxes.

The World Before Her takes place in Venice with all the beauty, romance and longing that setting evokes. The author juxtaposes the relationship of author George Elliot and her younger husband in 1880 with the relationship of a modern couple. Both wives find themselves in marriages which are not what they expected them to be. The trip to Venice seems to bring out the longing to escape marriages that are confining and do not allow the women to be who they truly are. Despite a century of time that divides the two couples, the issues of love, intimacy, disappointment and desire are still the same.

Submitted by Maria.

I sometimes forget if I’ve read a particular novel, especially if it’s by one of the many prolific authors like James Patterson, Faye Kellerman, and Daniel Silva. I also tend to forget titles of books that I didn’t particularly like. You can keep a log under “My Reading History” when you go into the Library’s catalog at www.alisweb.org and then click on “My Account”. You may then “Opt In”.
Or if you prefer, do as I do, keep a WRITTEN LOG (yes, written) and GRADE your books! I use letter grades (A+ to C-) and also add one or two notes about the book. It keeps me from restarting a book I previously read and helps when I’m asked for a recommendation. What happened to the D’s and F’s? I usually don’t bother finishing those that I would grade D or F. After reading 50 pages, I don’t continue if I’m not interested EXCEPT if it’s for my book club, then I usually force myself to finish. Guess it’s good discipline, or is it peer pressure?