Nothing to say?

Hmmm, what I should be doing right now is writing up a recommendation for college for someone. It's not going to be hard to recommend her--she is one very amazing person--but sounding coherent and intelligent while doing the recommending could be challenging. I'm not feeling either coherent or intelligent.

So instead I'm blogging. Yeah, I know how that sounds.

This full-time work hours thing has been kicking my butt all the way to the moon and back. I can't figure out why adding 8 hours to work (and subtracting 8 hours from non-work) makes such a big difference, but part of it is that everyone at work is crabby, edgy, and fed up with the boss. Everyone. Except, perhaps, the shelvers, but I suspect some of the lack of morale filters to them too. Since I don't really have a serious problem with the boss--just petty annoyances that I try to address if they aren't just MY pettiness on show--I also have gotten a little tired of listening to other people whining. As usual, it says more about the person doing the whining than it does about the boss most of the time.

Maniac has been maniacal since before Christmas. Even she is having issues with Boss Lady, after 2+ years of trying to tamp down the negativity of others. And it's major costuming season for her as well, so she's really wound up about things and frankly making me nuts.

Then there's good ol' CT, who has been on a total rampage for the past (at least) 3 weeks. Finally, I think, last Thursday I snapped hard enough at her that she has started her usual rounds of "[Cat.] doesn't like me, so I'll go get palsy with someone else to show that I have other friends--that'll teach [Cat.]!!" (I always know when Miss W has barked at her; CT becomes my very best friend and confidante for the rest of the day, or week.) Maniac has been telling me for months that CT doesn't speak to her except hello/goodbye stuff; well, Thursday, CT was whispering and gossiping at her.

It's midwinter--such as our winter this year seems to be, which isn't all that wintry, not that I'm complaining--and so everyone's kinda blerghy about that. Everyone, including the patrons. We had a spate of police-calling, formal un-invitations, and general mayhem a couple of weeks ago, and while that has settled down, people are still crabby and edgy. Just like the staff.

In other news...this weekend, we finally got the house cleaned of much of the dust that has been gathering for lo these past several months. There are still random Christmas decorations out that we missed in the January cleanup. And there are pockets of Crazy-Messy, but at least the floors are clean throughout. Maybe my allergies will settle down now.

Maybe pigs will fly.

[T.O.: Sparky just popped in online on Skype so I went and IM'd him since I didn't talk to him Saturday. That brightened up my mood a bit.]

To be honest, I'm not that cranky right now. Just tired and drained and trying to sort out priorities. Maybe I'll clean my desk at work, do some filing and stuff, this week. I did take care of that at home yesterday, which was a huge load off my shoulders. I even started working on the FAFSA for Sparky's financial aid next year. Am at an impasse with that till we get our income tax figured, and I don't know when that will be. Soon. I hope.

So. I guess I've hit the end of my need to type. I really should go get ready to work.

Aha, but that is another part of my general sense of The Weird: my work schedule.  Here's the short version:

• Mondays: 11-7 (no lunch break, my choice--I eat at my desk), including at least one hour in the kids' room
• Tuesdays: 12-9 (dinner break at 5), including an hour each in the kids' room and adult reference
• Wednesdays: 8-4 (no lunch break again), including at least an hour at adult reference
• Thursdays: 9-6 (lunch break at 12 or 1), including at least an hour at adult reference
• *Fridays: 9-5 (no lunch break), off all desks all day usually!
• *Saturdays: 9-1 (but I usually stay till 5), including 3 hours at assorted reference desks (kids' and adult) 
• Every 4th or 5th Sunday 1-4, all hours on the adult reference desk

* Alternate weeks, so if I work Friday I don't work Saturday, and vice versa

Those public desk hours are scheduled for every week, but then there is always someone sick or on vacation so things get changed. I don't handle schedule shifts well. Never have. So frustrating.

OK, now I really have to go get ready for work! Perhaps I'll have more exciting things to talk about next time.

ALA Midwinter Conference

I just returned from Dallas where this year's Midwinter conference was held. It's also where my brother lives, near his son and new daughter-in-law.

Memory-bits:

• Felt completely out of my depth at at least one point in every session I attended
• Also felt completely welcomed at a couple of sessions where I actually was totally out of my depth
• Librarians are wacky people, but really easy to identify...at hotels, restaurants, and airports...it was a sort of sport after the first 24 hours
• Tex-Mex made by Greek-Americans is pretty good
• Steak: also really good, if you're willing to pay for it
• If you can, go to Texas de Brasile...unless you happen to be a vegetarian
• I made the Dallas paper. This makes me laugh, but at least they didn't ferociously misquote me
• I didn't see/meet anyone famous
• I did see a ghost, and yes it was spooky as hell!
• Got to see Ian Fairclough speak; I think I'm a very weird groupie
• I sat by two French guys flying to Dallas and a middle-Eastern (I think, maybe) guy on the way home; I must be the Deals Well With Furr'ners person
• Spent a LOT of time in the exhiibits
• Picked up about 7 new carrier bags, along with the freebie they dole out at registration to everyone
• Filled four (five?) bags full of books and other freebies; Beast is driving them home for me :-)
• I got sicker most every day, and bailed on two OCLC breakfasts...
• Having no voice makes talking to exhibitors all day difficult
• I stayed in three hotels in five days. That was weird, but kind of fun
• One of the hotels was quite a ways from the conference site, so Beast drove me back and forth; there was, however, a conference at that hotel, of gift shop owners....
• ...gift shop owners' conferences seem to be full of snooty 20-somethings, but I snagged an abandoned carrier bag that is absolutely amazing...I will take a picture once Beast gets it home
• The convention center...? Not in a great part of town, though they're working on it
• Dallas drivers are insane
• We landed a full half an hour early today. How often does that happen in January?!

I'm so tired I can't stop yawning. I think I'm going to skip Bible Study in the morning. Good night.

Big D

Let's see if this works.

My schedule for the next few days. Precious little sleep on this list. Yes, I know I'm double-, triple- and at one point sextuple-booked. Wish me luck!

FRIDAY, JANUARY 20
9:00am - 12:00pm    2012 ALA Midwinter Unconference Dallas Convention Center D165

10:30am - 12:00pm    OCLC Enhance Sharing Session registered Dallas Convention Center A306

11:00am - 12:00pm    Collection Management in Public Libraries Discussion Group Dallas Convention Center A304
LUNCH
1:30pm - 3:00pm    Bibliographic Control: A Meeting Between Educators and Practitioners Dallas Convention Center C146

2:00pm - 5:00pm    IUG Meeting received invite Omni Dallas Hotel Cedars Room

2:30pm - 4:00pm    Program for Cooperative Cataloging (PCC) Program Training Dallas Convention Center A306

5:30pm - 7:30pm    Exhibits Opening Reception. Exhibit Hall

7:30pm - 9:30pm    Backstage Library Works Reception ([Beast] invited too)  Omni Dallas Hotel West End Ballroom (5th floor)

SATURDAY, JANUARY 21
7:00am - 10:00am    OCLC Dewey Update Breakfast and ALCTS Public Libraries Technical Services Interest Group Meeting registered -- received invite to PLTSIG which should start about 8:30 Omni Dallas Hotel Greenville Avenue

8:00am - 10:00am    Copy Cataloging Interest Group Dallas Convention Center D227

10:30am - 12:00pm    Cataloging Norms Interest Group Dallas Convention Center D223

10:30am - 12:00pm    Interlibrary Loan Discussion Group Omni Dallas Hotel Trinity 3

10:30am - 12:00pm    Library of Congress Update Forum Dallas Convention Center D171

10:30am - 12:00pm    Role of the Professional Librarian in Technical Services received invite Dallas Convention Center D174
LUNCH
1:00pm - 1:25pm Midwest Tape Booth #1239 Exhibit Hall

1:30pm - 3:30pm    Catalog Management Interest Group  Dallas Convention Center D227

1:30pm - 3:30pm    Collection Development Issues for the Practitioner Interest Group Dallas Convention Center D222

1:30pm - 3:30pm    Hot Topics Discussion Forum (RUSA MARS) Dallas Convention Center D223

3:30pm - 5:30pm    Do I Own these E-books or Not?: The Adventures of Jo Budler, Kansas State Librarian Dallas Convention Center C146

4:00pm - 5:30pm    Catalog Form and Function Interest Group Dallas Convention Center D227

4:00pm - 5:30pm    Faceted Subject Access Interest Group Dallas Convention Center D222

4:00pm - 5:30pm    Hot Topics Discussion Group (RUSA STARS) Omni Dallas Hotel Trinity 3

4:00pm - 5:30pm    Progressive Librarians Guild Meeting received invite Dallas Convention Center D170

4:00pm - 5:30pm    Standards Interest Group Dallas Convention Center D226

4:00pm - 6:00pm    MARC Formats Interest Group Dallas Convention Center C149

5:30pm - 9:00pm    Meetup w [my brother & his family for dinner]

SUNDAY, JANUARY 22
7:00am - 8:00am    OCLC Update Breakfast Roundtable topic: Cataloging & Collection Development Omni Dallas Hotel Dallas EFG

8:00am - 10:00am    Public Libraries Technology Interest Group Dallas Convention Center D222

8:00am - 12:00pm    CONSER / BIBCO / SACO-at-Large Dallas Convention Center C141

10:00am - 11:00am    Auditorium Speaker - John Green Dallas Convention Center Theater

10:30am - 12:00pm    Automated Acquisitions / In Process Control Systems Interest Group Omni Dallas Hotel Cedars Room

10:30am - 12:00pm    Cataloging and Classification Research Interest Group Dallas Convention Center A306

10:30am - 12:00pm    Collection Development Planning & Assessment Committee Meeting (RUSA CODES) Dallas Convention Center A112

10:30am - 12:00pm    National Libraries RDA Forum Dallas Convention Center D227

10:30am - 12:00pm    Technical Services Discussion Group Sheraton Dallas Hotel Trinity 4

12:30pm - 1:00pm    ALA Masters Series: World Book Night Dallas Convention Center A2
LUNCH
1:30pm - 3:30pm    Best Fiction for Young Adults Teen Session (YALSA) Dallas Convention Center C147/154

1:30pm - 3:30pm    RDA Update Forum Dallas Convention Center C146

1:30pm - 5:30pm    Authority Control Interest Group Dallas Convention Center A201/202

4:00pm - 5:30pm    ALCTS Creative Ideas in Technical Services Interest Group received invite Dallas Convention Center D220

4:00pm - 5:30pm    Discussion Forum: Answering the Young Adult Reference Question – Making Connections that Matter (RUSA RSS / YALSA) Dallas Convention Center A304

4:00pm - 5:30pm    PCC Participants' Meeting and Open Program Dallas Convention Center C155

5:00pm - 6:30pm    Midwinter Book and Media Awards Reception Fairmont Dallas Hotel Oak Room

MONDAY, JANUARY 23
7:30am - 9:00am    ALA Youth Media Awards Dallas Convention Center Theater

8:00am - 10:00am    Heads of Cataloging Departments Interest Group Dallas Convention Center D171

8:00am - 10:00am    OCLC Creating Cataloging Efficiencies that Make a Difference received invite Dallas Convention Center D162/164

10:30am - 12:00pm    Forum (ALCTS): Author Steve Berry keynotes Preservation Week 2012 Kick Off Dallas Convention Center A201/202
LUNCH
1:30pm - 3:30pm    Collection Management in Public Libraries Interest Group Dallas Convention Center D172

1:30pm - 3:30pm    Continuing Resources Cataloging Forum Dallas Convention Center D168

2:00pm - 3:00pm    Exhibits Closing & Wrap Up Rev Up Celebration with Lisa Loeb Dallas Convention Center Theater

Offline

Not that it matters all that much, really, since I don't post here that often, but I'll be Away From the Blog until next Tuesday, Jan. 24. I'll be at the ALA Midwinter conference. Maybe when I get back, I'll have some good stuff to blog.

Or not. ;-)

Time flies

On the heels of finding out last night that college friends of ours are now grandparents, I am on my way to take Sparky back to college. Trying to get all the crying done now so I don't embarrass him at school.

Yeah. Not likely, eh?

It was a good break, with a few bumps, and he's definitely ready to be back there, but I will miss him, again.

Embedded Comments!!

O.M.G. It's about time!

Thanks, Shelly, for pointing this out!

Plant life

Two years ago, I had nothing alive in my house but mammals. I have, spur-of-the-moment, purchased the occasional Sacrificial Aloe Plant over the years, but I haven't really had any plants, long-term since moving into this house over 8 years ago. There have been flowers (vased) and maybe some gifts of plants that didn't last long, but really nothing else.

My mom had a Green Arm. There were plants EVERYfuckinWHERE in our house: living room, dining room, her & dad's bedroom, kitchen.... Huge plants, small ones, baby pots, washtub-sized pots. She repotted and gave away and farmed out and otherwise had a whole greenhouse worth of plants in the world. Meanwhile...I had a cactus garden in my room as a teen. Killed 'em (too much water). I had plants in my dorm room--the ones that were my responsibility died; my roommates' thrived. Beast had a large aloe plant in his lab cube at his first job; it came in handy when burns happened (it was a lab, after all). When he changed jobs and brought home the plant, I killed it.

Anyway, I got tired of killing plants about 10 years ago.

Then, in 2009, Amy gifted me a plant cutting from one of her stock, which I guess I'll call Mit (a variant of what the picture shows). She also gifted me explicit directions on watering Mit. I have repotted it (him?) once, and it continues to grow in spite of a slight change in watering that works better in my head. She recently entrusted me with the offspring of her giant Bob Marley cactus--mine is named Rohan--again with pretty explicit watering directions. So far, it isn't dead, probably because I think I've watered it exactly once in about two months. Two people who came to the library's Christmas party here last month brought poinsettias. The big one is out-of-control happy, though the small one seems a little off. I got the gift of a couple of small plants for helping at church last year sometime and they are also still alive: I water them when I water Mit.

Last week another of my best friends sent me, out of the blue, a gift of 3 bamboo shoots. I had to put them together (this cracked me up--a gift I have to build=total awesome!). Today's the first day to change the water for them

My dining room looks like my mom's house. Maybe that's part of why I have been missing her this past week: all this greenery. So unlike me. So like Mom. I can only hope her spirit is hanging around to remind me to pay attention to all these critters. Because, in spite of receiving my Grandmother's decades-old Christmas cactus (and killing it) 20 years ago, I haven't really been invested in any plants before. The death of these guys has a deeper metaphorical meaning. Maybe that's why Mom was able to keep hers going so long.

We'll see.