Category Archives: Etc.

Etc.

Perspective

So I’m sitting here watching Idol Gives Back (as I’ve mentioned many times before, I’m an American Idol addict, big time), and feeling immensely guilty at the cush life I lead.  The library I work for is located in an idyllic, very wealthy, small country town, and despite long hours of work, I am comfortable and happy and fed and sheltered.  The images on the television right now are of sick children and adults, people living in illness and poverty, in conditions that no one should endure.  These orphaned children in Africa have so much more to worry about than the many children I see over the course of a day: not just what grades they’re getting, or the intricacies of the fifth grade social strata, but the most basic worries of surviving.  And then there are the children in New Orleans and Kentucky who seem to genuinely understand the value of reading and learning.

Am I doing enough for the world?  Am I contributing enough?  What more can I do?  Surely I could bring more to the world.  At the moment all I can think of is partnering with a library in a less privileged part of this country, but I’d like to do more.

Etc., Librarianship

Curiously fabulous

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Most of us at the library keep a tin of Altoids in our desk drawer.  It’s a functional thing: if you have garlic for lunch, you need a remedy.  After all, you are breathing on the public all day; might as well be minty fresh.

Much as I appreciate Altoids, I can’t say that I search them out.  I use them to fight garlic, and to keep my gastric equilibrium when suffering from a migraine (fact: peppermint oil defeats migraine nausea).  But I certainly don’t crave Altoids, nor do I really enjoy them. Altoids are what they are.

Or so I thought.  Yesterday in Brooks Pharmacy, I was brought to a dead stop in front of a display of a new Altoids product:  Altoids dipped in dark chocolate.  “Could be nasty,” I thought, “but then again, could be fabulous…”

And the verdict is — they’re fabulous.  Wow.  With dark-chocolate dipped Altoids in my desk, the work day will seem shorter and brighter.  Try them, if you haven’t already.  (I’m guessing that my sister is on her way to the store right now to buy some…hey, Jean, they have a goodly dose of caffeine, too!!)

Etc., Library events

Today’s plan is…

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…to go to one of my favorite stores, the West Concord 5 & 10, and buy Valentine supplies for the “Create A Valentine” program that I’ll be running on Valentine’s Day.  The 5 & 10 is the genuine article, funky layout, lots of nooks and crannies, and every possible type of merchandise.  And the prices are reasonable, too.  Many times people ask me why I don’t go to the superstore craft store that’s somewhere west of Harvard, and I reply that it’s a longer drive than the 5 & 10, they probably don’t really have what I’m looking for, and it’s probably more expensive than the 5 & 10.

Given my many years of running a small independent toy store, I’m also a huge advocate for supporting local businesses.  It makes me pretty angry when I hear people complain about dying town centers, and then in the same breath claim that all independent stores have higher prices than the chain and online stores.  Actually, it makes me REALLY angry: a good independent store is highly aware of being price competitive, and is very responsive to its customers’ needs.  Chances are that the product these small stores carry is of far higher quality than what you find in the chain stores, too.  Not to mention the ecological benefits of shopping close to home, since you burn far less fossil fuel driving to a local store (and if you’re lucky enough to live within walking distance, then you don’t have to drive at all).

Since I’ve gotten on this soap box, here’s one more comment: maybe the real problem is that we Americans buy too much STUFF that we don’t need.  How about only buying what you really need, and buying it at a local store in order to preserve town centers?  Certainly Jim and I have been pushed in this direction, due to budget and home size, and now that we’ve gotten into the habit of only buying the essentials, no junk, there’s no way that I’d ever go back.  It’s a cleaner way of living, and also much easier to get a thrill (I splurged and bought myself a magazine the other day, and it felt like a real treat – for only $3.50!).

One more thought: when living simply, there’s much more call to visit your local library and take advantage of all the fabulous free materials available there for you to borrow and enjoy.

And to think that this all started with me talking about buying Valentine supplies.  Does this count as stream-of-consciousness?

Etc., Library events

Today’s plan is…

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…to go to one of my favorite stores, the West Concord 5 & 10, and buy Valentine supplies for the “Create a Valentine” program that I’ll be running on Valentine’s Day.  The 5 & 10 is the genuine article, funky layout, lots of nooks and crannies, and every possible type of merchandise.  And the prices are reasonable, too.  Many times people ask me why I don’t go to the superstore craft store that’s somewhere west of Harvard, and I reply that it’s a longer drive than the 5 & 10, they probably don’t have really have what I’m looking for, and it’s probably more expensive than the 5 & 10. 

Given my many years of running a small independent toy store, I’m also a huge advocate for supporting local businesses.  It makes me pretty angry when I hear people complain about dying local town centers, and then in the same breath claim that all independent stores have higher prices than the chain and online stores.  Actually, it makes me REALLY angry:  a good independent store is highly aware of being price competitive, and is very responsive to its customers’ needs.  Chances are that the product these small stores carry is of far higher quality that what you find in the chain stores, too.  Not to mention the ecological benefits of shopping close to home, since you burn far less fossil fuel driving to a local store (and if you’re lucky enough to live within walking distance, then you don’t have to drive at all).

Since I’ve gotten on this soap box, here’s one more comment: maybe the real problem is that we Americans buy too much STUFF that we don’t need.  How about only buyig what you really need, and buying it at a local store in order to preserve town centers?  Certainly Jim and I have been pushed in this direction, due to budget and home size, and now that we’ve gotten in the habit of only buying the essentials, no junk, there’s no way that I’d ever go back.  It’s a cleaner way of living, and also much easier to get a thrill (I splurged and bought myself a magazine the other day, and it felt like a real treat – for only $3.50!).

One more thought:  when living simply, there’s much more call to visit your local library and take advantage of all the fabulous free materials available there for you to borrow and enjoy.

And to think that this all started with me talking about buying Valentine supplies.  Does this count as stream-of-consciousness?

Etc., Library move

Organization

The hectic pace of summer is over, we’re gearing up for the move to the new library, and I’ve gone into organization mode.

Some people tease me a lot about my organization and list-making, but I’d like to make it clear that I’m not obsessed, really, I’m just more efficient when I’m organized and have a good list in hand.  Everyone works differently, and the key is to find your own personal style.  Back in college, I learned that if I spent fifteen minutes each day making my bed and tidying my room, then I got much more studying done.  Maybe it’s because I’m not distracted by mundane things.

So this week at the library I cleaned out the desk in the children’s room.  Arts and crafts things got put in the arts and crafts closet downstairs, ancient summer reading prizes got put into the boxes in the attic, and a few things got thrown out (nothing of value, I promise you!).  Now the desk has some empty space in the second drawer, which is just one more step on the road to the new library.  Less to do when it comes time to pack up and move.
And then there’s the issue of my lists.  I read an article in this month’s Real Simple magazine which states the case for getting rid of lists and living your life.  But it must have written by someone with a different list-writing style than I have, since lists for me are an enabler to life.  Each day at work I look at my list, rewriting it if necessary, and it helps me to stay focused, prioritize, and to silence the part of my brain that keeps whispering “don’t forget to do x, y, and z!”  If I write x, y, and z down, then I can focus on what I’m doing at the moment and not worry about forgetting something important.  Lists help keep me from becoming scattered, especially in a job where there are frequent distractions.

Lists and organization aren’t for everyone, but that’s not what matters, is it?  What matters is that we each find the way we work best.  And I’m really happy with my newly cleaned desk.

Etc., Librarianship, Storytime

The hardest thing

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Admit it, all of us have flaws – failings – things that we’re just not good at.  Most of us try to avoid situations where our failings are evident.  Why promote the negative, after all?  Much better to stick to the stuff you’re good at.

So when I talked to Mieke, my best friend from college, a while back and told her that my new job requires me to regularly sing in public, her response was, “Oh, my God, Abs.  Are you kidding?  Those poor people!”  Mieke, of course, has a fabulous voice, and sang all the time in college.  I, of course, have a horrible voice, and sang rarely.

But now I find myself needing to sing as part of my job.  In front of people.  Not just small children, but also their parents, some of whom can carry a tune very well.  And there’s really no way around it.  Story times for young kids need to have books AND fingerplays AND songs; it’s the way kids learn the rhythm of the language, which eventually helps them with reading multi-syllabic words.  Sometimes I’ll break out the boombox and play a song or two from a CD, but there are still times that I have to sing, and it’s pretty painful.

I read Stephen Fry’s autobiography last summer, and one of his phrases really resonated with me.  Fry talks about how he can hear music perfectly in his head, but that he can’t reproduce it; he says that he’s “not tone deaf, but tone dumb.”  That’s exactly what I am, since all those intricacies of the music are so clear in my head, and my inability to voice that music is utterly frustrating to me.

But now that singing is part of my career, what do I do?  I’ll admit to using the “my voice sounds rough because my allergies are really bothering me today” excuse a lot.  On particularly perky days I’ll play the role of cheerleader and say “I want to hear everyone sing this time!”  So far I haven’t yet admitted to being tone dumb, but that time may come.  And I’ve been practicing a lot, singing in the shower after my musical husband leaves for work.  I think I’ve gotten “The Itsy Bitsy Spider” down, but I’m still flummoxed by “The More We Get Together.”  And ”Five Little Ducks” is way, way tough.

Wish me luck.  My singing is definitely a work-in-progress.

Etc., Young adult book review

The best day of the year

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Recently, my brother wrote about the worst day of the year: (link no longer available, my apologies).  Today, though, was the best day of the year: the first day of vacation.  I love my job, don’t get me wrong, but even so there’s something about the first day of vacation that just can’t be beat.

So, on this first vacation in a year, there was absolutely no way that I was going to clean the house, no matter how badly it needs it.  Instead, I cashed in two of my tutoring checks and went shopping.  Yup, I actually had cash in my pocket, and I fully intended to use it.  Jewelry seemed like a good bet, but I was open to other options.  I ambled through some of my favorite stores in Concord center – Perceptions, Artful Image, Lacoste Gallery, Concord Hand Designs, the Concord Shop, the American Indian gift store, and the store that sells cool furniture and odds and ends for your home (next to Salone Arte).  I saw so many pretty things, and was almost tempted many times.  But I kept thinking to myself, “I’ve already got a beautiful glass pitcher.  I don’t need another,” or, “I could live without that pair of earrings,” or, “the house is just too small for another set of candlesticks.”  I was trying hard, but nothing could prompt me to pull that cash out of my pocket.

I couldn’t have imagined this a year ago, when I was miserable in my job and life seemed a tad difficult, but I’m happy.  I don’t need to buy things.  Not even that great Steiff bear in the Toy Shop window.

My husband had left me off in Concord center while he dropped off his amps and equipment for a gig tomorrow, and we set our meeting place as the Concord Bookshop.  So I gave up on shopping and went to the book store to wait for my ride.  Jim was late, and I wandered the aisles looking at books.  Jodi Picoult, my friend Judy told me she’s really great, maybe I should buy that.  Hmmm, no, I can borrow that from the library.  Kira-Kira?  Judy recommended that, too.  Nah, there’s a fresh new copy at the library.  A blank book?  Got plenty.

And then I was in the young adult section.  The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak.  The dollars practically leaped out of my pocket.  I’ve been wanting to read this book for SO long, but haven’t wanted to take our library’s copy out of commission (and it just doesn’t seem fair to borrow another library’s copy).  This book has gotten phenomenal reviews, and its premise is totally unique: Death narrates the story of Liesel, a girl in Nazi Germany who steals books.
The Book Thief now lives on my coffee table, and so far I absolutely love it.  I also picked up a paperback copy of The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan, for the same reasons that I bought Zusak’s book.  I may have lost my ability to spend money on frivolous things, but certain books can still make my heart beat a little faster.  And no, I have no idea what the meaning is behind the thievery theme in these two books.  I just know that, because of them, the rest of my vacation is going to be as good as today was.

Etc., Library events

Nanny McPhee

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Quick note on this movie, for those of you who haven’t seen it (and might not be inclined to try, even!).  It’s not the absolute best movie that I’ve ever seen, but it’s still pretty darn good.  Emma Thompson is great as the hideously scary Nanny McPhee, and Colin Firth is at his charming, cutest best as a baffled father of too many.  And that raucous brood of misbehaving children – too fun.  Not to forget Angela Lansbury as the rather despicable aunt; she’s shed that “Murder She Wrote” persona and is entertaining again.

The movie was a hit at last Wednesday’s movie night, and I spotted many of the grown-up women in the audience with tears in their eyes (me, too).