Tuesday, October 31, 2006

Monday, October 30, 2006

My First Xmas Mix CD

My little bear friend Milly just gave me my first Xmas Mix CD. I allowed her to chose, because she has impecable taste in music and has introduced and even re-introduced me to many fine things.
1. Gimme Shelter - Rolling Stones
2. Sweet Talkin' Woman - ELO
3. Take Some Time - Rose Melberg
4. The Perfect World - Shonen Knife
5. Always Love - Nada Surf
6. Hold On, Hold On - Neko Case
7. The New World - X
8. Redwing - Hem
9. Bye Bye Snow - Bobby Baby
10. Mornings Eleven - The Magic Numbers
11. Bled White - Elliott Smith
12. Cruel to be Kind - Nick Lowe
13. Talk Talk Talk - Love is All
14. Tristan and Iseult - Tarkio
15. For the Love of Reynaldo Moon - Phillip Eno
16. Jezebel - Iron and Wine
17. Rewind - Goldspot
18. Sympathy Wreath - Barbara Manning
19. Lazy May - The Essex Green
20. Love Plus One - Haircut 100
21. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - Hem

See anything you know and love here? Anything you know and hate?

Friday, October 27, 2006

Boyz 2 Men Update

No, not THOSE guys. Just my random guys that seem to drop in and out of my life. Team C: MIA, as usual. I could almost set my watch by him. Well, no, maybe my calendar. Swordsman: I finally worked up the nerve and even the actual desire to just say, "thanks, but no thanks". He was more trouble than I was willing to handle. I want things very, very easy at this particular juncture in my life. With him, everything always had to be like an opera or something! I figure I've earned the right to the simple things in life, without high drama. Now, there is this whole other guy. Lets call him...Wild Bill. I am taking a very cautious approach with him. He seems a little conflicted about some issues in his life. Wild Bill is one of these guys who is so much fun! But frankly? A little shallow maybe. At this point in my life, I appreciate a little depth in a man, you know?
Sometimes, given circumstances, I think seriously about giving up men altogether...and sometimes I actually do. But it is always temporary. I don't require the whole big dating thing, but I definitely require some tenderness and affection in my life.

Haiku #106

Skinny, nervous Mike
Lots of classes together
You had wild man hair!

A Literary Meme

Sorry for another meme, but geez! I couldn't pass up one all about books! Thanks for the sort of tag from MiniJonB!

1) One book that changed your life: Still Life with Woodpecker by Tom Robbins

2) One book that you'd read more than once: Stones for Ibarra by Harriet Doerr

3) One book you'd want on a deserted island: The Complete Works of William Shakespeare...when I got really bored I could act out the plays :-)

4) One book that made you laugh: The Pirates! In an Adventure with Communists by
Gideon Defoe

5) One book that made you cry: A Short History of a Price by Jane Hamilton

6) One book you wish you'd written: The Wind-up Bird Chronicles by Haruki Murakami

7) One book you wish had never been written: Anything by David J. Pelzer

8) One book you're currently reading: I'm re-reading Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris, because I can pick it up and put it down between other books.

9) One book you've been meaning to read: Thank You For Smoking by Christopher Buckley

10) Tag five people: Anyone who reads this and hasn't done it already, consider yourself tagged and/or tagged again :-)

Thursday, October 26, 2006

Haiku #105

Chris Brauner, sly dog
My crush on you? Preordained
Your smile, so charming!

I Made It! Finally!

Dang! Blogger was sure acting the fool today. For awhile, I couldn't get to blogger at all. I kept getting this Google error message. I might even have felt a little panicky...not able to read my blogs?!?!?! Then, after a while, I could read the blogs, but the comment function wasn't, uh, functioning. Almost as bad...I like talking back. I was unable to post to my own blog as well. Blogger was just messing with my head, man! But here I am finally, able to read and post and feel fulfilled as a human being. *whew*
I had a really busy day yesterday. It was my big Halloween program day. I had events at 4:00 and 6:30. There were 75 people at the early show and 135 later on. Everyone had a really good time and I love doing programs, but also find them quite tiring. In the library, among the under 10 set lets say, I am like this sort of character. And when I am doing a program or even just on the desk, they seem to need me to be, like, in character. It lends an element of glamour to the job, of course (ha!) but it can be hard to be "on" all the time. I totally get how Britney feels.
Today has been much more sane. It is often a bit quieter on Thursdays and Fridays. Tomorrow should be really nice here. What else...Oh! Going to Social Animal's football game tonight. He's Varsity. Yeah, thats right. My son is so cool. He wouldn't have two words to say to me if we were contemporaries. However, since I am his mother, he is more or less forced to talk to me. I like to take Handsome Lad with me to the games. He hangs around Social Animal's non-football playing friends and harrasses them while I watch the game in peace. Sweet deal.

Tuesday, October 24, 2006

What Planet Am I From?

I wanted to post today, but didn't get to it, so I decided to put up another silly blogthing.
Take a look at me now:

You Are From Pluto

You are a dark, mysterious soul, full of magic and the secrets of the universe.
You can get the scoop on anything, but you keep your own secrets locked in your heart.
You love change and you use it to your advantage, whether by choice or chance.
You don't like to compromise, to the point of being self-destructive with your stubborness.
Live life with love, and your deep powers will open the world to you.


Is it ironic or just sad that I am from the planet that is no longer a planet? What planet are you from?

Monday, October 23, 2006

Meme for Me Me and You Too

I got this from Totally Tubular Tara's Eclectic Spaghetti blog...she got it from The Amazing Ashburnite's blog. The idea is to look over the list of things here and then bold each one that you've experienced and leave the rest in regular typeface.

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the great pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said "I love you" and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the northern lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby's diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk
42. Had/Have amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your cds
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Played touch football
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played d&d for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the snake river
82. Been on television news programs as an "expert"
83. Gotten flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Kissed on the first date
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror
96. Raised children
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
98. Passed out cold
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn't have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Touched a stingray
110. Broken someone's heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a facial part pierced other than your ears
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wildside
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Touched a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read "The Iliad"
135. Selected one "important" author who you missed in school, and read them
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone's life

Wow, this was interesting! I have done more than I thought, but there are definitely some things on here I want to do at some point.

Friday, October 20, 2006

The List

I was talking to one of my (few - ha!) happily married girlfriends and we were talking about The List. You know, the one that couples have, where if you had a chance to sleep with certain celebrities you could do it...no harm, no foul.
I don't exactly need The List nowadays since I'm not couple-y, but I decided to let myself have one anyway. This is who I put on it:

Ben Stiller
Patrick Dempsey
Peter Krauss
Steve Martin
LL Cool J
Hugh Laurie
Jack Black
Zach Braff
Clive Owen
Colin Meloy

Do you have a list?

Thursday, October 19, 2006

Haiku #104

Then, there was cool twin
Pam Chappelle, so popular
Of course not my type

Eat Candy. Be Happy.

I am one of those paycheck to paycheck sorts. Not able to do much in the way of savings, what with my lavish lifestyle and all. So, generally, at my house we have rich week and poor week. It is actually quite festive! Well, rich week is at least. Anyway, this is poor week and apparently it is coinciding with rushed week or maybe just stupid week. My cupboards have become quite bare here at work. I try to keep a supply of lunches on hand...mostly things like Soup at Hand and Budget Gourmet frozen mac n'cheese. Somehow I let my supply dwindle down to nothing besides those little packages of oatmeal. Now, here's where the rushed or stupid comes in. I could just bring a sandwich or something from home. Of course I could! I just keep...not. Somehow. So I ate oatmeal for a couple of days, then got sick of it. Today I ate a pack of Cheezits left over from storytime and called it lunch. Luckily, Babymama was showing a movie for the teens today and had made popcorn. She also provided some little tiny chocolate bars and soda. I stopped in, you know, just to see how things were going and was able to score popcorn, a couple little candy bars and a little cup o Coke. The candy was especially pleasing to me...dark chocolate! Yes! And that, my friends, is all it takes to make me happy.

Wednesday, October 18, 2006

My Muppet Personality

Why am I not surprised? Huh.

You Are Miss Piggy

A total princess and diva, you're totally in charge - even if people don't know it.
You want to be loved, adored, and worshiped. And you won't settle for anything less.
You're going to be a total star, and you won't let any of the "little people" get in your way.
Just remember, piggy, never eat more than you can lift!

Tuesday, October 17, 2006

What I Need

I need a few things. However, right now I am specifically thinking of a new cd player for my car. I have my XM going on and I love it. Unfortunately, I think my cd player has just about had it. I put in Beck's Odelay, like, a month ago. It got stuck in there and finally today I was motivated enough to get it out. I haven't had a chance yet to see if Beck is okay. And I want to play the new Decemberists, but I don't want to lose it forever. Sadly, I mostly get the chance to listen to music in my car and I enjoy it so. I guess that will be number one on my X-Mas list. It is time to start making those, isn't it? I also plan to make a couple of the best mix lists I can think of and offer them up to anyone who wants to burn them for me as a holiday gift :-)
Anyway, it is way too early to be thinking of what I need...but damn, Gina! I need my cd player!

Monday, October 16, 2006

A Rather Dull Weekend

I'm both sorry and relieved to say that the weekend passed uneventfully. Sometimes I just feel that I am waiting and waiting for something, anything to happen. And that is how I have been all my life. I let things happen to me, instead of being the one to make things happen.
Saturday I really just sat around my livingroom watching tv and reading. WTG had all kinds of people roaming around working on his new room and I just stayed out of the way and tried to keep Handsome Lad entertained. On Sunday I did go out to brunch with Milly and K. It was very nice to have a visit with my girls. Then I returned home for more serious lounging about. Girlie Girl had her cheerleading late in the afternoon and fortunately it wasn't raining for that. Handsome Lad came with me and it was a good couple of hours. Then, in the evening Kick Back Dude came over with his family, which they haven't done in a while. It was nice to visit with them.
Then, all of a sudden, it was Monday again and here I am. On the bright side, another day closer to Halloween! I am thinking about being a bear this year...I think I may have mentioned that? Maybe a teddy bear....

Haiku #103

You were the shy twin
In a big group of sisters
Sweet Patty Chappelle

Haiku #102

Dimple cheeked Donna
You always had a boyfriend
A plus sized princess

Friday, October 13, 2006

Friday Oddness

TGIF. Really, I am so ready for a weekend. As much as I enjoy my job, some weeks just feel endless. I did do my Excel training yesterday and found it very useful. I think I may actually end up being the go-to gal here for spreadsheets and databases :-) Plus, bonus, I had time for a nice long lunch with Team C. Sometimes I wish I could see more of him, but other times I know it is just as well that we keep things very, very under control.
Today, one of our co-workers didn't show up, thus the Friday oddness. She is a part-time person, generally very reliable, and she just simply didn't come in. We tried her cell, no answer, her home, no answer, and her other job, where she had been earlier in the day but that was all they knew. I am left to hope that she simply forgot her schedule and that something bad hasn't happened to her. She is scheduled tomorrow too, so I will have to call and see if she's come in. Not to be nosy, but it is worrisome.
Other random thoughts....lets see...I had lunch alone today. I ate in the park because the weather is so pretty and it is nice to actually be in the weather for part of the day. Being indoors all the time can definitely get me down.
I started a new book. It is by Harry Shearer, who I think is quite funny. It is called Not Enough Indians. I figured I could use a smart laugh.
Here's hoping you guys have a really good weekend. You deserve it.

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

Excel for Dopes

Tomorrow I am going to attend and Excel Training Seminar for three hours in the morning. Don't laugh, but I've never really learned how to use it very well, so when it was offered I jumped on board. I wonder if I can really learn to use it in three hours. I guess I'll see and after all, it is a morning out of the library...and in a different library...
I do have a fun lunchtime planned with Team C. For that, I will learn Excel and just about anything else anyone wants to teach me. More tomorrow.

Haiku #101

Mark, you were cute, sweet
Still thinking of the straight life
It wasn't to be.

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

Haiku #100

Tammy Ferranti
You were my first high school friend
You were the coolest!

http://x365.org

Un, Deux, Trois

After I insisted on being tagged at Eclectic Spaghetti.....

3 Smells I love:
Fresh cut grass
Chocolate chip cookies right out of the oven
Just out of the bath baby

3 Smells I hate:
Overcooked vegetables
Burnt popcorn
Wet dog

3 Jobs that I have had in my life:
Del Taco hostess
Gemco cashier/stock clerk
Library Tech.

3 Movies that I could watch over and over:
Zoolander
Office Space
Muriel's Wedding

3 Fond memories:
The births of my children
Concerts with Milly
The first time Team C kissed me

3 Jobs I would love to have:
Poet / Novelist
Ice cream flavor developer
Roller Derby Queen

3 Places that I have lived:
Arizona
Nevada
California

3 Things I like to do:
Read
Watch my favorite shows on Tivo
Blog

3 Of my favorite foods:
Macaroni and cheese
Ice cream
Anything chocolate

3 Places I would like to be right now:
At the beach with the sun shining
At a concert in a nice intimate venue
On my couch with blanket and the remote

3 Websites that I visit daily:
Gmail
Blogger
The library's homepage

3 Things that make me cry:
My children being hurt physically or emotionally
Various songs, tv shows, books, movies...
Sudden feelings of futility

3 Friends that I am tagging:
You're
all
it.
(copied Tara there...I want everyone to play!)

Monday, October 9, 2006

Family Parties for Young Adults

Ooooh, family parties for young adults, huh.
Good gawd y'all...
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing!
Say it again!

Singing it like Edwin Starr, y'all. Anyway, it was a fine little family gathering, but honestly Secret Agent Man wasn't all that into it. I don't blame him. His friends are his everything right now. I really felt like the effort of making a party was more for the grandmas and grandpas and aunts and uncles. S.A.M. would have been just as happy to have had the money spent for the party :-) Still, I guess we do need to get together every so often for whatever the occasion.

Back to work today...seems like I never left. I will say that things have gotten quite a bit easier around here since we were allowed to hire another half time person. I rarely have over 3 hours on the public desk these days, so that gives me more time to do my other work and of course just a bit more time for the internets and such. I feel like I deserve that extra time though, since I have taken on many of the class visits. Plus, Smiley has asked us all to do additional programming so that their are at least two specials each month in addition to our regular storytimes.

I finished the Dexter books...there must be a third in the works. Now I am reading something very different. Another one of those books that I have meant to get to for ages. It is called Consider This, Senora. It is so lovely, so sad, but full of beauty too.

Haiku #99

I danced with you once
Tight pants, an alarming bulge
Thanks, I think, Curtis

Saturday, October 7, 2006

Happy Birthday (almost) To Son #2

Tomorrow is my second son's birthday. I have always awkwardly avoided using my kids names here. But I hate using Son #1, #2, etc. Let me give them aliases. I thought maybe I could just use their main personality traits
Son #1 - Kick Back Dude
Son #2 - Secret Agent Man
Son #3 - Social Animal
Daughter - Girlie Girl
Son #4 - Handsome Lad
Okay, that's settled. So, tomorrow Secret Agent Man turns 20. I'm sure he has his own plans for the evening, but we are having a family lunch in the afternoon. He requested spaghetti like a good boy. (It is far and away one of the easiest dishes to make ahead of time and in bulk so the cook can enjoy the party too.) I am just giving him $$$, because I think he'd prefer that to just about anything I could possibly pick out. I am not known for my great gift picking abilities anyway.
I was sort of relieved when my dad and stepmom said they couldn't make it. Not that I don't love them, but it is always somehow a slightly different occasion when they are around. I guess because we don't see them so much and also because my mom and sister still seem to have many hard feelings about my dad left over from, like 25 years ago. Damn, let it go people! Anyway, they will come later in the month and take us out to brunch or something.
Today I am at work, tomorrow family party, and this weekend is shot. And in the weird synchronization that is at work in my personal life Swordsman called me on Thursday to ask me to not throw in the towel with him yet. We talked awhile and as always he made me want to continue to play his little games. Then, I came in this morning to find that Team C called yesterday and left a message for me. The thing with him is that I can always truly look forward to seeing him with no weird mixed feelings. He's just a pure pleasure to know. So, I guess I'll just sit back and see what happens next.

Haiku #98

Brad, a handsome boy
Working part time at the ranch
The girls flocked to you

Haiku #97

Teri and Debbie
Heard your dad did things to you
I hope those were lies

Thursday, October 5, 2006

Life As We Know It

Once again I find myself wanting to post a blog entry, but not really having any topic to hang it on. So, allow me to blather a bit, por favor.
Okay, lets see what comes to mind. I was going to go to lunch with Milly today, but then her sister came to take her out. I was sort of relieved because this cold I am sporting has left me less than great company. I'm sort of cotton headed or something. So I just had some soup and read. I had just finished Darkly Dreaming Dexter and was beginning Dearly Devoted Dexter. I had been wanting to read these, but hadn't gotten to them. I was finally pushed when I saw the premiere of Dexter on Showtime.
Now I'm getting ready to go home for the day and tomorrow is my Friday off. I wish I could say I had some fabulous plans, but I believe I've committed myself to some babysitting somehow. Note to self: Learn to say "no".
Sorry for the randomness...again. At some point I will become interesting and will begin posting witty topics that will incite discussion! Now, doesn't that make you want to come on back?

Wednesday, October 4, 2006

My Desk pt. 2 Sort Of

Gobble Gobble

I totally meant to post yesterday, but spent the time I had set aside for blogging consoling my sister on the phone. She found out the rat bastahd she's been seeing for a couple of years recently joined a dating site. She needed someone to talk to about all the little ways in which he has given her pause to wonder over the course of their whole relationship. She said she's through with him and I told her over and over again that she is doing the right thing. Like I am anyone who should be passing out relationship advice.

Why the gobble gobble, you may be asking. Well, I was just thinking about the turkey dinner I had yesterday evening. One of my coworkers, lets call her Babymama (because all she ever talks about are her kids), invited me and Milly over to her house for dinner, to help her eat leftovers. Dang, sometimes a turkey dinner just really wows me when it isn't Thanksgiving or Easter or something. She's a really good cook too. I can and do cook of course...but I don't LOVE doing it the way a good cook should. After the meal, we even got some razzleberry pie. Unfortunately, all that starch and tryptophen(sp?) and sugar practically put me in a coma. Yet I still had to come back to work and be peppy for storytime and fiery and indignant for my sister. It was a long three hours.

Today the building is so packed. A good many of these kids are here every single day. Geez. I know when I was a kid I sure never spent that much time in a library, although I was the kind of kid who probably wouldn't have minded.

Haiku #96

Second grade was brief
You knew I was beyond you
Right, Mrs. Shaffer?

Monday, October 2, 2006

What I See When I Sit at My Desk

Besides my big, fat computer screen I have lots to look at. I am one of those people who clutters up their space a bit with personal mementos and I have a good sized, L-shaped desk, overhead cabinets and material covered walls perfect for push pining things ups. I have pictures from magazines, copies of illustrations from children's books, photos of my family and friends, three little stuffed animals, many papers of all shapes, sizes, colors, books, my phone, other office supplies, art projects, sometimes food or a beverage, a clock... I'm pushing it. I think I have to clean up a little, but it makes me feel comforted to have stuff around me that is mine. And I never have problems putting my hands on what I need. I know some offices have a strong "no clutter" policy. In theory it is sort of like that here, but I maintain this image as "creative" and it seems that explains all the stuff! My home is much less cluttery. Maybe I don't need it there, because it is home. What do you guys think? Do you guys like a tidy desk/office? Or do you wallow in your things?

Haiku #95

You rented a house
We called you Barbie and Ken
The perfect couple