Cathy the Librarian

I get so busy, I can’t believe that I’ve neglected the blog for so long! I’ve just been on the go so much! Umm, well mostly crocheting and playing with Jack, but those are important too, aren’t they?

I’ve been trying to take more pictures of the things I’ve made, so pictures will be up soon. The subject of my interest recently is felted jewelry. I made some pins, a couple bracelets and a necklace/belt (for my niece).

There’s also been a lot of work going on in my teen area. As I may have mentioned before, Jenny is my practicum student, and she just finished weeding my teen collection. A LOT of books disappeared. We then moved the graphic novels to a more spacious location. I am very happy with it, and it looks 20X better. I just wish that I didn’t have to get rid of anything that hadn’t gone out in three years to do it. Our library is so small (how small is it :)?) that we’re almost at a one book in/one book out state. That is really awful. Although what is worse is that some people think that we’re plenty big enough. 🙁 I’d love to have some more space to display things, and make it look more like a book store, which as current experts say, is the way to get more books circulating in the library.

Poop.

By the way, Jeff called me yesterday all excited because while Jack was sitting on Jeff’s lap, Jack started grunting, which is the sure sign of poopy. Okay so that’s not the exciting bit. Anyway, Jack looked right at Jeff and said “Poopy!” then got off Jeff’s lap, went into his bedroom, grabbed a diaper and sat on the changing pad. Jeff then had to call me right afterwards.
Awww. How cute is that? … Okay so if I wasn’t a parent, I’d wonder when the cute part was coming, but as a parent all those weird things suddenly become adorable. Parenthood is strange.

Poopy!

Yea! My sister informed me this evening that the Police are getting back together to tour for a year. Oh my GAWD! You guys do not even know how much I love the Police. I found out about them in high school (maybe from my dad?) and I have loved them ever since. I love solo Sting too, but I LOVE the Police. I could listen to their music over and over and over. And in fact I have.

On another note, I was doing my typical thing of flitting through the blogsphere, and I knew of the site etsy already, but I hadn’t seen NeedleNoodles’s work before. All the crocheted candy, fruit and sushi you could ever want or need.
Finally, I’m going to read a series book tomorrow for my kids book discussion on Thursday. We do a different theme each month, and this month we are reading about weather (fiction/non-fiction). One of the girls LOVES weather fairies, so I’m going to try and tackle a couple by Thursday at 5pm. Shouldn’t be a problem, since I think I could read one in about 30 minutes. Even easier if the house is encased in snow like it is in Oswego. I was going to find pictures, but I’m tired and if I have to drive to work it might be nice to be awake for it.

Good night everyone!

Watched another movie!

Catch 22 – Wow. There were so many well-known actors in this I wanted to have IMDB up right next to me to keep track of it all. Plus there were just a lot of people in it. Trying to keep track of who died when was pretty confusing. But I have to admit that I enjoyed it… well as much as you can enjoy a movie where most of the characters are likable… and then just like that they’re dead. Sad. I was just going to say “plus I don’t like war movies”
but I did like:

1. Das Boot – which was incredible and terrifying if you don’t like enclosed spaces.
2. Saving Private Ryan – I cried at the end. I’m ashamed, but what can you do.
3. Full Metal Jacket – Show this to anyone that you are trying to convince not to join the military. Plus the Sargent that was screaming at the recruits was none other than R. Lee Ermey. Wow. What a way to get the hairs on your arms to stand to attention. I’m hoping that things are different, but it still makes me hope that Jack doesn’t want to join the military.
4. Starship Troopers – Jeff will be so proud. I have to admit it. I love this movie. Its silly and violent. Its all about who’s got the biggest cojones. However I do think that as much as its silly, the movie (the book really) also has a statement to make. It was published around 1960, which, although it didn’t sound premeditated, coincided with the Vietnam War. The movie made it seem as though it was a privilege to fight in the war against the bugs. In order to become a citizen, you needed to join the military. You also needed to join the military in order to have babies… what a way to kill off the population. Plus there was a whole side thing with the females and males being treated as equals, but so much so that nothing was separate, they showered and bunked together. Interesting and silly.
5. Apocalypse Now – I hope that war isn’t really like this. If men were going this mad, I don’t know how anyone made it out alive. This is also based on a book. A book I was forced to read in high school. A book which I tried to block out of my mind because it was so very awful. It was called Heart of Darkness (by Joseph Conrad) and I seem to remember that Mr. Conrad wasn’t well versed in the English language, and yet still decided to write the book in English. Still the movie is disturbing and fascinating, much like all the rest of these movies.

I don’t know what compels me to watch some of these movies. Many of them make my skin crawl. And yet, I still watch them, and I thank god because at one point I wanted to join the Air Force. It may be for some people, but not me. I’ll stick to children and teens beating each other up rather than me beating up the rest of the world.

Blegh. Good night. Make love not war.

In WATAT, she posted about the movies she had time to watch this weekend. I can’t believe I made time to watch these many movies, but somehow we managed to watch these movies this weekend:

1. Emma which I watched alone. I know that I had seen it once before, and I don’t think I need to see it ever again. I forgot how terrible it was. Yuck. I have a soft spot for movies like this, but this was just putrid. Gwenneth Paltrow plays Emma. The whole thing’s a sloppy disaster.
2. Better Off Dead If you are ever in a foul mood, you need to watch this movie (or 16 Candles). Both are hysterically funny and absolutely silly. John Cusack is so innocent and naive. I don’t think I stopped laughing once.
3. The Blob This one was actually much better than I thought it would be. Plus the “hero” of the movie was a female high school senior (and a cheerleader too).
4. the first half of Gone with the Wind with my in-laws. Good grief is it a long movie.
5. and right now I’m watching The Big Store with the Marx Brothers. Boy this isn’t one of their better ones. Oh my god. There’s some offensive stuff in here. The 1940’s were quite a time for movies.

At some point I really want to watch Pan’s Labyrinth and An Inconvenient Truth. But, considering the time, I don’t think its going to happen this weekend.

God. Sometime (I hate to say this) I HATE vacations. I feel like I’ve lost my sense of continuity in the world. I’ve hardly been on the Internet. I don’t know what day it is. I know there are things that I should be doing, but when I try and get a list together… Oh and there’s this little thing about my son. Yeh, he won’t let me do anything. Right now he’s screaming and trying to push me out of my chair.

I feel like I need to be doing something, and I know that there’s going to be tons of work when I get back to the library, plus I have to start working on the comic book presentation, but I guess right now I just have to play with my son. Damn. 🙂

I occasionally get the chance to wander around other people’s blogs, besides Mindless Rants on Life, WATAT and Momchops, of which I regularly stomp through. I had a chance to stomp through Ottoman Empire three.0.

I’ve also created a new blog… yea yea, I know. Shut up about it. It’s called I don’t know the title, but its got a blue cover (or blue cover for short)

She requested that I (although all I’ve done is post the songs, not actually do much crossing out):

Go to www.popCulturemadness.com and select the year you became 18. Paste the list of the top 75 songs. Bold the ones you liked; strike the ones you disliked; and italicize the ones you know but don’t exactly like nor dislike. The ones you don’t know will stay common text.

1. Barbie Girl – Aqua
2. ESPN Presents Jock Jams – Various Artists
3. Wannabe – Spice Girls
4. Tubthumping – Chumbawamba
5. To The Moon and Back – Savage Garden
6. You Make Me Wanna – Usher
7. I Like It Like That – Blackout All-Stars
8. Hard To Say I’m Sorry – Az Yet
9. Crash Into Me – Dave Matthews Band
10. Fly – Sugar Ray
11. How Do I Live – LeAnn Rimes
12. Da’ Dip – Freak Nasty
13. It’s Your Love – Tim McGraw & Faith Hill
14. Let Me Clear My Throat – DJ Kool
15. Missing You – Puff Daddy & Faith Evans
16. 2 Become 1 – Spice Girls
17. MMMBop – Hanson
18. Fly Like An Eagle – Seal
19. Say You’ll Be There – Spice Girls
20. For You I Will – Monica
21. Butterfly Kisses – Bob Carlisle
22. I Believe In You And Me – Whitney Houston
23. This Is Your Night – Amber
24. A Long December – Counting Crows
25. Show Me Love – Robyn
26. We Trying To Stay Alive – Wyclef Jean
27. Semi Charmed Life – Third Eye Blind
28. Mo Money Mo Problems – Notorious B.I.G.
29. Say… If You Feel Alright – Crystal Waters
30. The Impression That I Get – Mighty Mighty Bosstones
31. I Want You – Savage Garden
32. Song 2 – Blur
33. CoCo Jamboo – Mr. President
34. Love Rollercoaster – Red Hot Chili Peppers
35. Head Over Heels – Allure
36. All Mixed Up – 311
37. Can’t Nobody Hold Me Down – Puff Daddy
38. Honey – Mariah Carey
39. Spice Up Your Life – Spice Girls
40. Ooh Aah… Just a Little Bit – Gina G
41. Dancehall Queen – Beenie Man
42. Building A Mystery – Sarah McLachlan
43. I Say A Little Prayer – Diana King
44. Santeria – Sublime
45. Barely Breathing – Duncan Sheik
46. Men In Black – Will Smith
47. Wrong Way – Sublime
48. Criminal – Fiona Apple
49. Where’s The Love – Hanson
50. Your Woman – White Town
51. You Were Meant For Me – Jewel
52. Firestarter – Prodigy
53. Feel So Good – Mase
54. Where Have All The Cowboys Gone – Paula Cole
55. If It Makes You Happy – Sheryl Crow
56. Don’t Go Away – Oasis
57. Staring At The Sun – U2
58. Lovefool – The Cardigans
59. Blood On The Dancefloor – Michael Jackson
60. Thirty Three – Smashing Pumpkins
61. Secret Garden – Bruce Springsteen
62. Desperately Wanting – Better Than Ezra
63. How Bizarre – OMC
64. I’m Not A Player – Big Punisher
65. Quit Playin’ Games (With My Heart) – Backstreet Boys
66. Daylight Fading – Counting Crows
67. All Cried Out – Allure
68. Dream – Forest For The Trees
69. Push – Matchbox 20
70. Alright – Jamiroquai
71. The Freshmen – The Verve Pipe
72. The Rascal King – The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
73. The Old Apartment – Barenaked Ladies
74. Hell – Squirrel Nut Zippers
75. All By Myself – Celine Dion

This morning I asked my co-worker if she was going to shop for the day after Thanksgiving sales. She said no, and then she proceeded to say that she wasn’t going to shop at Walmart on Friday or Saturday. When I asked why, she said that Walmart was going to give 5% of their profits to the Gays. Boy did that give me a wake up call:

1. go Walmart! I thought you suck, but now you suck a little less
2. it made me think of my co-worker in a different light. A not happy light.

Then, when I got home, I found an article on Snopes, which stated that its sort-of true. They are donating 5% of the online sales of sales initiated through the web site of the Washington DC Community Center for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender People. Well tons of people will know to do that! (She says very sarcastically!) Even though I hate everything that Walmart stands for, I may have to buy something…

Okay, so maybe I just don’t care to think about all those sad individuals that think that being a homosexual is a dirty, unnatural, sin. I sort of like staying ignorant about that. Although, I guess the people that hate gays want to do the same thing. But since I’m right, I can stay ignorant, right? 🙂

Of course, I still understand that part of my duty as a librarian is to:

1. purchase materials for all types of patrons in the community even if I don’t agree with their beliefs
2. not criticize or think poorly of people who view things differently from me

But it seems like its one thing when its a strange patron who just wants to check out books and its completely another when its a co-worker that you really like (not in that way though, because it would be dirty 🙂 ). It sort of broke my heart to hear her say that she basically hates homosexuals… especially in Rochester. I mean we aren’t the mecca of homosexuality, but I thought Rochester seemed pretty progressive and open. Of course, this may be my sad delusional ideals protecting me again.

I’m positive that this topic is one of those “deadly sins likely to not get you another job ever again” topics, but I guess I wouldn’t really want to work in a place that wouldn’t hire me for my beliefs on this subject. I completely honor the fact that she hates homosexuals even if from the bottom of my heart I know she’s wrong, and I would treat a patron the same way. Try and be as pleasant as possible, but pity them just the same. So if my future employer couldn’t honor me in the same way, well then pphhtttt to you.

I really had to get that off my back. Oh and I still hate Walmart. I like Target much better, although I’m sure they have some dirty secrets hiding in there… just looked on Snopes. There’s an article about “banning” the term Christmas, banning the Salvation Army and carrying vibrators & not donating to veterans.

If you don’t get a chance to read the articles they:

1. DO NOT ban the cashiers from saying “Christmas”, however they didn’t use the term Christmas in any of their advertisements in 2005 until they were pressured to start using it again… although I didn’t see Christmas mentioned on their website. I do applaud them for trying to keep in mind that NOT EVERYONE CELEBRATES CHRISTMAS IN AMERICA!!! Well that was until certain groups pressured them enough.
2. DO ban the Salvation Army from soliciting, but that’s because they don’t let anyone solicit at the door. We all know that when you let one person do something, more will follow. Good for Target sticking to their guns.
3. DO NOT sell vibrators.
4. DO donate TONS of money to all different causes, including veterans. In one part of the article, it was claimed that Target only donates to Gay and Lesbian causes, but that’s not true either.

So I can still like Target. Thank goodness. I may even go there this weekend!… but not on Friday. No shopping on Friday, except maybe to Leaf and Bean.
On a happy note, I got my poi-ple ukulele tonight, and it sounds and look bea-u-ti-FUL!

If you can make any suggestions about the talk I’m thinking I’d like to give… can I/ should I ask for money? Should I do a program in January in Geneva?

Should I be worried about the little crying kid? Will I end up being the little crying librarian?

Would a grant for homeschooling teens be a good idea, or am I just giving myself too much work?…

Wow. You turn around and half a month goes by! I can’t believe I haven’t posted since the middle of October!

Since then I have…

• Officially gotten my teen blog reviewed on VOYA

• Found out that my sister WILL be doing a special school project at my library for 120 hours! Which I am very excited about, because I already have tons of stuff I want her to help me do. The three most important things I want her to help with are:

1. Summer Reading (for teens) – she wants to be a teen librarian, so I figured that I wouldn’t even bother having her try to help plan summer reading for the kids
2. Help write a grant with me. Yep. I’m going to try it again. I want to talk to Ogden, Brockport and Hamlin and work with the teen librarians at each library and create a homeschooling grant similar to the one that I’m doing with Webster, Chili and Greece. We’d make educational kits, have programs, and create displays. I’ll have to ask the other librarians if they actually want to do it before I start thinking about it too much.
3. Marketing – Find ways to market to the teens and their parents. Sally and I have had LOTS of talks about how librarians are TERRIBLE about promoting themselves. We aren’t letting people know how important libraries are and how many services we provide. I’m hoping that my sister and I can come up with interesting and creative ways to promote our services.

• I went to NYLA and went to quite a few programs. There didn’t seem to be too many librarians from Monroe County, but I did meet a lot of other very nice librarians. One of the librarians even asked me if I would be willing to relocate to Albany to be their teen librarian. But I knew that my mother wouldn’t let me do that, because she thought my commute would be too long. Of course I wouldn’t be able to MOVE to Albany because then she wouldn’t be able to see Jack anymore. I’ll talk about NYLA more in a separate post because there’s quite a bit to talk about.

• I was asked to speak about comic books by the Wayne School district. They want me to speak for an hour on elementary graphic novels- (roughly K-5). They want me to bring examples to share, lists for people to take with them and sharing of basic information about graphic novels (how to read them, what makes a graphic novel a graphic novel, what to look out for, artwork etc.). The audience would primarily be school library media specialists from the region with some administrators mixed in. She also asked me if I charged any fees. I think that it would be pretty cool to get paid for speaking, especially since its an hour away and I would be speaking for an hour. However I have absolutely NO idea how much I would ask them for. I’m pretty sure that I could find a way to talk for a whole hour about comic books.

• Tonight I had my weekly Yugioh group, which usually goes fine. The teens are usually so good that I haven’t always even been in the room. Tonight they were quite animated. Two of the teens were chasing each other around and hitting each other in the way teens beat each other up when they “like” each other. Then the youngest one in the group, a ten year-old boy, started getting involved and hitting the teen guy. I thought things had calmed down so that I felt the room for a couple of minutes. I heard things get loud again, and in the couple minutes I was gone, the kid hit/kicked the teens in the testicles and the teen lifted him up and pushed him aside. The kid fell on the floor and started crying. I got back in there, he was crying and then before I could talk to him, he ran out of the room and out of the library. I’m a little afraid that when I get to work tomorrow, I have an angry note on my desk from the kid’s mom and she wants me fired. I guess it would be nice to be a stay at home mom. I’d just have to get rid of my car and I wouldn’t be able to buy more bags or shoes.

• Oh and Halloween. I got Jack orange pants and a black shirt with skeletons on it. We handed out candy to the three kids and fifteen teenagers that came to the door. We had about 8 guys that dressed up as ladies. Very interesting. Jack had fun answering the door and eating candy.

Okay this dates me… or not. I’ve been feeling melancholy lately. The melancholy like this: sober thoughtfulness; pensiveness. Not this: the condition of having too much black bile, considered in ancient and medieval medicine to cause gloominess and depression. I’ve been thinking about all the shows I watched and toys I played with as a kid, although mostly the shows. Growing up in the 80’s and in the city (southwedge) of Rochester as I did, you didn’t go outside to play too much, especially when both of your parents had full-time jobs. Instead, you stayed inside and

1. beat your sisters (I have two younger Jen and Sam) up
2. played imaginary games having to do with your imaginary things
   1. boyfriend
   2. apartment
   3. job
3. make weird food substances that you wouldn’t eat in a million years if an adult prepared them, but when you prepared them, it was okay
4. create “houses” out of sheets, pillows from the couch and chairs
5. beat your sisters up some more
6. dance like ballerinas (there were three girls, no boys) to classical music on WXXI
7. Listen to the funky record collection your dad has, but only when he’s around because
   1. he’d kill you
   2. you don’t know how to work the record player anyway
8. watch Nickelodeon and PBS

I will only speak about 8 tonight. The 80’s had some really funky stuff out there. And I think they may be even funkier in my eyes because I was six in 1985, so some of the shows are sort of vague memories at that.

Some of these shows include:

1. Today’s Special
2. Pinwheel
3. Dangermouse
4. You Can’t Do That On Television
5. She-Ra, Princess of Power and He Man
6. Fraggle Rock
7. Sesame Street
8. RANGER BOB! (on WUHF, before it became Fox 31) There’s even an honest to goodness fan website dedicated to Ranger Bob!

Just thinking about them, I long for the days when I was young and free. All this thinking has gotten me tired, and I didn’t even get to talk about any of the shows. Ah well. BTW, if you look on youtube, you can find snippets of most of the shows. Because I know you want to. LOL! Double BTW. I’m glad that people are trying to improve the Southwedge, because its a really great area. And that’s not just because I grew up there, although it helps!