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.