Cars, jobs, and books...

Okay, okay, so I am a bad blogger! I never claimed to be otherwise. And, if Dorothy Parker cannot be a little unpredictable and irresponsible then what is this world coming to?! Let's just say I lost track of time at the Algonquin...

Really, life is just unpredictable. Just when you think things are going smoothly and you can relax for a while, well, your car dies! And I really loved my car! It is (was?) a 1996 Pontiac Sunfire. No power locks, no power windows, no little remote for unlocking doors or opening trunks. The air conditioning had given out a few years ago and the trunk was slightly smushed, hence no need for a trunk popper as I rarely opened the trunk since it had become a bit finicky about closing again! But I loved it. It was comfortable! You know that old couch which has formed to your body and is just the right size and shape for you so you feel like you are being hugged? THAT was my Sunfire.

Last week it died.

At least it waited until I got converted to a real job from my Graduate Research Assistant position, and moved into my new house (rented, not bought). So I know I will be employed long enough to pay for a new car. Hopefully. (And I use the term "new" loosely!)

So, I am actually very excited about my new car. It is a 2009 Mazda 3. The sedan, not the hatchback. It has LOTS of buttons and "power" things for me to play with! And this week-end I am going to drive it up to Denver to test it out! (Really, I was already supposed to go to Denver, since we have the concert tickets!) It is going to be a blast! And I can try out my new headlights (I think they are the nice Xenon ones!)

And if that were not enough, I get to see an old friend and go to Red Rocks Amphitheater to see Yonder Mountain String Band and Leftover Salmon! Woo hooo!

On to other matters... my librarian position is going to continue for at least 3 more years. Which is great news, I know, I know. BUT. I have been feeling ambivalent about it. I miss archives. It would be great to move into the archives "here," but I know their budget is even less than the library's so the chances of a position opening are slim to none. But a girl can hope. And I have been in touch with the "historian" so maybe he will think of me if something does open. And there are other groups which could have something open eventually.

Don't get me wrong. I do like my job. And most days I really like working here and doing what I do. But some days I just really miss archives. And preservation.

Enough moping! I am done with moping! I recently read Mennonite in a Little Black Dress and highly recommend it. I think any woman can relate to it, even if you do not have a history with Mennonites. I loved her relationship with her sister! And her mid-life rethinking about her life. What woman cannot relate to that? Okay, perhaps some of you are still a bit young to be thinking that way, but trust me. It will come. So read and enjoy! She even includes a few recipes of dishes she has mentioned in the book (the recipes are in the "additional resources" part so make sure you get that edition). I have to try her hot potato salad and see how it compares with my grandma's recipe!

In closing, I will try to do better. Though I might have to switch to Wednesdays for a while...

I have missed the Fourmiddables and promise not to stray so long next time...

And We're Walking

When I was in the UK for the first time I did this thing my friends loved. I played tour guide. "And we're walking..we're walking and we're stopping". And I find myself doing that now only there's a difference....instead of stopping to point out some great historical point of interest. Instead I'm stopping to pee...well I'm not peeing, but the two dogs I'm walking with are. I always say to them, to no avail, this is a walk not a pee. But they never understand. They don't listen they just want to pee pee pee.

I like to walk. I like to put on my MP3 player and just tune out the world. But I like to walk my dog. I just don't like to stop so much for peeing.

Although maybe I should be worrying about stopping since I'm walking to get myself ready for a possible UK adventure. Please pray for my dad whose health depends on whether or not I get to go.

So we're walking, we're walking and we're walking.

Burning Books

Recently I have reading about the destruction of one thing that I can never understand the destruction of and this is libraries. It's not as if destroying libraries is a new concept. It has been around since libraries have been around, but my question is why?

I understand that some people destroyed libraries not to destroy them, but to take the knowledge of one civilization to another perhaps greater or at least greater in the fact that they conquered one culture they stole books from. So why? Why would people destroy libraries in modern day? And it has happened even as recently as the second Iraq War.

Is it a fear of knowledge? Is it a fear of culture? Or is it the fact that deep down we know that the culture center of a country lies in its libraries? Although Fox News has maligned libraries and think that they are out of date and no longer used there are those of us who know the truth. Libraries have evolved and still give us a place where we can be equal to others regardless of what we can afford on our own. We can use internet there as well as read books from all over the world and that teach us about different cultures and different times and different worlds.

Why would we destroy these hallowed halls? Why would we burn books especially since books don't burn well....lack of oxygen in between the pages. If you want to burn a book for real rip it page by page do not throw it in a pile and hope the entire thing will burn.

But we shouldn't want to burn books and we shouldn't want to destroy libraries. I guess it shows no matter how far we come or think we come; no matter how many technological advances we make we will always attack places of learning and equalization first.

Eat Love Pray or On Becoming Spiritual

So recently I have been reading Eat, Love, Pray....a book that I never thought I would read because I very rarely read popular fiction. Let's face it...if Oprah recommends it then I won't read it. But for some reason, well really because Julia Roberts makes the movie look so good and she's just so cute that I had to read it. I'm actually enjoying it although I think I prefer Italy to India or Indonesia, but that's me. I can't believe that Liz was in Italy and didn't really go to any museums. That's where I think I'd find myself, but this is not my journey. It's Liz's journey.

I have also been reading The Bible which is something that I've never read before. I have read books from The Bible, but only to study them. Now I am reading The Bible because I would like to to become more spiritual. Now I have been told there is a difference between spiritual and religious. I do not necessarily see this, but I tend to use religious in the older definition not the newer definition. The newer definition apparently means that you are all gungho about a certain religion like Catholicism or Presbyterianism. While being spiritual basically means you are CS Lewis. You are a Christian but you don't tout one religion over another.

I was raised Catholic, but recently there has been a priest who has made me rethink being Catholic and to be honest there's a guy who has made me rethink how I view religion. He is the reason I am reading The Bible. Although he is spiritual he is very open and understanding and accepting of other people's views. Something I have not experienced with people who are religious. I guess this is the difference between the two.

So here I go....at the ripe old age of 30 I am reading The Bible and discovering my spirituality. We shall see how it goes and how I feel after it. Maybe this is my journey to self discovery. Who knows? Maybe a woman doesn't need to check out for a year to actually find herself although it would be fun. But maybe a woman just needs to find peace and I hope to find that peace in The Bible.

Wherever you are is my home.

I've been busy the past few weeks in final preparation for my friend's wedding which was held Saturday last. I was a bridesmaid in it-the "extra woman", in fact. The groomsman that I was supposed to have walked down the aisle/generally paired with was unable to attend due to a health problem (very serious, really) so it was a good thing that I am in the midst of reading Marjorie Hillis's Live Alone and Like It: A Guide for the Extra Woman so I was slightly prepared for the feeling that I was somewhat in the way. Especially when the bridal party was supposed to share a dance with the bride and groom at the wedding and I had absolutely nobody to dance with. I was on the brink of tears, but then Jane Austen came to rescue me. No, not the Jane Austen here, but in the literary sense. I realized that at that moment, I was Harriet Smith in Emma. Except, I had no Mr. Knightley to rescue me. Such is life, right? Especially the life of the "extra woman". I saw my future, and I have to admit it was kind of bleak.

However, I do have a mini-break at the beach planned for this weekend. Things could be looking up!

Was Dorothy Parker Just a 20th Century Fordyce?

Recently I have been reading Fordyce's Sermons. Why? Because I made a joke about it on my Facebook page and thought "Hmmm...I should really read a bit since I only know it in the Pride and Prejudice sense." Not that I don't know it in the Biblical sense. Not that Fordyce would think that was funny. It is definitely not something that Fordyce would let a young lady know about it or heaven forbid! Joke about. But I am not a Fordyce woman so much so that I mocked Fordyce in P & P making Mr. Collins like it and read it to his cousins.

In his sermons Fordyce says "Men of the best sense have usually been averse to the thought of marrying a witty female." Well this is obviously a reason why Lizzie would never get married, but doesn't it ring a little similar to Dorothy Parker's gem "Men don't make passes at girl's who wear glasses." Back in her time women who wore glasses were normally considered the smart ones and not the pretty ones. Or shall we call them the witty ones. Now men seem to love the idea of women in glasses. It's that whole naughty librarian fantasy that men have where we women take off our glasses, shake out our hair and say in a sultry voice "Mr. S, do you know what the penalty for an over due book is?"

Fordyce was a man whose sermons did not live up to time. His ideas were outdated by the time I came around, but that doesn't mean they don't make for good reading today. I might have to see what else Ms. Parker might have cannibalized or in truth just made better and funnier. Not that I don't think Ms. Parker is amazing. Hey in my little hick town I think I might start my own Algonquin Round Table where I am Ms. Parker and I have a bunch of drunken followers.

Hey! Every girl can dream. Especially this girl who might not wear glasses but sure as hell is witty especially since she made an incite/insight double entendre today and there are only so many men who will be incited by passion with that!