This is your brain on Hot dog day...any questions?

(names may have been changed to protect the innocent)

So I actually left the house at a decent hour, but then I hit the curb as I turned the corner and the last time I did that, I got a flat, so I sat quietly in my car, finished my breakfast (note to self: cereal is not an-eating-while-driving-approved-meal-item) and checked to make sure my tire was fine. Yes, whew!

Because Highland Park has a lot of trees, I didn't have to put my sunglasses on till I hit the RD Fleming Bridge.

The music on the radio was great: What a feeling (from Flashdance--which made me think of The Full Monty, where they watch the movie and critique her welding skills. I still haven't seen Flashdance.)

Hey Mickey (which I know some of yins hate, but Pittsburghers seem to love it, and I do too. No, I do not have big hair.)

Your Eyes (Peter Gabriel) Need I say more?

and as I'm driving the last stretch up to the library...another good song.

What is Hot Dog Day, you ask?

Ah. Well, it's this day every summer when our library sells hot dogs and Hugs for 25 cents a piece. This year, we also had water and soda (50 cents) and Rhonda's Italian Ice (50 cents).

Hugs?

Well, they're this drink that is made here in Pittsburgh and that's what they're called. They're basically sugar and water and they come in at least four colors: red, blue, orange and purple. Sorry, I can't find a link b/c I don't know the name of the company that makes them. They come in an opaque-ish clear plastic container that is shaped like a barrel and they have foil tops.

This year we had tickets. As in, a hot dog is one ticket, a soda is two tickets (yes, you did the math? each ticket is worth 25 cents.)

The main reason we did this was b/c the Rhonda's people couldn't take money for the Italian ice. (Which we figure is so they can't sell the ice out of their SUVs.) But it made a lot of sense (cents!! ha ha) since only two people had to man the money booth and the rest of us took tickets. If you had tickets you didn't use, you could refund them back for cash.

Good thing, since Rhonda's didn't show up until 12:15 and they were scheduled for noon, but see, they wrote it down wrong. Lovely. One of our librarians, Joellen, the one in charge of getting the Rhonda's people to come, was ready to jump out of a window. We were all really happy when they showed up. They had two flavors, Cherry and Mango. Never mind that our sign said Cherry and Lemon. So we had to constantly say, no, it's Mango.

But after 40 minutes of taking tickets and handing people their Italian Ice, (did I mention I also did Mother Goose this morning for a crowd of at least 33 folks--babies, caregivers, moms, and siblings...) I got to go inside and watch the desk. Well, everyone that had been outside now came inside to keep me company and ask for their weekly prize...

Then I spent some time working on the planning for the Stuffed Animal Sleepover, which is next weekend. I took some "test" photos, to sort of get the gist of what the pictures from the sleepover will look like. (I'll post them tomorrow...I don't have a coffee-maker...)

And now my brain just needs to rest...but my boss forgot that I did Mother Goose, therefore I work 9-5, and so she scheduled me 10-6 and then she left early to go to a meeting and then vacation before I saw that I was scheduled until 6. (But I'm leaving an hour early on Friday, so it will all come out in the wash...)

And my contacts are killing me. Ah, eyedrops.

Can I go home yet? Oh, what do you mean it's only 4:30 and I have to be here until 6????

Other highlights: Verizon was supposed to provide a Steeler, as in the World Champion Superbowl winning... (Mike L-something) but he couldn't come at the last minute, so there were a few irate six year olds.

Verizon did have red towels, Kelly Clarkson tickets, and sunscreen. Oh and beach balls, but they only had like seven of those. Umm, we wondered about that too. Seven beach balls? To an event run by the CHILDREN'S department?

Our favorite library adolescent, Paul, showed up. He is the sweetest 15 year old you'll meet. He uses our computers a lot. He plays games on them for hours. He also spins plates. (You know, on sticks, like the folks on the Ed Sullivan show?) He did this a while back in the library, just showed up with his plates and sticks and started spinning them, so someone asked him back for Hot Dog Day. So today, when he came over for a drink, we didn't charge him tickets, because he was our entertainment. He took the young adult librarian's hand, Laura, and kissed it, prince like. Then he took mine and did the same. Wow. I mean, he may be a geek and way too young for me (um, like twenty years) but it was sort of flattering--I mean, I can't remember the last time I got a prince hand kiss. I felt pretty, not that I was going to admit that to anyone except for the entire Internet.

And Alyssa and Téah came to Mother Goose, and stayed for Hot Dog Day. I even got to see Gavin and the mothers-in-law. (Forgive me, I've forgotten their names. But they are very nice.)

Um, and a woman just called to request A Girl of the Limberlost, which I've never read, but the jacket text caught my eye: "In order to pay for her education, she collects moths." Okey dokey. Can I go home NOW???