Wednesday, November 30, 2005

I need an assistant

This has been my foremost thought this week at work. There is simply too much to do in one day, let alone the entire week, for one person to accomplish. And I'm not talking about big, far-reaching projects, I can't get all of the returned books shelved, never mind the new books (many of which still need to be covered), and teachers keep coming in with overdue materials raving about how "nice" I am not to hound them about these overdues. Nice? Try way too busy. And just when I have all of my phone messages answered, I open the library inbox to find 6 more reference questions waiting to be answered. Not that I should complain too much. I really like my job and I like the people with whom I work, but an assistant to help with the photocopying and the filing and the library set-up (before and after programs) would be pretty sweet. Think Santa brings assistants?

Turkey Day was tasty and over much too quickly. Our weekend was list- and NameBurst-tastic, and now that December approaches, I'm almost ready to hear xmas carols on every freakin' radio station.

RIP Stan Berenstain, co-creator of the lovable bears who taught me about being nice at school and how to share with my siblings (kind of). Luckily, his wife Jan and his sons will continue to create new materials.

And RIP Nick & Jessica (or is it Jessica & Nick?) - poor fools thought they could let every slob in America into their marriage and still maintain a healthy relationship. Not that I'm a big fan of these two, they were complicit in the invasion, but it makes me a little ashamed of the American public that we so delight in watching people's personal lives decombust. Anyway, it's nice that their split has taken a bit of the limelight against the craziest man in America - Tom Cruise. What drugs, er, I mean vitamins, did he stop taking recently?

Wednesday, November 23, 2005

A much-needed break

I'm sitting here at my desk, one of the last people still working at this hour of the day. In my last post, I mention adding some links to my blog, and I meant on the RIGHT, not the left, since the right is where my links are found. And, after promising this, I completely forgot. So, rather than adding those links now, I'm going to see this as a sign that I need to put down my keyboard and walk AWAY from my computer. For the next 4 days I vow not to touch a computer key.

I have been dreaming of pumpkin pie for many nights now and I look forward to fulfilling my dreams and eating at least TWO pieces. May all of your Thanksgiving Day dreams come true!
and to think, all you people want to eat him


Happy Birthday to my favorite big brother - 29, right? We'd better be careful or Joe is going to be the oldest soon :)

Tuesday, November 22, 2005

Cruising

So, I've been cruising the web today looking for library sites that suggest books because I am trying to put together a list of historical fiction for the PS Book Group for next year. In my research, I have come across a bunch of library blogs that have tickled my fancy. Since I use an RSS reader (thanks Sasson), I forget that just because I check these sites everyday, if I don't link to them, readers of my blog will never know about them. So I've added a few links to the left. One site that I had to include in this message is the Literally site - this is in homage to my good friend Kate, you should get a kick out of this, but not literally, I hope.

Because Bryan's cryptic nature doesn't permit him to tell stories in a straight-forward, simple way, I will elaborate on the story here: A tablespoon=3 teaspoons, not a problem unless you think a teaspoon IS a tablespoon when measuring out cough medicine with codeine. Too many tablespoons=possible death, too many teaspoons=labored breathing. Labored breathing + the thought that you took tablespoons of codeine when you took teaspoons=a trip to the ER on a Saturday night. An emergency trip to the ER when you're mostly fine=a feeling of embarassment and endless jokes about overdosing on cough medicine and the size of various household spoons.

Friday, November 18, 2005

For consideration...

Good things on which to spend money:
*the perfect wedding dress
*underwear
*a house
*someone to rake leaves from the yard of that house
*picture albums
*ice cream
*a winter hat and scarf
*birthday cards
*massages
*lunch with a friend
*Halloween decorations
*slippers

Bad things on which to spend money
*tuna salad sandwiches from a sandwich shop
*manicures
*handling (of shipping and...)
*dirt and/or manure
*crack
*blockbuster movie fees
*water
*extra cable channels
*parking tickets
*gym memberships
*body piercings
*expensive wine
*Hummers (I mean the vehicle here)
*christmas decorations (angels, snowpeople in weird poses, cute santas, etc.)

Just my thoughts for this cold Friday. We meet with our caterer to set the wedding menu this weekend - should be fun. And, I finish the floor-sanding project begun 15 months ago, thereby completing the 2nd floor kitchen makeover. Oh, and in case anyone's is counting, two weeks until my birthday :)

Happy belated birthday to the world-traveling Corissa. I'm such a dolt for forgetting, but don't worry there will be a card and a package waiting for you upon your return.

Monday, November 14, 2005

Wow

Sweet merciful meatballs, it's nice outside today. It's one of those days where you think there will be a chill underneath the warmth, because it's November, but really there isn't. It's a "wear-a-tee-shirt-roll-your-window-down-sing-at-the-top-of-your-lungs" nice day. Course, as the auto mechanic at the shop where I stopped for an oil change this morning said we'll pay for this nice weather somewhere down the line. And, while he's probably right, it's still rejuvenating to have such a glorious day.

The most nagging problem with a day this beautiful is the dampening thought that keeps creeping into my addled, homeowning brain: "I should be raking leaves on such a day as this." And I hate that thought. Raking leaves is, without a doubt, my least favorite part of owning both a back and front yard. But since we thoroughly killed all of the grass this past summer, I guess I shouldn't fret if snow comes and covers the lawn before we get those pesky piles of moldy tree droppings into 10 gallon disposal bags. Right then.

Wedding update: Though our first choice of a hotel decided not to open next spring until a week after our wedding, we have found some new, better options for our guests. We still can't actually block rooms in any lodging establishment in Gloucester, but at least we can list a few good choices on our invite (and yes, on our wedding website which seems an unavoidable necessity these days) so people can stay as close to the reception site as possible after consuming a few tasty Elks' gin (or insert favorite liquor here) concoctions.

And, I've bought my wedding dress. I found the dress quickly enough, but then I hesitated and deliberated and convinced myself that it was a bit too pricey, etc. And after dreaming about showing up to the wedding with no dress at all three nights in a row, I went online and bought the darned thing. I have to say, I haven't been so happy with a purchase since I saw Bryan's face light up when he unwrapped the iPod box last Christmas.

Now, all that needs to happen is 165 sunrises and sunsets and we're there (well, some music will be chosen and some balances paid, a honeymoon destination will be agreed upon and menus selected, but those are for another day, another post).

Thursday, November 10, 2005

You don't say

I guess as punishment for the fastest work week ever last week, this week is going as slowly as some slow motion kung fu fighting (you know what I'm talking about Dr. Charlie).

Bryan and I are kindred spirits of dorkiness and as such really enjoy making lists. I so enjoy lists that I often use them in my daily life never venturing into a grocery store without one, making them for daily to-do's at work, and using them to make suggestions about xmas gifts.

It is the time of year for the greatest QHS list - the Albums List, and these past weeks, watching Bryan struggle over which album is better than which, and debating the merits of one album over another, I have realized that this is not my favorite list. Before Bryan, I never really analyzed music in the album format. I love music, but I have loved it for songs and artists more than for albums. I mean, there have certainly been albums that I have loved (and still do) but I'm talking White Lion's Pride, and Pat Benetar's Best Shots, and certainly not anything of true artistic brilliance. However, I participate in this list wholeheartedly and since knowing Bryan have had the pleasure to and met the challenge of listening to more albums. I feel more capable of analyzing and ranking the albums I included on my list last year and I do look forward to reorganizing and reassessing my "top" 100.

In the mean time, here are some lists of another nature: the reader's amusement.

Top five places I'd rather be than in this lovely office chair:
5. A proctologist's office
4. Home Depot
3. A young republicans club meeting
2. A confessional
1. Dinner with Dubya while a priest attempts to shove a hammer up my ass

Seriously,
5. Curled up at home with a good book and a cup of hot chocolate
4. Touring Europe
3. On an African safari
2. On my way to a quaint b&b for a long weekend with my honey
1. On a beach on a tropical island

Five things that really annoy me:
5. "Free samples" of men's deodorant in my Amazon book boxes
4. Lifting my coffee cup to my lips only to find cold coffee from this morning rather than cool, refreshing water
3. Junk email suggesting ways of growing my "member"
2. Ignorance (I'd say intolerance but as I'm rather intolerant of ignorance, that wins)
1. Pantyhose that bunch and/or ride

Five names I'd like to not hear anytime soon
5. TomKat (ok, ok, so this is two, sue me)
4. Kobe Bryant
3. Theo Epstein (leave the man in peace)
2. Magical Mr. Mestopheles
1. Donald Rumsfeld

Top five beverages
5. Raspberry lime rickey
4. Chai tea
3. Mandarin orange poland springs sparkling water
2. Southern Comfort manhattan, straight up with a cherry
1. A double-thick chocolate malted

Three things I'm going to do when I get home:
1. take off my pantyhose, vile, evil clothing
2. make enchiladas
3. happily watch alias and ER

Friday, November 04, 2005

What is wrong with people?

So, it's Friday and this has been one of the fastest work weeks in history. We are in the thick of our fall courses and with so many teachers in the library everyday, I am kept hopping with reference questions and book searches. I'm pretty sure that I still need to catch up on some sleep from last weekend, and since we have no major plans this weekend, I hope to find those lost zzzz's.

I have to use this forum to express my disgust about a local story about which I learned on last night's news. Two asshole morons were drag racing on the Lowell Connector, which is a piece of curving highway north of Boston, and one idiot jerk lost control of his car, going 90 miles an hour, and slammed into the median thereby flipping his car into the air and landing on top of another car, killing the driver, who happened to be a 31-year-old pregnant woman. How can one believe in justice in this world when that kind of shit happens? And drag racing? Seriously. Unfortunately, the driver of one of the delinquent hosebags is in critical condition and the other is on the lam, as yet unidentified. If one dies and the other isn't found, who will be punished for such diabolical, insane stupidity? This story upset me just a little.

In other news of the weird, I just received a phone call from my aunt, my mother's younger sister, telling me that my grandfather, a man I had never met, has died. He and my mother were estranged for my entire life and she never wanted us to meet him. And, not included a brief moment of being in the same room with him once, when I was about 17, I never did. And now he's gone. I don't feel sadness or any real loss, though it's a little strange when a piece of your ancestry is gone. I just hope that my mom feels no regret over her decision to walk away from this tyrannical man now that it is too late to do anything about it.

I'm off to dance class and to a weekend of doing what we want cause we have no other plans.

Thursday, November 03, 2005

Unbelievable

From MSN news today: "Libby’s indictment was a damaging blow to the White House, which was already reeling from the mounting U.S. death toll from the Iraq war, the bungled response to Hurricane Katrina and the withdrawal of U.S. Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers, under fire from Bush’s conservative power base."

Great choice, America. Great choice. Are coups legal in this country?

Tuesday, November 01, 2005

Another year, another scare

Another successful Halloween party is behind me (phew). There were decorations, there was snow (yikes), there were great costumes (as usual), there was scaring, and there was a wee bit of drinking as the ice luge was used and abused.

This year's decorating began two weeks before the party - I cleaned the basement and began "building" the haunted house. Using my entire basement was the biggest challenge since I've never had such a large space in which to send my apprehensive guests. We had two separate rooms to send people so there was room for a winding section with lots of places for the "actors" to hide and a whole room with a strobe light and people jumping out of closets. Heehee - I do get a kick out of frightening folks.

Some notable costumes:
*a sparkly pig and her chef
*a farmer and her tall, effeminate pig
*a tool bag
*GI Joe
*Scrabble pieces spelling B-O-O, complete with the correct values (they equal 5 points)
*Hooter girls
*"the one who didn't get away" - a man with the ugliest "woman" just over his right shoulder
*a waist/waste of time
*a deviled egg
*spongebob squarepants (completely homemade) and crabby Patty
*the Avian flu
*the holy ghost/ghost from Charlie Brown
*nun for you
*two peas and a pod (Bryan and I in my first ever "couple costume" - try to hold down the vomit please, we were cute)

There was also a collection of girls with ears of one variety or another, men with masks/robes, doctors, angels, and mechanics.

The winners of the contest this year:
tied for 3rd: the Pope (though a store-bought costume, it was well-executed by a man eerily resembling Pope "Saint's name, roman numeral whatever" currently ruling Vatican City)
an ipod and a mini ipod - Bryan's cousin and his girlfriend whose costumes were so accurate they even had dangling earphones
2nd: mermaid and Neptune - my mom once again came up in a big way, transforming herself and Bill into two amazing seafolk
1st: bug zapper - some black netting, a bike tire tube, rubber bugs, and lights attached to an outlet from which Kate didn't move for two hours all earned for her the big prize and the title of defending champion for next year's party - no pressure or anything...

Every year, I worry that the party will be a dud, that no one will show up, and well, anything everything else I can worry about. But, all that worry was for naught. More people than ever showed up, people laughed and mingled, and as one guest left, sitting in the back seat of her friend's car, I heard, "that was the best, best, best, party ever". Three bests. Not bad.

_____________________________________________________________

So much news about which to comment today: Theo Epstein's resignation, the new SCJ nominee, Bush's plan for the bird flu - wouldn't surprise me if he was suggesting chicken noodle soup as a remedy, and the fact that Jamie Lee Curtis is no longer accepting acting work. Since I don't possibly have time to comment on all of it, I'll just leave you with this fact: When snakes are born with two heads, they fight each other for food.

Happy Birthday Joe - how the heck are you in your late 20s??

Happy Birthday Kristen!