Questions, Questions.....

I know I've said this before, but it's true: you just never know what kind of questions you'll be asked on any given day in libraryland. This evening I was asked two of the best questions ever:

1. Do you sleep here or do you sleep someplace else?

2. Where's the bathroom, lady?

Both questions were posed to me by two very precocious junior patrons. !!!!

My answers were:

1. I sleep at my house just like you sleep at yours.
and
2. Out the door and to the left. And then I laughed. Very hard.

If I Should Ever Take the Plunge....

To go back to school again, that is - I believe I would study Anthropology. Get that PhD. that is always tickling the back of my brain.

It would be school simply for the sake of learning. And what fascinates me so much in the field of Anthropology is myth/legend/folklore. Where do our myths and legends come from? Why does every culture have its own dragon myths? And what about those ogres? It's these ancient myths and legends that fascinate me so.

Before humans had a written language, they told stories to impart information. These stories have been passed through generations for thousands of years, taking many different incarnations. I just find it incredibly interesting that many cultures share similar myths. It makes me think that there must be a shred of truth to these myths if many cultures share similar stories.

Who knows? Maybe someday I'll take that plunge again......

Yea, That's Me....the One with the COOL Parents!

Without a doubt, continuing to learn and try new things keeps you young. Good for your brain and good for your attitude! I firmly believe this, based on people I see come in to the library. They exercise on the rec center side, and then they come in the library to read and get books and movies to take home.

And then there are my parents, who are, without a doubt, the coolest parents. Ever.

My dad set up a Facebook page for himself about a year ago. He's on it about every day, and he's in contact with friends and with our family who are all over the place. He uses email daily, so he uses technology and he's pretty comfortable with it.

Last night I spent almost an hour chatting online with my mom. We talked about books and I gave her a bunch of recommendations to look for at her library. We talked about 2012 and earthquakes, the poles shifting, that fun "sciency" stuff that no else I know likes to talk about! It was great.

I just really love and appreciate that my parents (who are in their seventies, by the way) will try new things and go with the flow.

Last Day of the Olympic Addiction!

I haven't blogged since the Olympics began! What an exciting Winter Olympics this has been. For the first time, the U.S. leads in the medal count. U.S. athletes have won medals for the first time in several events: Nordic combined and Bobsled, to name just a couple.

I have been riveted to the television these last 17 days, and it has been exciting and memorable. I've been sucked into everything: luge, bobsled, figure skating, aerials, snowboard, you name it! And can't forget short track, probably my favorite of these Olympics. Apolo Anton Ohno is TO DIE FOR. Without a doubt!

I guess life will get back to normal tomorrow. Which means more sleep for me! During what seems to be the longest winter EVER, the Olympics have made it memorable. Thank you to all of the U.S. Olympic athletes who have made us all so proud!

Life in the Library

It has been ONE of those weeks. You know what kind.....

Working in a library, I deal every day with returned books, as well as many donations. We've had dozens of donations this week. I think people are starting their spring cleaning a little early.

Part of the fun with returned books and donations is finding the stuff people leave behind in their books. This week has been a banner week for surprises. In the last week, we've received:

1. One boarding pass for a trip to Tokyo.
2. Two boarding passes, both legs of a trip to Dallas and back to Cedar Rapids.
3. An Alamo Car Rental receipt.
4. Various and assorted bookmarks.
5. A disembarkation form, in French.
and......
6. A used band-aid.
Yes, you read that correctly. It was stuck to the book, believe it or not.

GROSS.

Other than the band-aid, the fun of working in a library is that you never know what you're gonna get.

Just like Forrest said......

Eight Years

It's been eight years since I've been on my own. For those you who don't know, it's now been eight years since my former husband told me he was gay and in love with someone else.

Eight years. At the time, I thought I'd never recover. If you've ever been punched in the stomach hard enough to feel the wind knocked out of you, you'll know how I felt for months after he dropped the bombshell.

I felt like such a failure. It took quite awhile for me to truly understand and realize that I did nothing to cause it and it wasn't my doing. When most marriages dissolve, both parties usually share the blame. In this case, there was nothing I did that could have made this happen.

Small comfort.

But during these eight years, I've learned a great deal about myself and about the people surrounding me. Some of those people have become amazing friends. Some of these people I've become closer to than I ever thought I would. And some of these people showed their true colors and I realized they were never my friends at all.

I am so much stronger than I knew, and have been able to accomplish things I would not have been able to, if this hadn't have happened. I guess drastic things have to happen, sometimes, for the real "you" to come out. And I am thankful for that.

February: The Whine Month

This is turning into one LOOOOOONG winter! I decided tonight, after watching all the cabin fevered kids running in and out of the library, that February is officially "Whine Month."

Did you know that 70% of the United States is under snow cover? This makes for a long winter season. Additionally, my part of Iowa is at 57 days and counting for continuous days of snow cover.

Blarg. I love Iowa, but I HATE winter. I'm starting to feel like Bill Murray in 'Groundhog Day.'