In the musty old building this week...

A highly successful library program was pulled off, with high stakes, and high anxiety. Over one hundred people crammed into the children's area, and many of them were first time visitors to our humble and crumbling abode. Reactions all around- self congratulations and...

• This is why we haven't done this in a decade...
• God, I need a drink.
• How did it go...Did you have any complaints?
• Click (a member of the public hung up on me enraged that our registration was full)
• Could you write a summary of the work involved and how long each task took, so when anyone asks, we can justify not doing this sort of program?

That last one really got me - please explain how much work it is, so that in future, we do not try to do this sort of HIGHLY SUCESSFUL program that brings hoardes of people into the library and promotes our services better than almost anything else.

Snip, snap, snout, this tale's told out!

In other news, I helped an elderly man with kidney disease determine how much phosporous is in his food. It took several hours, and some emailing to accomplish this, but to show his appreciation he returned to the library twice to hunt me down and tearfully marvel at my searching skills. This was very rewarding. It made up for a lot of other stuff.

Listening through your nose?

When I can't sleep, I listen to a radio program on my small little radio, the sound of conversation just puts me right out. Once upon a time my grandfather used to leave cassette tapes with his favorite evangelical talk shows and sermons lying about for me with post-it notes saying, "Listen to this!" - they had the same effect. The act of listening to someone else speak, lulls me, allows me to leave my own thoughts and worries behind.

Lately, I've been wearing earplugs, living in a downtown core has that effect. And the fact that people frequently play bongo drums in the park across the street into the wee hours. Actually they usually don't start up until the wee hours. So how do I listen to the radio and wear earplugs? Somehow if you lay on the earphone and turn the volume up. Well, the other night I rolled over and in a semi-conscious state, realized I was listening to the radio through my nostril. Yup, you can listen to the radio through your nose when your ears are plugged. This was to weird and yucky to continue with once I realized what was happening, and made me laugh a bit (alone in my bed, roomie must have wondered!!)

Well when I saw the headline for this article I was naturally intrigued: http://www.slate.com/id/2162384/?GT1=9231 But it actually didn't quite meet my expectations! Anyways, it does relate to a novel I read this weekend featuring a nurse working a burn unit (in part II) during world war II and overhears a girl break up with a soldier who has lost his nose and has been horrible disfigured. They have just completed one surgery to start creating new nostrils for the poor fellow. The girl whimpers, I'm sorry I just can't do it and rushes out. Eva enters the room, and the soldier holds up a photograph of a very handsome young man, it is himself. (I can't find the page, this is just a rough description) She assumes that it is the girls new beau until he rips the photo in half and she realizes who it is. Of course this lead to an interesting discussion with Supple Scientist over what one would do in a similar situation. If you are looking for quaint historical fiction with a touch of the mysterious and otherworld and a healthy dose of sad ending, you may enjoy Eva Moves the Furniture by Margot Livesey. A girl grows up in a remote part of Scotland with the helpful and sometimes irritating intrusions of "the companions" - a woman and a girl visible only to herself. Her mother dies in childbirth, when 6 magpies arrive in the tree outside the window. She leaves for Glasgow to nurse, hoping to leave them behind, and loses the love of her life when she admits their presence to him. She learns better later on, and enters into a marriage without sharing this aspect of her life. Omens, moving furniture, ghostly conversations, and a life recounted in a wise and well written narrative. I disliked the final chapters however and went to bed depressed. But, that's just me. I'm a sucker for happy endings.

I also read Wild Orchid, by Beverley Brenna, a delicious interpretation of life with Asperger's Syndrome written for teens. In it's way it is much more approachable that the Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night. An eighteen year old girl moves to Prince Albert National Park with her mother for the summer and finds herself coping with this unsettling change, seeking her first boyfriend, and attempting her first job. The narrative is incredibly realistic, Taylor herself displays the incredible recall and attention to logic and detail that accompanies this condition, and the story rolls along with interest. The story is about more than her condition. It's about gaining a sense of self, and ability to cope with a life that is sometimes out of your control. The story was a bit short, the secondary characters a bit underdeveloped, and plot a little happy-go-lucky, but overall it was a very good read. The setting was lush, and easily imagined as Taylor spends her day at the park's nature house, and as she seeks rare orchids along the pathways with her new friend Paul, who's wife has been diagnosed with MS.

Just In Case by Meg Rosoff

Wonderful YA. Wonderful. A fifteen-year old boy nearly loses his infant brother, who teeters on the brink of death by deciding to fly out a highrise window. In the nick of time, the protagonist grabs him. In thinking about what might have been, he becomes convinced FATE is out to get him. He decides to ellude fate as best he can. I love how the lines between reality, and what one person's reality is, can be blurred in this novel.

The older I get, the more precarious "sanity" seems to be. The more accepting I've become of what other people believe and feel, so I think this is a powerful book for a teen, a dash of fantasy, or a dose of reality, could be either one. He changes his name to Justin (his last name is Case) nearly dies in a plane crash inferno, finds himself the centre of a photographic exhibit, makes a delightful and unlikely cast of friends who give him a place to stay, continues communicating with his baby brother who is both wise and telepathic, and lives with a most delightful imaginary greyhound, sleek and doting.

Age is relative and even the youngest, can have the most profound thoughts in this novel. Justin is working through some terrible things, and while you question his reality, alternate chapters offer a glimpse into the terrible voice of FATE. This novel definitely transcends teen literature, read it even if you prefer adult material. Do, do, do.

The Time of Year Children's Librarians Love (er, hate)

Hello, you've reached --- public library, information desk.

Am I speaking to a real person?

Yes, I am a librarian.

Do the children have school today?

No, they are off today.

How long will this last?

All week, it's spring break.

All week?

Yes.

Oh blast!

Time is Relative

Today I got a Library Journal from May 1st, 2006. That's how far down the routing list I was. Almost a year.

One positive thing about Daylight Savings happening early...My watch is back on time. It's been one hour ahead since the last daylight savings. Now it's bang on. Proof that sometimes if you do nothing at all, things sort themselves out.

How many books can I check out and not read before they are due back again? A lot. How many did I add to my take-home pile in one workingday? Four. I'm thirsty for time to read!

Is 8:15 in the morning too early to plug in your amp and start playing guitar? I know it's a weekday but isn't 9:00am the norm? I happened to be working a late shift today, and was hoping to catch a little extra sleep, fighting this cold and all. I tapped my handy high heel against the floor in a congested cold induced fervor this morning, and heard my neighbour scream a resounding f*** off! Through the floor. Spent half an hour plotting revenge (like wearing heels in my house, or once again turning the base on the stereo - both things not done on request of those below)- before admitting that my neighbours are too scary to mess with, even if we are moving shortly.

I am 28th on the list for Ysabel by G.G.Kay. I will not get to read this book before leaving the country.

PS- regarding lovely illustration - that's me in the morning... (by Jeremy Tankard- children's illustrator)

Sometimes People Read...

Cockeyed by Ryan Knighton - humourous, interesting, insightful, sometimes goes on and on a bit about the blind perspective, a bit like a blog, small degrees of skimming resulted. I read half of it in one sitting, loved it overall and can't wait for more from this author- more than his memoir! I enjoy his style of writing, and would love to read a work of fiction by him.

The Road of Bones by Anne Fine (J Fic)-gripping, powerful, fable-like in nature, however the suspenseful, ending may leave a child empty.

Ten Days in the Hills by Jane Smiley - smutty (rated R for a reason!) but natters on like the Gilmour Girls fixated on CNN's coverage of the so-called "War on Terror"...sometimes I felt like my life was slipping away, wasted listening to an endless conversation.

Beijing Bicycle - DVD - lovely and tragic, interesting, didn't mean towatch it all in one night and stayed up waaaay too late for a week night

There You Are: A Novel by Joanne Taylor (J Fic)- east coast days of old,lovely and fascinating, sibling rivalry disolves a bit to easily, rifewith tragedy that ends happily, a satisfying top pick for family readaloud.

My Kind of Place: Travel Stories from a Woman Who's Been Everywhere by Susan Orlean -If you like travel writing with a journalistic slant, she pulls a collection of magazine articles of all descriptions together under this title. I have only skimmed a few enjoyable articles, some didn't interest me, and came across as a bit insipid or dated, but this works as light pre-bed reading.

My completed reading list.

A patron just said,"It looks great up here." Isn't that lovely, good displays do make a difference. Our hard work does pay off. Occasionally people do read the boards, or look at the little creatures and books on display.

That book does not exist and other trivial matters

Reference Question:

Hi, I need a book of experiments.

For a science fair?

Well actually inventions.

Like the lightbulb, in history?

Well, inventions that I can invent.

Oh, a book of things that haven't been invented yet?

Yup.

Storytime Antics:
The plan was to wear pajamas in the library during preschool storytime. A mere half hour of penguin clad fun, complete with fuzzy slippers. I don't know where this need to ham it up came from, perhaps it was repressed for many years. I don't know, what do you think? Well I had a few reactions:
A coworker - sneer and titter
Manager - You are going to wear your clothing underneath right?? (no, the flannel will be enough, maybe she envisioned me in something more scant)
Small Boy afterwards- Do you live here?
All the children - You are still in your pajamas! You didn't get dressed yet!!
Everyone else was quite nice! Of course, it was only half an hour!

Lunchroom:
1. I didn't want to hear about our oldish baldish male library director's foray into the Amsterdam red light district as a wee lad.
2. I also didn't want to hear about cat hairball remedies.

The Very Quiet Cricket that Wouldn't Shut Up

As I browsed the shelf looking for an item, the annoying and continuous drone of a cricket chirping began to get on my nerves.

I looked around in the busy children's picture book area and saw several parents reading to their children. There were no Eric Carle books in sight. I drew closer to the C section and the sound grew louder.

Yes, the book had gone bezerk. Chirping away even with the cover closed. No one thanked me, yes being a librarian is a thankless job...

This is ironic because tomorrow I am using a grasshopper puppet which I installed with a chirping mechanism talem from a discarded book *the same book as the afformentioned bezerk book - the Very QUIET Cricket...! I'll be using this rhyme: (crickets and grasshoppers are interchangeable in my world, having had little experience with either)

There was a little grasshopper

Who was always on the jump

And because he never looked ahead

He always got a bump!