Some Days Are Tougher Than Others

Be Good To Yourself

I've been trying to be good to myself lately.  Every time I workout and start to think "ugh, I wish I wasn't doing this" I try to make a conscious effort to thank myself for being there and remind myself that I'm there to help my body.  I've been getting acupuncture done lately and while laying on the table I repeat "Good job, body. We're doing good things!"

Is this a totally normal thing to do?  I don't know.  Maybe not all the time.  For me, right now, it is.

But I think the quote above is a pretty good idea of how to live your life.  And certainly the way I'd like to live mine.  I want to eat great food without being concerned about calories (within moderation or with exercise of course!), I want to jump off the end of the dock into fresh cold lake water, I'd rather fill up days with adventure than regret sitting at home, and I'd like to make sure people know I love them.

Last but not least, I'd rather be weird than boring.

Own Your Farts

People fart in the library pretty often.  It tends to be the same people over and over, which I can't really understand? Are they doing it on purpose?  Is there a medical issue causing frequent, uncontrollable farts?  I don't know...regardless, I'm always pretty grossed out when it happens.

Here's the thing-- no one ever acknowledges their farts!  No "excuse me".  No "Whoops!". No "I'm sorry." Nothing.  There's one guy who is a regular farter that I'm fairly convinced just doesn't care.  His are too loud and long to assume he just can't hear himself do it.  He has to at least have some sort of sensation going on that would clue him in?  I've always thought that I would apologize/excuse myself if I passed gas audibly in public.  But today I started to question myself.

A woman came in and about 7 feet from me let out a rather loud, quick fart.  It stopped her in her tracks.  I knew she had realized what she had done.  At that point, she quickly walked away to another corner of the library.  Which got me thinking that maybe she thought that if she just ignored it, I might not know where it came from? Oh I did.  Don't get me wrong.  I know.  But I think she was really just going for plausible deniability.

I'm now questioning what the hell I'd actually do if I farted in public.

Like really seriously questioning.

And that's the sort of day I'm having.....

Cop Out

Drama


A patron just asked me if the library offers seminars about copyright law and Fair Use...I said that we didn't..he proceeded to say "well don't you think the library has the responsibility to inform people about these things??" I said "I do think it might be an interesting program to offer if there was a lawyer willing to come talk about it?  Unfortunately, as librarians, we're not legal experts so we aren't really qualified to explain the ins and outs of copyright law and Fair Use to people? "

He proceeds to give me a quizzical look..I said "Does that answer your question?"

"To be quite blunt- That answer was a cop-out!"

ummmmm....I don't get it...

Cozy Blanket Bingo

There are always books I don't get around to reading, even though they've been on my To-Read list for ages and ages.  A lot of the time they even get to the point of being made into movies and then I see the movie and think "Oh man, I really want to see that! But I need to read the book first..." and then I end up not doing either for years....Example: This is Where I Leave you by Jonathan Tropper...Labor Day by Joyce Maynard...  

This year, I started a winter reading program at the library called Cozy Blanket Bingo and it's made me really start to focus on the books I've had on that To-Read list...Here's what it is:

I'll admit, I've only gotten one bingo since I started (the program runs for 3 months) but I'm inspired to keep going.  There are some books that I seriously should have read by now-- any Jane Austen (I know, I'm a terrible librarian..I've never read anything), Lord of the Flies, Olive Kitteridge, Cutting for Stone, 1984, Life after Life, Goldfinch, the list goes on and on and on....

I'm about to finish Lisa Gardner's newest book Crash and Burn, which is entertaining as always.  I love her books and I'll almost always reach for a thriller when I want to read for pure pleasure.  Next up is All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr.  I've been on the hold list for this FOREVER and I've yet to hear a bad word about it.  Although, now that I look at my Bingo card, it won't help me much..whatever...

I know you can't really win any prizes for joining in on this Cozy Blanket Bingo (there were some good prizes too!) but if you're stuck in a reading rut and need a nudge, here ya go! Try something outside of your comfort zone (graphic novels are more interesting than you may realize and they only take a couple hours to read) and I think you might be surprised at how much you like it!

That being said, I am going to stay up past my bedtime, read some great books, and enjoy every single minute..

State Of The Union

How I feel about my job right now....after the burning rage goes away...

burning rage - not giving a shit- burning rage- not giving a shit- burning rage- not giving a shit

repeat. x100

Maybe I Should Have Been A Hoarder

 There's such a fine line between "I wish I hadn't gotten rid of those fat pants" and "Man, those pants would be in style now"

I'm not saying that I'm going to start keeping all of the clothes that I no longer wear --my closet is much too small for that-- but I am really missing a couple things I got rid of years ago...

Specifically, a black leather backpack that I had in junior high and probably early high school...I don't remember when I got rid of it but I'm guessing it was sometime right around when I stopped listening to Smashing Pumpkins and Soundgarden....and I haven't really missed it in the last 20 years... (omg, i might have just had a stroke thinking about how it's been 20 years since my flannel and waffle henley wearing days)

But now backpacks are back and this one by Rebecca Minkoff is a dead ringer for the one I had back in the day

Now I just look at this and think longingly of the days I wore a killer Lemonheads t-shirt, an old pair of my dad's Levis rolled at the waist, and my first pair of Birks....

Pop Culture Sassypants

I've found my newest celebrity news/gossip trash site and I'm a little obsessed...like going back many many pages ago obsessed....

Dlisted.com is totally bitchy, hilarious, and spot-on.  Like this post about LiLo's horrible photoshop job  

Yup.

Or this post about the status of Richard Simmons and describes him as a "vivacious elf"

Just trust me.  Or at least don't text me saying "how the eff have you not been paying attention to this for the past 10 years? You are super behind on everything awesome"

Let's Stop Saying The Book Is Dying

The Last Book from Aperture Foundation on Vimeo.

It's not.  Ebooks are nowhere near beating physical book sales.  Both paperbacks and hardcover have higher sales (separately and together) than ebooks.  So let's just stop blathering about them going away....

*stepping down from soapbox*

Now that we have that out of the way.....

Dutch photographer Reinier Gerritsen is the man behind "The Last Book", a show currently on display at the Julie Saul Gallery in NYC.

Believing that books will soon disappear, he took pictures of people on the train reading books.  The images are fantastic.

Julie Saul Gallery 

"This Guy Took A Photo Every Time He Saw Someone Reading A Book On The Subway" via Slate

Books of 2014

I finally did it. I finally hit my reading goal for the year! My goal was 60 and I read 62 books this year! Last year I fell short at 57, if I remember correctly....Overall, it's been a good reading year.  Quite a few good books, a couple great ones, and just a handful of stinkers.  Actually, a few of the books that fall on my stinkers list are books I had to review for Library Journal...yeesh...

So here it is! Starting at the most recent and going to what I finished first in 2014:

Boy Snow Bird- Helen Oyemi
Finding Jake- Bryan Reardon
Shooting Stars- Jennifer Buhl
Gabriel: a poem- Edward Hirsch
One More Thing: stories and more stories- BJ Novak
The Surgeon- Tess Gerritson
The Rosie Project- Graeme Simsion
The Heist- Daniel Silva
Brain on Fire- Susannah Cahalan
The Cuckoo's Calling- Robert Galbraith
The Ice Queen- Nele Neuhaus
Fun Home- Alison Bechdel
The Steady Running of the Hour- Justin Go
Leaving Time- Jodi Picoult
One Last Kiss- Michael Cuneo
Drinking and Dating- Brandi Glanville
The Skies Belong To Us- Brendan Koerner
The Yellow Birds- Kevin Powers
The Camel Club- David Baldacci
Carsick- John Waters
The Orphan Sky- Ella Leya
Revenge Wears Prada- Lauren Weisberger
Amity and Sorrow- Peggy Riley
Jennifer, Gwyneth, and Me- Rachel Bertsche
City of Thieves- David Benioff
Bared to You- Sylvia Day
Love Life- Rob Lowe
Secret- L. Marie Adeline
The Good Girl- Mary Kubica
That Night- Chevy Stevens
The Yonahlossee Riding Camp For Girls- Anton Discalafani
The Alienist- Caleb Carr
Her Royal Spyness- Rhys Bowen
The Leftovers- Tom Perotta
One Kick- Chelsea Cain
Every Dead Thing- John Connolly
The Aviator's Wife- Melanie Benjamin
Hidden- Catherine Mckenzie
Cop Hater- Ed McBain
The Snowman- Jo Nesbo
Grapes of Wrath- John Steinbeck
Fear Nothing- Lisa Gardner
The Frozen Dead- Bernard Minier
The Dinner- Herman Koch
The Number 1 Ladies Detective Agency- Alexander McCall Smith
Missing You- Harlan Coben
The Body in the Library- Agatha Christie
Uganda Be Kidding Me- Chelsea Handler
The Spellman Files- Lisa Lutz
Dare Me- Megan Abbott
Lesson Plans- Suzanne Greenberg
The Bear- Claire Cameron
The Lock Artist- Steve Hamilton
Bellman and Black- Diane Setterfield
Gulp- Mary Roach
Full, Upright, and Locked Position- Mark Gerchick
Casino Royale- Ian Fleming
Tell the Wolves I'm Home- Carol Rivka Brunt
The Forgotten Garden- Kate Morton
The Art of Hearing Heartbeats- Jan-Philipp Sendker
The Snow Child- Eowyn Ivey
A House in the Sky- Amanda Lindhout

13 Nonfiction
49 Fiction
5 Reviewed for LJ
6 for Readers Advisory Interest Group
12 for Adult Reading Round Table
7 for Deerfield Book Discussions
8 for Books and Babes
3 Audiobooks

38 books for work
24 of my own choosing
(this is just depressing)

Top 5 (in no particular order)
1) The Bear- Claire Cameron  (This is written so incredibly well but is absolutely heartbreaking.  I don't think I've ever read anything like it.  Or at least nothing that has accomplished what this was able to do)
2) Leaving Time- Jodi Picoult (When she is ON she is ON.  I think this is my favorite book that she's written and it actually made me cry at the end...which is pretty hard to do)
3) The Snow Child- Eowyn Ivey (This book is simply magical.  That might sound dramatic but it just is.  Read it in the winter when it's snowy and cold.)
4) The Skies Belong To Us- Brendan Koerner (I found this book absolutely fascinating.  I don't know if it's the best written out of the great NF that I read this year but considering how much I found myself talking about it, that counts for something)
5) The Leftovers- Tom Perotta (He's just one of my favorite authors and this book is a classic example why-- his depiction of the suburban life has such a great dark humor and it is full force in this book.  It also made watching the HBO show even better.  A great book discussion title too)

Close runners up: The Good Girl, A House in the Sky, The Dinner...really, #4 is the one I consider trading out for one of these but it just taught me so much and it's probably stuck out just a little bit more than any of these....

Bottom 5 (in no particular order)
1) The Orphan Sky- Ella Leya (LJ review-- bbbboooooorrrrriiiiinnnnngggg)
2) Bared to You- Sylvia Day (I'm sorry but this is the most unsexy thing since 50 shades of grey)
3) The Alienist- Caleb Carr (This book is the reason why I hate most historical fiction. 9000 pages of crap that the author just wanted to show that he knew about the time period.  I almost died reading it)
4) Lesson Plans- Suzanne Greenberg (LJ review--the most ridiculous stereotypical depiction of homeschooling families I've ever read or seen. While I'm not particularly into homeschooling ideas, people who homeschool should be offended by this piece of crap)
5) Bellman and Black- Diane Setterfield (I LOVED 13th Tale..this was the biggest followup letdown..boring and tedious to read)

Overall, a good year of reading.  Looking at this list I realize that left to my own devices, chances are I'll pick a thriller to read for fun...I'm pretty inclined to pick up nonfiction too...I also realize there there are still so many books that would professionally benefit me to read...when the majority of my reading is professionally centered, it's frustrating to realize that it still isn't enough...but I guess that's the librarian's dilemma?

So to all of you non-librarians, read what you want to read and not what someone tells you to read (unless that person is a librarian..then listen to them)...If you ask me for recommendations, I'm happy to give them but it's easiest if you tell me what books you've liked recently, authors you enjoy, and what sort of book you're looking for now.  If you say "just something good", chances are I'll just give you whatever I feel like with no regard to your interests as "just something good" is the equivalent of a teenager answering "whatever" to anything you say...it's empty and thoughtless...so think about what you like and why you like it! There are no wrong answers! It might take some work to pinpoint your reading hot spots but it's worth it! :)

On to 2015!

p.s. if you want to see my quick blurb reviews of each title go to my Goodreads page HERE

Sweet Welcomes

Be prepared to cry from the sweetness..

Read an article about this wonderful doctor HERE

Signs You Work In The Nerdiest Place Ever #1

Coworker: "I canNOT play Minecraft while wearing a watch"

NeRD's In The Navy

Personally, I'll take a physical book over an ebook if forced to choose.  But there are definitely situations in which my Kindle comes in really very hand...I had never considered, however, situations where it would be almost impossible to carry a variety of physical books until I read an article in Library Journal (see article link below) discussing the NeRD EReaders that are being distributed throughout the Navy.

For security purposes, naval personnel are not allowed to have unsecured ebook devices such as iPads or Kindles as their cell signals can be tracked or their cameras accessed by hackers.  More interestingly, members of a submarine unit have even less accessibility to reading material due to the extreme space constraints.  Often, the on-board libraries consist of just a couple inches of shelf space.  In order to deal with these issues, the navy contracted with the makers of Playaway audiobook devices (which we have at the library and aren't actually all that fond of), to procure an ereader that would hold a large variety of reading materials and be securely locked down so no changes to the materials or device could be made.  Submarines will be the first to receive these devices due to their more drastic situation with space limitations.

Pretty interesting situation and solution...and great name!

 

U.S. Navy Launches NeRD, a Security Enhanced E-Reader

Kisses Are Cheaper Than Drugs

Sometimes days are just a struggle to find an even keel and to not let other people's words shatter my confidence in who I am.  Sometimes it feels like every word out of my mouth opens a door for someone to slap me. Sometimes I think I'm just slapping myself. What I'd like in life most right now is to just let things roll off my back...

I will try and be happy with the fact that I recognize it and I'm working on it.

Double Lucky

Stories Of Ink

I've got a couple tattoos.  3 to be exact.  I count one as double though because I had it re-done about 4 years ago...so maybe we could call it 4...I've been wanting to get another tattoo for a while now but I'm still figuring out what it should be and where.  I've got a couple ideas....

My biggest requirement is that my tattoos need to mean something to me.  I don't ever want to look at one and wonder why the hell I got it permanently marked on my body.  My first tattoo happened on my 18th birthday and is the Chinese symbol for the year I was born.  There's a lot of sentimentality in that tattoo-- to me it not only speaks about the year of my birth, it speaks about the slow steps an 18 year old me took to becoming an adult who could do something without permission.  It's not the most adventurous or creative tattoo but it was my first "real" adult move. An 18 year old figuring out adulthood...

Anyway, while working on my ordering for the library today, I happened to see a book coming this fall called "Pen & Ink: Tattoos and the Stories Behind Them" by Isaac Fitzgerald and Wendy MacNaughton.  It's based on a Tumblr of the same name that I just spent a nice chunk of time reading...

If you are even remotely as interested in the stories behind tattoos as I am, I think you'll enjoy this...and I'm looking forward to the release of this book in the fall

Happy Pride Month!

Holy Wedding Hangover

I'm married!!!  I'm no longer me anymore! I'm a new person!

I have a lot of things to say about this whole wedding shebang and I'm going to get to it soon....

But in the meantime, I give you the Ron Swanson version of my new husband at our wedding



It.was.awesome

My Face Should Be Fancier

I had my wedding makeup trial done last week and it. was. awesome.

I know I will never be one of those girls that puts on a full face of makeup every single day. I'm also positive that I won't be one of those girls that knows how to highlight, contour, and do 100 layers of eyeshadow....

But I am pretty sure that I really want to have more makeup than I currently have and in more shades that are not brown....or at least more interesting shades of brown?








I'm seriously itchin to buy some lip glosses...