The trip up to Ellensburg was great. Bug & I talked the entire way, about everything from animals to dams to Lewis & Clark. I took every opportunity to explain things to him - and threw in some family lore when I could. I am sure that many of you have seen those road signs that read "Falling Rocks" or simply "Rocks." On the trip today, Bug asked me what the sign "Rocks" meant. My answer was a story my dad told my sisters and I on a road trip when we were little. It's not very PC, but it's family lore:

Well, Bug, you see - a very long time ago, there was a chief named Falling Rocks. He was traveling around with his tribe when he got separated from his wife, whose name was Running Deer. Falling Rocks was very sad because he missed Running Deer a lot. He really wanted to find her and help her find him, so he started leaving signs for her whenever he had a chance. Those signs you see that say "Falling Rocks" are his signs for Running Deer. The ones that just say "Rocks" are his too, but he was in a hurry when he did those so he didn't put his whole name. Running Deer made signs too - but she couldn't write. So, she just drew a picture of a running deer to show Falling Rocks where she had been.

He ate it up and spent the rest of the trip looking for the signs - and then looking around the signs for signs of Falling Rocks or Running Deer. It made me giggle.

In addition to the family lore, we drove to a teeny-tiny town about a mile off the main road that had a "historic locomotive" as the sign advertised. It ended up being a steam engine from the 1920's that was huge - and completely enclosed with a fence so you couldn't get more than 5 feet close to it. We also attempted to take a side trip to the Dalles Dam for a tour, but it was closed for the season. I now have a date with my son for a dam tour come the summer.

It was strange at times to be riding in the car just him & me, without another adult around... but it was almost better. I got to talk with my son for 4 hours.

It was even better to get to cheesepuppet's house. I haven't seen her in over 2 years, so I'm loving spending time with her. She has a son that is Bug's age, and when I used to live in Hillsboro 4 years ago, the boys used to play together all the time. They were best friends, and he called her "Holy" because he couldn't pronounce her name properly. The boys have now been reunited and were playing within minutes of our arrival. Bedtime came, and we got the boys in their pajamas, teeth brushed, books read... and left them in M's room with their beds pulled together and happily playing with M's leappad.



That was almost 2 hours ago. We assumed that they would crash out eventually, but their giggles kept drifting down the stairs, making all of us laugh. Finally, gregtitus and I went upstairs just now to shut it down. We went up to see M lying on the bed all tuckered out, with Bug lying next to him on his bed with the leappad. They seemed so happy and blissful.

I think this is going to be a great trip.

OK, Universe. It would be great and wonderful if I could have this to move into by the end of the month.

It's 6 blocks from Bug's school, within my price range and seems to have everything I'm looking for.

Please?

Much love,
RR

Ordered Chinese tonight for dinner with Bug. My fortune? "Your goal will be met in two months."

I sure hope so.

Cast of characters:
Me - Your Adult Services Reference Librarian Extraordinaire
ALB - Adorable Little Boy, 7 years old but talks like he's 47

Me: Can I help you?
ALB: ( Yes, actually. I'm looking for the atlases. )

Also, in other news, my boss at CMCPL loves me. "I just know my Friday nights are perfectly taken care of. Whenever I walk by the desk, you are doing so wonderfully. You have such a rapport with the patrons."

:D

*ahem*

I have been hired as an on-call adult reference librarian at a local community public library. I will have a static shift every Friday from 4 - 8:15 and will be able to pick up other shifts as they come available. My first shift is October 19th, but I am going in tomorrow for orientation and paperwork. I'll also be working this Friday, October 12th and Monday, October 15th on the ref desk to get oriented to the library. There will be another librarian on the ref desk for my first two shifts, but starting Nov. 2nd, I will be solo on the ref desk.

After I get settled into adult ref, they want me to start picking up shifts in the children's area as well.

This is the same library whose job offer a month ago I had to decline because it interfered horribly with Bug time. The head of adult services called me on Sunday to offer me the shift before they posted it publicly. They wanted me that badly.

My first librarian job!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

*runs in circles* eeeeEEEEEEEeeeee

These are the top 106 books most often marked as "unread" by LibraryThing's users (as of today). As usual, bold what you have read, italicize those you started but couldn't finish, and strike through what you couldn't stand. Add an asterisk to those you've read more than once. Underline those on your to-read list you intend to read (again if necessary).

( I've read 32 1/2 on the list... but have added a few to my must-read list. )

Bug's school librarian is a classroom teacher with no library experience. I am a former certified teacher with a library degree who once thought about being a school librarian. Our school district has recently passed a bond measure to bring extra-curricular instructors like PE teachers and librarians back to the schools. Thoughts are percolating...

Coming soon: a picture update of our summer and Bug's first day of school.

Happy birthday to cheesepuppet, a wonderful friend that I miss terribly. We went from 3 blocks away, to a 20 minute drive, to a 4 hour drive. I'm looking forward to planning that jaunt to Ellensburg here in a couple of months.

Love you, hon!!!

As of 30 seconds ago, I submitted my last ever assignment for graduate school.

At this point, the only thing remaining is finishing up my practicum. I'll be putting in 10 hours a week on it... and have to throw together a bibliography and some journal entries. But no more homework, no more assignments!!!!

:D It's closer and closer and closer....

.....and, I'm finished. SO good. Now, with no worries of spoilers, I can read calmly and take it all in.

WOW, though. So good.

Thanks, Mom!!!

...I'm off to read.

What I thought would be a quiet day of not doing very much turned out to be a surprise birthday party! What a perfect first DITL.



cross-posted to ditl

( No warnings whatsoever )

Of course, I can't figure out how to properly transform the XSLT and XML into HTML so I can upload and show you all, but I made my first stylesheet work!!!!! I can view it in both Firefox and IE from my files, and that's enough.

I feel much better now.

Welll. Coding raw XML is easy for me. EAD? TEI? Dublin Core? No problem whatsoever. XSLT and stylesheets are not so easy. I feel stupid. I think it's because I don't know HTML or CSS all that well.

Damn. There goes the metadata queenship. For the first time, metadata is making my head hurt.

Anyone want to help me out with a crash course in CSS or HTML?

Forgive me, this may get long and rambly.

I feel like I'm standing on the threshold of change, that my world is about to drastically flip around. I've been in a holding pattern in so many ways for the past two years. I've been in "head down, power through" mode on an almost constant basis. School, work, parenting, partnering, friends, solitude... Nothing got my full attention because so many things needed me. I've over-extended, bent over backwards, ran in circles trying to meet all the demands I set for myself. I've got high frickin' standards, too, so I was never satisfied with part-way. In graduate school? Better get straight A's or damn close (only 1 B so far). Craving independence? Spousal support is all fine and good, but you better stand on your own two feet and work full time while pulling those A's. You're a mom? Better be the best damn mother you can be at all times.

But, you know what? I think I've actually succeeded in meeting most of those insane standards. Course, my friendships have suffered and at times, my relationship has as well, but I've done a damn good job. And now, I'm on my last semester of graduate school. I graduate in August. True to form, I'm not doing my final semester the easy way. 3 classes (7 credits), working full time registering kids for summer enrichment classes, finishing up the 75 remaining hours on my practicum, job hunting for that digital librarian job (or barring that, any entry level academic librarian job)... it all makes for an insane final two months before graduation. I don't know how, but the insanity seems to be triggering something. It's a trial by fire, a final chance to prove myself, an opportunity to go out with a bang.

That's only part of the sea change I sense. I'm also turning 30 in 2 weeks or so. So-called "big" birthdays have always been significant to me. They have always triggered a period of reflectiveness. I start looking back on what I've done and how I've changed; the person I have become and the person I want to be. I have a core of steel, even though I don't believe I show it all the time. When my life gets tough, I don't crumple. I have a very brief wallow, then I put my head down and power through to the other side. I'm still finding my voice in the world. I'm playing with identity and senses of self and confidence and styles and deciding how I want to present myself. I'm finding new passions and rediscovering old ones. Who knew a gardener lived in me? 30. It feels different than 29. It conjures up images of professions, of confidence, of surety in my place in the world. No, I'll never fully know where I am or who I want to be, but I feel I am getting a good idea.

So. Head down and power through the remaining two months. I'll make it through and feel damn good about myself on the other side, a 30 year old MLS.

Today was the first day of Week 2 - 90 seconds of running alternating with 2 minutes of walking for 20 minutes. P let me set the pace today. I was able to find my running speed and really enjoyed it. I even altered the route a bit so we could get an extra 90 second run and ran the last little bit home. Not only am I choosing extra running, but I was talking with P during the post-run stretch about wanting to join a gym and start strength training.

This healthy exercise thing is addictive.

Tonight, I did something I swore I would never do. I went for a run.

My entire life, I swore I would never be a runner. "Running is hard on your joints. Running makes you look silly," I said. What I meant was, "I can't do it. I'm scared to try." I've been watching cheesepuppet's occasional posts on Couch to 5K with interest. The idea to give it a go myself has been percolating for a while. Other changes in my life recently suddenly made it a good idea to try it now.

Run #1 was easier than I thought it would be. I must confess I was a little scared before the first bit of running and felt very awkward during the first few stints, but as we continued, I found myself not wanting to stop running. I even suggested a final run at the end of our course. I chose to run. And I liked it. Even more shocking, I'm looking forward to the next run in a couple of days.

I think I might be starting on the path to better health for myself.