Camille, the library, and the museum

Yesterday I decided to be the happy chef. I made a pot roast, baked potatoes, and carrots for dinner. It was my first time cooking a roast all on my own. It turned out really good. Camille liked it and praised my cooking skills. I did laundry and cleaned most of the upstairs bathroom. At 4pm I heard the shower turn on. Since I thought I was alone, I was a little alarmed. It turns out that Camille had been asleep all day. So, with waking up twice for bathroom breaks, Camille had slept for 14 hours. She hasn't been feeling well lately. Along with being tired all the time, she is dizzy most of the time. Sometimes it is so bad that she can't get out of bed. I took her to the doctor's office last week but the blood tests came back ok. Now if I could just convince her to go see an Ear, Nose, and Throat doctor. I am worried about her. Anyway, enough about Camille.
I have two interviews tomorrow so I would appreciate positive thoughts from any readers of this blog. The first interview is with a law firm. The other is with the Lee Library on the BYU campus. It would be a wonderful job. I am hopeful but am not getting my hopes up. After Camille and I ate dinner last night, she showed me where the library was. We went inside to find the office where my interview will be and I ended up looking around. What a wonderful building. In the basement there is a small exhibit about World War II. What I found fascinating was several journals. They were all open to various pages. I couldn't help but sit and read everything on those open pages. According to the notes accompanying the books, they have not been published. They were all on loan to the library from the families. What I wouldn't give to be able to read the whole journals. One particular journal caught my eye. As a POW, one man was given the duty, from his LDS group, to be a record keeper. He sketched pictures and wrote daily reports on what was happening in the POW camp. What a fascinating record. Anyway, after we left the library we stopped by the art museum. There is a wonderful exhibit about Christ. We would have stayed for the Impressionist exhibit but it was getting late and Camille and I were getting tired. I plan to get back to the museum this week, probably before or after my interview tomorrow.

The redemption of the Orem Library

I believe that an explanation is in order. In my previous blog, I mentioned that I couldn't load the pictures for my blog at the Orem Library. I think I gave the impression that the Orem Library was somehow to blame. Here is the explanation: the Orem Library has just finished renovations. In fact, half of the library is still not available for patrons to use. They tried to cram the books and computers for one library into half of the space. Because of this, books were lining the walls by laying on the floor. If you want a non-fiction book, you have to ask a librarian to get it for you from their storage. The library had, and still have, only two Internet computers available. They are very strict when it comes to what you can do on these two computers. You cannot check your e-mail, any site that is for entertainment, or update personal blogs or websites. They are for research purposes and are limited to 15 minutes. As books and computers are moved into the new area, more computers will be available. I went to the Provo Library yesterday to get a card. There are a lot of computers there but I guess I would rather go to the library closer to my apartment. Anyway, thus ends my explanation.
On another note, I have had two interviews this week. Both interesting place but I won't hear anything for at least a week.

Wednesday through Saturday

On Wednesday, there was a going away party for me, Judy, and Suzanne. Suzanne is going to another branch to be a Children's Librarian, a job that I envy. I love childrens and young adult books and would kill for this job. Sadly, without a degree, I would never even be considered for the job despite my knowledge and experience. Such is life. Suzanne will do a great job. She is animated and enthusiastic. Judy has taken a part time job at Headquarters in the processing department. She is very detail oriented and knowledgeable and will be wonderful. Both of these great women will be missed horribly at Syracuse. I have another week of work before I leave for Orem. I can't help feeling bad for my boss Deanna. She has to find the replacements for three people and hire a new circulation person. Yuck; that is a lot of interviews. Anyway, at the going away party we had cake, ice cream, cookies, chips, and salsa. Wednesday was Judy's last day and Thursday was Suzanne's last day. Despite the sadness of the occassion, the cake was excellent and I did manage to get good pictures of both Deanna and Judy.
On Friday I had an interview for a secretary job in Provo. I must admit that I hate interviews. I know that I can do the job, but it is hard to convey this information to the interviewer. What I want to say is this: "I can do this job. If you hire me, you will be very pleased with the job that I do. You will never regret it and will be sorry when I leave for another job. Just give me a chance." Of course, you can't just say such things without sounding incredibly pig-headed and insane. Grrr.
After the interview I emptied my car of some boxes and unpacked some of my books. On my way back from Provo, I remembered that I needed to get an oil change. Luckily, the car dealership had an open appointment. After they had emptied my car of oil, they informed me that I had a rather large crack in my oil pan and it had to be replaced. Three hundred dollars and two hours later, I was on my way home with a new oil pan. Friday night I drove down to the Gateway and met up with Ryan. He took me out to dinner, then we went to the Planetarium for a light show. In the building is an amazing, complex, perpetual motion machine (pictures are included in this blog entry.) After the light show I was a little sick to my stomach so we walked around in the cold and talked. We ended up at the Skybox for a yummy cookie/ice cream dessert. I always love spending time with Ryan because he makes me laugh and think at the same time.
On Saturday morning, Dad and I went to the temple for baptisms. There were two big groups there so we only were able to do conformations. Dad and I realized that we wouldn't have time to wait an hour to do baptisms so we left and had breakfast. I got to work five minutes late and worked until 6pm. It was an insane day. One of the circulation people went home sick, so Suzy and I ran the last half of the shift. We stayed late and still left three full carts of books for Monday. There is nothing so scary as a busy library run by a skeleton crew. Because of the busy day and the fog, I got home 45 minutes late and missed the adult Saturday session of Stake Conference.

Library parents

There are three types of libray parents: good, the uninterested, and bad. The first is a wonderful sight to behold. They come at least once every few months, usually every couple of weeks. They pick out new and interesting books for their children and occasionally choose a video or DVD as a reward for good behavior. When their children come, they behave in a civilized manner. If they do not, their parents immediately discipline them or remove them from the library after a warning or two. They care what their children are reading and are able to engage the librarians in pleasant conversation when checking their books out. Oh, how these parents warm the heart of a librarian. Yesterday, two such parents came in with their two children. They came up to the counter and asked for a moment of my time so that I could talk to their three-year-old son. I came around and they had their son present a broken video. He said that he was sorry for breaking it and then presented me with a jar of pennies. He looked at the jar with longing, then handed it over as payment for the broken video. What wonderful parents. Even though the parents payed the difference, they were teaching their small child the importance of library materials and the consequence of his action. These are the type of parents that a librarian truly loves.
The second type of library parent are those who do not care what their child is reading or what happens in the library. Their children come alone to the library after school. They stay anywhere from 30 minutes to five hours. Their parents do not have library cards of their own, and only deem it necessary to enter the library if their child or children do not come out of the library at the appropriate pick-up time. While these parents are not harming their children or the library, I can't help feeling bad for these kids. I wish their parents took more of an interest in their reading. It is sad to see a second and third grader wandering around the library for an hour while they wait. While I realize that parents work and the library is a safe place to stay, I wish they would come in and check out some books for their children.
The third kind of library parent is a figurative thorn in the side of any patient librarian. They bring their children, then let them run free while they chose their own books, read the paper or a magazine, or sit on the internet. These children play tag, fight, pull many books from the shelves, scream, talk loudly on their cell phones, and generally bother other library patrons. We had two such parents the other night. The mother looking through the romance books for a half an hour while her three children created chaos. The oldest tormented the baby of the family. The baby screamed her protest every few minutes. The middle child pulled many books off the shelves, moved chairs, and ran around looking for her parents. The father of these three children sat on the internet, seemingly unaware of the situation. From my seat at the reference desk, I saw him check his e-mail, check his myspace account, and read the sports scores on the ESPN website. All this while ignoring his middle child's plea for his help in finding a book about rabbits. Another librarian took pity on her and showed her where she might find these books. I told the oldest child to stop harrassing his baby sister and the middle child to stop running in the library. After a half an hour, the mother finally checked out her many romance novels and six childrens videos. Only one children's books was checked out, and that was done without a glance at the title or subject. This last type of library parent drives me crazy. Why bring your children to the library at all if they cause only trouble and you don't bother to pay attention to them? Thus ends my tirade about library parents. I can only hope my siblings and friends are considerate and caring enough to be good library parents. My parents certainly were.

Book review

In the last week I have finished two books. They were both good reads although very different.
The first is Magic Study by Maria Snyder. This excellent sequel to Poison Study is a fantasy novel about a women discovering her magic abilities after being kidnapped as a child, killing a man, and later becoming a food taster for a leader of the land. I found the characters to be believable, the plot to be engaging, and the fantasy well crafted. I would recommend it to anyone who likes fantasy although, be forewarned, there are some fairly violent scenes in this book as well as one non-graphic love scene.
The second book is Dispatches from the edge by Anderson Cooper. This retelling of moments in CNN reporter Anderson Cooper's life can be hard to read. The suicide of his brother and his many stories of suffering people are vividly retold. The end of the book contains several chapters on the Hurricane Katrina storm and aftermath. Reading these chapters are sure to make the reader angry at the federal government and their lack of action. If you can read about Hurricanes, starving people in Africa, and war-torn countries, this book is very interesting. After finishing it, I just wanted to give Anderson Cooper a hug. His eyes have seen too much.

A long update

Circumstances being what they are, I haven't really had the time to update my blog in the past two weeks. I will try to summarize what has happened and hit the high points for my readers.
I got a flu shot on the 17th which caused my arm to hurt quite a bit. On Friday night, the 17th of November, Roberts and Lowe women alike met to help Alison with the Festival of the Trees project. We cut, sewed, and frayed stars. There was good food, good conversation, and two adorable babies to entertain us so the time quickly sped by. The next day I worked from 9:30 to 3 pm, then went to a late lunch with Ryan and John. I went home exhausted with flu-like symptoms. Sidney and Wyatt came over to have fun with their Grandma and Poppy. I spent most of the time upstairs trying to shake the flu-like symptoms caused by the flu shot I had received the day before. I did come downstairs in time to see Wyatt taking a bath in the sink. What a funny boy! On Sunday morning I felt even worse and did not go to church. I slept quite a bit but still managed to get a paper written for my History of Christianity class.
Work and school followed for the next two days. On Wednesday, the 22nd, I was awakened by my darling niece who showed me the hole in her smile since she had lost a tooth. I had breakfast with Mom, Dad, Sid, and Wyatt, then went to school for one class. (My other two had been canceled but Dr. Francis would not relent on his grilling class schedule.) After a rousing class in which donuts were served, I returned home to help with my niece and nephew and clean the upstairs bathroom. Jen and Lauren came out to help with the Thanksgiving preparations and a good time was had by all. I ended up watching two episodes of an interesting show called Numb3rs and cleaning up the basement in anticipation of Aunt Renee and cousin Mark's arrival.
On Thanksgiving the following people came over to eat: Grandma and Grandpa Roberts, Jen, John, Lauren, Josh, Brooke, Uncle Mike, Renee, Mark, Timothy, Roxanne, Doug, John D., Jen D., Jason, Jacob, Emily, Michael, Ethan, RJ, Nathan, Diane, Larry, Amy, Sarah, Nancy, Jordan, Alison, and Isaac. Jeremy, Britnie, Sidney, and Wyatt came over later. We had three turkeys and a ham along with some other great food. Three tables of people made for fun madness. We ate, talked, and then ate some more. After 3 pm, we had a baby shower for Brooke. Jen and I went together on a gift of books and baby blankets. By nightfall, the aunts were in the living room talking while Brooke, Josh, Alison, Sarah, Amy, and I played a game. It was fun. Amy and I were crushed by the other two teams. (It is nice to be humbled every once and a while :) Jordan and Dad went to see Grandma, who seemed to be better and appreciated the Thanksgiving feast they brought her.
On Friday morning, Dad and I went to the temple. Afterwards we went to see Grandma. When entering Grandma's room, a person is required to put on gloves and wear a face mask. Her cough is still horrible but the pneumonia seems to be getting better. After we went home, I headed off the Alison's house to babysit Isaac while she worked on the tree skirt for the Festival of Trees. Isaac had just gone down for a nap so I studied for a while. I finally decided to take a nap myself when Alison's parents arrived. Her dad played with Isaac while the two ladies sewed. I then took a nap only to be awakened by my mother and Aunt Renee stopping by. All in all, I am not sure how much sleep I got. When Alison and her dad left to buy wood for the signs, I took over playing with Isaac. What a darling baby. I helped introduce him to the blanket buddy that Grandma Roberts made for him. It is a bunny. He seemed to like it once he realized that it couldn't hurt him and that he could eat the ears. After putting him down for a nap, I helped Alison and Pat finish the tree skirt and then headed home to get ready for a night out. Ryan and I ended up at Mikey's house where we watched the end of the Jazz game and then hung out for the rest of the night. Once in a while it is nice to just hang out at someone's home and watch movie previews, listen to music, and talk.
On Saturday I was awakened by my mother telling me about a job that Aunt Diane had seen on the Provo Library website. I decided to apply for it because it pays more than my current job and it would be a nice change. I finished the book I was reading, 84, Charing Cross Road, and took a shower. Later that night I went to dinner with Jen Evans and her friend Erin, who seems really nice. We ate at Mimi's Cafe and had fun talking about life, men, traveling, school, and other interesting topics. We then went to the theater to see Stranger than Fiction, which I would highly recommend. Will Ferrell isn't his usual goofball self, Emma Thompson is brilliant as a tortured writer, Maggie Gyllenhaal is great as an angry baker, and Dustin Hoffman is the typical odd literature professor. It follows the life of Harold Crick, an IRS agent who begins to hear a narrator speak about his life. I won't ruin any more of the movie for those who plan to see it. I would give it 4 stars out of 5. Since there are only about 15 movies ever made that get a 5, that is pretty good. As a person who occasionally writes short stories, the idea that a character from my story could be walking around is amazing. Anyway, I got home about 12:30 pm but couldn't get to sleep until about 3 am. Cursed insomnia :(
Today I went to school and work. School was fairly uneventful. I got a paper back that my Victorian Lit teacher wants me to re-write. Grrr. In my History of Christianity class we discussed the beginning of the Baptists and Quakers in the 1600's. Good stuff. Mom took the day off to help Alison decorate for the Festival of the Trees which is this week. I included a picture that Mom took with some of the background blacked out. The stuff in the background was very distracting and I wanted to have the phocus be the tree. Alison, Emily (her sister), Aunt Diane, and Mom were the decorators. The theme of the tree is taken from a poem by Robert Frost. Tonight, work was completely crazy. Mondays after holidays are always insane. I guess I should try to go to bed now.

Warning: annoying person at large

The following happened at work on Monday:
A man came into the library talking on his cell phone. He set a book on cd on the desk, looked at the librarian, and pointed to it(meaning the book on cd.) He then walked farther into the library. The librarian checked the book on cd to make sure all the cd's were there and proceeded to check the item in. It was on hold for another patron, so the librarian put the new patron's name on it. The man on the cell phone then returned to the desk to inform the librarian that the reason that he pointed to the book on cd was because there was a cd missing. The librarian informed him that he was incorrect. Had he bothered to look at the cd cover, he would have plainly seen that there were only supposed to be three cd's in the case (the librarian said these words in a much nicer way though.) He then wanted to take it home again. The librarian said that he couldn't have that particular copy because it was on hold for someone else. The man on the cell phone then said "But I didn't want you to check it in." I ask you, dear readers, what was the librarian supposed to think? Being a good librarian and a person who tries to be nice, the librarian apologized and asked if she could put another copy of it on hold for him. What she wanted to say was this: "If you hadn't been yapping away on your cell phone, we could have had a discussion about why you were pointing at a book on cd. Turn that stupid cell phone off and attempt to be respectful in a place that is supposed to be quiet. If you want my help, treat me like a human being. Grrr." The librarian probably would have pointed towards the door at this point in the conversation.
If any of you readers feel the need to talk on your cell phone while in the library, don't. If you must, do not expect a librarian to be happy about it.

School and Work

Since I am suffering from yet another round of insomnia, I thought I would update my blog on my school and work situations. School is going as well as can be expected. There are not enough hours in the day to complete all the reading that is required. Even if there was enough time, it is still hard to read for hours at a time. In my Literary Crit class we are discussing Post-Colonialism. This riveting form of criticism can hardly compare to the amazing Marxist criticism that we studied last week. When discussing "Heart of Darkness" and its ethnic complications, my entire class could hardly remain seated. Oh wait, that wasn't what happened. Oh well. In my Victorian Lit class, we are discussing the Rossetti siblings. Christina Rossetti wrote some very interesting poetry including "The Goblin Market." In our last class period, we discussed fallen women and prostitutes. Dr. Rogers is a very knowledgable and interesting person. My third class is my most complicated and interesting. Dr. Francis teaches the History of Christianity. On Wednesday we discussed heretical movements that were squashed by the Catholic Church in the 1300's. This was the very beginning of the Inquisition. Poor heretics; being burned to death isn't any fun. After class on Wednesday, I stuck around campus to hear a lecture by Dr. Francis on MacBeth. He discussed the historical character of MacBeth and the differences between the historical figure and Shakespeare's interpretation of him. It was very interesting.
Work is going well. I feel that I am fitting in with my co-workers (with the exception of one grumpy one) and I love working in a library. Tonight, Thursday, I got to dress up for Halloween. The library had a special Halloween story hour at 7pm. We got to dress up. I was a dark fairy and had Dad take a picture of me for all you blog readers to see. I made the wings myself, and am, sadly, a little too proud of them. Mom and Dad brought Sid for the stories. She is dressing up as a princess this year and wore a long, blond wig. She wasn't that impressed with the stories but loved the pumpkin walk that city hall sponsored. Thus concludes my update on school and work.

Darcy's Story

The book I just finished is called "Darcy's Story" by Janet Aylmer. This charming story is Mr. Darcy's story from "Pride and Prejudice." Unlike some other retellings or sequels to "Pride and Prejudice," this had actual dialogue lifted from the original book. The author took care to match Mr. Darcy's actions up perfectly to Jane Austen's masterpiece. She had a decent writing style and wasn't too wordy. While not destined to be a classic, this book is a must for lovers of "Pride and Prejudice."

Library opening and "Captain Cookie"

Saturday was the opening celebration of the Kaysville library. After months of work, the re-opening finally happened. Even though I don't work there anymore, the powers that be asked me to work and help out. Bright and early, at 6am, I was at the library. First, blowing up helium balloons, then doing a little cleaning. I think some of us librarians killed a few brain cells blowing up hundreds of balloons (I even included a picture of one). At 8:30 the opening ceremony was presided over by Pete and the mayor of Kaysville, Neka Roundy. Commissioner Page made a speech about libraries and the importance of them. The general theme was welcoming the Kaysville people into the fold of the Davis County System. Sadly, not many patrons were there. I think it was because it was so early. Kim gave in and got a Davis County card. Nikki helped her (it was like old times). It is always nice to see people I used to work with. I helped greet old Kaysville patrons until I was summoned to the snack table outside. Sitting there, serving cookies, I became bored and started to think about how tired I was after only getting a few hours of sleep. Luckily, Erika and another county employee came over and visited with me until I left at 1:30pm. Since mom and dad had gone up to see Grandma R in Idaho, I decided to take a nap when I got home.
Two hours later, I awoke and called Ryan. We met in Salt Lake and ate at a new restaurant, Fostinos. After going to Barnes and Noble, one of my favorite places on earth, we went to Mikeys. We all hung around and talked. A group broke off to watch "V for Vendetta" in the family room. Big Kyle, Kyle F, Ryan, and I made cookies. It was a lot of fun watching these manly men carefully stir and measure. They, the cookies, turned out pretty well. I think that Big Kyle should be known as "Captain Cookie" from now on. I even managed a salute and a hug at the end of the night.
Church was nice today. After a lesson on family in Relief Society, Char gave a good lesson on keeping the Sabbath day holy in Sunday School. I have the say that the highlight of church was sacrament meeting. Jen gave a great talk on bearing each others burdens. She related a story about when her mother helped an older couple in an airport. By the end of the story, I found myself getting a little misty. I would just hope that someone would help my grandparents if they ever needed help.

Can't sleep

It is now after midnight and I can't get to sleep despite being tired. I have to be up in about five hours. I have to be at the Kaysville library at 6 am to help them set up for the open house. That's right, after six weeks of construction, the library is going to be officially opened at 8:30 am. I was asked to work there to help Kaysville patrons apply for cards, direct traffic, and generally make everyone I know feel better about Kaysville becoming part of the county system. It has been an interesting transition. As many of you know, I have been trying to document how the building has changed. Here are some more before and after pictures.

My desk area before the packing of books and construction began.

The same area six weeks later. It now holds Videos, DVD's, Music CD's, and Books on tape.

The before and after photo's of the children's section.





And now for the weirdest pictures ever. The following is a look from the front of the library. The changes are so drastic that it was a small shock for me to look at them. The pictures do not give the change justice because the amount in front of the new circulation desk cannot be seen in this picture.
After working most of the day at Kaysville, I took a shower and got ready for the night. After dinner with my parents at Cafe Alicia, I went to see Grandma J at the hospital. She went to the hospital after having serious chest pains on Thursday. After a ride in an ambulance and many tests later, the doctors aren't sure what is wrong with her. Her heart seems fine but she may have pneumonia. It worries me because her health is not the best. Her lungs haven't been good the last couple of years and she now walks with a walker. Grandma and I had a good talk about life and such until Josh and Brooke came. The four of us talked until it was obvious that all of us were getting tired. After a brief phone call to my best friend, whom I haven't seen in a week, I decided to go home.
Mom is leaving for Idaho tomorrow morning because her mom is having health problems as well. Grandma R goes to the hospital three times a day to get antibiotic shots in her pic line. (A pic line is an IV that goes directly into the heart.) Mom is really worried about her mom and dad. Grandpa R sleeps a lot, keeps falling, and seems to have given up the will to live. I am not sure who among my grandparents will die first but I suspect we will have a funeral sometime in the next year. I hate the idea of saying goodbye to someone that I love. While I realize that death is not the end of the life of a soul, it is still hard when someone leaves this earth for the next. I can't imagine how people who have no faith in some kind of afterlife deal with the loss of someone dear to them. It would be scary to think that you would never see that person ever again.
I hate not being able to sleep. I can't take sleeping medication now because I would never wake up to be at work on time. I am not a morning person so I wasn't looking forward to getting up early. Oh well, such is life. I hope all goes well tomorrow. Maybe after I get home I will be able to take a short nap.

This fun, fun weekend...

On Friday I went to work at the "new and improved" Kaysville library. Even though I don't work there anymore, I thought I would help out with the transition. I took a picture of what it looks like. It is scheduled to open on August 12th and there is a lot to do. After moving boxes of books, along with other activities, I went home sweaty and tired. After a much needed shower, Ryan, John, lawyer Ryan, big Kyle, and Nick went to eat at a chinese restaurant called Pei Wei. I highly recommend it. The group ended up at Brian and Ryan's house, where we later made an ice cream run to Baskin Robbins. (Another place I highly recommend.) Big Kyle kept cracking me up. I will really hate it when he gets transfered or has to move because he is in the Air Force. (Speaking of moving, I will miss Curtis too because he is being deployed in September.) After a late ride home, I woke up to hear my youngest niece yelling at someone downstairs. For a girl who is only two months old, she really has a nice pair of lungs. I am holding out hope for a girl who sings. I layed low on Saturday and helped out with Lauren. Mom helped Jen prepare for Lauren's blessing by finding a blessing gown and deciding on and buying food for the big day. Jordan joined up. Alison and Isaac are on a trip with her parents and I think he misses them dearly. At the end of the day, John called to say that his grandfather had died. I feel so bad for John's mom. Even though John's grandfather was suffering, it still is difficult for their family. Sunday morning I helped out by cutting vegetables for the meal after the blessing. We, as Jen's family, tried to do all we could to help her with the preparations for the blessing. I picked up Grandma, along with some backseat driving, and we went to the church. The blessing was lovely. John did a wonderful job. Afterwards we had a luncheon at my mom's work. The food was good, the company was better, and Lauren slept through a lot of it. I got some pretty good pictures including a picture of my dad and his mother and a darling picture of Wyatt attempting to eat his father's fingers. At app. 5 pm, I took Grandma home and stopped by the cemetary to see Caleb. John's nephew was at the blessing. He is almost two and I couldn't help but wonder how big Caleb would be had he lived. I usually don't ponder on these type of thoughts, but family milestones always bring them up. After arriving home, I went to a fireside where the stake presidency talked about the Godhead. I really liked Pres. Child's talk on the Holy Ghost. The coming week holds lots of work for me.

My former co-workers

It has come to my attention that I forgot to post a picture of my Kaysville co-workers that was taken at our "recognition" night on June 26th. We all got lovely glass plaques, a gift certificate to Barnes and Noble, a paper award, a picture of the library, and a handshake and kind words from the Kaysville mayor, etc. Here is a picture that includes names next to the people. Hopefully you can see the names. If not, oh well.

Mini-golfing

This last weekend I went miniature golfing. It has been a couple years since I've mini-golfed so it was fun. Brittany and Ryan went with me. In front of us was a cute family with two little girls. The younger one, perhaps of the age of 3, was hilarious to watch. It reminded me that I want to take Sidney mini-golfing one of these days. When totaled, I came in last. Oh well, such is life.
Afterwards, Ryan and I went to visit a friend of his at her birthday party. There was some smoking around and on the way home I had a hard time breathing. By the time we got to Ryan's house I was wheezing and my chest hurt. I hate how my body responds to smoke. I have never liked being around campfires or people who are smoking because, for some reason, my lungs are really sensitive. Ryan and I layed on his front lawn while my body calmed down. We talked for a little while and then I went home.
Saturday morning my dad and I went to the Bountiful temple for baptisms and then to IHOP for breakfast. After we came home I read until about 12:30. (Yes, I should have cleaned.) Jeremy, Britnie, Josh, and Brooke came over so that we could all go see "Superman Returns" to celebrate Father's Day. We figured it was better to celebrate Father's Day late because of the birth of Lauren and Isaac. Mom babysat Sidney and Wyatt while the rest of us went to lunch and then to the movie theater. The movie was pretty good. The new Superman, Brandon Routh, is pretty cute. He reminds me a little of Christopher Reeves, the Superman of the 1980's. I could see a sequel to this one, perhaps with a little superboy discovering his powers when he hits puberty. There have been a lot of movies based on comic books lately. The next one to look forward to is Spiderman 3. Sadly, we must wait almost a whole year until it is released. I love escaping into movies like these. I have often dreamed of having a superpower (besides the super-sarcasm that i now posess now :)
Today was a crazy day at work. It was strange to look up at the clock to realize that two hours had passed in a blink of an eye. Mondays are always crazy at the library. Between people coming for family night, people finishing their books over the weekend, and kids who just must check their e-mail, the library is scary on Monday. My feet hurt but it was nice that the time passed quickly. One bright spot in my day at work is that I found out that my recommendation for reading was put on the Davis County website under BookLetters staff picks. It is nice that someone at my new job thought I had a good recommendation. (For those who are interested, I recommended "Dead until Dark," a humorous vampire romance. I have tomorrow off so I get to go into Salt Lake City and play with my sister and my new niece, whom I haven't seen since she left the hospital. Yeh for days off!

As promised...

As promised, more library pictures. These are more pictures of the packing and moving of books that occured in the last of June. Hmm, that sentence seems a little awkward. I wish I had pictures of what is happening right now. I suspect that the children's section is completely demolished by now. Maybe I will peak in the windows one of these days.

Adult Non-fiction #1

Adult Non-fiction #2

Children's Non-fiction #1

Children's Non-fiction #2

It seems so strange to think that I am not an employee of the Kaysville library any more. It has been a week since I was employed there. As much as I love my new job, I still miss Kaysville. I miss my fellow employees, my patrons, shelves, books, carpet, computer, typewriter, personal desk, hold shelf, reference room, and everything else. I even miss the patrons who used to yell at me for things that weren't my fault and the toilet that wouldn't stop running. Oh well, life is all about change. Life goes on.

A sad "biblio-death"

This week is the last that the Kaysville City Library is open. After five and a half years of working there, tomorrow is my last day. I thought I would take some before and after pictures of the library. This week, we packed up most of the books on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. After July 1st, it will be under the control of the Davis County Library system. They plan a huge renovation that will hopefully be finished around August 15th (that is if the contractors are all on time.) I won't be working there when it re-opens.

















This is a view from my desk to the front of the library. It was taken last week. Below is the view is the view from my desk to the front of the library on Wednesday, June 28th.

















The next two pictures are of the children's section. A lovely place where kids can sit at a little table and read books. It also has some fun stuffed animals. This was taken last week.


















Below is the children's section as of Thursday, June 29th. We had a few kids come in today with their parents, who didn't realize that we were closing this week. The look of horror of their tiny faces was heartbreaking.





It really is the saddest thing you have ever seen. Well, perhaps not for you, dear readers. But for a librarian, it is a most pathetic sight. I am not looking forward to tomorrow. Maybe I will post some more pictures later.