A short update

Well, things are moving along as usual. We had an excellent Halloween costume party for teens with some super creative costumes and lots of fun and games.

I can't taste or smell anything because I have the dreaded cold/flu that has been going around all of Boone County. I knew it was going to happen sooner or later. Working in a library is almost equal to working in a daycare. Germs germs germs. Eventually my immune system will catch up. Here's hoping.

I had a dream last night that I sailed around the world on a boat. I know there were two other people on the boat, I just can't remember who. (Hopefully one of them was Johnny Depp). Anyway, during the dream we all drifted off to sleep and awoke to the realization that no one put down the anchor so we ended up somewhere north of Alaska. Where would that be? I have no idea. Does this new dream usurp the old one where I bike across the U.S.? Absolutely not. That is still in my head. I even have a new bike to prove it (don't tell anyone I haven't actually ridden it yet).

I had a disturbing conversation the other day. I found out an elementary school teacher told her students that Puerto Rico could've been the 52nd state. When she was asked, "what is the 51st state?" She replied, "I thought Alaska was the 51st state!" Sigh.

I don't think I have anything else at this point. I'm going to go back to my snot-induced coma and stare at people as they ask me questions.

Hallowiener!!

"The Hallo-Wiener" by Dav Pilkey.

Well Halloween is in full force here at the library. We're having parties galore and the "Itty Bitty Halloween Party" which was a program for children ages 2-5 was tonight. While it would have been a blast to be in with the kids, I had a lot of fun out at the desk just watching all the kids in their adorable costumes! Rabbits, pumpkins, cowboys, cowgirls, Batman, Spider-man, Shrek, witches, princesses, everything under the sun.

I also had another really "interesting" conversation with a little girl about the age of 9...maybe 10. She kind of attached herself to the desk I was at and talked my ear off. She told me that her dad was disappointed when he found out someone didn't drink beer because that meant he couldn't hang out with them. She also said her mom and dad had a "little bit of divorce" (as if it were a bad cold) but they got back together and spoke in "soft voices." Finally she talked about her mom getting stripped search on her way to Italy. I bet her mom and dad were REALLY happy she was talking to me. It was definitely an education, to say the least.

You just really never know in this building...

I love it!

Best conversation ever.

We had a small storytime that I was a part of this morning. It was all about dinosaurs, lots of fun! Before all the kids got here, I was just chatting with a few of them that were already seated. Here is what happened:

Me: What is everybody's favorite dinosaur?

Boy #1: T-Rex!

Boy #2: Stegosaurus!

Boy #3: My birthday is August 28!

Me: Oh yeah? I have a summer birthday too! Does anyone have a birthday this month? October?

Boy #4: [raises his hand] I do!

Me: Really? That's great!! When is it?

Boy #4: Batman.

Me: .....Great!

A revelation

I realized something the other day. I do not like picture books with animals dressed in people clothes. I just don't. There are a few exceptions. The "Frances" books by Russell Hoban. Somehow it works with a little...badger?...in pajamas. The "Old Tom" books by Leigh Hobbs. A cat wearing a cape and a mask? I don't think it gets any better. Kevin Henkes (the "Lilly" mouse character) can do it, as well as Ian Falconer with "Olivia" the Pig. It's not a reflection of the quality of the books, it's just a personal opinion. There are some books out there with animals dressed as people that just irritate me.

Sorry, kind of a boring post.

Overheard in the library

"I can balance a ... a ... a very heavy hamburger!"

"If you don't play Checkers with me I'll call you 'chicken' for the rest of kindergarten."

"Explore on two wheels."

That's a quote on a sticker I received from Adventure Cycling Association. Pretty cool, eh?

Recently I've been thinking a lot about biking. It all started with a dream I had in which I continued a journey started (and amazingly completed, I might add) by Ann Keefer, the aunt of an adorable boy named Larry. She walked 600 miles to raise money for the Lowe Syndrome Association. In my dream, I continued her journey in Indianapolis and ended in California. However, I was not on foot, I was on a bike. The dream was so vivid I have not yet forgotten it, nor the inspiration it caused after I woke up. I don't know whether or not I will be able to actually reach my goal of a cross-country charity bike trip but the idea of it has opened up a possibility that has changed my mindset. The logistics of it are so immense, I'm not even sure where to begin but nevertheless, I have.

I am working on fixing up my bike, I'm starting to get in shape, I'm doing crazy amounts of research and reading, and setting little goals. For instance, my first goal is to be able to carry my bike down my apartment stairs. Baby steps, right? :)

I'm remembering how much I love biking. When I was a kid, my bike was one of my best friends. I remember clumsily learning how to ride a bike with my dad's help in the backyard. I remember the first banana-boat bike, which I cruised around on, sharing the seat with my best friends. My first ten-speed was a momentous occasion. When I saw the bike in a garage sale, my parents very lovingly purchased it, along with a helmet. Each day I would look forward to hopping on my bike and rolling around the streets, never knowing what I would see or who I would run into. There's nothing like it. The wind in your ears, no limit to where you can go, it was exhilarating. When I was in college, I got a fantastic mountain bike hand-me-down from a roommate. With a splurge of a brand new set of tires, an old portable CD player, and a few excellent mixes, I shortly became in the best shape of my life. So what's the appeal now? The open road. Independence. The ability to "explore on two wheels." I want it and crave it like never before.

I picked up a book today which has a quote I was struck by. The title of the book is "How I Learned to Ride the Bicycle : Reflections of an influential 19th Century Woman." by Frances E. Willard. Frances was an extremely important woman in late 19th century. She was extremely vocal and quintessential to the woman's suffrage movement and believed that bicycle riding was something women could learn and enjoy as much as men. She first hopped on when she was 53, visiting a friend in England. This quote is what she believed a bicycle would actually say to its rider:

"There has been but little authentic talking done by four-footed animals; but that is no reason why the two-wheeled should not speak its mind, and the first utterance I have to chronicle in the softly flowing vocables of my bicycle is to the following purport. I heard it as we trundled off down the Priory incline at the suburban home of Lady Henry Somerset in Reigate, England, where I was staying.

"It said: 'Behold, I do not fail you; I am not a skittish beastie, but a softer, well-conducted roadster. I did not ask you to mount or drive, but since you have done so you must now learn the laws of balance and exploitation. I did not invent these laws, but I have been built to conform to them, and you must suit yourself to the unchanging regulations of gravity, general and specific, as illustrated in me. Strange as the paradox may seem, you will do this best by not trying to do it at all. You must make up what you are pleased to call your mind--make it up speedily, or you will be cast in yonder mud puddle, and no blame to me and no thanks to yourself.

"Two things must occupy your thinking powers to the exclusion of every other thing: First, the goal; and, second, the momentum requisite to reach it. Do not look down like an imbecile up on the steering wheel in front of you--that would be about as wise as for a nauseated voyager to keep his optical instruments fixed upon the rolling waves. It is the curse of life that nearly everyone looks down. But the microscope will never set you free; you must glue your eyes to the telescope forever and a day. Look up and off and on and out; get forehead and foot into line, the latter acting as a rhythmic spur in the flanks of your equilibriated equine; so shall you win, and that right speedily.

"'It was divinely said that the kingdom of God is within you. Some make a mysticism of this declaration, but it is hard common sense; for the lesson you will learn from me is this: every kingdom over which we reign must be first formed within us on what I as a bicycle look upon as the common parade ground of individual thought.'"

Two excellent stories

I have two very funny experiences from the library during the past week. These kids...I swear.

First, I was off in the stacks looking for a specific book the other day. I heard a child yelling from across the room. She wasn't yelling because she was mad or frustrated or wasn't getting her way. She was firing her family. "Grams, you're fired! Mom, you're fired! Dad, you're fired!" and so on. It was hilarious! I can't help but wonder where this kid picked it up from. The Apprentice? Talk at home? Elsewhere? She couldn't have been much over four years old.

Second, yesterday I had a program with kids age 11 and older. It was a lot of fun! There was a point in the program when one of the boys, 14 years old, stood up and here is what followed:

Boy: "Did you know that if a woman could lay all her eggs she would have 500 children?"

Me: [pause while I searched his face for some explanation of what the heck he was talking about] "Do you mean female chickens or birds or something like that?"

Boy: "No, I mean like ladies and stuff."

Me: [pause again. And again. Trying not to look amazed and terrified:] "Women don't lay eggs."

Boy: "You know what I mean, like inside their bodies and everything."

Me: [Change the subject! Change the subject! Change the subject!] "Well it's a bit more complicated then that but why don't you have a cookie and tell me about the project you're making!"

I mean...seriously??!? SERIOUSLY??!? There are no words.

Out of nowhere

Have you ever been so strongly hit by a memory that it almost knocks you over? The kind where every detail is so vivid you can practically smell all the little smells and hear every subtle nuance of a person's voice? A memory that may have happened 15 years ago but could have just as easily happened 15 minutes ago?

This has been happening to me a lot lately. I couldn't say why, but as usual I have several theories. It's so strange to me because the acuteness of the details is so striking it evokes both a wonderful and an awful feeling at the same time. It's like that itch you get that you just can't scratch. You know, the ones where you can feel a little quiver on your arm and you go to scratch, only to find the spot is just a half an inch away from there. So you move, then it moves, and so on. Very unfulfilling.

I don't have much else to say on the topic, I just thought I'd throw some musings out to the universe...

A long-awaited review

I feel it's about time to share my experience with "The Descent." Swank and I decided to catch a late night movie, and he graciously agreed to indulge me in my passion for scary movies. I got my nachos and sour patch kids (it was a late dinner that night) and we settled in for a good, old fashioned horror flick. When movie started it began with the obligatory jump-out-of-your-seat moment within the first 5 minutes. We knew we were in the right theatre at least. From then on out it was a series of endless jump-out-of-your-seat moments mixed in with unbelievable claustrophobia, gore, and general terror. About 45 minutes into the movie Swank turned to me and whispered, "I don't like movies like this." We both giggled nervously and continued to watch in awe as bizarre looking cave-people hunted down 6 women in the dark with various broken bones and completely understandable psychoses.

That's when it happened. I turned to my partner in crime and said, "do you want to go? I'll stay if you want to stay but I could go too." I couldn't believe the words coming out of my mouth! I've stayed through every movie I've ever gone to, good or bad, scary or cheesy. Not to mention, my obsession with scary movies should have had me twitterpated from the moment I sat down! Needless to say, we decided to leave and there you have it. I left my very first movie in the middle because it was actually too scary. THAT in itself is kind of scary if you ask me.

I have to qualify my statement of "too scary." It wasn't the kind of scared I get where my adrenaline pumps and my eyes water (i.e. Blair Witch Project, "look at my eyes! look at my eyes!") It was more the kind of scary akin to holy crap I'm stuck in a cave, I don't know what's up and what's down and these weird Golem-like creatures are eating my friends. It's hard to explain. Or maybe you get the idea.

HOWEVER, I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that I will be renting this movie so I can watch it at home and see what happens at the end. No doubt at all. I also have to mention that it was awesome to see a movie with all of the leads (except the stupid cave people) as strong women and no men coming to the rescue (at least within the first hour or so). It also further solidified the fact that I will never ever EVER go spelunking. I have no idea why that appeals to anyone on earth, except for maybe the stupid cave people. Stupid cave people. I hate the cave people.

'Tis the season

It's the month of insanity right now. Everyone kept telling me that August was a time to relax and recuperate. What?! That could NOT be further from the truth. This whole month has been a whirlwind from beginning to end. No rest for the wear I suppose.

For some reason unknown to me, this is the week of screaming children. Sure we get the occasional yelp or two, the random tantrum from an unhappy toddler, that's no big deal. We all just kind of smile and go about our business, kids will be kids after all. To a certain extent, we become slightly immune to it. It's no big deal! But when there's two or three screaming children a day, you can't help but notice and wonder, "is there something going on in the world that I don't know about?" At the same time, most schools around here start very soon so everyone's a little extra anxious in general. The circle of life, right? Well, something like that.

On a different note, I am planning on going to see a movie tonight and I'm hoping it's going to be that seemingly scary movie "The Descent". I'm pretty psyched because I'm OBSESSED with scary movie! I can't get enough of them! I'll post a review if I end up going.

Worst.

1. I have Rimsky-Korsakov's Flight of the Bumblebee going through my head.
2. I just created a big long posting about good things, performing, my job, music...and it was all LOST. I'm not going to re-create it because my neck hurts.
   

Recall of Highsmith toys

Our library gave out this prize to summer reading participants. We just found out yesterday they were recalled due to a potentially high amount of lead. We have put a posting on our website, put up signs at all of our branches as well as noticed several news agencies in the area. It seems like a pretty big deal (as it should). I've heard Highsmith is coming out with another official statement tomorrow. Here's a link to the original article:

http://www.thestarpress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2006608050330

Also, here is the release from the Indiana State Department of Health. However, Indiana and Kentucky are not the only ones who use the Collaborative Summer Reading Program, created by Highsmith. It is used all over the country.

http://www.in.gov/isdh/news/2006/08-04.htm

Pretty scary, right? I think so.

Back to the grind

Well I recently returned from a fun-filled vacation with the fam. It was a whirlwind and I loved every minute of it! ...well, except for the heat maybe, but many dips in the pool helped that quite a bit. It was so wonderful to see everyone and catch up. I always leave these times feeling like one of the luckiest people on earth to be a part of such an energetic, funny, phenomenal group of people EVER! Yay for us! Okay, enough of the mush. I have to say though it's one of the greatest feelings to have your neice running toward you with arms outstretched, grinning, and shrieking "Sassy! Sassy! Sassy!" So hard to beat.

There was no rest for the weary upon returning from vacation. Early Friday morning I attended a day-long workshop with some other area librarians for a chance to read some recently published picture books, discuss programming ideas and eat mediocre food. Mmmm. I have a new favorite picture book (this has a tendency to change just about every week...sometimes more frequently). The book is Emma Kate by Patricia Polacco. I have a soft spot for elephants, as well as imaginary friends. Who doesn't?

Tonight we had our first Family Sing Along and it was a blast! Lots of fun-filled times of singing, dancing, playing guitar, marching and all around craziness. I was so excited for a chance to use my guitar and do some singing in a program and it was well worth it!

Well I think my cats are plotting against me so I better go break them up before some terrible happens. Monkey and I had a difference of opinion yesterday. He thought it was a great idea to jump up onto the computer desk when I was typing up emails. I didn't agree so I nudged him off. He tried to grab hold...of my arm. I have 4 nasty scratches to prove it. I yelled some obscenities and then went back to typing. My new tactic is to use his, um, lack of intelligence next time. All I do is mimic our family cat from my childhood, Kitty. Kitty had a very specific meow right before she barfed. I find that if I start meowing like Kitty Monkey starts to freak out and runs around trying to find the new cat. Not the sharpest tool in the shed. But it gets the job done with no injuries (at least to me).

Now am I a grownup?

I am so proud of myself. I have officially purchased, moved up 3 flights of stairs and installed my first washer and dryer. (I don't count the last ones because I got them for free, and other--wonderful--people moved and installed them for me). It was an adventure to say the least but I did my first load last night. When I was running the dryer as a test, I opened the door at the front to see what happened. I was overcome by a smell that I thought was something burning. I looked behind the dryer to make sure I hadn't done something really stupid. That's when I realized the smell was only coming from inside the dryer. I suddenly realized, "oh my god! That's heat! That's actual real bonafide heat! I won't have to run the dryer 5 or 6 times to get my clothes dry!" I've had to run a dryer several times for such a long time it's hard to get used to.

Mohawk-aliscious

I don't know if I'm just now noticing it or if it's a new trend but I've been noticing a lot of young kids (around 3 and 4 years) with mohawks. I love it!

Two MORE reasons

Two more reasons my cats are so weird:

1. Sammy actually tried to get into the shower, while it was on.
   
2. My hair is long enough now to get pulled up into a ridiculously high ponytail with a little elastic band. I have a tendency to just throw them on the bathroom sink when I'm finished with them. No matter what, they always end up inside the cat's water bowl by the end of the day. Why? I have no idea.
   

Another day another move

It seems as though this move will never be over. Once I think I have everything organized, I get another big ticket item and have to start all over again from scratch. For instance, I was lucky enough to catch a co-worker before a huge move out of the country and she practically gave me her washer and dryer in basically perfect condition. However, I had to move them. My wonderful and oh-so-gracious Chris helped me with this and it was just the two of us. Hauling a washer and dryer up three flights of stairs is NOT FUN and I am forever in debt to his assistance. The washer and dryer now take up a whole closet off the kitchen which means I had to find a new location for the litter box. I put it in another closet and had to move most of those contents out. Now I once again have an apartment in complete shambles. Very frustrating but at the same time I'm very lucky to have such helpful and generous people who are willing to be there for me when I'm in a bind.

The cats are loving the new apartment, as I expected they would. I am able to keep the windows open when the weather permits it and they adore that.

The library's summer reading program is coming to a close. It has been a whirlwind of a summer but I've enjoyed just about every minute of it. I love the fact that the kids are recognizing me and asking for me at the library. It is so much fun!

I'm having internet connection issues so I better log off before I lose all of this. More later...

With hope and love

Please keep teb and her family in your thoughts and light a candle in remembrance of teb Thursday at 8pm EDT.

Teb's Troops

Brainy Girl

Mooville

Tidbitz

Don't you just love it when people make plural words cool when they add a "z" instead of an "s"? I mean, seriously. Would I be nearly as cool as I am if the title of my blog was "Sassy Days"? Uh-uh. I didn't think so. Also, the title of this post. Tidbits? Nope. Tidbitz. You know it.

One thing I realized tonight at work. Super cute. I have one program that is only for ages 9 to 15. They're almost always all boys. I realized tonight that I can see them all as grown adults, maybe 20s or 30s. They just look like small, perky adults. Weird, right? But super cute.

It's been too long

Sorry for not posting in about ten million years, it's hard when I don't have internet at home. Hopefully that will change soon!!

A few things

Movie Review: The Devil Wears Prada
I went to see this with MK and overall it was pretty enjoyable. We both laughed and generally left feeling like we liked the movie. However, there were some underlying "lessons" that neither of us agreed with. You can probably guess what they were when it comes to dealing with the fashion industry, self image, money, etc. The movie did not deal with certain things well, but I can't speak for the book. All in all, Meryl Streep is one of my heroes and she did a phenomenal job. Good rental. 2 1/2 stars.

I've tried to keep up what I'm reading/what I'm listening to but I have just gotten way behind. Here are a few recaps:

Print books

The Demonata : Lord Loss (Book 1), by Darren Shan
I LOVED this book, but I adore scary movies and books. It's pretty gory and gruesome, not for the faint-at-heart or those sensitive to things like scary demons. It's considered a young adult book but it could easily be an adult book, it just has a teenage protagonist.

It's kind of a funny story, by Ned Vizzini
Really really good. This novel is about a teenage boy who is dealing with severe depression and ends up checking himself into a mental hospital because of his suicidal ideations. This is an extremely well-written novel with one of the most honest portrayals I've ever read. It's also got some light-hearted and very funny characters.

Audio books

The Earth, my butt, and other big round things, by Carolyn Mackler
Fantastic! This is about a girl dealing with a weight problem and other typical adolescent issues. It's hilarious and a classic. I highly recommend it!

Freaky green eyes, by Joyce Carol Oates
A dark and emotionally tumultuous novel, Freaky green eyes delves into the issue of child and spousal abuse from the perspective of a young teenager. I was so struck by this novel, it was so...it was just so good. Hard to listen to, but nevertheless worth it.

So I'm not very good at describing books and reviewing them, but I like to share. I have some others that I'm dying to start but I have to finish up the family books first. I'm really looking forward to the book discussions for family vacation, but to those of you in the family reading this, please lower your expectations because I have no idea what the heck I'm doing. Yes, I am a librarian. No, I have never led a book discussion before. Eep!

Other than all that, things are peachy! The boys are good (Sammy and Monkey are balancing each other out in size. Both big boys, Sammy losing weight and Monkey gaining some muscle, both good things). Work is insane but I'm lovin' it more each day. Kids are starting to recognize me both in and out of the library and that feels awesome. I love it when kids will ask for me or track me down in the library just to say hi. Too cute!

The apartment is insanely messy and I still haven't totally unpacked. I'm wondering right now if I ever will. No, that's not true, I know I will, I'm just taking my sweet time.

That's all. :)