Snowzilla, or The Beast That Wasn't and Why This Day Makes me Thankful

We were expecting a whopper, a SNOWMAGEDDON, if you will.  At our local grocery story, we saw people with many loaves of bread, milk, and cans of beans (which I will never understand).   Instead, we got some icy slush that our apartment complex team failed to properly remove... and pretty trees, shown here:

But some good did come out of the lackluster effort put forth by Mother Nature.  I get to do one of my most favourite things.  I get to spend time in a library and get paid for it!  I am actually financially compensated for handling books and helping people in their search for books, dvds, etc.  Nothing warms my heart more than when a patron comes in, greets me by name (and not because I'm wearing my name tag) and thanks me for a book or movie I've recommended or found.

This day is a bag of mixed emotions for me, however.  We are closed tomorrow, as we and EVERYONE should be.  Today, I will see many people who are grabbing cookbooks for last minutes recipe ideas and children's picture books about Thanksgiving for the little ones at their holiday get-togethers.  I will also see many people who are getting an extra book or two or a stack of dvds to watch tomorrow.  These people don't have a Thanksgiving dinner to go to.  They don't have family or friends nearby.  Their Thanksgiving might consist of a microwave dinner, the parade on tv, and a good murder mystery.  

I look forward to seeing all of these people today.  They are the reason I love my jobs so very much.  Sure, a library is full of books and movies and magazines.  But it's also full of people.  Some have so much that they are willing to give and share what they have.  Some have very little and see the library as a place of refuge and community.  All are welcome.  

Please stop by.  We look forward to serving you. 

I leave you on this Thanksgiving eve with a photo of Mister Squawk.  Note the teeth and angry eyes.

DRUMROLL..............................SHE POSTS AGAIN!!!!

It's here!  My first second post!

Today's topic:  ME.

I don't tend to be a ME, ME, ME kind of person.  It's just not in my nature.  But I thought some interesting tidbits about ME might explain why this blog exists.

Okay, here it goes...

1.  I am (at best) a mediocre crocheter (I think this is a word.  Wait, I was an English major and took linguistics.  Yep, it's a word).  If you need a scarf or something large and square, like a blanket or tarp, then I'm your gal.

2.  I have always hated my hair.  It was a nightmare to deal with as a kid because it had so many different types of curl: wavy, kinky, frizzy, spirals, stick straight, etc.  My hair was Sybil with all her many personalities.  Only after I lost it all during chemotherapy did I get hair that I liked:  normal.  Hmm.  Who'da thunk it??

3.  I'm a cancer survivor.  Breast cancer, way too young, no reason for it.  Learned what I can handle, who I can actually count on, and busted up the comedy team of Lucy and Ethel.  Ethel was replaced by Vivian.  (If you have no clue as to what I'm talking about, watch an episode of "The Lucy Show."  It will all make sense.)  Let's move on.

4.  I can't dance.  At all.  I've tried, I've failed.  My best dancing is worse than anyone's drunken dancing.

5.  I've been married to my best friend for 11 years.  He's the one who has helped make me the person I am today.  The ME of 12-13 years ago would never have written a blog.  He's the one who has shown me that it's okay to take a risk.  It usually pays off (my current employment situation is a great example).

6.  I have 3 amazing kids who never cease to amaze me.  They are smart, funny, good looking, and they CAN dance.  All credit goes to Matt on this one.

7.  I work in two libraries.  Not one, but two!  How lucky am I?  They couldn't be more different and that is what makes them both pretty darned amazing.

8.  I am a voracious reader.  I wish that I had kept track of all the books I've read since the beginning of the year.  It would be a hefty list.  It has become my worst (and best) habit/addiction.  And working in 2 libraries feeds that addiction.  Chronic insomnia also helps.

9.  I am one of the biggest advocates for libraries that you will ever meet (the real reason for this blog).

Well, that's about it for ME.  There's more, lots more and maybe someday I'll share it with you all.  But for now, I leave you with a picture of my daughter wearing my wig from Cancer Experience 2008.

The wig looks better on her than it ever did on me.  I apologize for the messy dresser.

Warmest regards,
Andie Rosamund (the woman at my house who receives 9/10ths of our junk mail)

The First Post....TAA DAA!!!!!!!

Well, here it is:  my first post on my new blog.  What can you expect to find here?  Some random thoughts, maybe a few photos of the giblets, and a little about me.  The most important part of this blog, however, is my mission:  getting people back into libraries.  Thanks for stopping by and I hope to speak to you again soon.