Wednesday, July 30, 2008

How old is too old?

So, I'm not a mom, so I am not even going to pretend to know anything about parenting... Ok, well, maybe a little...

...but isn't SIX a little old to still be using a pacifier?

p.s. I missed my blogiversary!! My blog turned one year old on July 15!!! Thank you all so much for reading and commenting!! You have made it so much fun to tell you my stories. WHOOOT!! You all ROCK my FACE off!!!!!!

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Boing! Story time day!!

We got a nifty booking video in (little videos with public performance rights that we keep in stock for story time and program use. We like to show a short video based on a book to compliment story time) based on the book called Joey Runs Away by Jack Kent, so I decided that it was time for a Kangaroo story time!! YAY!! Luckily, we have some great kangaroo books lying about the library!!

McGillycuddy Could! by Pamela Duncan Edwards


Counting Kangaroos: A book about numbers by Marcia Leonard (sorry, no pic!!!)

Boing! by Nick Bruel


Tonight is FMRNS!! WHOOOOT!!! I always get so excited for Tuesdays...as you well know. Anyway, tonight we are going to watch The Bridge over the River Kwai, a drama/adventure from 1957 with William Holden and Jack Hawkins. This is one of the movies we got from NetFlix, which is exciting. Seriously, NetFlix is rocking my face off. My hubby likes the show Dirty Jobs, which is on the Discovery Channel. We don't have cable, but we were able to get a couple collection disks of Dirty Jobs from NetFlix! He was so excited!! BONUS points for me!!!

Plus, Mike Rowe is hot...

*wink*


Sunday, July 27, 2008

It opens?

Wow...just wow...

So, a kid, we'll call him Green Striped T, comes up to the desk and says:

Green Striped T: Where is the index section?
Real Librarian: We don't have an index section, what is it that you are looking for?
GST: I need two books.
RL: Ok, well, I can look those up for you, do you have the titles?
GST: Well, I don't know what books, my teacher just told me to go to the index section and pick 2 books.
RL: Um, ok... Well, what grade are you going into?
GST: Fifth.
RL: **hands GST a brochure with library recommended reading for Fifth graders** Here you go, you can take a look through this and see if there are any titles you are interested in, and I'll look them up for you.
GST: Ok.

A minute later, GST comes back to the desk and plops down two picture books (both books were toddler or preschool level).

GST: Are these Fifth grade books?
RL: No, actually, those are for much younger kids. Did you look at the thing I gave you? Look through it and pick out a couple titles.
GST: This thing has titles on it?
RL: Didn't you open it?
GST: It opens?
RL: Uh, yeah (unfolds the obviously folded brochure to show GST the titles).
GST: Well, how was I supposed to know that?

Um...Ooookay... I'm trying to help you, kid! Anyway, reading the titles on the recommended reading brochure was apparantly way too hard, so he just gave it back to me. And walked away with two easy books that will DEFINITELY not meet his summer reading criteria.

Saturday, July 26, 2008

An extra story time!!

HOOORAY!!!! Well, kinda... My poor coworker, Miss C (author of Children's Books - Too Cool for School and Storytimeland - check her out!! She gives great reviews on juvenile fiction and is a PRO at school age story time!) is dealing with some dental issues, and wasn't able to do her regular story time on Thursday.

It had been a while since I've had a school age group!!!

As I was browsing through the picture books, I came across a perfect school age read-aloud. And it's about one of my most favorite things...COOKIES!!! So, we had a story time about cookies!

No More Cookies! by Paeony Lewis


Who Took the Cookies from the Cookie Jar? by Bonnie Lass and Philemon Sturges


If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Joffe Numeroff


And, because I'm cool like that, I brought the kids some chocolate chip cookies. Yup, I rock faces off!!!

Also very exciting is FMRNS Bonus Night!!! We decided to watch Iron Jawed Angels, a drama from 2004 about voting rights for women, starring Hillary Swank, Margo Martindale, and Anjelica Huston on Tuesday. I just have to say, EVERY WOMAN IN AMERICA should see this movie. It is unbelievable what some women went through to give the rest of us the right to vote. We are so fortunate to have those trailblazers so we can exercise this basic right. Please, if you take nothing away from FMRNS, WATCH THIS MOVIE!!!!!

Tonight, we will be watching Manon of the Spring, from 1986 with Yves Montand and Daniel Auteuil. This is part two of a series which started with Jean de Florette (which we watched a couple weeks ago).


Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Dear Library Patron

Dear Library Patron,

Thank you for spitting your nasty sunflower seeds all over the floor of the library and on the desks by the computers. How wonderful that you were able to enjoy a snack while checking your MySpace page.

Seriously?! WTF do you think you are?!?! First of all, you aren't even supposed to have food or drinks in the library. But to come in here, and SPIT sunflower seeds all over the place?!?! Unfuckingbelievable. Learn some respect - not only for the library, but for the people around you.

Your pissed off neighborhood librarian.

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Another 14 book give away!!

Bookroom Reviews Blog is holding a contest to give away 14 books!!

Check out this post to see how to enter!!

I love books and Tuesdays!!

Happy Tuesday, everyone!!! It's a beautiful day for story time, don't you think? This week, I decided to read books about BOOKS!!! YAY!! I found some great books about reading and books!

I Love Going Through This Book by Robert Burleigh


Reading Makes You Feel Good by Todd Parr


Book! Book! Book! by Deborah Bruss


**Love to Read story time from October**

And, as you know, it's FMRNS!! Seriously, you can't get any better than Tuesday!!! Last week we had planned on a Double Feature, but that didn't quite work out. We ended up watching Frankenstein Unbound, a horror from 1990 with John Hurt and Raul Julia.

We have a couple options for our feature this week. The first option is Manon of the Spring, from 1986 with Yves Montand and Daniel Auteuil. This is part two of a series which started with Jean de Florette (which we watched a couple weeks ago).

The second option is The Bridge over the River Kwai, a drama/adventure from 1957 with William Holden and Jack Hawkins.

And the third option is Iron Jawed Angels, a TV drama from 2004 about voting rights for women, starring Hillary Swank, Margo Martindale, and Anjelica Huston.



What would you watch?

Monday, July 21, 2008

I've been Tagged!!

I've been tagged by the FABULOUS Amanda from Life and Times of a "New" New Yorker. Amanda pretty much rocks my face off!! I met her when we were both down in Denton for the Web Institute of our MLS program at UNT. We hit it off instantly, and have kept in touch over email and through our blogs. She has amazing taste in books, and I love hearing about her adventures living in New York City. Thanks for tagging me, Amanda!! =)

Ten years ago I was:

I had just finished my Freshman year in college. I would have gone home for the summer, working at a child care center. That summer I had the school age kids, and we were constantly walking around town on field trips and adventures to the pool. It was a fun job, and I LOVED those kids...wow, they'll all be graduating from high school now won't they?


What are (non-work) things on my to-do list for today?

1. Yoga
2. Make a doctor appointment
3. Buy cards and gifts for my mom and niece for their birthdays

Five snacks I enjoy:

1. Chips and Salsa
2. Fruit (lately cherries and grapes - mmm!)
3. Beef jerky
4. Veggies and dip
5. Hummus and Pita

Things I would do if I were a billionaire:

1. Travel, travel, travel!
2. Volunteer
3. Buy a couple of houses (one in a tropical location)
4. Pay off debt for select family members and friends
5. Donate to charity and research

Places I’ve lived:

1. North Dakota
2. Minnesota
3. Tennessee

Jobs I’ve had:

1. Child care worker
2. Library page
3. Library technology assistant
4. Library assistant in circulation
5. Library associate in children's department

I'm not going to tag anyone, but please, if you'd like to play along, go for it!! Please leave me a comment letting me know you participated!!!

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Story Time - Woof!!

Well, Summer Reading is officially over. We had the most amazing turnout!! A total of 860 kids signed up at our branch alone! Crazy! We had around 300 turn in their summer reading logs this past Saturday - the day of our Summer Reading Celebration. There were about 250 who came to our party, which featured The Mad Scientist. It was seriously the Best.Time.Ever.

And now it's back to, hopefully, normal...

So, it's Story Time Day!! Gotta LOVE Tuesdays!!! Today's theme is Dogs! I found a couple of my favorites and one that I have been looking forward to reading, and figured now was the perfect time! This week I chose to read:

Chewy Louie by Howie Schneider


Bark George by Jules Feiffer


Do Your Ears Hang Low by Caroline Jayne Church (illustrator)


And, as always, it's FMRNS!! Last week, even though I told you we were going to watch Frankenstein Unbound, we decided to go with How Green Was My Valley from 1941 with Walter Pidgeon and Maureen O'Hara. We put this movie on the list because TWO people (in the same day) recommended it. Now, ALL of the movies on the list have been ones that A has already seen. Even though he hadn't seen this movie, we decided it was too much of a coincidence for two separate people in the same day recommended it, and that it should go on the list. Never again. We got bored about 45 minutes into it (well, before that), and just had to stop it. Sorry to all those How Green Was My Valley lovers out there - but it was just not our style.

This week, we are probably going to do a Double Feature! WHOOOOOT!!!! We still have Frankenstein Unbound, a horror from 1990 with John Hurt and Raul Julia, and we'll probably save that for our second feature. You know, wait until dark for the horror film...yikes.

For our first feature, we'll probably watch Manon of the Spring, from 1986 with Yves Montand and Daniel Auteuil. This is part two of a series which started with Jean de Florette (which we watched last week.

We do have another choice for our first feature, which is The Bridge over the River Kwai, a drama/adventure from 1957 with William Holden and Jack Hawkins.


Sunday, July 13, 2008

A book give away

Check out this post on how to win 14 books!!!

Good luck!

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

I don't understand

Finally - another patron story!!

So, this lady comes up to the desk, we'll call her Clue Less. (FYI - DVDs are a free checkout for 7 days, but are $2 a day if they are late. When giving out new cards, I ALWAYS make sure to tell people this, and I have heard that the circulation staff reminds patrons of this, too).

Clue Less: I need to put an audio book on hold, The Bronze Bow.
Real Librarian: ::looks it up:: We don't have it here at this branch, but I can put it on hold for you. Would you prefer CD or Cassette?
CL: Um, I don't know. What's a cassette?
RL: ::um, what's a cassette?!?! You are 40 - you should KNOW what a cassette is!!:: Do you have a tape player?
CL: No.
RL: Then we'll put the CD on hold for you. Can I see your library card, please?
CL: ::hands over card::
RL: ::discovers that the patron has too many fines:: I'm sorry, it looks like you have $46.oo in fines from items that were returned late.
CL: Four to six dollars? I don't understand.
RL: ::prints off receipt:: Forty-six dollars. Here's a list of your fines.
CL: I don't understand.
RL: Well, it looks like there are 12 DVDs that were returned late. Eleven of them were 2 days late, so they are each $4, and one is 1 day late, so that's $2. A total of $46.00.
CL: Four to six dollars? I don't understand. (Yes, she said this AGAIN).

Anyway, it went back and forth like this for a few more minutes. Finally, after referring back to the receipt I printed out and saying FORTY SIX in as many ways possible, I was able to get her to understand. Yikes. So, not only does she understand that she owes us $46, she also knows that she does not have a cassette player. Good stuff.

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Fire Safety Tuesday!

This morning, we had a very special guest at Story Time!! Gail from the Nashville Fire Department came to the library to read us a story and give us some fire safety tips! She even brought a smoke detector and had a fun song to share with the kids! Not only did she read and share some tips, but she also brought fire hats and coloring books for everyone!! What a day!! Gail read No Dragons for Tea: Fire Safety for Kids by Jean Pendziwol.


And, of course, it's FMRNS!!! WHOOOOT!!!! I absolutely LOVE Tuesdays!!! A and I were excited yesterday because we were able to get together for FMRNS Bonus Night Double Feature!!! Last night we watched a couple more of our NetFlix movies. The first one we watched was Jean de Florette, a foreign film from 1986 with Yves Montand and Gerard Depardieu. We are also planning on watching the second part of this series called Manon of the Spring, also from 1986. The second movie we watched last night was Fail-Safe, a drama from 1964 with Dan O'Herlihy and Walter Matthau. We were supposed to watch that one last week, but we had a minor problem. The audio on A's DVD player burned out!! It was the craziest thing - a loud popping noise, and then nothing! Luckily, we were prepared with a back up!! Last week we ended up watching Torch Song Trilogy, a dramedy from 1988 with Anne Bancroft and Matthew Broderick.

Anyway, back to this week!! Tonight we are going to watch Frankenstein Unbound, a horror from 1990 with John Hurt and Raul Julia. I'm not entirely excited for a horror movie, but A says is has a great twist to it!!


Monday, July 7, 2008

Amazing weekend!

Ahh, back to reality after an amazing weekend. Well, almost back to reality. I'm on the last day of my fabulous 4 day weekend, and it's been SO relaxing!!!!

I was lucky enough to be able to spend it all (minus today) with my DH! On Friday, we went downtown Nashville to the 4th of July celebration (rated 2nd in the nation by AOL's "Booms with a View" survey). It was a gorgeous day, sunny, not too hot, and an estimated 100,000 people!! The music was fabulous (Phil Vasssr, Michael McDonald and the Nashville Symphony all performed!), and the fireworks we spectacular. We had a great view from the Nashville Walking Bridge, though we couldn't hear the Nashville Symphony from where we were standing. (If you didn't know, the orchestra plays along with the fireworks - which makes the whole experience that much more exciting!).

Saturday, DH and I spent the afternoon just hanging out, and then decided to go to Smyrna to their 4th of July celebration. They also had a pretty good set up going on!! Lots of food vendors, live music, a black hawk helicopter and an exciting fireworks display!

Sunday, we got out around noon, and headed to the movie theater. We saw Wall-E and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Both movies were highly entertaining!!!

I also got a little reading done! I've even updated my 2008 Book List!! It's been hard to sit down and read lately - there is so much going on right now! But, I've managed to get a little done this summer, and I can't really complain about that!

So, for the rest of the day, I'm going to enjoy my freedom. Back to reality tomorrow! Good thing tomorrow is TUESDAY!!! *wink*

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Mr. Roboto with a twist of America

Happy Tuesday, everyone! Since we're still in the midst of our Starship Adventure Summer Reading program, I thought I would read some books about Robots. Yes, I know they aren't technically within the space theme, but I'm going to read them all anyway!! (Besides, Robots are kind of "out of this world" right? haha) Plus, as an added bonus, I have a really cute Fourth of July book that I'm going to tack on - just for fun!

Lots of Bots by Kiki Thorpe (based on characters from the Disney film Wall-E)



Hello Robots by Bob Staake



Robots Everywhere by Denny Hebson



Fourth of July Mice by Bethany Roberts



And, as always, it's FMRNS!!! Seriously, Tuesday is the BEST.DAY.EVER!! Last Tuesday, we watched Lair of the White Worm, a "horredy" from 1988 with Amanda Donohoe and Hugh Grant, and then on Bonus Night we decided to watch Bill, a made for TV drama from 1981 with Mickey Rooney and Dennis Quaid.

This week we have a couple more movies from our NetFlix queue. The first one is Fail-Safe, a Drama/Sci-Fi/Thriller from 1964 with Dan O'Herlihy and Walter Matthau. The second choice is Frankenstein Unbound, a horror movie from 1990 with John Hurt and Raul Julia. I'm not super excited for another horror, but hey - it's on the list, so it HAS to be fabulous, right??