A trip to Clifty Falls

At this point, instead of Lyra drinking this gorgeous looking water, she decided to pee in it. Brilliant.

Apparantely she likes apples. Who would've thought? I was done with it anyway...

A rock made out of giant petrified chocolate cake.

See? I told you.

My friend Rebecca and I took a day hiking trip to Indiana today and saw Clifty Falls. Rebecca was nice enough to let me bring along my ornery dog and we all had a fabulous time! The weather was absolutely gorgeous and we definitely got a good workout in. Plus the scenery was phenomenal.

And so it begins...again

I went for my first run today in a while. After a hiatus of give or take 3 weeks I went back full force and it actually felt really good! It was just me, Lyra and the pavement. No music, no nothing. Distraction, yes but that's inevitable.

Since I'm totally off my training schedule (also was probably inevitable), I have no idea what I'm "supposed" to be running right now so I just went with the flow. I ran when I felt like it and walked when I didn't. It was a good start and I actually pushed myself more than I was when I was on track with the schedule. I kept saying things like "I'll just run to that tree..." then "okay, I'll just run to that patch of dead grass..." and then I'd surprise myself by making it all the way to the park bench before I started seeing stars. Of course I had to be careful not to switch and say "alright I'll start running at that tree..no that patch of grass...okay the bench..." But I didn't do that too much.

I'm dying to find some new places around here to run but the path I'm following is quite challenging. If I'm able to complete it totally I'll feel very good about myself. There are enough small hills to make me breathe very hard and turn my face red (from exhaustion...not as much from embarrassment...though sure there's some of that too).

I feel very good about it. I feel like I'm on the right path, both literally and figuratively. The cause, the 5K and the fundraising is for teb, the running is for me.

To donate, go here

Quiet Reflection

It's been a few weeks, I know. And it's been a hard few weeks but I've made it out alive. Sometimes when change comes out of nowhere with virtually no warning it can blindside you and slow you down a bit. But with every change comes learning and growth so ultimately I'm okay. In fact I'm quite good.

I took Lyra to the park today. We had a really nice time but didn't spend as much time as I would've liked. When I chose this park I forgot it rained yesterday and the trail was quite muddy so we spent some time sitting on a park bench watching the creek. After we left we went to a local park with paved trails but I just couldn't stomach it. I wanted to hear the sound of dirt on my shoes instead of cars, baseball games and bikes. But it's all good. I just wish there were some more parks around here with trails that aren't paved. But beggars can't be choosers. I'll take any outdoors I can get. Spending 8 hours a day inside just can't be healthy.

Cute pic!

I had to share, this is Lainey attempting to injest her babydoll.

one more thing

A kid just rode up to the library on a unicycle.

LOVE

Not the best running day

Well, things didn't go so well today with running. It was a day that I wish I had someone behind me pushing me up the hill or at least encouraging me. It was a day that I had pain everywhere. Not abnormal pain, just out-of-shape pain and I wasn't able to just run through it. I could have, I just couldn't find the motivation. Believe it or not, halfway through the run I actually said, "screw this, I'm going to McDonald's." ...and actually went. It made me laugh at least. I am noticing a difference but I'm at a small plateau in success which is a bit discouraging. I know, I know, I just started and I need to keep going and give it time. And I will, but it's hard to remember that when I'm comparing it day-to-day. I'm slightly worried I'm developing shin splints but I'm hoping that once again it's just pain from being out of shape and will go away the more I run. We'll see.

I got such a kick out of this picture, I just had to share.


more cat pictures

So...

Yesterday, someone stole 2 of my hubcaps. Really? Wtf? I'm sure they worth a whopping $.25...put together. Who steals hubcaps off a Mazda protege? So ridiculous. My car looks so trashy now I feel like I should just put it on cinder blocks in the front yard.

People are weird.

On a different note...

First off, running is going well. I made my first-week goal and I'm working hard toward the week 2 goal. They are small goals but I feel like $100 when I can complete them. When I took Lyra jogging, I noticed her back legs are pigeon-toed. I'm pretty sure she's the poster child for why dogs should not be inbred. She's so weird.

But on a different note, I have discovered a new literary obsession. I absolutely love survival stories. I'm not sure exactly what it is, but I just can't get enough of them and I plow through them so quickly. I try to think about what it is exactly that I get out of reading them and I haven't yet come to a solid conclusion. Part of it is that it's fascinating to me to see what a single person is capable of, even if it is fiction. (although I do also enjoy the non-fiction stories as well, i.e. Jon Krakauer).

This obsession is not limited to literature. I love the TV shows, the movies, I'll take it all. Favorite TV survival show? (other than Lost, of course) Survivorman. I'm not a huge fan of Man vs. Wild. Favorite survival movie? Cast Away. Haven't yet seen Into the Wild, it's high on my list. Favorite survival book? Well, it's tough and it changes the more I read. Right now it's a toss-up between Hatchet by Gary Paulsen (I'm currently on the last of the other Brian books in the series) and Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer. Both amazing reads and I highly recommend them.

Who knows what it's about. But I can't help it. I love 'em.

Finally, thank you to McTodds and Ollie Boy for the music recommendations!! I'll definitely be using them!

today

And so ends the first week

Week 1 has almost come to an end. So far my biggest struggle (besides discovering that there IS in fact such a thing as a bad sports bra) is knowing how much to push and when to back off. Sure, I want to push myself so I get better and better and increase my endurance and distance, but I don't want to make myself sick, burnt out, or injure myself. Those of you who know me, which I suppose is pretty much anyone who reads this blog, know I have a touch of the hypochondria. So, I probably tend to err on the side of caution more than I should. But as my oh-so-wise dad always says, "the perfect is the enemy of the good." At least I'm doing something. I can already see it making a difference, mostly mentally, but a little bit physically. My cheeks which some endearingly call "cute" and I detest with every fiber of my being, are slightly less...puffy I guess. And that loop around the park I take gets easier to tackle each time I go out.

One of the things I enjoy the most is the variety in music. I'm always wondering what fellow runners/walkers are listening to on their ipods. I've gotten back into electronica music, so I've been listening to a lot of Aphex Twin. Also Soul Coughing, which is not electronic, but pretty rockin'. The 5% nation of lumps in my oatmeal. (that's for you Brainy Girl). So I put the question out there, oh great blogosphere, what do you listen to when you're on solo walks/runs/hikes/whatever? I'm always looking for new tunes...

Donation website

To those of you who would like to donate to this amazing cause and help me out with my personal goal of fundraising, go to my fundraising webpage.

Thank you!

Two things

1) Apparantely this is what Kentucky has to offer from its Congressman. Brilliant.

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/04/14/gop-rep-refers-to-obama-as-that-boy/

2) Running is hard and it hurts. I almost made my first day goal, but not quite. I decided that day one should not involve viewing what I had for lunch...again.

The first day

Today marks the first day of my "training." I keep putting "training" in quotes because I feel like it's not official since I'm doing it by myself. I suppose I should give myself a little more credit. After all I'm a librarian and research is basically my thing so I've certainly done my homework. I have every single day mapped out (including rest days) from today until the day of the 5K. After speaking with some local experts and doing all my research I know I have more than enough time to be ready for it as long as I keep up with my schedule and at the same time pace myself. Many beginning runners quit soon into it because they try to do too much too quickly and injure themselves or become frustrated. I'm going to try to avoid this.

My biggest worry? Pain. At times I can be kind of a wuss about it but the more I read, the more I know this is a temporary situation (with the exception of injuries). I'm not exactly what most would call in shape right now so I know I'll be facing some challenges in the future. But after how much I pushed myself on the backpacking trip with J, I have a lot of confidence that I will find the strength. I also know that the more in shape I get, the less pain I will experience. I've been learning all about the scientific reasoning behind pain, lactic acid build-up, aerobic and anaerobic exercise, all that sort of thing. It's really quite fascinating and I like thinking about it when I'm running.

I've decided to start on a track and work my way up toward park running. The local parks are slightly hilly and I want flat for the first couple of weeks.

On another note, I'm really excited because J and I have 3 gigs coming up and I can't wait. We have officially come up with a name for ourselves: "Fireside Story." We're really excited to start working on some new material and to perform in the area! Hopefully we'll get some pics soon for publicity.

That's all she wrote.

A couple of good ones

I don't know what it is about Sundays that brings out the interesting folk. I had some very strange situations last time I worked a Sunday.

Situation #1:
A grown woman comes up to me with her hand held as if she's going to hand me something. I look at her and at it. She holds her hand out and says "here, I have a present." I was taken aback and just by instinct, and pure misfortune, held out my hand. The woman drops a handful of cookie crumbs, including an M&M into my hand. Had this been a 4 or 5 year-old I wouldn't have thought anything of it. But with her being a grown woman, I was significantly grossed out. I mean, why not just leave it on the floor? Or, I don't THROW IT AWAY YOURSELF. But, no harm done. Just a little internal grumbling.

Situation #2:
A man approaches me and says his wife has sent him on a mission to get books for her class project. Not an odd request, a pretty frequent one! However, he says she needs only books that start with the letter "u." Really? I was so dumbfounded I think I might have just stared at him a little too long before saying, "huh." I wasn't even sure how to search for this! I ended up finding 3 books for him and he said that was fine. I have no idea if it was what she was looking for or not.

Situation #3:
I'm not going to go into too much detail. Let me just set up the picture. Greasy teenage boy, about 14 with a 13-or-so friend hovering over him at the computer. Watching youtube, a fairly scantily clad woman doing...things. Said greasy teenage boy's hand is not to be seen. I apologize for the story, but this is what we deal with in libraries. It was no big deal. I support a healthy curiosity and normal hormonal craziness but come on! Close the door and have a blast! At the library? No thank you.

That's all for now.

A new goal

I have decided to take up running. I've been doing a lot of reading about the mechanics of running, the benefits and popularity. I've run twice in my life. Once when I was attempting the track team...a short lived experience. And once when I was in the best shape of my life physically but so much else was going on I didn't have a chance to really work at it. And finally now I have a real goal to work toward.

On Sunday, July 20 Teb's Troops is sponsoring a fundraiser in Chicago. It is a 5K run/walk to raise money for melanoma research. I chose this for several reasons. First of all, it's an actual reasonable goal. Second of all, it's a cause that is very close to my heart and my family. It is an amazing organization in the name of an incredible woman. It is because of this woman that I have such a fabulous brother-in-law and gorgeous, brilliant nieces. If I can give even a little something back, I will do it with all that I am. I have not yet registered for the event. I will be doing this sometime next week and will be soliciting donations to sponsor me running the 5K.

I am imagining this will be quite a unique experience and I am looking forward to seeing if I can push myself to the limit. I have invested in a very good pair of running shoes, I am doing lots of research to make sure I'm doing it right and hopefully I will have good results. I am spending this week doing power walking everyday just to get my heart rate up. This upcoming Sunday marks week 13 so that's when I'll start "training."

My first snag: I took a long power walk this morning and when I got home realized half of my left arm was covered in a rash of bug bites. Not fun but typical. If there is a bug within a 50 mile radius, it will seek me out and feast on my skin til there's nothing left. That's always been the case. Note to self: get bug spray.

I will probably be considering my blog a bit of a training log for myself. Read if you feel like it, skip if you don't. I'll also try to keep posting good library stories. I've got a few I'll post in the next one. It's such a wild place to work!

A good one

Okay here's a good kid story for you. It's not mine, I can't take credit for it. I have the sincerest gratitute to my co-worker R who regaled me with this fabulous story.

R was reading a fabulous story to a group of children. The book is What will fat cat sit on? by Jan Thomas. Brief synopsis: A group of animals is terrified at the prospect of being sat upon by the imposing Fat Cat, until the mouse comes up with a solution that satisfies everyone.

I don't know exactly how it happens but the last part of the book is an open-ended question to the reader. Something like what will fat cat eat next? The implication of the story is that the reader will be eaten next (I think...I haven't read it in a LONG time).

Anyway, R brings this question to the audience. "What do YOU think fat cat will eat next?" Without even so much as skipping a beat, a 4 or 5 year old boy raises his hand and exclaims "TOASTER STRUDEL!! I think fat cat should eat TOASTER STRUDEL!!"

I wonder what he had for breakfast...

I love old books

somedays

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE being a librarian. 99% of the time it is completely fulfilling and wonderful. However, there is that 1% of the time that I feel like this:

An extremely brief update

I know, I know, I know. I've been very delinquent on updating this blog. So sorry to those who read this (for so many reasons).

Things are going swimmingly. I've moved to the new branch of the library. It is huge and amazing and the transition has not been without snags and snafus. Slowly but surely a routine is being developed and we're figuring things out. The building itself is gorgeous!

The boys are good. I've doubled Lyra's diet (per the vet's recommendation) so she doesn't look like a skeleton with fur. I've halved my cat's diets (per my own observation) so my they don't look like two fat basketballs with legs and tails.

That's all for now. Baby steps. It's like the gym. Once I get out of the routine, the hardest part is going back that first and second time. Then it's cake.

toothpastefordinner.com

A good one

On Sunday, a woman approached the desk somewhat frantic. Here's how the conversation went:

Woman: "I need a book for a 4th grader and a 6th grader. They need to be on eras, like wars. You know, Civil War, World War I, World War II, World War III..."

[I'm not kidding, she didn't even bat an eyelash]

Me [in my head]: ...Umm...I don't think that's been published yet...

Turns out, what she actually wanted were books on dinosaurs and the Civil Rights Movement. (in different books of course...not too many would make that mistake.)

Seriously people, ask your librarian what you are actually looking for. No need to try to make it easier on us, it's easier the more specific you get! Although, then we wouldn't have these fabulous stories to post on our blogs...

:)

Halloween!!

Tagged

I got tagged by Brainy Girl so here it goes...

Jobs I've had...
1. Subway
2. Page
3. Temp
4. Director of Library Services
5. Youth Services Librarian

Places I've lived...
1. West Lafayette, IN
2. Bloomington, IN
3. Louisville, KY
4. here

Foods I Love...
1. Ice cream
2. Doughnuts (do-do's!)
3. Kalamata olives
4. Lasagna (specifically MK's)
5. Swiss pancakes and cottage chees pancakes (again...specifically MK's!)
5. Pizza
6. Anything my sister and brother-in-law makes (I'm not kidding guys!)

Places I would rather be...
1. At home reading or sleeping
2. Outside walking/hiking/sitting/standing/sleeping/anything-ing
3. Going somewhere in the car (especially to see family or friends)
4. Going nowhere in the car
5. Anywhere with J

TV shows I Watch...
1. Battlestar Galactica
2. 30 Rock
3. The Office
4. ER
5. The Hills (embarrassingly enough)
6. Lost
7. House

Books I love... (do I really have to? Okay, I'm going to list the books I've read recently that I've LOVED)
1. Looking for Alaska, John Green (excellent audiobook)
2. On the Run series, Gordon Korman
3. The Shadow Children, Margaret Peterson Haddix
4. Son of the Mob, Gordon Korman (not my favorite, but a decent read)
5. The Pillars of the Earth, Ken Follett (just recently picked this old classic back up...)


There ya' go. I'll tag Dawn and Jeff...

What I learned

This past Sunday to Tuesday, Jeff and I took our first backpacking trip together. We left Sunday morning for Athens, OH near Lake Hope area on a designated backpacking trail. It was absolutely gorgeous, even though it was 150 degrees and our skin basically melted off. Exaggerate much? Yes. But it was hot, in the 90s. The trip was a total of about 9 miles and while I was incredibly sore (and still am), I think I could've gone further. DB graciously let me borrow all his wonderful camping gear so I was able to go on this trip. Here are a few tidbits I learned:

• Tennis shoes are NOT okay substitutes for trail shoes. I am still recovering from a major blister and cannot wear any shoes with backs.
• While birch bark may burn very well, the wood itself does not like to burn. At least, that's the type of tree we *thought* it was.
• Gnats are evil. They are evil incarnate. They swarmed us everywhere we went and were especially interested in our ears and eyes.
• I will NEVER make the mistake of not bringing the walking poles again. I definitely could have benefited from those.
• The strap that goes across your chest does nothing but constrict breathing and cause panic attacks. Okay maybe the latter was just a Sassy thing but it was real!
• Coyotes, while totally harmless and scared of their own shadow, are not any less creepy to hear in the middle of the night close to your campsite.
• I am capable of more than I thought I was. Both physically and mentally.
• I've got a really good guy in my life.

We plan to go again sometime, hopefully soon and I now know what I have to do. I have to start saving up for a good pair of hiking shoes so my feet don't cause me so many problems again. I need to continue exercising at the gym and focus especially on my legs but continue arms and cardiovascular workouts. And hopefully next time it'll be a little cooler.

Sassy the Librarian in action!

This was at a family fun night at a local elementary school. It was so much fun! The kids went from station to station and my station was called "Sally's Stories". Best ever! I'm reading two of my favorite books to read aloud. In the first picture, it's Bark, George by Jules Feiffer. Second one is Falling for Rapunzel by Leah Wilcox. EXCELLENT books especially for reading aloud! Another favorite is I Ain't Gonna Paint No More by Karen Beaumont.

I hate my dog

Okay, not really, but after last night she's lucky to be alive with all four legs still in tact. So here's the story. Lyra is quite fixated with Monkey right now. Clearly it's because Monkey actually runs away from her. Sammy puts up a fight (and a good one at that) so Lyra gets bored with him. Monkey likes to climb up on the landing above my kitchen and hang out. Lyra spends a LOT of time staring up at him, waiting anxiously to come down.

Last night, Lyra got courageous...or just fed up with waiting. She actually tried to jump up on my kitchen counter to get at Monkey. Nothing about this manuver was graceful. Lyra's not a small dog. She's about 45-50 pounds and she's ALL legs. (and ears). In the process of her jumping up on the counter and me yelling obscenities, she knocked my crock pot over onto the kitchen floor. It shattered. The ceramic bowl on the inside of the crock pot is in a million pieces.

This is especially frustrating to me because I have recently gotten into cooking. *gasp* I know. Family, you know what a big deal this is. I have actually been cooking! And I don't mean my previous definition of cooking. (for those of you who don't know, my previous definition of cooking involved anytime I have to heat something up or do a lot of movement). I mean like actual real dishes from actual real cookbooks. So the fact that now my crock pot is out of commission is a huge deal. HUGE.

So suffice it to say Lyra needs to thank her lucky stars that she doesn't have an abusive owner because a less patient person might have done something really mean. Not that I was nice. If Lyra understood English...or language at all...she would probably be quite offended by my choice words. Now I just have to add crock pot to my list of things to buy. So annoying.

(two of) The Boys

This will give you an idea of the size of Lyra's ears, if you haven't gotten the perspective already. They're quite incredible, if I do say so myself!!

Worst.

I try to keep an open mind in my job. I hear a lot of things, see a lot of things that at face value could be taken the wrong way and misunderstood. But every once in a while something happens that throws me through such a loop I can't help but be disgusted.

Case in point. I was helping the pages clean up the lobby last night. There were a lot of middle schoolers working on a school project. There were bits of stuff everywhere. Not a big deal at all. However, one of the little bits I picked up...well...I shudder to even think now. I picked up part of a tooth. Oh. My. God. Once I figured out what it was, I immediately threw it across the room and promptly freaked out. I still feel a little nauseous thinking about it. GROSS!!

A Sad Day

We have lost one of the best children's authors of all time, as far as I'm concerned. At 88 years old, Madeleine L'Engle passed away today of natural causes. A very sad day indeed.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/08/books/07cnd-lengle.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

The dingo ate mah baby!

I have confirmed Lyra's breed. When I got her I just assumed she was a mix of German Shepherd and Yellow Lab. But it never really fit quite right. After I jokingly told a co-worker that my new dog looks like a dingo, she later brought me information about a breed I had never heard of: Carolina Dog. I contacted someone at the Carolina Dog Association with pictures of Lyra and a description of her temperment and she wrote back saying that yes, in fact, Lyra is a full-blown Carolina Dog.

Carolina Dog is also known as American Dingo, Dixie Dingo, Southern Dingo, Native American Dog, the Indian's Dog, the Southern Aboriginal Dog and Ol' Yaller. It comes from southeastern U.S. and has been linked to the Australian Dingo. They also have some physical similarities to sighthounds (greyhounds, whippets, etc.) which is exactly what Lyra looks like.

It's really neat to learn more about the breed, it has a pretty interesting history and I couldn't have asked for a better dog, she's perfect!! Sure she makes me messes and loves to play "let's see if I can fit Sammy's head in my mouth" but all in all she's the best dog I've ever met. Of course I will always have a special place in my heart for Levi but I never had a connection with him that I immediately had with Lyra.

Here's some more info if you're so inclined (I certainly am):

http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/caralinadog.htm

http://www.carolinadogs.com/

ichc

A long-awaited release

Well I tried. I checked out the first book of Harry Potter and had every intention of reading it over my vacation but alas, it didn't happen. I don't know why, but I just couldn't bring myself to pick it up. Too many other things to read right now. For instance, I have been eagerly awaiting the release of Stephenie Meyer's 3rd book in the Twilight series. Eclipse is here!! I was practically giddy to be number 3 on the waiting list for what I'm sure is going to be an amazing installment to this incredible series about vampires, werewolves, love, family, identity, and everything in between. Plus never before did I understand the concept of having a crush on a fictional character from a book until I read Twilight. Edward? Oh yeah, good stuff. Read it people, it's fabulous.

The only other series that I yearn for the next installment is Darren Shan's Demonata series. I was hooked during the first book. It is an amazing horror series. Kind of gory, but well-done in my opinion. Cirque du Freak is his other famous series, but it's geared toward a much younger audience with lots of adolescent boy humor (nothing wrong with that, just not my cup of tea). Demonata is much more sophisticated with older themes and characters. Plus it's just so interesting. I'm really excited to see what the next book brings in this amazing world of good vs. evil.

Good lord no wonder I'm having nightmares about zombies, nuclear war and all things dark. It's worth it. These books are so good!!

A confession, or, "what is the title of the third book?"

I am a librarian. You know this already. I am a children's librarian. This, also, should not come as a surprise. However, what I am about to say may cause a few gasps and jaw-drops from the audience. I...have not...read...any Harry Potter books. It's true. I'm ashamed to say it. I feel as though I have neglected one of the most important duties of my career by skipping over this all-too-popular series.

Now it's not because I am not interested. In fact, I am very interested, especially considering the recent excitement over the fate of our beloved Harry. Plus, I love the movies! It's just a matter of the fact that I've always had other things on my nightstand and I'm not good at reading more than one book at once. I know once I start reading them I won't be able to put them down and starting a series of books, each volume containing around 700 pages, is a little overwhelming to consider.

We received our copies at the library today. They might as well be guarded by heavy artillery, armed guards and trip wires. I joke, but the publisher doesn't joke around. No one is supposed to get a peak at the highly coveted titles until midnight tonight. Internet leaks notwitstanding.

There has also been a certain electricity in the air at the library surrounding this larger than life event. One of my co-workers (one of the collection development librarians) spoke about the Harry Potter craze, "when I hear people say 'this is the biggest book of this year' I can't help but laugh and say 'year?! How about the last 15 years!'" And it's true, no other series or single title can come close to surpassing in widespread popularity of HP.

Everyone is shocked when I tell them I haven't read the series. Then they all say, "you need to listen to them." The books on CDs are read by Jim Dale, who is a phenomenal narrator. I highly recommend him and any of his work.

I swear I'm going to go check out the first one...even though I don't know the title...probably after I finish the book I'm on...and maybe after the next 15 I have checked out. Oh nuts. I'll get to it eventually.

Your Linguistic Profile:

75% General American English 15% Dixie 5% Upper Midwestern 0% Midwestern 0% Yankee

What Kind of American English Do You Speak?

The oatmeal joke = lame

So...here it is. In all its glory.

A bowl of oatmeal walks into a bar and sits down to order. The bartender comes up to the bowl of oatmeal and asks "what would you like today?" The bowl of oatmeal says "I'd like a bowl of oatmeal please." The bartender says, "I'm sorry, we don't serve oatmeal here."

I thought the double meaning of the joke was absolutely hilarious. So weird.

The whole fam damily

Announcing

Please welcome the newest member of my little family. Her name is Lyra. She is a yellow lab, german shepherd mix. She looks a lot like a dingo and if she could flap her ears I swear she could take flight. She's around 45 pounds and is basically full grown (not very huge, which is odd considering the breeds she's mixed with...she must have been the runt). She's about a year old and she is the sweetest, gentlest dog I've ever met. She loves to play but when it's time to sleep, it's time to sleep. She's the best apartment dog on earth. Sammy and Monkey love her. Monkey was quite skeptical for the first few days but he's now understanding Lyra is about as much of a threat as a sweet potato. Sammy loves her and especially loves stalking her tail. She's also met Jeff's dog, Roland, and they quickly became best friends.

She's still figuring out what life is like outside the apartment (she had accidents at Jeff's place last weekend) but I'm sure the more stability and routine she has, the better she'll get. It's clear to me, and the people from whom I adopted her, that she was pretty severely abused as a pup. She was also quite malnourished but she's rapidly puttingon some good weight and seems to feel really good. We'll start some training in the next week, which I know will help with her confidence and trust issues. She's extremely affectionate and just wants to be loved!!

I can't wait for my family to meet her, she's a wonderful dog and after we do some more training, she's going to be a great addition to our huge clan! It's a bummer she can't come to vacation, I know she'd have a fabulous time, but such is the way of the world. She was a birthday present, and one of the best I've ever had! (don't worry, she wasn't a surprise, I would never bring a pet into my household without lots of preparation before bringing her home).

Other than this, things are about the same. Work is work, kids are awesome and weird and I just last week signed another year lease where I'm living. I realized this is the longest I've stayed in one apartment in about 6 or 7 years. Roots? Not quite, but it's better than renting a truck. :)

The summer challenge

For our summer reading program, we have asked kids from grades K-5 to "tell the librarian a joke." Once they do this, they are one step closer to receiving one of the first prizes of their summer reading log. As I'm sure you can imagine, we have had quite a few that are...ahem...interesting.

Of course we've had the standards such as "what is black and white and red all over?" With answers such as a newspaper, a nun falling down a hill, a penguin after a fistfight, that sort of thing. We've also had the occasional long, drawn-out, made-up story that isn't actually a joke, but the kid thinks is absolutely hilarious.

Here are a few good examples:

What did one eye say to the other?
Between us, something smells.

If an American is an American in the living room, what are they in the bathroom?
European!

What's yellow, rubber, and holds up banks?
A robber duckie

And then there are the knock-knocks. I don't know at what age you develop humor, but clearly some of these kids have a ways to go:

Kid: Knock knock.
Librarian: Who's there?
Kid: Monkey.
Librarian: Monkey who?
Kid: [pause] Monkey banana.
Librarian: [vocally] Ha ha! [inside] ?

Kid: Knock knock.
Librarian: Who's there?
Kid: Elephant.
Librarian: Elephant who?
Kid: Elephant Australia.
Mother of kid: It's her own joke.
Librarian: Oh, I see. Well that's great!

I was lucky enough to hear this one myself:

Kid: Knock knock.
Me: Who's there?
Kid: Banana head.
Me: Banana head who?
Kid: Garbage.
Me: Ha ha! [on the inside: ...really?]

Of course we always give a big geniune laugh because often times these kids really think the jokes are absolutely hilarious. I remember it well from my own experience. My family might remember the joke I was so proud of as a kid. The one involving a bowl of oatmeal. Anyone with me?

Overheard at the library

Today I heard a kid yell this across the library:

"MOM! HOW DO I GET TO WWWWWW.COM???"

I swear to you he had that many w's.

Another good conversation

An adorable 3-year-old girl comes to the desk.

Me: Do you have any questions today?

Her: Um..I have lots of questions.

Me: Would you like to ask them?

Her: Yes...............when I was a baby I was one year old. And when I was two I was two years old.

Me: Aaahhh...and how old are you now?

Her: I'm still three. But I'm almost four.

Me: Oh yeah? Do you know when your birthday is?

Her: July.

Me: Excellent! Me too! Do you know the day/number/date?

Her: Umm...well...I'm not having a real birthday with candles.

I have no idea what that meant except she didn't really know her birthday. I just love these kids!

My New Favorite Book

"Animals should definitely not wear clothing" by Judi Barrett, illustrated by Ron Barrett

It's just a fact, people. Animals + clothing = not awesome.

And so it begins

Summer and switfly approaching...okay, summer is HERE! I can't help but laugh whenever someone says "well you'll be getting a nice break during the summer, right?" Um...not so much. Schools have already started letting out and the library has been quite busy today. We are air conditioned and if the heat keeps up the way it has been so far, we will continue to be a cool haven for all the warm bodies!

Luckily we have some incredible things happening this summer; programs we are putting on as well as special performers we are bringing in from the outside. It's going to be an incredible summer! PLUS it's going to go by so quick. Even though it's going to be wonderful, I can't help but feel a pang of jealousy when I hear friends making their summer vacation plans. Sure, I do have a few fun things planned but nothing major until August. Boo. At the same time, it'll be here before I know it.

I'm thinking of something witty and creative to say but nothing's coming to mind. That's all I've got for now.

Not much

I don't have too much to report but I feel like I should post something. It's been a while. The kitties are still the same. Ornery, furry and fun. Sammy's still in the sink. Well, on and off, but more on than off these days. He's very happy about his discovery, so far as I can tell. What a goofball.

Work is somewhat slow right now. However, this is very much the calm before the storm. Summer reading is gearing up slowly but surely. It always makes me chuckle when someone says "well I guess with summer coming up you'll have a nice break!" Umm...no. I'm not a teacher. Summer is the busiest time of my life which actually says a lot considering how busy the library almost always is. However, as I said before, May has been a relatively slow month. Program numbers are down and I think it's mostly because suddenly it's nice outside so people want to be out there enjoying it. I don't blame them. If I could, I'd be out there with them.

I did have one great conversation with a girl about 5 years old today. She came up to the desk and here's what transpired:

Girl: Can I have a sticker?

Me: Well sweetie I don't have a sticker to give you, but here's a bookmark with monkeys on it! [I hand her the bookmark]

Girl: [walks away, pauses, returns to the desk] But this doesn't have a sticker.

Me: I know, I wish I had a sticker to give you, I'm so sorry! Would you like another bookmark?

Girl: [picks up about 150 bookmarks...yells across the library] MOM! HERE! BOOKMARKS YOU HAVE!! HERE! MOOOOMM!!!

Me: [Hesitating..] Umm, I'm not sure if mom will be too happy with all those bookmarks, why don't you take one of each?

Mom: Sweetie, we can't take all those, we have to leave some for other people. [puts giant stack back on desk, walks away]

Girl: [walks away, pauses, returns] Do you have any monies?

Me: [Laughing] No sweetie, I'm sorry I don't. Is there anything else I can help you find?

Girl: [walks away, starts to talk to our stuffed Winnie-the-Pooh toy]

Awesome!

Sinkcat is not pleased

This is my weird cat, Sammy. Sammy used to love laying in the sink...but he was about 10 pounds lighter. Now he's not so small, but nevertheless, here he is, in all his furry glory.

Of course he always does this right when I need to brush my teeth. It's ALWAYS fun figuring out new ways to get him out of the sink!

I'm not sure...

But I *think* I just overheard a kid say,

"...more crap to read."

Delightful.

It's not *just* Cinco de Mayo!

It's *also* Free Comic Book Day! FCBD is an annual event promoting comic books and graphic novels all across the country. We were lucky enough to have comic books donated from Comic Book World, a local comic book shop with some of the greatest store owners ever!

Another day, another cutie

Here's a good one. I'm walking up the stairs and I run into an old friend I haven't seen in a while. He's about 8 years old and a super goofball...we're kindred spirits. His mom and sister opt to take the elevator but he says "I'm going to walk up the stairs with you." Here's how the conversation went:

Him: "I'm going to walk up the stairs with you. Do you know why I'm going to walk up the stairs with you? It's because you're my favorite person in this library."

Me: "Oh my goodness that is just so nice. I always look forward to seeing you too!"

Him: "Do you know why you're my favorite person in this library? It's because you have blond hair!"

Me: [thinking: Um...I don't really have blond hair, kid] "Oh, that's great! You have blond hair too!"

Him: "AND because I always like your shirts."

Me: [thinking: Um...] "Well that is just so nice, thank you for the compliment!"

Him: [suddenly walks away...probably saw something shiny]

I LOVE my job!

Mah girlz

Three hot librarians out on the town!

Ego boost

Today I overheard a boy tell his mom about his favorite librarian Sally. Yay! I'm his favorite because I helped him find a Batman book.

Awesome.

Weekend

This weekend, I went to visit the Indy crew for a little familial distraction. It definitely served its purpose (thanks for letting me come over guys!) and I left with some great moments.

Upon seeing my jeans (which have holes in them), Lucy stated, "Sassy's pants broken!"

Later, we decided it was time to do some reading. Lucy went straight to Mommy and Daddy's novels and picked out "Jude the Obscure" and "Jane Eyre." After "reading" each of these, she continued to pick up every single novel on the shelf, look at it, exclaim, "oh so cute!" and throw it at me. :)

Gross 2

Monkey threw up...on my piano.


Seriously? Come ON!

Some kids should know better...

But I know they don't.

A kid about 11 or 12 years old was trying to get my attention. His comment, dripping with sarcasm and disdain went a little like this,

"Psst. Psst. Hey. PSST! Hey lady!"

I recognize his need for help.

"Hey library lady. I mean SALLY." (he said my name very loudly and slowly once he saw my nametag.)

It was fine, kids are kids are kids. Just some days are better than others to get on my wrong side. Grr.

Yumyum 2007

Ready for a morning stroll!

Mama Kaye considers jumping in for a swim.

Beautiful grounds!

A few more join the stroll.