On future librarianship

Today does not feel like a Tuesday at work. It's so busy and crazy that it's more like a Monday after being closed on Saturday or something. I've helped scads of people but haven't made any new cards, which is strange. Summer is really boom time for new cards, at least at the library where I work.

I love getting little kids their first cards, they're pretty much always jazzed to be able to get as many books as they want. I think this means I would probably much prefer being a Children's Services Librarian than an Adult Services Librarian, since the hustle and bustle makes my days go fast, and is far preferable to answering reference questions.

Also, in reading Harry Potter, I've come to realize that it's pretty fun to make a story come alive by reading it aloud. Doing some voices has been cool, too.

Ridiculous

Favorite text message communication EVER with my little sister, from a few months ago:

Andrea: Where is the intersection of Highway 10 and St. Germain?
Me: ?
Me: Is this a trick question?
Me: It's where Highway 10 and St. Germain intersect...
Andrea: What is around there?
Me: Um, fast food places... it's the East side.
Andrea: But what is around there?
Me: I don't know, I never go over there.
Andrea: Fine. Nevermind.
Me: What do you want me to do, drive over there and look?
Andrea: No, nevermind.

This still brings me joy to think about.

Only up to page 272 and spoilers are everywhere

I have recently gotten inadvertently hooked on Etsy. All these people with their crafts and vintage stuff, and you just punch in keywords like 'bunny' and 'button' and voila! A set of little buttons with rabbits from children's picture books on them. I ordered a few little gifts just yesterday, and have gotten great communication from the sellers already. What a nice little community it is.

I'm currently suffering with a cold. I feel better today than yesterday, when I took off work because of the nose-blowing grossness. My cousin and his wife are coming over tomorrow for late lunch (and I have all the ingredients for my grilled chicken pasta salad ready to go), so I'm hoping I feel a ton better by then. Last night I got some good sleep, and only woke up once (at 7am) which is much better than the four times I woke up the previous night. S has camped on my floor, dutifully reading Harry Potter to me (and I to him when I can) the last two nights, and rubbing my back when I look completely miserable. "It really hurts," I whimper, and he scoops me into a hug. Tylenol Cold is my friend.

Back to school...

I had to wake up early yesterday in order to register (at 6am! Who comes up with this idea? I ask you!) for fall classes. I picked up two this time, Collection Development Issues and Trends, and Special Libraries.

I am a bit wary about Special Libraries, since it meets every other Saturday at 8am! For those of you who are tuned in, I have to drive an hour and a half to get to campus from where I live. If I stick with this class, it will mean many an early Saturday morning, but then I'll be closer to graduating than if I just took one class this fall. I am interested in Special Libraries, but I know virtually nothing about them, so it's an area I'd like to know more about. Also, the professor is one I've had twice before (she taught my intro class and Management this summer) so I know she's good.

Collection Development should also be interesting, since I know a little about how libraries develop their collections, but that's definitely an area in which I'd love to work someday.

A little daunting, but should be educational. I guess that's the idea, anyway.

Probably going to have a beer after this

Today has been one LONG day at work. A couple people called in sick, and a couple people are off, plus, it's been busy. Circulation is one of those beasts that only the strong should take on. It seems, some days, like we should have a team t-shirt with some inspirational slogan on it.

I really enjoy the intricacies of my job and the busyness of the day to day tasks. Sometimes I get burned out because it feels like it will just go on and never end, but I have a lot of flexibility in this position. I changed my weekly schedule today, for instance, which will give me another evening free. I've been working extra hours, too, which pads the paycheck and will help pay for that sweet new bike.

Not a very lazy Sunday

I took an 8 mile bike ride today, testing out the new gear (see post below), and my mom tagged along. Unfortunately, her back tire pressure was way, WAY low (20 vs. 100 will really kill ya) so I felt a little held up and she felt a little exhausted. We did the loop in about 45 minutes, though, and I wasn't even tired, just a bit warm, which makes me feel super confident about riding to work. Tomorrow, however, is supposed to be about 95 degrees. Maybe not the best day to ride, but I'll see how hot it is when I should leave and go from there.

In other news, S and I are mid-way through Chapter 5 of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows." When we started dating, S was reading the fifth book in the series, and in order to remind myself what was going on with the plot so we could discuss it, he'd read aloud to me and I to him. We then read book six together, because although I have faithfully read the series since the first book (started reading when the fourth book was due out soon), I had not been caught up with book five when book six came out. So, now we are both reading the brand new one together, out loud—it's the best way, really.

I have a great fear of spoilers, however, since people seem to love to tell you things like about who dies or who kisses whom or whatnot. On the front page of the local paper, there was a report of someone yelling out the name of a character who dies at the Barnes & Noble release party. Ugh. I'm glad we bailed out of that line at 10:30pm, even though we were in group D for the midnight release. All the hype and spoilers are annoying because I want to enjoy the book completely without any extra information. I want to discover the story page by page like everyone who's reading it. Mostly, though, I am sure all the die-hard fanatics are done with it by this time, and I feel I should wear a sign, "Yes, I love Harry Potter, but I'm not done yet, so don't talk to me about it!"

I want to ride it where I like

Last night I bought a bicycle. It's a pretty nice Trek road bike, which I had them deck out with a front fender type thing, a bike rack, water bottle holder, and kickstand (which they forgot to put on... but anyway). I rode it home from the store (wearing the helmet which my dad offered to pay for, since apparently it costs at least $40 to protect a brain these days). I've wanted a bike for a long time. My parents got road bikes last summer, which were great but my mom's a little taller than I am and so hers wasn't the best fit for me, so borrowing wasn't my favorite thing. Plus, I do plan on moving elsewhere at some point...

I was able to test-ride the bike before purchase, tooling around the mall parking lot and feeling my leg muscles protesting. It was great. The salesman had a heyday with me, really, and also convinced me I need a good lock, to which I definitely agreed. I called my cousin Erik before totally biting the bullet, since he's a real cyclist. He was at work, but of course had his iPhone on, and I was able to ask him, "Now, if I buy this thing, are you going to say, 'Man, Beth bought a really crappy bike for too much money'?" He said no, so that was the go-ahead I needed.

I think the last time I had a bike of my own was when I was 13. It was a mountain bike, and wasn't great for riding around town, but was nice for going to Quarry Park and racing around like a madwoman with my cousin Angie also on her mountain bike. Now, however, I would like to be able to pedal to work. It's about five miles (my route illustrated by Google Maps), but I think it's worth a shot, if not every day, one or two days a week. Plus, in the suburb where I live, everything is pretty close together, just not great for walking. Here's to less need for foreign oil!

It is what it is

The image on the left is of my hand (side note: with just about the longest fingernails I've ever had, a personal victory against biting—hurrah!). Not just any hand, my left hand. On my ring finger, you will note the pretty silver ring.

This was a little gift from S when we went to the Lemonade Art Fair on campus back in June, and he let me pick out what I wanted. I like jewelry, and I especially like silver, and things that are simple but shiny. I picked this out kind of last minute as were were leaving the fair, and it's a little too big (it's like a 6, and that finger is a 5.25, but it fits that finger the best). But it catches the light in a way I love, and it's from S, and I really like it. It has, however, garnered some attention.

One person asked if it was a promise ring, to which I said, "It's more like an 'I love you' ring..." and she seemed unconvinced.

A random dude at the library (who was probably about to hit on me) noticed it and said, "Hey! Are you married?!" in such an incredulous way, and I was like, "Me?!" and he said, "Your ring!" I didn't want to lie, and just said, "Naw, boyfriend."

The most startling, however, was the pastor's wife on Sunday, who came up to me and S and said, "Are you engaged?" I guess if you want to know the truth, it's best to ask, right? I kind of went "huh?" and she gestured to the ring, and I said it was a present from S from the Art Fair, and she said, "So it's like a promise ring."

Sigh.

Perhaps I was subconsciously looking for a ring that would be confusing for people, but mainly I think I chose this one because it wasn't some gaudy stone that would look tacky or fake. I like the simplicity of it. I'm not sure I like the attention, though. I wonder if women who do wear promise rings or 'purity' rings get the same reactions. Perhaps they wear theirs on their right hands.

Much better than what's your sign

I picked up S this morning after his early class and we went to a nearby coffee shop to hang out. We played a version of 20 questions from a marriage book wherein we answered questions about each other (things like who are your two closest friends/what is your favorite hobby/what was your favorite vacation/what stresses are you facing). It was fun because I learned that I do know a lot about S, and he knows quite a bit about me. Doing exercises like that help with my need for quality conversation (a love language of mine) and thus help me feel closer to S.

Yo from an iPhone!

This is me updating from my cousin Erik's iPhone. Typing takes some effort but I am getting much faster very quickly. Time to check out what tunes he has on here and test the sound quality. Note: I have T-Mobile for my service provider, so no new gadget for me. Boo-urns.

I'm not sorry if you're not sorry

I know I don't complain about S on this blog. I really try not to complain about him at all, since mostly he's wonderful to me.

The thing about S is that he isn't perfect, but I love him so much, I try not to hold his faults against him. I forgive him the way he forgives me. He isn't timely, and sometimes really frustrates me, and criticizes me in ways that bother me, but I know he's ultimately trying to help. He is a great boyfriend, and I never take him for granted.

Thanks, S, for being so good to me, and so good for me.