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!!