let’s start with the good news – that way the bad news will make more sense.

THE GOOD NEWS:
i have a new job! i’m now working in the housing office on campus. i even got to spruce up my wardrobe with a few trendy office-assistant items. yay. long-term – the job will be part-time, so i will still have time for all my blogging/ministry addictions. but, temporarily – the job will be full-time… which leads me to:

THE BAD NEWS:

i’ll be working full-time this summer. this means i won’t have as much opportunity to respond to all of you here in my little blog world. and this hurts my heart, because y’all have fast become THAT important to me. we’ve worked hard to establish a chatty little community around here, but my voice will not be as chatty as in times past. i’m sorry. you are more important to me than you will feel over the next three months. and i’ll laugh at your comments more than you’ll know. and i’ll be lurking at your blogs more than i comment. i’ll be around… but not as often.

so, please be patient with me…

y’all are my favorite – don’t let anyone tell ya otherwise.

i’ll miss our day-in and day-out fun times.

bottle of water – i always bring one with me. but i am starting to feel guilty because its plastic – and i’m hearing rumors that plastic will kill me.

iPod nano – because i’m really a musician that’s stuck in a librarian’s body and can’t get out.

Diet Lime Coke – i hardly EVER drink sodas, so don’t get the wrong idea. really. but, lime…

ahhhhh…………..

i like lime juice in my chili.

i like lime juice in my salsa.

i like lime juice in my Chicken Divan (YES!).

i like lime flavored tortilla chips.

i like lime flavored candy.

i like lime sherbet.

i like lime in my coke.

what’s on your desk, and what does it say about you????

some of the people in the back offices of our library are chattering about something. (yes, we’re allowed to talk back here)…

i JUST heard the following:
“highlight the colon through the period”
oh, yes i did.

i’m over in my corner of the room trying not to laugh at them.

ssshhhhhhh….

anything weird happening at your job today?

for a good laugh, watch this video from The Ellen Degeneres Show to see JUST HOW WELL this works! [i WISH there was a youtube clip i could plug in here... trust me, its worth the click over]

i don’t think i could get away with this at the library – i’d be laughing so hard i’d cause a major disturbance!!!

what do you think? is worth a shot?

since we’ve been doin’ a lot of confessing around here, i’ve got a new one for ya: i never really aspired to be a librarian. its just a convenient job on campus that pays decent and keeps me from driving through (and/or after) snowstorms.

yay

that being said, i’m pleasantly surprised at how much i’m a fit for this job.

to help you grasp the sheer quality of librarian-ness that oozes out of my pores each monday, tuesday, wednesday, and thursday, here’s my top 5 reasons why i’m a great librarian:

#5) i’m a musician. i stick my headphones in my ears and get the job done. less distractions = more productivity. (well, if i can just avoid the internet… “impossible!” you say, and I nod in shameful agreement.)

#4) i like to work independently, not as a part of a team. my job is very specific and requires little cooperation with the rest of the world.

#3) southern hospitality = need i say more?

#2) i don’t like talking to people (well, not all… day… loooong). i’ve found that most librarians lean towards the introverted side of life, which makes them a good fit for such a quiet “sit-by-yourself-all-day-and- mind-your-own-business” kind of job.

[drumroll please]

#1) i don’t really like books. this makes me a VERY efficient librarian because i don’t get bogged down flipping through the pages of every-other-book that comes across my desk (like a lot of librarians).

so, what makes you great at your job?

if you are weak-stomached, you might not wanna read this. but you’ll probably wanna know if this is true or not…

so, i was listening to This American Life last week at the library, and stumbled upon the MOST interesting claim. this five minute story was featured in their “David & Goliath” edition on 11.10.2006 (you can listen to it here, fast forward to 50:52 – you won’t believe your ears).

anyway, they discovered (by interview, NOT by experience) that people defecate INSIDE retail stores.

yes – #2 INSIDE retail stores – and NOT in their bathrooms.

yes – in the “walk around & buy stuff” area of the store.

yes – a LOT

yes – like 95% of stores:

department stores

GROCERY STORES (the horrors!!!!)

libraries (uh oh!!)

GAP

etc…

apparently this is their way of getting back at retail giants. wow. WOW!

ya know, even though i get frustrated with “big box retail,” i can honestly say that this thought NEVER crossed my mind!

are any of y’all aware of this phenomenon? [i DON'T wanna know if you've actually done this.... k. thx.]

related posts:
to keep from fallin’ asleep at work…
warm library cards

Tags: retail stores, defecation, gross, this american life

i never aspired to be a librarian… i admire those who enjoy this kinda quiet job. i wish i had their qualities, or another job altogether! i know there are SOOOOO many perks to the work/boss i have… but i sometimes find fatigue the quiet monotony.

so, i plug my earphones into my computer and listen to episodes of “this american life.” its the most interesting (and sometimes incredibly liberal) idea for a radio show! they basically pick a theme, and then find stories that fit with the theme, and offer these stories in “acts”… all hosted by ira glass.

topics i’ve listened to so far:
compulsive liars
the teen pen-pal of manuel noriega
crime scene investigations
DNA evidence
ghost stories
“love gone bad” stories
the romance of old married couples
cruelty of kids
tales from summer camp
americans in paris
life on a naval submarine
gulf-war drama

lately i’ve listened to two of their shows on Katrina Survivors. wow – there’s some heartbreaking stories. you can find it in the September 2005 Archives…

any other wild ideas that i could use to pass the time at work?

Tags: this american life, noriega, hurricane katrina, summer camp, submarine, library

i have a confession… there’s one part of my job at the library that REALLY grosses me out:

it’s when a male patron hand me their library card…. from their wallet… out of their BACK pocket….. and the card is WARM!!!!

i just HAVE to wash my hands after that. i can’t stand it…

anything about your job that grosses you out (SAHMs feel FREE to bring the stories!!!).

update: a guy just (and i mean JUST @ 5:30) handed me a warm library card…… headed to the bathroom to wash up now.

Tags: librarian, library cards, wallet, job, pet peeves, gross stories