STOP FORWARDING!!!!

Forwarded emails irk me!! I have this old co-worker whose only form of communicating with people is by forwarding stupid jokes, chain mails and pictures of fat naked women. I HATE THAT!!! I never read her emails and have deleted her from my address book hoping that she will get filtered out. She gets sent to my junk mail but I still get them. Then not only do I get it from her but she sends them to another old co-worker who later sends me the same email again!! I have no problem deleting them w/out reading them, but what I really hate is that they don't even have the courtesy to BCC everyone instead of having all the people they forward it to see everybody else's email. I don't know her friends, so I don't want them having my email address. It's no surprise I get a lot of junk mail. Ok, so I have told her "Stop sending me this crap!!!" But still does. Can anybody help?

Book vs. Movie

In my experience all books that have been made into movies are generally better than the movie production. There is one exception, Devil's Advocate the movie was way better than the book. But yesterday I went to see The Nanny Diary and it sucked. They changed so many aspects of the book that were critical to the story and what the author intended to convey. Three main things were changed that I think made the movie bad. 1) Nanny was raised by her single, bitter mother who wanted her strive for excellence. This ruined it because in the book Nanny has to deal with her close family who she goes to for advice and encouragement. Her role model is her grandmother who supports her in her decisions but also makes her think why she takes on nanny positions. 2) In the movie they make it seem like she came upon becoming a nanny by accident. In the book she has had years experience with being a nanny and uses all her past experiences on know how to deal with Grayden and the X's. Being a Nanny is how she worked while going through college. 3) Her school status. One of the main conflicts of the book is the fact that she is in her senior year at NYU and while she has to deal with the control freak, boss from hell Mrs. X she also has to finish her senior thesis on time. This element of the book would have made the movie more interesting. At the end of the book the Mrs. X's of the Upper East Side are summarized as a force to be reckoned with and the cycle of nannies continue. So all in all, I don't recommend this movie. The book wasn't all that as it is, but the movie was worse.

How to talk to a widower

by Jonathan Topper was a very sad book. Because of the death of his wife, Doug has to learn how to deal with his stepson and moving on. There were times in the book where I really wanted to cry. Just the fact of how much he loved his wife and how quickly she was taken from him was the sad part. Once he started dealing with real life it became humorous. His family and friends were wacky that you had to laugh out loud. I recommend this book.

My Day

This was my day of questions in a 4 hour reference day:
Can I Pre order new releases advertised on our poster.
Computer reservation.
Where’s computer 8?
Is there a computer class here today?
Is your catalog working?
Can I reserve a PC?
Can I have more paper?
Can I get a computer?
Can I get a library card?
Where can I get the new releases?
I ordered 300 a month ago and haven’t received it.
Why is myspace blocked?
Can I make a PC reservation?
The computer won’t let me log in.
Can I reserve a computer?
Can I place a movie on hold?
Reserve a computer.
Reserve a computer.
Reserve a computer.
Where can I make copies?
Can I have paper for computer?
Can I reserve a computer?
Can I reserve a computer?
I’m looking for this book that I had checked out before and I don’t see it anymore. It was in row 8.
Can you print directions for me?
Can I get a computer?
Can I get a computer?
Can I get a computer?
can I get a computer?
Can I get a computer?
Can I get a computer?
Can I get a computer?
Can I get a computer?
Is that computer taken?
Where are your plays?
Can I get a computer?
Can I get a computer?
“”
“”
Where are your books on neurology?
Can I get my ID back?
Can I get a computer?
Can I get a computer?
"Hey kid! Don’t ride your scooter in here."
"Sorry, there can only be one person per computer."(x10)
"Please turn off your cell phone. "(x10)
Can I use the computer if I owe $15?
Can I use the computer if I don’t have my computer card?
I need an article published in the newspaper the date my son was born.
I need to find an article in the LA times that has to do with Patagonia and was printed a couple of months ago.
Can I get a computer?
Can I drop off a book I checked out from Montebello here?
Which computer was it I reserved?
Where is it?

Who's ready for autumn?!

I AM!!! I am so tired of the 100 degree weather. I'm tired of dressing cool to get to work and then putting on a sweater to deal with the AC. I crave scarfs, sweaters, boots and coats, the cool wind blowing in my hair and fresh smell of rain. Autumn, hurry up and get here!!

Austenland

With a book dedication like this I could not resist this book:

"For Collin Firth

You're a really great guy, but I'm married, so I think we should just be friends."

Austenland by Shannon Hale was very entertaining and funny. Like the main character Jane I too love the BBC version of Pride and Prejudice and fell in love with Collin Firth because of it. The writing of this novel was very similar to that of Jane Austen which made it more interesting to read. Though I have not read all of Miss Austen's books, the book is an easy read.

Jane, a graphic design artist is obsessed with finding her Mr. Darcy and in the process has gone through several relations that have scarred her for life. Her great-(rich)aunt leaves her an unusual gift in her last Will and Testament which takes Jane to a surreal Austenland. I know there are many of you Austen lovers out there, so I recommend this book to you. You will not regret it.

My Patrons

I have regular patrons that annoy me so much that I gave them a nickname. The first is Twiddle Dee and Twiddle Dum. They are a married couple that always come in and cause trouble. I have been yelled at by them at least once since I've been working here with their irrational demands and complaints. They complete each other because they cannot comprehend how the world doesn't revolve around them.

The next couple is Heckle & Jeckle. They are a pair of "Emo" friends that always come in with their loud iPods, and snotty attitude. They gather at a computer with other friends and cause a raucous. They have a wanna be mohawk and tight jeans . They are rude and obnoxious when approached about their loudness and continue to ignore the rules of the library.

Then there's Uncle Fester and Igor this is another married couple that come in and think they own the place. After being yelled at by Fester they no longer come and ask questions at the desk when I'm here. I think he is embarassed about how he made an ass of himself.

So those are my patrons. Ahh! The joy of librarianship.

Oh Manny, Manny, Manny

The Manny by Holly Peterson was "eh!". It was too unrealistic and boring. The book is about a working mom who in an effort to help her 9 year old son deal with his absent father, who is always working, she hires a male nanny = A Manny. Throughout the book Peterson touches on Jamie's marriage and how it is falling apart. So you pretty much know where this story goes.

I think this is more of a fairytale. If you work hard and raise wonderful children, you can hire a great father figure for your children and fall in love giving you the strength to leave your dead marriage and the man who doesn't respect you. BORING!! The writing was long and drawn out where she didn't get to the point. Especially the parts about Jamie's career changing job. I was just not buying it. So, I don't really recommend this book.

Dreaming in Cuban

Dreaming in Cuban by Christina Garcia was a very good novel about a family and how they coped after the Revolution. Story jumps from the different points of view of the family members through three generations. After Castro takes over Cuba, the del Pino family is split between following El Lider or have Cuba the way it used to be. The eldest daughter leaves with her family to the USA and her father later follows. The remaining members of the family, Abuela Celia, Felicia and her three children experience the hardships of rations and censorship.

I really enjoyed this book because the author did a great job of portraying the passion between the two sides of the Revolution in one family. I really rooted for each character and their individual feelings. One thing that really stood out to me is how miserable the lives of all the female characters were. With no exception, they were all unhappily married, crazy, dealing with cheating husbands, abuse, self loathing, deranged mother's in law, lost loves, abandonment issues and paranoia. It makes me think that the author went out of her way to ensure that the reader knew how much a Cuban woman suffers. But it was fascinating to read about their experiences. I recommend this book to anyone. It's not as filled with "spiritual symbolism" and the like, like Sandra Cisneros or Isabel Allende and I think that is why I liked it.

Patron Stories

I was told I "ROCK" today. Yes, that's right. I ROCK! I think that is the best compliment I have received since I became a librarian. I always post the ridiculousness of my patrons but today I wanted to give me a pat on the back. I had a patron that could not print out a document from his thumb drive. I thought it was because we don't have the program that he used to create it. But he insisted that he created in Word. He was so baffled and confused that he brought out his laptop and I walked him through it. Of course the problem was that he created it in with the new Vista Word program. Yea. If you save it with the Vista program these older computers (i.e. those created before 2007) cannot read the file. How convenient for Microsoft. So I figured out how to save it as a Word 1997-2003 document. He was able to save it to his thumb drive and we were able to print it. TA DA!!! And that is why I ROCK.

Ok, this rant is back to my discussion of "Family Place" libraries. Our library has been set up with the idea that if we bring toys to the library it will encourage young families to come and read while their little ones play. So kids of all ages come play, be loud, run and yell in the library. And we are not allowed to say anything because it's a "Family Place". Our superiors have given us research to help us understand why they do this. They claim that once children go on to Middle and High School they lose interest in the library because they no longer have the same attention lavished on them when they were kids through storytime, summer reading programs and games. Well duh! How about instead of creating more areas of play for kids, we fund more programs for adults and young adults? Of course kids are going to lose interest in something that has lost interest in them once they are adults? It's like having your first 4 years of grammar school be filled with nothing but games, puppies and prizes. Then when you hit middle school, BAM! You are expected to sit still for long periods of time just listening to someone lecture. There would be more school drop outs if that was the case.

I'm just saying, I don't agree with the whole "Family Place" concept of a way to keep children interested in the library once they become adults.

Two books I finished reading just because.

Free Food for Millionaires by Min Jin Lee and Flip Flopped by Jill Smolinski are two books I struggled with in order to finish them. First off, Free Food was too long. There was no point in having all that detail about so many characters. The main character, Casey, is a Korean girl newly graduated from Princeton. She attended with a full scholarship and now has to deal with the real world and due to her poor background she doesn't have the same privileges her rich classmates have. I was fascinated by this story because I always wondered how people adjusted to that kind of life. The idea of coming from a poor family and background and then being sent to an Ivy League school where you know everyone is richer than you is something I always wondered about. I knew of classmates who went on to Ivy League schools and never knew what happened after that, so I've always wondered.

Casey has a difficult time adjusting to being on her own in New York after her father kicks her out for acting superior. She goes through several relationships and deals with her mentor's overbearing need to help her. I got bored through the middle of this book, but I had to finish it. I just couldn't let it go.

Flip Flopped was a fun read. The main character (I can't even remember her name) was funny and made you cheer for her. Th title of this book was right on to described her state of mind. She flip-flopped from one extreme to the other when it came to her life. After having caught her husband cheating on her, she is trying to go through divorce proceedings, but she has second thoughts all through the book. I really hated Kam (I remember his name, darn it!) because I don't care how the island people of Hawaii are, he was just lazy and irresponsible and I refuse to believe that a whole group of people are like that. I mainly finished the book, though I lost interest in it half way through, was because I wanted to make sure she stuck it to him in the end with the divorce. It was very anti-climactic, so I was not too happy with it.