Most of the patrons I deal with at the library come and go quickly and easily. They show up to my counter either grumpy, or polite, or even cheery, but for the most part, they get here, we do our business, and they are on their way.
But every once in a while, you find one that sticks out. Either patrons who do strange or bewildering things while here, such as discuss very personal information loudly on thier cell phones. There are also those who make you do a double take, like the woman who had her library card in her mouth before she handed it to me. Sometimes it's the way the books are returned. People who dump water all over them, and then wonder why they are charged. A co-worker was telling me of a patron who actually broke an egg she found while walking around on one of her library books, and then was all confused as to why we could not accept it back, since it was technically still "readable"...
However, today was probably my most memorable experience with a patron thus far. An elderly gentleman came in and began carrying on a conversation with me. Apparantly he's one known for being a talker, so eventually my boss came over with a project for me, and he was ushered on his way. Well, he came back in a little bit later, and started talking to me again. He was explaining how he was across the way at the bar, and some of the men there were telling him he sounded like some singer. He had asked them who, and then he started belting out the "You are so Beautiful" song. Now, it took me a moment, since I had thought he was just expounding on who they were saying, and trying to show off, but as he continued going, I realized he was singing to me, and I must have turned three shades brighter than the pink of my shirt! I think I was more embarassed that it took me so long to realize he was serenading me, then the fact that he was.
He later came back in and apologized for any embarassement he caused me. I told him not to worry. It's been awhile since I've had that (with the exception of my boyfriend. He sings to me all the time. I love it!). It was sweet. And being that he was a very much older man, I am not concerned about it =)
Something nice to spend the day with. Thank you!
This is a quick blog, and it is about someone very special to me. My girlfriend's daughter is sick, and I would be so appreciative if everyone who reads this could send out all the warm wishes, thoughts, prayers, and positive energy they can to this wonderful, bright ray of sunshine that has lit this Earth for the past 17 years. She is such a strong, brilliant young lady, and the issues she is having to face at such a tender age are heart-breaking.
I've known Rian for a long time now, and she has always put such heart and energy into everything she does. She has a stong will and always has a smile on her face. She brightens any room she enters, even now.
Please visit her page at Cambridge:
Rian's Page
Read her story, and keep her in your thoughts if you could. The site is a wonderful outlet for people with issues such as Rian's. Perhaps you know someone who could benefit from such a site.
Also, keep the Ronald McDonald house in your thoughts when considering charities. They have done so much for my friend's family, as well as others I know.
Thank you for taking the time out of all the silly and nonsense articles we post, and paying attention to this one very serious one that is very close to my heart!!
Just a head's up- this is a rant. A long one.
Some of you have heard me complain about the stupidity of my neighbors, and the problems we've been having with them. I just cannot understand the lack of mental capacity in some people- the urge that drives a 30 year old person to act more like a 2 year old.
For the year that we've lived here, they have complained about us having 3 vehicles. You see, I live in a duplex, and we share a driveway. Now, Dustin use to park his Geo out on the road, until it got keyed and the antenna broken off. That was our "crap" car, so there was no way after that that either of the other ones were getting put out there. And although we cannot prove it, I have a sneaky suspicion that our neighbors had something to do with it. So, back into the driveway it went. We park up against the side of our driveway, to where we literally have to crawl through the bushes to get out of our cars.
Well, that wasn't good enough, so they decided they wanted Dustin to park his jeep in this dirt patch in front of their porch so that they could fit in the driveway (apparently she can't drive.....). They even had the landlord come out and have him park there. No problem, OK. So, he starts parking there, and they start blocking him in, and not answering the door when he goes at 4:00 in the morning to ask them to move so he can get to work. Mind you, he is in the union, and if he doesn't get there early, he misses out on work. There has been more than once that he has missed work because of this stunt.
Regardless, the landlord told him to park there, so he has continued to park there. We put up with them blocking us in, parking in the middle of the driveway to block all of our cars either in or out. Then in November, when they parked in the middle of the driveway, Dustin thought he had enough room to squeeze by, so that we wouldn't be sinking to their level by parking behind them, and he misjudged and scraped the side of their car. Now, we are bad bad folks, and didn't have insurance on the car at that time. He went over to her house, and told her he had hit their car. She slammed the door in his face, so he assumed she had heard. Then a couple weeks later, she comes over pounding on the door asking if we had hit her car........ He thinks she means AGAIN, so says no. Then, upon a couple minutes of thinking about it, realizes maybe she meant the first time, so went and talked to her. Apparently she hadn't listened when he told her that we had hit her, and had just realized the scrape on her car.
Ok, so she was a ditz that time, but we've known this.. so we roll with it. He explains to her and her boyfriend that we do not have insurance to cover it, but he is very much aware that he hit it and he owes for it. He also explains at this time that he hasn't been sent out on any jobs lately, and that money is extremely tight, but he will do what he can. We fill out a paper that agrees we will pay for the car. Everyone around is talking about how they only expect it to be a couple hundred dollars for the work. Well, we can do that no problem. Then, two weeks before Christmas, they bring over two estimates that run around $1500. Now, this is quite a bit more than the couple hundred we were expecting. There is no way that he can afford that right now. He hasn't been sent out on a job since the beginning of October. The next week, the boyfriend comes over and starts yelling at Dustin, saying "It's a week before Christmas- I can't have my girlfriend driving around in a piece of sh@t!". Ok, there is a slight scratch on the taillight, a scuff on the back corner bumper, and a teeny dent you really have to get down and look for to see. Dustin looks at him and says "Yeah, man... it's a week before Christmas. I have 2 kids here. Do YOU have $1500 in your pocket right now??". Dude says some threatening words and walks off.
Later on that month, she comes out and tells Dustin that she paid the deductible on her insurance, so they will be coming after him. Good! he says. He'd much rather deal with the insurance company than them at this point. So we don't talk to them about it while we wait for the insurance company to get ahold of us. Meanwhile, they are still parking like jerks, her boyfriend makes threatening and condescending remarks to Dustin every time he walks out of the house. She even took her own son's outside toys and shoved them under Dustin's jeep at one point.
And I won't even get into how many times we've had to call 911 at 3am because someone is over there banging on their door screaming and cursing.
Then, I get accosted by her mother on my way in from work one afternoon, yelling at me about when am I going to pay for their car. Uh.... we've been waiting on the insurance. She starts yelling that it's not their place, and that we owe them. She says the insurance isn't involved. Well, that's not what we were told, and with the way they've been acting, I wouldn't put it past them that they are trying to pull one over on us.
At some point, she sent her daddy over to talk to Dustin. Of all of them, he seems the most calm and reasonable, thank the gods! Dustin explains to him that he hasn't been to work. He even gave them the Hall's number and told him to call and verify it. He explains to dad that he's not trying to screw them over, but with not working, and not to mention the way they've been acting, he's got his own butt to cover. Dad seemed to not be happy, but at least understand.
Ok.. I think I've gotten off the original path with this thread, but they are so frustrating. Some of their antics include the parking directly behind us so none of our vehicles can get out, or in. She shoved stuff under his jeep, for who knows what reason. At one point we had the Geo out in the road for a tow truck to pick up. The Geo is not registered in WA since it has been broke down since it expired. So, Dustin had a note on it to the police that it was awaiting pick up from a tow company, and the tow company had been having problems getting out to get it, so pick up time was unknown. He came home to catch our neighbor gal taking the note off the car.... The Geo is back in the driveway.
*breathe, breathe, breathe*
Today, my daughter is sick. They are parked directly behind us. We have errands to run. Dustin goes over and asks if they can move their car because my daughter is sick, and we need to take her to the doctor. The boyfriend screams exploitative words at him, and says if we want him to move the car to call the cops. So Dustin comes in and does just that. The girlfriend looked pretty abashed when the police showed up knocking on their door. She moved it. The police told them they were acting like 2 year olds. Next time we have to call for them to move their car, both her boyfriend AND mine are getting arrested. That angers me.
I finally broke down and contacted my landlord again today. He says he will interfere. I just hope this doesn't wind up causing more problems for us, since our lease is up next month. I'm kinda worried about that, since there is no way I could come up with a deposit for another place. But, I'll deal with that if it gets there.
Ok, I feel a bit better. Venting is good for the soul! At least for that part of you that wants to go put bullets in your gun! LOL...
A couple of things passes my way from my loving friends and family that I thought I would share.
This one I find particularly amusing since the granny used to be a librarian...
The Rambo Granny of Melbourne , Australia
Gun-toting granny Ava Estelle, 81, was so ticked-off when two thugs raped her 18-year-old granddaughter that she tracked the unsuspecting ex-cons down – and shot off their testicles.
The old lady spent a week hunting those men down – and, when she found them, she took revenge on them in her own special way, said Melbourne police investigator Evan Delp. Then she took a taxi to the nearest police station, laid the gun on the sergeant's desk and told him as calm as could be: 'Those bastards will never rape anybody again, by God.'
Cops say convicted rapist and robber Davis Furth , 33, lost both his penis and his testicles when outraged Ava opened fire with a 9-mm pistol in the hotel room where he and former prison cell mate Stanley Thomas, 29, were holed up.
The wrinkled avenger also blew Thomas' testicles to kingdom come, but doctors managed to save his mangled penis, police said.
'The one guy, Thomas, didn't lose his manhood, 'but the doctor I talked to said he won't be using it the way he used to,' Detective Delp told reporters. 'Both men are still in pretty bad shape, 'but I think they're just happy to be alive after what they've been through.'
The Rambo Granny swung into action August 21 after her granddaughter Debbie was carjacked and raped in broad daylight by two knife-wielding creeps in a section of town bordering on skid row.
'When I saw the look on my Debbie's face that night in the hospital, 'I decided I was going to go out and get those bastards myself 'cause I figured the Law would go easy on them,' recalled the retired library worker. 'And I wasn't scared of them, either – because I've got me a gun and I've been shootin' all my life. 'And I wasn't dumb enough to turn it in when the law changed about owning one.'
So, using a police artist's sketch of the suspects and Debbie's description of the sickos, tough-as-nails Ava spent seven days prowling the wino-infested neighborhood where the crime took place till she spotted the ill-fated rapists entering their flophouse hotel.
'I knew it was them the minute I saw 'em, but I shot a picture of 'em anyway 'and took it back to Debbie and she said sure as hell, it was them,' the oldster recalled. 'So I went back to that hotel and found their room and knocked on the door, and the minute the big one opened the door, I shot 'em right square between the legs, right where it would really hurt 'em most, you know. Then I went in and shot the other one as he backed up pleading to me to spare him. Then I went down to the police station and turned myself in.'
Now, baffled lawmen are trying to figure out exactly how to deal with the vigilante granny.
'What she did was wrong, and she broke the law, but it is difficult to throw an 81-year-old woman in prison,' Det. Delp said, 'especially when 3 million people in the city want to nominate her for Mayor.'
This one I just found amusing:
We've all had trouble with our animals, but I don't think anyone can top this one:
Calling in sick to work makes me uncomfortable. No matter how legitimate my excuse, I always get the feeling that my boss thinks I'm lying.
On one recent occasion, I had a valid reason but lied anyway, because the truth was just too darned humiliating. I simply mentioned that I had sustained a head injury, and I hoped I would feel up to coming in the next day. By then, I reasoned, I could think up a doozy to explain the bandage on the top of my head. The accident occurred mainly because I had given in to my wife's wishes to adopt a cute little kitty.
Initially, the new acquisition was no problem.
Then one morning, I was taking my shower after break fast when I heard my wife, Deb, call out to me from the kitchen.
"Honey! The garbage disposal is dead again. Please come reset it."
"You know where the button is," I protested through the shower pitter-patter and steam. "Reset it yourself!"
"But I'm scared!" she persisted. "What if it starts going and sucks me in?"
There was a meaningful pause and then, "C'mon, it'll only take you a second."
So out I came, dripping wet and butt naked, hoping that my silent outraged nudity would make a statement about how I perceived her behaviour as extremely cowardly.
Sighing loudly, I squatted down and stuck my head under the sink to find the button. It is the last action I remember performing.
It struck without warning, and without any respect to my circumstances. No, it wasn't the hexed disposal, drawing me into its gnashing metal teeth. It was our new kitty, who discovered the fascinating dangling objects she spied hanging between my legs . She had been poised around the corner and stalked me as I reached under the sink. And, at the precise moment when I was most vulnerable, she leapt at the toys I unwittingly offered and snagged them with her needle-like claws. I lost all rational thought to control orderly bodily movements, blindly rising at a violent rate of speed, with the full weight of a kitten hanging from my masculine region.
Wild animals are sometimes faced with a "fight or flight" syndrome. Men, in this predicament, choose only the "flight" option. I know this from experience. I was fleeing straight up into the air when the sink and cabinet bluntly and forcefully impeded my ascent.
The impact knocked me out cold.
When I awoke, my wife and the paramedics stood over me.
Now there are not many things in this life worse than finding oneself lying on the kitchen floor butt naked in front of a group of "been-there, done-that" paramedics.
Even worse, having been fully briefed by my wife, the paramedics were all snorting loudly as they tried to conduct their work, all the while trying to suppress their hysterical laughter......and not succeeding.
Somehow I lived through it all. A few days later I finally made it back in to the office, where colleagues tried to coax an explanation out of me about my head injury. I kept silent, claiming it was too painful to talk about, which it was.
"What's the matter?" They all asked, "Cat got your tongue?"
If they only knew!
Why is it that only the women laugh at this?
So I am sitting here at work, literally twiddling my thumbs wondering what to do next. There are some days that I just feel useless, ya know? LOL. There is only so much cleaning and organizing one can do. There are only so many CDs or DVDs to put away. And when the patrons aren't coming to the counter yet... well, then I guess that's where you pull out ye ol' blogger and keep those idle fingers working!
That led me to thinking. I find it humerous that I always tell myself I'm going to blog from home. I have a couple ideas for one, but they require some items I have saved on my home computer, or at least at places I'm not going to use the work computer to access. But I never seem to get around to blogging from home. The only time I seem to find for it is at work! Mayhaps since it started as a work-oriented thing, being here reminds me of it more often than when at home. Home contains so many other things to be done... dishes, laundry, dinner, cleaning, vacuuming, homework help, time with kids, video games, movie watching, etc etc etc. One of these days I will remember this cute little place that keeps me entertained during those slow hours at work.
And now... off to find something else to do. At least until another topic strikes my fancy!
I'm glad to see that some of us are still around and plan on continuing on with our blogging. It's been fun to see the way our fellow co-workers chime in and hear all thier thoughts on so many various topics!
I think I figured out that RSS thing.. but it looks like something I will have to do from home, not work. I also figured I could favorite them, or use the delicious thingymabobber! I keep telling myself I'm going to transfer all my favorites over to that, and then keep forgetting when I'm at home on my laptop. That's if I can wrestle it away from my daughter! LOL Luckily for Dustin (my boyfriend), she hasn't notcied the MP3 player yet.......
On a side note, a lady with her two daughters. As they came in through the door they noticed the photos of George Washington and Abe Lincoln on the wall. The mom pointed at the photos, and asked who they were. The girls, who must have been about 5 years old, immediately piped off that it was George Washington and he was our first president. They were a bit more unsure about Abe, but I thought how obviously they knew who George Washington was was absolutely priceless! So, just thought I'd share that little bit of cuteness with you!
So now we are all finished with KRL2.0. Well, most of us anyways. I did not make it to the party on Valentine's morning. I did recieve my cool little MP3 player though. My boyfriend thinks it is pretty nifty, and found it to be a wonderful Valentine's present to steal from me... LOL. Which is fine, because I'm sure he'll get a lot more use out of it than I will. He'll just have to fight my daughter for it. Better him than me.. I don't want any part of that ruckus..
My question now is this... how many of us will actually continue to utilize our blogs, or any other part of this whole ordeal? I myself see myself using the blog (even though no one pays attention to it! or at least don't comment, not that I give much to comment on..), as well as LibraryThing (I finally figured out how to add random books to my blog) , Backpack and Notely. I don't twitter, or RSS stuff, or Facebook. I have a Facebook account, but it falls short to my MySpace, which I have a much easier and more successful time with. YouTube, while I can see how it can be entertaining for people, just really isn't my thing. There is a video on there (I believe he put it on YouTube) of me doing the hokey-pokey at a 3-year old's birthday party while I was in the delirious stage of my illness....
I look forward to seeing who keeps up with thier blogs, and wonder if there will be some way for us to note which ones are still being used. I find it rather tedious to click through all of the blogs listed on the KRL2.0 site, only to find many of them are have been inactive since October.... I'm sure there is a way, I just haven't found it yet.
Figured I'd better do this for real this time... even though I can hardly think straight. Something about being sick for a week just irks me, and makes me miserable. But, I'd hate to lose out on the free MP3 player, and the chance of a new laptop just because my sick head forgot to post the real YouTube post.
I went and searched around on it. "It" being YouTube. It's got some funny stuff on there, but it's not something I would really spend my time on. Too much surfing through boring stuff to get to the kind of thing that floats this here boat. I'm a tad hard to please in that area I suppose.
I did find the KRL fish one. I'm still shaking my head at how someone could have such a complete and utter lack of regard for people and the kind of services the library strives so hard to provide. Not to mention the fact that I love salmon, and that one looked like it may have been a tasty treat had it been handled properly, and not shoved into the library's ceiling.....
I did some searches on various topics that I thought up, but didn't find anything I thought interesting enough to post on here. It could be that I am just tired and my head is swimming with mud and pain, and I'm just thouroughly not in the mood to go through them.
Ok.. so I found a quick one. Let's see if this works:
So, I'm thinking it's time for me to seriously look into getting some tutors for my kids. While I am going to school (kind of) for early childhood education, right now it is focusing on opening a daycare, with a chance of later becoming a full-blown teaching degree. But that is still a few years away, and I am struggling with helping my own children now. And let's face it, while I will love and cherish the kids I care for, and strive to give them the best of an education that I can while they are in my care--- the most important ones to me are my own kids.
My son, while a whiz kid at math and science, has horrible struggles with reading and writing. I've tried to give support and encouragement, and strive to find ways to get him more excited about them. However, it doesn't seem to be quite enough. He still has little confidence (or, it seems, real care) about reading and writing.. even when he finds topics that thrill him. Perhaps with a little one-on-one tutoring with a professional, he will gain that confidence that may not push into full blown love of reading and writing, but at least make him comfortable with the idea of it.
My daughter, the little artist, abhores math. She just cannot seem to wrap her little mind around those complicated mathematical concepts, ie: 4 quarters = $1.00, or there are 60 seconds in a minute. Anything mathematically equated is archaic to her. I can't say I feel any different on them (although I can do money and time, but those shapes and angles and such... no way!). Her brother helps her as much as he can.. but it's the grasping of these simple concepts that I would like her to obtain.
Problem is, where do I go? Do I go someplace expensive like the Sylvan institute? Or hire a honor-roll high school student? It's not like I really have a whole lot of money to throw at this, especially with also wanting to get them into various extra-ciricular activities, like karate and dancing, singing, scouts (both of them), etc.
I've taken advantage of thier love of the computer by checking out numerous games that are suppose to help sharpen thier skills with various subjects. Right now I have one that teaches spelling concepts, including silent letters, plurals, etc etc. So far it seems to be going ok, as far as thier interest in it, but we'll see how long the interest lasts, or if the ciriculum sticks in thier brains.
Anywho.. that is what was on my brain for the time being. Guess I'll have to do a bit of research on where to go with it.. but I do know it's time to do something about it, before it gets too frusterating for them.