Musings of a cataloguer

Ach, the OCLC, how I love thee! Triple I (our local system) how you defy me! I have spent the morning bringing in such wonderful titles as Hard Times (yes, Dickens), Silas Marner (Eliot), and yet, the system won't let me bring in Mansfield Park!!! Why oh why do you defy me?

Found an interesting book (well, more than one, truth be told) on someone else's cart: Wicca's Charm. I probably will read it because it's a subject my mom asks me about (b/c I know about Harry P., she wants to know what Wicca folk think re: them.) It's a book written by a Christian woman about what else, Wicca's charms. Looks interesting.

Dean Koontz: Life Expectancy. I've never read a DK book yet, but my friends have and this one needed to be fixed somehow, which I did, and then I peeked into the first few pages (it sucked me in!!) May have to take it to Wendy's for lunch...

Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett--if it was on cassette (it's on CD) I might take it out--my car has only a cassette player. Also recommended by friends.

Book I cannot put down because it is so stupid: Paris Hilton's diary or somesuch. I will not dignify myself to go to where it sits to find out the actual title. Don't bother...

Alright, it's 1:30, so I'm off to lunch--Wendy's for a quick munch.

YA Books

No, this is not another Ya Ya thing, this is a librarian thing...YA=Young Adult. Now, in the real world, a young adult is 25-34 (ouch!) but in library and children's lit talk, YA=teen.

I rarely get to touch books when I'm wearing my children's librarian hat, so it is a real treat to barcode YA books, because I hardly ever get to touch them...and I feel I'm becoming out of touch. Or is it that I'm touched? There's a book about that, actually. We'll link up later. But I've barcoded enough to have a pile of 6 that I think blogworthy, so I'll list them and chew on them later. My internet at home is broken...but that's another story.

So...(in no particular order)

Rooster by Don Trembath: a kid who doesn't want to graduate, but they'll make him!

The Hollow Horseman by Christopher Golden and another guy...didya know they changed the name of North Tarrytown to Sleepy Hollow (officially) in 1996?

The Blood Stone by Jamila Gavin: a history book that looks from the cover to be about Venice. It's from across the pond (I mean Britain, baby)

Full Service by Will Weaver: this one actually took me in by almost two chapters (reading on the job?) It's about a farm kid who takes a job at a full service gas station because his mom thinks he should "meet the public."

The next two are teen chick lit:

Amazing Grace by Megan Shull (love the cover shot, baby) about a tennis star who wants out. It looks yummmy....

Cubanita by Gaby Triana: Beppe, this book is for you: It's about a cuban-American girl who wants to be American only. "It's sure to be a summer favorite." Ha ha, all I see outside is snow. Any book that has Guantanamera in the first chapter is a book for me!!

Enuff 4 now. chat w u later.

Nails on a chalkboard...

Dolly Parton has a new album. Dolly, is one of the celebrities that has a Sesame Street character named after her: Polly Darton. We are sitting here in the technical services office, listening in disbelief to her new album, Those were the days. It is wrong, it is soooooooooooo wrong.

The Straw that Broke the Camel's Back

In the movie "Groundhog Day," Bill Murray is a Pittsburgh weatherman who must live the worst day of his life again and again until he gets it right. Today was a day like that, and I am only too glad that I am not Bill Murray, a Pittsburgh weatherman, or a groundhog.

The day ended well: I had dinner with Marian (the librarian) at a nearby Chili's. Let's just say that a day that begins wearing a paper robe whilst sitting in a gynecologist's office, has moments that include mocking teenagers, a waitress that calls you Ma'am, when you know *her* first name is the same as your own, and a stilted afternoon conversation with your mother is a day that needs a Margarita named after it. Unfortunately, neither Marian nor I could drink said mix, as she learned that a wine cooler mixed with her migrane medicine equalled silly tipsy living and I know that all the tylenol and the muscle relaxants mixed with alcohol could kill my liver. A cheery bunch, we were.

But sometimes it is the days that are like that that make you laugh hysterically when you are sitting across from a dear friend who has rescued you. I told Marian about the nurse who spoke like an auctineer: have you had leg cramps, mumps, rubella? have you had pnemonia, swelling, shortness of breath? If a director had been with me today, we could have made a doozy of a comedy--Sarah Louise's Day Out (or in).

So I'd like to shake things up. I'm getting tired of being here by myself on this blog. There's a comment feature, use it! I will do my best to make things controversial enough to merit a comment or two.

So on the car ride home, I thought, I could do "50 blogs in 50 days" but I know I'd get bored by the time I did three days. The blogs I admire most have something special. Andrea's "thang" is "the best post titles:" each one refers to a song in a musical. Every single one! And BabelBabe and Gina have the best pictures of branches AND the best template. I love the brown-ness--it's just cozy. It makes me think of old books, which is fitting, because BB and Gina are always reading the best books. My favorite cartoonist is Nicole Hollander. The thing she does is what I find myself doing: she mixes it up, every day. You do not see Calvin playing with his tiger, day in and out. No, one day it's "the woman who does everything more beautifully" and the next it's the girl talking on the phone with her mom. The next day it's Alien lovers who give outrageous gifts. (the one for halloween was great--"I know, darling, instead of candy, we'll give them face lifts!") So I need to find my style. Quizilla helps...which brings me to my favorite post of the day; David called it "Clearance Sale" and it was a post of what seemed like twenty or more Quizilla results.

My favorite book quote this week was from Marian Keyes' book of essays "Under the Duvet." In an essay about workplace Christmas parties, this sentence stands alone as hysterical even without context: "The best was when someone rushed in and gasped, 'Ahmed has arrived with the sheep. He needs money to pay for the taxi.'" She continues: "Even though the sheep were long dead, I couldn't banish the idea of Ahmed in a black London cab, squashed up beside two fat, fluffy sheep, like busty old women butttoned up against the cold. As I went back to the office to get money, I half-expected to find the two sheep running amok through the hallowed corridors, as if they were cavorting along boreens in County Clare." (Feeling Sheepish, p. 201) Marian became one of my favorite Chick Lit writers when she said this book can be read by dipping in, start where you like! Eclectic, now that's my style! There is a librarian blog called that, actually, which I discovered surfing ages ago. Perhaps I'll wrestle a link up, just for you, dear reader.

So, just for the record: Mom, I don't want a new winter coat, I like the two I got years ago at the Salvation Army. Dad, I don't want to buy a house, what I need are more bookshelves (Marian said to this, "Everyone needs more bookshelves." What do I want, what do I want for Christmas (I already have my two front teeth). I want what Cyndi Lauper sang in 1983: "Girls just wanna have fun!" I want to eat Chubby Hubby ice cream. I want to watch the Winter Olympics! Beppe and Marian, I want those shows you taped for me! I want to not have to watch every penny, I want to sleep late, I want...you to comment on my blog.

Movie quote of the week: [from You've Got Mail] Meg Ryan and Greg Kinnear are breaking up in a cafe after they have a fight about politics in the movie theatre. They are incredulous that they don't love each other: "We're so perfect for each other!" Meg asks Greg if there's someone else, the TV show host that interviewed him last week, Sidney Ann. Greg blushes, and says, maybe. What about you, he asks. Is there someone else? (For those of you who don't know this movie backwards and frontwise like I do, this is right after NY152 aka Tom Hanks has "stood her up" when she finally said "Let's meet.") No. She says, and sighs. "But there is the dream of someone else." This week my heart is healed, and I am no longer spotting conversation with "and Icabod said, and Icabod did, and oh, Icabod is so dreamy..." But I still dream of a someone else, someone that could so totally sweep me off my feet, make me dream of a man who is so adorable with children, so intelligent and knowledgeable about the Bible, so creative... (and in the background, you hear "Sarah Louise's theme" which is the old standard, "Someone to watch over me" as sung by Ella Fitzgerald.)

So, as I put these words to bed (an old printer's term--the last act in making the newspaper is locking up the type), Take Five plays in the background, the lights dim, and another day dies down in blogland.

Transparency and Thanksgiving (as in giving thanks)

Driving to work today, I mulled over a few things. From the outside, my life may look charmed to some (or not, to others). But I value transparency and so I thought there were a few things I'd share.

Were it not for many things, I would not be the positive, creative person who writes this blog.

• Many milligrams of psychotropic drugs that I take to manage my diagnosis of Bipolar II. I was diagonosed in 1998 and it has been a journey of ups and downs--my last bad dip was summer of 2004 through winter of 2005. I've had minor ups and downs since then but for the past month have been fairly normal---YAY!
• My parents, who are often enigmas to me, and yet they love me and show it. (Though they drive me crazy, they also drove me from Pittsburgh to Virginia for Thanksgiving and home again) Yesterday on my birthday, they each called within 10 minutes of my "birth moment" which was 4:40 pm.
• My friends: Babelbabe, Susan Fry, countless others that are named and unnamed on this blog--talking to them, spending time with them makes each day worthwhile.
• My siblings: they are insanely crazy but I adore them to pieces. When I was 10, my life was turned upside down by the entrance of my sister. When I was 11, it was turned upside down again by the entrance of my bro. Life has never been the same and I am grateful.
• I have a college degree and a master's degree.
• I just paid off my car!! (Inheritance money from my grandmother has made my life have more "give.")
• Beth Moore, Anne Lamott, Oswald Chambers and many other writers, who inform my spiritual life.
• Elinor Lipman, any number of Chick Lit authors, who make me laugh.
• music music music
• restaurant food
• home cooked food
• frozen meals
• My two therapists: one is a crazy Christian woman who has a dog in her office, the other is a quiet woman with black hair, and my psychiatrist, who is from Northern Italy and speaks with a great accent. He is brilliant.
• The Open Door, a wonderful church that is well, just great. More on that later.
• My Visa card, which has saved me countless times when my paycheck showed up late.
• my cell phone
• my internet access and email
• THIS BLOG!!
• God, of course, who informs all of the above mentioned items and people and relationships.
• The women of Bellefield Presbyterian Church, who have taken me into their hearts and been like second moms.
• My two bosses, who are equally crazy on opposite spectrums: put them together and you might have one person who is really sane or really insane.

When I was in college, a friend of mine and I would make thankfulness lists, or "I love" lists. An item that showed up often was pumpkin pie and milk (as a combination). Counting my blessings always informs me that I am lavished with love, even in my lonliest nights of tears.

I visited a favorite blog of mine tonight while trying to stay awake at work (I later went and took a 1 hr nap) and found this verse, which I promptly printed and taped to my desk. It's from Romans 5 in the Message translation.

1By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us--set us right with him, make us fit for him--we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus. 2And that's not all: We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that he has already thrown open his door to us. We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand--out in the wide open spaces of God's grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise.

I would not exist nor would this blog without the support of so many tiny fibers that keep me knit together--thank you for your contribution, even if it is only in reading the words across the screen.

what kind of flower?

You are a Carnation:

You are friendly, energetic, cheerful, and bubbly.
You love being around people. Outgoing and
talkative, you rarely meet a stranger. Others
feel at ease around you because of your playful
nature.

Symbolism: In Victorian times carnations were given
to show fascination with another. They also
symbolize friendship and whimsicalness.


Which Flower are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Christmas Books, for Greg

Well, I went to my favorite bookstore on Sunday--it is at a Baptist church I used to attend in Virginia. I got lots of books and I promised Greg, the proprietor, that I would send him a list of good Christmas/Children's books. Hey, I needed to blog, and this way he'll get the links to the bn.com reviews, etc.

• One Wintry Night by Ruth Bell Graham (Billy Graham's wife). A beautifully illustrated tale that takes the Bible from Genesis to at least the birth of Christ. A perennial favorite.
• The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey: A gloomy woodworker is asked by a widow and her son to make animals for their creche. It's just the best story ever.... comes with a cd recording of the story!
• Jesus by Demi: one in a series of books on religious figures by Demi--well illustrated, colorful artwork, using text from the KJV Bible.
• How many miles to Bethlehem by Kevin Crossby Holland: "This poetic retelling of the Christmas story adds drama and immediacy through the use of alternating first-person narratives," says Kirkus Reviews. The illustrations are striking, and the words are just great. I would buy this book for myself or a child.
• Nativity a pop up by Francesca Crespi: a beautiful pop-up about the Nativity scene. From the publisher: "Six beautiful pop-up scenes portray the marvelous story of the birth of Jesus in this simple and elegant retelling. Each scene has tabs to pull, moving parts, and screens that unfold. In a splendid finale, double doors open wide to reveal the full glory of the Nativity." Can you tell I'm getting tired when I'm just quoting the reviews? But really, this is a great book.
• Who is coming to our house? (a board book!) by Joe Slate. Rhyming text, identifying the animals, preparing for the nativity scene. Very cute book. A rare one--many Christmas books can be heavy handed with the "message," this one is just fun. (And those are my thoughts, not a critic's.)

Books that are not Christmas themed, but good "religious books for kids."

• Walking the Bible by Bruce Feiler--just like the one for adults, except it's for kids--pictures of the landscapes in the "Holy Land." Looks like a quality job.
• Mother Teresa by Demi: another religious figure book by Demi (see Jesus, above). The late Pope John Paul blessed this book before he died--there's some book trivia for you. Well resarched and illustrated.
• Music from Our Lord's Holy Heaven (avail with or without music cd.) Run do not walk, you must have this beautifully illustrated book of hymns, poems--the Pinkneys have outdone themselves here.
• All things bright and beautiful illustrated by Whatley. This hymn, written in 1848 is gorgeously illustrated. Another must buy.

There were other books there, but these were the gems. Oh, and I can't forget Silver Packages, by Cynthia Rylant, an applalachian story about a boy who dreams of being a doctor. It's not religious in any way, but it is a darn good Christmas story.

I had some gift cheques from Verizon for returning to their fold. I bought some gifts and a CD with my favorite jazz composition, Take Five.

All in all, it's been a great birthday. I think I'm going to like being 29 (for the fifth time).

Thoughts on Harry....

Ain't life grand? It's almost 11pm and I just surfed a bit, to see how the other blogs on my "roll" were doing. Discovered a new blog via Bobbie, Jesus Creed? (I think that's the name), and realized again that I will never have time to read all the blogs out there. Oh well. Update on a few things: for my birthday (which is Monday) (the 34th anniversary of the Cleveland Browns being trashed (0-7) by the Washington Redskins) (The Browns who are now the Ravens) we went to see HP#4. What a great flick.

• Love that Mike Newell, who also directed among others, Enchanted April, Four Weddings and a Funeral, and Mona Lisa Smile.
• Don't know whose job it was to get a new music director, but bravo on that, the theme was no longer recycled from the "Home Alone" trilogy.
• The audience clapped at the end--I love it when that happens and we forget it's just light projected on a screen.
• My parents were completely confused, since they haven't read the books, and I was surprised that I actually knew more than my sister on some accounts.
• I loved Moaning Myrtle's moment--sis and I agreed she needs more appearances.
• Also loved that Rowling populates her books and hence the movies with many ethnicities--the Patile sisters, Indian, Cho Chang, Chinese, and random other ethnicities.
• Was not impressed with the scene of Serius's face in the fireplace--not at all as I pictured it from the book--they could have spent more time on that special effect methinks.

• Loved loved loved it when Hermione says, "I'm not an owl!" when Harry and Ron aren't speaking.

• Loved how Barty as Moody nurtured Harry even though he did really want Harry destroyed. The complexity of that relationship is one of my favorite paradoxes.

Oh, for my birthday dinner we went to an Indian restaurant. Very good. We had naan and green cilantro sauce and other good food. Yogurt, basmati rice...all very good. Then home to dessert (the end of the birthday cake from Thanksgiving Day made by Aunt Pat, traditionally made by Grandma for me) and presents: from my sister, Love Actually on DVD (which I've seen and LOVE the commentary); and from my dad, Carole King, The Living Room Concerts. A surprise, which really pleased me--I've been missing CK as all of my music is on LPs that are waiting to be transferred to CDs.

Time for bed, tho.

FEMA deadline changed to Jan 1

I keep forgetting to mention this. Thought it deserved its own post.

Saturday...

Today is the nth day in the celebration of my birthday (which is actually on Monday). It's like the 12 days...on the first day I had a party with friends and pres-ents (oh, it doesn't flow with the same syllables) Anyways, as I already commented on BB's blog, we are going to Courthouse 8, my favorite movie theatre ever. Why, you ask? Do they have a great wide screen and wonderful acoustics? I could care less. They're decent enough for me. No, my girlish sentiment rings true--the bathrooms have floral arrangements, that's why I love this theatre. Also, it's a Metro stop.

Movies, for me, are like therapy. I just started reading a book where a man uses flying as therapy...oh yes, Grisham's The Summons. I already read the end (some critic said it was a great one) and am not sure now that I need to read the middle. I digress.

At Courthouse, I've seen Brokedown Palace, Drive Me Crazy, Love Actually, Gladiator (on a date), About a Boy, among others. One time, my head hurting, I left work, drove to the movies, and my boss actually called my house to see if I was okay. My mom said, oh, she probably went to the movies. I forever thought ach, the black mark on my references forever! But he has now left Fox Books, just one day up and quit. Apparently corporate is becoming fiercer. I still do miss my halcyon days there...

Many of the movies mentioned above I saw more than once, and at Courthouse--I know BP was one I saw many times over, it haunted me so. At the time, I was paying reduced rent and I had no car payment or student loans. My mother thought it such a luxury, that I could go see the same movie more than twice, but for my sanity and my curiosity, I felt it a necessity. Since I didn't drive the first year and a half that I lived in Virginia, the fact that it was at a Metro stop was very crucial to its patronage by me. It also added to the mystique--at one time the downtown Business branch of the Carnegie library was in a T station (T is the Pittsburgh subway, which has all told 5 downtown stops, if that).

A city girl I truly am. I'm sure I've mentioned that I loathe to drive longer than two hours if I'm driving alone. And I'd rather take the bus to work--I could read at least! When I worked at Fox Books Downtown Pittsburgh, I had bus buddies, people I knew. On at least one occasion I had to ask one of them for bus fare because at 5 am I had forgotten my bus pass.

I'll leave this...my mother just asked if this was my Christmas paragraph. Ach, I'll do it here first.

[Sarah Louise] is still happily librarying at [said Public Library, Pittsburgh] where she has been for three years now. She started working in the cataloguing department last year and enjoys the variety. This summer she went to Chicago for the American Library Association Conference. She especially enjoyed the sunset tour of the rivers and Lake Michigan. [Sarah Louise] continues to enjoy her church, the Open Door, which has recently moved into a space that was built for the Presbyterians, (back in the late 1800s), sold to the Baptists in the 1900s, and now is owned (for the past 5 or so years) by the Mennonites, who are using the building as a community center. The Open Door rents office space and the "Great Hall" for Sunday services, at the civilized hour of 6:30 pm. This year, [SL] has had a variety of "extra curricular activities," including nursery at Bellefield Presbyterian Church Sunday mornings, and a stint as the Caregiver Recruiter/Coordinator for MOPS (Mothers of PreschoolerS), a ministry that reaches out to moms of preschoolers, hoping to introduce some of them to church in a non-threatening venue. She oversaw 10 caregivers of over 20 children ranging from babes in arms to 4 year olds. [SL] also had a few firsts and seconds this year: first time to see Peter Sis and Jack Prelutsky, both children's authors, second time to break a tooth (on unpopped popcorn) and a bone (her tailbone, on the basement stairs.) The first time I broke a tooth it was trying to open a nail polish bottle when I was in 4th grade. I can see the bottle even now. I think I didn't succeed in opening it. We lived in Tegucigalpa and so waited to go to our dentist in Silver Spring, MD, until the summer. I had a silver cap, not a crown, like this one. I think I will have to edit this paragraph--I did too much this year! I don't exactly like the tone sometimes these holiday letters get--and Junior won the pedigree for his age group...it's like each year you're updating your resume. I suppose I feel it more when weddings and children are mentioned since I've not yet reached those benchmarks/milestones.

Oh well. It's time to really write the paragraph...I'll post it here later, edited. I imagine it will be more whimsical than what you have above--since I loathe to boast too much.

Ta!

not show and tell...which will wait for the digi camera, methinks

The Romantic Princess
You are absolutely in love with love! Charming,
romantic, and feminine are all words that
describe you. You are a huge flirt and know how
to use your feminine wiles to get your way. You
are always on the lookout for the guy who will
sweep you off your feet.
Role Models: Isolde, Juliet
You are most likely to: Free a cursed prince from a
terrible spell with a single kiss.

What Kind of Princess are You? - Beautiful Artwork (Original Music is BACK!!!)
brought to you by

So much to blog about...and so little to say...

Well, it's Friday, so a show and tell is in the works...

I surfed a bit thanks to blogger knowledge--found a site called ageless blogging and a wonderful blog by millie, called my mom's blog.

Am reading Thorn Birds, The Summons (Grisham), my grandmother's diary (really!), and have settled on the one Joke recommended about Rome's architects.

But this gem can't wait: whilst eating breakfast with my parents (a treat to be home!) we dipped into family history. My dad told us this story: His mom (my Granny) asked her dad why he wasn't in the Civil War. He replied, my mother wouldn't let me! (He was born in 1861, came to the US in 1863!)

Bunny (my sister's rabbit, Quince, named after a character in Amistad, but everyone calls him Bunny) ate the numbers off the remote! It still works, you just have to count out where the numbers would be. My mother says, "He's a rodent!"

Idiocyncracy of this keyboard: when I try to type quotation marks, "" I end up typing two at a time (see?!)

Just chatted briefly online with Jessamyn West (librarian.net). She's the coolest "celebrity" I know.

All of cable and the only thing worth watching is what I'd watch at home: Ellen. I had to consult with my sister twice on how to get the remote to do what it was supposed to do.

Ellen is talking about packing: how we always pack more than we need. I adore her!! This is not an inspired post...

I think I'll just link it up and see if I can do a show and tell..

Finally, A Quizilla quiz that had nice questions...

You have the Renoir girl look. Youd have enchanted
the French Impressionists, who painted lively
girls at work and play. Their models were
ballet dancers, girls of Paris enjoying
themselves at open air dances or in music halls
and cafes, delighting in the sunshine or the
bright lights of French nightlife. The Renoir
girl loved to experiment with make-up and were
fun loving, sexy yet elegant. The following
painters would have loved to paint you; Dietz
Edzard, Edourad Manet, Edgar Degas and Auguste
Renoir.


'Pretty As A Picture' - Which Artist Would Paint You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Thankfulness in the wee hours

Things I am currently thankful for:

• My dad did all the driving and I am home--egad, I am living in what I shall now dub the "Brazil room." My mother has put up navy blue curtains and all the paintings from the period we lived in Belem du Para, Brazil when I was a babe in arms until I was two.
• All my "flesh friends," esp. Babelbabe; my sister (who just got a job!); and all you bloggers out there, especially Joke.
• For the joke Jack Prelutsky gave us on Monday which I gave to my father as we drove through the zoo on our way home (over the river and through the zoo, to Waterworks we go...Panera's the dinna, New Stanton's the rest stop, hurrah for the pumpkin pie!) "What do you have when a crow loses his voice?" Lost caws.
• For the Ruth Circle at my mom's church (my dad goes there too but I still call it my mom's church): they always send me a birthday card, signed by all of them. My mom signed it "Hi honey!"

And now to bed. The time stamp does not lie this time--it really is 1:50something.

Merry Thanksgiving to all! May I have time to read the Thorn Birds and all the other books I lugged here from the Burgh...

I can't stop blogging! What Bruce Robison, rector at St. Andrews says to people when he gives them directions: Anywhere you're coming from in Pittsburgh, just follow the signs to the zoo.

Thrifty

BB and I have been having a conversation of late about how women love bargains and will often answer the sentence "Oh I love that new [insert item here]" with "3.00, Goodwill!" There are days when the only thing retail are my shoes and my watch. So this morning, when I heard "Second Hand Rose" I thought what a great idea, a music list of "thrifty" songs. There was one on a CD I catalogued last night, called Thrift Shop, and then there's "Estate Sale" by Cheryl Wheeler, one of my abs faves.

****

Bumper sticker on the way to work: "Nice Brain."

****

All the way to work I listened to WYEP, "Where the music matters." I mean, if you were a radio station, wouldn't you want that as your tag line? So much better than "Original Hits, Original Artists" or "Turn your knob to Bob" (who has knobs anymore?).

***

All morning, I've been kneeling at my computer, emailing our webmaster who is trying to launch our new website. For some reason, I can't access it, I always get a run time error or "Internet Explorer must close this session" even though my collegue Laura accessed it just fine. It seems I have the anti-Midas touch this morning....

***

Interesting factoids: my dad just called. We discussed gas prices and I told him 2.09 (ain't it great?) but at Citgo by Laroche you can get it at 2.07.
--Citgo is owned by the Venezuelan dictatior Victor Chavez, my dad interjected.
--But, he continued, when the oil companies were asked to give the poor people a break on gas prices for the winter, Citgo is the only one that came forward.
--I don't know what to do with that information, I replied.
--I don't either, said he.

***

In the interest of waking up at a normal time, I didn't take my muscle relaxant last night, since I didn't get off my "heavy machinery" (read: car) until close to ten pm. I actually forgot to take my other bedtime med until 2 am (when I awoke to a fascinating documentary on Influenza--why is it that WQED airs such quality programming WHEN MOST OF PITTSBURGH IS SLEEPING?) Falling asleep to PBS is how I intook some of the Einstein documentary last month. I guess I should be happy that they're not broadcasting infomercials--but whatever happened to playing the national anthem and then test pattern? I had to explain this Billy Joel song to my brother, who never lived in America at a time when TV was not 24/7. Glass Houses is one of my favorite Joel albums, as it has sound effects in front of most songs. (Glass breaking, the national anthem, etc.)

***

Topics as yet unwritten about:

All about my birthday party at a local bar/restaurant: We met at the Sharp Edge, a local watering hole. Many a Sunday night after the Open Door, Abraham shouts out an invite to all join him at the SE. I hadn't been for the month of November (a big surprise to me) and so was unfamiliar with the "Specials." But we had a Mediteranean appetizer: baked pita smothered with cheese, olives, and other good stuff. In attendance: Laura, a librarian at my libe, BabelBabe, who was in a class with Laura at library school (they had a fun reunion), Hannah, and Lilly, two women I know through the Open Door (though neither of them are currently attending). I got many nice gifts, which I photographed, but since I don't yet have a digital cam, you'll have to wait for me to develop the film and scan the picture "the old fashioned way." Chocolate, stationery, and socks were among the gifts. Pink was the color of choice (duh!). BB even wore a pink shirt! And Lilly knew one of the cooks, who used to work with her when she waitressed at Ritters, and he came out and they chatted, and he paid for my dessert as a birthday gift! How sweet is that! Actually, the pumpkin cheesecake was worth eating a small dinner for. (Does that sentence make sense? I ate half a reuben on panini (pictures, BB?) so that I'd have room for dessert.

***

Kneeling is nicer for my "uh, injury" as Joke puts it, but my legs and knees get tired...the weather changed to colder (23 Fahrenheit) today and I think that has affected my senses too.

***

So this is my diversion of the day--go to one of the emails from the webmaster, see if it works, it doesn't, and come back to blog some more.

***

more about the party? I can't think of anything else to write at the moment: a good time was had by all.

***

Jack Prelutsky on Monday: I was like ehh, whatever, (about going) but he was great. It was funny, in that he's not a morning person and he was still on West Coast time, so the first 5-10 minutes he was getting his bearings...it was a "private lecture" just for Pittsburgh librarians and maybe a few teachers. JP was in town for the NTE (National Teachers of English) Conference, what brought Cynthia Voight and Jean Craighead George to Pittsburgh back in 1993. Random thought: I had dinner with an alum from WAC (Washington College, my alma mater) that week, I wonder what ever happened to her. Her name was Susan something and she did children's lit stuff...that was eons ago!!

So anyways, Jack read excerpts from favorite letters: Dear Jack, I lick your books. Dear Jack, I haven't read any of your books, Inge. Then he sang his poem "Spaghetti" to the tune of a Mexican folk song, the national anthem, the Yellow Rose of Texas, the Marine song, etc. He regaled us with stories about his endeavors into haiku and his late friend Ted Rand, who did illustrations for a bunch of Jack's books. While sitting there, listening to him, I made a list of people I'd seen at the Carnegie Lecture Hall, I'll dredge it later. Right now I'm actually semi-comfortable, kneeling and typing. He was very funny. Oh, alright, I'll dredge my notes now...although, the clock is about to strike 1pm at which time my father should appear for lunch at a local restaurant. (If I told you which one you'd know where I worked and that would take all the fun out!)

thanksgiving

things i am thankful for:

friends
my birthday (Monday the 28th!)
my family
my health (minus the cracked tailbone)

I'll be washing dishes and then driving down to Virginia, so I don't know when I'll post again, but I was missing this so much (it's been since Friday!!).

But now I really must be off to OCLC land (the land of copy-cataloguing). (Sorry, it's a library in-joke)

Hope to write more tomorrow.

Topics to explore:

Why I go to the Open Door (no, I hadn't forgotten)
Why Ice Princess is a feminist movie and a lot of fun
All about my Pocket PC (which won't sync to my Windows Me computer--how much to upgrade to 2000 or XP?)
All about my birthday party at a local bar/restaurant (see Babelbabe's blog for prelim pix)
Jack Prelutsky (I attended a secret lecture with area librarians on Monday) (he sang for us!!)
St. Andrews Day at St. Andrew's Church

und so wieta...

It was snowing earlier...

Play date tomorrow!

This is one of those annoying posts that is self-referential and filled with inside jokes. I don't care, it's my blog! If you want to understand what I'm talking about, read the archives and click on the links!

Tomorrow is my girl-y day. In the morning, my friend Suzanne (who used to live downstairs and drink tea with me) is coming over. We're going to "hang" and have "girl time." I know she will probably help me with my dishes and I know she will definately help me get my suitcase from the basement to my third floor walk-up, but I want us to have something fun. Yesterday I was at Tar-get (my favorite retailer) and saw ornament kits, thank you card kits, holiday card kits and they all seemed so...prosaic. So, since I've been doing the "errands on the way home from work" to break up the time, I'm going to stop at Joanne Fabrics and see if I can find us a fun craft. Today her hubby is cellophaning my windows. Gotta love the barter system (I babysat for their lovely boys a few weeks ago). Ah, just finished my tea. So, do I spend 43 cents for a cold Coke? (how's that for red??) Oh yes! Caffiene is much needed--since I have the pillow and there was no one in the back office, I did take (she admits it!) a small cat nap earlier. That's when I decided it was time to brew tea. Once that was done, I decided to visit Marian upstairs (btw, she likes the nickname) and we chatted about librarian.net. I thought this was genius--so right brained!!

***pause while i walk upstairs to get a soda** (or is it pop?) (very proud of this link) (tawk amongst yourselves)

Okay, that was a big pause--the time stamp says 4:12 and it is now 5:22. Less than 40 minutes left!!

Well, see, what happened is this: I went up to the Book Nook to get a soda, and one for my boss, Mistress Mary, and I ran into Ginger, a volunteer in the Book Nook, who used to work with me at Fox books eons ago. So we started chatting, and then I saw Queen Noor's book and then I saw an Alexandra Stoddard book (Open Your Eyes) and so then I bought the QN book but had to go back downstairs to get more $$ for the AS book. I've never had one of her titles in *hardcover.* She is my decorating hero! (heroine?)

I think I'll get my ice pack while I finish this up...

***pause***

'm back. Thank goodness I cleaned out my book bag yesterday (cause you know, with a fractured tailbone one probably shouldn't be carrying a lot of books) since now I have two library books (Palm Computing for Dummies, The Genius in the Design) and two new books, Leap of Faith (Queen Noor) and Open Your Eyes (Alex) (yes, we're on a first name basis.)

Eric Clapton was on the Today show this morning (this has been a good week for music, what with having Paul on Ellen on Monday...) and as Matt was introducing Eric, Matt said, "You know, there are moments when you think this is the coolest job (being Matt) and this is one of them." Yeah, he gets to swim in a tank of fish and whale sharks on Monday!!!

show and tell--Red!

Red-y or not, here I come (oh I couldn't resist.)

Still waiting on that digital cam, so google images helped me out. Also, I am wearing red today (turtleneck) and last night at the CD release party for This Side of Eve, I got stamped with a red something on my hand. Even though I love pink, people always tell me I look nice when I wear red. I like it, as a general color--my long winter coat is red, and I always feel regal when I wear it. When I was in Mary Kay, red was a power color: if you had recruits, you wore a red jacket, if you had a car, the first car you could "win" was a red Grand Am.

So, left to right, clockwise: a picture of a car that looks like my car (I love my car, I think it's so cute); telephone booths in London (Europeans are so much better at decorating their cities, I think); a hat (I love hats, thought I don't know if I've ever had a red one); and a sunset (aw, ain't it purdy?)

I also like red red roses. Oh, and red tulips. Red lipstick, toenails (I think red fingernails can sometimes be *too* much)....

Livid? that doesn't begin to express it

Mad? Oh yeah.

Is it because for the third day in a row I left the milk I bought in the fridge at work?
Is it because I fractured my tailbone and it hurts?
Is it because it's finally winter (26 degrees in the 'Burgh)?

No, I am filled with white rage because FEMA is throwing thousands out on the streets in two weeks. After Thanksgiving (thanks!) but before Christmas.

I'm thrilled that Crosby brought home the puck for the Pens. I'm mad that I scrolled a whole page on Google news and that was the news I found, so far nothing on FEMA.

If you want to get mad too (or just get some info) here are some links:

• Houston Chronicle: Local Officials Balk at FEMA's deadline
• New York Times: FEMA broke its promise, Houston mayor weighs in
• Another Houston article: FEMA will relocate folks and pay for apartment housing through March (well, that's good news--if there's housing available)
• the rest of the Google links (there's a lot, if you want to wade through it)

I have the Today show on behind me, and one of today's stories is about plastic surgery. "People can't tell how old I am until they look at my hands," one woman complains. "A surgeon can fake a six-peck" claims a journalist. Puh-leeze!

Okay, here's something you can do: if you live in a "select city," go see this movie. I won't be going to movies (my favorite thing) for a while (y'know, the sitting for an hour or more...). It's all about what the Today show is calling "Generation Rx," and how we are medicating our children...

Okay, here's something to be happy about...(?) Robert Sabuda is not sporting a wedding ring!! The king of pop-ups is gorgeous and oh my. Here's a blog entry...I'm hoping this works...I still haven't taken time to understand trackbacks.

Well, maybe I should go tackle a portion of my apartment, as Joke has suggested, since, as he also points out, "at least you're not in a cast."

That'll be a Rum and Coke, please!

Warning: this is one of those "journal-like" posts that has no literary value. It does have redeeming social value, though, since it's about me.

Blame it on Babelbabe, I went to the liquor store. Well, darn it, when you're living with pain and you haven't had a drink in ages, well, it was about time. Already had the Coke, no sense in wasting perfectly good (albeit flat) Coke.

The good news or the bad news? The good news: I bought a PDA! My biggest one time purchase in a long time--I spent over $300!!! And, I got a $30 gift card with purchase! I'm very excited about this--I've wanted one for some time but it just wasn't in the budget.

The bad news: I have a fractured tailbone. Basically all I can do is take pain meds (and since I'm allergic to ibuprofin and all its derivatives that means Tylenol). The doctor, who had to call me after hours, Do you take any other meds? Me: Oh, I'm diagnosed bipolar, so I take a slew. Okay then. So the doctor's going to call me tomorrow when she can look at the X-ray, look at my meds list, and then she can see if she can prescribe me anything. Ah, joy.

It's fun, this living life thing. Ah, but I have the bestest parents in the world: even before I broke my tailbone, they were thinking the "me driving down for Thanksgiving" plan was a stretch--I drive two hours and I need a nap--they live a little over four hours away. So my dad will come up on Wednesday and drive me to Virginia and my mom will drive me back on Monday. Wow.

Oh, and the doctor said it could be months sometimes for these things to heal. Oh joy. The funny thing is that I was on a "I feel good kick" after buying the PDA and going to the liquor store, I thought, hey, I bet it is just a bruise.

And I really was looking forward to spending two hours on my tailbone watching Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson (Harry Potter and Hermione) on Friday night. Oh well.

Things I must do tomorrow: buy cellophane for my windows so that my friend Suzanne's husband Ivan can seal my windows for winter.

The second biggest purchase of the day: A "donut" seat (like for hemeroids) which sort of helps but not really. Kneeling is much better than sitting, I've found.

The third (not so big) purchase of the day: The Breakfast Club on VHS and The Nanny Diaries in book format. Currently listening to the Nanny Diaries on cassette in the car. Total cost (including employee discount): $2.57!! I mean, that off sets the other expenditures of the day completly, don't you think?

Well, it's bed time and the rum is going to my head, so I'll sign off. I want lots of "get well soon" comments, please. I told my sister, "What a fabulous early birthday present." Tell her what she won! A fractured tailbone!

We truly are jars of clay. If you drop us, we fracture.

This could be all linked up and cute, but hey, I'd have to sit or kneel and I don't wanna!