This week I have been reading turkey/Thanksgiving stories to the kids when they come to the library. While reading to first grade, I gave them these paper turkey puppets so they could act out the story as we went along and then after they checked out a book, they could color them with markers (yeah, I know, I'm cool like that). So I tell them they can color their turkey however they want. I say, "If you want your turkey to be pink, color it pink. If you want your turkey to be yellow with blue polka dots, that's fine. You can make whatever kind of turkey your heart desires." Of course this just raises the coolness of the librarian. Nobody ever lets them do whatever they want. Well, one kid (we'll call him Bobby) raises his hand and asks me, "Can I put a hat on my turkey?" "Sure! Do whatever you want!" I shouldn't have said that...
About 5 minutes later, they are all sitting at the tables coloring away and Bobby turns around and tells me, "Look! I made a robber turkey!" "A robber turkey? Woooooooowwwww....", I say as I take a closer look. (I wish, I wish, I WISH I had taken a picture, but I didn't). His turkey is black (not like a African American, but the actual color black), except for his beak. The beak has small line of green and then clouds coming from the green line. It looked like his turkey was smoking weed. I know this is really bad, but I really wanted to laugh. I didn't though. I walked over to his teacher and said, "You need to go look at Bobby's turkey. I think it's smoking weed." She got this funny look on her face and then went over to Bobby and inspected his turkey. Then she took Bobby out in the hall for a few minutes and then came back in and asked if he could have another blank one so he could start over.
So during this Thanksgiving season, I am thankful that I am not a classroom teacher anymore. I just really love my job!
Showing posts with label This is why I love my job. Show all posts
Showing posts with label This is why I love my job. Show all posts
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
A Day In The Life
So in my job as an elementary school librarian, I deal with two sets of people: students and teachers. Believe it or not, they both give me equal amounts of grief and laughs. Here is a sampling of what I dealt with today:
In our school, every classroom is fortunate enough to have a document camera and projector to use while teaching. It wasn't always so. It used to be that each grade level had one until last year when we got some newer ones, but of course, some teachers got left with the older ones. No one really complains about it. They're just grateful to have one. Well, except for one teacher. She was a sub at our school last year, and a new teacher this year and just so happened to end up with one of the old ones (which really isn't old, it's brand new...I took it straight out of the box). But since she was around last year, she knows about the new ones (which incidentally work exactly like the old ones...they do the EXACT same thing). So at the beginning of the year, I take everyone their Elmo (that's what the document cameras are called). Then a few days later, she comes to me and says,
"When am I gonna get an Elmo?"
"You have one. I put it in your classroom. It's on a cart..."
"Oh! That thing? I didn't even know what that was. I thought that since I'm new I get one of the new ones."
"Nope, sorry. The teacher that had that room last year had an old one, so you get an old one too."
"You mean I can't get an Elmo?"
"You have one. It does the exact same thing and works just as well. It just looks different."
And you can see how the rest of the conversation went: "I'm not gonna get a new one?" "No." etc...
Then a few months ago she claimed that she might need a new Elmo because the projector was overheating (it's brand spankin' new, I pulled the projector straight out of the box too). I went down to look at it and it worked just fine so I told her to call the HelpDesk and they could come fiddle with it.
Today she comes to tell me that some of the prongs are missing on a plug and all she really needs is a new Elmo (do you see the pattern here folks?). And then she goes on to tell me how she can't teach at all with that thing and how it is so confusing and frustrating and, "All I want is an Elmo!"
Once again..."You have an Elmo."
"Oh! Can you just come down and take a look at it for me? I can't even plug anything in...I just don't know what to do. There's cords everywhere..." blah blah blah.
So I'm thinking this cord problem is the cord that plugs into the Elmo and she tried to break it so she could get a new one. I tell her I have plenty of extra cords and I'll bring down a replacement.
I get down there and yep, there are cords everywhere! Everything is unplugged from the power strip, the power strip is unplugged from the cart, and the cord from the cart is unplugged from the wall.
I ask her what is wrong with the cord (as I'm looking at the one plugged into the Elmo) and she says, "Oh no, not that one. This one." And she shows me the cord from the cart...a three prong cord where the bottom prong has been broken off. Then she tells me how she wasn't sure if it would work if she plugged it into the wall and how she hasn't touched it for a week.
Seriously? How many times do I have to tell people! If something isn't working, check to make sure it's plugged in!!!!!! It's like twice a month I have to go down to someone's classroom and plug something in for them. Ugh!
So we plug everything back in (or really, I plug everything back in because all of those cords are really just too confusing for her) and guess what? It works just fine! But then she starts pushing all these buttons asking me "which one does this need to be on" and so on. I got it back to the right setting and told her to leave it there...we'll see if she does. I swear that woman is going to break everything on that cart, including the cart itself, just to get a document camera that looks like everyone else's.
How are people so technologically defunct that they can't figure out how to plug something into a power strip and then plug it in to the wall and therefore think it must be broken and they need a new one? I just don't get it....
In our school, every classroom is fortunate enough to have a document camera and projector to use while teaching. It wasn't always so. It used to be that each grade level had one until last year when we got some newer ones, but of course, some teachers got left with the older ones. No one really complains about it. They're just grateful to have one. Well, except for one teacher. She was a sub at our school last year, and a new teacher this year and just so happened to end up with one of the old ones (which really isn't old, it's brand new...I took it straight out of the box). But since she was around last year, she knows about the new ones (which incidentally work exactly like the old ones...they do the EXACT same thing). So at the beginning of the year, I take everyone their Elmo (that's what the document cameras are called). Then a few days later, she comes to me and says,
"When am I gonna get an Elmo?"
"You have one. I put it in your classroom. It's on a cart..."
"Oh! That thing? I didn't even know what that was. I thought that since I'm new I get one of the new ones."
"Nope, sorry. The teacher that had that room last year had an old one, so you get an old one too."
"You mean I can't get an Elmo?"
"You have one. It does the exact same thing and works just as well. It just looks different."
And you can see how the rest of the conversation went: "I'm not gonna get a new one?" "No." etc...
Then a few months ago she claimed that she might need a new Elmo because the projector was overheating (it's brand spankin' new, I pulled the projector straight out of the box too). I went down to look at it and it worked just fine so I told her to call the HelpDesk and they could come fiddle with it.
Today she comes to tell me that some of the prongs are missing on a plug and all she really needs is a new Elmo (do you see the pattern here folks?). And then she goes on to tell me how she can't teach at all with that thing and how it is so confusing and frustrating and, "All I want is an Elmo!"
Once again..."You have an Elmo."
"Oh! Can you just come down and take a look at it for me? I can't even plug anything in...I just don't know what to do. There's cords everywhere..." blah blah blah.
So I'm thinking this cord problem is the cord that plugs into the Elmo and she tried to break it so she could get a new one. I tell her I have plenty of extra cords and I'll bring down a replacement.
I get down there and yep, there are cords everywhere! Everything is unplugged from the power strip, the power strip is unplugged from the cart, and the cord from the cart is unplugged from the wall.
I ask her what is wrong with the cord (as I'm looking at the one plugged into the Elmo) and she says, "Oh no, not that one. This one." And she shows me the cord from the cart...a three prong cord where the bottom prong has been broken off. Then she tells me how she wasn't sure if it would work if she plugged it into the wall and how she hasn't touched it for a week.
Seriously? How many times do I have to tell people! If something isn't working, check to make sure it's plugged in!!!!!! It's like twice a month I have to go down to someone's classroom and plug something in for them. Ugh!
So we plug everything back in (or really, I plug everything back in because all of those cords are really just too confusing for her) and guess what? It works just fine! But then she starts pushing all these buttons asking me "which one does this need to be on" and so on. I got it back to the right setting and told her to leave it there...we'll see if she does. I swear that woman is going to break everything on that cart, including the cart itself, just to get a document camera that looks like everyone else's.
How are people so technologically defunct that they can't figure out how to plug something into a power strip and then plug it in to the wall and therefore think it must be broken and they need a new one? I just don't get it....
Monday, April 20, 2009
This is why I love my job...
Today was a great day in the red and yellow world of Library Land. This might not be funny or even interesting to you all, but it sure was to me. Here's what happened...
1) I have 3 sixth grade boys that I sort of tutor in reading three days a week. Lately I have just been letting them pick a book and then they read it to me and we talk about it. They really like that a lot better than me picking the books. Anyways, one of the kids picked a book about animal babies and decided to read the page about possums. Yuck! Do you all remember Peter the Possum? Well he/she is back and I discovered today that they can have like 50 babies at one time. Of course they don't all live because there aren't enough *ahem* "feeding stations" for all the babies, but still. So I tell this boy about Peter Possum that lives under my deck and he just kind of stares at me. Whatever. While I'm reading with another of the boys, he is whispering and giggling with the other boy. Before they leave I asked him what they were over there whispering and giggling about and he tells me, "We were just trying to figure out how you could get rid of your possum. Can't you call animal control or something?" After I explained how animal control was just going to give me a cage and let me catch it myself (which is not a desirable option for me), the boys suggested that I could just get my own cage and catch it and keep it as a pet. Ureka! Why didn't I think of that?!
2. Sometimes when I pass kids in the hall, they like to ask me things like, "Did I turn in all of my books?" or "What do I have checked out?" Like I'm some kind of walking database since I'm the librarian. Today, a third grader stopped me in the hall to tell me he really liked The Lightning Thief that I had suggested for him and that he is almost done with it. "Really? Wow! That's great." "Yeah," he says, "I'm on chapter 2." Mmmhhhmmm. You'll have that finished in NO TIME! :)
3. One of the fourth graders that I have in book club tells me that she wrote a book for her teacher. I don't doubt it. She's a very gifted and ambitious child. As she was telling me about it, she also told me things that were going to happen in the second and third book in this series. I asked her how many books are going to be in the series and she says, "Ten". And I'm not lying, she's got each one mapped out as to what is going to happen in the story. That's like more than Harry Potter or The Work and The Glory. And this kid is in the fourth grade!
4. This one was my favorite today and made me laugh the most. Another one of my fourth graders was chatting with me and some of the other students while we were waiting for the rest of our book club to show up. Last week we didn't meet because I had a meeting to go to and of course they asked me if it was fun and I told them how incredibly boring it was and how I would have much rather been with them (which was all true). She then told me something which I immediately forgot and then asked her again. (That's happening a lot lately...I think I have some kind of information overload or something). So she just gives me the look like, "Ms. Johnson! I just told you that!" and I say, "I'm sorry, my memory isn't so good lately." To which she replies, "Maybe it was that meeting you went to."
1) I have 3 sixth grade boys that I sort of tutor in reading three days a week. Lately I have just been letting them pick a book and then they read it to me and we talk about it. They really like that a lot better than me picking the books. Anyways, one of the kids picked a book about animal babies and decided to read the page about possums. Yuck! Do you all remember Peter the Possum? Well he/she is back and I discovered today that they can have like 50 babies at one time. Of course they don't all live because there aren't enough *ahem* "feeding stations" for all the babies, but still. So I tell this boy about Peter Possum that lives under my deck and he just kind of stares at me. Whatever. While I'm reading with another of the boys, he is whispering and giggling with the other boy. Before they leave I asked him what they were over there whispering and giggling about and he tells me, "We were just trying to figure out how you could get rid of your possum. Can't you call animal control or something?" After I explained how animal control was just going to give me a cage and let me catch it myself (which is not a desirable option for me), the boys suggested that I could just get my own cage and catch it and keep it as a pet. Ureka! Why didn't I think of that?!
2. Sometimes when I pass kids in the hall, they like to ask me things like, "Did I turn in all of my books?" or "What do I have checked out?" Like I'm some kind of walking database since I'm the librarian. Today, a third grader stopped me in the hall to tell me he really liked The Lightning Thief that I had suggested for him and that he is almost done with it. "Really? Wow! That's great." "Yeah," he says, "I'm on chapter 2." Mmmhhhmmm. You'll have that finished in NO TIME! :)
3. One of the fourth graders that I have in book club tells me that she wrote a book for her teacher. I don't doubt it. She's a very gifted and ambitious child. As she was telling me about it, she also told me things that were going to happen in the second and third book in this series. I asked her how many books are going to be in the series and she says, "Ten". And I'm not lying, she's got each one mapped out as to what is going to happen in the story. That's like more than Harry Potter or The Work and The Glory. And this kid is in the fourth grade!
4. This one was my favorite today and made me laugh the most. Another one of my fourth graders was chatting with me and some of the other students while we were waiting for the rest of our book club to show up. Last week we didn't meet because I had a meeting to go to and of course they asked me if it was fun and I told them how incredibly boring it was and how I would have much rather been with them (which was all true). She then told me something which I immediately forgot and then asked her again. (That's happening a lot lately...I think I have some kind of information overload or something). So she just gives me the look like, "Ms. Johnson! I just told you that!" and I say, "I'm sorry, my memory isn't so good lately." To which she replies, "Maybe it was that meeting you went to."
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
A poem about me...well almost
Books to the Ceiling
Books to the ceiling, books to the sky.
My piles of books are a mile high.
How I love them!
How I need them!
I'll have a long beard by the time I read them.
By Arnold Lobel
Books to the ceiling, books to the sky.
My piles of books are a mile high.
How I love them!
How I need them!
I'll have a long beard by the time I read them.
By Arnold Lobel
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
How Children Entertain Themselves At My House
Back in December, a couple of friends of mine (Emily and Matt...both avid readers of the blog) came to visit and brought me a present. They gave me...wait for it...a librarian action figure.* Who knew such things existed?!
Well, from the minute I opened it up, it has been displayed in my living room and is not only a funny conversation starter but apparently also a very engaging toy for children. Emily and Matt's son Will played with it constantly while they were here.
Now if you can remember back to your youth when you actually played with action figures, you will remember that getting them to stand on their own was a bit of a balancing act. It makes sense because obviously action figures are meant for action...not standing. And thus, my librarian spends most of her time lying on her side because if I do get her to stand on her own, she just falls down anyway. Not to mention all the books and the cart that she came with are constantly in a pile as well.
Well, Sunday my family had dinner at my house and after they left, this is what I found:
Somebody (probably one of my nephews) had put the cart and all the books back together and positioned the librarian in a perfect pose. It just made me giggle.
*I, in no way, shape, or form resemble the librarian action figure...just so that's clear. I'm much much cuter!
Thursday, January 22, 2009
This Is Why I Don't Love My Job
Testing....need I say more?
Yes. I do.
I hate it. It sucks. It's boring. And it makes me sleepy. I listened to almost 40 different kids today read the same three stories over...and over...and over...and over again. No amount of M&Ms could keep me alert. My mind was listening and my hand was marking their mistakes, but my eyes would not stay open. It was horrible and just plain cruel. I know those kids probably think I'm possessed or something with my eyes rolling back and my mumbling words.
*sigh* Not that anybody cares or anyone can do anything about it but I just had to gripe....
Yes. I do.
I hate it. It sucks. It's boring. And it makes me sleepy. I listened to almost 40 different kids today read the same three stories over...and over...and over...and over again. No amount of M&Ms could keep me alert. My mind was listening and my hand was marking their mistakes, but my eyes would not stay open. It was horrible and just plain cruel. I know those kids probably think I'm possessed or something with my eyes rolling back and my mumbling words.
*sigh* Not that anybody cares or anyone can do anything about it but I just had to gripe....
Friday, December 19, 2008
Today at 3:15...
...I will be ready with purse in hand to walk right out of here. I cannot tell you how much I hate this week. Every year it is the worst...possibly even worse than the week before we get out for summer. Everyone is so incredibly ready to get out of school for the blessed 2 weeks and on top of that, everyone is so stressed out because not only do you have your own personal Christmas hell to go through, you have school Christmas hell to go through as well.
This specific week, however, has been crap-o-la. First we had the lovely day of Arctic Winter on Tuesday. The day which I couldn't get my garage door open (eventually I did though) and the same day that the power went out at school. Then it turned into Regular Texas Winter where it's just wet and cold and you hate being outside on Wednesday. The day that the heat didn't work in the library and there was a foul smell in the hallway, so I secluded myself in my freezer and tried to stay warm without puking from the stench. Then it turned into The Rainforest when the fog settled in. The day we had a PTA Pajama Read-In and Choir Concert here at school. It wasn't so bad...just extremely muggy throughout the whole school. This was also the day I discovered that a ginormous branch had fallen and was precariously leaning on a wire connected to my house. It almost knocked me over when I pulled it down.
However, today, the sun is shining and I get to see my gals for book club tonight. :) So let's hope it's the beginning of the end.
And remember folks...
"The best way to spread Christmas cheer is to sing loud for all to hear."
This specific week, however, has been crap-o-la. First we had the lovely day of Arctic Winter on Tuesday. The day which I couldn't get my garage door open (eventually I did though) and the same day that the power went out at school. Then it turned into Regular Texas Winter where it's just wet and cold and you hate being outside on Wednesday. The day that the heat didn't work in the library and there was a foul smell in the hallway, so I secluded myself in my freezer and tried to stay warm without puking from the stench. Then it turned into The Rainforest when the fog settled in. The day we had a PTA Pajama Read-In and Choir Concert here at school. It wasn't so bad...just extremely muggy throughout the whole school. This was also the day I discovered that a ginormous branch had fallen and was precariously leaning on a wire connected to my house. It almost knocked me over when I pulled it down.
However, today, the sun is shining and I get to see my gals for book club tonight. :) So let's hope it's the beginning of the end.
And remember folks...
"The best way to spread Christmas cheer is to sing loud for all to hear."
Monday, October 13, 2008
Be Original People!!!!
I learned today that yet another children's book (one of my favs) is being made into a movie. It irks me when this is done because then kids (and adults too) decide not to read the book because they'll just wait for the movie. Or they have seen the movie so they think reading the book is a not necessary.
GRRRRRRRRRR........
Now, I realize that kids (and grown-ups too) get excited about a book they have read being made into a movie and it is very cool to see your favorite characters come to life on the big screen but seriously...can't the movie people be a little bit more original? Give us something new to think about. We already know the story of Harry Potter...and Horton Hears A Who...and The City of Ember...and Bridge To Terebithia...and Spiderwick Chronicles...and A Series of Unfortunate Events...and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory...and The Chronicles of Narnia...and the list goes on and on. I'd say about 90% of children's movies these days are movies made from books. If authors can think of new stories to write, screenwriters can surely think of some too. I'm just sayin'.
See, when you take a really good book and you make it into a movie, kids no longer pick up the book and actually read to find out what will happen next. They know already and you have taken that magic away from them. They may pick it up and read it anyways because they love the story but 9 times out of 10, they just thumb through it and read over their favorite parts.
It just makes me sad. And now one of my favorites is going to be made into a movie and it's one that I have just discovered and am getting the kids excited about. *sigh*
GRRRRRRRRRR........
Now, I realize that kids (and grown-ups too) get excited about a book they have read being made into a movie and it is very cool to see your favorite characters come to life on the big screen but seriously...can't the movie people be a little bit more original? Give us something new to think about. We already know the story of Harry Potter...and Horton Hears A Who...and The City of Ember...and Bridge To Terebithia...and Spiderwick Chronicles...and A Series of Unfortunate Events...and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory...and The Chronicles of Narnia...and the list goes on and on. I'd say about 90% of children's movies these days are movies made from books. If authors can think of new stories to write, screenwriters can surely think of some too. I'm just sayin'.
See, when you take a really good book and you make it into a movie, kids no longer pick up the book and actually read to find out what will happen next. They know already and you have taken that magic away from them. They may pick it up and read it anyways because they love the story but 9 times out of 10, they just thumb through it and read over their favorite parts.
It just makes me sad. And now one of my favorites is going to be made into a movie and it's one that I have just discovered and am getting the kids excited about. *sigh*
Here it is:
Due to come out in October 2009...yay.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
I Have A Case of the Wednesdays
I don't know what that means exactly but I think it is similar to having a case of the Mondays except that it happens on Wednesday. And chances are that if it happens on a Wednesday, it also happened on Tuesday and on Monday. In case you are wondering why I feel this way, I can't answer that for you...I just do. Oh, that and the fact that my cat woke me up this morning at 8:17am. Yes, I am supposed to be at school at 7:45am and school starts at 8:00am.
Friday, August 29, 2008
It's Like I Never Left
So this week was the first week of school for most of the United States, including my little elementary school nestled in the ghetto of good old Dallas. It's funny because each year I decide to be better and do a better job, but I have begun to realize that a lot of things still remain the same. Here they are in no particular order:
1. Mrs. N. came through the library yesterday and declared that it looked bare without her plants and said that she would bring them to make it look better. Personally, I think it looks just fine (and actually quite cute with my new blue curtains to offset the terrible yellow and red that they didn't choose to repaint this summer). Here is the evidence:
2. I only managed to make it on time three times this week. I was late again today as evidenced by the post-it note stuck to my computer. People just leave me notes because I'm never here early.
3. Last year I spent an entire morning taking all the keys off my keyboard and cleaning because there were crumbs in between the keys and it just grossed me out. Inadvertently, I switched the period and comma keys and have yet to switch them back. Sometimes I accidentally put the wrong punctuation in my sentences.
4. I also have yet to change the nameplate that is gorilla glued on the outside of the library. New teachers kept calling me Mrs. War and it would always throw me for a loop. If I could remember to get up a little earlier in the mornings, maybe I could remember to bring the red paint I bought to change that.
5. I am back to my old eating habits. Here we have the breakfast of champions: A chocolate chip muffin and a Coke.
6. And finally, my favorite screen saver...
It's like I never left...
Friday, June 27, 2008
And I Quote...
(Alison, you have inspired me to write in this style.)
So yesterday and today I have been sitting in class. It is my last class for my master's degree and the first one I have had to go to campus for. I was kinda grumbly about having to drive to Denton and actually meet people in my class and listen to my professor lecture, but it has totally been worth it. My class is a storytelling class and the professor is a professional storyteller who looks part hippie, part old lady, part hick. This woman is hi-larious! I was so caught up in what she was saying yesterday that I didn't write anything down. When I got home last night and was blogging I thought, "I need to blog about this woman." So, today, as she was imparting her little gems of wisdom to us, I got out my pen and paper and this is what I captured:
"Oh! A revenge story! I didn't even know I needed a revenge story...it's Friday!"
"This sucks big hairy tea bags."
"Some libraries are so small you can't whip a cat without getting hair in your mouth."
"I come from a long line of revival preachers - I can talk forever."
"I can barely walk and chew gum."
"If you want a good seat on an airplane, come on wearing this." (speaking of a jester's hat she was wearing)
"We don't want to break the law unless we know it and have planned it."
And this is my absolute FAVORITE!
(She's relating the story of standing in Central Park ready to tell some stories and the microphone stand keeps sliding down everytime she pulls it back up and tightens the knob thing on the side)
"Must be a male microphone."
Maybe I'll have a few more tomorrow or the next time we meet in two weeks. Who knew graduate school could be this entertaining?
So yesterday and today I have been sitting in class. It is my last class for my master's degree and the first one I have had to go to campus for. I was kinda grumbly about having to drive to Denton and actually meet people in my class and listen to my professor lecture, but it has totally been worth it. My class is a storytelling class and the professor is a professional storyteller who looks part hippie, part old lady, part hick. This woman is hi-larious! I was so caught up in what she was saying yesterday that I didn't write anything down. When I got home last night and was blogging I thought, "I need to blog about this woman." So, today, as she was imparting her little gems of wisdom to us, I got out my pen and paper and this is what I captured:
"Oh! A revenge story! I didn't even know I needed a revenge story...it's Friday!"
"This sucks big hairy tea bags."
"Some libraries are so small you can't whip a cat without getting hair in your mouth."
"I come from a long line of revival preachers - I can talk forever."
"I can barely walk and chew gum."
"If you want a good seat on an airplane, come on wearing this." (speaking of a jester's hat she was wearing)
"We don't want to break the law unless we know it and have planned it."
And this is my absolute FAVORITE!
(She's relating the story of standing in Central Park ready to tell some stories and the microphone stand keeps sliding down everytime she pulls it back up and tightens the knob thing on the side)
"Must be a male microphone."
Maybe I'll have a few more tomorrow or the next time we meet in two weeks. Who knew graduate school could be this entertaining?
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
I Got Nuthin'
I'm just blogging to say that I really have nothing insightful or thought provoking to share with you. I am at the grunt part of my job...the end of the year when I get to clean and organize and put things away and try to remember everything I need to do because if I even had the time to make a list, it would get lost the minute I finished it. So, while my fellow bloggers are posting about crazy superheroes, the wonders of soda, the complexities of social circles, animal rights, the wonders of marriage and children, and analyzing Pride & Prejudice, I got nuthin'. All day long, people bring me stuff and either I put it away or put it in a pile so that it can be put away later. I do have some student helpers that are helping me un-bury myself. Mrs. N. has even come by twice and promised to help me but guess what? Yeah, she hasn't really come through with that yet. Maybe it's payback for calling her out in front of her daughter. Tomorrow my exciting project is to clean out two drawers of cords. I have no idea what any of them go to, but I'm going to do my best to figure it out because seriously...two drawers of cords? Come on!
Friday, May 23, 2008
Apparently...
I am a little behind in my job. *sigh*
I have these books to shelve...
I have these books to shelve...
As well as these other three carts (one is hidden)...
And these piles that are on top of the shelves because I don't have any more carts...
It's a good thing I've got some students that need to work off some library fines. :)
Monday, May 19, 2008
Hello, My Name Is Rhia And I'm An Addict
It's true people. I have a real problem here. My addiction has taken over my life once again. Everything takes a backseat to it. Sleeping, eating, cleaning, socializing, my cat, everything. What, you may ask, is this insane addiction that I have that takes over my other responsibilities and priorities? Sadly, it's a good book. I just can't stop. I would be so happy if I could use Willy Wonka's giant chocolate bar making machine and blow the book up to gigantor size, cut out a little hole in the middle, and curl up inside of it. When I die, will someone please make sure that my coffin is in the shape of a book? Okay, never mind. That's taking it a little too far. See...it's the addiction speaking, not me.
It's just the only thing I want to do...read. It's the only thing I want to talk about..."Let me tell you about this book I'm reading...blah...blah...blah." It keeps me awake at night because I can (and have before) stayed up until the dawn reading. If it's a really good book, it won't put me to sleep. I have to put it down so that I can go to sleep.
My poor kitty. She just follows me around meowing and staring at me. She gets this glowering look on her face when she sees me yet again with...The Book. Then I try my hardest to tell her that I only have 143 pages to go and if she would just leave me alone I will feed her when I'm done...3 hours later. No, no. I'm just kidding. I would never do that to my precious angel. She has a self feeder and a self waterer for a reason. I know how forgetful I can be at times and she shouldn't have to suffer.
Okay, but my apartment is a disaster. That is the truth. I'm a little embarrassed to even describe it to you, but lets just say that you can tell the places that I have been sitting and reading (my chair) because they are surrounded by...uh...stuff, and you can tell the places that I haven't been sitting (my couch) because they have stuff all over them.
And then, the worst part of my addiction is when I come down off my high...finishing the book. I get depressed in varying degrees depending on how much I got into it. Right now, I'm just slightly despondent. Sometimes though, it's so bad that I don't want to watch TV, read anything else, or even listen to someone tell a story because I know it will draw my attention away from the book I just read and I am still in mourning for a story that has ended.
Oh, this is so pathetic. Is anyone else out there like this? Has anyone else ever spent days in bed just so they could read? Has anyone else ever skipped showers, meals, even bathroom breaks so they could just finish one more chapter? Has anyone ever slept with a book so that you could read until you fell asleep and then start reading again the minute you wake up?
National Nerd Day isn't until May 25th, but I think I'm celebrating a little early this year.
And just so you all know, I am THE MOST unreliable person when I have a good book in my hands. But I am finished now so things should start looking up tomorrow.
Just so you know, because I'm sure you are wondering what book I just finished reading, it was The Host by Stephenie Meyer. Now, it wasn't the best book I've ever read, but it was pretty dang good...I'm just sayin'.
It's just the only thing I want to do...read. It's the only thing I want to talk about..."Let me tell you about this book I'm reading...blah...blah...blah." It keeps me awake at night because I can (and have before) stayed up until the dawn reading. If it's a really good book, it won't put me to sleep. I have to put it down so that I can go to sleep.
My poor kitty. She just follows me around meowing and staring at me. She gets this glowering look on her face when she sees me yet again with...The Book. Then I try my hardest to tell her that I only have 143 pages to go and if she would just leave me alone I will feed her when I'm done...3 hours later. No, no. I'm just kidding. I would never do that to my precious angel. She has a self feeder and a self waterer for a reason. I know how forgetful I can be at times and she shouldn't have to suffer.
Okay, but my apartment is a disaster. That is the truth. I'm a little embarrassed to even describe it to you, but lets just say that you can tell the places that I have been sitting and reading (my chair) because they are surrounded by...uh...stuff, and you can tell the places that I haven't been sitting (my couch) because they have stuff all over them.
And then, the worst part of my addiction is when I come down off my high...finishing the book. I get depressed in varying degrees depending on how much I got into it. Right now, I'm just slightly despondent. Sometimes though, it's so bad that I don't want to watch TV, read anything else, or even listen to someone tell a story because I know it will draw my attention away from the book I just read and I am still in mourning for a story that has ended.
Oh, this is so pathetic. Is anyone else out there like this? Has anyone else ever spent days in bed just so they could read? Has anyone else ever skipped showers, meals, even bathroom breaks so they could just finish one more chapter? Has anyone ever slept with a book so that you could read until you fell asleep and then start reading again the minute you wake up?
National Nerd Day isn't until May 25th, but I think I'm celebrating a little early this year.
And just so you all know, I am THE MOST unreliable person when I have a good book in my hands. But I am finished now so things should start looking up tomorrow.
Just so you know, because I'm sure you are wondering what book I just finished reading, it was The Host by Stephenie Meyer. Now, it wasn't the best book I've ever read, but it was pretty dang good...I'm just sayin'.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
How The Other Half Lives
I had the funnest day today! I was at the Texas Librarian Association (TLA) Conference and it was a blast. One of my fetishes is autographed books. Not just any books, but books that I love, and I love children's books. I also really love to hear authors speak about their books. Books, books, books! I spent all day doing both.
We heard Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson speak this morning and they were hi-larious. If any of you know who either one of these authors are, you know they are not typical children's book authors but they teamed up and wrote a clever book called Peter and the Starcatchers which is a prequel to Peter Pan. I also got to listen to Gordon Korman (don't worry, I didn't even know who he was until today...he's a very funny guy though), and I got to listen to and meet Janet Stevens and Susan Stevens Crummel. I'm sure none of you know who they are either, but let me just tell you that they are two of the funniest women I have ever met. I laughed so hard at their antics and stories that I cried. Seriously, if you ever find yourself wandering around a bookstore and you have an extra 15 minutes of your life to spare, go to the children's section and read Help Me, Mr. Mutt. I promise you will laugh. (I also got to listen to Laurie Keller and Nick Bruel yesterday...of course you don't know who they are but they are funny children's authors as well.)
Then I spent the remainder of the day standing in lines and meeting authors and getting books signed. I got 9 books signed...9 books! My collection of autographed books has now tripled. Just imagine your most favoritist thing in the whole wide world...now imagine that you get 9 of them!
So, none of the above really means anything to any of you, I know, and you probably just skipped right over all of that mumbo jumbo, but did you notice how many times I wrote the word "laugh" or "funny"? This is my job people! I get to spend my days with some of the funniest and most creative people on the planet! I took a day off of work so that I could go listen to people make me laugh so that I could then go back and make my students laugh and enjoy themselves while reading. And it wasn't really even a day off...I got paid for my "work" today! What is better than that? Please, tell me.
We heard Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson speak this morning and they were hi-larious. If any of you know who either one of these authors are, you know they are not typical children's book authors but they teamed up and wrote a clever book called Peter and the Starcatchers which is a prequel to Peter Pan. I also got to listen to Gordon Korman (don't worry, I didn't even know who he was until today...he's a very funny guy though), and I got to listen to and meet Janet Stevens and Susan Stevens Crummel. I'm sure none of you know who they are either, but let me just tell you that they are two of the funniest women I have ever met. I laughed so hard at their antics and stories that I cried. Seriously, if you ever find yourself wandering around a bookstore and you have an extra 15 minutes of your life to spare, go to the children's section and read Help Me, Mr. Mutt. I promise you will laugh. (I also got to listen to Laurie Keller and Nick Bruel yesterday...of course you don't know who they are but they are funny children's authors as well.)
Then I spent the remainder of the day standing in lines and meeting authors and getting books signed. I got 9 books signed...9 books! My collection of autographed books has now tripled. Just imagine your most favoritist thing in the whole wide world...now imagine that you get 9 of them!
So, none of the above really means anything to any of you, I know, and you probably just skipped right over all of that mumbo jumbo, but did you notice how many times I wrote the word "laugh" or "funny"? This is my job people! I get to spend my days with some of the funniest and most creative people on the planet! I took a day off of work so that I could go listen to people make me laugh so that I could then go back and make my students laugh and enjoy themselves while reading. And it wasn't really even a day off...I got paid for my "work" today! What is better than that? Please, tell me.
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