Yikes!

So, have you ever wanted to see a dead scorpion up close? Yeah, me neither. Nonetheless, below is a picture of one in my kitchen. Inside. My. House.

It's a little over two inches. I am officially terrified living here!! For a while I called my rental place the "Spider Palace." Then, when I was woken at 4am by mice trying to chew through the wall, I dubed it "Vermin Palace." Now, I'll just call it Hell.

Pictures!

Here are some of the pictures I promised

This is my new yard

More yard

My pond

And a snake(the one not wearing the hat)!!! It's a king snake, which is a nice snake (cringe!)

My nieces, Lilian and Rose

My friend at her surprise birthday party

That's all for now!

Erin the Librarian

More changes are afoot. I've started a new job in a new town--and I am officially a Librarian! I'm the new reference librarian at a small yet historic junior college in a town that was once the capital of Georgia. I know I've pretty much spelled it out but it's fun imagining that I've stumped my readers (both of them). I get to teach a library orientation class, hopefully go to the classrooms to talk about our resources when research assignments are approaching their due date, weed and update the reference collection, attend conferences, travel to our distance learning centers, and generally be challenged each day and put my experience and master's courses skills to good use.

I'm super excited about this job and living in a (another) new town. I've rented an old 1837 farm house that has been renovated (not exactly updated but some modern conveniences have been made--indoor plumbing. That's it). It has a great view and lots of character. This past weekend was spent cleaning and attempting to hang my pictures. What a chore! My arms hurt in odd places and I'm still not 100% satisfied with the placement of the pictures in my dining room. Insects are also an issue right now. Professionals have visited the premises but have not defeated the overall grossness of spiders. I'm sure they are on their last legs (pun intended!) though and I'll be more relaxed at night once this happens.

In other news, I got to visit with my darling friend Frances and her precocious daughters (my nieces) a few weeks ago (will post photos soon). I finished Fearless Fourteen (so, so funny) and Undead and Unworthy and a few other teen books. Right now I'm listening to Northanger Abbey and reading another teen book Mira, Mirror (which is rather strange, I may not finish this one). I also saw Baby Mama when Frances was in town and finally watched the latest Rambo. It was surprisingly good and one of Stallone's better films (he only had about 10 lines). That's all the new news about me for now--again, I'll post some pictures soon.

@ your library

I'm not sure if most people are aware of this awesome theme that is currently being used at public libraries. Our summer program theme for teens is Metamorphosis @ your library featuring this creepy creature:

They have dozens more themes like Tune in @ your library and Explore your dreams @ your library. This is mostly used with the young adult and teen literature. I get alagraphics magazine through my ALA membership. The summer 2008 issue has all kinds of posters and bookmarks for sale.

These are some of my favorites:

If you've never read Unshelved, I strongly suggest you give it a try. It's funny to everyone, not just witty librarians ;-)

I'm a huge fan of X-men and this poster "speaks" to me.

This one is my absolute favorite. This is how I look when I'm at work and after work. I'm telling the truth, honest!

Anyway, the summer programs are in full swing. We had our henna tattoo workshop last week and it went really well with 20 in attendance--that's the most I've had at any event since I started them in January. We have one this month where we re-design boring T-shirts with cool retro stencils--I'm more excited about that one than the kids I think. Our last will be a theater makeup workshop. I spent a good part of my high school years, and a couple in college, involved in drama and I think this will be really enjoyable for everyone.

In other news, I saw the latest Indiana Jones installment and enjoyed it's foolishness. I also watched The Jane Austen Book Club which was surprisingly interesting. Don't get me wrong, I love, love, love Jane Austen's books but I've never been in a book club (I know, shocking) and I didn't really think it would grab my attention. Jane Austen in the title is the only reason why I requested it on Netflix. I'm currently reading Before Green Gables by Budge Wilson. It's subtitled as The Prequel to Anne of Green Gables. That's Anne spelled with an 'e'--if you've read the book you'll get my poor joke. This has been such a joy to read. I loved Anne of Green Gables. Wilson writes it as if she was the writer of the original series. The author of Scarlett could learn a thing or two from ol' Budge.

Vacation and Para Sailing Pix

This is the luggage of four women crammed in the car just before departure

Our first food stop upon arrival. Yummy rock shrimp and Mahi-Mahi!!
April, Me, Autumn, and Doreen

This was taken at Boston's, the best seafood I've had in a long, long time

Me and April

Alas, another meal. No seafood, just good ol' burgers

All of us againOur view from the condo, pretty sweet!
Getting ready to hop on the baby boat
The baby boat
Can you see me?
How about now?
There I am!!
Back on, then off the baby boat
Walking to the safety of land
We made it!!!
That's all folks...

Para-Soaring

Well, it's almost been a full week since I returned from my beach vacation. I must say that vacations are lovely but it feels like you need an extra few days just to recover from living out of a suitcase and riding in a car for hours. My friends and I visited New Smyrna Beach, FL for three full days and two half days (I know, that sounds like four full days but...we arrived Thursday night around 7pm, stayed all of Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and left around 1pm that Monday). We enjoyed the local cuisine (which was absolutely wonderful), attempted to boogie-board (essentially meaning we tried to ride waves to the shore on small, squishy boards), and three of us went para-sailing (thrilling and sickening at the same time!). We even had time to catch a movie, Made of Honor (very dull--the promiscuous male gets the sweet girl).

First, I'll discuss the cuisine. Thursday night we had rock shrimp and some mahi-mahi fish (fried--yum!). I've never had rock shrimp. They look very unappetising and have a tougher texture than regular shrimp but they were mighty tasty. The next night we ate at another local seafood restaurant. This was probably some of the best seafood I've had in my whole life. Tender and flavorful scallops, shrimp, fish, and clams. Another night was a greasy, yet scrumptious burger joint, and we wrapped up the food marathon with a fancy establishment where I had another first; roast duck. The duck was wonderful. It tasted like the whole thing was just dark meat, my favorite. Are you hungry yet?

Secondly, the boogie-boarding. This is nothing new to me. Most of my summers were spent in Myrtle Beach, SC so spending time in the ocean water is no new thing for me. When I was younger we rode the waves on a canvas raft. Same activity, new transportation device. The boogie-board is sturdier but the outcome is just as fun. I think I lost a layer of skin on my legs from riding too close to the shore. All those millions of broken shells are tough on delicate skin. The water was pretty cold so we only did the boogie-boarding on Saturday.

Thirdly, the para-sailing. I've wanted to do this for years. The problem is that it's pretty expensive and no one really wanted to go with me. I would have been fine going it alone but I always thought that certain activities are enhanced by the comaraderic (new word?) element. So, it was still expensive ($70 per person, yes, per person). My adrenaline was in overdrive as I ran to the shore waiting for the baby boat to take us and my two friends to the big boat. I felt a little seasick on the baby boat--this I would discover was nothing compared to the sickness while soaring in the air at 800ft. We all got our safety equipment on and saddled up for a unforgettable ride. The liftoff was the best part of all. It was just like a roller coaster but in reverse. We could see dozens of jellyfish in the water below, the coast of Daytona Beach and the boat below (obviously). It really was exhilarating. Then we went to our full 800ft (the baby option, they tried to get us to go 2000ft). And we started to sway back and forth, back and forth. The jellyfish became dots and the horizon started to blur. I was beyond ready to get down. After an eternity (actually 10 minutes) they lowered us back to the boat. The horror wasn't over yet. It seems that dragging fully clothed women through jellyfish infested waters is super fun entertainment. So three times we went in the water. When my feet finally hit the sand my need to strangle someone had subsided and all was right with the world. Until we got in the car. It seems the motion sickness had set in and a quick stop by CVS to purchase Dramamine was just what the doctor ordered. Pictures to follow soon!

On another note, I just finished reading Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie by David Lubar. This was a wonderful book. Everyone should read it because it's full of wit and all those freshmen high school memories that we all experienced. I'm currently reading Penelope (the one that Reese Witherspoon made a movie out of) by Marilyn Kaye and Dead Over Heels (part of the Undead series I like so much)by MaryJanice Davidson. I'm enjoying both immensely.

At work we are busy getting ready for the summer reading programs. I'm diligently working on the teen activities. We're going to have henna tattoo, t-shirt alteration, and theater make-up events for each month of the program (May, June, July). A reading contest is also in the works where you earn points against an opposing team and prizes are won during each stage. I think I'm most excited about the t-shirt program. Well, enough about me for now.

Taxes, Humor, Poetry--Oh, My!

What a month April has been!! I am beyond ready for April to be over. This has nothing to do with the fact that I'll be leaving for vacation on May 1st. Working in a library during tax season is like volunteering for dental work. I think we should go through an IRS training course. Customers are in need of free advice and paperwork. We have neither. We cannot offer advice or understanding of the forms, instructions, or tax tables and the forms we do have must be coped and paid for. The forms for copying only include the federal forms. State forms can only be printed from the Internet. April is also national humor and poetry month. The humor part I can understand, everyone needs a little humor to deal with the stress of taxes. Poetry is another issue. I am not a fan of poetry, not even my own bad poetry written to express my angst and heartbreak. I believe that poetry is personal and only the author understands the full meaning.

Enough about April, how about me? Well, I'm still listening to romance thrillers in my car, enjoying my odd selection from Netflix, and spending money at the lovely Ann Taylor Loft. I love that store!! I did go to the Fern Bank Museum but it was not what I expected. There were a few schools visiting that day also and the museum really is geared more toward a younger crowd. Also, while waiting in line to purchase my ticket a roach fell on my arm!!! I cringed for hours. The gift shop had some unique jewelry but it was too pricey for me. I saw the movie Dan in Real Life which I loved, and I watched a very dissapointing mini-series called The 10th Kingdom.

I'm reading Lucky You by Carl Hiaasen. It's caught my interest but I wouldn't say it's a page turner. I'm going to check out some really cheezy romances for my beach vacation. I'll be sure to take post worthy pictures and try not to spend too much money.

Leap Day

I almost forgot! I feel like I should celebrate or something. Maybe I could do something on this day and then only do it again in another four years. Can't really think of anything momentous enough--maybe get a perm! Just kidding. Instead, I'll just be happy for all the people who only have their actual birthday once every four years. I hope that means they get quadruple the presents.

Here are those snow pictures I mentioned:

This is the view from my balcony:


This is the awesome amount of snow that was accumulating on my driver's side window:


This was taken while I was speeding down the road (I'm so James Bond):


Work is still going well. I had my second teen event a couple weeks ago. It went pretty well. Eleven kids came and there was absolutely no chocolate left. I didn't even eat any--I must have been too nervous. I attended my first staff day and it was a great chance to meet and greet all the people I never get to see during the regular work week. There are sooo many of us working for this library system. Our director is a hoot and her pride is infectious.

Tax time is here and goodness are people eager for those forms! We don't have all the forms at the library. This is unpleasant news for about 99.9% of the customers who come by for forms. We do have links to the sites for the forms but this is not what they want. This time of the year is always stressful but working here makes that stress more acute.

I finally finished listening to Timeline by Michael Crichton. It was kind of exciting but had a good bit of tech jargon that I didn't understand. I watched the movie this week. It had more adventure but I think it could have been better. I'm still reading the Undead series but I'm on the last book. For some reason I haven't read the last two as quickly as I did the first four. They are just so witty, I'll be sad when I finish this last one. However, there are oodles of books I want to read so I think I'll recover quickly from my loss. Speaking of recovering--I'm finally in the last stages of an illness that has lovingly been dubbed the funk. It started last week and I got laryngitis this week. Now I just have an old man's cough and a slightly squeaky and raspy voice. Think 13 year old boy squeaky and raspy, not Demi Moore.

My posters have arrived and all but three have been framed. I have no idea how I want to arrange them on my walls. I assume the project will take several hours and several bad words. I can't afford to make numerous holes in my walls so I have to get it right the first time. This was never a issue while I lived with my folks--their walls, their problem.

No School = No Life?

Hardly! I've been having a blast. It's amazing all the wonderful things I have always enjoyed have been even better now. Watching the food network, shopping, going out to eat with friends, even exercising, all of which take up my time, can be done without the guilt!! I'm reading the Undead series by MaryJanice Davidson. Very witty humor and fun story line. I had to read her werewolve series to stay on track. New characters were discussed and I had no idea who they were. With a little research (did I mention that along with completeing my Masters, I now have wicked mad research skills!?!?!) I realized that she started another series and then they merge in Dead and Loving It. My degree was mailed last month so I will be able to frame it, along with my undergrad degree (I know). My other artwork will hopefully be framed this month as well and my apartment won't look so drab, dull, and depressing (the three D's).

Work has been super busy. I've been rearranging the entire teen section, shifting shelves, moving furniture, weeding the entire collection--searching for damaged books (I found one with a squished raisin in it!). I've already had my six month evaluation even though I have not technically been employed for six months. They think I'm awful and should rethink my career choice (oh wait, that's me). They seem to like me just fine and think I have lots of energy (what on Earth are they talking about?). I'm still wearing my 'In Training' ribbon of shame under my name tag. I get the strangest and most frustraiting looks from that stupid ribbon! People approach, see the flaming red sign of stupidity, look back at my face and this look of sympathy (not, 'poor thing, she has to wear that stupid tag,' but, 'trained monkeys could do this, why can't she?'), and then the 'oh, I don't know if you can help me.' Let's see....yes, I can take the payment for your fine, yes, I can tell you where the bathroom is, yes, I can issue you a library card. I repeat--I can help you!!

It snowed here in January, twice. It was so beautiful. I took lots of pictures (I'll post a couple) but none are really fantastic. It's been a very long time since I've seen snow and I've never driven in it. It wasn't sticking to the road so I was in pretty good shape. The kids in my apartment complex were having loads of fun. I was a little sad because there was little grass for them to play on but I did see a snowman and the remnants of a snowball fight.

Happy New Year!!

I've got a splitting headache but I'm still super excited about the new year! Hopefully I'll be able to apply for a new (higher paying) job soon and this will be my first school free year since 2004. Not much interesting going on these days. Just traveling to visit with friends, family and my second family the Wilsons:


This is Frances' nephew John. He is so incredibly sweet and loving, I'd have ten just like him if I could.


This year I should be able to visit Frances in Ohio because...you guessed it---no dang classes!!

So my new year's resolutions are to keep up with what I've been doing for my health (eating right, exercising), start violin lessons again, travel more, be more mindful of my attitude(s), and laugh more than I want to.

Work has been very busy the last few days with returns and school out for the kiddies. I just finished listening to Abarat: Days of Magic, Nights of War on audio book. It was just as weird as the first and I'm not sure if there will be a third. Right now I'm listening to You Suck by Christopher Moore--sequal to Bloodsucking Fiends. It's already got me laughing. I'm reading Cracks in My Foundation by Marian Keyes (one of my fav. authors) which is a hilarious collection of short stories and essays. I'll also start Undead and Unwed by Mary Janice Davidson. It's the first in a series and I can't wait to finish them all.

Anyway, best of luck and happiness for the new year!