Monday, December 29, 2008

99 things

THE 99 THINGS MEME
Things you’ve already done: bold

Things you want to do: italicize

Things you haven’t done and don’t want to - leave in plain font

1. Started your own blog.
2. Slept under the stars.
3. Played in a band.
4. Visited Hawaii.
5. Watched a meteor shower.
6. Given more than you can afford to charity.
7. Been to Disneyland/world.
8. Climbed a mountain.

9. Held a praying mantis.
10. Sang a solo.
11. Bungee jumped.
12. Visited Paris.
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea.
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch.
15. Adopted a child.
16. Had food poisoning.
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty.
18. Grown your own vegetables.
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France.
20. Slept on an overnight train.

21. Had a pillow fight.
22. Hitch hiked.
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill.
24. Built a snow fort.
25. Held a lamb.
26. Gone skinny dipping.
27. Run a marathon.
28. Ridden a gondola in Venice.
29. Seen a total eclipse.
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset.
31. Hit a home run.
32. Been on a cruise.

33. Seen Niagara Falls in person.
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors.
35. Seen an Amish community.
36. Taught yourself a new language.

37.Had enough money to be truly satisfied.
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person.
39. Gone rock climbing.
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David in person.
41. Sung Karaoke.
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt.
43. Bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant.
44. Visited Africa.
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight.
46. Been transported in an ambulance.
47. Had your portrait painted.
48. Gone deep sea fishing.
49. Seen the Sistine chapel in person.
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling.
52. Kissed in the rain.
53. Played in the mud.
54. Gone to a drive-in theater.
55. Been in a movie.

56. Visited the Great Wall of China.
57. Started a business.
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia.

60. Served at a soup kitchen.
61. Sold Girl Scout cookies.
62. Gone whale watching.
63. Gotten flowers for no reason.
64. Donated blood.
65. Gone sky diving.
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp.
67. Bounced a check.
68. Flown in a helicopter.
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy.
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial.
71. Eaten Caviar.
72. Pieced a quilt.

73. Stood in Times Square.
74. Toured the Everglades.
75. Been fired from a job.
76. Seen the Changing of the Guard in London.
77. Broken a bone.
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle.
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person.

80. Published a book.
81. Visited the Vatican.
82. Bought a brand new car.
83. Walked in Jerusalem.
84. Had your picture in the newspaper.
85. Read the entire Bible.
86. Visited the White House.
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating.
88. Had chickenpox.
89. Saved someone’s life.
90. Sat on a jury.
91. Met someone famous.
92. Joined a book club.
93. Lost a loved one.
94. Had a baby.
95. Seen the Alamo in person.
96. Swum in the Great Salt Lake.

97. Been involved in a law suit.
98. Owned a cell phone.
99. Been stung by a bee.

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

End of the year posting

So I have been extremely busy and have no time to add book reviews or comments on my library experience. This past year has been very invigorating and fulfilling. I am settling into this small library and getting used to life in the slow lane. The library itself with reference questions and reading advisory is not fast paced. Most of my time is taken up by management meetings, committee meetings and training. I'm out of the library 3 days out of the week.

Anyway, I have solved my problem with the teens. They don't want to read and I'm not forcing them to do so. :) Instead I am concentrating on those I have hooked with my "Twilight" events and book clubs. I have a steady flow of 3 to 5 teens that come to the library and attend the events. It's fun having them show up just to say hi.

So I bid thee farewell in 2008 and hope that I have time to post in 2009. Happy Holidays.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Politics

I am not going to post about my positions or which candidate I will be voting for in this election. But just to say that I am confused on who to vote for and don't know where to get concise information on both sides. As a reference librarian this is very frustrating. Can't there just be a place that I can read both candidates sides without all the mumbo-jumbo? Well I was browsing through this month's issue of "L.A. Youth" and they have just that. Sometimes we get caught up on all the information out there dealing with each candidate voting history, job experience and their personal life that we just can't find what we need. Not to mention all the bogus "debates". Here is a link to the online article which I found very useful. Maybe you will too:
http://www.layouth.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issue&action=IssueArticle&aid=2364&nid=81

Tuesday, October 07, 2008

My guilty pleasure

I haven't done a blog entry in a while and I thought I should write about the latest book series I have been indulging in. Charlaine Harris' "Sookie Stackhouse" series is addicting. Her books: Dead Until Dark, Club Dead, Dead to the World, Dead as a Doornail, Definitely Dead, All Together Dead and From Dead to Worse, are so much fun to read. But as you can tell from their titles, they are not literary masterpieces. Each book is more outlandish than the other.

Sookie Stackhouse is a regular southern simple girl who lives in Northern Louisiana in the town of Bon Temps. She is lonely based on the fact she has telepathy. Therefore, her friends and family are suspicious of her reading their thoughts and she has never fallen in love. Until a vampire walks into her life. In these books vampires are part of everyday life since they "came out of the coffin" and made their presences known to the world. From the point that Bill Compton, vampire, appears in her life, she is never quite the same again.

The
characters are not endearing nor are the plotlines captivating, but what makes this such a fun read, is all the supernatural sex. Yes, I said it. I am reading these books because of the eroticism. For some reason Sookie is attractive to every male she meets. Be they supernatural beings or humans. They can't resist her. It's hilarious to read that she attracts the most interesting characters. That's right, not just vampires are real but so are werewolves, shapeshifters, fairies, and goblins. The story is outlandish but it goes on for 8 whole books.

HBO has taken on the series with the show "True Blood" and made it into a serious drama. Which does not work. I don't like the show that takes itself so seriously.

So I recommend the books just for the fun of it. But don't blame me once you become addicted.


Monday, September 15, 2008

50 Cent book sale

QUESTION OF THE DAY:
Lady purchasing books for sale, "You don't have senior discount?"

Thursday, July 03, 2008

The librarian is back.

Life in a small town library is very uneventful. I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop and it hasn't. Yet. Besides my pessimistic nature, I am enjoying this new atmosphere. I have come to the conclusion that my last library had made me cynical and apprehensive. I realized that I am not as friendly as I used to be which is hindering my contact with my community. So from this day forward I will be going back to my non-cynical post graduation euphoric state of mind. Where I thought I was out to save the world of their information-less selves. Hi I'm Tollula and I will be your librarian.

My new library is really small and mostly caters to young families. Therefore, the programing is directed towards children. But I have found something interesting. We are the neighborhood teen watering hole. Because our building has a front and back exit, our front entrance is facing the High School. We are in the direct path of the kids going home from school. So they walk through our library, past the circ desk, past the ref desk and drink water from our water fountain and keep going out the back door. Like clockwork after 2:30pm groups of teens walk by without a second glance. I think it's hilarious!! It is my mission to try and divert them to our YA collection or at least say hello and acknowledge we are here and we are not here just for their thirsty needs. Here is what I have come up with so far:
  • Plan A: Place book "trough" in their path filled with YA titles. Results: A couple from the herd glanced at the collection.
  • Plan B: Fill the "trough" with graphic novels that were recently made into movies. Results: Some of the "glancers" pulled away from the herd and stopped to explore more and commented on the titles. Set them back down and caught up to the group.
  • Plan C: Combine popular titles, bios and graphic novels but add a "Coming soon: Cracking Dawn" banner to attract attention. (I'm hoping some of them are Twilighters and will order the book. I just placed it. So I will keep you posted on the results on Monday)
Does anybody else have any ideas? I want to approach them and start a communication with them, but don't know how. They don't stop other than to drink water. I don't want to make any sudden moves and spook them.

Monday, June 30, 2008

Twilight


Twilight by Stephenie Meyers is a very addicting series. I just finished the first book and I can't wait to get my hands on the next one. I think I may have to buy it. Every copy in all our county libraries are on hold or checked out. I am 108 on the waiting list. Yes, I can't wait any longer.

I am not into vampire or zombie books, but Meyers' writing is so enthralling that I couldn 't put it down. The physical and emotional tension between Edward and Bella, the two main characters, is so strong that you can't help feel breathless after certain scenes. What I really liked about this book is that it's about the relationship between the vampires and the rest of the humans. Mainly with Bella. In a sense it's a love story but with so many complications.

It is a young adult book, so don't expect classic literature writing. It's an entertaining book and will make a great movie. I wouldn't be surprised if it turns into a t.v. show on the CW. But of course it will be ruined and turned into a "Gossip Girl" or something. So read the books.

Thursday, June 05, 2008

Now being a manager



Having worked in different office setting I know how management works. All us minions do all the work while management gets all the credit. Lucky for me I had great managers that trickled down their appreciation for all my hard work. The area of management that really bothers me is when dealing with customer service. Through college, I worked for a general contractor's office, who dealt with the reconstruction of homes after having experienced water damage or fire. It was stressful just juggling all the aspect of the construction w/out having to deal with the customer. We usually had impatient customers who did not understand how one step of the rebuilding cannot continue w/out the other being completed first. They expected everything right now! So as an office assistant I dealt with harassment, threats, foul language and general berating, until they got to their climax of "Let me speak to your manager!!" At this time I would place them on hold and explain the details to my boss, making sure and letting them know how upset they are. But when they came on the phone, the customer was as sweet as pie and very understanding. My boss wouldn't believe that people were so mean to me. The customer would always change their tune and listen to the manager while she explained to them the same thing I had just told them. I hated that!!!

But now...I'm on the other side. I am management. And people tend to speak to me more calmly since they think the person below me is incompetent. So at these times, I remember how my boss didn't believe Mr. Smith had just yelled at me and threatened me with bodily harm. I believe my employees and let them know that Mr. Smith is the incompetent twit. :)

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Time off


So I am off onto a whole new experience. With a new promotion and new responsibilities, I doubt I will have time to update my blog. I probably won't have time to read as much because I will be taking work home and working extra hours. Stay tuned to my new adventures at another library which I will blog when I get a bit of down time.


Now a new rant...for the road.
If you don't want people asking you about how your feeling then don't announce it on your myspace/facebook status line. So if you don't want people asking you about your line stating, "How could he? He betrayed me." Then don't announce it to all of the cyberworld that you have been rejected or betrayed. People will ask. Either you just want some sympathy or attention. But if you don't elaborate then we are just going to come up with our own conclusions and spread them like wildfire.

Saturday, April 26, 2008

Why do I "shush"?

I "shush" therefore, I am.

Reasons for which we "shush":



1. It's easier than going after each patron and asking them each individually to keep it down. We'd be following everyone around.


2. Because it's more effective than having to explaing to patrons, "You are being very loud, can you lower your voice". It pretty much gets the point across.


3. Because when people are walking/running into the library and talking so loudly they are practically screaming at each other, it's the only way we can stop ourselves from screaming back, "Hey, Shut the F up! You're in a library for heavens sake. Show some respect!"

Monday, April 14, 2008

i give up

As some of you may know I work in a fairly large library. We cater to hundreds of patrons per day (or at least t feels like it). When I first started working here I was surprised to find out that this library system has adopted the idea that having signs up banning people from doing inappropriate things in the library give off negative vibes (Seriously. That is what they think.). So we don't have any signs up. Even though we don't want people using the cell phones, eating, drinking or using a public computer with two or more people at a time, we don't have any signs up to let them know this prohibited. You know whose job it is to make our patrons aware of these invisible rules? MINE! The librarian along with other full time staff has to go up to the person who is eating/drinking/talking on the cell phones/crowded around a computer to stop doing that.


In a small library it wouldn't be so time consuming. But where I am takes up 50% of my time. Think I'm kidding? I took a count. On an average day I tell people to get off their cell phones 10 times. I ask a group of teens to go do something else, instead of standing around their one friend who has internet access 8 times. People who are eating/drinking are addressed 5 times. This is on a daily basis! This puts a huge strain on me and other staff. Don't assume that patrons just say, "Oh sorry. Won't happen again" and obey our rules. No. They argue with us or just ignore us completely. It's to the point where we have to make sure they do throw away their food/drink or move away from the computer or put away their cell phones. So not only do I have to provide great customer service, information and research guides, but I must babysit people so that our library maintains it's level of cleanliness and order; So that our patrons can use their computers without having people hovering over them and compromising their right to privacy; So that our library can stay silent and people feel comfortable coming here and studying. All this could be accomplished with some simples signs don't you think?


So after working here for almost two years, I am tired. I am tired of getting up and addressing these issues at an average of twice each hour I am the reference desk (ref desk 4 hours a day). I am a stickler for rules so this is going to be hard for me to ignore. But I am willing to learn how to ignore them. Unless, of course, they are overly disruptive by having a full on picnic on our study desks while talking loudly on their cell phones, will I approach them. I'm no pushover.

Saturday, April 12, 2008

Riddle me this!

Who's bright idea was it to put a giant skylight over the reference desk in lieu of proper lighting? Hm? During the day it's awesome, but come nightfall and we are in darkness. Sure we get some light from the florescent lighting among the stacks, but not at our desks where we are actually working. It's not so great either for today. It's 80 degrees outside and the A/C decided to stop working. So we are under a giant glass with the sun beaming down on us. Not fun. When patrons come up to ask us questions they immediately comment on the heat. Yea. Welcome to my world, bring your sunblock.

Wednesday, April 09, 2008

I confess, I love it!


One of the things I love most is when I find a new author that I love. It's such a wonderful feeling when you find a book that is so much fun to read that you must read everything this author has ever written. The second thing I love most is when I find out that the author has a lot of other books available!! This is what happened when I picked up Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella.

Confessions of a Shopaholic
by Sophie Kinsella was nothing like I expected. Her writing flows to where you can't put the book down. He characters are so charismatic and fun that you can totally relate to them or be their friends. I had previously seen her books on the Shopaholic series but the covers looked too "fluffly" and since I don't like to go shopping, these books did not seem like they were for me. But then my sister picked it for our book club and I was hooked!

Becky Bloomwood is a shopaholic who is slowing falling into debt while trying to prove herself as a financial journalist. Her life is tragic and funny at the same time and you can't help but root for her. I was frustrated with this book at first because I hate shopping and can't relate to her. But once you got to see all her adventures surviving in the world and trying to be taken seriously I couldn't help but wish that she does win the lottery and pay off her debt. Her friends and family are all unaware of her problem, but try and help her anyway.

This book was so much fun to read I could not put it down. So I'm happy to see that there are sequels: Shopaholic Takes Manhattan, Shopaholic Ties the Knot, Shopaholic and Sister, Shopaholic and Baby.
******************************************************************

Kinsella also has Can you keep a secret? which is a bad title for the book. But again, I could not put it down! This book is hilarious!! I literally had to put it down three times because I was laughing so hard, tears were rolling down my cheeks. I highly recommend this book to everyone.

Emma Corrigan is a struggling marketing associate who is inadvertently spills all her secrets to a stranger on a bumpy plane ride. She deals with these consequences throughout the book. I don't want to give anything away. All I have to say is pick it up!

Monday, April 07, 2008

Flyers that are not read

Things our patrons use our events flyers for rather than reading the information:


  1. Scratch paper

  2. Fanning themselves

  3. Practicing their parent's signatures

  4. Exchanging myspace addresses

  5. Making confetti

  6. Spitting out their gum

Saturday, March 29, 2008

Pride and Prejudice frenzy

Recently I discovered that I love Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. So I decided to re-read it. Then I found out that there are contemporary sequels. Here are those that I could get my hands on:

Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife by Linda Berdoll
(LOVE THIS BOOK!!)
This book took my breath away. It did exactly what I expected. It continued with Darcy and Elizabeth and how they lived happily at Pemberley. Berdoll keeps the characters true to how Austen had originally written them. I was pleasantly surprised to see some very passionate scenes that I know Austen would have not approved of, but thankfully those of us who wished for it, were granted this. I could not put it down. In addition to Darcy and Elizabeth's lives at Pemberley, the world around them changes and all of our favorite characters as well as a few new ones are included. I highly recommend you pick this book up if you would like to read more about these great characters.


Darcy and Elizabeth: Nights and Days at Pemberley by Linda Berdoll

This was a continuation of the first novel but was not very good. It did little to add any good information about their lives and referred too much to the first novel. I guess if you can't get enough of Berdoll's interpretation of these characters you should pick this book up, but I would have done fine without it.






Mr. Darcy's Diary by Amanda Grange
This is written as a daily account of Darcy's life beginning with his sister Giorgiana's almost elopement with Mr. Wickham. I was excited to read a book about Mr. Darcy's account of the events that took place but was not too happy as to how he was portrayed. He seemed to emotional and needy. The book is a written as a diary, but at the same time was giving direct quotes as a narrative. Mr. Darcy was too composed as a gentleman that he would not record in his daily diary with conversations verbatim. He would merely refer to them in passing (I assume). So it did not capture the essence that is Darcy. I didn't much like how the book didn't really explore Darcy's life and what he was doing when he was not at Longborn, Netherfield or Pemberley. It did not give more insight of what I already knew from the original novel. The ending was a bit too plain and not exciting at all. So I would pass over this book. It's not worth the read.

Darcy's Story by Janet Aylmer
This book also covers what Mr. Darcy thought and did during the events mentioned in P&P. What I liked about this one is that he was not the narrator. It explained more about the events that took place and how he came to the conclusions he did. His relationship with his sister is more thoroughly explored which adds to the mystery of how he spoke of Elizabeth to his relations of Giorgiana and his cousin Fitzwilliam, which is alluded to in P&P.








Pemberley by Emma Tennant
I did not care for this book at all. I couldn't get past the 2nd chapter. I was so bored with it because it took forever to get the story going. It concentrated more on other characters like Mrs. Bennett, Mrs. Hursts and not so much on Mr. & Mrs. Darcy.






Thursday, March 13, 2008

I've been seduced.


I am a big movie fan and watch classic movies till the cows come home. Mainly I watch TCM and all those listed on AFI top 100 lists. So in the process I've been meaning to watch The Graduate(1967) with Dustin Hoffman and finally got a chance to do it last week. It was pretty funny. You can feel the uselessness that Ben felt after graduating college.

What I could not handle was the endless music by Simon and Garfunkel. What the hell?! I like the song Mrs. Robinson but after watching this film I don't think I can ever listen to it again. Every time the film didn't have any dialogue Simon and Garfunkel chimed in. It was so annoying!! Stop it with your semi-hippie wanna be dreamlike songs. I couldn't handle it and fast-forwarded all those scenes. I knew when Ben was either lying about, walking or driving, those damned S&G songs will come on. So I suggest you watch it with your finger on the fast forward button. Other than that, the movie was good. I enjoyed the story and the characters. I loved Anne Bankcroft in that role. She owned Mrs. Robinson.

Monday, March 10, 2008

Gone with the Wind continues


Book Review


Rhett Butler's People by Donald McCaig was somewhat disappointing but helped remove the bad taste in my mouth from Alexandra Ripley's Scarlett. This book deals with Rhett Butler's life prior to coming to Georgia and meeting his Scarlett O'Hara. It covers his life in Charleston and the infamous dual that takes place which results in his being shunned from Charleston society and by his father. It's interesting to read about the back story but what I did not like was how McCaig concentrated too much on Rhett's sister Rosemary. Her character was too much like Scarlett in that she had a forbidden love while married and caused scandals by acting upon it. I'm sorry but antebellum Charleston society was way more strict with their ladies and Rosemary's actions were way out of character. I know he was trying to introduce more characters to make the book interesting but missing from the book was more historic detail. I did not like how he glazed over the scenes we are all too familiar with. For example, when Scarlett and Rhett first meet. We all know what happened from Scarlett's point of view but I was looking forward to more from Rhett's head other than, "Wow, she is like no one I have ever met". (no that is not a direct quote, but that was the gist of it.)


What I did love was the interactions between Rhett and Scarlett that he did cover in detail. Loved them! After getting bored with Rosemary and her endeavours I skipped over them right to where Rhett and Scarlett were mentioned. The conclusion of the book was most satisfying in that McCaig ignored Ripley's writings and made up his own conclusion as to how the love crossed pair of Rhett and Scarlett end up. So if you love this story of Gone with the Wind you must pick this book up. But I must warn you, you need to read the actual book of Gone with the Wind. If you only saw the movie then you will be confused.

Big Read

I'm so excited! After some hard work and a hectic schedule our library's Big Read, funded by the National Endowment for the Arts is going to happen. This weekend is our big kick off. So go here if you want to read up on it.

Book Review

Bless me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya is great coming of age story. It's full of folklore and magical realism that takes place in the Southwest.

I have to admit I only read it because of our Big Read, but it kinda grew on me. Pick it up and take a look for yourself.

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

The Lovely Bones;

By Alice Sebold is a very creepy book. I wasn't able to read it physically, so I listened to it. Sebold's writing is very descriptive and draws you in.


Susie Salmon, 14 year old girl, is murdered and we as readers experience her journey through heaven and viewing how her family copes with her death. It is very endearing how she describes her family and the life she lead in her small town. It makes you realize that this can happen anywhere. This creeps me out. I recommend this book because it expresses the human emotions that a family goes through during this tragedy.

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Best job ever!! (one of)

Read this article from U.S. News. Turns out "Librarian" is a great career to get into in 2008. Take that, you non-believers! I knew I picked the right one. :)

Ebooks

I have found Ebooks to be very annoying. What is the point of having to read the text on a screen and then maybe even print it out to read it. I prefer the real thing or audio books. But here is a guy that really describes the evilness of Ebooks.
The Top 9 Reasons Ebooks are Evil lists good points about Ebooks. Like did you know the "E" stands for Evil? True story. ;)

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

My reading evolution

While going over our collection and having to "weed" the fiction, I had a conversation with our lead reference librarian about authors we love and hold closely to our hearts. They make us re-read our favorite titles over and over. Judy Blume is definitely credited with getting me hooked on reading at the age of 11. The first book I read (I think) by her was Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing which led me to Superfudge which begat, Then again, Maybe I Won't. My reading progressed from there to the more daring Are you there God? It's me Margaret. My evolution of the reading taste moved onto V.C. Andrews. I don't remember how I got to reading her books, but after My Sweet Audrina I was hooked. I went on to Flowers in the Attic, Dawn, If there Be Thorns, and on and on until I read everything she had ever written at that time.

My library shelved V.C. Andrews books in the adult section so I was exposed to more sophisticated authors. Enter Danielle Steele. But before her I had a short stint into the Romance novel genre which I try to forget, but I admit it. I read them. But after I read one you read them all. So after I devoured all of Danielle Steele I found my favorite author of all time. Sidney Sheldon. I was awestruck with Master of the Game. If you have not read this book, go out and get it. NOW! Trust me. You wont' be able to put it down. Sheldon exposed me to openness of fiction and the lives of others, to the complexity of life and the cruelty that is man. I was able to engross myself in a world I had never known and was willing to read more.

From that point I knew I was a READER. I couldn't stop and I didn't want to. I found new authors and my tastes continued to grow. So I would like to credit Judy Blume for helping me find my reading gene. I still have fond memories of reading new books and finding a new author and reading everything they have ever written. My most recent author that I have fallen in love with is Nancy Martin's Blackbird Sister's murder mysteries.

So excuse me while I go pick up My Sweet Audrina I am craving some V.C. Andrews. Feel free and tell me what inspired you to read.

Monday, February 11, 2008

Fequently asked questions.

Q: How do I get a computer?
A: Well, what you do is, you go to the store and buy one.
(Actual question should have been: How can I reserve a computer? or; Can I reserve a computer here?)

Q: Do you work here?
A: No.
(Correct question should have been: Can you help me with...?)

Q: Computer?
A: Yes. Yes, it is. Thank you for asking.
(The question we were looking for: Can I reserve a computer? see above question.)

Q: The computer is asking for a code.
A: Yes, computers tend to do that. Good luck deciphering it.
(How about: Can you sign me into the computer so that I can use it please?)

Sounds like...?

Library Patron Etiquette:
"The" and "fiction" alone, are not useful tools in helping me, help you, find your book. This is sometimes less useful than you describing the actual physical appearance of the book. Don't get frustrated with me when you don't remember a title.

Friday, February 08, 2008

My worst day ever.

My day consisted of subordinates calling in sick, librarians switching shifts at the last minute, librarians coming in 2 hours late after their off-site meeting was over, scheduled tours that no one knew about, neighboring library asking for "coverage" from our staff, a power hungry colleague, a frantic assistant that makes things worse rather than assist, and to tie it all up a mysterious package arriving in a sealed box with no explanation for its arrival and possible threat.

Yup that was my day in a nutshell.

-_-...ARGH!!!!

Thursday, February 07, 2008

May I pick it up for you as well?

Patron Stories:
(Conversation over the phone)
Patron: Hi I would like to find out if you have movies.
Me: Yes we do. Which movie are you looking for?
P: That one movie with Johnny Depp, I need to know if you have it for me to check out. Do you have it at this library over here?
M: I can check. Do you know the title?
P: Yes, "Blow". B-l-o-w, with Johnny Depp. Do you have it over here at this library? Which branch are you?
M: We are located on 3rd and Atlantic. Which branch do you want it from?
P: The one over here at 3rd and Fairfax. Can you tell me if they have it?
M: I'm sorry but that's another system, let me check if they have it on their online catalog.
P: Do they have it?
M:I'm still searching. Do you know the name of the library? or the zip code where it's located?
P: No.
M: Ok, I found it. Yes, they have it. Would you like their phone number?
P:No. Can't you put it on hold for me?
M: I'm sorry I can't. They are on a different system. I can give you their number and they can put it on hold for you.
P: But you said you found it! Why can't you put it on hold.
M: I found it on their online catalog which you can access as well from your home computer or you can call them.
P: Whatever! click

You're WELCOME!!! -_-...

Wednesday, February 06, 2008

Stupid question of the day.

One patron asks another patron waiting in line, who clearly has ash on his forehead, "Is it ash Wednesday?"

(insert canned laughter here)

Saturday, February 02, 2008

Pet Peeve #9

Flip Flops in Winter:
It's cold, rainy and windy outside and you want to look cool by wearing flip flops. I can't stand it when people where flip flops in winter. Especially to a library where they squeak their way down the hall with their wet flip flops, showing their ashy skin. Put some lotion on for Christ's sake! Oh and please don't put on socks with your flip flops. Get some real shoes. What's wrong with you?! Jeesh!

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Working off some steam

Yesterday was a very hectic day and was very wound up on my way home. To help me relax I put on my favorites CD's and sing at the top of my lungs. I have a 45min - 1 hour commute so I usually go through most of the CD. Here are some of my favorites:

  1. Shakira Unplugged.
  2. Out of Exile, Audioslave
  3. The Dutchess, Fergie
  4. Skin and Bones, Foo Fighters Live at the Pantages
  5. Mezmerize, System of a Down.

What are your favorite albums/songs to let out some steam?

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Excuse me. Do you work here?

Library Patron stories:
(Me at the reference desk at 3:30pm)
Patron: Can I put my name down for the study room at 4pm.
Me: No, I'm sorry it's first come first serve. So you will have to come back at 4pm.
P: But I asked the girl and she said she will be done at 4pm.
M: You'll have to come back then to get it. You can't reserve it in advanced.
P: But she said I could.
M: Who did?
P: The girl in the room.
M: She doesn't work here. I do, and I'm telling you you can't.
P: Oh ok.

Good ole, library. Full of laughs.

Interesting Book Titles:
Because our books are bought through our central purchasing at headquarters, they send us lists of book we will be receiving. Reading the titles without really knowing what they are about is really funny. Join me won't you? Keep in mind these are non-fiction:



  • Shag A to Z: A Blab! Storybook
  • What Shamu Taught Me About Life, Love, and Marriage
  • Batter Up Wombat
  • Who Will Iron Out My Wrinklers

Sunday, January 27, 2008

What a great summer!!


Summer at Tiffany by Marjorie Hart is a great book. It's a true story about two young girls from Iowa who spend one summer in New York and land the job of their dreams at Tiffany. I love these real life stories and learning how people really lived in 1945 which include stories of their daily living, of what they wore, how they spent their money and war time rations. During that summer they were able to be part of some historical moments in American history. They attended the Eisenhower hero parade, accidental crashing of a war plane into the Empire State building and celebrated VJ DAy in Times Square. Not to mention dealing with important and famous customers who shopped at Tiffany.

What I enjoyed the most of this book is the naievete of the girls and how the author didn't try to hide it. Their upbringing was very vital in how they survived in the big city. This is something people don't undestand today.



Thursday, January 24, 2008

Hey that's mine!

Library Patron etiquette:
Please don't take paper from other printers. Come and ask me for it. The other computer user will get upset with you. Just come up and ask for it, I don't bite. Thank you. ( I have had patrons walk an extra 2 feet to another computer and take their paper rather than walk to the reference desk and ask me for it.)

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Guilty pleasures


Obsession, Deceit and Really Dark Chocolate by Kyra Davis is another great example of fun, witty mystery writing. This is the third in a series of books about Sophie Katz, novice sleuth. Through no fault of her own she gets mixed up in murders and has to solve them. With the help of her on again, off again love interest Anatoly, they are able to work together to solve mysteries.

The premise of the series is cutesy, but Davis' writing is very witty and entertaining. She made me laugh out loud on several occasions. But her storylines are getting a bit boring and are nicely knit at the end and you are left with a piece of the storyline for the upcoming book. Which is nice, but at the same time, she could stop making it seem like Sophie is accidental drawn into solving murders. After three consecutive murders happening to a close friend or family member, she should just team up with Anatoly already and start a private detective team. That way Davis doesn't have to think of new ways in which Sophie inadvertently finds herself solving a crime. Just a thought. But I love these books and can't wait for the next one.

Jane on PBS

TV News:
I have to admit I was a late bloomer when it came to Jane Austen. I didn't get into her books until I started my Graduate Studies. But now I am a fan. So I am very excited about PBS showing all her book adaptations. Here is a blurb from their website:

"Presented for the first time on US television, the classic season kicks off with The Complete Jane Austen, featuring adaptations of all six Austen novels and a new biopic of her life."

Check out the TV listings and times here.

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Kids!

Atonement (2007) starring Keira Knightly and James McAvoy.

This film was not what I had expected, it turned out to be a love story and tragic drama. Due to jealousy and misconstrued circumstances Robbie is sent to prison. The love affair placed on hold and his life will never be the same.
The film itself is very moving and the cinematography is breath taking. You can actually feel their emotions and the tones of the characters by the scenery behind them. I really recommend this film.

Saturday, January 19, 2008

Dizzy. Nauseous.

Cloverfield (2008)
Saw it and loved it. When I'm determined to see a movie, I avoid all the hype so that it won't ruin it for me. So if you are like that, keep reading.

The film is about how a group of friends try to survive a monster attack on Manhattan. I enjoyed it because it was filmed from their perspective. So you only know what they know. You are not in the president's office and know exactly what is happening and what the government is going to do about it, etc. I like films that give you the perspective of everyday people. The only downside is that the film was done like it was recorded using a camcorder. So you get very dizzy and nauseated. I had to keep my eyes closed for most of the film. But overall the film was good. But if you like films that have a nice and tidy ending, I don't recommend it.

Learning new words

New Word for the Day:
Fisicoculturismo
Spanish word meaning body building.

Just when I thought I could figure anything out from what people ask for, I get a curve ball. Initially I thought she wanted something to do with physical anatomy. But no, just muscles. You learn something new everyday. That is such a cool word and sounds fancy, not like body building in English. This sounds scientific.

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Pet Peeve #8

People who wait until the day before to get their material.

Why do people wait until the last minute to come and get their book, video, newspaper article, microfiche or research until the day before they need it? And it's not just students, we also get teachers who come in here and say:

1.Do you have To Kill a Mockingbird, I know why the caged bird sings, The Pearl, Angela's Ashes, Grapes of Wrath, etc.. ?(and any other school required reading that everyone else in your class came before you and took!!)
2.But you had tons of copies of it last time I was here you had it.
3.But I need it tomorrow!!!
4.Can't you check again?
5.Is there another library that has it. (Of course there isn't one nearby or they are 20 min away from closing).
6.Can you check to see if you have anything in the back? (What the?! We are not a retail store who receives a new shipment everyday and who are too lazy to put them out!!)
7. What I am supposed to do now?
8. Why don't you have them?
9. Um...(they remain standing infront of you. For a long time, I guess waiting for me to say, "Nah! Just kidding. Here it is!)

...and my most annoying favorite
10. This is ridiculous. Why don't you have the material I need? I need to speak to a manager. (continuous cursing and profanity being muttered under their breath.)

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Sorry for the inconvenience

Patron Story:
I just had an encounter with one of our regular complainers. This patron comes to the library regularly and always finds something to complain about. If it's not the computers it's the kids are too loud, or his book wasn't in or someone was talking to loudly. Today it had to do with the bathrooms. In his defense I agree with what his complaint was (our bathrooms being out of order and our staff didn't help direct him to a working facility), but the way he went about it is what really got to me. Instead of just stating the facts he demanded to see the supervisor. I am the only one available, so he grills me on my title. Then tells me that if we don't rectify the problem he will go to our Board of Supervisor and maybe even embarrass her in front of her counsel meeting and complain about our poor regard for our patrons. But like the professional that I am, I apologized profusely and assured him that we will try to accommodate our patrons and hope that he will not feel the need to take it so far. He is not a wacko who just threatens. He is a wacko who has followed through in the past and we have heard it from the top. We all know who he is and try to avoid him. But it was my turn today. Go figure.

Movie Review
"JUNO" is a great movie! I recommend everyone to go see this movie. The humor and feeling of it is very much like "Little Miss Sunshine". Nuff said.

Thursday, January 10, 2008

I. Am. Addicted.

I am addicted to blogs. Again. I had quit my habit about six months ago and actually being productive at work. But then I discovered this wonderful new thing called RSS feed and Google Reader. Wow! It's this cool new thing where you save all your favorite blogs with an RSS feed to your account. So instead of going to each individual blog to see if new entries have been added, you just sign into your account and see them all in one screen. I initially started collecting professional blogs dealing with libraries and librarianship. But then I found funny blogs dealing with libraries. From these blogs I found that they too have links to other blogs that are hilarious. So now I read blogs everyday with varied topics. It's awesome! I have been very disapointed when I see that a newly discovered blog does not have an RSS feed. "Natural/Artificial" I am looking in your direction! It's fun to read about other people's likes and book reviews.


News Stories
Speaking of great blogs, I am addicted to LISnews . They discuss an interesting article about a man who commited suicide in a library and how the patrons reacted. The event is a tragedy and I hope non of our patrons feel the need to end their lives. But the blog entry is interesting because it talks about how one patrons reacted to the event. Here is the blog and here is the news report about the event.

Wednesday, January 09, 2008

No, your children are not cute.

Pet Peeve #7: Thinking your child is so cute he/she can do whatever they want in the library.

Allowing your child to run in the library at top speed while you stand by and beam proudly, is not ok. I don't care if they just learned how to run. If you don't stop them I will. If you enjoy the little rantings, gurgling and general yapping coming from your child, don't assume everyone else does too. From where we stand it's just annoying and may lead to yelling. So stop that! Oh and we don't think it's cute when children yell, scream, cry or throw themselves on the floor because they don't want to leave the library. We don't take it as a compliment. Obviously your child does this everywhere you go and does not particularly apply to the abundance of books that makes them not want to leave. So drag them out if you have to because we don't want to hear it. Thank you.

Monday, January 07, 2008

Pet Peeve #6

College students who don't know how to use the catalog. Come on kids! We have made it easier for you. It's no longer a card catalog but actually searchable on a web based computer. You should be able to figure it out. I have had college students come to the reference desk with lists of books they want me to look up. Hence, they have the title, author, and date of publication. All the key ingredients to locate the books on their own. No, I will not hold your hand and look them up for you. You are in college go do it yourself!

Saturday, January 05, 2008

It's raining it's pouring..um not so much

Just when I thought we would be getting some much needed rain, it shows up to tease us, but then disappears. I was hoping to have a nice, rainy quiet Saturday at the Library but no such luck. It's only cloudy and not even below 60 degrees! So the library is packed. As a result it's swarming with demanding tutors who want to claim our study rooms as their own.



One of our newer picky tutors is here today. Not that I'm targeting her but she has a tendency of staying after closing time, forcing us to escort her out with her tutee and parents in tow. So I'm on the look out.



LOST

I'm so happy!!! Lost is coming back on ABC January 31, 2008 @ 8pm. I can't wait. I was afraid that due to the writer's strike they were going to push the premiere back. But no, it's almost here!! Here is a quick synopsis to catch you up.

Wednesday, January 02, 2008

Reviews


Book Review:

Passion, betrayal and killer highlights by Kyra Davis was another entertaining book. It's pretty much the same as her previous novel. Most of her characters are fun to read about, but Sophie's sister Leah is tremendously annoying. I just feel like ripping her hair out whenever she speaks. Sophie appears to be a bit of a push over when it comes to her friends and family. It would be a better book if it didn't have so much Leah in it.


Movie Review:

Dr. Shivago is a very overrated movie. I finally forced myself to watch it and i seriously had to force myself to finish it. I think the main problem I have with it is the women's hair. it's hard for me to get into a historical romance taking place during the Russian Revolution when all the women have modern 1960's puffy hair. I received my BA in history and know for a fact that the women of the Bolshevik revolution did not have hair dressers to ensure that coif. Apart from the hair, the characters were not like able at all. Zhivago himself seemed needy and always trying to find himself. his demeanor was also played out like the 1960's hippy trying to finding meaning in life. Everyone raves about it being a great love story, but I just couldn't stand it. He was just a selfish and self serving.