Doc Film Next Sunday

I've been kind of hooked on documentaries lately, what I like to think of as "real films." So, this is just a heads up on an interesting documentary that will be shown on the Passionate Eye (CBC) next Sunday night, the 3rd of June. I believe I've seen the second half of it, but not the entire film. Here's the synopsis direct from the website!

"At the heart of Thomas' programme are the powerful personal testimonies of people, aged from eight to eighty, who have suffered because they are "different". As these stories unfold, a radically new view of human sexuality begins to emerge. With the help of contributions from some of the world's leading experts as well as access to their latest research, Middle Sex examines the key influences that shape sexual identity and sexual orientation .

The conclusions are startling. In the words of neuro-biologist, James Pfaus: "There are as many sexual orientations as there are faces.""To suggest that the simple categories, male/female, hetero/homo are adequate to describe the whole range of human sexuality is to ignore science and the evidence of nature."

"One thing we have to remember from Darwin to Kinsey to any great thinker about sexuality," says sexologist Professor Milton Diamond, "is that variation is the norm. Biology loves difference. Society hates it."

Filmed in eight countries - from the Americas to the Far East - Middle Sex is also a fascinating study in repression and denial, revealing how culture and religion shape (and frequently distort) our attitudes to sex.While the scope of this programme is hugely ambitious, it remains intensely personal from start to finish. The trust shown all the participants as they share their most intimate feelings and experiences is unforgettable, and makes Middle Sex such a profoundly humane and profoundly disturbing experience."

Today I sought out contact information for Captain Nichola Goddard'sfamily. She was the first Canadian soldier to be killed in action since World War II. She was the same age as myself.

A library patron wanted to send a card expressing condolences. As it is a fairly common last name in the area, we ended up finding the contact information for St. Barnabas Anglican Church, the location of the memorial service. Sending a card to express condolences is hard enough for me when dealing with loved ones, friends, colleagues, and acquaintances, so the idea of writing to a complete stranger seems rather radical. On the other hand, it is truly touching they way people are compelled to reach out to complete strangers.

In other less sober contemplations, how do you politely ask a co-worker to stop talking to you? You know, the type of co-worker that provides a continual stream of conversation framed as advice for the new professional but constantly side-tracking into the personal, the bizarre and the deep depths of workplace gossip. It was a very entertaining afternoon, time passed quickly, however, I am assuaged with guilt, undone tasks, and just more guilt. I'll have to go home and clean out a closet or something.... But I must say that I've observed that the chattiest libraries are the happiest libraries when it comes to staff job satisfaction. I myself am guilty of quite a lot of chit-chat, particularly when I'm am happily working alongside any of my favorite co-workers that I may not have seen in a week or two.

I'm off to a librarian party and it's supposed to be a rager. My brother smirked and said, "Oh really? You've been waiting two years for this!" My friend and partner in crime is unable to make it out with me due to illness, (feel better soon!) and now I'm dragging my feet a bit not knowing who will show. Truth be told, it's an archivist party and that's a whole 'nother thing.

Quit it!

Has anyone ever quit a job?

Not just quitting for the sake of moving into another position, or returning to school...but quitting because you can't take it anymore, it is sucking all pleasure in life or work right out of you, and no amount of money on this earth will make one more minute worth it?

Hmmm. Well, I recently dropped myself from the on-call list of one particular department at one particular branch for this reason. The environment and the supervisor were making me re-think my entire career choice, which is a terrible thing because 99% of the time I truly love my work, even the dull bits.

Unfortunately, I fired off a hot little email - I lost my head completely... Always let the resignation letter percolate overnight!

Well, today my blog has been bombed with comments from some hot-headed reader- It isn't a big deal because I approve all comments. I allowed the comment on my posting, "Knock Knock Knock" even though the writer takes a rather aggressive stance towards me--ie. "Well let me tell you my lithe hussey, though I am not quite the tender young (and oh so special) spring chicken you portray yourself as..." But enough is enough, 4 other comments so far this afternoon! All of them are pretty harsh towards me and my inaptitude with Dewey.

The long and short of it is, that I am beginning to wonder if this is my OLD BOSS posting comments?

Tssk tssk, I know that blogs can become very self-indulgent, but that's the very nature of the beast. Certainly, I will be a little more careful with my postings, another bit of self-censorship enters the equation, and if this continues tomorrow I'm afraid comment posting will have to cease and this will simply become the one-way-ramblings of the lithe librarian....

The Dog Who Cried Wolf

"Moka was a good dog. He and Michelle loved to be together. Life was perfect, until one day, she read a book about wolves...."

And so begins his discontentment. There's a great big world beyond Eden...

"And look at the way I live, Moka sighed. I'm nothing but a house pet. He felt like a failure, especially when Michelle made him dress up for her tea parties. He wanted to be a wolf."

You can pretty much guess what happens. You can almost close your eyes and imagine a discontent spouse. Hmmm. Inspiration perhaps? This is a good children's book however, the illustrations done in watercolour are quite good at portraying the imagination and the reality of a dog's life. It is quaint and lighthearted without pushing the realm of possibility, and older children appreciate that. I had a mother with her suprisingly old daughter ILL every book written by this author. Thanks R. for passing this on!

DVD Copy

A friend asked me about getting a copy of My Flesh and Blood-there's one copy at the downtown library with 4 holds on it. I'm #4 - so if anyone wants to come over and watch it when I get it, that would be good * a cryfest, but good.

This Week's Bits and Bites from the Public

Overheard in Children's Department (mother speaking to three-year-old):

You better start managing yourself if you want to get Star Wars.

Are you going to manage yourself?

Sit up, there are other choices!

Manage yourself!

A Troubling Reference Interview:

I'm looking for books about retirement.

Any aspect of retirement?

No. Why are they all over the library?

I explain that they are often sorted by the primary topic, such as financial planning, health, etc.

I do a subject search. It's a tiny little branch, there is very little available. I notice one particular subject heading with some titles and ask without looking up, "I don't suppose your interested in books on early-retirement?"

Innocently glance up, and find myself captured in the evil glare of an enraged baby-boomer.

Ah, nevermind.

Do you know what, I think I am better off going to a bookstore! Woman flounces out.

--Note: Why do patrons always jab that to us as an insult. I say, great! If you can afford to buy a book, go and do so, you're not my primary target audience. If you have a burning interest in a particular topic, the bookstore may have more current information to suit your niche interest. The library is for general edification, education, recreation...we do the best we can with your meagre tax dollars! So there!

Found in Library:

One Chinese passport.

One pink princess purse, complete with compact, hairbrush, tube of glitter, candy wrappers.

One backseat drivers license (enscripted with: "The individual named herein has official license to criticize, annoy, aggravate and disturb operator of the car. The individual may also utilize invisible brakes on the passenger side of car when vehicle travels at excessive speeds. Authorized signature : Mathew)

Knock, Knock, Knock!

This has been a rather odd day. I thought it would be a day off, however I was called in on a last minute shift (40 minute lead time)...so besides being completely befuddled running around retrieving half-finished laundry and looking for my car (2 blocks away due to lack of parking), I made it with minutes to spare. Today, was not meant to be a normal day however.

1. I met a city engineer. He started the conversation by handing me his business card and I thought, oh no not another middle aged guy hitting on the librarian...Apparently I have become completely conceited, he simply wanted permission to take pictures of the library interior as a part of a proposal to put in air condition. I was all for it! It was hot today, I had a fan on the reference desk blowing in my face until I decided it was impairing my hearing and I had to point it elsewhere.

2. 5 minutes before the end of my shift, a man alerted me to the fact that he had been waiting to use the men's washroom for a rather long time...Oh dear. I went over and knocked - nothing, but the sound of running water and a locked door. He advised me to wait a few more minutes (I did and began to wonder if I could stretch it out to the end of my shift, but that seemed wrong). I went to ask about a spare key, a lib. tech and another librarian then enthralled me with stories of bathroom unlockings gone wrong. Yes, yes, knock VERY VERY LOUDLY first.

3. A co-worker asked me to fill out a personality questionnaire. Yes, this library technician hunted me down in the stacks and explained that he gives it to all new employees, and has for years. Over 300 surveys have been completed. Okay...I agreed before looking at it, feeling mildly concerned about providing such personal information for a co-worker/stranger.

A few examples of the odd questions I savoured during some down time on the desk...

You seem modest, even shy. YES NEUTRAL NO
You have a greater than usual resistance to physical and psychological fatigue. YES NEUTRAL NO
You have many friends and are well liked by them. YES NEUTRAL NO

Well the survey ended with information about my birth. No not just my birthdate, the time, the type of birth (c-section, clamps, anesthetic, mid-wife, etc.) and related complications, where I got this information from, and the planetary alignment. I didn't really know the answers to this part. Apparently he will email the results to me later in the week. He is trying to pinpoint some differences between clerical staff and librarians, however as the pool of librarians is much smaller, he feels the results have been all over the map. Yeah, maybe that's it...Hmmm.

My Flesh and Blood

Susan Tom, a single mother has 2 birth children and 11 adopted children with special needs. The challenges she faces with patience and perseverance are unimaginable. Faith was burned as a baby, Xenia was born without legs, and Anthony has painful genetic disease called Epidermolysis Bullosa. Most troubling of all is Joe, featured right with Bipolar Disorder and Cystic Fibrosis, who has been passed from home to home and is consumed with rage and hatred towards his siblings. Your gut reaction may be, what a nut house, why would one person take all that on? But the family seems to find strength through their united chaos and Susan Tom proves to be a woman who has been truly called on to fill this role, even when one of the children unexpectedly dies.

I stumbled across this documentary on the Passionate Eye this evening and only caught the second half. I was moved to tears, and soon I dissolved into a full out puddle of sobbing. Really, it was a fun experience. I had just spent the evening with some really frustratingly narrow minded people and needed to cleanse through a good cry. (At one point this evening, someone declared that Brokeback Mountain was an example of moral disintegration - let's just say that I was so angry, I was literally shaking and had to leave...well I tried to leave, but I didn't know the way home, so I had to wait)...ahhh, so to come home and watch something so truly about love was wonderful. It wasn't just my frame of mind that made this a great documentary though, it's won many awards, including two at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival.

If you work at a library, buy it and if you visit a library, request it!

"I really love documentaries. I really believe truth is stranger, weirder, more bizarre, wonderful, frightening, and poignant than fiction," says Jonathan Karsh, director of My Flesh and Blood (the link leads to a pretty good interview with him).

Watch the trailer on the Chaiken Films website.

Interesting ways that I have been addressed this week...

"lady do you have national geographic type of books?" (elderly woman) "Ok, thank you lady..."

"Hi new person." (teens)

"labaaarian" (snot congested preschooler)

"teacher lady" (grade 2 class)

"Hello Librarian, how are you today?" (On the phone, often, as though I am a robot) My response next time - "Why, I'm very well, Library Patron thank you for asking."

"Hello, I spoke to your secretary earlier...and I wondered if..." (this is the best yet, WOW, my SECRETARY!!!)

This Really Happened Today

Mommy, can we get some nice books?

No, they only have boring, outdated, crappy books here.

(I am within clear range of overhearing this)

Child toddles over to display.

Come along, there's nothing here.

(apparently they come in for the internet and computer games)

Pushkin sure Pushes my Buttons!

Pushkin Meets the Bundle by Harriet M. Ziefert and illustrated by Donald Saaf. This is a great team. The pictures are both classic and naive with a sprinkle of sweet. The story is quaint and ripe with emotion but straightforward without bein sickeningly perfect and pat.

The story begins with a dog wearing a sweater doing a handstand, the text reads, "I am Pushkin." This puppy is spoiled and happy, he has a child size bed with a bedside table and lamp and each night owner Kate says "Sweet dreams" and owner Michael says "Sleep tight, big boy," "We love you"....Aawwwww.

Until one day they come home with A BUNDLE. What a delightful way to describe a baby. That's really all it is to a younger sibling. Exactly, he or she is an "it" and everything changes. Pushkin thinks of running away. "Kate stays home. She pats the baby, but she doesn't pat me."

Things obviously worked out, because today I picked up Pushkin minds the Bundle which is even more fun! Pushkin's imperfections are endearing. When berry picking with "the bundle" (now a toddler) they eat lots of berries, and "Sometimes Pierre gets just the one I want. And we fight." -- the illustration depicts a dog wearing boots and a backpack pushing a little boy who is flinging a berry over his head. The little rascals! All in all, the absurdity is lovely, especially when Pushkin plays the guitar and notes that "Michael and Kate like my melancholy tunes." Nevermind the bundle, I need to get myself a Pushkin!

Latest Non-Fic

I'm trying hard to branch out. I've realized that I basically read the same book over and over, because I tend to choose things that appeal to certain interests and even though I was a English major, I have grown up treasuring reading as a form of escapism. Historical fiction? Yes!

I'm not a cyclist, though I have some aspirations that way. I have read Lance Armstrong's first biography mostly because of his fight with cancer, but I found myself fascinated with the sport of cycling. I began watching the Tour de France a few years ago. I was talking to a friend about this and we were wondering what is interesting about a 6 hour race? Not sure, maybe the high level of athleticism, single minded determination, the beautiful scenery, the spandex (no no NO - just kidding)...

Anyways, Inside the Postal Bus by Michael Barry was a nice light read. So light in fact, that at one point, I mixed up my book mark and picked up reading about fifty pages ahead and didn't really notice. Later I realized I missed a whole chunk...I went back of course. This book really jumps around and I have to say that it seems a lot like a PR campaign, the endless name dropping, no one can keep track on all the people that parade across the pages...everything is PC, there is no criticism of rules, sponsors, race officials, athletes...But I'm not athlete, and this guy, he's not a writer! A lot of things got past the editor, some sentences don't make a lot of sense. Here's one that is a little interesting...I've never managed to start and finish a sentence with the same word.

"Summers in Spain are hot, hotter than anything I ever experienced back in the muggy Toronto summers."

Little guest features really spiced this book up, the following from George Hincapie...

"Riding on a team like U.S. Postal means winning a lot of races, a lot of the time. It means riding with some incredible teammates who do amazing things."

Yup. Hmmm... well anyways here's what the athletes say... (7/10 on PedalPushers.com)

"For any reader who enjoys following the exploits of professional cycling teams, and the U.S. Postal Team luminaries in particular, this book is filled with the kind of details and statistics that allow such a reader to "talk shop" for hours with a similarly inclined competitive cycling aficionado. There are interesting flashbacks to the author's youth and his motivation to compete. There are asides about the author's wife, also a competitive cyclist, and a fair number of insights into what makes other team members tick, and on occasion, not tick. There are the required obsequities to The Lance Armstrong legend and a fairly in depth examination of the role the team plays in elevating the team hero to his winning status."

Something I noticed today...

There is only ONE person who can wear rollerblades in the library without persecution. Who?

The paperboy!

Rolls in, rolls out. Thank you!

---Is it PC to say paperboy??

What about Mary?

Quite Monday afternoon, children's department.

Phone rings (it's the adult info desk)

"A woman is coming up, her son just had two teeth pulled, he's not a happy camper, thank god he's in the car, but she's in a real rush."

"Okay, she's here."

Woman stands panting, sweat glistening on her face, gesturing to indicate she's in a rush.

I race her over to the shelf.

"We're not a violent family."

"Ok...so how old is your son?"

"Ten. But we don't like violence."

"Okay, he doesn't watch Disney or cartoons anymore?"

"No."

"Here's the Secret Garden."

"I'm not familiar with this version...I don't know if it's too...dark..."

"Here's Babe, it's really good."

"No...that movie is much too dark."

"Oh. Ummmm.... how about White Fang? Shiloh? Tuck Everlasting?"

Woman looks horrified and asks, "Um, what about Mary Poppins?"

Thank goodness, it was on the shelving cart...

All I can say, is Babe is too dark???!! Babe??!!

Sometimes, it is so good to get back to reading adult material (no not that kind, you know what I mean). I randomly picked up this one off the shelf of biographies one day while working, despite the fact that I have never read any works by this bestselling author, Victor Villasenor.

I am glad I read the entire book, though right away I was tempted to toss it aside. It has a fairly gripping opening, as the author finds himself thrust into the unexpected position of keynote speaker at a conference due to illness. He is one of the most little known and inexperienced authors present. No one at this conference for teachers has any idea what they're in for. In fact part of his speech goes like this...

"I was TORTURED by teachers! You hear me, TORTURED!" I yelled jerking the whole podium off the floor. "Hell, I flunked the third grade twice because - BECAUSE- " I was crying so hard that I had to wipe the tears out of my eyes with the back of my hand, but this wasn't going to stop me. I was all guts up front now." Okay so basically he loves using capitalization (not for artistic symbolism like annoying Mr. Fry) but basically as a constant mechanism for emphasis. Unfortunately his editors forgot to suggest italics. You actually may begin to feel he is yelling at YOU the READER.

I loved the insight this book gave me to a certain time and a certain place in American history. In light of this week's protests across the US regarding immigration, it puts some things into an interesting historical perspective (although the author grew up as a privileged well of full citizen, he experiences abuse and prejudice like I never would have imagined). Villasenor is a passionate writer, bold and unafraid to write what some might find vulgar, what some might find unbelievable...but it works well. The impossible seems possible as one person's faith is realized in such a way that is vastly different from our rather conservative, doubting Western perspective. The only thing that was a bit hard to deal with is that a certain degree of repetition enters into the narrative in terms of events and dialogue, and also the fact that the tale ends when he is still a child. Midway through the book, I can hardly believe he is still only eight years old. I also began to feel a little incredulous that anyone could remember such early years so vividly.

Oh, and this book cover is truly awful...

It's been a little while, things have been busy. Against all odds, however, I'm determined to clear the slate of books on my desk, write up on them and return them! I was at a stagette until the wee maws, and now I am coping with a very painful incision on my left pointer finger, the result of an overzealous rabbit ripping a piece of banana from my grasp...

The Hippie House by Katherine Holubitsky.

I heard a lot about this Canadian YA novel before picking it up, and I found it a little difficult to get into at first...probably in part because it's written a bit like an autobiography, as though the author is looking back into the past from a great distance in the future. And this is fiction, so I actually expected it to be a little grittier, particularly as the book is based on the discovery of a body and the changes brought to a community by the fear of an unknown murderer lurking in their midst. The protagonist is fourteen year old girl living growing up in a rural community during the 1970's. Emma is a pretty straight and narrow character, equal measure of perfect little achiever who sews and spends time with her family, and mildly rebellious and bored teenager... sounds like the way your mother would want you to picture her as a child, regardless. Half way through the book, however, I was really fascinated, and beginning to enjoy this nostalgic take on small town life, until in one of the final scenes it all falls apart becoming ridiculously contrived...but I won't spoil it for you!

What I think the author did really well, was to capture the emotions, reactions, and response of all the various members of the community to a shocking crime. And this was one of the unique aspects of this novel that made it such a worthwhile read in the end.

"Feeling powerless to fight back, the entire town was left in a heightened state of terror. After news of the second murder, doctors heard more than the normal number of complaints; unexpected illnesses - headaches and stomach aches - and absences from school rose. People developed phobias of things that didn't exist. Megan said that every time she walked somewhere she heard footsteps behind her. She was getting a stiff neck from turning suddenly to check it out....Those already predisposed to a general fear of life were paralyzed completely."