Lean, Mean and 13

Well my baby (I mean, my youngest child) is now officially a teenager. Hard to believe its been thirteen years already since my last experience of childbirth. Those memories still seem fresh. But there have been so many more wonderful things too! The sumo wrestler fat baby. The precocious toddler speaking in full sentences. The suave woman-charming little boy. The sports loving, book reading, game playing, trivia spouting young man of today. The chick magnet of tomorrow. Oh, the things we still have to look forward to! I thank God often for sending me such a terrific kid, especially as I had just asked Him for a sign in my life. Josh is a pretty clear sign that what I still need to be doing is taking care of my family. (And maybe letting them take care of me, too.) Hey God - thanks again!

That Eric Garcia can write!

"I'm not one of those women who feels the need to shop every time the going gets rough. In fact, I often prefer to make my purchases when I'm in a good mood; a beautiful pair of shoes enhances a natural high and brings it to a level that's probably illegal in some states."
-Cassandra French's Finishing School for Boys by Eric Garcia

The cover of this book had me worried that it would be really raunchy, but in fact it is just slightly naughty and highly amusing. I have to admit to liking Eric Garcia's work. It is definitely high on the list of unique fiction. I read a lot of whodunits and am rarely still in the dark at the end. But I have to admit that with a mere 8 pages left I had no idea how this book would end. What an interesting twist Garcia puts on life! (Come to think of it, I was surprised by the ending of Matchstick Men as well). (And then the dinosaur detectives. Hmmm...) It is interesting to note that Garcia wrote this from Cassandra's point of view, and if I didn't know he was a male author I never would have guessed. He did his homework well. Just look at the shoe quote above. I venture to say that is not a man's attitude. Yes he's showing the stereotypic fashion-obsessed woman (as do many female authors) but it is wickedly funny at times. It is LA after all. And then there are "the boys". "I don't know what I would do without them. No matter what's going wrong in my life--my job, my relationships, my hair--they're a bright spot in every day. One day, they'll be gone, back into the world that made them. That's the goal after all. All I can hope is that they will come back now and again to thank me. Then they'll probably ask for another shot of morphine."

Maybe not for everyone, but a unique and enjoyable read!

Adventures at the ER

Josh woke me yesterday morning with a rapid heartbeat and the shakes, although no fever. He has been complaining of stomach pain and generally not eating or drinking for the last 4 days. So being finally freaked out about it I took him to the Doctor. They decided that perhaps we should go to the Pediatric ER at General for an xray. So off we went. (The biggest mistake was that I was too hurried and nervous to eat beforehand myself, so made do the whole day with just a couple granola bars and a glass of water). Well the ER doctor did not think his pain warranted an xray because it was "not localized", i.e. not appendicitis (good news, but not surprising given the lack of fever). What they did do was blood work, and put him on IV to rehydrate him. To ward off evil thoughts, and to distract us, I read to him (and we worked on a crossword puzzle), and it made the time go faster. I had an evil sinus headache, so what I really wanted was to have him move over in the bed so I could take a nap with him. (Actually, the nurse said that its not unusual for that to happen). Josh asked lots of questions and found out about IVs and monitors and such. After the first 500 ml of saline he finally got some color into his cheeks and perked up a bit. Enough to be able to stand without feeling light headed. I had a discussion with the doc about what symptoms to look for with real inflammatory bowel and or irritable bowel syndromes. It was not terribly busy so I wonder if that's why he spent time to explain things...Or maybe doctors are better at that stuff than I thought, esp. if you ask the right questions and act ignorant enough. He gave Josh instructions about what to start eating (clear liquids, bland foods etc.) and sent us home. The final diagnosis (although it sounds like a symptom) was "non-specific abdominal pain". It was a very long 5 hours...at least to me, and I was exhausted when I got home. I guess he was too, but I'm not sure he expended the emotional energy I did. Especially the part about worrying about work, even though I knew that was in good hands. Well, I hope to not have to do that again soon.

I Love Travelogues

Despite the bother of taking down tables and setting up all the chairs, getting the coffee and tea and juice and cookies, I still love travelogues. I guess its because we get to see great pictures while hearing a virtual adventure. And most of the presenters are very nice people and easy to work with. But best of all my regular travelogue attendees truly appreciate what I do. I get tons of positive feedback, and the people keep coming back for more. I think 90% of the 65(!) who attended today were repeat attenders. And that makes me feel great too!

Books, Books and more Books

I spent all afternoon updating my books of authors I like to read, and all the books of theirs I missed, or need to watch for. Anyway, all I need now is lots of time to read. :)

Positive Affirmations

Here are my thumbs up experiences (that could have been downers) from the last week:

• Making gel candles with a bunch of teens. I was terrified of all the things that could go wrong (esp. the fear of setting off the sprinkler system in the library with smoke). But none of the terrible things came to pass, the candles turned out great, the teens were happy and good natured, and I slept very well that night (from exhaustion and relief I guess).
• A patron complimented my hair. We actually had a discussion of how our mothers both suggested that we color our hair. In my case I just am too lazy to put that much effort into my hair (not to mention that done wrong it could look very bad indeed, and I have no skill in that area). But it was a good feeling to know that not everyone thinks I look old and gray. In fact I get just enough good hair compliments to keep me going even on the worst of hair days.
• Teaching Basic Internet to a class of 13. Through some fluke that will probably never be understood 13 people showed up for my Tuesday morning Internet class. I was expecting 6. The miracle is that it went very well. And while I did not get fabulous comments, no one walked off in a huff either. And I got some supportive comments from coworkers that made me feel I'd done a great thing indeed. Earning that respect was the best part.
  

Very Interesting!

You may not have noticed, but I have blogger's block. I want to post, but nothing seems interesting enough to say. Until I got an email today with some pictures from this site:
http://www.canstruction.org/
Check it out. Lots of cool sculptures made out of cans of food. Its a design industry charity to help fight hunger. And the artisitic results are incredible. Use the Competition tab and look at winners from the last few years. They are amazing!

January Blues

It's happened again. That terrible post holiday slump. I am so tired, mentally and physically, that I can hardly function, and yet...I must. I have traveled and seen folks who I miss (and always miss more just after seeing them). I took a week off from work, but came back to the week from hell. 15 hours of busy reference time that was unbelievably stressful (moreso because of the aforementioned mental fatigue). Of course we also need to factor in the Seasonal Affective Disorder. One sunny afternoon does not make up for 10 days without seeing the sun, or even a lightness in the sky. How can we function if it is always twilight? I have new respect for arctic dwellers. So anyway I have not made resolutions either. I would have broken them all already since I still have all my bad habits from last year...and then some. I have yet to get my body back to the pool, or to any exercise. I just can't seem to get the enthusiasm worked up. Nor can I easily get my pants zipped up, so squeezing back into the bathing suit is not something I'm looking forward to. My procrastination gear is on High. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. Oh, okay, even the spirit is weak...

Red Sox fans respond to Damon's move to the Yankees

Torture

Well I haven't been posting due to technical difficulties (i.e. not getting my turn, being out of town, and the PC sounding like it has black lung disease) , but I could not let the opportunity go by to complain about the dentist. I don't really care for dental visits. They are usually uncomfortable and always give me a headache. Not to mention the tension as I lie waiting for something to hurt (whether it does or not is irrelevant, I still get tense). I do like the feeling of nice clean teeth, but today I wondered if it was worth it because I had to listen to Country Music while I had my teeth cleaned. Aargh. That just adds insult to injury.

Rant over. Happy New Year! Maybe I should resolve to floss more. I always do after a dental visit, but then it wears off.

Merry Christmas!

It started on Friday...the Christmas spirit came in slowly. We went and cut down a tall skinny Christmas tree that fit perfectly in the living room. And in the evening we had a cookie party with some friends and decorated (and ate) many cookies. On Saturday we enjoyed our decorations and did some wrapping and "festive eating", including a delicious salmon dinner. The we went to Midnight Mass, (well, actually 10:30 , but we came home about midnight). That was very Christmassy and we saw some friends and actually gave the Merry Christmas greeting. The magical part was being able to sleep in until 9:30 in the morning! I got up and started work on dinner (lasagne) so I would just have to pop it in the oven later. Then we had a great brunch and the gift opening began. Its fun to take turns and actually enjoy watching other family members open the stuff you picked out for them. I was really impressed that someone paid enough attention that I got new slippers and a programmable crock pot and a new travel cosmetic case and some yummy gifts like chocolate biscotti and chocolate covered cherries. We finished the evening by watching a movie together after our delicious dinner. It was just a great family day...which is what holidays should be all about.

My Favorite Christmas gift (so far)

Yes! A new fridge! It is a family gift and not just for me...Even if it was I would share. :)
I especially like being able to get water to drink without opening the door!

In the news...

Agents are particularly frustrated that they cannot get approval to use Section 215 of the Patriot Act, called the "library provision" by Patriot Act critics because it could be used to search library or any other business records.

One FBI e-mail from 2003 complains that the Office of Intelligence Policy and Review (OIPR) "should be embarrassed that the FBI has used this valuable tool to fight terrorism exactly ZERO times."

The e-mail goes on: "The inability of FBI investigators to use this seemingly effective tool has had a direct and clearly adverse impact on our terrorism cases. While radical militant librarians kick us around, true terrorists benefit from OIPR's failure to let us use the tools given to us."

Interesting times...I'm not sure what I think about this. Talk amongst yourselves....

Signs and wonders

Elizabeth is coming home tomorrow. And Matthew got out the Christmas lights. There are snowflakes in the window. There's a box of wrapping paper in the upstairs hallway. There are 3 lit candles in the Advent wreath. The calendar says its December. Even baby Max has arrived. All the signs point to it being nearly Christmas. But I don't feel it yet. The stores have been playing the same music for weeks already, and so far I just find it annoying. Oh how I need a little spirit of Christmas! Maybe I really do need to think about gifts and wrapping and cookies...but I'm not quite ready yet. Is it because I secretly relish the panic of last minute preparation? Or is it because I know I will never really be ready for the hype? I am trying to be peaceful and spiritual and just keep it a wonderful family time. But I don't know who else has expectations that I'm failing miserably to meet. (Well maybe I suspect, but I'm trying to suppress that too). I guess I need to make a pre-New Year's resolution to try just a little harder this week. Maybe I will try to get organized tomorrow when I'm alone for a few hours. But that means I need to get in to work and get stuff done today (another concentration problem...ooh am I a mess). Well, here goes...

Selective hearing

The kitchen timer on the microwave is beeping. I can hear it. But I did not set it, so I don't have to turn it off. Apparently the man who set it does not hear it, or does not remember that he set it; no wait, he thinks it will turn itself off. I tell him I don't think it will, it never does. He thinks we should find out. My guess is that it would eventually drive me insane, but he would still be sitting here ignoring it, and that in fact it would not turn it self off for hours and hours.
I believe it must be in the same realm as the telephone ringing. I, and only I, can hear it ring and answer it. And no, it does not matter whether or not it is for me, but as my whole family *wrongly* contends, it is always for me. Actually it is usually for me; but if I have to run, wash my hands, get up from a warm cozy position, or wake up to answer it, inevitably it is for someone else.

Pseudo High

I did not sleep well last night. Okay and well you ask, what's new? This was the kind of chemical wakefulness that would not let me sleep restfully. I realized that over the last week I have ingested 6 small red pseudoephedrine pills, which although it is only 1/2 adult dose, once a day, has built up enough in my body to keep me awake (no matter how tired). I suspect it may also be responsible for the bizarre dreams of the last few nights. I do appreciate that it did the job of fending off the killer sinus headache (at least for a while) , so maybe its worth it. I have avoided the chemical help today, and amazingly the headache too, and I hope to sleep better tonight. Pleasant dreams.

Making Tea

I have been pondering whether it is the tea, or the ritual itself, which I am addicted to. I enjoy preheating the teapot, filling the kettle with fresh water, choosing a teabag, preheating the mug while the tea steeps for precisely 4 minutes. And the feeling of comfort, warmth, even relief , that comes with the first sip. I just don't get the same comfy feeling when I have a cup of tea somewhere else. I do enjoy the tea, and perhaps sometimes even need the caffeine. But its the ritual I crave.

Random musings

Don't have anything to post about, so I thought I'd just randomly say stuff and see if anyone comments. First of all I could talk about the nasty headache I had this morning, and how little work I got done. I never seem to be able to knuckle down and work when there are friendly people to chat with. I guess today I just was not motivated enough to fight the pain. I came home and listened to some of Thud!, the latest Terry Pratchett, on CD. Even though I already read the book its just a lot of fun to listen to. Briggs does a fabulous job with the voices. (At one point I felt like I was listening to a Monty Python dialog. It was great!) Then Matthew offered to make a stir fry for dinner. And I offered to make the rice. When I think of stir fry, I think of rice. And when I think of rice, I think of rice pudding. And when I think of rice pudding I just have to make some because I love it. (Okay admittedly I don't always make rice pudding when I think of it, because I would have to make it every few days or so. But I never think of rice pudding and don't think it sounds good.) And so we have rice pudding for dessert. And, last but not least, there's the excitement of having Olivia lend me her set of Buffy season 2 DVD's. Now I don't have to wait for holds to come in. Yea!

Sundays and Food

It must be the atmosphere surrounding the kitchen when we sit down to eat breakfast together, for somehow the talk naturally turns to food, as in "What's for dinner?", or "What's for dessert?", or even better, "Can I bake cookies?". This morning we discussed not only the dinner plan, but also the book of 1001 Cookie Recipes that I brought home from the library yesterday. Its fun to just speculate on how many different recipes we could try given the ingredients already in the house. Unfortunately I notice that the book is now just sitting here and I don't hear the mixer or smell any cookies baking. Perhaps later. But in the meantime Josh helped me (or rather I helped him) get a pot roast and vegetables in the crock pot. Lately he has been really interested in peeling vegetables and even fruit (like getting an apple peeled all in one long piece). He loves doing carrots, and today he even did the potatoes without complaint. But I figured out his secret. Its a competition within himself to get as fast at peeling as me. (I keep telling him about my many years of experience). He's doing really well at it. And I love having another kitchen helper. It makes me feel good when I know my kids can fend for themselves in the kitchen, and even get us all fed if they want to. (Matthew made a delicious spinach, broccoli, and feta quiche the other day. Yum!) I'm really lucky to have such a wonderful kitchen family. And baking together can be a great lot of fun too. I guess that's why I hardly ever do it on my own. It really is more fun to work together. If fact I hear the mixing bowls coming out now. I'm off to the kitchen...to watch at least.

Its a Parade!

Well the long awaited parade day was today. I was nervous enough without having the TAB members who were planning to dance with book trucks cancel out entirely at the last minute. So Xandi scrambled to call teen volunteers this afternoon and we culled together a (motley but lovable) group of kids to walk with. We had some great costumes...layered with jackets, hats and mittens in an attempt to keep warm. I think Adrienne and I were the only ones to figure out how to really dress warm (oh yeah, maybe that's cause we are sensible adults. But wait, if we were sensible what were we doing walking in a parade in December with a bunch of senseless kids? You decide.) In any case we learned a lot and I guess had a little bit of fun. The kids thought it was great to throw candy at people. I thought our newly painted, lighted, garlanded, and posterized book trucks looked great! And truly it could have been a lot worse. I guess what I really wonder is why no other adult staff member of the library thought this was worth doing? I mean there was the brass band ahead of us and firefighters wearing grass skirts behind us. Doesn't that sound like fun. If I (the old tired wretch that I am) can drum up the enthusiasm for this, anyone else should be able to!