Mama's don't let your babies......

I saw another Mom's post today about how she never thought she'd be a nervous mother, but come to find out she is a bit. LOL I always thought I'd be a hyper-attentive mom, but come to find out I'm more worried about the mundane than the extreme.

Maybe it's just how active the DD has always been, but it doesn't make me all that nervous when she tries some bonehead stunt.

She learned to walk at 8 months old (yes, 8 months when she took her first steps, 9 months and she was walking well, by 1 year she was almost running in a toddlerish way). She was always climbing on things (though she seems to have a sense for what is truly too dangerous, as she's never climbed on bookshelves or dressers or even the kitchen counters). When she was 18 months old, we were visiting my Dad's older brother & sister-in-law & Mom (my Mom-mom) in Dallas, TX. DD would climb all over things: the couch, a little wheeled toddler ride-on toy, and whatever else she could find that appeared safe. Mom-mom would freak out, telling me that I better get her down before she fell and hurt herself. I know part of it was Mom-mom's age prompting her to be more nervous about things than she might have been with her own kids, but I was also made aware that there were things that may have appeared dangerous to some, but with DD I just didn't worry about it. She's always been pretty well able to handle herself.

*****

Then there was the time when we went out to Tangles Lakes camping, when she was about 6 years old. All weekend we'd been watching these bone-head teenage boys attempting to extreme mountain-bike on the little walking paths around the camp area. Most of them had rather nasty spills. Then DD decided it looked like fun, and asked her dad if she could take her bike up this little hill not far from our camp-site and bike down it. He told her ok. I came out of the camper and asked what was going on, I sat there shaking my head, praying she didn't have a REAL nasty spill (as we were nowhere near any sort of medical facilities) and figuring that no matter what happened, she'd only do it once. Needless to say, she was on a child's bike with the brakes that are tied into the pedals, where one must "back-pedal" to activate them. This little hill had about a 45 deg. incline, but the path was a straight-shot down the side, no curves or winding. So, DD got to the top and turned her bike around (she walked the bike UP), mounted her bike, and waved to us. It was me, the FIL, and DH standing there in our campsite, watching. MIL was sitting in their camper reading, or she would have been hyperventelating, watching her granddaughter attempt a stunt like that, and yelling at the hubby & I for allowing DD to do this crazy thing.

So, DD heads down, and about 1/2 way she loses her footing on her pedals, and by the time she got another 1/4 of the way, she'd gone head-over-handles and was laying out on the bike path, her bike beside her. So, the 3 of us started ambling over (she wasn't screaming, but was conscious, so we knew she wasn't terribly hurt) to check on her. Sure enough, when she went over the handlebars, she'd bruised her sternum a bit, but was otherwise unhurt. And she didn't want to ever try that again. LOL Unfortunately she also popped the tire on her bike, so she wouldn't have been trying it again on this trip anyway. MIL came back as we stood around looking at the bike and asked what had happened. When we told her, she damned near had a heart-attack and started yelling at the 3 of us for allowing DD to do something so stupid. LOL

*****

When we got back from DD's hockey tournament and I took pictures to work, I had several people ask me if I wasn't terrified to let DD play hockey, much less play goalie. I quite honestly responded that I've NEVER felt nervous about her playing, as they're so heavily padded and helmeted that she's in more danger when she's out riding her bike then she is on the hockey rink. It just doesn't occur to me to be nervous of her playing hockey. And I figure that if there was some part of it that DD felt was truly hazardous to herself, she wouldn't do it.

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Yesterday, my older nephew had his 5th birthday party at a park near his paternal Grandma's house (not the MIL, the dad's parents). DD wore her Healy's (those shoes with the wheels in the heel). She was having fun skating on them on the pavement, since she's not allowed to where them almost anywhere else in town (school, stores, watching hockey games). One of her favorite actions at the smaller kiddie parks (the ones designed for the under 8 crowd) is to stand on the top, center part of the teeter-totter while kids on either side are making it rock. She's got fairly good balance, what can I say.... She never falls off those things. Well, even though she's not grandchild to the nephew's grandma, Grandma N was nervous as heck watching DD perform this feat. LOL And there was no way her grandson was going to be allowed to do the same. I was figuring it's a 1 foot drop, granted that it IS possible to break an arm in that distance, but I didn't figure it's likely.

Then DD decided she was going to skate down the spiral slide. *rolling eyes* Well, again, she'd only do it once if she got hurt! And she did it, and didn't fall, and said it was fun. LOL

*****

I don't know, things like that don't make me nervous. Instead, she called just a bit ago from her best friend's grandma's house (where they all spent the night last night) asking if she & M. (best friend) could walk over to the park. It's really only about 2 blocks from B&K's House (grandparent's house) to the park, but to get there the girls must cross a minor highway and the railroad tracks. THAT makes me nervous. I know they're both old enough to know how to look both ways and what is safe and what is not. And DD's got her cell-phone in case they've got any problem. (I didn't mention that we got her a cell-phone for just that kind of wandering about town, did I?!?!?! Just got it for her this past weekend. Figured if she was old enough to be wandering about our small town, then she was old enough to have a phone with which to contact the DH & I. But it IS prepaid & no texting capabilities. And after our initial investment, she buys her own minutes. Oh, and it's DH's old cell-phone, he got himself a new one, as did I.) But, I don't like the thought of her crossing the highway and the railroad tracks. THAT makes me nervous.

It just strikes me as rather funny how the things that would normally scare most mom's half-to-death don't scare me. The physical stunts don't scare me. It's the normal every day things that make me nervous.

Oh, and for the record, the ONLY time she's ever had stitches, it was not a physical stunt that resulted in that trip to the ER. She was wearing flip-flops and trotting up the gravel path leading from our next-door-neighbour's backdoor to his drive-way, and tripped over her own feet & gashed open her hand on the gravel. It was about 10:30 on a summer night, when she & DH got done hanging out with J&T and came home for bed. Tossed her into the bath to soak out the dirt from the gash, only to realize how deep it was, so we ended up heading in for the ER by 11 pm. That was a late night. And she's NEVER broken a bone! Even her most recent gashing of her arm was when she was bumped into a mirror at B&K's house that had a chip in the edge, and gashed her arm on that chipped spot. The mundane, every day actions are when she's more likely to get hurt. Not the physical stunts, it seems.

Just had to share some of my reminisces about s ome of DD's stunts, and how I don't seem to share the same concern over stunts that a lot of mom's do. I don't know. Maybe it's because I know that telling DD that she's NOT allowed to do something will only result in her becoming more determined to do exactly that sort of thing. I'd rather tell her ok, and be prepared to take her for assistance if needed, then NOT be there when she attempts it WITHOUT my knowledge. And again, I figure that she knows best what her body can accomplish and that if it's something that either hurts her or scares her, she'll only do it the once! LOL

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In other news, we've had some beautiful weather for most of the past month. March was windy & cold and even somewhat snowy. Then April came and the weather calmed, and the clouds went away, and we got sun, and warmth. And finally about 1 week ago the mosquitos started showing up. But they were the big mosquitos. The ones we refer to as "bombers" because they're big & slow. These are the mosquitos that we try to kill as much as possible, because the more of them killed, the less will be left to lay the eggs that produce the next generations of mosquitos. The subsequent generations of mosquitos are small & fast (so small and fast that often one doesn't even realize they've been bitten till it's too late & one starts itching), and there are loads of them. These mosquitos we call "fighters" (refering to the F16 or whatever fighter jets the military uses these days). Well, wouldn't you know it, we woke on Thursday to snow and cold. And it appears to have killed off what "bombers" were still out there. And it's sunny again, so hopefully the majority of the bombers were killed by the cold before they could lay their eggs. That would greatly reduce the number of fighters this summer. It'd be even better if, once the fighters all take to the skies, we get one more snow & freeze that kills even more of them. I love the thought of a mostly mosquito-free summer. I mean, we'll always have SOME mosquitos, but the fewer the better.

But, it's back to sunny & beautiful for now. And only 1 more day left in the month, then we'll be into May and we should start seeing REALLY warm days coming, and the trees hopefully finally greening out. They've all got buds, but we haven't had much moisture to prompt them to leaf out finally. It's looking like, after a cold winter, we're going to have a beautiful early summer.

Have a Blessed Day!

What a week....

It's just been a pisser of a week....

But first off..... Anybody want a mutt??? We've got two of them..... They're both housebroken, sweet dogs.... Rather insistant on not being ignored when one is typing on one's blog or reading the blogs of others.... In fact, in the last minute & a half, I've had both of them come up beside me and push their noses up under my arm (one each side, Puck prefers the left, Jenny prefers the right) and remind me how much they want my undivided attention. As I said, sweet dogs..... Anybody want one???? ;)

And thanks for all the funny & sweet comments over the last post.... Yes, I do feel the urge to put a brick on DD's head, sometimes. Gotta say, that was never something I was threatened.... Instead it was jokingly (thank goodness) proposed that a stretching rack might do me some good. ;) Not only does she need new shoes, of course, but she's also going through clothes like nobody's business..... As the bus was pulling up just a minute ago, DD ran up to the computer-room window motioning at her leg, so I pull up the sash, and she's yelling that she can't feel her leg (she RAN across the drive to the window, from where she'd been tossing the football around with some of her buddies) and she's torn her pants..... Sure enough, good khaki's, torn in the knee now and all smudged up with dirt. Told her that there was NOTHING I could do about it at this point (the bus was stopping right in front of the house, as we were "discussing" this) and to get her hind end on the bus. *wry smile* Good night.... That kid is one rough & tumble tomboy. I suppose I should at least be grateful she's not a prissy-missy who's afraid of breaking a nail. ;)

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Anyway, so back to the "pisser of a week".... Obviously the V-Tech massacre tops the list, and I won't dedicate this blog entry to discussing what went wrong and what could have been done better. That's been done to death. I had the chance to explain to DD this morning about what happened, as soon as our moment of silence at 8 am (Alaskan time), I was asked WHY we were keeping quiet for a minute and remembering college kids in a University across the country. (Evidently it was origionally proposed in VA by their governor for noon Eastern Standard time, and as we're 4 hours behind, we observed that moment at 8 am to be sharing that minute with others across the country and possibly the world.) Anyway, so I did have the teaching moment with DD, explaining to her about all the people who's lives were lost, who's children were killed, who've had their lives abruptly altered in ways not even possible to imagine unless you've been in that kind of situation.... Tried to explain to her that this Cho was in so much pain that he decided death would be the only way out, but not only did he kill himself but he also took the lives of other people, those he imagined as a threat to himself. That as sad as one should be by the pain he must have been in to do this, we shouldn't forget that in his pain he's caused innumerable amounts of pain for others. And while war, it appears, will always be with us, we must do our best to not ADD to the pain of others, but to help where we can, and to teach other options when we can.

On Monday, also, my Mom found out that her best friend has Multiple Myeloma (cancer in the plasma of her blood, if I understand correctly) and was given 3 years to live. J. is only 50 years old, with a 21 year old daughter, and also lost her hubby to cancer 3 years ago. Maybe this isn't tragedy on the scale of V-Tech, but it's a tragedy nonetheless. She will be undergoing chemo, from what I understand. And evidently "3 years to live" is an old number, 5 years is closer to the average now possible, and some with this form of cancer have lived 10 years past their diagnosis date. J. has already suffered 6 or 7 (mom couldn't remember the precise number) broken ribs.... Broken in activities one would not generally assume very strenuous.... Like the rib broken while J. and Mom were sunbathing, when J. rolled over on her beach-blanket and heard her rib crack. So, any prayers and/or positive thoughts, candles lit, etc, for a recovery for J., and for more time for J & her daughter S. I'm sure would be appreciated.

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Monday also brought a verbal ass-chewing by my coworker, KO, over how many "windows" I had opened up during my shift at the check-out desk. We've recently gotten receipt printers, and are no longer stamping books with the due-date, unless specifically asked. Well, at the same time, it is harder to see if a book has been previously checked out by a patron, so we must actually zap the book under the laser to get a glimpse of the book's status. If the book's barcode reads "on shelf" we know that the book is NOT checked out and must be checked out before that patron can take it from our library. If it reads checked out to so-and-so, then we know that it IS indeed safe to let the book leave with the person. So, I keep my check-out window (the one used to charge books to people's accounts), my check-in window (used to check in books on the ever-present cart of books in a lag between patrons), and my "check item status" window open, each in their own little corner of my screen. It works for me, and I'm well accustomed to using multiple windows here at home. I'm not a complete imbicile when it comes to computers, and I've got no qualms about using that knowledge at work as well.

However, KO is not terribly computer savvy and completely shuts out of her windows each time she has to open a new one. It takes her forever (esp. considering she's nearly blind and has to hunt for the correct key to open the correct window). So, she came out at the end of my hour to relieve me of desk duty, but even though I was actually still helping a patron, KO started closing out my windows and ranting at me (in front of said patron) over having too many windows open. I kinda laughed with CM (another coworker) about it when I got back into the work-room, and let it go. It was funny, but it wasn't a real problem.

At least, _I_ didn't think it was a real problem. I got in Tuesday and had desk-duty immediately. Not 10 minutes after I start my desk-shift, Boss Lady comes out and, observing my 3 open windows, told me that KO had complained that I was using my "check-item-status" window to spy on people's records and steal their information. *SHOCK* EXCUSE ME?!?!? (Now, Boss Lady wasn't being a byotch about it, but she was following up on KO's accusation, which is just fine.... I have no problem with Boss Lady following up on some question like this, but I do have a problem with being accused of information theft by a coworker.) I told Boss Lady that I am NOT interested in taking a patron's information, but having all 3 windows open makes it simpler for ME to check the item status on a book when a patron asks to have it passed around the gate, saying that it's already checked out to them. I reminded her that we were instructed to do this, as we no longer have date stamps to look at. She was fine with that, but then made the comment that I need to remember to shut all my windows out at the end of my shift, before handing over the computer to a coworker. I told her that I usually do that, but that KO came out as I was still helping a patron and started closing out my windows before I'd even finished with them, pushing in front of me and ranting at me in front of patrons for doing what I need to do my job efficiently. Anyway, so no lasting problem with Boss Lady over this, she accepted my reasoning that multiple windows is easiest for me and that I DO shut out of my windows when I'm done with my shift. But, it still pisses me off that KO is spreading rumors about my intentions while I'm at my job.

I understand about identity theft and all, but sometimes I think the privacy issue is taken too far. We're not allowed to acknowledge our patrons by name, even our regulars who we wind up seeing on a very regular basis. I'm not supposed to remember the name of the woman who comes in EVERY night, 5 minutes before closing and returns 5 audio books and checks 5 more out. I mean, I'm not going to keep track of what she's checking out, that's none of my business, but I can't help remembering her name and face when I see it and her day after day. Or, having conversations with patrons when they're so friendly and see the library as a part of their community, and they BELIEVE in community and knowing your neighbours & those you interact with. Isn't that what we're taught even as toddlers, by Sesame Street.... Who are the people in your neighbourhood???? Why, there's Kati, the library girl. There are Merry & Dana & Sue, the grocery store ladies. And Terry, the guy from Burger King. And oh that's, Miss Robin from the craft store.....

And that kind of thing was appreciated and encouraged when I worked out here at my local library. The librarians were always asking me "Kati, what's Joshy's Mom's name???" and "Who is that little boy with the striped shirt & green eyes, what's his name???" And the conversations & knowledge that these are the people you share your town, your life with. That we all live here and therefore all kind of share our days & our lives & our business, and that's what makes a small town work.

But, at the library where I work now, it seems as if I'm discouraged from being a real person. I'm discouraged from seeing anybody else as a real person. And I hate that. I've got coworkers at the library I'm at now who don't allow any personal interaction, they limit it solely to their job. But, they also tend to get grumpier attitudes from the patrons, they get grumpier WITH the patrons, they don't get any respectful reactions from the teenagers when the teens are asked to bring their volume down a notch. I find that people respond SOOOOO much better when I'm a real person, and remember that they too are real people. The teens know that I'll wish them a good day, with a smile, just as I will any of the adults. When I ask somebody to stop shaking the trees, I generally get a chagrined look, an "I'm sorry" and I thank them in return and smile. It helps to remember, and be reminded, that NONE of us go through life alone, and we really DO need human interaction in order to function properly. Ironically, nobody likes the answering systems where one types in 1 for this option, 2 for this option, 3 for the next, and so on.... And yet we do away with casheers at the grocery stores. We seem to expect the people that DO handle our daily business to be completely impersonal automatons. And I can't stand that. And too many businesses realize that the best impersonal automaton is in fact a computer scanner and not a human. What a shallow, sad life it will be to go through our daily business without making any human contact unless we absolutely must. What a colorless existence...... Makes me dread the next 50 years, if automation becomes the norm, instead of the exception. Makes me hope for the sort of economic collapse suggested by those in the most fervent Peak Oil circles. At least we'll have to rely on fellow humans and learn to be nice again, instead of just computers for all our daily interactions.

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Tuesday, got home to find that Puck had once again pulled the carpeting up, outside DD's bedroom door, and shredded the padding underneath. And he'd evidently shoveled all of the food OUT of the dog dish, into the water dish, decided he didn't like it THERE either, so he proceeded to dump it back out of the water dish, all over the floor..... So, now he's back to spending his days outside in his kennel. When nobody's home, that is. And thankfully it's getting warm enough that he can do so. Of course he gives me an utterly pathetic "I'm so neglected & unloved" glare as I pull out of the drive on my way to work. But, if he's going to tear the house apart while I'm gone he's not going to get to stay in the house. That's all there is to it.

And of course, Jenny must go into her kennel as well. At least Puck's got the outdoor kennel & room to get out and move around. Jenny has her indoor doggy kennel. Which she seems to not mind. But it kinda annoys me that we must keep them cooped up so long on some days.

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Wednesday, my coworker AH left. She's decided to take a position as airport security, so Wed. was her last day. She'd only given notice on Monday (as far as I can tell) so we didn't know that this was in the works. We had a small party for her, though, as a farewell.

And my coworker ME will be leaving in the next couple of weeks as well. She's decided to get her Masters of Library Sciences through an online course, and realized that she'd have a full enough plate between her schooling & raising her daughter, that she would be best off quitting her job. So, we're going to be left short-handed by two until we get some new people in those positions.

Also, one of my other coworkers interviewed for a Library Assistant 1 position that'd come up in the Reference/ILL department, so she may be leaving us as well. (Really, I hope so. I think she'd do good at that position, though I DO like her, so I'm not just wishing her to be out of my hair. And another of my coworkers who only has 14 hours a week, at this point, would like EC's 40 hour position, if EC gets that reference/ILL position.)

So, a lot of changes taking place at work. And more to come as we get into summer.... One of the Tech assistants will be retiring in June, which means another Library Assistant 1 position will be opening up. I'm getting in on that one. The job entails purchasing books for the library's collection. Even though I don't get to pick the books to be purchased, I certainly don't think I'd have a problem doing that kind of job. It also entails 2 nights a month of Circ-desk-duty. Which is something I REALLY want, as it'll help if I ever have a chance to work back out here at the NP library. And I've made it known to Boss Lady, my former boss out here at NP, and even the boss of my former boss that I'd love to be working back out here closer to home, if and when the option arises. They all seem amenable to that possibility, and I get along well with G (NP Boss Lady's boss), and with the librarians out here at the NP library. So, we'll see. With a new library building being built over the next few years, it may open up more options for more employees out here. (Currently there are 2 librarians, 2 library assistants who do pretty much the same job as the librarians anyway, and 3 pages. With a bigger library, there will likely be need for more staff.)

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So, it's been a busy, somewhat turbulent week, all around. But, also been some small good things. Like the ham I made last night. *drool* We'd gone in on a pig from a local butcher/processor this past winter, with our next-door-neighbours. Well, we got a couple of good size (BIG!) hams and roasts out of it, as well as bacon (which I don't care for the flavor of), and pork chops & steaks, and sausage. So I finally got around to making one of the ham's yesterday.

First I put about 1/2 c of orange juice into the bottom of my slowcooker, put the (smoked) ham in next (wanted to have liquid cover the bottom, first). Drizzled a few drops of liquid smoke over top of the ham, then more orange juice. Then I mixed up some orange marmelade & dijon mustard together and slathered that all over the top & sides of the ham. Then cooked for 8 hours on low...... *sigh* Oh dang was that a good ham!!!!! And, I'm not generally big on ham. It's usually too fatty for my taste. But this stuff...... *drooling* I even had to have a ham-sandwich with it while we were watching ER last night. LOL Of course I made mashed potatoes (instant) and asparagus (fresh, barely simmered in lightly salted water) to go with the ham. Just a very yummy dinner. And with all that ham left over and a bunch of asparagus still to be used, I'm thinking I'll pick up some swiss cheese & make a quiche or two. I haven't made a quiche in a year, so it's time. *grin*

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Other than that, it's looking like it's going to be a nice slow weekend. I've got some tv shows pre-recorded that I need to watch. I'm going to walk over to the school today to pick up DD, instead of driving. We may or may not be going to get DD new shoes this weekend. (DH doesn't seem to think she needs them, I do. We'll see who wins this one.) I hope to do some baking, besides that quiche. It's been a few weeks since I've made bread. I think I'm due. *wink* Maybe some garage saling tomorrow morning as well.... We'll see. The weather's been beautiful, so I'd be suprised if there aren't a couple of early-season garage sales this weekend. Then DD and DH are going to go to the Outdoor show (bazaar in Fairbanks featuring hunting, fishing, boating & camping goodies for the upcoming summer in Alaska) on Sunday while I'm at work. I like hunting, though I'm less thrilled about camping, and don't like fishing at all, but I rarely get to go hunting, so there's really no point in me going to the outdoor show. It's mainly DH wandering around and signing up for all the fishing charter sweepstakes. Although I did instruct him to buy more Spicy Garlic Mustard if "The Garlic Gourmay" is at the outdoor show again this year. We ran out a couple of months ago, and that stuff is fabulous. Hell, I'll have to tell him to get 2 jars this year, so we have extra and we don't run out. LOL

Wishing everybody a quiet, slow, calm, sunny weekend. Think about the things that make your life blessed, pray for those who's lives aren't so blessed, enjoy the small things, do something nice for somebody (including yourself), and take some time to appreciate the everyday things going on around you.

Have a Blessed Day!

Big ol' puppy-dog feet.....

You know how it is, when you see a puppy with big ol' feet.... First you think how increadibly large they look on such a small body, then you wonder how danged big that dog's REALLY gonna get...... Have had a similar experience here the last couple of days..... But not with a dog. Nope, here ya go.....

The bottom foot is my big ol' size 8-1/2 wide. The top foot.... That would belong to my 9-1/2 year old darling daughter. She's now just barely over 4-1/2 feet tall, but she's got size 8-1/2 (regular, not wide) feet. Just..... DANG! I mean, the kid's 9-1/2. She's in THIRD GRADE!!!!! I just can't help but feel astonished over how darned big her feet are. And even more incredible is how quickly they've grown. Last year, this time, she was wearing size 3's. In fact, she'd just STARTED wearing size 3's. By mid-winter, she was into a size 6 women's. Mom & Shelli will remember me & DD telling them about how she was now wearing a 5 in boys, a 6 in womens. And all the sudden she's gone up 2-1/2 more sizes. And it's funny, too, because all of a sudden the complaints she was making late last week about how bad her feet were hurting her, make sense. And she's been complaining about her ankles & shins & knees and even her back hurting her lately. That would be growing pains, I'd guess..... *shaking head* Just in awe, over the astonishing rate at which kids grow, sometimes. The only time I recall ever having a noticable growth-spurt (at least from my point of view) was in 5th grade, when I shot up 4 inches (it was actually 9-1/2 centemeters, which was the unit of measurement we were using). I was still the shortest kid in class, but I'd had the biggest growth spurt from the beginning of the year to the end of the year.

Ok, enough rhapsodizing about growth spurts. This picture is purely for the fun of seeing this goofy mutt of mine enjoying DD's bed while she's off to school. He doesn't seem to get that this is where SHE sleeps, not where he's supposed to sleep. But he looked so danged cute, I couldn't resist a pic before shooing him off. *wink*

Ok, I think that'll do for today.

Have a Blessed Day!

I'm back!!!

Actually, I was back yesterday, but didn't have more than a couple of minutes to check in on things..... And that's hard to do without my favorites list. LOL But, everything is up & running, and now it's just a matter of reorganizing my favorites into their proper categories for easier browsing. *grin*

To my friends in the path of this nasty storm through the mid-west & east coast.... Stay safe!!!! You're in my thoughts & prayers.

Have a Blessed Day!

Might be scarce....

Ok, just to give everybody a head's up..... We'll be setting up our new PC in the next day or so, and it'll probably take that long to get back up and running, so I'll be scarce the next couple of days. Darn near done transfering my favorites links. Just some kid's links, a few blogs, and some favorite online stores. That'll be it.

Have a Blessed Weekend!

Needing some computer help.....

Does anybody know how to save one's favorites list, so when we get our new computer set up we don't lose everything on our old computer??? We've got a new computer, and will be setting up this weekend, but I've got loads of links in my favorites list that I don't want to lose. HELP!!!! LOL

Unfortunately our old computer is SO old (going on 7 years!) that it's completely incompatable with our new computer (a compaq presario), so any tips on linking them will not work. (Besides, we've got a couple of viruses we don't want to transfer from one to the other, so hooking one up to the other is really, really not an option.)

Help is appreciated!

Have a Blessed Day!

Happy Easter!!!

Hope everybody's having a good Easter today! Got up at nine and got started on the coffee & maple sausages, tossed a flat of Sweet Hawaiian Rolls in to heat up in the oven, and then made DH and DD some eggs (I can't eat fried or scrambled eggs, just hardboiled). The DH is kinda grumpy as he fell asleep on the couch last night watching TV and didn't wander in to bed till 6 this morning. Then DD woke up at 9:30 and we all sat down & had breakfast, some of us more awake then others. *grin*

DD is pretty well pleased with her Easter goodies. I made her a crocheted cotton net swim bag in a verigated blue color aptly titled "Swimming Pool", and tucked the goodies inside. She got some American Girl -Molly- books and a mini Emily doll, and a Pet Vet Nintendo DS game. DH figured as she talks frequently about wanting to be a vet when she grows up (if the professional hockey career doesn't pan out, of course) that the Pet Vet game would be one she'd appreciate. She's gone over to her best friend's house to retrieve her DS, where she forgot it when she FINALLY came home last night at 10 pm. *rolling eyes*

The DH is grumbling that there's no Nascar on TV this morning. LOL And I've gotta head to work at 11:45 or so. Later DH & DD will be heading over to the inlaws for an early Easter Sunday supper with them, and then I'll go over after work and have some of the leftovers & hang out with the inlaws for a bit. As active as it seems, it's really looking like a pretty laid-back day. I love working Sundays, as it's generally rather relaxed at work, and it's only a 4-1/2 hour day anyway, so it's like starting the work week very gently. Monday is my only 8 hour work day, so working Sundays (during the winter only) gives me a chance to start out with a calm, easy work-day before the true work-week sets in.

Um, let's see.... Break-up is well & truly here and the yards are mushy snow & mud. The road, thankfully paved, is only slightly wet around our place, but down at the end of the street it's the usual lake. The way the road-construction company worked the drainage means that until the snow melts back a good ways, enough to let the water drain into the ditches properly, we STILL have a lake at the end of the street. Somewhat annoying, as one can't walk through it comfortably and has to make one's way around the block when going for a walk.

I did take the dogs for a nice half-hour long walk yesterday, around the loop we live on and up to the far back of the subdivision and back, checking the mail on my way back into my part of the neighbourhood. It was incredibly sunny yesterday, so nice. Today it's a bit cloudy & overcast. But, it's already up to 50 degrees. We'll probably reach 55 or 60 today. Loving it!!!!

Ok, Have a Blessed Day!!!!!

Unfortunately.....

Seeing as some people just cannot bring themselves to be civil in this world (these worlds?) we all share, I am formally announcing that I hereby reserve the right (as if I didn't have it already) to remove comments from MY blog that I find offensive. Not saying that EVERY comment that I disagree with will be removed, but if a comment by a fellow blogger is overtly negative & foul mouthed and cruelly intended, then it WILL be removed. Don't like it??? Then don't be mean! Again, good, honest & healthy debate is not discouraged (should that come up here), but foul-spirited cruelty IS discouraged and will be moderated.

Have a Blessed Day!

A Small-minded town.....

Full of small-minded people. That's what kind of town I live in. This morning, the total is thus far at 56% voting YES for a ballot measure to restrict benefits to legally married couples, and 44% voting NO to a ballot measure restricting benefits to heterosexual married couples. I'm proud to be one of that 44%, but I'm ashamed that my community, Alaskans as a whole, are so closed-minded as to deny people their rightful earnings & benefits based on their sexual choices (and, for heteros, their religious choices, for those who refuse the option of marriage in favor of a long-term civil relationship).

Many people come to Alaska feeling that this state allows for more individuality than do many other states, and yet we see that we are no less small-minded, as a state, than many, many other states. It's sad.

It really confirms in my mind who I will NOT be voting for in the next set of elections for state senate & legislature. I won't be voting for those who would like to deny rights to others, based on their own moral compass.

Have a Blessed Day!

So, I signed a petition......

(For those that I'm in a yahoo group with, that may read this there, this is just a reposting of what I've posted on my groups, so you can disregard.)

Ok, so there's a state-wide advisory vote coming up on Tuesday that determines if state employees will be able to recieve benefits for their non-married partners. One group, of course, is calling it a "marriage protection vote" (gee, guess which one) and telling everybody to vote yes. The other group is calling it an "equal pay for equal work" vote, and telling everybody to vote no. I signed my name to a petition as a no-voter, and it turned up in a full-page ad in todays paper. The FIL just called and said to DH "did you know your wife's name is in the paper as a 'No voter'?!?!?! " Sure enough, that petition I signed at work a couple of weeks ago, got my name in the paper. FIL was somewhat disgruntled. I'm a bit nervous now, if my Dad'll read through the names and see me there as well. (I'm in the first column, towards the top, so I'm hard to miss.) I shouldn't be nervous about standing up for what's right, but I'm nervous about how this could bring so many differences of opinion with my dad out into the open. Differences of opinion that he's almost voilently vocal about, and that I've kept quiet on, just to keep the peace.

I told DH that this in no way protects (or threatens) our rights as a married couple. That nothing is going to take away our marriage vows, that nobody is saying that marriage isn't valid or in the cross-hairs. But, for those who "chose" to NOT get married, but have a life-partner anyway (no matter what sex, or for what reason they're not getting married), this gives them the same benefits as those who've made it religiously official. My coworker who's got a life-partner of 7 years (a hetero couple) and has a daughter with him. Some friends of ours who've got 4 girls together and still aren't married. This makes it OK for them to have benefits together, even if their not married in the eyes of the church. I told him that THIS is what the vote really is about, NOT protecting or threatening marriage. It's about giving 2 different couples with maybe different living situations, the SAME benefits.

Anyway, FIL was kinda grumbly that I'm voting NO, when he's voting yes. And my dad, if he reads it and sees, will be even MORE grumbly & upset, seeing as he's of the opinion that I walk lock-step with him & his church when voting.

*sigh* Wish I didn't feel nervous about this, but my stomach is now tossing & turning. Just had to share.

Have a Blessed Day!

Something else I love.....

But this is a big one, and for good reason.... I LOVE finding a new book by a favorite author. Something I had no previous knowledge about. Maybe it's not even been out long enough to have some previous clue about it.

This time, it's a cd & songbook styled around the teaching songs written about in Anne McCaffery's Pern series. I've got all but the newest of those novels (and only because I'm waiting for the paperback, as I prefer paperbacks to hard-backs because they're so much easier to hold & read), but I wasn't aware that there was a cd & songbook in the works, till yesterday. And evidently it's by a couple of Washington (state) musicians who have a somewhat celtic style (from what I can tell). Well the songbook & cd are only carried by a few stores in the Pacific Northwest, and over in Europe. I got ahold of one of the stores (via email) yesterday, and they got back to me (last night) and said they've got ONE copy left, would I like them to hold it for me???

OH HELL YEAH!!!! So, emailed them back saying yes, please, and I'd get with them on the phone at some point today and actually pay for the book/cd. It was $35.95 INCLUDING S&H to Alaska (through the US postal service). And I can expect my new cd & songbook in the next couple of weeks. *totally giddy*

I just LOVE Anne McCaffery's Pern series. When I was a teen I used to spend hours reading and rereading the novels, and the _Dragonlover's Guide to Pern_ (I have both first and second editions, and if a third edition ever comes out, I'll buy that too). And gazing at the pictures in the _People of Pern_ book She collaborated on with Robin Wood. It's funny, because there's a gentleman that's been coming into the library lately (was "later", just fixed that) that looks incredibly like the portrait of Robinton. It's almost spooky. Except this guy is of average hight, while Robinton's tall. But, facially. Kinda freaky cool! Anyway, so this was one of my book-places to escape to, as a teen, when I needed out of real life. And I'm thrilled that there's now a cd & songbook to go along with the books, and so we can hear how the songs the Harper's taught would sound.

Ooooh, I'm so happy about this new find!!!! And DH was almost offended last night when I asked if I could order it. He kinda commented that I rarely buy stuff for myself, so if I see something I want that badly, just get it. That I don't need to act all worried over wanting it. ESP. if it's the last copy the store has. (And I picked that store because it's in the same town my mom's family is from, and I figured that maybe if the store wouldn't ship USPS, then a family member could pick it up for me, and send it up.)

Ahhh, I love it when things work out so well.

Ok, I'll be sitting on pins & needles for a couple of weeks till my new goodies get here. *sigh* I need to reread my Pern books. I haven't read them in a couple of years. (Heck, some of my copies need replacing, as they've already been read through so many times.)

Have a Blessed Day!

Ten Small Things I Love for No Big Reason

Snagged from Dianne Sylvan's blog.... Feel free to snag it and post your own small things.

1) I love just crawling into bed at night, curling up with my bunny rabbit, pulling the covers up to my ears, and drifting off.

2) I love easter bunnies and I unashamedly sleep with one!

3) I love tagalongs. (Those peanut-butter-cup girl-scout cookies.)

4) I love having a cat climb into my lap while I'm reading, curl up, and start purring so loudly somebody else can hear it across the room. (And, since nobody I know very well has a cat any longer, I haven't had this happen in FAR too long.)

5) I love (and hate) how in March, my body starts getting these almost uncontrollable cravings for fresh veggies of the spring variety: spinach salads, artichokes, asparagus, zucchini, GOOD cucumbers.... *drool* (I hate this feeling because at this time of year these veggies are still rather expensive.)

6) I love looking out the window in the summer & seeing a birch tree with a full, green leafy canopy causing a sun-dappled spot on the lawn. And even better is to go out with an old blanket or quilt & lay/sit under that shady spot & read.

7) I love snuggling with my dogs when they're sleepy.

8) I love long, hot showers, late at night. That's also when I do my best thinking. But most of all because it relaxes me for "thing 1".

9) I love cheese puffs.

10) I love painting my toes in brilliantly unconservative colors. No pink or peach for me.... I go teal, shocking purple, brilliant bronze, sky blue, lovely lavender.....

Now your turn. I won't tag anybody, but let me know if you post your own 10 Small Things You Love for No Big Reason.

Have a Blessed Day!

Some *grrrrrr* moments.....

I've been rather frustrated with DH the last couple of days....

First off, (going to put the worst little grrrr moment last in this line-up, for the sensitivity of the few guys that read here, even though it SHOULD be first) I asked DH to figure out what he wanted me to make for dinner when I got home from work yesterday. I work 4-1/2 hours on Sundays, right smack in the middle of the day. We've got plenty of food in the house, all DH had to do was figure out what he wanted for dinner, and take it out if it needed to be thawed. I'd make it when I got home. I get home, and ask him what we're having for dinner. He says "Oh, we've got that lobster in there, I want you to make that." Ok, but what does he want made WITH it??? I mean, it's these tiny chunks of "squat lobster". It's NOT a full meal in and of itself.

No clue. Not a one. "Well, maybe you can make some sort of pasta." *sigh* I reminded him that he's been adamant lately that he's sick of pasta (I buy that boxed Pasta Roni a lot, because there are some good flavors & they're easy to make to accompany a main-dish that takes longer), so I haven't bought any the last couple of times I've gone go the grocery store. He started grumbling about how I should have bought some, so we'd have it on hand, and now he doesn't have ANY ideas what to have with the lobster. So, here it is, going on 7, and I'm online searching for what the hell to make with that lobster. Most of the things take too long, or need too many ingredients that we don't have, or would be rather expensive to buy the ingredients for. Unfortunately, ANY of them would require a trip to the grocery store. It's now going after 8 pm before I've got a decent selection of recipes for DH to pick from. He decides on Lobster rolls, which is fine by me, as it's something I've wanted to try for a while anyway, it's less time-intensive than some of the others, and the ingredients (other than the lobster) aren't expensive. So, going on 9 pm and I'm off to the grocery store for rolls & lettuce for lobster rolls for dinner.

It was almost 10 pm before we finished dinner, then had to get DD to brush her teeth, she took forever (45 minutes, actually) before she finally went to bed at 10:50. *sigh* It was about 5 till midnight before I crawled into bed.

But, don'tcha know, I'm not supposed to be peeved with DH sitting on his bum all day, because he DID figure out what he wanted for dinner. (Regardless of the fact that all he really did is decide that he wanted the pkg of lobster in the freezer with no real thought as to how to prepare it or what to make with it.)

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Secondly, despite the fact that the refinancing market has had the bottom drop out in the last couple of weeks, and the housing market is taking a nose-dive nation-wide, DH is griping YET AGAIN that he wants to refinance our house. He either wants a bigger house, or a garage. He's not being terribly picky! *rolling eyes*

And yet, not 3 days ago he was griping about all our bills (credit card, mortgage, truck payments, insurance, dr's bills) and how we REALLY need to consolidate because we just can't seem to get a handle on getting them paid. I'm all for the slow&steady wins the race plan. And besides, we DID consolidate ONCE through our bank, already. All it did was open up those credit-cards for more spending from DH, while saddling us with NOT just the credit-card bills, but now the consolidated bill to the bank. And he wants to do it AGAIN. THEN he wants to refinance (ANOTHER bill!) so we can build a garage. We haven't even been able to put in a back-yard (it's all mud & gravel back there), when does he think we're ever going to find the time to build a garage?!?!?! Well, if that's not an option, then let's sell this joint & move into a bigger house. (AGAIN!!! We can't pay the bills we've GOT according to DH, does he really think we can afford a larger mortgage?!?!?) And then there's the fuel bill. Up till now we've been lucky to move into a house that gets such economical fuel usage that we only fill up our 500 gallon tank once a year. That has done just fine. Well, our furnace has been malfunctioning all winter (and the furnace guy we had come look at it did a shitty job, and actually seemed to make it run WORSE, but he's the dad of DH's best buddy, so we can't call him on his shitty maintenance). So, we've been burning a hell of a lot more fuel than we should be, and as the temperatures OUTSIDE aren't rising the way they normally do, it's looking like we're going to have to get a hundred more gallons, just to see us into summer. (That's $200 dollars worth of fuel.)

And NOW he's deciding he wants a bigger house?!?!?! I mean, hell.... if we didn't keep so much crap, maybe we'd have room for what we DO have!!!! He insists on collecting base-ball caps, DD & DH have a bin full of hockey pucks, DH & DD have all sorts of sports crap: full set up each of goalie gear & regular gear for DD; DH's hockey skates, helmet, elbow & knee pads, and the 4 or 5 sticks for the two of them; DD's baseball equipment; the baseball equipment DH invested in the last couple of years as baseball coach for DD's teams; they've both got roller-blades & corresponding pads & helmets; and they've both got snow-machine (outdoor, in DD's case) gear & helmets. And I'm not perfect either, with all the books I accumulate (3 large bookshelves), and my craft magazines & crafting supplies (though, in fairness, my crafting supplies fit in a couple of tubs, and a small cabinet).

So, I don't see WHY we should get a bigger house, when what we really should do is organize better & get rid of shit we don't need. (And for that matter, I've gotta stop collecting all my dad's cast-offs, which he seems to think I need.)

Just.... I'm sick & tired of Dh's constant griping about how over-run our house is, and yet he refuses to take care of what we DO have!!!! We need a new oven, as ours seems to be shot (and whomever lived in this house before we did, stood in the middle of the stove-top, bending it, so all my pots & pans slope toward the front-middle of the stove), we could use a new fridge, and we need to clean out behind (and IN) all 3 of the big kitchen pieces (the dishwasher being the third). If we put mirrored cupboards in the bathrooms, and got some simple, metal shelving for inside the cabinets, we'd be able to clean off our bathroom vanities. If we added an extra shelf to the inside all of our kitchen cabinets, we'd use up that extra space & have more room for the utensils that sit on top of our washer & drier in the laundry-room (his George Foreman grill, my pressure-cooker/canner). If we made a file in the filing cabinet for DD's important school papers, they wouldn't keep piling up on the computer desk & everywhere else there's a flat surface. I'm working on consolidating my loose-leaf recipes into folders or blank cookbooks. We're eternally weeding DD's room of old books, toys & clothes, and I seem to do the same for myself (clothes-wise) about twice a year. We just need to keep on top of it, and get rid of stuff that won't get used again (find somebody else to give that base-ball coaching equipment to!).

But, I SOOOOO don't want to refinance. And I told DH that last night; that if HE refinances, don't put my name on it as _I_ don't want to be saddled with a bill we can't pay. And I will NOT fill out the paperwork for him! I think it's a dangerous move, and I won't be part of it!

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Anybody who doesn't want to read probably a little too much personal information, skip this section
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Lastly, I had my period this weekend, and DH had the audacity to come home on Friday, see that I'd used nearly a whole dang roll of TP, and chew me out for not using less. I'm bleeding like a butchered animal those first couple of days, so of COURSE I'm going through a crap-load of toilet paper!!!! And I told him that it's really rather impossible for me to use less, because of that fact! What did DH say??? "Well, just sit your ass on the pot longer, let it all drain into the toilet, then you wouldn't need as much toilet paper."

Yes, I let him live. I don't know why..... Really I don't. I mean, it doesn't get much more insensitive than that! And yet, you KNOW he would have been griping about me not getting laundry and dishes done, if I HAD sat my ass on the pot all weekend. As it is, I did catch up with laundry & dishes, finally. And I made the banana bread. (Though I forgot the pictures. *sigh*)

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Anyway, so there you go. My grrrrr moments of the last few days.

Have a Blessed Day!

Forgetful!!!!

OMG's I can't believe I did it again!!!!! Yesterday was my Mom's birthday (her 50th!) and I forgot to call her and actually wish her a Happy Birthday. I did get her an e-card sent. And I ordered her gift on Monday (which was belated in and of itself, seeing as it's a 1 year subscription to Alaska Mag and it'll take 4 to 6 weeks for her first issue to get to her). But, I still forgot to call her. I can't believe I did that.

I'm SORRY MOM!!!!!!!

Mom's giving herself the gift of learning to ride a motorcycle. She's taking a motorcycle safety course and should complete the course today and be given the certificate of completion that will allow her to get her motorcycle license. She's going to be a motorcycle Grandma. I think that's cool. (Not that I feel like riding a motorcycle myself.) DD just rolls her eyes and goes on about how wierd it is. SOMEDAY she'll think it's cool, too. LOL

I guess my middle sis sent my Mom a Tucson Harley t-shirt, a Harley "do-rag" and a Tucson Harley pin for Mom's b-day. *grin*

I told Mom she needs to learn how to snow-board next. I mean, she already knows how to surf (she's been living in Hawaii for a few years now), and down-hill ski (and cross-country ski, for that matter), she's getting her motorcycle license. She snorkles & goes scuba diving. She's gone sky-diving, and went in a glider plane for her birthday pressy to herself. Now she just needs to learn to snow-board. Oh, and maybe roller blade. (Do you already know how to roller blade Mom???) *wink* Then she'll be able to keep up with the grandkids no matter WHAT they do! One of these days, DD's going to have all her friends going on about how she's got the coolest grandma in the world!!!! And heck, Mom even bakes an awesome batch of Chocolate Chip cookies, and it's HER recipe for Banana bread I'll be using today. She's recently earned her Master's in Social work. (That's why she moved to Hawaii, to finish her degree, then she found a social worker job there.) She even crochets and sews!!!!! Oh, and did I say that when she & Dad met, she was an egress-mechanic on fighter jets in the Air Force??? Not much my Mom can't do!!!!

But, about being forgetful..... I forgot Dad's birthday back in Dec. My middle sister called & left a message & said "oh, did you forget?!?!?!" Yes, I did. So a day late, I ran into town, picked up his gift, a card, and some cake and took it over to his place. *sigh* What IS it with my memory lately?!?!?! I didn't totally space on my sister's birthday, mainly because I had her sent 2 books from Amazon. But I think her card was a bit late. My other sister's b-day is coming up at the end of May. DH is of the opinion I shouldn't even bother with her, as she forgot mine until our middle sis reminded her. And then she called from the resteraunt to wish me a happy b-day. I told him I try to be a nicer person than that, and at the very least I'll get her a card, and hopefully remember a gift as well.

I've also got 2 birthdays for the nephews to remember NEXT month. (I need to check my calendar & find out WHEN the birthdays are, precisely.) I DID remember the MIL's birthday, Great-Grandma's Birthday, and SIL's birthday (all only a couple of days before, but enough time for DH to find them each a card & a gift, and since they all live in town, that made it easier to get them something on time).

It's like forgetting Dad's birthday set off a chain reaction, and now I can't seem to keep track of ANYBODY's birthday well enough to actually get things done in time. LOL And I've got all the b-days written on my calendars, 2 of them. So, that's no excuse either. *sigh* I don't know what I'm going to do. If I'm this forgetful and I'm only 28, how dang forgetful am I going to be at 35, 45, or 55..... *shaking head*

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Went to the Ice Dog's game last night and they lost, by 1, in a shoot-out, AFTER over-time. Actually, by the offical end of the 3rd period we were tied 2-2 with one of the best ranked teams in the division. It went into over-time and there were some incredibly close calls on both sides. Then we went into the shoot-out and we got point 3 on our 3rd shot. Then they got point 3 on their 3rd shot. Then we each went 3 more shots (for a total of 6 shoot-out shots each) before they got a 4th and we didn't. So, they won, 4 to 3. It was a good game, though.

Had some peevish moments when a couple of bone-heads broke the metal ribbing between the glass panels surrounding the actual rink. There were 6 or 7 guys (most of them looked military with the army crew-cuts) with their feet on the glass, down at the base. They'd periodically stand up, grab the top of the glass panels, and shake the shit out of them. Well, eventually they caused the metal (aluminum?) ribbing between two panels to pop off, allowing the panels to seperate. It took several minutes for a ref to notice that there was a piece of metal on the ice. Well, the ref refitted it, told the guys to knock it off, and the game started again. Well, as soon as the puck was dropped, those several jerks started hauling on the glass again, and kicking it at the bottom, and the piece of metal popped off again. Well, this time three security guards came over, and a couple building maintenance people, escorted 3 or 4 of these jerks from the game, and took about 15 minutes to properly replace the metal piece. No LASTING damage was done, but if the hockey players hadn't been aware of the metal, somebody could have been seriously hurt, tripping over it.

As it was, DH was rather peeved to see these guys get escorted from the building, saying they shouldn't get kicked out for that. I reminded him that it's abuse of public property for them to be kicking the window & shaking it so forcefully, and they're lucky that nobody was hurt, and they didn't do any lasting damage. As it is, it's a well known fact that you can get in serious trouble for throwing something on the ice during a game, and after the metal piece popped off the first time, they should have stopped shaking the glass. When they continued, even knowing the fragility, they showed a pointed disregard for the safety of the hockey players, and the disregard for public property, and that's why they were getting kicked out. I think it's perfectly fine. It's my tax dollars and DH's tax dollars that go to replace things that get broken when people are careless with public property. I don't care to have people wasting MY tax dollars by breaking things through their irresponsible behavior. I mean, not to say I want public property to be shitty & improperly cared for, but I wish people would get it through their heads that just because it's PUBLIC property, that doesn't mean they're within their rights to wreck said public property if they'd like.

We need to be reminded that public property doesn't mean you can treat it as you would your own property. Public property means it's there for EVERYBODY'S use, and therefore we need to treat it in a manner that allows it to be used by others in the community.

It happens at my library where teenagers come in and carve on, or write on, the tables & chairs, scarring them & marking them. Sometimes even burning holes in them with lighters or lit cigs. They seem to think that because their mommy's & daddy's tax dollars pay for the furniture, they should be allowed to treat it however they want. Not so. That furniture is there for everybody to enjoy and to use, but it doesn't belong to ANY ONE OF US, it belongs to ALL of us. And therefore we should be especially careful lest it become unusable for ANY of us! I remind the little ones that they wouldn't go into their grandma's house & stand on the chairs, and they shouldn't come into the library & stand on the chairs, or sit on the table, or shake the trees (we've got four 30 year old fig trees in the lobby, which a lot of people seem to love to shake & try to climb on, but they're really rather fragile). And besides, if you carve your intitials (or worse) into a table, that means that the table has got to be replaced, which is like tossing EVERYBODY'S tax dollars into the garbage for the hell of it, and replacing the old furniture with new furniture just for the sake of replacing it. I know I don't like my tax dollars wasted. Unfortunately I don't think these kids are going to see it that way, until they start paying taxes themselves and see their OWN tax dollars wasted by some punk who doesn't give a rat's ass.

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During the first period we'd spotted, across the rink, one of DD's hockey teammates, so during the break between 1st & 2nd periods, we were walking around trying to find S. so that DD could say hello and catch up. Well, we walked right past this couple who was standing talking to a former coach of DD's, and DH looks at me and said "Was that M. and A?" (His cousin & cousin's wife.) I responded that I didn't know, and who was he talking about.... Finally saw who he was pointing at, and yeah, it did look like M. & A. but what the hell were they doing here??? They moved to Conn. a few years ago, and Grandma didn't say anything about them coming to town last time we talked to her. MIL hadn't said anything bout M & A being in town the other day when DH was talking to her, either. So, went over, and sure enough.... Evidently A's brother died a week or so ago, and they've been here for the last several days for the funeral and visiting family. Now, they've got 4 kids, younger than DD. The oldest is about 6 and DD hasn't seen her since DD was about 3 and M & A's oldest was a baby. In fact, seeing as their second child had a birthday this weekend, they decided to celebrate it here in town, and invite all the family. That's today at 1 pm, up in the hills. And DH is at work, and my car hasn't been plugged in, so we won't be able to make it. I'm a bit bummed about this (even though I am glad to still have my day to just be lazy & not leave the house), because it'd be nice for DD to meet these cousins. And the 6 year old also plays hockey, though only her second year, so the two may have something in common.

M & A were astonished at how big DD has gotten, and that she's been playing hockey for 5 years now, and that she's a goalie (it's rare, the child who actually likes playing goalie, and the parents that will actually allow their child to play goalie). They weren't aware that we've owned our own home for 7+ years now. (Well, we actually have 23 years left on the morgage, but at least we're not renters still.)

I wish we could catch up and let the kids meet. M's sister K. also has a boy that's about 2 months older than DD, but we haven't seen them since DD was about 6 months old. Of course K used to be rather snitty toward me, too.... Always trying to one-up me. Actually made a comment when DD was born (everybody kept going on and on about how pretty a baby DD was) that pretty babies often grew into homely kids. *sigh* She was rather jealous that her little boy had "dumbo ears". Then again, so does Will Smith, but I think he's a good looking guy. And I never said anything negative about her son's ears or appearance. I thought he was a right cute little guy, myself. But, back-handed comments like that run in the family. M & K learned it from their mom (Aunt C, MIL's younger sister).

MIL's quite good at making back-handed comments like that, sometimes they're compliments with a bite, sometimes they're just a nice way of saying a nasty thing. SIL does it quite well (her comment when the older nephew was born that NOW the inlaws had a grandson so they wouldn't need to bother with DD any more) also. And after SIL's second son was born, MIL actually had the audacity to tell SIL (in my hearing) that MIL hoped SIL's next child would be a little girl so that MIL would have a granddaughter to dress up. I told DH about this, and he confronted MIL and reminded her that she DOES have a granddaughter, but we don't want her spending all of FIL's hard-earned money shopping for clothes that DD doesn't need. (We did tell her that if she wants to take DD shopping a couple of times a year for a pretty church dress, that was fine, but no more than 3 or 4 outfits a year. As it is MIL spends thousands of dollars a year on new clothes for herself, for SIL, and for SIL's boys. All of them have more clothes than they could ever wear.) This is all part of the reason I'm glad I'm not blood related to that family. I just hope DD grows up without that bitch-bone.

Interestingly enough, neither Aunt M (MIL's older sister) nor Great Grandma (MIL's mom) seem to have that bitch-bone. Or, maybe they just mellowed out of it. When Grandma & Aunt M. give a compliment, they really mean it, and they don't do it in a back-handed sort of way. And when they disagree with something or don't like something, they'll just come out & tell you about it. They don't insist on being catty & back-stabbing with it.

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Ok, enough with the ranting. I really need to stop griping so much. I was reminded the other day, through a series of syncronis events, that I need to avoid harshness in my environment (both chemically, and mental/emotional), and that not only should I work on having a peaceful mind-set and a outlook, but I need to model that peace & calm to those around me as well. It's really hard to do sometimes. And I find myself ranting & griping, and I know I should be focused on the good, and on bringing peace to those around me..... *sigh*

So, for a nice thought..... I'll be baking that banana bread later, who's coming over for a slice??? *wink* I'll try to remember to post a pic of the completed loaves (or, at least one of them) so y'all can wish you were here to share it with me. *BWG* Truly, if you could make it, you'd be invited.

I Hope You Have a Blessed Day.

Snow, again!

Well, it's warmed up in the last couple of days, just in time for spring. It's been in the 20's and felt almost balmy. (Yes, Whim, this time of year, that kind of temperature can feel balmy.) Then, it started snowing. Last night after I got home it started coming down, just this fine, powdery snow. And this morning we've got between 1/2 inch, and 1 inch, and it's still coming down. *sigh*

I guess that'll mean a bit longer before I start seeing any spring flowers..... Like, May! *BIG sigh*

Everybody keeps posting pretty spring flower pictures on their blogs, and I'm getting totally envious that everybody else seems to have temps (and lack of snow) that is allowing for pretty spring flowers. And I've got snow.

Ok, done whining now, I suppose.

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Let's see, what else..... I'm making chicken piccatta for dinner tonight. It's been a while since I've made that.

I never did get my menu lists sorted out & make up a master menu calendar. But, even having the list on hand has helped, as it means that when we're stuck for ideas, we just look at the list and hopefully can pick something off of it that we'd like for dinner.

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Really, not a whole bunch going on except the small everyday things. I've gotta get some laundry done this morning. I did all of our laundry & dishes before we went to Anchorage, but since we came back, we've fallen behind. And DH has kept us busy the last couple of weekends.

We went to the UAF Museum 2 weekends back, last weekend we were going to go to Ice Alaska (ice carving park open during the month of March, every year, with ice-art competitions & sculptures & an ice "park" for the kids to play in). It was too windy, though, so we didn't. This is the last weekend that it's officially open, and I don't think we're going to make it this year. They even have a Ice Stonehenge that's supposed to be a realistically sized & plotted out version of the real thing. I really wanted to see that. *sigh*

This weekend the Ice Dogs (our local Jr. A hockey team) is back in town, and it's almost the end of their season, so we'll all be going tomorrow night, then I elected to stay home while DH & DD go to the game on Saturday. I like hockey, but I also like having a day every week to just stay home & do the little things. Like baking. Like watching a movie (one of MY movies, like "Phantom of the Opera" or "Last of the Mohicans") or recorded travel shows. To sit there & crochet or read while watching, and DH & DD are off doing something else.

Oooh, maybe that's what I'll bake this weekend.... I've got a lot of frozen bananas tucked into odd nooks & crannies in the freezer.... I'll make a triple batch of banana bread. One loaf for J & T (the next-door neighbours), one loaf to stash in the freezer for later use, and one loaf for us to eat right away. Or, maybe I'll make 4 loaves, so that DH can have one of his very own without any nuts. We'll see. He's odd like that and doesn't like nuts in anything. (But he'll eat them out of hand.)

I'm rather a homebody, and I get rather peevish if I don't have the chance to just have a quiet day at home every week or so.

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Well, I think that's it for now.

Have a Blessed Day!

Random Thoughts.....

Why is it, every time I sit down the computer, one of the dogs feels the urge to come up, stick their nose under my arm, and nudge me for petting. I mean, they ignore me a lot of the time, but they're as bad as cats, in their determination for attention when I'm trying to be on the computer. LOL

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What is it about driving big-a$$ SUV's that makes women absolutely crazy. Of course, that's really steriotyping, as it's NOT just women, and not actually ALL women. On my way to & from work, it invariably happens that I pass as huge SUV or oversized truck, most often with a woman driver (though some men seem to pull this stunt too) and as soon as they realize that this tiny little car (it's actually a '91 buick regal, so it's not a "tiny little car" it's an older semi-luxury car) is actually PASSING their oversized-@$$, they feel the urge to prove to me that they're (or, their vehical) bigger & better and faster than I am. I'm not trying to prove how fast I am to anybody. But, if you're in the slow-lane, doing 57, and I'm doing 60, I'm going to pull into the left-hand lane, pass your @$$ and then pull back in front of you once I'm past. That's just the way it works. There are a LOT of idiots driving these big trucks & SUVS (more often than not, a woman, but not ALWAYS) that just can't stand to be passed by a little car, so they gas it, as soon as I'm along side them, make me push it up to 62 just to get past them. Then once I AM past them, and in the right-lane again, going 60 again, they decide to ROAR past me at 65, then pull back in FRONT of me and slow their asses down to 57 again. Some of these people JUST CANNOT HANDLE being passed by a small car.

As I said, it's not ALWAYS an SUV, sometimes it's an oversize truck. It's not always a woman, it's sometimes a man. And there are SOME women who don't seem to get upset by being passed by a small car. But, for those who DO get upset by me passing them..... I just laugh as they pass me again, because I KNOW they're burning a hell of a lot more fuel than I am, with that stupid maneuver. I get 26 miles to the gallon (good milage, for the my car's vintage) in the summer. They probably get 13 miles to the gallon, on a GOOD day, when they're NOT speeding up to pass me because I passed them in the first place. So, to get peeved, gun it, and blow past me again.... I'm sure they're sucking down the gas.

Just have to laugh over the idiocy of it, sometimes.

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What kind of moron morgage company REALLY thinks I want to refinance my house right now, make the lenders rich, and lose my home because I'm over-morgaged?!?!?! I'll tell you what kind, the kind that called me at 8:07 this morning as I was getting DD her breakfast. I mean, REALLY?!?!? It's been ALL over the news in the last few days, how so many Americans are looking to lose their homes in the next year, because they've got 2 or even 3 refinances on their home loans, and that market just went belly-up, and the home-owner's rates are going through the roof, and most of them won't be able to afford it. What kind of IDIOT thinks that I'm actually aching to do the same to myself & my family?!?!?! DH actually wanted to refinance last summer, but I had my qualms. I'd heard that the housing market was looking to seriously slow in the near future, and I didn't think it'd be wise to risk it. And I just didn't fill out the paperwork to get it done. (My handwriting's nicer, so if we're doing something official like that, DH prefers if I fill out the paperwork.) We didn't refinance, and now I'm very thankful we didn't. We won't be losing OUR house this year, along with the rest of the folks who were led into these loans by their noses. Not to say that things won't get too hard in the next few years, but for now, we're good. (For those who might read this and be in that situation, I'm sorry. Really, knowing how good it can feel to own one's own house. The thought of losing all that money and one's home..... *shudder*)

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I got into work yesterday and found that all of the overflow of books and media that we'd had stacking up last week, has been checked in and is now ready for shelving. YEAH!!!!! No more shelf-reading for now!!!!! We're running just a bit behind, but the kiss-ass came back on Saturday (after being out LAST weekend, then being out Thursday & Friday with a migrain) and saw the pile-up of books, and did nothing but check-in on Saturday. I guess she was rather frantic & wired again, but at least she got things checked in. LOL And I'm glad I didn't have to work with her!!!!! ;)

I actually had taken 2 pics on my cell-phone camera, but then remembered that I've not got internet access on the phone (i'm on prepaid, so I don't get internet access with that), so I have no way to actually share the pics I took, to show off the overflow of books & media. LOL Go figure. I did get to show DH, though. So he believes me now!!!!! *wink*

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The temp actually got up in the POSITIVE 20's yesterday. The snow on the roof wasn't quite melting off yet, but it was warm!!!! And nice!!!!! And I went out to plug in my car with just my boots & PJ's on, no coat & gloves!!!! It's mid-March in Alaska, it's GOT to start warming up soon. Fortunately we don't have a glut of snow this year (*fingers crossed*) so when the temps do finally warm enough to melt the snow, we probably won't have a massively wet break-up.

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I got notified last week that I've got Jury Duty in May. It'll be precisely 2 years since I last served Jury Duty. But, this time I got chosen to come in for GRAND JURY duty. Of course, we'll see if I'm one of the "lucky 18" who gets picked to come back weekly for the duration, or if I get away without my name getting drawn this time. Really, I think it'll be interesting if I DO get picked. And I work for the borough, so I get paid for serving my country in this manner, either way.

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DH & DD talked me into going outside with them & the dogs to "play" last night, and I got hurt. Evidently DH & DD found that the dogs actually LIKE doing what they were both bred (their breeds, anyway, though not the dogs in particular) to do..... Pull a sled. So, they discovered this while I was at work, and after we'd had dinner last night, they just had to show off. So, out we went, and DH would get both dog's leashes in DD's hands, DD sitting on the sled (normal, plastic sled, not a dog-sled) and he'd coax them down the road. Of course, the second time around they weren't as thrilled about the prospect as they'd been earlier in the day, and they'd keep running up into a neighbour's yard, pulling the sled at an angle & dumping DD. She was loving it. Well, I was standing there, watching, and all the sudden, here comes DH running towards me, with the dogs chasing him, 2 seperate leashes making the sides of the triangle I was now trapped in, and DD & sled being the point. I braced for impact, and managed to NOT be knocked on my ass (or head!), but tried to catch the leash with my hand, to keep Jenny from tripping me as she doubled back around. DH was yelling at me to just jump over the leash. YEAH!!! Like THAT was going to happen. I reminded him that THIS white-girl can't jump!

I wound up with a bruised upper left thigh, a bruised right shin (caught the sled with my shin, as I turned around), and a bruised left hand where I tried to catch the leash. I'm very, very sore today. Of course, at the time it was so funny that I nearly wet myself and must have looked funny as I waddled/ran back to the house to use the bathroom before I DID wet myself. Our neighbours across the street MUST have been laughing..... I don't know for sure, but I know that they were watching out the window. Hell, I'd have been laughing. On the other hand, maybe they were shaking their heads at DH & DD's idiocy. And MY idiocy at going out to play with the two of them & the dogs.

Dd told me this morning that if I think they're dangerous doing what they did yesterday, I should see them when they go to one of the out-door rinks for some skating together. I actually TOLD Dh that after getting hurt, playing with them yesterday, I'm NEVER going skating with them. DH told me that he'd make sure I had all the hockey padding necessary before he'd put me on skates again. *grin* Wise man!

Really, though, DH is going to get the harness we bought for Bashy (former dog, also part husky who liked to pull sleds on occasion) that should fit Jenny. It's over at the FIL's house. And we're going to get Puck a harness of his own (he's a lot more muscular than either Jenny or Bashy), and a lead-rope so they can properly pull a sled. Both of them hooked up to seperate leashes was NOT the way to be trying them out for dog-sledding. But the halters will allow them to comfortably pull a sled, and the lead-rope will mean only 1 rope to trip anybody up. *grin*

Of course, neither dog is really trained to pull a sled, so it's not something that we'll be doing in a serious way. (Thank Goodness, we already do hockey in a serious way, we don't need another winter sport!) But, as I said, both dogs are breeds, bred specifically for pulling sleds & sleighs. So, some of it comes naturally to them. And THEY had fun!!!!

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Ok, I think that's all I've got for today.

Have a Blessed Day!

5 Things You May Not Know About Me....

Ok, Em & Bardouble BOTH tagged me, so I'm just following through. And I say "May not" because I'm sure some people (Mom & middle sis) will know these things.

1) I was 5 months pregnant with my DD when I graduated High School (on time, with the rest of my class). And for the record (because there was a lot of speculation going around about me during HS, and I always feel the need to clarify) her Dad was my first & is my only!

2) When I was a kid, I had a major fixation (and it's not really diminished very much) on pioneer children. I mean, my Mom bought me a dress from the American Girl catalog that looked just like "Kirsten's" school dress. I had a rag doll. I read ALL of the Mandie (Lois Gladys Leppard's little Victorian character) books. I similarly loved the Little House books, and anything else I could get my hands on that included characters living in cabins or traveling in wagon trains. I also now have my Dad's Foxfire books (while not pioneer, a much more rugged lifestyle than what is currently lived by most of our nation) and the Appalachian Book of Foxfire cookery (use it frequently, actually).

3) I've always wanted to learn to play the piano. I actually took 6 months worth of lessons when I was in first grade, and that's the only good thing I recall about the school that I went to at that point. I really wish I'd been able to keep up lessons, but Mom says that our finances were not good at that time, and we couldn't afford it. Mom is now taking piano lessons, and someday I'd like to take piano lessons as well.

4) I have, at times, gotten so lost in day-dreams that I cannot remember what has gone on during points in my life. Esp. third grade. I don't really recall third grade, except that I'd have elaborate imaginary tea parties with a queen (I think the queen of England, but I may not have been THAT specific) at my little cubicle in school. (Went to a private school that separated desks into cubicles & we worked at our own pace from workbooks, with very little real oversight, and no formally educated teachers. My mom is the reason I passed 3rd & 4th grades at all, as she tutored me in the evenings, after school. On my own I'd read through the workbooks, enjoying the stories that accompanied them, but never did the work.) There were similar episodes in HS, where I'd get so lost in my books and my fantasy life, that I don't recall much of what actually went on during those times.

5) I was 23 before I got my driver's license. I had nasty panic attacks & migraines as a teen that scared the dickens out of me, and for the longest time I absolutely refused to drive. I was afraid I'd have a panic-attack/migraine on the road, lose control, and kill myself or somebody else. I even spent the first few years of DD's life relying on family to get her & I to dr's appointments & grocery shopping. I still don't really LIKE driving, and if I'm going anywhere else with somebody who drives, I'd just as soon be a passenger. However, I DO drive, and I have yet to have a migraine or panic attack (I get them again, though not as frequently, and not in conjunction like I used to) that caused me to lose control & kill myself or somebody else. *wry smile*

Personally, I don't think it's a bad thing that I waited so long to get my DL. I mean, I started out with low insurance, I'm a responsible driver. I don't let myself get distracted while I'm driving. To tell you the truth, I don't think it'd be a bad thing to keep kids from getting their DL's until they're 18. Living right beside the local HS has allowed me to see (and participate in) too many accidents caused by teenagers who drive like idiots. Not to say some adults don't drive like idiots, but teens do it as a matter of course, in my experience.

Ok, five things that you may not have known about me. I'm sure my mom knew all of them. I'm sure my middle sis knew all of them. I have a feeling one or two of my online friends maybe knew one or two of these. I'm really an open book, most of the time. It's hard to come up with 5 things that very few people don't know about me.

Have a Blessed Day!

The Boss

No, this isn't about that song on American Idol last night. This isn't about Bruce Springsteen. This is about my boss at work.

I talked to one of the computer guys on Monday, asked him what was going on with the systems. He said that it IS just maintenance, and we're switching over systems or something. AND that this change-over was planned for this week because the computer guys knew that all the kids would be out of the schools, leaving the school-systems unused. Which means that 8 of the 10 users of this computer system were going to be down because of lack of users during this week. Ok, I can understand that. Even if it does put an added hardship on us pages and the Circ assistants, I can understand that the schools make up MOST of the users of the system. So to shut the system down while the schools would not need them, that makes sense.

Computer Guy ALSO said (when I commented that I'm not so much bugged by the systems being down, as I am by the fact that we weren't given any advance warning) that the Computer Staff held a meeting with ALL of the Supervisors 3 or 4 weeks ago, and told them precisely when this would happen, and advised the Supervisors to tell all THEIR staff precisely when this would happen, and get us prepared for it.

So, that's where the ball was dropped. Huh! That means my supervisor (Boss Lady, from a previous post) took that knowledge, and went on vacation, and didn't tell ANYBODY. When I got in Monday, I found that KO -our "Senior Page"- hadn't even known in advance that this was going to happen. So, when she was out for minor surgery on Friday, she wasn't called at home by Boss Lady & tipped off. She came in Monday, and as the SENIOR PAGE, was more clueless than I was.

And my coworker/friend CF emailed me on Saturday (and called) to give me a day's heads-up that we needed to check-in like mad on Sunday, to be sure that we had as much in order before the shut-down as possible. She and the rest of my coworkers (who were at work on Friday afternoon for the "official meeting") were under the impression that DB, ME, and I wouldn't know a thing about the shut-down until we got to work on Monday & found out. And by then it would be too late to do any checking in & stock the shelves with a couple of day's worth of shelving. (It wound up being enough books to get us half-way through Tuesday.)

When I got in on Sunday, Boss Lady was there, so I asked her if indeed we were supposed to check-in as many books as possible, in advance of the Monday shut-down of the system. She, of course, wanted to know who'd tipped me off, and I replied that CF had emailed me about it, just to give me a heads-up. (I didn't tell her that CF also called me.)

Well, wouldn't you know it, guess who called CF into her office yesterday & chewed her ass for tipping me off. That's right, BOSS LADY! She is actually ANNOYED that CF felt it wise to tip me off, so that I could clue in the other clueless ones in time to get some checking-in done, so that we had books to shelve. Boss Lady's excuse was that she was in on Sunday, so CF shouldn't have said anything to me about it because Boss Lady was going to do that herself. On the other hand, NOBODY knew that Boss Lady was going to be in on Sunday. She rarely works Sunday. She's not generally scheduled to be there on Sunday.

My respect for Boss Lady has sunk to an all-time low. I'll still be polite & civil, and I certainly won't "rock the boat", but I have no respect for her. I've worked at this library for almost 2 years now, I've worked as a library page for over 4 years total. I'm not a "newbie", I could have been given the heads-up and handled it ok. Most of the other pages have worked at this library longer than me, none of them were given more than a weekend's worth of heads-up. And the "Senior Page" (this is made a LOT of by Boss Lady) has worked at this library in particular for 30 years and she wasn't even given the courtesy of a heads-up from our Boss Lady. That speaks to me of a Boss Lady that has no professional respect for those of us who work under her. She's made it clear to a couple of us in the past that we're NOT indispensable to this library. And as individuals that's true. We're the least trained, the least educated (or at least, need the least education) and we're easily replaceable. AS INDIVIDUALS! But, as a group, that library would fail to work without us. We're the ones who work the check-out desk. We're the ones who check incoming books in, who inspect them for basic damage before passing them on to somebody else or putting them away. We're the ones who put those shelf-fulls of books in order & put them away out in the stacks. Ours may not be a highly educated, highly trained line of work, but it's integral to the library. And often, we're the only staff that the patrons really interact with. We're reminded about how important it is for us to be friendly & helpful to the patrons (as long as we don't help them find the books they're looking for, as we're "not trained enough" to help find the books that we put away in the first place).

But, it's times like this when Boss Lady makes it clear that she has NO professional (or semi-professional, or workplace) respect for US. She sees us as no more important than the computers which were shut down. Than the chairs that the patrons sit in. We're replaceable, and this little move of hers has gone to remind us all that we're NOT IMPORTANT enough to be considered in the coming of a big event.

Nope, my respect for Boss Lady is gone. I'll keep my mouth shut at work, because most of the time I like the details of my job. And someday I'd like to have the opportunity to be back at my neighbourhood library, working for a Boss who does give me some professional consideration. So, I'll keep from rocking the boat at work as best I can. But my Boss Lady won't see any loyalty to her in particular from me. And I'm looking forward to the days when Boss Lady is on vacation, or has her days off. Because that's when I don't feel like I've got to constantly look over my shoulder. That's when I don't feel like I shouldn't ask questions & expect answers. And that's when I know that if I HAVE a concern, I can take it to somebody other than Boss Lady, and actually be listened to. (If she's there, I have to talk to her first, working my way up the chain of command.)

And for the record, I HAVE been telling Patrons what's up, when asked. If Boss Lady (or anybody else) makes a stink about it, I'll tell them that _I_ don't believe people should be treated as stupid. I believe in common courtesy, and not lying out my teeth to my coworkers, my friends, and the patrons I work with, means that I talk to them. I tell them what's going on. If she doesn't like that, tough. I work for them, that doesn't mean they can make me betray my ethics. And I'm union, so I can take my concerns there if I have to.

Have a Blessed Day!

We Be Jammin'!!!!!!

Well, as of this morning, my boss & other superiors have put myself & my fellow pages in a tough situation. Some of us had as little as 1 day's notice. The decision was made to shut down the check-in/check-out computers for a total of 4 days to upload some new materials.

So, starting this morning, we will be checking materials out to patrons manually (hand-writing all numbers on pre-printed forms, to be hand-entered at a later date by the circulation assistants), but will not be able to check books in, in any manner. For the next 4 days, we do not have ANY new materials to shelve, and we will be piling incoming books on the work-room table, to be checked in Friday, Saturday, and as long after that as it takes to process them. This will likely back us up for weeks, overloading us with check-ins & shelving till the end of March at the VERY least, possibly even backing us up well into April (it's happened before, not for this reason, though).

The idiotic part is not really that the computers are being shut down for that amount of time. The horrid part is that books have been checked out & stamped with due dates during this week that we'll be shut down. So, these books are STILL going to come up due, without a way for us to get them off the patron's records. That means that when we finally get computer capabilities back, these books will be overdue & continue being overdue until we work our way through the bus-load of books that are going to pile up on us this week. That's unfortunate for the patrons, because once our computers DO come back online (and they'll be able to see this for themselves, by checking their own accounts at home when the computers are back & running) they'll see that the books they turned in during this week are now days, or even weeks overdue.

And we're going to run out of video games & DVDs VERY quickly, being unable to check back in the media that is coming back. Those usually have a VERY quick turn-over rate; often coming back, getting shelved, and going back out in the same day. Without that turn-over, we're going to run out of DVDs by Tuesday evening, most likely. Wednesday mid-morning probably at the latest. That means pissed patrons who can't check-out that next volume of StarTrek or McGuiver or Poirrot as quickly as they usually can. And again, it could have been mostly avoided if we'd given the patrons the heads-up. MOST patrons are a bit annoyed by a delay or disruption of the norm, but they're accomodating if they've got advance warning. Without that advance warning, they start suspecting that we're deliberately holding out on them, or screwing them over. I've seen it happen. Most people are mostly pleasant when know in advance that things will be disrupted. By & large, they're not-NEARLY-so-pleasant when there's no advance warning.

That's unfortunate for us, as well, because it makes us look poorly managed and slow.

The real truth is that we could have been warned a couple of weeks in advance that this was coming (it's to download new materials, not because of some flub-up in the computer system). We could have prolonged check-out-dates on items that would be due this week. We could have given patrons a heads-up that we would be slowed this week by computer maintenance, and that books brought in would not be checked in, in a timely fashion. And we could have voluntarily shut-down internet access for that length of time. It's a hard-ship to patrons, granted, but it'll be a HUGE hardship to US, seeing as patrons are going to come in & expect to find things business-as-usual, only to face longer lines, slower managing of materials, and overdues that shouldn't be overdue.

On top of that, it's spring break. Which means parents bringing in lots of children all at around the same time, for our spring-break crafts & activities. All those families are likely to check-out their requisite basketfuls of books. And there will be even longer lines.

I guess what I hate the most is the dishonesty. I'm not a perfectly honest person, but I don't see the point in not telling people what's up, as a rule. I don't think other people are terribly stupid, and when I'm instructed to lie to them, either deliberately ("oh, that little beep? That's nothing important." when it's really a claim's returned that's STILL on their card.) or by omission. It's annoying to be told by my bosses that I must be deliberately dishonest, when it would have been easier on all of us to be honest & upright about everything in the first place. If we had been honest that this was coming up a couple of weeks ago, many of the snags & snarls we'll see this week could have been avoided.

*sigh* Above & beyond the long check-out lines, the staggering stacks of books, and the disgruntled patrons, we've got maybe 1 day's worth of books to be shelved. The work-room shelves are only about 1/2 full of books to be put out. That means that tomorrow (Tuesday) through Thursday closing will be filled with shelf-reading, shelf-reading and MORE shelf-reading. Not a fun prospect. Granted it's an activity that must be done, but it's best done in shorter spurts. After about an hour, one's eyes start crossing, and one loses track of which book one was on more frequently. Now, today is MY longest day at work (I work 8 hours with a 1 hour lunch break and 2 fifteen minute breaks), where as the rest of my days at work this week will be no more than 6 hours (1/2 hour lunch break included). On the other hand, I've got 3 coworkers that start work tomorrow, facing the likely prospect of 3 of their 5 work-days being filled with NOTHING but 7 hours of shelf-reading and a 1-hour desk shift. The last 2 days of THEIR workweek will be doing probably nothing but desk & check-IN of all those stagnating books.

*sigh* I HATE, HATE, HATE being put in this position. MOST of the time I love my job. I'm not looking forward to it this week, though.

Have a Blessed Day!