All posts by Abby

Etc.

On being home sick…

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First, let me just say that I do NOT have swine flu.  Not a chance.  It’s just a nasty cold.

I saw the nurse practitioner today, and she didn’t like the sound of my lungs, or my story of being completely fatigued after walking up the three flights of stairs to get to my appointment, or the fact that I look more like an exhausted ghost than a human right now.  So I’ve been prescribed a steroid inhaler (yuck, I really really hate those steroid inhalers – awful times ten, especially considering what they do to my voice) and antibiotics and 48 hours of at-home rest.  Which means that I won’t be back at work until Tuesday, since the library is now closed on Fridays, and since Monday is Memorial Day.

I’m not really very good at this being at home sick for a long period of time stuff.  I’m bored, bored, bored, but too sick to want to read a book.  So I’ve been watching tons of bad daytime television with my laptop by my side so that I can see right away if anyone loves me enough to email me. 

If I’d known that I’d be home sick for this long a period of time, I’d have planned ahead and gathered together all the fluffy chick flicks I could find and thus made slightly better use of my at-home time.  But as it is, I’m watching a lot of judge shows (I really think those lawsuits are kind of made up just so people can get on t.v.) and those crappy Maury Povich-Steve Wilkos type of bare-all shows (yesterday I learned that you can be bulimic and alcoholic at the same time, and thanked my lucky stars that I don’t have that type of problem in my life.  Thank God.).

I’ll be really really really really glad when I’m healthy again.  REALLY glad.

Etc., Pop culture

One way to tell you’re sick…

So I’m home sick today, and I just figured out how bad it is:

I’m watching the Today show while resting my ghost-white self on the couch, and Lisa Rinna has now been on the show twice (let’s not even start on why I’m watching all fifteen hours of the Today show) promoting her new book Rinnavation.  And I found myself a moment ago logging on to Amazon, thinking to myself, “I simply MUST have a copy of this book!!!”

Luckily some shred of sense still exists in my virus-ridden body, and that shred caused me to look and see if my library system owns the book.  Still frightening that I wanted to request the book from the library, but at least I saved myself from owning it.  And more good sense kicked in when I saw that neither the library system for which I work owns the book, nor the library system for the town I live in – “Hmmm,” I thought, “If none of those libraries owns the book, maybe it’s no good…hmmmm.”

It’s definitely time to turn off the computer, have some cranberry juice, and get over this blasted cold.  I need my intelligence back.

Pop culture

Idol

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I haven’t written much about American Idol this year on my blog, but no worries – I’m as big a fan as ever, and my Idol viewing has cut dramatically into my blog writing time.

My favorite this year?  Adam Lambert, of course.

My pick for winner this year?  I actually think Kris Allen will win, and that’s just fine.  Kris is a talented, creative guy, and he deserves to have a great career.  And if Adam comes in second, he can make a better, less-rushed, album than if he won. 

So who’s tuning in on Tuesday and Wednesday nights with me?

Storytime, Summer reading

What a week…

It’s that busy time of year again, as the school year winds down and I prepare for class visits to promote summer reading and get ready for the summer reading program.

This past week, I had my regularly scheduled five storytimes in four days, and in addition a preschool class visited on Monday for a storytime, a Boy Scout troop visited late Monday afternoon to earn their communications badges, and another preschool class visited on Wednesday, joining in with my Mother Goose on the Loose Wednesday storytime.  And, of course, I tutored Monday and Wednesday nights and am on my way to tutor again this afternoon.

It was a fun week, to be sure (though I’m working tomorrow, too, so the week isn’t over yet), but also occasionally challenging.  The Monday preschool visit was awesome, since there were only ten kids and their teachers, and I could present two of my favorite preschool stories:  Bark, George by Jules Feiffer and my feltboard version of Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown.  The kids and I all had a lot of fun – there’s no better feeling than sharing a favorite book with a receptive audience.

The Boy Scout visit also went well, with many of the six boys asking terrific questions and looking like they were engaged for my one hour presentation.  My presentation covered the Dewey Decimal System; how books are ordered and catalogued in the library; a lesson on how to search the library’s catalog, whether from home or in the library building; and a quick best-of-the-best tour of the library building.  I know for sure that I reached several of the boys, and I feel like I did a pretty good job making some potentially very dry material a bit more palatable.  (No one has ever accused the Dewey Decimal System of knocking the socks off of a fourth grade boy…)

And the preschool storytime on Wednesday was almost great, but we were definitely short on space.  Forty-three adults and kids, plus me, don’t quite fit well in our lovely story room.  Room was tight, with the carpet squares butted right up against one another, and the lack of personal space took its toll on some of the kids.  For the most part, though, we had a great time, and it was fun for me to realize that I’ve now internalized the Mother Goose on the Loose program in a way that enables me to adapt it on the fly for a situation like this crowded room full of kids who were a bit too old for MGOL.  Internalization of a program means that I can move beyond mere memorization of the rhymes and such and to a different level that is more interactive and reactive to the attendees of the day – much like the way I’ve been able to internalize the Wilson Reading System and become a much better tutor in the process.

And now I need to spend tomorrow reading book reviews, finalizing the summer reading prize order from Toysmith, preparing Monday’s toddler storytime, and writing lesson plans for the next three toddler storytimes.  (And a million other little pre-summer reading details that need to be tended to RIGHT NOW.)  And, of course, I’ll help patrons through the course of the day.  No problem, right?  I just wish I weren’t coming down with a cold…

Etc., Spare time - Culture

Tired and uninspired

I know I have no right to complain, since I’m employed and love my job, but I’m going to complain a little bit anyway.  Lately I’ve been hitting one of those low-ebb periods in life, where getting out of bed in the morning seems like a heck of a lot of work.  I bring a lot of work home with me: preparation for toddler storytimes (I’ve run out of the plans I created last year and am back creating new ones at home to add to my storytime library); preparation for book groups – and last week’s book selection of Tunnels by Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams consumed a whole lot of reading time…though I DID love the book; and plenty of errand running, like buying bagels for book group meetings, purchasing felt for storytimes (that I buy with my own money, by the way), and buying a gazillion bags of popcorn and millions of cases of water for movie nights. 

And then there’s the prep for my tutoring, which suddenly has become more involved since Josie graduated from the Wilson Reading System and I need to study up on Latin and Greek roots, prefixes, and suffixes (not something that’s easily crammed, either, let me tell you).

And then, as I write this on Sunday, I’m listening to some of the neighborhood kids – the loud, ill-behaved ones – SCREAM at each other.  SCREAM – SCREAM – SCREAM.  No rest for weary Abby.

So I’m tired.  Very tired.  And uninspired.  Blah, really.

I know I’ll get my mojo back, and my enthusiasm, but for right now I’m just tired.  Zzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Children's literature, Young adult literature

T. A. Barron

As mentioned in an earlier post, I had the pleasure of meeting T. A. Barron two weeks ago.  At the time, he was concerned that I had the first and third books in his Great Tree of Avalon trilogy, but not the second, and he asked for my mailing address so that he could send me the second book.  And lo and behold, last Wednesday I received a package from T. A. with a signed hardcover copy of that book, Shadows on the Stars, along with a nice note. 

The thoughtfulness alone is enough to impress, but what really impresses me is that the note is written on a piece of stationery that says “With Compliments of T. A. Barron”; if he has had that stationery printed up, then he must regularly send gifts of books to his fans.  That’s a good, generous person.

And I’ll say, too, that this is a wise marketing decision – I’ve been so impressed by T. A.’s generosity that I’ve made a display of the books that he signed for the library, and have been hand-selling those books to library patrons, telling each of those patrons that T. A. is a great guy as well as a great author…and that he grew up in town, to boot.  Legions of new fans are being born, fans who might not otherwise have found his books.  Which is a good thing.

Etc.

Goldfinches

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Yesterday morning I saw something I’ve never seen before:  a half dozen goldfinches on the ground, nosing around among some dandelions.  They looked very pretty in their full mating colors next to the dandelions; but I don’t understand what they were doing.  Anyone out there know what they were up to?

Children, Librarianship

Ewwwwwwwww…

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The most bizarre thing happened at work today:

A fifth grader was chatting with me at my desk when another fifth grader came up to borrow a pencil.  As the second student was digging through the pencil bin, she laid down the small fish squirt toy that she had been carrying.  The first student, still chatting with me, absent-mindedly picked up the squirt toy and squeezed.  Pfffffitttt – a squirt of liquid hit me full in the face, right next to my mouth. 

“Ewwwwwwwww!”  I cried, wiping the liquid off my face.

“What was in that?” the first student asked.

“Oh, I dunno, just some old bathwater I guess,” said the owner of the squirt toy (who has younger siblings, it should be noted).

Needless to say, as soon as I could extract myself I ran down to the staff room and washed my face.  Hopefully I won’t have broken out in a weird rash tomorrow morning or contracted some dread disease.  Blech blech blech.  The things they DON’T tell you about what it means to be a children’s librarian.

And, for the record, I also got sneezed on today by a sixth grader.  Twice.  Good thing I take vitamins.

Book groups, Children's book reviews

Tunnels

On Tuesday, the sixth grade book group will be discussing Tunnels by Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams.  I’ve been reading this book over the last week and half, and I’m surprised by how impressed I am by it.  It’s not the greatest piece of literature I’ve ever read, but its unexpected plot turns and grim, dark atmosphere make it compelling and involving in a totally unique way.

Two thumbs up from this reader for Tunnels – go find yourself a copy and let me know what you think of it.  And I’ll post the sixth graders’ reactions to the book here later in the week…

Librarianship

Vacation week

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While I’m not on vacation this week, the children in town are, and it gives a whole different rhythm to life at the library, a rhythm that is fun and refreshing.  With that in mind, here’s vacation week in review:

Patriot’s Day!  After writing such a long post on Patriot’s Day last year, I’ll keep this year’s comments brief.  Jim and I went to the dawn salute on Buttrick’s Hill on Sunday morning; it was a perfect morning, with mist rising from the field by the Old North Bridge as the sun rose in a clear sky.  The ceremony progressed as usual, except as we heard Dr. Prescott thundering across the Old North Bridge on his horse:  Clop, clop, clop – “The Regulars are on the March!” – clop, clop, clop – “The Regulars are on the March!” – clop, clop, thunk…  >silence<  Shuffle, skitter, shuffle, shuffle, hesitant clop…clop….clop….clop…

Turns out the horse slipped on the downhill side of the damp bridge, and sat down on his rear end.  We heard “Dr. Prescott” talking to someone about it afterwards, and he said the horse was just fine.  But at the moment it happened, we all held our breath.

That was Sunday – on Monday Dad and I attended the parade in Concord together, and had a lovely time, capped off by lunch at the Colonial Inn. 

Fancy Nancy  On Tuesday, the town’s Senior Girl Scout Troop hosted two consecutive Fancy Nancy storytimes and parties.  They had an enthusiastic crowd, and I was sad to have to leave just as the first one was starting (though I’d already worked a 9 hour day at that point, and really needed to go home and eat some dinner).

T. A. Barron  And the highlight of this vacation week was a visit from author T. A. Barron.  Maureen from the region organized this program, which was aimed at library professionals, and she and T. A. agreed that the library in which I work was an ideal spot for the program, since T. A. lived in the town in which I work through his fifth grade year.  (Apologies for the awkward language, but I do try to keep the town and library anonymous here.)  

T. A. is the nicest, most generous author I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting, and his devotion to children and encouragement of the hero in each child is inspiring.  He gave each librarian in attendance a packet with a DVD about the children who have won the Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes, along with a copy of his book The Hero’s Trail.  His only request of us was that we share these with as many children as possible.  With that in mind, I’ll be putting the DVD into the circulating collection, and I’ll be using the book with one of my book groups (either the fifth or the sixth grade group, with the intention that it becomes an annual book choice for that age).

Beyond the Barron Prize, here is an example of T. A.’s generosity:  while in conversation with another librarian, he realized she hadn’t read one of his books, so he bought her a copy from the stack for sale from Barnes and Noble.  And then, when I came up with my two books to be signed, he saw that I had the first and third books in the Great Tree of Avalon series, but not the second (a product of my having bought them used at the Barrow Book Store, of course).  “You don’t have the second book,” he said to me, with some concern.  Looking over at the stack for sale, he saw that there weren’t any hardcover editions of the book there, so I wouldn’t be able to have a matching set.  “Tell you what,” he said, “Write down your mailing address, and when I get back to Colorado I’ll send you a signed copy of the second book in hardcover.”  Wow – that’s a nice man. 

So that’s the week in review, minus all the million little things I did that don’t normally happen when storytimes and school are in session:  cleaned the office, read a lot of book reviews, thought about the summer reading program…you get the idea.  It’s been a good week, and a refreshing change of pace.