Further Excerpts From The Poetry Journal

Starting back a bit, since I interjected a birthday post between the last set of journal bits and this set.

February 15, 2017

Work
By C.K. Armistead
2/15/17 

Sometimes the words
All fall in line
And dance along
And everything is fine
Other times they stumble
Through my brain
And haphazardly tumble
Like a derailed train.

There is no art
No science here
It comes from the heart
And I hope it is sincere
It comes, or it doesn't
I have no say
I'm at the Muse's mercy
Every single day.



A messy business
This writing is
Changing your mind
And crossing out lines
Rewordings and
Rephrasings

Edits
And corrections
Creativity
Is
Nothing
If
Not
Messy.


So.
All the poems I got today seem to be about writing and the fickle nature of the muse.
Better check my Cohen book and see what the song lyrics are for today...

"Heart With No Compassion"
 By L. Cohen
"I greet you from the other side
Of sorrow and despair
With a love so vast and shattered
It will reach you everywhere.

And I sing this for the captain
Whose ship has not been built
For the mother in confusion
Her cradle still unfilled

For the heart with no compassion
For the soul without a king
For the prima ballerina
Who cannot dance to anything.

Through the days of shame that are coming
Through the nights of wild distress
Tho' your promise count for nothing
You must keep it nonetheless.

You must keep it for the captain
Whose ship has not been built
For the mother in confusion
Her cradle still unfilled
For the heart with no compassion
I greet you from the other side"

Supposedly this is commentary on his Buddhism and the compassion central to the faith.It is a message for any faith, really.
"Though your promise count for nothing
You must keep it nonetheless"
That strikes me as central.  Even if you feel worthless, like you cannot live up to your promise, if the point is moot, even, you must STILL keep your word.
There are some in power today who need to learn this.

February 16, 2017

Today's Cohen lyrics:
"Here It Is"

Never heard this one that I know of.
The part that stands out:
" Here is your cross,
Your nails and your hill;
And here is your love,
That lists where it will.
May everyone live
And may everyone die.
Hello , my love,
And my love, Goodbye."

We are all always coming or going in this life -
and usually going, as we are all caught in Time's web, and can only go forward...


Such a lovely day
But I am stuck indoors.
At least I had a walk
This morning.
It's cold out there
But that's to be expected
In Winter
Though it is much warmer
Than one would expect
For February.


February 17, 2017

I still have a couple of hours of work, but I am already in vacation mode.
I went to Dick's Sporting good and got my traditional new sneakers - Ghost 9s this time, by Brooks.  Wearing a pair here at work
They are pretty comfy.

Today's lyrics are
"Hey,That's No Way To Say Goodbye."
A lovely, lyrical, sweet and sad piece- some beautiful lines in there-
"I loved you in the morning
our kisses deep and warm
your hair upon the pillow
like a sleepy golden storm."

and
"I'm not looking for another
as I wander in my time,
Walk me to the corner,
Our steps will always rhyme
You know my love goes with you
as your love stays with me,
it's just the way it changes,
like the shoreline and the sea
but let's not talk of  love or
chains and things we can't untie,
Your eyes are soft with sorrow,
hey, that's no way to say goodbye."

Somewhat made me think of certain episodes of the 1980s version of Beauty and the Beast.  Vincent was so connected to Catherine, told her she was always with him, and yet kept trying to send her away - for her own good.  Yet, though they should have, they never shared the joys of that first verse. 


The birthday revels continue -
I have a new fountain pen
Another Cross - a quite lovely polished stainless with golden accents.
It writes very smoothly and sweetly, too.
My husband spoils me, indulges me terribly!

I had too much caffeine and sugar before work.
I was very happy and full of energy
at least for awhile.
Hoping I can calm down enough to sleep -
I AM tired.
This ink is quite a jolly shade of blue- looking rather dark and ordinary until it dries -
My handwriting is suffering because of my haste -
I  must slow down so that my letters have their proper shapes -


February 19, 2017

The birthday revels continue unabated in spite of thunderstorms tonight.

Thunder grumbles in the night
Sets my drowsing thoughts to flight
It's too soon to have to be wary,
Come on, it's only February!

Outside
The wind howls
The rain pours
The thunder growls
But inside
I am safe and warm
Wrapped up
In dreams
Of you.
Storms will come
And storms will go
In the end,
One thing I know
In all Above
And all Below
Nothing will
Destroy
Our love.

Time, thou most frustrating beast
Always running out
Or plodding endlessly on
Give us a chance at least
To laugh and shout
Beneath the sun.

And rain like a fire hose
Swept the land
Rushing rivers close
To where I stand
Alone upon this
Darkened plain
Not frightened
But alive
Excited
Not in pain.

Mother Nature seems quite angry
She has been crashing, rumbling and howling
Around here
For at least an hour.
Better pay attention.

February 24, 2017

I had hoped to write more this week.
Instead, I have written less.

Dealing with service  people,
Doing my birthday week
Self-indulgence
Just not set up to sit and listen to the Muse.

After a beautiful, unseasonably warm day yesterday -
Today has also been beautiful, but it is cold, and very windy.

Today as I walked
I heard the symphony
Of impromptu flags
Made of plastic bags
As they crackled and snapped
And were wind- slapped
In the almost bear  branches
of the trees.


February  27, 2017

The air conditioner is broken
The door is propped open
And the wind is moaning
A low-voiced dirge
Of doom
During this meeting.

The weather gods
Are informing us
Of the gathering
Doom.
Or at least the wind
Is singing
A very convincing
Song of gloom.

March 1, 2017

Lyrics today are Humbled In Love

"You will never see a man this naked
I will never hold a woman this close."

This statement comes at the end - the end of the song about the end of a relationship.
It's true, those we drift away from may still be the ones who see us at our most vulnerable.

Far opposite of yesterday,
Our air conditioner today
is at full freezing  capacity
As I sit here
Being very grateful for
My sweater!  #LibraryLife

March 4, 2017

This journal is too often neglected
This pen is a bit leaky for some reason.

Today it was sunny and breezy for my walk-
but by the time I came to work (my half-Saturday)
it was cloudy, and the wind was very strong out of the south.

Today's Cohen long lyrics are :  "Hunter's Lullaby"

Some say the hunger is seeking the carnal world, leaving the spiritual world behind
Perhaps he is hunting his lost and responsibility-free youth -
That is something all of us would be tempted to do,
But the joys that come with some of those adult responsibilities are far too precious to let go.

On such a day
I would rather stay
Curled up on my settee
With a book and some tea
Instead, here I stand
In library land
At the Customer Service Desk
To assist in library quests.


That's about it for this batch.  A few really good bits in there, but not a lot.  That's the way writing is sometimes.

The First Week of 2017

Here are some excerpts from the writing journal for this week.

1/1/2017

An auspicious start
Church
Trying a new cocktail
A long walk
Finishing laundry
Reading
Writing
Singing, too
Listening also
To the musician and poet
Whose work I chose as
Writing  inspiration
Reading for this year.

As I went about this day
I saw resolutions being worked on.
I did a 5+ mile walk
Saw a couple looping the streets on their bicycles
Saw a young man walking to the store instead of driving.
As we got out of the car at church this morning,
There was a man out jogging Downtown.

A Bunch Of Lonesome Heroes
Leonard Cohen Songs
This one is deep
But I have a hard time finding references
To bring out what it
Makes me see and feel.
I suppose the basic drift is that the urge
To tell your story before
It's too late is very
Strong in all humans -
Perhaps those "heroes" who
Run the risk of dying
Find it even stronger sometimes.

The line about no one really being able to hear the
one who wanted to tell his story
Sounds a lot like
Social Media to me.
So many can "hear " you,
So few, if any, will listen,

"I sing this for the crickets
I sing this for the army
I sing this for your children
and for all that do not need me."

Not sure exactly what he meant by that,
and I don't know about you,
but I often feel like I'm
"singing for the crickets"
Nobody responds.
But that's okay.
Not everything requires a response
often things must just
be released -
To go where they will-
and the words will
Eventually find
Those who need them.



January 2, 2017


A Singer Must Die
Song by L. Cohen
He has said it is "political in a certain way."

I believe it to be about the politics of a relationship between a man and a woman.

"I will ask for the mercy that you love to decline."

I hope it isn't about to be about our actual politics.
"A singer must die for the lie in his voice."
That SHOULD apply to those in power - but all too often, those who hold power accountable are the ones accused of the lie, when they do, in fact, speak the truth.


A pleasant day
Productive in its way
Though it was a holiday
A parade watched,
Exercise done
Bookkeeping chores dispatched
Practice begun.

The handwriting is part of
what I would practice.
And it is getting better

The piano is still quite rusty -
and I REALLY need to get it tuned.
Not trying to gain new skills,
Jut trying not to lose what
I already have.

My voice is still subject
To unexpected phlegm
Drops
Some scratchiness and cracking result.
But what works has SO much more depth and resonance!

Not taking sinus meds anymore.
Waiting to see if it helps the blood pressure if I don't take all that stuff.

January 3, 2017

Resolutions being kept -
But tomorrow is a true test
Work day -
Yesterday, it got warm,
Over 60 degrees F
Today it struggled to
Stay above freezing.

Gray and cloudy
The North Wind ripped
At the Trees
And any exposed skin
It could find.
It whipped
Wood smoke from fireplaces
And steam from dryer exhausts
Around the  neighborhood
Creating a bizarre
Winter Incense
To hallow the air.

So cold and dark
I craved to be able
To spend more of this day
Curled up here with
My books and my tea
Alas,
Errands,
Chores
Time not my own,

Today's Song:

A Thousand Kisses Deep

Helps to know that it was written for a fan Mr. Cohen corresponded with who had cancer.  She ended her own life, even though for the longest tine, she said Leonard's songs helped her hang on.

Line that struck me most:
 "You live your life as if it's real."
Don't we all?
And just how sure are we of our reality?
I guess we kinda have to agree on a concept of reality in order to function as a society,
and perhaps that's part of the cause of our electoral woes.
One chunk of the country believes one concept of reality, and another big chunk has a different concept.
How we can solve this conceptual dilemma, I have no clue.

But we better figure something out SOON.

 Also thought of the  Velveteen Rabbit
 and how it took being loved to make the rabbit "real".
I must be real,
For I am well loved!


And I wonder, if we loved each other more, maybe we could be more "real" to each other, and that would make it a lot easier to see both sides of an argument, and make decisions that really helped people, instead of dividing us even further.

January 4, 2017

Still cold today.
Even colder than yesterday.
Didn't walk this morning.
Did elliptical instead.
Today's Cohen song:

Ain't No Cure For Love

The line that most struck me is
"I need to see you naked
In your body and your thoughts"

 How much more intimate
 is the sharing of the mind and soul
Than the sharing of the body?

True, for some of us,
The physical requires a more  visceral trust,
but
sharing thoughts can be even more visceral
if one wishes to truly be
"Naked in your thoughts".


January 5, 2017

Today the very air
Seems frozen
I could see my breath
Even in the insulated garage
Did my walking indoors
On the elliptical trainer
Afraid the air outside
Would freeze off my skin.
The sky looks leaden
And dark
The clouds perhaps harboring
Snow within.
The prognosticators keep changing
Their minds and disagreeing
About how much, where,
And when.

I really crave
My cozy home office,
My chair
And a cup of tea
But alas,
It is Thursday
So late day at work for me.

Today's song is

Alexandra Leaving


Cohen's take on a classic about being deserted by all the good things in life -
In this case,
A girlfriend.
He wrote a lot about lost loves.

"Say goodbye to Alexandra leaving.
Then say goodbye to Alexandra lost."

Sounds like a refrain that could work
even if you changed the name.
Life is often a series of both joys and disappointments.

So many choices of creative things
To engage my mind
And my hands
But those things
Are at home
And I am here.


January 6, 2017

Today's song is Anthem

I've always liked the chorus
"Ring the bells that still will ring
Forget your perfect offering,
There's a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in."

 But reading the verses tonight, it seems to me this country needs to hear,
 really hear, this song right now.

"I can't run no more with that lawless crowd
while the killers in high places
Say their prayers out loud.
But they've summoned, they've summoned up
A thundercloud
And they're going to hear from me."

"You can strike up the march
But there is no drum
Every heart, every heart
To love will come."

These verses just really spoke to me today.
We need to be the response to that thundercloud
of hate that has been summoned up -
We need to be out there, turning hearts to love.
How we do this, I am not sure, except that I intend
To show love in the face of hate,
To stand up for those who need me,
To not accept misbehavior from our government.
Do NOT be hateful in my name!

I awoke to a snow covered world
White and sparkly
Cold
Fitting for the day
We pack Christmas away
For another year.
Epiphany
The day the 3 kings found
The Baby Jesus
In Bethlehem.
The day Christmas officially ends.
But that joyful
Giving spirit
Is supposed to live in us,
In our hearts,
All year long.

January 7, 2017

Avalanche is today's song.

And I must say, it doesn't much speak to me.

It seems to contradict itself.-
Speaking of longing and not needing-

 "I have begun to long for you
I who have no greed.
I have begun to ask for you
I who have no need."

Maybe it speaks more than I thought -
makes me think of more than a few pairs of star-crossed lovers I have read about -

Another white-bright day -
But I cannot shelter here
I have to go and earn my pay
Time to library, my dear.
And will it be a quiet day
Except for the phone-
All wanting to renew, they say,
So they may remain snug
At home...

January 8, 2017

Today is Sunday
One full week in this
New Year.
The weather today is
 A little warmer
A lot breezier
More snow melted, evaporated,
Gone.

Church done for another week
Wednesday will hold a  rehearsal again
The Odd routine of Holidays
Ended.
We will miss the next
Great feast -
We will be away for Easter Day - traveling -
And will travel home on
The Bombing anniversary.
If our nation hasn't been destroyed
By then.
I know the idiot-elect will try.

 Today's song is Ballad of the Absent Mare

and a long and involved thing it is.
Much like the relationships it alludes to.
Man and woman
Man and Nature
Man and God
All these are difficult
Almost as impossible
As a human's relationship
To him- or her- self.

We all have our moments
Of loss, anger, seeking, finding, rejoicing, reveling, mourning,

This is what makes us human.
This is what can unite us
If we but let it.
Stories,
Stories of how we got to where we are,
Why we feel the way we feel,
What we learned about ourselves and others
Along the way.
If we but sit still and LISTEN
To one another,
We can finally, finally
SEE each other.
Know we are all so much the same.
In the same boat
Afloat in a scary
Universe.
We can comfort each other
We can help each other
We can build a BETTER world
If we can only learn to LISTEN
To each other.

Still Longing For Autumn, And It's The Middle Of October

Looking back at the journal again.  It's what you do when you write.  You try to salvage something from the bits and pieces your muse gives you every now and then, when it's feeling generous.
So far, I haven't had anything very long, but I have had a few bits I like very much.  I shared the previous gleanings, and now I'm taking a stab at the more recent words.

10/16/16

Some days Summer seems as relentless
In its grasp upon us in Autumn
As Winter does in Spring
As though reluctant to release its prize
To cooler days and chilly nights.
Much as Winter hates
To let us thaw in Spring's
Delights.













On delicate orange wings
The souls of the departed
Overcome many things
And soothe the broken-hearted
As they Southward wend their way
Getting to Mexico
By All Saints Day.

Or, as it is celebrated
 Dia De Los Muertos.
Day of the Dead
When graves are decorated
With favorite flowers and foods,
And even some small items
Depicting favorite activities
The families come
And have a picnic
And remember those gone before.
Life is celebrated,
It is not a mourning of loss
But a celebration of having
Had that person in their lives.
And the butterflies come
In their thousands
Every year
Souls coming home
To share the celebration.

10/17/16
Invisible
A poem about Beauty and the Beast (1987) For Cindy
 By C.K. Armistead
Often he feels invisible
The man inside the beast 
The soul behind the visage
Is human.
If any cared to look
A few loved ones know
They see him
They love the warrior/poet
In his soul.
But only SHE sees him
REALLY sees him
The noble poet
The ferocious warrior
The sum total
Of his burnished
Beautiful soul.
Only SHE sees it ALL
And loves unconditionally.

10/18/16

"Listen! The wind is rising 
and the air is wild with leaves,
We've had our summer evenings,
Now for October eves!"
-Wolfe

The above is one of the best  quotes I have ever seen about Fall

If only our weather would catch up-  
The wind rises all right,
But the temperature is too high
And not many leaves
Are aswirl on the wind as yet.


Bits of arias stuck
In my head
A throat too gunky
Yet to sing
Trying to loosen
Things up with medicine
And herbal tea
Don't know how successful
It will be
Hoping this is all
Finished before recital
Only singing one little
Aria
But I DO want it to
Come out as well
As I possibly can sing it -
I fear I sound far worse
Than anyone lets on
I don't think my pitch sounds right
When I listen to
Recordings - I sound flat.
At least to myself.


Yet another warm day
As if Summer is trying to say
I will not go- I refuse to budge!
Though Autumn stands ready
And Winter is a solemn judge.


10/19/16

When did personal responsibility
become a thing of the past?
Why do so many seek always
To blame someone else
for their mistakes instead of admitting
and learning from them?

Not my job
Not my fault
Always excuses
Never responsible
This generation
Accepts mediocrity
Instead of striving for greatness
Our parents felt
Obliged to sacrifice
For the benefits they enjoyed
Their generation
Survived Depression
Fought WWII
Won the Cold War
 Made the way
For all the good things
And Freedoms we enjoy
That we are busy
Squandering
By not being willing
To think of others
Of the greater good -
The needs of the Many
As Spock would no doubt remind us.



Cold quality to the late evening light
Soon our clocks will be set back an hour
To reflect this new reality.
The sunlight is golden, but pale
There are heavy clouds
But they do not cover the sky
They rumble with thunder as they
Sail by
While yet the sun
Does shine.

10/20/16

So long sitting
Need to move-
Alas, meetings.

  










10/23/16

I do hunger for food
For my body
But more so for my soul-
My spirit.
Something is lacking
Some voice needs
Strength
In order to sing.
A swarm of words
Batting around inside my head
Like moths around a light fixture,
Hitting the barrier,
But still striving,
Knocking into each other
Causing disruptions
Disconnects
Lost ideas
Fluctuations in the
Brightness
Of the light
That tries to shine
Through
To guide me out
Of silence
So unproductive
And into bounteous,
Joyous song.


That brings us to today.  When I sat in church, enjoying the liturgy as always, feeling part of something greater than myself, something ancient, ongoing, alive and vital still. 
Words and ideas battering my brain,
When I was constrained to remain
Silent
And listening.
Listening is good
Many times you hear what you NEED to hear
In that silence.
The silence where God speaks.
If only my mind would quiet down enough
To listen.



 

Random Observations

1.  I spend an inordinate amount of time sorting things.  Most of my job involves sorting and organizing.  When I get home, I have to sort laundry, silverware, groceries, etc.  I am just a biologically based sorting engine.

2.  Free time escapes faster than work time.  If I sit down to work on something at work, chances are I will finish in a fairly timely manner. (Phone calls and meeting room bookings notwithstanding.)  If I sit down to work at my desk at home, a million other squirrels will appear and need to be chased. 

3. Working out really does feel good.  Not so much when you first start, but by the time it's done, you feel a lot better about yourself.  Like you accomplished something.

4. Laundry expands so that you never really get done with it.  Laundry is an ongoing battle.

5. When we are resolved to eat healthy foods, the grocery list becomes longer and more complicated.

6. I admired James Spader's acting even before he started doing the Blacklist, wherein he wears a Fedora a lot.  (Did I mention I really like Fedoras?) (And though I am OVERJOYED that Ron Perlman will be on the Blacklist next Sunday, WHY has there been no Shatner?  Shatner and Spader play off one another SO well.)  (Hello, Boston Legal?)

* Ron being on the Blacklist is what has motivated me to start catching up on the episodes I have missed.  Thanks again, Mr. P, for helping me find a good show!

7.  Stay away from Pinterest if you are on a diet.  People persist in posting really good-sounding, EASY, decadent dessert recipes.  I have tried a few.  They ARE good, easy, and decadent.  And they will make you fat.

8.Even among geeks and nerds, I'm a misfit.  I and my obessive fandoms do not fit neatly into anyone's idea of what a geek girl is like.  I have MANY areas in which I have a generous amount of knowledge and experience, (like baking, cross-stitch embroidery, Star Trek TOS, gardening...) I do not specialize in one category of geek behavior.  Also, I can interact with Mundanes without anxiety on either side. According to the book Geek Girls Unite!  I am even atypical in my music geekness.  I like a wide variety of stuff, from grand opera to Sinatra, to bluegrass, to Scottish folksongs, to some current pop music.

9. Once you start collecting Pop vinyl figures and Gipsy Danger figures, you can't stop.  There are now three Gipsy Danger figures in my office, and Two Groot figures, as well as a Rocketeer, a Clay Morrow Pop vinyl, and action figure, and a Pop vinyl Iron Giant.  (Of course, my husband has the 18" Gipsy Danger, and she's in the living room!)

10.  A random tweet from someone you admire can brighten your whole day.  Even if they tease you about your typos in said tweet.

11.  A hug from Matthew can fix almost anything.  And he can nearly ALWAYS get me to smile, and laugh, even.

12. Some people are so organized that they really are ready to file their taxes in January.  This is why they get upset that we have no tax forms at the library until February.  I don't even have my W-2 forms yet, people, nor the interest reports we will need.  (Also, if I'm going to pay, I'm gonna keep that money earning interest in MY bank account as long as I can before I send it to Uncle.) We do have an accountant, and she's worth her fee, because we have gotten refunds most years that are more than her fee.  (Also, her fee is cheaper than a penalty if we screw up)

13. I am reluctant to number any substantive point in this post 13.  I guess I have a bit of latent Triskadecaphobia.  

14.  My obsession with office supplies must mark me as a partial Luddite.  I love technology, and use quite a lot of it, but I sit here in an office that has no less than two mugs full of pens, half of them fountain pens, and two mugs full of pencils, half of them drawing and colored pencils.  (Oh, and one pencil has a pewter dragon sitting on top of it, with its tail curled around the pencil, and one has a plastic Garfield on top, and another has Odie.)  There are also styli that go with my touchscreens hiding out in at least two of those mugs.  There's another mug full of bookmarks.  I do an awful lot of my reading on my tablets now.  Ebooks.  No bookmarks needed.  Yet, I have a collection. As for other office supplies, there are drawers and shelves filled with paper, stationery, card stock, paperclips, ink, stamp pads, decorative stamps, tape, and calligraphy pens. 

15.  No matter when I start these blog posts, I never seem to finish them until fairly late at night.  On rare occasions they will get themselves written earlier, but not often. 

Now Is The Summer Of Our Discontent

Now is the summer of our discontent
We end each workday aching and spent
The loud gales of noisy childhood
Pierce our eardrums, chill our blood
The endless parade of picture books
That need sorting and critical looks
To ensure no damage has been done
Them on their journey's run.

But also a summer of renewed hope
As yes, we struggle to cope
Though to find ourselves needed,
Our help and services pleaded,
Helping young ones make a new start
Does much to soften the heart.
And seeing a child excited to read
Makes us all very glad indeed.


Summer is our busy time at the library.  We are THE place for kids to go for activities, books, fun, movies, and a place to cool off and relax for a bit. 
It is a good and glorious thing that our library is so important to our community, especially to our children. They have a safe place to come to, a place to learn on their own, meet their friends, or just fool around on the Internet for a little while.
We are also a resource for the entire community.  We have business services, and all sorts of computer classes for adults, book clubs, teen activities, many community groups have meetings in our meeting rooms, we're the happening place in town. 
It's true all year, but especially hectic in Summer.  The kids set goals and read books, or are read to by their parents, and so we have a lot more traffic both of people and of books in and out of the building.  Also, we have many special programs during the summer, and on program days (like today was), things can be pretty loud for a library.  I made six new library cards today in my two hour desk shift, and replaced several lost ones.  Summer is also the time for lots of that.  Many fines were paid, and since this is Fine Forgiveness week, some people actually got NO FINES on their very overdue items.  (It's all good, we get our stuff back, and they save some money.  )

This summer I am finding myself discontented because I have been having trouble losing any more weight, and indeed I have gained a few pounds.  I have about 14 pounds left to my goal.  I find it harder to stick to my diet because I want to eat more sugar to have more energy.  I also find it harder to work out as much as I should some days because it is so HOT outside.  Today went better, but last year, it seemed easier, seemed like the weight came off faster and easier, too.  Maybe it's just because I'm older.  Harder to get the old metabolism going fast enough.  Who knows?  Whatever the reason, it's bumming me out.  And I STILL haven't made it to the Farmer's Market yet this year.  Must try to go this Thursday during my "dinner" break.  It is, most conveniently, right next door to the library, in the Community Center parking lot.

Here's to Summer, a time that actually means more work for me, but a time that also allows us to spend more time in our gardens, relaxing and watching the birds and squirrels and rabbits that come by to visit our yard. 

Tuesday Trials

This was a day destined to have its issues.  First off, I accidentally shut off the alarm instead of snoozing it.  Woke up about 40 min later than I wanted to.  Luckily, I didn't have to be at work until 1pm, but there were things I wanted to get done that didn't get done. 

I had a little time to read, got my email and other computer housekeeping done, did my walk, and then it was shower,  get ready for work, and boogie!

Once I got to work, I had to tackle a stack of ILL returns.  (ILL is short for Inter Library Loan.)   These are the books our customers are done with, and need to go back to our service center and from thence on to their owning libraries.  That wasn't bad, then I did the items that needed their RFID tags replaced.  After that, it was work the sorter until 3, when I had to go out to the desk for two hours.  Oh, my.  There was a children's program today, and there were lots of little kiddos in superhero

costumes along with their parents invading our space.  There are also about 25 dozen people at a time looking for tax forms.  Our booklets, etc run out on a regular basis, and we rarely have a chance to get out there and put more out.  On top of all this goodness, the movie box broke down. This was the desk shift from hell. 

I had to answer lots of phone calls about taxes, tax assistance, tax forms, etc, too.  ALL of us do.  Library people get REALLY sick of tax questions this time of year.  I think there ought to be prizes awarded if we conduct a conversation involving tax forms without sighing.

On the positive side, my wonderful husband is cooking dinner again tonight, so I was able to go out and have a nice, relaxing walk around the neighborhood before it got dark.  It is nice and warm here right now, very odd for February, and I was able to go walking in my capris and a t-shirt.  (My lucky t-shirt from Michael Ornstein, with the Blue Sweater painting on it. Needed the Power of the Art today!)
After my walk, Matt discovered he was too low on soy sauce to do the recipe he was working on, so I walked up to the market and bought some.  (Extra steps, now I'm over 11K steps for the day, WooHoo!)

The photo at the right was not made today, but the weather is similar.  Clouds and bright sun. 
I think I am going to go put my feet up and read some more before supper. I think I've earned it!

Random Saturday Stuff

Saturday after Thanksgiving.  Not doing as bad with the weight as I thought.  Only up to 138.6 from 136.6 a couple weeks ago.  Now, if I can drop again between now and Christmas, I might just make my goal weight before my birthday.  (I can dream, can't I?)

 

Above are my teapots and some serving pieces.

Some of my crystal and china in the dining room hutch.

I have more sets of dishes in this house than you would believe.  There's service for 16 in the Noritake china that we picked out when we were married.  No way will I ever be able to fit 16 people in this house for a sit-down dinner.  I have service for four in several sets of stoneware, including TWO Blue Willow sets, a Pfaltzgraf pattern that is discontinued (Grandma's Kitchen), some random stuff from Pier One, and a set of Corelle that's seen better days. When a heavy train goes by, this house sounds like a crystal chandelier in a breeze.  There is also a large set of Longchamps pattern lead crystal in the hutch.  I guess I have a weakness for dishes and stemware.  Flatware, too, evidently, as I have four sets of that.  (One silver plate, the rest stainless.)

Sorting laundry, commencing to wash it.  Thankful to have clothes to wear, astounded at how MANY pieces of clothing two people go through in one week. Five loads of laundry, not counting two loads of towels I will have to do also.  Good thing we have energy and water saving appliances.

This Saturday I feel much better than I did last Saturday.  Last week, I was just feeling down and blue for no good reason that I can identify. I had to work, but I love my job, and my coworkers, and some of our customers.  It wasn't just being at work.  Maybe it was the shifting weather and the cold.  My fingers do ache sometimes when the cold moves in.  However, my online friends and my coworkers did a lot to cheer me up as the day went on.  Funny things and messages of support and caring pulled me out of the dumps.  The one great boon of social media is that it does allow one to take one's friends along on life's oh, so daily journey. You run the risk of boring people, but your real friends won't mind, and will rally when you need them.  Blessed to have so many good friends. 

On to making birthday cards for fellow library staffers.  This is often fun, especially if I know the person fairly well and can tailor-make a card just for them.  The fact that so many of us are Whovians, Star Trek fans, and Potter heads makes it easier. There are a few interesting possibilities among the December birthdays...

Still have some Nerdy Dozen blog posts to write so I can finish this round on time.  Astonishing fact is, I finished the first ever round early, and have had to roll this term over to the new one.  Guess my Nerdy Life got in the way!  (Convention in Dallas, trip to my Mom's, I was way too busy organizing myself to get any Nerdy Dozening done.)  I should be forgiven for the convention trip.  After all, that is a VERY Nerdy activity.  AND I got to meet Ron Perlman and two of my fellow fans.  If that ain't nerd cred, I don't know what is. 

I'm off to finish laundry and birthday cards.  Thanks for reading, be glad I got the off-the-cuff poetry out of my system already today.  You have been spared.  Be thankful! :)

Thursday Again

Thursday again, and what a difference a week makes.  Matt had the procedure to correct his heart rhythm last Thursday, and today he had his follow up with the cardiologist.  His checkup was very satisfactory.  He is doing really well, the doctor is pleased at his attitude and his progress.  This Thursday is a lot more upbeat than last Thursday.
Also, MY weight is down some more.  I have been logging on LoseIt! again, and have gotten a FitBit.  (Matt has one now, also.)  I am amazed at how much walking I actually do that previous pedometers have not recorded.  (Like all the numerous trips from one end of the house to the other putting stuff back where it goes, and going back for what I forgot, etc.)  My blood pressure is doing lots better, will probably be low normal again once I get the rest of the weight off.
This is the long day for me at the library.  I work until closing on Thursdays.  Some Thursdays are truly crazy, others are more normal.  My coworkers on Thursdays are a special bunch.  We usually have fun in spite of what else goes on.  It's my night to pick the music we listen to in the work area.  Hope my coworkers are up for Rod Stewart and the Pogues.  (The Pogues are Irish traditional music with a twist.)  Our customers are always fun.  Lots of cute kiddos yesterday afternoon.  I got to give away a bunch of stickers.

It is hoped that poetry
Will present itself once again to me
To keep the skills sharp
To keep the tune in my heart's harp.

This Thursday at least will be more normal for me.  To be at work nails down routine and gives me purpose.  Those mountains of picture books are not going to sort themselves out.  Someone has to do it.  Not to mention the backlog of Inter Library Loans that need to go home or out to customers.
I have said in the past that I forsee my death as coming at the hands of an avalanche of children's picture books.  In summer, this is not so far fetched as you might believe.  Here are a couple of pictures to illustrate, and this is not even Summer yet.

 As you can see, the majority of what is in the drop bins is children's books.  The center photo is of a very dangerous book stack made by a colleague.  This behavior almost always leads to the heartbreak of picking scattered books up off the floor.  If you are my age, that is a very difficult punishment to bear, as the floor seems harder to get up from every time I get near it.

Our shelvers have my undying admiration.  They routinely put things on very low shelves.  This is backbreaking labor, and very painstaking, especially if you are working with non-fiction children's books which must be shelved in order in our modified Dewey system.  The ordeal comes in that the books are very thin, there are literally thousands of them, and their cutter numbers wrap around the spine to the front of the book.  When your eyes are as challenged as mine, shelving in children's non fiction is a job that takes forever.  Thankfully, I don't often have to shelve. I spend most of my time checking in, answering phone calls, dealing with damaged items or missing pieces, booking meeting rooms, processing ILLs, and sorting checked in items for shelving.  I also work the Customer Service Desk, where I have the opportunity to greet and work with our wonderful customers.  Yes, most of them are pretty wonderful.  There are a few stinkers, but that is true of any group of people anywhere.  Most of our customers are friendly, polite, and patient.  They like that they can recognize some of us outside the library, out around town, because we live here, too.  They are our neighbors, and they know we'll do right by them.
Anyway, it's time I got done with this and got myself ready to go to work.  Here's hoping I survive this Thursday at the library.  I'm anxious to see how many steps the FitBit sees me taking in an eight hour work day.  Yesterday's four hours wasn't typical, because I had 2 hours in a meeting, and 2 hours at the desk.  Not my usual amount of walking, bending, lifting and stacking.

More From the Poetry Notebook

I have a book that I use for poetry exercises.  One exercise asked for me to write down my 100 favorite words, and then compose a short poem using some of those words.  Here are my words, and my verse.  I did this probably close to seven years ago.

100 Favorite Words
opera, aria, cat, nap, diva, rose, thorn, verdure, note, finch,teapot, golden, aged, vintage, susurration, claxon, locomotive, envelope, Celtic, stench, inertia, Baroque, dominion, dog, bark, growl, spurious, apostle, gaudy, garish, tawdry, recede, Autumn, Winter, Summer, Spring, sing, you, me, husband, life, felicitous, book, writing, candle, chocolate, volume, tome, panorama, cardinal, blackbird, starling, sparrow, grackle, cowbird, fog, thunder, cozy, coffee, tea, charity, tree, clay, adobe, avocado, strawberry, apricot, potato, apple, forest, trail, smoke, horse,  imagination, autonomy, solitude, rest, grandeur, scent, somnolence, wine, grape, vine, friend, convivial, antics, familiar, comfortable, stationery, pen, ink, hue, color, azure, cobalt, emerald, scarlet, cream.

Springtime Aria
Birdsong and rain
Blackbird, Starling,
Cardinal, Grackle
Thunder crackle.
Lightning's spark
Dogs bark
Inside cozy
Cheeks rosy
Watch for signs
Of verdure and vines
Scent of rose
Somnolent cat adoze.

These were true impressions of Springtime in Oklahoma.  Early spring is often a mix of chilly days and humid, warm ones, beautiful sunlight, and dreary greyness.  The day of the Murrah Bombing was one of the beautiful, sunny, magical looking ones.  Then it turned to a nightmare.  The next several days were as dreary as our spirits.  Spring always brings hope and the hint of danger here.  If not madmen with explosives, then thunderstorms intent upon eating our homes.  The transitional seasons are always a duality.

I wrote poems about that spring.  Most of them deal with my church and our recovery from damage.  I believe I have posted some before, if not here, then on my Facebook page.  Since this is going out in a hurry, I will find and post those another day.

I haven't found the 1995 poems yet.  Here are some more bits I wrote for exercises.  Some I think are pretty funny.
Song stuck inside my head
Not even one I sing
Wish I could banish it
Before I dread
The very thought of it.

A blank page.
So much potential.
So much fear
Room for joyful rambling
Or clouds of stormy rage
A missed opportunity
If you leave it blank
Risks must be taken
To reap rewards
Brought by poetry.

Still Winter clings to the land.
Its dry, brittle claws rending our skin,
Shredding the plants which try to grow.
Like some old hag, or some nearly extinct animal,
The Cold Season holds stubbornly to old ways
Rather than warming to the new.
So March roars in like a cranky, cold, old lion.

A poem to try out a verse form.  Using the subject that was most on my mind at that time:

Because I'm sick
I'm coughing and sneezing
Because I'm sick
I'm croaking and wheezing
Because I'm sick
My voice is scratchy and cracks
Because I'm sick
My eyes feel like they're in burlap sacks
Because I'm sick
My very soul has a sting
Because I'm sick
So I can't sing.