Librarians really are super heroes...

So, I am reading a book that my father gave me called Murder at the Library of Congress by Margaret Truman and I realized something... there are a lot of librarian heroines out there. Or books taking place in or about libraries. Charlaine Harris has a series about a librarian named Aurora Teagarden. I have read others that I thought of the other day, but now as I right I cannot recall them. :-(

There are even novels about archivists! The Archivist by Martha Cooley and The Archivist's Story by Travis Holland. They have recently been added to my Summer Reading List.

And of course the Noah Wile Librarian movies! And who wouldn't want THAT job?! [Admittedly, not books, but who's counting!] ;-)

I am interested in reading more fiction about librarians or libraries. Any suggestions?

It won't be long now... any day.

I have a whole new stack of shiny books. New ones! All mine! Bwhahahaha!!!!!! In other words, my carefully plotted out attack on the exhibit hall at ALA was a complete success. I acquired the vast majority of the books that were on my want list, and even found some others-like one written by a neighbor of mine in upstate NY. I had no idea.

The top moment, however, was when I went to get Mitali Perkin's newest book autographed by her, and she remembered me from three years ago when ALA was last in DC. She complimented me on my fine attempt at bhangra dancing.

And today, I begged my co-worker to pick me up a copy of Ally Carter's newest Gallagher Girl novel, Only the Good Spy Young so I won't have to wait until after August to read it. (I had to work today, that's why I couldn't pick it up myself.) Now I feel very much like another co-worker who wanted nothing more than to take off and read Sizzling Sixteen. Maybe I will just do that!

Random scribbles.

I think I might have mentioned my participation in the 48 hour book reading challenge here, but I don't remember if I told you what my winnings were. It was a 50 book multicultural library collection to donate to an elementary school's library of my choice thanks to Reading is Fundamental. Pretty sweet, right? All those books and I don't have to put them on my own shelves. I call that a win-win situation. I donated them to my old elementary school's library. I think that was the best choice because they didn't seem to own most of the books. I'm glad that through my own stupidity and will power I was able to help so many. Or so I will think til the end of my days.

I was recently approached with the offer to move into a house with four other girls. I have thought long and hard about whether the move would be good for me. Certainly, it has financial benefits, but, I've been on my own for seven years now, and it really seems silly to move back into living with other people when I don't have to. And, just a little bit ago, I saw a friend's name on my email contact list and I just remember her saying how lovely it was to finally have a place of one's own, however small or humble it is, and I knew that there was no way that I could move. Not unless it was absolutely necessary.

I am getting ready for ALA this weekend. I'm not sure how many of you are able to attend. I'm only able to attend the exhibits portion of the conference, but, that's where are the best bits are. I'm so excited that I'm going to be able to meet one of my favorite YA authors, Jessica Day George. Or at least the attempt will be made. She is autographing books there on Sunday morning. Needless to say, I am doing weight training in order to be able to lift all the books I want to make off with. I've made a list. And it includes the exhibitors booth numbers in addition to the books that I am most longing to find at ALA as ARCs. A girl can dream, right? Except "dreams are meant to be crushed, it's nature's way." Hopefully, I will have excellent news to bring you next week.

But first, I have to get through two book discussions this week. The first, tomorrow, is on The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society followed by The Hunger Games on Wednesday. I'm currently re-reading The Hunger Games and ought to get back to that immediately!

Are We Meant for One?

Lately I've been reading some articles that show that mankind is not meant to be with only one person. That monogamous relationships are simply against our DNA. Now my Victorian counterpart completely agreed with this concept. She actually lived with her husband and his mistress and raised their children as her own.

I however do not think I could do this. I like the idea of one man one love one heart and whatever whatever U2 had to say. But it is an interesting question. I know a couple who have been together since they were 13 and they are now 30. Being together for 17 years by the time your thirty seems like a major commitment and let's face it, it's a longer commitment that I've put forth. My longest relationship is five years, but as I look back on it, it wasn't much of a relationship. I tend to go for long distance in relationships because the reality is, I don't want to have to change too much of my day to day life to make room for someone else.

And maybe that's the kicker with why mankind isn't the best at keeping a relationship with one person. We're too selfish. Living and loving someone else for the long term takes quite a bit and it requires lots of compromise and letting the other person win and that means you have to be the loser. Maybe we aren't conditioned for that. I don't think I'm conditioned for that....at least not right now. And when you think of adding kids into the equation it just becomes more convoluted.

So are we really meant for one person? Is there really one person out there who will complete us? Who when they win between the two of us it doesn't feel like a loss of us, but a win for our team? It's a tough call. Maybe I'm bitter and jaded which is completely possible. My last relationship couldn't remain faithful and now I look at all men as the enemy because I don't think they can be faithful either.

But I hope I'm wrong. Secretly I hope I do find the one...the one who I want to change my life for and hopefully he'll feel the same way about me.

Will it ever happen? Who knows. From experience I don't think men like bitter women. Maybe I need a change of pace. Maybe I need a change of scenery. But I do hope the one is out there even though everything tells me that the one will never be faithful.

GOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay, it's true. I, Jane Austen, have World Cup fever much like the rest of the world. The only difference? I actually care about soccer every year and not just every four years.

I will openly admit to getting a little cranky over people who are all "USA USA USA" when they don't support the team any other time. Drives me a little bonkers. Either you support them all the time or you just let it go. Don't constantly update your facebook status to show how happy you are that they got a goal....it was a lousy goal. It really was. Probably the easiest goal ever scored in World Cup history.

Secretly or not so secretly I'm a fan of the Dutch and I believe this is their year to win a World Cup. I'm not the only one who thinks this. The Danes believe in the Dutch so much they scored a goal for them when the two teams met. Now that's commitment.

So far we've seen some interesting things in the Cup. Like the South African goalie getting sent off by red card. It's only the second time that has ever happened. The first time being Italy and years ago. I don't really know if it was that dangerous. Perhaps he just deserved a yellow. But that's all part of the game....the ref really sets the tune and no it isn't to one of those annoying vuvuzellas or however they're spelled. (Spell check thought I was trying to type umbrellas...ha!)

So are you watching the World Cup? It is the Dutch's year? Or do you see someone else winning? What was the most exciting bit for you so far?

Comfort books and gift cards

Whenever I am feeling unsettled and out-of-control, I always turn to my books. And the best of those comforting books are books about books. One of my favorites is The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester. The fantastic story of the humble beginnings of the Oxford English Dictionary. What more can you ask for... a book about a book that happens to be a dictionary... and not just a dictionary... the best dictionary in the history of dictionaries. If I had the money to collect something I would start searching out history's best dictionaries. Some of the first would be prized possessions. Maybe I will start anyway, by the time I find something good maybe I will have the money to buy it!

The one I just finished is part of a series by John Dunning called The Sign of the Book. The protagonist, Cliff Janeway, is an ex-cop turned book dealer. This one was good, but not quite as good as the first one I read, The Bookman's Promise. Definitely a series worth a read, though.

What books about books do you enjoy reading? Have a favorite? I am always looking for something new to read!

On that note, I have to admit something that I am almost ashamed of. I have a Barnes and Noble gift card that was given to me in March. Yes, that is right, March. I just have not been able to decide what to get with it. Do not get me wrong, I am never short of books I want. I have a long wish list at Amazon. I just have not been able to decide on what to get now. And now, I have half of another B&N gift card. (Yes, I said half. Sort of a long story, but the short of it is that my colleague/office mate/friend and I won it at Science Boot Camp for being the newest to science librarianship. We both started on 2 November 2009.) So, what do I purchase? I am open to suggestions! Once I start searching I find too many books for my gift card!

So, why am I resorting to my standard comfort books, you might ask? June is disappearing and I have LOTS of work to do by July. My car is acting up and I am hoping it is not fatal. I desperately want to email a couple of professors about doing a PhD with them, but have not figured out how to say it. It is easier to hide in a book than to sit down and WRITE AN EMAIL! Maybe since my car is acting up and I cannot go to Pagosa Springs like I had planned I will get the gumption and just write!

Encouragement is welcomed and appreciated!

Maybe I'll send a fax today.

I can't believe I missed last week! Actually, I pretty much missed an entire week online last week because my parents were visiting and they commandeered my internet for their own use. I guess they were storing up for the summer because where they are going, there is no internet. Dreadful thoughts, right? Actually, I kind of enjoyed my break. And the two days before they came, I was sucked into reading for 48 hour straight. No sleeping. No showers. Nothing. Just me and sixteen books. It was quite refreshing getting through a good portion of my "To Be Read" pile.

Did I mention that I won? Or at least, I tied for first place. For the second year in a row. Not to bad, eh?

I also had my dance recital this weekend. In some ways I am sad to see the end of it, but, it is nice to get my summer evenings back to myself. And, I will see most everyone I know from class again next year. Besides, there is always Facebook.

This weekend my friend visited me and I forced her (and myself) to watch a video of a French musical. We like to call them BFMs, or "Big French Musicals". These are the huge shows that play in very large theatres in France, like the Palais des Congrès de Paris. The show we watched was called "Cindy Cendrillon 2002 and it was one hot mess. Cindy (our heroine) lives with her evil stepmother (a former disco queen), and two step-sisters (one who wants to break free from the wall of man-flesh that surrounds her). Her father (a pilot) died in a crash and she never knew her mother (she was a one-night stand in Cuba). And then there is Ricky, a singer who likes to dance the jig, his sometimes girlfriend Judy (a model), and his agent. Throw in a fairy godfather/dressmaker and you have the show. Well, you have mix in a generous dash of WTF. Because Cindy knows how to dance the jig just how Ricky likes. But Cindy wants Ricky to take her to the stars like her father promised her. Basically, nobody knows what they really want.

Ok, there are so many plot lines in this show it isn't even funny. Well, bits of it are. Thank goodness this video had subtitles so we could enjoy Judy's song after her break-up with Ricky (and just before her death) all about how she is going to fax a single word to Ricky. That word? "Bastard". Or, as the song is aptly entitled "Salaud".



I have a terrible temptation now just to go fax the word "Bastard" to someone. Just because.

So, now you know a guilty pleasure of mine. BFMs. Should I be embarrassed? It can't be any worse than liking Zorro: The Musical. Heck, I even have a fish named Zorro in honor of that show!

Emotinal Scar Tissue

Life is full of scars and scar tissue. The only kicked is unlike most physical injuries emotional scar tissue can't really be seen by the human eye. So what do we do about emotional baggage? About those scars that no one can see, but what make us who we are today?

I will openly admit to having quite a bit of emotional scar tissue. It's hard for someone to not have it. It's even harder for people to open up and admit why they have that emotional scar tissue.

One thing that I love about Liza Palmer's books is that her heroines are flawed. They each have some major emotional scar tissue each for her own reasons and it's that scar tissue that makes them more human. How many books can a person read about a woman who is thin with perfect hair and a fun job, but with not enough money to buy designer shoes and no one on the boyfriend front?

That's why I'm a fan of smart chick lit, but not a fan of the term chick lit. It's sort of like the term romance. You say something is a romance and instantly people think it's bodice ripping trash, but it's not. I've read some romance novels where no sex took place. And I must admit that reading historical romance really makes your vocabulary grow. Don't believe me? Try it and you'll be running to your dictionary to look up words. I remember once trying to explain to my boss, an older man near retirement age who worked at an academic library, what chick lit actually was. I said that it was a genre of books that were for women about women dealing with women's issues. His response was "Oh, so soft core porn."

No, it's way more than that although sometimes I guess that could be true.

But I like my heroines to be a little damaged like I'm a little damaged. I like to see a little emotional scar tissue because it's real and want it or not we all have it. So Liza Palmer is one of my favorite authors because of that. Monica McInerney does a really good job of damaged heroines as well.

Who are some of your favorite damaged heroines? Favorite authors who write smart chick lit?

Go east young woman...

I spent the day making my way east to Massachusetts. Two delays, a brisk job through Baltimore's airport, sitting between two women with gallons of perfume on, and a woman who thought it was a good idea to polish her nails on an airplane (can we say confined space with recycled air?)... we made it!

Why the trip to MA, you ask? Science Boot Camp for Librarians! I am really excited. Should be a lot of fun, and I want to share it with friends who will appreciate it! I told a teacher friend about coming and she was not impressed or interested. Which is fine. Not everybody loves what I do as much as I do and I understand that. Hopefully, I will try to post updates as the next few days go by so you all can share in the fun world of eScience! And it will make up for the short post today.

Better hit the hay! A two hour time change sure makes a difference...

So Late From Friday

So it's so past my date, but I'm joining with Charlotte, who I'm sure won't mind:
This is something I wrote when I was nineteen. I wish I was still this smart and brave:
Things

There comes a time in every life when we realize what is important and what is trivial
We learn that some truths are lies and no one can go it all alone
It seems to be that when you have no idea where you are going, you always end up in the exact right spot
It helps to turn to others for a helping hand
When you realize that these are the things you need: life, love, happiness, a sense of being, knowing who you are, and being comfortable with yourself
That’s life at its fullest
There are so many ways one can accomplish these things and yet they cannot be written down –
For if they are then the secret to happiness will be forever lost
Think back to a favorite moment from your childhood…
Do you see yourself standing there with a laughing smile on your face and large inquiring innocent eyes staring back at you?
What happened to that smile? That laugh? That innocence?
Regardless of what you may think, they’re still with you –
You only need to release them
And yet that feeling of insecurity that only grows larger with age and so called wisdom keep pushing you farther into confusion
There is a time in your life when you must do what you know to be the best choice for you…
There is a time in your life when you will make the wrong decision, but things will still work out for the best…
There is a time in your life when you will get hurt badly and yet you’ll grow from the experience and the pain…
There is a time in your life when nothing seems to go your way, but you’ll be happy anyway…
There is a time in your life when happiness will never leave your side and you’ll know the joy of being alive…
There is a time in your life when death will take over, but you will accept it with the grace and beauty of a woman…
There is a time in your life when you will just want to be held and those strong arms that have always been there for you, will be there once again…
There is a time in your life when you’ll sound just like your mother and you’ll laugh as you finally realize how she felt…
There is a time in your life when you’ll lose your way, but God will be there to help you…
There is a time in your life when confusion will take over, but you’ll gain control before anything bad happens…
There is a time in your life when you must accept defeat and you will do so like and with the sophistication of an adult not the insecurity of a child…
There is a time in your life when you will feel like you’re losing yourself, but your friends will be there to help you…
There is a time in your life for everything
All we can do is hold our heads high and wait for what destiny has in store for us –
We should not wish to become adults or try desperately to regain our childhood…
We must accept the life we were given and simply be thankful for it;
We must respect not only ourselves, but others and learn from mistakes we make and remember to laugh in the face of depression…
We are all beautiful creatures, but we must remember our own fragility…
Friends are the key to making it through life –
Treasure every moment and take the words “what if I had…” out of your vocabulary
For they are not important
They only hold you back from experiencing today –
Live then with the knowledge that you make your own happiness for our lives are our own; we only need to shape them as we want to live and decorate ourselves in ways we want to be remembered –
For in this play we sometimes call life there are no bit or small parts and everyone gets their name mentioned at one time or another.

Do you have a favorite poem? I normally don't admit to writing this one.

Thoughts on Kindness

I have been reading an amazing Carla Kelly book called "The Surgeon's Lady" and I can't help but want a Philemon Brittle (the hero) for myself. He brings something to the table that I and Laura Taunton (the heroine)lack in our lives and that is kindness.

It has been a long time since someone has told me "You look nice today." Or asked me if I was okay. It has been a long time since I have actually been noticed. I come to work and do what I'm supposed to do and that's the kicker of my job. If I do my job well then you really don't know that I'm there.

I feel like I'm disappearing that people can't see me anymore. It's a hard feeling to live with. I'm just fading away into the background. And really that means that I'm great at my job, but it's not so great for life is it?

It would be nice to receive e-mails or phone calls for no other purpose than to say "hey I thought of you today and wanted to talk to you."

I wonder if the problem is that we are so logged in. We communicate by e-mail and by text messages and Facebook statuses. We no longer value human contact. It's something that I am beginning to miss. I wish we would start to value human contact more. It makes us more human.

Philemon Brittle, who is a surgeon, gets that you can't just heal the body that you have to heal the mind and the spirit too. I think that these days we forget about the mind and the spirit. I would kill for someone to have intelligent conversations with. I really want someone to agree with me that Noah Charney is an idiot and that just by saying art theft is bad because it feeds organized crime is not good enough academic discourse. It's like saying "something evil makes people destroy culture." Well you're right it does, but does that really answer the burning question of why? But I have no one to talk to this about.

It's all about kindness and I think this world is lacking it. So if there is anyone out there that is missing the kindness of everyday human contact I have this to say to you:

"Wow! You look really nice today. Is that a new top?"
and
"How are you doing? Do you need to talk? Because I'm here and I'll listen."

After the Memorial

I hope everybody had a wonderful Memorial Day and spent time thinking about their favorite soldiers – past, present, and future. I know Charlotte did! :-) A salute to my cousin serving in Afghanistan. Looking forward to seeing you home safe.

So, what happens after Memorial Day? Today is 1 June 2010. In order to take my mind off other woes, I decided to see if anything interesting happened on this day. This is what I found...

193 – Roman Emperor Didius Julianus assasinated

1533 – Ann Boleyn crowned Queen of England

1779 – General Benedict Arnold court-martialed for malfeasance

1812 – President James Madison asks Congress to declare war on the UK - thus beginning the War of 1812

1831 – James Clark Ross discovers the North Magnetic Pole

1857 – Baudelaire's Fleurs du mal published

1869 – Thomas Edison patents his electric voting machine (and look how good that turned out for us!)

1890 – Census Bureau starts using Herman Hollerith's tabulating machine to count census returns (think they are still using it this year?!)

1910 – Robert Falcon Scott's South Pole expedition leaves England

1935 – First driving tests introduced in the UK

And last but not least...

1974 – The Heimlich Maneuver is published in the journal Emergency Medicine

So I cannot decide if I should feel proud or old that I am just a couple of months older than the Heimlich! It always amazes me when I think about just how recently some of our simple modern ideas about emergency medicine are. We have come so far so quickly in some ways. The modern ambulance started out as the funeral home using the hearse to carry patients to the hospital when necessary – no care or treatment given. Now look how much paramedics can do to help save lives in emergencies. Unfortunately, it is yet another profession, like that of teachers and (dare I say it?) librarians, where the pay does not reflect the ability, the effort, the care...

So what was your favorite event of 1 June?

I learned some new things today. Did you?