poetry for a Sunday morning...

I have been roaming the Internet instead of walking in Highland Park. I have been blog-walking. Which is often easier, often harder.

I don't know which is which.

It is December, and while I love this month, I love this time of year, it is also a time of busy busy busy. Someone has to work at the stores so that other people can shop at 7 am. Someone has to play the music so that other people can sit and listen. Someone has to catalogue the books so that other people can find them on the shelf.

Okay, so that last one isn't a December lament, but I wanted three. And it makes it personal. Well, the whole bit is personal. Anyways. (Actually, it is a December lament, since it's my lament in the month of...nevermind.)

Poetry is often how my soul gets soothed. So I bring you some poetry.

This one asks a big question that I'm not prepared to answer: Variations on the word love by Margaret Atwood. (I love MA's poetry.)

This one, by Naomi Shehab Nye, brings it home, and makes it bigger than you and me. Which I need it to be. Because two people aren't enough. (WHERE IS MY COPY OF ABOUT A BOY??): Before you know what kindness really is. (linked from bobbie)

It's raining. I think I'll walk to Tazza and get my breakfast sandwich. I meant to take a longer walk, a walk all around the park, but this will have to do.

Sarah Louise's not completely horrible day...

Gritting my teeth, things I am thankful for about today:

• We had a hymn sing at Women's Bible Study. I love me some old tyme hymns...
• On the way back to work from picking up my car (no the door is not fixed but this is a THANKFUL list) I went to the grocery store...
• ....where I bought a box of Luigi's Real Italian Ice. YUM!
• and I couldn't not buy the red and white Woman's Day, subtitled "Live Well every day" and with JOY written in a Christmas script green. Somehow I believe them when they claim that my life will be cheerier...
• I seem to have the office to myself this evening. And my in-box is crammed with books--YAY!
• did I mention the yummy Italian Ice?
• In less than 48 hrs I get to see my Bird and my parents. (Bird is my sister.)
• I mentioned the Italian ice? I have like one bite left...and 5 more cups in the freezer!
• I get to sleep in my own bed tonight (we weren't sure if the car would be ready. Well, we're not talking about that, but I can drive it home.)

heard this on my radio while driving through the McDonald's drive thru

It's raining. And I feel jerked around by all the changes in plans, it seems like each day we have another version of "what's going to happen tomorrow." I don't deal well with that sort of thing...

So here's a Jo Dee Messina song. What she liked about these lyrics is that they could fit any situation. It's not about losing your dog, or your job, or that you have to be crawling into your car from the passenger side door, or that your boyfriend's plans change on a day by day basis depending on how well he feels. There is so much out of my control right now. I have a meltdown at least once a day, whether it be actual tears or a nap from emotional exhaustion.

But in a few days, we celebrate Thanksgiving. What am I thankful for? So many things. But right now, just bring on the rain.

Another day has almost come and gone
Can’t imagine what else could wrong
Sometimes I’d like to hide away somewhere and lock the door
A single battle lost but not the war (‘cause)

Tomorrow’s another day
And I’m thirsty anyway
So bring on the rain

It’s almost like the hard times circle ‘round
A couple drops and they all start coming down
Yeah, I might feel defeated,
I might hang my head
I might be barely breathing - but I’m not dead

Tomorrow’s another day
And I’m thirsty anyway
So bring on the rain

I’m not gonna let it get me down
I’m not gonna cry
And I’m not gonna lose any sleep tonight

Off to get ready for tomorrow...

"If we couldn't laugh, we would all go insane."

(From the pop philosopher, James Buffet.)

When it rains, it pours. Or something's in retrograde, as Badger and Blackbird would say.

I'm feeling a little Job-ish (That's as in the guy in the Bible who lost everything) and I really don't have any power over the rain that has started to pour on our lives. (And I don't want to compromise my privacy on this. So just know that more than a lot of bird crap has landed.)

So I called Marian, told her what happened, and then at one point, after I was all wrung out, I said, and you know what, my dad didn't know today was Talk Like a Pirate Day! He had dinner with my sister, and he didn't know that today was TLAP Day! And Marian bust out laughing at the mental image of my sister saying, "ah, matey, pass me the salt or you'll walk the plank" and my dad still not getting it. Which made me bust out laughing.

Then we discussed driving to the West End (which we will be doing separately tomorrow for Focus Groups on computer replacements. She goes at 9, I go at 11. Another librarian from our library goes at 1pm.) The building we're going to is on Wabash St. on the West End. So I told Marian that when I was doublechecking the MapQuest route, I punched in 22 Wabash St, Pittsburgh. Wouldn't you know there is a Wabash Street in Pittsburgh, North Dakota? It would take me 18 hours to get there--and we bust out laughing again.

Go hug someone. We live in a messed up world with tons of things we can't control. But if we can find something to laugh about, our pain is lessened for a short while.

*********

If you can't hug someone, go visit Blackbird, whose pictures of Positano are breathtaking and at once very Blackbird. Or visit Paula's photo blog "Finding Beauty" whose titles make me laugh. These beautiful yet tough ladies have a lot to teach this gal about fortitude in the face of disaster.

Moments in librarianship (another in a series)

(This conversation has been abridged)

Boy 1: I'm looking for a book

Sarah Louise (thinking in her head, well, you came to the right place!) What's the book called?

Boy 1: Final Strike.

Sarah Louise (silent, as she looks up book, doesn't find it in catalog, searches Amazon.) What's the author's name?

Boy 1: Erik Ngoobly gook. He spells it with a K.

Sarah Louise: (not finding it, trying to buy time) Strike, as in (pretends to swing a bat)?

Boy 1: Yeah.

Sarah Louise: Final Strike, by Pendleton? (She turns the computer screen so Boy 1 can see the cover on Amazon.)

Boy 1: No.

Sarah Louise: (still not finding anything.) Spell the author's name, please.

Boy 1: N-y-l-u-n-d.

Sarah Louise (to herself, Eric, with a C?) (finds author, but not book in question, though there is a book called First Strike.) I'm sorry, it's not in our system. (looks again in Amazon, but Eric with a c is very prolific.)

AFTER ABOUT FIVE MINUTES OF THIS:

Boy 1: I found it on the computer back there (points to catalog opac).

*************

The rest is too painful and it would take too long to transcribe. The book he was looking for was FIRST Strike. My boss, who sat there the entire time I was going through this arduous process, later agreed with my thinking that if there was a book called First Strike, there MIGHT be one called Final Strike. (Otherwise, it would have been a MUCH shorter reference interview.)

Oh, and when I finally found it on the patron-view of our catalog, I clearly read the words "Checked out." Boy 1 resisted at first putting it on hold (typical male teen behavior, but Boy 2 handed over a library card.) Was I ever glad when they stepped away from my desk!!!!!

By the way, Boy 2 was wearing a shirt with a tear in the front. How did he get out of the house like that?

Live blogging the vacation preparation...

So we have the "Stay n Go" room booked at La Quinta. They don't take discounts for that particular package, but it means we can leave my sister's car at the hotel for a week, which saves us long term parking etc. etc. so we'll take it. (Stay n Go: you drive to the hotel, leave your car, take a shuttle to the airport, fly away, vacation or whatever, come back, stay one night, and have a lovely continental breakfast.)

It's raining outside. I hope all my car windows are shut. (I usually leave them a crack in the summer) (Live blogging indeed--I just ran down, double checked--they were shut but I got my umbrella out of the car.)

Most of the pills are ready except for the ones that are waiting at the pharmacy.

This has been the morning of phone calls--Sis has a cold and wanted advice on whether or not to stay home. I had a chance to reconnect a long lost friend. (Grin!) Also, I had to make all the phone calls--La Quinta was the only one that didn't put me on hold, so guess what, they got my business! Then I had to call Dad to let him know I had the reservation, which entailed first calling home, getting sick Sis, then calling Dad's cell, leaving a message, and then talking to him as he beeped in whilst I was leaving one of those long messages where you'd really rather be talking to the person...

I finally connected with Kelly (I left messages, she left messages...) She is going through a tough time--it's the whole "the boys are home for the summer," plus other stuff and her anxiety levels are through the ceiling. We prayed, which helped I think.

And now it's noon and I have to get dressed, eat lunch, and go off to be Madam Librarian.

Oh, I know. I told Dad the suitcase was open and I had my bathing suit in. "Well you've got the essentials then!" He then quipped that if I was going to Rio, that would be all I needed. Oh Rio. I'll blog about that day sometime...I don't think I have already.

The rain has stopped.

And so I go.

Gone shopping...

Because, dear internets, I haven't been to places that sell toilet paper and plastic cups almost every day, looking for things like Afrin, or Robitussin.

Yesterday: Walgreens.

Day before: Giant Eagle.

Day before that: Whole Foods (well, they might not sell plastic cups...)

All the days before that: rinse, repeat.

So how is it that I am out of toilet paper????

It's raining here today. Actually, it started last night. Whoosh, right before I was going to take a steam shower to try to clear my sinuses, lightening, thunder!! Yes, I took a shower in the middle of an electrical storm. Don't tell my mama.

And it has not stopped. I had dreams about work (never a good sign) that the ceiling was leaking. Never mind that we're on the first floor, so in order for the ceiling leak to be rain related, the second floor would have to be flooded completely...and I had a strong discussion with a teen who was trying to clean off the highly fingerprinted screen of one of the computers. No! We use special cloths to clean the screens!! It has to do with static electricity!!

Talking to my father last night, I said, it was rainy today. (Oh, so I guess it was rainy yesterday. Whoops! Okay, so the rain started early on Wednesday, but late on Wednesday, it got violent and stormish.) He said, well, maybe it will rain tomorrow here. Yes, internets, my father and I discuss the movement of weather from west to east. They don't need Al Roker or the Smuckers guy, just dear old Sarah Louise. What's the Burghian weather? Well, maybe that's what we'll get tomorrow.

Okay, I must go shopping. For two very important items. And I think the fact that I slept from 11:30 pm to 9 am and have now emailed/blogged for an hour means that I'll just go into work at 1 pm, like normal. Which means I'll probably miss BJ & Kat's talk on "We went to England!" Drat. Of course, I haven't worked a seven hour day in almost a month (or so it seems), so why start now??

Badger, I hope there was at least a little something in there that made you smile. I'm sure it WASN'T the fact that I'm getting more sleep than you. Honest, I would mail you some of my sleep if that was possible.