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.

And the living is easy

The plans for this evening include meeting up with S after he gets off work, then heading to mass at the Cathedral. After that, we have 'homework' to do together (we have this relationship book that is kind of fun and has exercises in it, "Big Picture Partnering," written by a woman in Minneapolis, that we've been neglecting for a few weeks since S started classes).

Now that I've got a weekend off, it feels more like summer vacation. How weird is it to be 26 years old and think of my summer as "summer vacation"? Whatever, it's just nice to sit on our deck and read for pleasure (I'm working on three right now, "The Year of Magical Thinking" by Joan Didion, "We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed with Our Families" by Philip Gourevitch, and "The Tummy Trilogy" by Calvin Trillin—the two former books are very serious and sad and interesting, and the latter usually makes me ravenously hungry, which is v. dangerous).

I am also on a bit of a movie theme, inadvertently so. I watched "The Queen" with Helen Mirren, a week or so ago, and the next film in my Netflix queue was "Marie Antoinette" with Kirsten Dunst, and I enjoyed both of them so much, but they showed wildly different portayals of royalty, and I had the revelation that I'd watched two movies about queens, that I felt I needed a third to round it out. I did a library catalog search, and realized that I already had the perfect movie at home, due to my recent Elizabeth Taylor fascination (I highly recommend her book about her jewelry), so I just started watching "Cleopatra" the other night. Queens of England, France, and now the Nile. There is one more movie in this queenly genre which I have already seen, but not for a while, and that is "Elizabeth," with the lovely Cate Blanchett.

Heading outside to eat more cherries and enjoy the sunshine.

Not my problems

One thing that S has taught me is that I am not in control of most things I worry about. My tactic for calming myself at night now includes listing the things I cannot control.

I cannot control people at work.
I cannot control every situation at work
I cannot control S.
I cannot contol friends.
I cannot control Dominican University/St. Kate's.
I cannot control course schedules.
I cannot control the price of health care.

Reminding myself of these things helps a lot, actually. Consequently, it's not my responsibility to worry about any of them.

Free as a bird (sort of)

My last class meeting for Management of Libraries and Information Centers was last night, so now I am free. My group got our project back as well, and we earned an A by my calculations. This is good news, since I'm a little concerned that my final paper did not include enough 'analysis' as per the rubric. Oh, well. I did what I could with the time I had left, I suppose. I asked a classmate (Liz) to pick up my paper for me in July and tell me what I got on it, so here's hoping for a good grade in the class overall.

In other news, my department at work will very likely be completely restructured within the next two months. This is slightly baffling and scary, but I have very little control over it, so I am acknowledging that fact and attempting peace about it all. I did voice my concerns/comments to the appropriate people, and found a lot of support for the points I made from my coworkers, so that was good. Solidarity is nice in a work team, which I think we are—a really great team, at that.

I caught part of "Manon Lescaut" on the radio last night on my way back from St. Paul. I knew it was Puccini from hearing about two minutes of it, but I couldn't for the life of me remember which opera it was. S called and I talked to him for a minute or two before the piece ended and the announcer started talking. The announcer confirmed my suspicicion, and I revelled in my triumph for about a second and S said, "Oh, of course you knew which opera it was." It's just a little parlor trick of mine to be able to guess which era/country composers are from by listening to a bit of music.

I love Radio Lab

Since I was a kid watching "Newton's Apple," a Minnesota-based science show, and later, "Bill Nye the Science Guy" every day after school on PBS, geeking out about stress and tension, and other random but awesome information about the world we live in, I have loved science.

High school science classes kind of whomped that love right out of me. Except Mrs. Williams, at Cathedral High School—she was friendly and made science kind of fun, relative to my other science classes.

So it makes complete sense that I love Radio Lab, from WNYC, which plays on Minnesota Public Radio and I've caught a couple times. I'm just now enjoying the podcast version of the show on Time, wherein they interview Oliver Sacks and explain Einstein's Theory of Relativity in very easy to understand terms.

It's so fun! I'm so glad this program exists.

Plan B, or This is Not the Life I Ordered

It's weird to think, sometimes, how different my life is from how I expected it to be at this same point many years ago. In college, I thought I wanted to be an editor and live in a metropolitan area and be single and fabulous.

Well, that kind of worked out, except that I was in Lincoln, Nebraska as a copy desk chief , and it wasn't glamorous, but I was pretty good at it. I was, however, terribly lonely.

Now I'm in graduate school and I've been working at the library for a long, long time (almost nine years!) and I am pretty sure I'm going to be a librarian. Also, I have this great guy I've been dating for a while, and I think there's a pretty okay chance this may work out.

I know a couple of people who have the life I thought I might end up with, after I moved back in with my parents and wasn't sure what I was going to do with myself. I figured it was a very real possibility that I would never move out, never fall in love again, and things would stay that way forever.

What a nice suprise.

More than fine

My group presented our budget proposal last night in class, and I think it went really well. We were quite well prepared, with lots of supporting documentation to back up our request for an hours increase for our fake library, and our presenting skills were fairly seamless. We won't know until next week, probably, our grade for the whole she-bang, but I'm not worried that we'll get anything less than a passing grade.

Now to work on my library description/SWOT analysis paper (SWOT=Strenthgs, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats). I already have a page single spaced, and I have lots of material from my interview, so mainly I have to do a little more description and then the SWOT points, from which I have a lot to choose.

I feel a lot more at ease today than I've felt since our trip two months ago. It's that feeling of this class wrapping up, and knowing that work is going pretty well despite not having an official supervisor for the present time. I'm getting used to the changes, and I'm feeling better about potential changes.

I'm also really looking forward to July/August and no classes, and possibly picking up some extra hours at work, which will mean more banked vacation time and more to put into my savings account, which always makes me feel good. I may still live at home, but by-golly, I'm not wasting my time here.

By the way, this week I am the master of the house, since my parents left on the family's annual resort vacation on Saturday. My sister went up for a couple days and was back in town yesterday. With S's abundant help, I've gone grocery shopping, cooked some very healthy things for us, and kept the house from falling apart and the rabbit still alive. Now I just have to make sure that my sister doesn't just eat crap and fast food the rest of the week and do laundry and remember to take out the garbage tonight.

Just an idea, really

I got an e-mail from my school, saying that they are going to be offering four graduate assistantships in the Masters of Library and Information Science department, helping four professors with different projects. One is helping a professor proofread her self-published textbook.

As soon as I read it, I decided to apply. Who knows how many applicants there will be, but I took that professor's class and told her I would volunteer to help edit the thing if she wanted help. Now it's being listed as a 10 hour a week job for $10/hour. Not bad at all. I know there are a lot of writers/editors in the program already, but the ones I've met already work full time. Not the case for me. I know I could be really helpful, and would probably learn a lot in the process.

Fingers crossed and all of that!

Trying to take it easy

Yesterday evening, S and I went to see the Krista Tippett, host of "Speaking of Faith" on MPR (or, really, NPR) talk and read from her new book by the same name. It was interesting to hear what she had to say, and I'm looking forward to reading the book once I'm done with my class. Plus, S and I got our copy of the book signed together.

Today, I need a nap or some coffee before I head to St. Paul. I'm really dragging, even though I got to bed at a reasonable (11 o'clock) hour. I need to proofread my memo assignment for class, grab some dinner, and check my oil. Luckily, I have two and a half hours in which to do all that. Whew.

Needs more practice at the management thing

Well, I kind of boffed today at work. We had a bunch of people gone, and I called my sister, who also works in my department, to see if she could come in and work some make-up hours (since she was gone in Chicago over the weekend and had a day off) to help us out. She came in, thankfully, but misunderstood and I didn't communicate properly that she would be working her regularly scheduled time in addition to make-up hours, not able to go home early.

I was really trying to manage the situation, and since our department officially has no manager (his last day was last week) I wanted to find a solution to the problem of the staffing level. Otherwise, it would have been me and one other employee covering the entire department for three hours!

I really felt stupid. I don't have the authority to say she can leave early, and I also don't really have the authority to ask her to work make-up hours, but I thought I'd give it a try. I hope it works out, that she can forgive my mistake, and that she won't hold it against me that I actually am leaving early today, though my request was approved weeks ago.