Book of the Month: The Historian By: Elizabeth Kostova

I actually had to rename this book of the week entry. I was rather foolhardy to believe that I'd be able to read such a long novel as this within a week. It is a very large book, which I adore, but is too much to read in one week. And I'm glad I was able to make this one last nearly a month. I began strong, reading fast, but as you know life sure can come at you with some fun twists and turns. Hence the putting it off for days on end, which I will say is VERY hard to do with this book.

I was completely engrossed in this book. I was longing to read it numerous times during the day. I suggest that if you like history and are the least bit interested in Dracula that you pick this up and read it. I don't want to say much about it, why ruin such a great novel? I promise you will be hooked with this one.

Beware

Of power mad lunatics roaming the halls of your academic institution. They may end up in your library at the time you are working the service desk. This always ends up bad.

Think happy thoughts

I am having a rather trying day. My student on duty today, Moody-Maude as I like to refer to her, most often she's in good spirits but when she's upset look out. I did not hire this person, she fell into my pot when her department was cut, lucky me. Now I am left to guide a very grouchy girl when, that is, she cannot get her way. I am trying to make the best of this dynamic because when she's not being a jerko whiny student she is rather interesting and enjoyable.

Today on her arrival she has made it very clear to me that she is in a awful mood. And that it's my fault. All of this is passive aggressive, she has not actually said any such thing. She asked about setting up regular days to work and was rather demanding and pushy. (There have been numerous emails sent to me telling me that she will work certain days. She is also paranoid that I do not respond immediately. ) I indicated AGAIN that the day she requested has been booked by other student employees and there is no way I can triple schedule a shift. I reminded her that the other students have been working this set schedule since January and she, the ever fickle one, has been changing her schedule every month. She gave me a nasty look. I left her there to deal with the reality of her flip-flop requests. I really wanted to slap her silly. Instead I retreated to my desk and grumbled alone.

I have been dealing with a difficult scheduling agreement this semester excluding Moody-Maude. With her it only compounds the problems. She likes to tell me when she will work. Her forward and pushy nature rubs me the wrong way. I want to tell her to go away and never return. Her attitude crap is too much work for me to shovel away daily.

Yet I remind myself that she is a stressed out graduate student trying to make ends meet and that she really relies on this job. I can relate, I too, had to work like mad to have enough $$ for food and rent. So I will just take that bitter pill and blame her stress and not her. Because if I don't I will consider letting her walk out the door for good.

Weird interview

We interviewed Giles today. I swear this gentleman was right out of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, attire and accent to complete the look. Actually not really but he was a dead ringer for Anthony Stewart Head's character. How so very strange.

This interview is for a position in the cataloging department. As I watched his presentation I kept thinking any minute he would discuss the best ways to prevent demons from taking over our collection. And no he did not remove his glasses and clean them after every question, I waited for that too. He presented well and had great ideas for improving our library.

There are several more applicants to go and I'm not sure if he'll make the cut. Dang. I was hoping to learn the slayer arts......

It is not

Our Self-Checkout Machine is not:

A copier
A stapler
A hole-punch
A printer
An atm

What we need on our Self check out machine

Irish celebration to do list

Wear Green
Eat Lucky Charms cereal
Drink Guiness
Kill "snakes"
Eat corned beef and cabbage
Sing "Old Danny Boy"
Drink Guiness
Attend a wake
Keen
Perform a Jig
Drink Guiness
Draw some shamrocks
Kiss an Irishman
Enjoy some Cheddar and soda bread
Punch a leprechaun
Drink Guiness
Count gold coins

Sum it up

"Librarians are among the world's most civilized people who else does such priceless work so cheerfully for such rotten pay?"

Writer Russell Baker, New York Review of Books
January 12, 2006

Ahhh, man, do I hafta?

Currently I am having a serious case of the "teenager syndrome".

I don't wanna: fill in any work related thing here .

Such as:
I don't wanna get up
I don't wanna go to work
I don't wanna finish that damn policy
I don't wanna go to another friggin' meeting

Dude, can't I just, like, hang out or something?

The drain to no where

Surprise your library is a death trap, but don't you worry, I'm sure it'll be ok.

Today we learned an important lesson. Our facilities people for 30 years have been a load of morons. The roof is being repaired, it's nearly complete, yet the new discovery has us laughing, really. It seems that the roof has numerous drains meant to help rid that flat roof of standing water. But wouldn't you know it if those drains were more for decoration than function.

Every time a leak has been reported it must have gone like this:
"Yep, it looks clogged, nuthin' we can do here ta fix it. We'll git cha some buckets. Ya'll better move them books or theys gonna git wet."

For 30 years!!!! No one even thought of say, poking around in them thar drains? Nahh. That would be work. Must have been an "I t'aint no roofer, I cain't fix it" mentality I guess.

The contractors discovered that the drains were stuffed with rocks, plastic and all sorts of things that should not be in there. But it gets better. Not only were the drains filled with trash they really didn't go any where. They were there, left unfinished, no pipes attached, no drainage system created. For 30 years any standing water on the roof trickled its way through the building. Most of the water drained into the elevator shaft. The water that didn't make it to the elevator shaft found its way onto our books. That would explain that freaky leak on the lower level that destroyed a good portion of our historical collection.

Now that's quality construction.