Orly?

Michael Is Alive

So.....

Who would be up for this game of Magic?

it has been awhile

I'll be back with more. :) ...later

Math Curse

First, Jess, I'm loving the updates! It sounds like this program is working out fantastically; keep posting pics and stories.

I've also got a Jess-worthy quote from Hannah for you. Once she explained it the quote made sense (as so much of Hannah's quotes do), but still.....

Watching Gandhi makes me want to beat people up. ~Hannah

What she meant was that watching the suffering they went through and not fighting back made her want to fight for them, but her particular phrasing - not to mention the completely out-of-context way she presented it made a fabulous quote.

Thought I'd drop in and leave a brief note. I've got a lot of projects and things to work on, so I'm letting my brain mull those over while I post here. To the untrained eye it may look like goofing off >_>.

So, library stuffs....

Tracy resigned so we'll be doing another director search soon. It's all good actually. While I'm sorry to see him leaving, I still think he was the best director for the library during this time. Plus seeing as how it's all new staff (except for me) the library is in the healthiest position it's been in since I've worked here. All in all, it'll be fine.

March will see us running a 5-week graphic novel series. I'll post more later, but we are in the negotiation process of bringing a really cool speaker here.

If you haven't heard yet, I am in fact running for the 2-year seat on the Rockingham School Board. After attending this past school board meeting and protesting the proposed cuts I decided to take my complaining and good ideas about how these schools could be run and contribute. It's kind of weird to think of campaigning for myself. I think I'd be a good fit though. There are some amazingly talented individuals on the board now that can see numbers and move numbers and make budgets add up right; I just think they need balance. They need someone to bring up education and work on involving the community. I don't think this is a school community afraid of budget cuts, so much as a community that wants to understand where they're coming from and know that they are reasonable cuts. That there is no foreign language, shop, home ec, computer, or everyday gym (since there is no outside/unstructured time) at the middle school, is ridiculous (not to mention the middle school facility is a brick oven waiting to happen - but that's a whole other issue). There is no room for an us against them stance; the board knows bottom lines, the community has it's priorities, and the educators understand what needs to be funded to provide for the students to offer a full curriculum with exciting and engaging programs. The three need to come together and I think that's my biggest strength - my role in the community, understanding of education, and ability to play well with others.

Time to take off from this thing and focus. I'll have to post some book reviews next time.

*waves* Hiya!

It appears that it took me an extra month to get to my typical October "whew, that was fun, thank god it's over."

So, a quickie October recap: The Humans Won (I'm sure you're all relieved). The game of Community Tag went very, very, very well. Almost too well. It got huge, and I ended up with gangs of middle and high schoolers (and some adults and elementary school kids) wearing yellow bands and wandering around town in search of zombies to nerf and humans to eat. The few negative comments came at me very indirectly. Apparently the attention I had garnered from the student population annoyed several teachers who made comments that the game was 'out of hand' (all comments delivered to me by someone else who overheard it - as no criticism was ever said to me directly). A few teachers complained that they didn't know the library was doing this (despite me putting the rules in the office and the library at the middle school a month before the game started, some of the teachers signing up, kids talking and planning it, newspaper articles, and an announcement on the school announcements that the game was starting), but hey what can I do? Anyway, almost no socks were found about town and the marshmallows quickly disappeared if any were left.

Who knows maybe next year we'll do Pirates Vs. Ninjas.

Meanwhile, the library put on a series on Death & Dying that went incredibly well. I admit, I really couldn't be involved too much with that, I just can't take the death and dying thing in the public setting.

In early November we had the most amazing program fall in our laps! Greg Mortenson, author of '3 Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace...One School at a Time' arranged with us to come to Bellows Falls and speak as a benefit to the library. We ended up moving it from the library to the middle school auditorium, which was perfect for hosting the 400-ish people that came to hear him speak. He was amazing, too. He presented a Powerpoint and spoke about how his sister's death, a failed mountain climb, and a wrong turn led him on the path to building schools and prioritizing education for girls in areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Once again, I did NaNoWriMo this past November. I didn't get more than a few chapters into a story, but I am quite pleased with what I managed to get out.

Now that winter is nearly here I've officially lost my voice for the rest of the winter >_< this Chronic Laryngitis is getting old.

All in all, most things have been really good.

So enjoy a few fun things:

I ordered Crowley and War and told Jay he could wrap them and take credit.

The best half-time show ever - after Pong when they broke into the Tetris theme, I was in stitches!


I admit, I've had many of these recordings on vinyl, cassette, and cd, and so this amused me.


What I'm Reading:

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie - (I want to switch his first and last name *every* time I say or type it) This one must be mentioned first as one of the best young adult books I've read this year.

Race and poverty aren't subjects Americans like to talk about. They're too loaded, too uncomfortable. But they are also too important to brush under the rug at a time when immigration issues loom large and there is greater disparity than ever between rich and poor.

It takes a master's hand to transform sociological issues into a page turner.

"The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian," Alexie's first novel for young-adult readers, draws on his own experiences growing up poor on an Indian reservation near Spokane, WA to tell a single year in the life of 14-year-old Arnold Spirit (aka Junior).

Arnold is the second child of parents who "came from poor people who came from poor people who came from poor people, all the way back to the very first poor people. Adam and Eve covered their privates with fig leaves; the first Indians covered their privates with their tiny hands."

Arnold's dad is an alcoholic who, given the chance, would have been a musician. His mom is a recovering alcoholic who, given the chance, would have gone to college. But there is no chance for reservation Indians to realize their dreams, Alexie writes from Arnold's first-person point of view.

Arnold wants to be an artist. He's constantly drawing comics about his life on crumpled scraps of paper, which the reader sees every few pages. These black-and-white drawings are by Seattle-based cartoonist Ellen Forney, who, through a mix of rough sketches and more artfully done images, captures the frustrated Arnold's isolation, anger and humor as well as the situations that are driving him to put pen to paper.

One of those situations involves a textbook so old that his mother's name is inscribed inside the front cover. When Arnold angrily throws the book in protest, it hits his teacher, which results in a broken nose for the teacher and a school suspension for Arnold.

That turns out to be a good thing. Mr. P, as the teacher is known, visits Arnold to tell him that he's the smartest kid in class but that he needs to leave the reservation's Wellpinit school if he's going to amount to anything. That means attending Reardan High in a farming town so far away and so unwelcoming to Native Americans that a bus isn't available; Arnold sometimes walks or hitchhikes when his dad can't afford the gas because he's spent the money on drink.

Distance-wise, Reardan is just 22 miles from the "rez," but culturally and spiritually, it feels like a million. At Reardan the only other Indian is the school mascot.

The high-school misfit is a familiar young-adult-story template, but Alexie makes it fresh because this particular misfit is one who doesn't often appear in print. As a poor Native American, Arnold's issues are different. He's called "Chief" and "Squaw Boy" (by the kids at school) and Apple (by fellow Indians on the rez, who say he's red on the outside and white on the inside).

Caught between two worlds -- a rez that considers him a traitor for trying to better his life and a well-to-do community that can't see beyond the color of his skin -- Arnold must earn their respect. At school, he starts by punching the star athlete. That morphs into a mutual respect, then an invite to join the basketball team, a friendship with the school genius and dates with Reardan's most popular girl.

On the rez, Arnold earns respect through homage to his culture, even if that culture seems to revolve around alcohol and death. His life is drenched in alcohol-induced violence. He's already been to more than 40 funerals in his life -- three of them while he's attending Reardan High. His grandmother is run over and killed by a drunk driver. His dad's best friend is shot in the face and killed over the last sip from a wine bottle. His sister dies in a trailer fire, too drunk to realize what is going on and save herself.

These sorts of tragedies are far removed from the lives of his peers at school, but they affect Arnold in a way that isn't defined in black and white, or as Indian versus non-Indian. As Arnold learns, the world isn't divided by color but by actions. You either step up, or you don't.

I don't know if I'm able to convey what this book left me with. This is a slice of life that I've never experienced except through print and art, but Alexie definitely made an impression on me with it.

Pretty Little Mistakes: A Do-Over Novel by Heather Mcelhatton - Remember those Choose-Your-Own Adventure novels? Well, this one is for the grown-ups. Yes, this is totally chick-lit, and yes, it's fun. Much like the old books though, somehow I always end up on the 'bad' endings, so far I've ended up addicted to meth, blown up, and as a waitress at Denny's. Also like the old books, I'm finding the ending I like and reading backwards to find out how to get there.

What I'm Watching:
I loved Enchanted - really, it hit the right note between ironic, charming, and satire for me. Finally a Disney princess flick I can live with seeing again.

Beowulf just pissed me off. Seriously. I've read Beowulf - several adaptations of it, in fact. This was not Beowful. I love Neil Gaiman and I know he was behind part of the writing, but OH MY GOD this just blew chunks, like monkey-ass-chunks. Seriously, what the hell did they think with all these kings having sex with Grendel's mother!? Plus, there is a seriously Austen Powers-ish segment in the beginning where they strategically hide the penis with suggestive props. I was so disappointed. It was a joke, and they blew it. I know I'm being a bit of a purist here, but really, they should have just changed the names, changed the title, and stuck Beowulf somewhere in the end of the credits as a source.

Stephen King's The Mist - Overall, I liked this one....mostly. Watching the people unwind and switch allegiances as a supernatural mist with bizarre creatures takes over was fascinating. The survival aspect of the plot was done well, even if this wasn't a jump out and BOOO!! GoTCHA horror film, it was entertaining. But the ending....oh that ending....they wanted to get a certain feeling from the audience and what they did was just too forced and manipulative and I felt like they had cheated.

They're coming to get you, Barbara....

First a quote for Jess from Hannah, uttered when describing the process of becoming a zombie in the Humans Vs Zombies game we're currently playing: "it happens when you get chomp-chomped by the uuuuurrrrrr people". Jess, if you read the rules carefully, I mentioned you - well, I was thinking of you, because if you were here and a zombie, I know you'd share.

Speaking of the game, it started yesterday - I have just under 200 people signed up (the ones who are officially playing anyway - as in they picked up their game pieces) and listed on the website on the Score page (including your sister and Dad, Katie, and your cousin, Jess).

This week is also school visits, so I have to be at the library at 8:00 nearly every morning this week. So, I'm snagging what will, quite literally be, the next 15 minutes before I have to go unlock the door for this morning's storytime to jump on here and give a quickie update.

In short: its insane. It's also truly awesome right now. Tonight I've got an Ancient Egypt and Mummies Family Fun night (mummify apples, practice pulling out brains on a pumpkin with a coat hanger - it's gross, fun, and I get a jack-o-lantern out of it - write your name in heirglyphics, toilet paper wrap relay game - it'll be awesome), tomorrow I'm doing it again after school with the Boys and Girls Club. Meanwhile, I'll see every class between K-4 here at the library. Finally, the zombie insanity has begun.

*whew*

So, the library is doing amazingly well. Really. The staff is just incredible, Tracy is an amazing director and just what this library needs. The board, well, a couple of them are involved and effective, the rest need some training to learn about being on a board (ok, first they need to understand that they need the training, right now the ones that most need it think they are "just fine"); however the chair of the board is a wonderful person and I think, of the entire trustee collective, the most reasonable and the one best suited to getting them in line and finishing up what could end up being an amazing library team. ::fingers crossed::

Ok, so, since I haven't posted this in forever:

What I'm reading:

The Epic of Gilgamesh - I decide to pick up Stephen Mitchell's decidedly non-academic translation, and it's excellent. Probably not for purists, but for the average reader, an accessible text.

Stardust (graphic novel version) - omg...it's beautiful.

Baltimore,: Or, The Steadfast Tin Soldier and The Vampire" - the art is amazing in this dark graphic novel. The story is at once horrific, dramatic, and poignant - touching on the horrors of war.

World War Z - This one is written by the guy that did The Zombie Survival Guide (Max Brooks). It's presented as if the zombie outbreak and war has already happened and he is travelling around the world to interview different key people and put together an oral history of what happened. Beginning with the outbreak, and the rumors, then the panic, then the war and the turning. What is amazing about this book is how much other stuff is actually going on in it. Zombies manage to be the bic lighter to the fuse that exists on a number of our cultural and human anxieties - from the breakdown of civilization to the corrupt government and medical industry, to reality tv.

Now parents and young children are arriving for storytime, so I really must close out for now. Minus editing and rewriting, so forgive and ignore the errors, please. I'll be clever next time.

I'm glad to read up on your blogs that you all are doing well. Have an incredible month and do your best to avoid being chomp-chomped by the uuuurrrrr people.

October will be spectacular!

Backstory:
Several months ago Wendy, the library programming, publicity, and outreach person, began discussing a program series on Death and Dying to take place this October that would involve Hospice, spiritualists, bereavement specialists, culture people, funeral directors, and a documentary about the Hallowell Singers. I think it's a great idea and for some people would make for a meaningful and thoughtful series. However, as I said to Wendy at the time: not for me. Hospice is an incredible organization they were there when I was 7 months pregnant and my father was dying of cancer at home; these other organizations and people do incredible things - but the bottom line is that there is no way I'm touching these subjects with the public, I get way too emotional about it and the last thing I need is a shot of me getting weepy in the paper. I said that I would help with publicity, put up flyers, set up/clean up the program room, but I was uncomfortable with it and wouldn't be able to really be involved.

Staff meeting a few weeks ago:
As most of you know, I'm a chronic insomniac and the less sleep I get the more my brain starts firing up in weird directions and the less the filter between my mouth and brain works correctly. So I think weird things and then I say them and often find myself either funny or offensive. Wendy was discussing the Death and Dying program in detail when my brain took her subject and made an independent leap and I found myself saying: "So, would it be in poor taste for me to do a zombie book group?"

There was a pause for a moment but then Tracy and Wendy both said that would be a really cool thing to do and began throwing out a few other ideas to go along with it (Day of the Dead, for example). Whhhaaaa? Really?

Present:
I'm having so much fun putting this October program together I feel compelled to keep asking Wendy, "I'm having a lot of fun....are you sure this is appropriate?"

The October Plan:
There are two different programs, although one of them is being adapted as both a family program and a middle school program.

The Family/MS program will revolve around Ray Bradbury's book "The Halloween Tree" and for each week I get to focus on some piece of the book - one week we'll do mummies (and mummify apples), another week we'll do Day of the Dead (and decorate sugar skulls - I've got someone from School for International Training coming over who said she was going to do something cool around it). I'm taking my birthday week off - at least a few days of that week. Then for the book group part we'll have a small chat and then watch the animated movie. So, that program - adapted for the groups will be on Monday nights for families and Thursday afternoon for the MS crowd.

The teen program......oh, I'm having waaaaaay too much fun here. Zombies!! Beginning in September I will be signing people up for a game that (I'm hoping) will last all month: Humans Vs. Zombies - I started telling the teens about it the other day after we went and saw Hairspray at the Weston Playhouse and I got calls from some parents that night asking if *they* could sign up too!

What is this zombie game? muahahahaha...click here for my rules. omg...this is going to be awesome. Seriously, click it, it is merely a .pdf of a slightly-needs-to-be-smoothed-a-bit flyer that I'll be posting about the game and the zombie book group (oh yeah, we're reading World War Z by Max Brooks)

We're also going to do a zombie movie thing (of course had to work in Dead & Breakfast and Shaun of the Dead), and the anime club will be watching horror anime for the month.

I'm beginning to realize that I've done it to myself again......expect a post in November (as I've done every November since starting this thing) that will run along the lines of: "Wow that was fun....it is all over.....why the hell do I always over-schedule myself every October?"

This is going to be epic.