I will be so glad to get into the new building. Not because I will once again have my own desk in a relatively private office, and not because I will finally get to stop answering the question "So, when's the building going to be done?", but because of one MAJOR thing:
I will no longer be sharing a restroom with the patrons.
I did not realize the depths of male disgustingness (is this a word? well, it is now.) until I had to share a toilet with all of them. My sainted husband is a model of cleanliness and sanitary bathroom usage compared to (apparently) most other men. Not only are they incapable of putting the toilet seat down, but they are also incapable of aiming. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought that was a matter of some pride amongst the male species, what with all the Cheerio-sinking during potty training time and later writing of one's name in snowbanks.
Perhaps that's the problem. . . no snowbanks in Florida.
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Saturday, January 06, 2007
Nomad Librarian
Well, as of today I am once again the nomad librarian. (I wish that sounded better, like the "Roaming Gnome". I'd like to be the Roaming Gnome, if only I would not have to, in fact, be a gnome.) I took leave of my "temporary" branch, where I've been for over a year now, and am returning to my home branch, which right now is a temporary storefront across the street from the actual library.
So the bottom line is all of my files and stuff are crammed into bags in my office (a/k/a the backseat of my car).
The good news is the actual library building should be move-in-able by next month. Huzzah!
So the bottom line is all of my files and stuff are crammed into bags in my office (a/k/a the backseat of my car).
The good news is the actual library building should be move-in-able by next month. Huzzah!
Friday, January 05, 2007
This! Is! Jeopardy!
I registered to take the online Jeopardy! test! WooooooHooooooo!
On January 23rd I will turn that mother OUT! Of course, assuming I pass the online test there's only a small chance that I will be contacted for a full audition, which consists of another 50-question test, followed by a practice game using podiums and buzzers, then a "personality interview".
That is all. Carry on.
On January 23rd I will turn that mother OUT! Of course, assuming I pass the online test there's only a small chance that I will be contacted for a full audition, which consists of another 50-question test, followed by a practice game using podiums and buzzers, then a "personality interview".
That is all. Carry on.
Thursday, January 04, 2007
Hermitudinous*
*not a real word.
I've always had hermit tendencies. It seems to be getting worse as I get older. Today was my day off and I've not left the house except to take the baby to the sitters' house, then I came back home and climbed back into bed with my book.
I had intended to shop for new shoes and a new car seat today. Didn't happen. Part of this is that it's too humid out (yes, it's January in Florida - too cool for a bikini most days, but shorts and a t-shirt is fine).
So I have decided to embrace my chosen solitude by learning even more obscure facts, in preparation for my eventual Jeopardy! championship. Oh, it'll happen. First on my list: history. World first, then American.
I've always had hermit tendencies. It seems to be getting worse as I get older. Today was my day off and I've not left the house except to take the baby to the sitters' house, then I came back home and climbed back into bed with my book.
I had intended to shop for new shoes and a new car seat today. Didn't happen. Part of this is that it's too humid out (yes, it's January in Florida - too cool for a bikini most days, but shorts and a t-shirt is fine).
So I have decided to embrace my chosen solitude by learning even more obscure facts, in preparation for my eventual Jeopardy! championship. Oh, it'll happen. First on my list: history. World first, then American.
Monday, January 01, 2007
Library Envy
So I just got back from Christmas in Nashville a couple of days ago. While I was there I convinced my mom to take me to the new main library downtown. I had seen bits of it on their website but wanted to take a look for myself.
Oh. my. God.
It's just too much! For our library's expansion, much debate was had over whether we wanted to have soda vending machines for the public to use. At Nashville Main, there is a boulangerie where you can get pastries, hot meals, soups, salads, fresh bread... now you can't take the stuff into the library part of the library, of course, but still. And there are all of these great big tables with reading lamps and data ports and electrical outlets at each seat so you can take your own laptop in and use it wherever.
AND they have self-service checkout stations EVERYWHERE, not just at the front desk. And they have self-service reserve shelves, so the patrons just walk up and pull theirs from the shelf. There is an info desk next to the hold shelves, so people who can't find their materials can ask for help and the staff person can keep an eye on people peeking at what other people have out (when I was looking at the hold shelves the guy at the desk was keeping an eye on me).
Nashville Main has always been known for its children's programming. There is an art/storytime room and a puppet theatre that I didn't get to look at but the marionette display outside of the puppet theatre is AWESOME.
And they have the Nashville Room, where the serious researchers go. It smells like a library in there, lots of very old books and the Banner archives. I could have spent all day in there.
My library system is very progressive for its size, but going to the new Main Library in Nashville reminds me of how small my system is.
Oh. my. God.
It's just too much! For our library's expansion, much debate was had over whether we wanted to have soda vending machines for the public to use. At Nashville Main, there is a boulangerie where you can get pastries, hot meals, soups, salads, fresh bread... now you can't take the stuff into the library part of the library, of course, but still. And there are all of these great big tables with reading lamps and data ports and electrical outlets at each seat so you can take your own laptop in and use it wherever.
AND they have self-service checkout stations EVERYWHERE, not just at the front desk. And they have self-service reserve shelves, so the patrons just walk up and pull theirs from the shelf. There is an info desk next to the hold shelves, so people who can't find their materials can ask for help and the staff person can keep an eye on people peeking at what other people have out (when I was looking at the hold shelves the guy at the desk was keeping an eye on me).
Nashville Main has always been known for its children's programming. There is an art/storytime room and a puppet theatre that I didn't get to look at but the marionette display outside of the puppet theatre is AWESOME.
And they have the Nashville Room, where the serious researchers go. It smells like a library in there, lots of very old books and the Banner archives. I could have spent all day in there.
My library system is very progressive for its size, but going to the new Main Library in Nashville reminds me of how small my system is.
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Thursday, September 28, 2006
A Librarian's Day Off
So what does a librarian do on her day off?
She spends the afternoon at the bookstore, of course!
The funny part was when I came up the center aisle of the neighborhood Books-A-Million and who should be heading my way but my boss, also on her day off. I was doing some browsing for a book order I'm putting together for the library.
You can take the girl out of the library, but you can't take the library out of the girl.
She spends the afternoon at the bookstore, of course!
The funny part was when I came up the center aisle of the neighborhood Books-A-Million and who should be heading my way but my boss, also on her day off. I was doing some browsing for a book order I'm putting together for the library.
You can take the girl out of the library, but you can't take the library out of the girl.
Friday, August 11, 2006
I am not ashamed
I went to see Talladega Nights at the theater today. By myself. Why? Partly because it's 100 degrees outside, partly because I'm tired of spending all my free time in the house, and partly because I had a gift certificate to Regal Cinemas that I got last Christmas and needed to use before it expired.
So, how was the movie? Better than I expected. I think I enjoyed it on a level that its target audience would not. There weren't very many people in the theater with me (2:30 on a weekday afternoon), but those who were there were a pretty good cross-section of the county demographics here: 90% working class conservative (I'm guessing from the reactions to the male-on-male kissing scenes) and me, the liberal NPR-listening, PETA-email-list-subscriber that I am.
I think my departure from the target audience made me appreciate more of the jokes I'm sure Will Ferrell and the rest of "liberal Hollywood" threw in there for themselves. I actually recognized the jazz song that was on the jukebox in the sports bar when the gay French Formula One racer made his entrance (Charlie Parker). Also a hoot - Jean Girard's lawn party, where he's hosting Mos Def and Elvis Costello (random and very quick cameos).
Sasha Baron Cohen is fabulous as Jean Girard.
So it was a good movie. Nothing I'd pay money to see, but I'm not sorry I saw it.
So, how was the movie? Better than I expected. I think I enjoyed it on a level that its target audience would not. There weren't very many people in the theater with me (2:30 on a weekday afternoon), but those who were there were a pretty good cross-section of the county demographics here: 90% working class conservative (I'm guessing from the reactions to the male-on-male kissing scenes) and me, the liberal NPR-listening, PETA-email-list-subscriber that I am.
I think my departure from the target audience made me appreciate more of the jokes I'm sure Will Ferrell and the rest of "liberal Hollywood" threw in there for themselves. I actually recognized the jazz song that was on the jukebox in the sports bar when the gay French Formula One racer made his entrance (Charlie Parker). Also a hoot - Jean Girard's lawn party, where he's hosting Mos Def and Elvis Costello (random and very quick cameos).
Sasha Baron Cohen is fabulous as Jean Girard.
So it was a good movie. Nothing I'd pay money to see, but I'm not sorry I saw it.
Thursday, July 20, 2006
The clientele, it is a changin'
I've been at this particular library for almost a year now and in that time I have had the opportunity to watch the patron base change almost completely. When I started, the branch was fairly quiet, with some (horrifyingly outdated) goth kids and a lot of seniors/snowbirds. Now we have a lot more young families, with little kids and a lot more diversity.
This is not necessarily a good thing. You see, a large part of the population here in this formerly-rural county is what you might call redneck. You know, the jacked-up full size American-made pickup truck with a NASCAR number and at least one Confederate flag decal on the back window and, more often than not, those charming metal testicles dangling from the trailer hitch (side note - a lot of times these monstrosities are color coordinated to match the paint job of the truck - which is fine except when your truck is blue. I thought I was going to drive off the road, I was laughing so hard). And now a growing part of our population, at least here in the southern part of the county, is African American or Hispanic. There has been some tension, to say the least.
Defusing a potential "racial incident" involves a great deal of tact and not a little bit of mommy-sternness. I would just prefer not to deal with it, but I seem to be the Great Equalizer of the branch - I seem to get along with all kinds of patrons.
Which is great and all, but very stressful and I'll be glad to move on.
This is not necessarily a good thing. You see, a large part of the population here in this formerly-rural county is what you might call redneck. You know, the jacked-up full size American-made pickup truck with a NASCAR number and at least one Confederate flag decal on the back window and, more often than not, those charming metal testicles dangling from the trailer hitch (side note - a lot of times these monstrosities are color coordinated to match the paint job of the truck - which is fine except when your truck is blue. I thought I was going to drive off the road, I was laughing so hard). And now a growing part of our population, at least here in the southern part of the county, is African American or Hispanic. There has been some tension, to say the least.
Defusing a potential "racial incident" involves a great deal of tact and not a little bit of mommy-sternness. I would just prefer not to deal with it, but I seem to be the Great Equalizer of the branch - I seem to get along with all kinds of patrons.
Which is great and all, but very stressful and I'll be glad to move on.
Friday, May 26, 2006
The Mommy Files
Things I really appreciate now that I'm a mom:
- Short story collections. I really don't have time for a big honkin' novel (although I did manage to read The Da Vinci Code in a week, but that's not really literature).
- Public restrooms with well-maintained changing table stations that I'm not afraid to touch.
- Bouncer seats.
- MY mom.
- Meals that only require one hand to eat.
- Ceiling fans. No need to purchase pricy baby toys if you have a ceiling fan in the house!
- Baby smiles.
- She's not the children I see in the library. Of course, she's only 2.5 months old, but she's still better behaved than most of the kids there.
- She's a happy little pork chop.
Wednesday, March 08, 2006
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
Misery loves company
Alas, I have no company. I have been under voluntary house arrest for a few days now and I am bored, bored, bored. I am also huge and uncomfortable and dealing with contractions that aren't doing anything apparent to move this baby along. So pain and swelling and general misery ensues. As well as a desperate need for chocolate.
My body has some weird tendency to ALMOST have a lot of things wrong with it. Generally just enough weirdness to mandate many uncomfortable and/or time consuming tests which without fail turn out "normal". Here's the rundown so far:
Regular OB visit a month ago showed a lot of sugar in my pee cup. So they try to look up the results of the 1 hour fasting glucose test I had done at the end of December. The lab couldn't find the results, but eventually got them to my doctor's office. That test showed a high blood sugar, so in I go for the 3 hour test. (Which is NOT RECOMMENDED, by the way.) It comes back normal. So I don't in fact have gestational diabetes. While waiting for all these test results, the doctor reveals that I am measuring much bigger than my term and sends me for an EFW ultrasound. The u/s shows that kiddo is measuring at 40 weeks when I was (at the time) only 36 weeks along. Meaning big baby. BUT since the glucose test came back okay I guess my doctor is unconcerned about the fact that my baby is HUGE. Then again, he's not the one who will have to push this gargantuan child out.
So after all this BS, the doctor then becomes concerned about the swelling in my feet, ankles, and hands. My blood pressure is not measuring high according to the "official" range, but he decides to send me in for a non-stress test and an AFI/BPP ultrasound at the hospital. A very long 7 hours later, he says my blood pressure is still in the normal range and the baby's heartrate (which was kind of high) had settled down but the amniotic fluid was kind of low. So I had to collect my pee in a jug for 24 hours (hooray) and repeat the NST and the ultrasound 3 days later. Really long story short, blood pressure still fine, baby's heartrate fine, amniotic fluid still a little low but not troubling. Feet, ankles and hands still swollen like a sumbitch.
I'm going back to the doctor for my regular appt. on Friday and can't wait to see what he has in store for me next.
My body has some weird tendency to ALMOST have a lot of things wrong with it. Generally just enough weirdness to mandate many uncomfortable and/or time consuming tests which without fail turn out "normal". Here's the rundown so far:
Regular OB visit a month ago showed a lot of sugar in my pee cup. So they try to look up the results of the 1 hour fasting glucose test I had done at the end of December. The lab couldn't find the results, but eventually got them to my doctor's office. That test showed a high blood sugar, so in I go for the 3 hour test. (Which is NOT RECOMMENDED, by the way.) It comes back normal. So I don't in fact have gestational diabetes. While waiting for all these test results, the doctor reveals that I am measuring much bigger than my term and sends me for an EFW ultrasound. The u/s shows that kiddo is measuring at 40 weeks when I was (at the time) only 36 weeks along. Meaning big baby. BUT since the glucose test came back okay I guess my doctor is unconcerned about the fact that my baby is HUGE. Then again, he's not the one who will have to push this gargantuan child out.
So after all this BS, the doctor then becomes concerned about the swelling in my feet, ankles, and hands. My blood pressure is not measuring high according to the "official" range, but he decides to send me in for a non-stress test and an AFI/BPP ultrasound at the hospital. A very long 7 hours later, he says my blood pressure is still in the normal range and the baby's heartrate (which was kind of high) had settled down but the amniotic fluid was kind of low. So I had to collect my pee in a jug for 24 hours (hooray) and repeat the NST and the ultrasound 3 days later. Really long story short, blood pressure still fine, baby's heartrate fine, amniotic fluid still a little low but not troubling. Feet, ankles and hands still swollen like a sumbitch.
I'm going back to the doctor for my regular appt. on Friday and can't wait to see what he has in store for me next.
Friday, February 10, 2006
The Public is Annoying. Pt. 736 of 199847305
I am 8 months pregnant, which means that yes, I am visibly pregnant and may in fact look like I am going to pop at any time. I am not, in fact, going to pop at any time. Yes, I have a big round belly and yes, I'm sure there's only one baby in there and no, I'm pretty sure there's not another one hiding behind my liver.
Okay, so here's a typical day for me now. Patron walks up, asks how far along I am. When I reply, there are generally two reactions. Reaction number one (usually from women): "Wow, congratulations!" Reaction number two: "Are you sure? Because it looks like you could go at any time."
Fine. I am an easy target, since they have to interact with me anyway and I am a government employee, so I pretty much have to be civil to them (although why OTHER government departments are apparently encouraged to be surly and unhelpful is beyond me and a subject for another day).
What really cheeses me off? The ones who continue to ask questions. "Do you know if it's a boy or a girl?" "Is this your first?" "Do you have a name picked out?" The last one is really the kicker. Because if I answer truthfully (yes, we do have a name picked out), then she (it's ALWAYS a woman who asks this question) then looks at me expectantly until I tell her the name!!! Hell, these people don't even know MY name, why are they so darned interested in the baby's name?!
I can't wait until this baby gets here, because then the patrons will forget I was ever pregnant and they can resume ignoring me outside of the time it takes for me to sign them up for a computer. Which is yet another subject for another day: why a master's degree is required to sign people up to use the Internet.
Okay, so here's a typical day for me now. Patron walks up, asks how far along I am. When I reply, there are generally two reactions. Reaction number one (usually from women): "Wow, congratulations!" Reaction number two: "Are you sure? Because it looks like you could go at any time."
Fine. I am an easy target, since they have to interact with me anyway and I am a government employee, so I pretty much have to be civil to them (although why OTHER government departments are apparently encouraged to be surly and unhelpful is beyond me and a subject for another day).
What really cheeses me off? The ones who continue to ask questions. "Do you know if it's a boy or a girl?" "Is this your first?" "Do you have a name picked out?" The last one is really the kicker. Because if I answer truthfully (yes, we do have a name picked out), then she (it's ALWAYS a woman who asks this question) then looks at me expectantly until I tell her the name!!! Hell, these people don't even know MY name, why are they so darned interested in the baby's name?!
I can't wait until this baby gets here, because then the patrons will forget I was ever pregnant and they can resume ignoring me outside of the time it takes for me to sign them up for a computer. Which is yet another subject for another day: why a master's degree is required to sign people up to use the Internet.
Saturday, January 14, 2006
The Eternal Librarian
Well, once again I missed my chance to say hello to the librarian at the Inglewood branch of the Nashville Public Library who was very patient with me when I was an almost-daily visitor to the library as a very small child. I want to see him to tell him that he helped instill the obsession with libraries that eventually led me to my current career. His name is Kevin. He's been there forever.
I know he was working today, because he still drives the same car he did when I was going there as a little kid, 20+ years ago (it's a vintage VW bug, beige). Why yes, I am in Nashville. My grandmother (who was the one who uncomplainingly took me to the library practically every day during summer vacations when I was little) died this week and her funeral was today. Yes, I am very sad about losing her. She was a major part of my life and I was looking forward to her meeting her namesake.
I know he was working today, because he still drives the same car he did when I was going there as a little kid, 20+ years ago (it's a vintage VW bug, beige). Why yes, I am in Nashville. My grandmother (who was the one who uncomplainingly took me to the library practically every day during summer vacations when I was little) died this week and her funeral was today. Yes, I am very sad about losing her. She was a major part of my life and I was looking forward to her meeting her namesake.
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
Holiday Season = Not Slow @ My Library
I feel uncharitable toward those members of my staff who have called in sick for the past 2-3 days. Granted, they probably have the bird flu or scrofula or something really bad, but still. It's way too close to Christmas to be unexpectedly short-staffed.
Also this morning, on our way back from changing the sign message the custodian and I discovered that the blue tarp in the woods next to the library has been joined by another blue tarp and an honest-to-God tent. Super. So I called the community policing deputy assigned to the homeless-people-in-the-woods population and he said he would be out tomorrow to roust them out. They're unruly drunk homeless people, too, since they were yelling at our custodian for looking at them while he was picking up garbage in the parking lot. His opinion was that if they persist in throwing their beer cans over the fence into our parking lot, then he would be looking at them all he wanted to.
I'm currently reading Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld. It's pretty good, but no The Secret History by Donna Tartt.
Also this morning, on our way back from changing the sign message the custodian and I discovered that the blue tarp in the woods next to the library has been joined by another blue tarp and an honest-to-God tent. Super. So I called the community policing deputy assigned to the homeless-people-in-the-woods population and he said he would be out tomorrow to roust them out. They're unruly drunk homeless people, too, since they were yelling at our custodian for looking at them while he was picking up garbage in the parking lot. His opinion was that if they persist in throwing their beer cans over the fence into our parking lot, then he would be looking at them all he wanted to.
I'm currently reading Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld. It's pretty good, but no The Secret History by Donna Tartt.
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
American Cheese: Not Really Cheese
This morning, on my lengthy (5 minute) commute to work, I got to thinking about American cheese. Thinking about how it's not really cheese at all. How very American, cheese in name only. America= processed cheese food. And what is "processed cheese food," anyway? Well, you can check out this article on the manufacture of processed cheese food.
And that brings me to the pressing question: What type of cheese am I? The answer, thankfully, is not American.
Cheese Test: What type of cheese are you?
And that brings me to the pressing question: What type of cheese am I? The answer, thankfully, is not American.
Cheese Test: What type of cheese are you?
Saturday, November 26, 2005
Nashvegas
So here I am in my hometown (Nashville, TN) for the last day of my Thanksgiving holiday and I just have to say, I love this town. I think my taller half likes it here, too. I know he likes the free! public! nice! concrete! skatepark.
It's always hard to leave home. :-( But I miss my kitties and my house and my stuff.
My cousin lives just outside of Hixson, TN (which is close to Chattanooga, for those of you who really need to know such things and were about to open another window to Mapquest "Hixson, TN." Yeah, I know who you are.), and she was telling me about the library ladies at the Hixson Public Library. Apparently they have some throwbacks working there and everytime my cousin goes in there with her little girl (who's 5), they all give her the Icy Glare and it's very very quiet in there all the time. I kind of wish we had the quiet at our libraries, although I would not want to be Dragon Lady Enforcer to do it.
It's always hard to leave home. :-( But I miss my kitties and my house and my stuff.
My cousin lives just outside of Hixson, TN (which is close to Chattanooga, for those of you who really need to know such things and were about to open another window to Mapquest "Hixson, TN." Yeah, I know who you are.), and she was telling me about the library ladies at the Hixson Public Library. Apparently they have some throwbacks working there and everytime my cousin goes in there with her little girl (who's 5), they all give her the Icy Glare and it's very very quiet in there all the time. I kind of wish we had the quiet at our libraries, although I would not want to be Dragon Lady Enforcer to do it.
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
Goggle-Eyed Disbelief
"You mean the libraries are closed Thursday, Friday, AND Saturday???"
Well, since you put it that way, there's absolutely NO reason why we library staffers should enjoy a few days off to enjoy friends and family if you, dear patrons, desperately need a respite from your own 4-day weekend with family to play on the computers in the library. How stupid of us!
Well, since you put it that way, there's absolutely NO reason why we library staffers should enjoy a few days off to enjoy friends and family if you, dear patrons, desperately need a respite from your own 4-day weekend with family to play on the computers in the library. How stupid of us!
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
Restless Natives
The natives appear to be getting restless.
I live in a not-exactly-well-off part of town. We have woods near my house (and adjacent to the library where I work) where homeless men keep camp. A couple of weeks ago, drunk useless homeless man A stabbed drunk useless homeless man B up the road from the library at the gas station and we had cops all over the library property and a helicopter flying overhead, very dramatic.
And 2 days ago I was on my way back from lunch and I passed a little side road with a corner house surrounded by police cars, crime scene tape, etc. A patron came in a couple of hours later and told me she lived on that street and that the guy who lived in that house had shot himself. Nice.
THEN, I read in the paper that over the weekend some teenage idiot at a local park beat a woman to the point of requiring hospitalization. Of course, what was a 29 year old woman doing at a park at 3 something in the morning when she has at least 2 kids... never mind, I'll never understand.
It's probably not a good thing when you hear sirens or a helicopter circling and you don't think much of it. It's not like I live in Compton, or Watts, or Bed-Stuy or similar. I blame Jeb Bush.
I live in a not-exactly-well-off part of town. We have woods near my house (and adjacent to the library where I work) where homeless men keep camp. A couple of weeks ago, drunk useless homeless man A stabbed drunk useless homeless man B up the road from the library at the gas station and we had cops all over the library property and a helicopter flying overhead, very dramatic.
And 2 days ago I was on my way back from lunch and I passed a little side road with a corner house surrounded by police cars, crime scene tape, etc. A patron came in a couple of hours later and told me she lived on that street and that the guy who lived in that house had shot himself. Nice.
THEN, I read in the paper that over the weekend some teenage idiot at a local park beat a woman to the point of requiring hospitalization. Of course, what was a 29 year old woman doing at a park at 3 something in the morning when she has at least 2 kids... never mind, I'll never understand.
It's probably not a good thing when you hear sirens or a helicopter circling and you don't think much of it. It's not like I live in Compton, or Watts, or Bed-Stuy or similar. I blame Jeb Bush.
Back by Popular Demand
Due to the overwhelming demand from my dedicated reader, I am updating this sumbitch.
My 2+ month absence may have something to do with the fact that I am now 22 weeks preggo. Kid's kicking and distracting me from, well, just about everything else.
So I promise I will *try* to update this more often.
My 2+ month absence may have something to do with the fact that I am now 22 weeks preggo. Kid's kicking and distracting me from, well, just about everything else.
So I promise I will *try* to update this more often.
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