We spent this Thanksgiving with friends. I haven't seen them for awhile, and it was nice to get caught up on everyone's activities. We had a nice meal and good fellowship.
I spent Black Friday cleaning house, since my husband had to work but I had the day off. I got the whole place cleaned, and even did some re-organizing for less clutter.
We made our "Thanksgiving" meal today. We had a turkey breast that we had meant to cook for Thanksgiving before I ran into my friend Susan on Monday. So, now we have our own leftovers to work on.
I am not ready for the Christmas season to be upon us already. I have grown to hate the over-commercialization of what is supposed to be a religious celebration. The church activities are a real lifesaver for my sanity this time of year. Concentrating on the reason we are supposed to celebrate is more satisfying now than running after gifts and trimmings etc. I like to bake some treats, share them, and buy a few small gifts, send a few cards, but I no longer try to buy stuff for everybody.
That is one of the luxuries of not having children. I don't have to do much about the season gift wise if I don't want to . My husband is hard to buy for, and he knows that there will be a few little things, but mostly we are just happy to have the time together, after all the years when there was always the possibility that we wouldn't be. We never missed a Christmas together, not even during the Gulf War. (Thank you Col. M+11, wherever you are. ) His crew was home for aircraft maintenance, and the Wing commander wanted to go back down with them, but he wanted to do it the day AFTER Christmas. So one whole crew got to be at home base for Christmas.
So, I must plan what I will do for the season, and get busy getting things done. So far, we have part of my Mom's present complete. We have recorded about half of the Christmas music we want to send her. Now we have to finish it, Matt has to tweak it and put it on the cd. Ought to be interesting to see what we end up with.
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Monday, November 19, 2007
Today's Activities
Today was Monday, so voice lesson was at 10:30. This was a real workout, because I have crud in my throat off and on these days due to allergies and shifting weather conditions. (Leaf mold is not my friend. We have a yard full of oak and pecan leaves.) She got me all set to do some recording of Christmas music tonight. Once the voice recovers from the vocal workout/torture, it actually sounds really good.
The HVAC technician came this afternoon to give the furnace its annual once over. As this furnace was installed with the new A/C unit in May, it hasn't had much wear and tear yet. He ran it through all its paces and pronounced it healthy. (I should hope so!)
Our friends have invited us to their home for Thanksgiving. It will be good to visit with them as we don't see them as often as we'd like. Susan's folks will be there, too, and I always have a good time with Elmer and Renate. Renate is the only German speaking person I know these days, so I will get a chance to practice a little. I will take her one of the German books I received the other day. It is Mark Twain. "Adam's Diary", I believe is the title. She might find it amusing.
This afternoon I had a little time to read, so I read some more of The Year of Living Biblically by A.J. Jacobs. It was an admirable quest, but all throughout his journey, he is discovering that compromise must be made to exist in the modern world. To literally live by the Bible might land you in prison in some cases. The book is really good so far. Thought provoking and funny, and he really doesn't pick on or make fun of any religious group. He is honestly seeking information from all the representatives of various faiths that he speaks to. His ex-uncle Gil is scary, though.
This evening, we did a few recordings for the Christmas CD we hope to send my mother. My stuff mostly, since Matt knows how to run the mixer board, and I don't yet. (He is greatly simplifying the process so all I will have to do is hit one or two things with the mouse.) I think they came out pretty good, but not with the full force my teacher likes me to do. On the Christmas recordings it isn't necessary. In a big hall, it is, but not when I am literally inches from the microphone, and I don't want to sound too boomy. I never like the way I sound on recordings, so I am no judge. Matt says it sounds good, but not like I'm really going after it like I would in the recital hall. I don't know if that will sound good in the end or not. We shall see. Mom will probably like it no matter what, because it will be us singing,which she hasn't gotten to hear much of.
I got really tired about 9:30, so I called it quits for tonight. We still have to get our duet recorded and Matt's solo pieces.
All in all, today was a busy day.
The HVAC technician came this afternoon to give the furnace its annual once over. As this furnace was installed with the new A/C unit in May, it hasn't had much wear and tear yet. He ran it through all its paces and pronounced it healthy. (I should hope so!)
Our friends have invited us to their home for Thanksgiving. It will be good to visit with them as we don't see them as often as we'd like. Susan's folks will be there, too, and I always have a good time with Elmer and Renate. Renate is the only German speaking person I know these days, so I will get a chance to practice a little. I will take her one of the German books I received the other day. It is Mark Twain. "Adam's Diary", I believe is the title. She might find it amusing.
This afternoon I had a little time to read, so I read some more of The Year of Living Biblically by A.J. Jacobs. It was an admirable quest, but all throughout his journey, he is discovering that compromise must be made to exist in the modern world. To literally live by the Bible might land you in prison in some cases. The book is really good so far. Thought provoking and funny, and he really doesn't pick on or make fun of any religious group. He is honestly seeking information from all the representatives of various faiths that he speaks to. His ex-uncle Gil is scary, though.
This evening, we did a few recordings for the Christmas CD we hope to send my mother. My stuff mostly, since Matt knows how to run the mixer board, and I don't yet. (He is greatly simplifying the process so all I will have to do is hit one or two things with the mouse.) I think they came out pretty good, but not with the full force my teacher likes me to do. On the Christmas recordings it isn't necessary. In a big hall, it is, but not when I am literally inches from the microphone, and I don't want to sound too boomy. I never like the way I sound on recordings, so I am no judge. Matt says it sounds good, but not like I'm really going after it like I would in the recital hall. I don't know if that will sound good in the end or not. We shall see. Mom will probably like it no matter what, because it will be us singing,which she hasn't gotten to hear much of.
I got really tired about 9:30, so I called it quits for tonight. We still have to get our duet recorded and Matt's solo pieces.
All in all, today was a busy day.
Friday, November 16, 2007
Hypno-Books
A hypno book is a book that keeps you so involved in reading that you lose all track of time. It is the book that you read for hours on end with no break.
I have met a few of these over the years. Usually good stories like the Pern novels by Anne McCaffrey, or a good mystery by any of my favorite authors. (Susan Wittig Albert, Sue Grafton, M.C. Beaton, Sarah J. Mason, among others.)
Right now it seems the latest novel by Jan Karon is a hypno book for me. I have to be careful not to pick it up in the middle of other projects, because it is hard to put it down. Her books can be awfully sentimental, and some might say sappy, but I like their quiet Southern charm.
I almost didn't get my housework finished today because I got involved in that book while waiting for the cleanser to soak in the sink. (Old porcelain sink, must let the cleanser soak in to get rid of stubborn stains.)
I must not fall victim to it again until after the dishes are done this evening.
I have to come up with something for dinner, and get the cleanup done after before I can rest and read.
Even then, I will likely be disturbed because my husband and I need to start recording our Christmas cd. That will be time consuming and I hope not too frustrating.
I have met a few of these over the years. Usually good stories like the Pern novels by Anne McCaffrey, or a good mystery by any of my favorite authors. (Susan Wittig Albert, Sue Grafton, M.C. Beaton, Sarah J. Mason, among others.)
Right now it seems the latest novel by Jan Karon is a hypno book for me. I have to be careful not to pick it up in the middle of other projects, because it is hard to put it down. Her books can be awfully sentimental, and some might say sappy, but I like their quiet Southern charm.
I almost didn't get my housework finished today because I got involved in that book while waiting for the cleanser to soak in the sink. (Old porcelain sink, must let the cleanser soak in to get rid of stubborn stains.)
I must not fall victim to it again until after the dishes are done this evening.
I have to come up with something for dinner, and get the cleanup done after before I can rest and read.
Even then, I will likely be disturbed because my husband and I need to start recording our Christmas cd. That will be time consuming and I hope not too frustrating.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Reading In Another Language
I have recently been given some reading materials in German. This is not a big problem for me, as I spent four years in Germany, speaking German every day, and reading a good many things. (Most puzzling and amusing were notices from the local utilities!)
I am amazed at how much comes back to me. I need the dictionary for some words here and there, but I can usually get the gist of things, especially the Reader's Digest magazines. The ads are interesting in those. Nearly all of them are for herbal supplements or financial services. There were a couple of ads for major appliances, but mostly financial services and herbal supplements. I was expecting an ad for ADAC, the Allegemiene Deutsche Automobil Club, but I haven't seen any. Their ads were ubiquitous in the German publications I ran into in Frankfurt.
We were members of ADAC all four years we were in Germany.
I miss Germany a lot. There was reliable and safe public transportation, we lived on a farm, so we had peace and quiet and forest paths to walk on. I know that actually living on the economy there, without the military support we enjoyed would not be easy, especially now as the dollar is so low against the Euro.
I can usually read the signs on the Formula 1 race tracks, whatever part of Europe they are in, as they are usually in English, German, Spanish, or Italian. (I've read enough Italian lyrics for arias that I can make pretty good guesses as to meanings of things. Helps that it isn't too far off Spanish, too.)
When I lived in California, I learned quite a bit of Spanish. I have forgotten a lot of it because the German is more recent. I can still make sense of most of what I read, though. I have trouble following what people say because they speak so quickly. German can be hard to follow in spoken form, because you may get someone who mixes local dialect with the HochDeutsche, and that can be really confusing. (Kind of like trying to understand someone from Brooklyn if you grew up in Savannah.) (Or someone from either place if you grew up in L.A.)
The one language (besides the Asian ones) that I may never be able to decipher is French. It just doesn't make any logical sense to me. I can't pronounce it, even with extensive coaching. I think I have a mental block against it. No offense to the French. They have a grand and illustrious history, I just cannot fathom their language.
I am amazed at how much comes back to me. I need the dictionary for some words here and there, but I can usually get the gist of things, especially the Reader's Digest magazines. The ads are interesting in those. Nearly all of them are for herbal supplements or financial services. There were a couple of ads for major appliances, but mostly financial services and herbal supplements. I was expecting an ad for ADAC, the Allegemiene Deutsche Automobil Club, but I haven't seen any. Their ads were ubiquitous in the German publications I ran into in Frankfurt.
We were members of ADAC all four years we were in Germany.
I miss Germany a lot. There was reliable and safe public transportation, we lived on a farm, so we had peace and quiet and forest paths to walk on. I know that actually living on the economy there, without the military support we enjoyed would not be easy, especially now as the dollar is so low against the Euro.
I can usually read the signs on the Formula 1 race tracks, whatever part of Europe they are in, as they are usually in English, German, Spanish, or Italian. (I've read enough Italian lyrics for arias that I can make pretty good guesses as to meanings of things. Helps that it isn't too far off Spanish, too.)
When I lived in California, I learned quite a bit of Spanish. I have forgotten a lot of it because the German is more recent. I can still make sense of most of what I read, though. I have trouble following what people say because they speak so quickly. German can be hard to follow in spoken form, because you may get someone who mixes local dialect with the HochDeutsche, and that can be really confusing. (Kind of like trying to understand someone from Brooklyn if you grew up in Savannah.) (Or someone from either place if you grew up in L.A.)
The one language (besides the Asian ones) that I may never be able to decipher is French. It just doesn't make any logical sense to me. I can't pronounce it, even with extensive coaching. I think I have a mental block against it. No offense to the French. They have a grand and illustrious history, I just cannot fathom their language.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Trying New Things
I am trying something new today. I am trying to write a post to this blog while on the Customer Service Desk. As school is just letting out, I may have a few moments grace to get something written before the hordes descend.
Normally, if we don't have a customer, there isn't much else to do out here. I don't feel too bad, I've already checked out several people, made two library cards, and gotten a nice comment from a customer who hasn't used the RFID checkout before.
Those check out stations are really cool, and most customers really like them. Unfortunately, there are some for whom technology will always be a challenge. There are some the computers always act up for, and I cannot figure out why. They appear to be doing everything right. I have even stood there and gone through it with them and the computer will toss them over to our desk for some reason known only to its dark little circuit boards. For some people, it really ISN'T their fault.
I am getting ready to try something new at home. Recording my singing. That is a little bit scary, since I never like the way I sound on recordings. We shall have to see if I can a) get through a whole piece without screwing up, and b) hack hearing myself in the headphones.
(Wearing headphones is another issue for me. I have NEVER liked them.)
I am not usually very big on trying new things. I like predictability. I have learned to be more open to change and trying new things by working in the library. We always change things and try new approaches in order to find the best possible way to get books and information to our customers. Sometimes new things work, sometimes they don't, but you never find out if you don't try.
I am working up my courage to try learning the spreadsheet so I can put our checkbook stuff on the computer at home. I don't like having too much of that stuff on the computer, but the budget needs some more readily accessible form to be in so Matt can take care of it if anything happens to me. I don't understand how he sets up spreadsheets, so I have a big learning curve ahead of me. I know how I think about the stuff, but I don't know if a spreadsheet will do it the way my brain does. I don't think about this stuff the way "normal"people do, evidently. (I loathe this keyboard. Half the keys stick. Makes inputting cards really fun.)
Ah, the after school rush approaches. Updates at 10.
Normally, if we don't have a customer, there isn't much else to do out here. I don't feel too bad, I've already checked out several people, made two library cards, and gotten a nice comment from a customer who hasn't used the RFID checkout before.
Those check out stations are really cool, and most customers really like them. Unfortunately, there are some for whom technology will always be a challenge. There are some the computers always act up for, and I cannot figure out why. They appear to be doing everything right. I have even stood there and gone through it with them and the computer will toss them over to our desk for some reason known only to its dark little circuit boards. For some people, it really ISN'T their fault.
I am getting ready to try something new at home. Recording my singing. That is a little bit scary, since I never like the way I sound on recordings. We shall have to see if I can a) get through a whole piece without screwing up, and b) hack hearing myself in the headphones.
(Wearing headphones is another issue for me. I have NEVER liked them.)
I am not usually very big on trying new things. I like predictability. I have learned to be more open to change and trying new things by working in the library. We always change things and try new approaches in order to find the best possible way to get books and information to our customers. Sometimes new things work, sometimes they don't, but you never find out if you don't try.
I am working up my courage to try learning the spreadsheet so I can put our checkbook stuff on the computer at home. I don't like having too much of that stuff on the computer, but the budget needs some more readily accessible form to be in so Matt can take care of it if anything happens to me. I don't understand how he sets up spreadsheets, so I have a big learning curve ahead of me. I know how I think about the stuff, but I don't know if a spreadsheet will do it the way my brain does. I don't think about this stuff the way "normal"people do, evidently. (I loathe this keyboard. Half the keys stick. Makes inputting cards really fun.)
Ah, the after school rush approaches. Updates at 10.
Friday, November 9, 2007
Foggy Friday
It was very foggy this morning. That is not unusual here in the middle of the country, even though you most associate fog with coastal areas.
This looked like ordinary fog, but, I swear to you, it made everybody really loopy around here.
Every one of us at work was behind the power curve today, all a bit fuzzy headed. The customers did things like forget the books they meant to bring, and brought the ones they meant to renew!
We all set out to do things and promptly messed up. We always caught ourselves before major disaster happened, but it was just one of those days. It was Friday, but it acted like Monday all day! Even the computers crapped out on us a few times.
We are under another dense fog advisory again tonight. I guess tomorrow has the potential to be a Day of Fog, too.
All that brain fog aside, I do wonder why I write this stuff sometimes. The mundane ramblings of a middle aged lady are probably of no interest to anyone at all. There is a certain amount of humor to be found and shared in the world, though. I try to find it, and pass it along.
The problem with most daily humor is, you have to be there. It usually isn't funny if you aren't really familiar with the context.
One thing that was funny was the customer who asked all the personnel at the Information Desk about the computer outage, got the same, to him, unsatisfactory answer, and then tried asking a shelver. (Known in some libraries as a page.) Of course Mary Margaret didn't know when the computers would come back up any more than the librarians did. She said she was tempted to tell him "When the Computer Gods decide to stop punishing us, Sir." but she didn't, of course. She is nothing if not professional. (She is the most senior shelver in our library system, and the ONLY 30-hour salaried shelver. If she can't find it, it ain't in the building.) She told him the same thing the librarians told him, but he still didn't like it. I don't know if he stopped at our desk to ask Carol, but she'd have told him the same thing. WE DON"T KNOW!! They come back up when they're good and ready and not before. Believe me, we want them back even more than the customers do. We have ten tons of books to process, and guess what, we need the computer to do that. We'd rather not be drowning in checkins, thank you ever so much.
And now for something completely different: Christmas music.
Yes, I know Halloween is barely past, and Thanksgiving is two weeks away, but when you sing, Christmas music starts shortly after Halloween. We have to pick pieces for the Christmas recital our voice coach always has, and we have to select things to record for a CD we want to make.
There are also shortly to be actual Christmas pieces in the choir repetoire. Advent pieces are already in the folder. The first Sunday of Advent is Dec. 2, I believe.
My problem is, I have no idea what I want to sing for recital. Matt has found a duet that we can do, but for my solo piece, I am clueless. I know a couple of things I want to sing for the CD, but not much.
I am hoping my voice coach will have an inspiration for me, otherwise I may see which few John Jacob Niles pieces I haven't done, and see if I can do one of those. I don't think I've done Wonder as I Wander, or What Songs Were Sung. Sweet Little Boy Jesus is possibility also. I've done Carol of the Birds and Jesus Jesus Rest Your Head.
Whatever I choose, it has to be soon so I can learn to sing it properly and learn the words.
Well, as this is a Foggy Friday night, and I have been staring at the screen more than typing, I shall sign off, and hope to emerge from the fog soon!
This looked like ordinary fog, but, I swear to you, it made everybody really loopy around here.
Every one of us at work was behind the power curve today, all a bit fuzzy headed. The customers did things like forget the books they meant to bring, and brought the ones they meant to renew!
We all set out to do things and promptly messed up. We always caught ourselves before major disaster happened, but it was just one of those days. It was Friday, but it acted like Monday all day! Even the computers crapped out on us a few times.
We are under another dense fog advisory again tonight. I guess tomorrow has the potential to be a Day of Fog, too.
All that brain fog aside, I do wonder why I write this stuff sometimes. The mundane ramblings of a middle aged lady are probably of no interest to anyone at all. There is a certain amount of humor to be found and shared in the world, though. I try to find it, and pass it along.
The problem with most daily humor is, you have to be there. It usually isn't funny if you aren't really familiar with the context.
One thing that was funny was the customer who asked all the personnel at the Information Desk about the computer outage, got the same, to him, unsatisfactory answer, and then tried asking a shelver. (Known in some libraries as a page.) Of course Mary Margaret didn't know when the computers would come back up any more than the librarians did. She said she was tempted to tell him "When the Computer Gods decide to stop punishing us, Sir." but she didn't, of course. She is nothing if not professional. (She is the most senior shelver in our library system, and the ONLY 30-hour salaried shelver. If she can't find it, it ain't in the building.) She told him the same thing the librarians told him, but he still didn't like it. I don't know if he stopped at our desk to ask Carol, but she'd have told him the same thing. WE DON"T KNOW!! They come back up when they're good and ready and not before. Believe me, we want them back even more than the customers do. We have ten tons of books to process, and guess what, we need the computer to do that. We'd rather not be drowning in checkins, thank you ever so much.
And now for something completely different: Christmas music.
Yes, I know Halloween is barely past, and Thanksgiving is two weeks away, but when you sing, Christmas music starts shortly after Halloween. We have to pick pieces for the Christmas recital our voice coach always has, and we have to select things to record for a CD we want to make.
There are also shortly to be actual Christmas pieces in the choir repetoire. Advent pieces are already in the folder. The first Sunday of Advent is Dec. 2, I believe.
My problem is, I have no idea what I want to sing for recital. Matt has found a duet that we can do, but for my solo piece, I am clueless. I know a couple of things I want to sing for the CD, but not much.
I am hoping my voice coach will have an inspiration for me, otherwise I may see which few John Jacob Niles pieces I haven't done, and see if I can do one of those. I don't think I've done Wonder as I Wander, or What Songs Were Sung. Sweet Little Boy Jesus is possibility also. I've done Carol of the Birds and Jesus Jesus Rest Your Head.
Whatever I choose, it has to be soon so I can learn to sing it properly and learn the words.
Well, as this is a Foggy Friday night, and I have been staring at the screen more than typing, I shall sign off, and hope to emerge from the fog soon!
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
It's Getting Scary Out There...
I hate to read the news these days. It is almost as bad as during 9/11. "Gloom, Doom, and Rumors of Boom" to quote Pogo.
Things are getting tense again, and expensive again. I don't see it getting any better this time. The speculators have priced us into a corner gas-wise, and our country's love affair with automobiles at the expense of all other transportation (not to mention community planning for CONVENIENCE) is going to cost us all big time.
My only consolation when filling up my 12 gallon tank once every three to four weeks is seeing the SUV drivers stopping at that gas station more than once a week on average to fill those land barges they call "cars". I am VERY glad I am not buying THEIR gasoline. (If I were, they'd be riding scooters!)
I sometimes wonder why oil producing countries can't have grown ups for leaders instead of adolescent boys with something to prove. The Saudis seem to be pretty mature about things, but then, they run the world, so why would they rock the boat? I guess all those guys like being able to turn the whole industrialized world inside out just by saying "BOO!" to their neighbors.
I do wish things would just settle down and let us all de-stress a bit. The real reason so much of America is overweight, and why so many in some parts of the country smoke, is because of the stress of living in this world today. It is absolutely crazy.
Then again, if you can ignore the craziness (hard to when everything costs so freakin' much and your pay isn't going up any time soon) things aren't SO bad. We have had a pretty resilient economy in this country historically. I just hope this current "readjustment" isn't as big as the one that hit in 1929. It took World War II to get our economy out of that one.
We seriously need to develop an alternative to fossil fuels, and we need it yesterday. Just think how the balance of power in the world would shift if we didn't need to buy oil from anywhere? We could leave the Middle East in peace, and just say, work it out among yourselves. Everybody has to live together, this planet isn't getting any bigger. We could watch people like Dick Cheney end up poor. That might be a good education for them (Heck, we should force all our government officials to live on the base pay of a military NCO. THAT would teach them the meaning of budgeting wisely.) (Better yet, the average salary of an elementary school teacher. That would make them feel ashamed of what our priorities have been in this country.)
It would be especially nice if this new energy source were renewable, but would still need the kinds of expertise that is used in the current industry, so that we could just roll those jobs over to the new system. That way nobody gets hosed too badly in an economic way.
Some of the proposed energy solutions for cars make me nervous. Hydrogen fuel cells, for instance. Hello!? The SUN is a big ball of highly compressed, constantly exploding hydrogen. They use hydrogen in ROCKETS. It is dangerous stuff. (So is gasoline, but it is less BOOM! making, really, than hydrogen cells have the potential to be.) The way people around here drive, yelling at their kids, eating their dinner, and jabbering away on their cell phone at the same time, we'd have some pretty seriously deadly accidents unless they come up with a REALLY good way to isolate that fuel cell and keep it intact.
Me, I think I'll just go crawl in bed and pull the covers up over my head!
Things are getting tense again, and expensive again. I don't see it getting any better this time. The speculators have priced us into a corner gas-wise, and our country's love affair with automobiles at the expense of all other transportation (not to mention community planning for CONVENIENCE) is going to cost us all big time.
My only consolation when filling up my 12 gallon tank once every three to four weeks is seeing the SUV drivers stopping at that gas station more than once a week on average to fill those land barges they call "cars". I am VERY glad I am not buying THEIR gasoline. (If I were, they'd be riding scooters!)
I sometimes wonder why oil producing countries can't have grown ups for leaders instead of adolescent boys with something to prove. The Saudis seem to be pretty mature about things, but then, they run the world, so why would they rock the boat? I guess all those guys like being able to turn the whole industrialized world inside out just by saying "BOO!" to their neighbors.
I do wish things would just settle down and let us all de-stress a bit. The real reason so much of America is overweight, and why so many in some parts of the country smoke, is because of the stress of living in this world today. It is absolutely crazy.
Then again, if you can ignore the craziness (hard to when everything costs so freakin' much and your pay isn't going up any time soon) things aren't SO bad. We have had a pretty resilient economy in this country historically. I just hope this current "readjustment" isn't as big as the one that hit in 1929. It took World War II to get our economy out of that one.
We seriously need to develop an alternative to fossil fuels, and we need it yesterday. Just think how the balance of power in the world would shift if we didn't need to buy oil from anywhere? We could leave the Middle East in peace, and just say, work it out among yourselves. Everybody has to live together, this planet isn't getting any bigger. We could watch people like Dick Cheney end up poor. That might be a good education for them (Heck, we should force all our government officials to live on the base pay of a military NCO. THAT would teach them the meaning of budgeting wisely.) (Better yet, the average salary of an elementary school teacher. That would make them feel ashamed of what our priorities have been in this country.)
It would be especially nice if this new energy source were renewable, but would still need the kinds of expertise that is used in the current industry, so that we could just roll those jobs over to the new system. That way nobody gets hosed too badly in an economic way.
Some of the proposed energy solutions for cars make me nervous. Hydrogen fuel cells, for instance. Hello!? The SUN is a big ball of highly compressed, constantly exploding hydrogen. They use hydrogen in ROCKETS. It is dangerous stuff. (So is gasoline, but it is less BOOM! making, really, than hydrogen cells have the potential to be.) The way people around here drive, yelling at their kids, eating their dinner, and jabbering away on their cell phone at the same time, we'd have some pretty seriously deadly accidents unless they come up with a REALLY good way to isolate that fuel cell and keep it intact.
Me, I think I'll just go crawl in bed and pull the covers up over my head!
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
The Image of Library Employees
There has been a lot of chatter lately about librarians and their image in the world today.
I did an informal survey among some email friends who are pretty much all over the place, and I found that almost no one thinks of the "stereotypical" librarian anymore.
Marian's day is past.
(Or even, alas the day of the librarian at our high school who shushed us all so often. She wore her hair up in a bun, she was pale, she wore unfashionable skirts and sensible shoes.)
Most weren't even concerned about the appearance of those who work in the library, only that they are knowledgeable and helpful. Those are the attributes most noted by my friends.
My customers often comment that the people who work in our library are nicer than the people in some other local libraries. I don't know about that, I have found people in most libraries to be nice and helpful. Our customers are more like friends and neighbors, though. Many of them come in often, many see us in other contexts around town, and they feel more connected to us and "their" library, I guess.
I was fairly stereotypical when I started at the library in 1999. I had very long hair, which was more convenient to put up in a bun. (And yes, I often stuck a pencil in it.) I wore some skirts, but usually slacks and a nice shirt. Always sensible shoes, though, I am on my feet a LOT at work.
These days I have short hair which looks kind of "choppy" and messy when done the way it is supposed to be. Everybody loves it, though. I still dress kind of frumpy, mostly because I am too cheap to invest in new clothing when I already have bills to pay, and because I am determined to lose a little more weight before I make any more such investments.
I bet some of our customers would be a bit surprised at the hobbies and non-library skills some of us have. For instance, I sing operatic arias for fun, Anne makes miniature scenes, Julie makes jewelery, Melodie is an excellent seamstress and plays in a bell choir, many of us are excellent cooks and bakers. (This is why our staff tends to be a bit on the chubby side, rather than thin as some stereotypical librarians are.)
Also, in our department, most of us are vastly overqualified for our jobs. As clerks, we are not required to have even a Bachelor's degree. Most of us have at least that, many have at least a year of coursework beyond that, and Anne has a Master's degree! We are where we are because we love our jobs. That is probably why our customers enjoy coming to our library. We are happy to be there, and it shows.
I did an informal survey among some email friends who are pretty much all over the place, and I found that almost no one thinks of the "stereotypical" librarian anymore.
Marian's day is past.
(Or even, alas the day of the librarian at our high school who shushed us all so often. She wore her hair up in a bun, she was pale, she wore unfashionable skirts and sensible shoes.)
Most weren't even concerned about the appearance of those who work in the library, only that they are knowledgeable and helpful. Those are the attributes most noted by my friends.
My customers often comment that the people who work in our library are nicer than the people in some other local libraries. I don't know about that, I have found people in most libraries to be nice and helpful. Our customers are more like friends and neighbors, though. Many of them come in often, many see us in other contexts around town, and they feel more connected to us and "their" library, I guess.
I was fairly stereotypical when I started at the library in 1999. I had very long hair, which was more convenient to put up in a bun. (And yes, I often stuck a pencil in it.) I wore some skirts, but usually slacks and a nice shirt. Always sensible shoes, though, I am on my feet a LOT at work.
These days I have short hair which looks kind of "choppy" and messy when done the way it is supposed to be. Everybody loves it, though. I still dress kind of frumpy, mostly because I am too cheap to invest in new clothing when I already have bills to pay, and because I am determined to lose a little more weight before I make any more such investments.
I bet some of our customers would be a bit surprised at the hobbies and non-library skills some of us have. For instance, I sing operatic arias for fun, Anne makes miniature scenes, Julie makes jewelery, Melodie is an excellent seamstress and plays in a bell choir, many of us are excellent cooks and bakers. (This is why our staff tends to be a bit on the chubby side, rather than thin as some stereotypical librarians are.)
Also, in our department, most of us are vastly overqualified for our jobs. As clerks, we are not required to have even a Bachelor's degree. Most of us have at least that, many have at least a year of coursework beyond that, and Anne has a Master's degree! We are where we are because we love our jobs. That is probably why our customers enjoy coming to our library. We are happy to be there, and it shows.
Sunday, November 4, 2007
If It's Not One Thing...
Life seems to be constant only in the number of things that pop up that you weren't expecting.
We have had to deal with major car repairs when we weren't really expecting them. (There goes the "savings")
At least we have the money, though we have to scrape, to pay for it. What happens to people who just don't have it? I will pray for them even as I listen to my whimpering bank account. What with gas prices driving up the prices of everything else, how is most of the Middle Class in America supposed to survive? How about folks like my Mom, on a fixed income?
I don't think much of anyone among our overpaid and overly wealthy government cares. They are also going to have to stick it to us even more to pay for their excesses soon. (They would never tax the higher income people, that would mean THEY would have to pay more taxes!)
On happier subjects, the weather is still Fall like without being too cold. None of my plants have frozen yet, though many need a drink of water, so I guess I better get out there tomorrow and do my watering. The trees are finally starting to turn pretty colors, and , alas, drop leaves. I will have to mow in order to pick up the leaves. The grass hasn't grown, but the lawns are covered in leaves, and I don't know about you, but raking them up just doesn't sound like that much fun.
I am not getting used to the time change very well yet. I feel drowsy too early in the evening, and I wake up before the alarm in the morning. At least I did today. We'll have to see about tomorrow. Usually I enjoy "falling back", but it feels very strange this year. Maybe because it happened so late.
Let us hope Fate is through playing games around here, at least for awhile.
We have had to deal with major car repairs when we weren't really expecting them. (There goes the "savings")
At least we have the money, though we have to scrape, to pay for it. What happens to people who just don't have it? I will pray for them even as I listen to my whimpering bank account. What with gas prices driving up the prices of everything else, how is most of the Middle Class in America supposed to survive? How about folks like my Mom, on a fixed income?
I don't think much of anyone among our overpaid and overly wealthy government cares. They are also going to have to stick it to us even more to pay for their excesses soon. (They would never tax the higher income people, that would mean THEY would have to pay more taxes!)
On happier subjects, the weather is still Fall like without being too cold. None of my plants have frozen yet, though many need a drink of water, so I guess I better get out there tomorrow and do my watering. The trees are finally starting to turn pretty colors, and , alas, drop leaves. I will have to mow in order to pick up the leaves. The grass hasn't grown, but the lawns are covered in leaves, and I don't know about you, but raking them up just doesn't sound like that much fun.
I am not getting used to the time change very well yet. I feel drowsy too early in the evening, and I wake up before the alarm in the morning. At least I did today. We'll have to see about tomorrow. Usually I enjoy "falling back", but it feels very strange this year. Maybe because it happened so late.
Let us hope Fate is through playing games around here, at least for awhile.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
