Kid-Friendly

I've written before about every kid's favorite object in the library. So I thought I'd make a list of the current favorites, just to round it out. Beginning with, of course...

1. Automatic doors for the handicapped. Of course, the handicapped rarely use them. Instead, siblings race each other to push the buttons. Much excitement is associated with these doors. Also, much despair.

2. Thomas the Tank Engine train table. If I see parents walking briskly past the desk holding a crying child, it's a pretty safe bet that the train table is to blame.

3. The niche in the desk. A niche is the closest way I can describe this little place where the side of the tall circulation desk recedes into itself, creating a perfect hiding place for kids. They like to stand in this spot and giggle to themselves, enjoying a little space just for them.

4. The Lego sign and Lego donation box. This is a recent addition to the library, but has drawn a lot of attention. The library is going to start a Lego program for kids, so we have a sign made out of Legos that says HELP! WE NEED LEGOS! along with a donation box made out of Legos (in case people want to just give money instead of Legos). Kids think that these things are pretty much the coolest things ever, like the library was just transformed into a theme park or something.

5. The receipt printer. Kids whose moms get a lot of books think that watching the receipt get longer and longer is better than watching a suspenseful movie. Will it just keep getting longer? Will it ever stop? Will it...REACH the FLOOR???

These are definitely the favorites in the library these days. Of course there are more, like the pile of candy bars at the desk we're selling as a fundraiser or the "I got my library card today" sticker or the dozens of stuffed animals sitting around in the children's area....But these 5 seem to be at the top.

I love watching kids enjoy the library. Every part of it. I love watching kids run in, hollering, past the circulation desk and towards the children's section like it's the highlight of their week. I love leaning over the desk and talking to kids about their favorite books or movies, especially since I've read and watched or at least heard of their favorite characters and stories. Libraries are cool, kids. Remember that when you grow up!

Your Question Appears to be Loaded

You know when someone asks you what you're doing at a certain time, and she's looking at you with a certain look, and her question kind of trails off like there's something more...?

Yeah, that's a loaded question. And it freaks me out a little bit.

"Hey, Laura, so...what are you doing Tuesday night? Do you have plans? Are you free?"

WHY? WHY are you asking me? I refuse to answer until I know why.

Because you know what? I might have plans. Depending on what you're going to ask me to do.

Please don't make me say I have no plans and then hit me with your request so then I have to say yes. It's so sneaky! You sneaky sneak!

And now I don't have homework as an excuse any more. Man, that was the best thing about homework. You always had it and you could always be doing it. The load lightened up considerably if you wanted to do something fun. But oh wow was there homework when someone wanted you to do something you did NOT want to do.

I'm scared when you ask me if I'm free at a certain time.

Just spit it out, and THEN I'll decide if hanging all 157 pairs of earrings up on my earring rack counts as "busy."

Unexpected Rendezvous

Have you ever been in a store (or library!) or other public place, seen someone you know, and then mentally gone through your choices?

Okay. There's Jane. I kind of know her. Should I keep looking until we make eye contact - no! What if I meet up with her? I should make it on my own terms. If I pass her now, that'll be it. We'll both smile and be done with it.

Or...

Okay. There's that guy I can't remember his name or where I know him from. Will he recognize me from wherever we know each other from? Should I pretend to remember him? No. I'll hide.

Or...

Okay. There's John. It's kind of weird to see him here outside of where I normally see him. Maybe I'll just go this back way so we don't have to make small talk...

Please tell me this isn't just me that does weird things like this. I'll see someone I know (or at least recognize) and then wait until the right moment to casually acknowledge him/her with a wave and smile. Does it have to be that dramatic?

When I'm working at the library, it can be awkward to not remember how I know someone. Especially now, having seen so many people there. I can't remember if I actually know a woman or if I just recognize her from picking up her romance novels every Wednesday afternoon.

Luckily, I'm friendly to everyone. So I'm nice to people I know, people I don't know, and people I know I know but don't know why or how.

So that's okay.

Spring Isn't Springing

Yesterday, it was 45 degrees. Maybe more. I promise you.

I know that as the day wore on, the wind began to blow. And the snow began to fall. And the temperature dropped...

But I got a taste of spring yesterday, people! It was exhilarating!

Currently, as winter blows back with a vengeance, as if yesterday's hours of bliss never happened, I am extremely discontent. Because it's even worse, now that I've started to remember what spring is like.

When it feels like winter is all I remember, it's not as bad. But that taste of spring? It ruined me.

Yesterday, I thought about what it's like to turn the radio up in the car, roll down the windows, and feel the sun on my face. I thought about running outside, seeing GRASS, and making squirrels and bunnies flee before me. I thought about taking off my coat and putting on my sunglasses.

*Sighhhhhhhhhhh* It's coming......

LOVE.

Today is Valentine's Day.

And I am single.

I am not going to:

1. Write a post about how stupid Valentine's Day is, how meaningless. How it's just a fake holiday created by Hallmark. How I'm celebrating Singles Awareness Day instead. Bitter stuff like that.

2. Write a post about how wonderful Valentine's Day is, about how singles need to keep their chins up and remember that it's all about LOVE. And surely there's SOMEONE in our lives that loves us. And who needs a significant other, anyway?

3. Write a post about chocolate. Because that's a bit too predictable, don't you think?

And What Do We Have Here?

I'm a pretty nosy person. Especially when people are emptying out the contents of their purse/wallet/pockets right in front of me. It's like a scene in a movie when someone's going to jail and has to turn everything over. Except in my case, the goal is to find the library card.

"I just switched purses."

"I haven't used my library card in a while."

"Sorry this is taking so long..."

That's okay. As long as there isn't a huge line piled up behind you, I am content looking at all the random cards you'll pull out, one after another, in the search for your library card.

I've gotten pretty good at spotting the right card, too. "Oh, there it is!" I jump in, when I see a flash of blue or gray peeking out. Now maybe next time, you'll keep such an important card in FRONT of the old bowling coupon.

A lot of people have their cards on their keychains. This is fun too, because people have some really interesting items hanging on their keychains. The other day, I asked what one tool was and it turns out it was a tick remover. Huh. Who knew?

Then, when I get certain cards, they look like they've been through war and torment to get into my hands. They're scratched, bent, broken...I'll be lucky to be able to scan it. If it's really old, that kind of damage is understandable. Otherwise...what have you been doing with this thing?

It's always an adventure at the library.

Chocolate Fountain of Happiness

So we had a chocolate fountain party at the library this week.

When I say we, I mean me and my coworkers. My coworkers and me? My coworkers and I? I know it's not I and my coworkers. Whatever.

Anyway, someone had gotten a chocolate fountain for Christmas, and we decided to have a party in honor of such a breathtaking item. And also in honor of Valentine's Day. And also because a couple days before, we celebrated Wear Red Day, to support heart health in women.

Let's just say, we party hard in the library.

So we all brought something to dip in the chocolate fountain. I brought angel food cake. I did what I hate to do, which is bake from a mix, but I wasn't too excited about using 12 egg whites to make the cake from scratch. What're you supposed to do with that many egg yolks? The recipe says, "discard the yolks." I'm so sure. I am not a food waster.

So other librarians brought different kinds of fruit, graham crackers, Oreos, pretzel rods, even potato chips. We stood clustered around that glorious chocolate fountain, dipping everything we could see into it.

"Do you think this would taste good?"

"I dunno...dip it! Dip it! Dip it!"

Never has there been, nor will there ever be a more fabulous invention than the chocolate fountain. The library office smelled like a chocolate factory. I half-expected to be offered an everlasting gobstopper by Mr. Willy Wonka himself. If we had that thing running 24/7, I wouldn't mind at all.

I kept being afraid, though, that I would eat a strawberry or something covered in chocolate and then go straight out to help a patron with chocolate all around my mouth. So much for the cliche librarian. "What? Librarians have fun and eat chocolate? And where're your glasses, by the way? How many cats do you have?"

What a great day. A chocolate-eating day. Which, come to think of it, is every day. Maybe I should've dribbled some chocolate on Neville. I bet he wouldn't spit THAT out.