I'm working, really.

I always steal stuff from Amanda (she actually has an interesting blog).

Here is what I look like everyday in the library. I even have a dachshund following me around all the time...

On the Road Again...

Hello readers (I really hate the word blogosphere, or well, blog in general).

I hope everybody is surviving winter, from my friends in snowy Colorado and New Hampshire, to my friends in sunny Florida and Southern California.

Georgia has been quite agreeable. If we do ever get anything bad, it's usually an ice storm. Luckily the ice has avoided the area thus far, making me very happy. Humidity mixed in with cold temperatures, however, are not pleasant. People think that Indiana is humid, when I'd take 20 degree weather in Indiana over 40 degree weather in Georgia any day. Alright, enough about the weather.

I'm invading the mid west (it's been almost 7 months) this weekend. I know I talk/write about it wayyy too much, but I love the annual Chicago trip and hanging out with my aunts and cousin. My mom is joining us this year, so that should be a nice addition. I have to keep telling myself that I have way too many things to save for, and to NOT buy shoes and clothes. Only chocolate.

The weekend of the 10th, I'm going to Colorado to visit Jon. I haven't been to Colorado in 2 and 1/2 years, and never during the winter, so I am super excited (in addition to seeing Jon of course). I should be out there monthly from now on, and I'm looking forward to exploring the amazing nature (no mountain lions please) out there. I was so skeptical about the whole long distance thing because I've had really horrible experiences with guys in the past. Luckily, Jon lives somewhere really cool (not to mention that Jon is just a great guy in general), so I am enjoying the long distance much more than originally thought. Please don't snow!

My grandparents are coming to visit the weekend after that, mainly to see their great grandson, but to also see us. I love my grandparents, but it's difficult to watch them age. My grandmother just experienced some crazy eye surgery. She's lucky that she can still see. My grandfather got a case of gout a few years ago, and it's affecting his movement. Despite all of this, they are still very healthy (my grandmother is 81 and my grandfather turns 80 this year). I'm more worried about their minds (my grandmother has her master's in Education and my grandfather has his doctorate in biology) and dementia and such (particularly with my grandmother). That is far more heartbreaking than watching them physically degrade.

All of this is occurring in my least favorite month, February. I thought that I was going to beat February's ass last year, but it definitely took me down with vengeance mid-month. This year, I'm going to try to go with the flow and try not to remember that my only deceased grandparent died during this month, that any sort of break up, spat, whatever with a guy happened during this month, that multiple friends had different personal break-downs during this month, that it's so freaking cold and dreary during this month, etc. I hope to gain some sort of positive feeling towards February this year, not only for myself, but for others as well.

I've been reading a string of teen-y novels (besides the fact that I really like YA lit., we just moved our teen books out of the children's collection into a collection of it's own, so I've been doing "research") lately, only to start my classics promise when I finish the last traveling pants novel on which I am currently reading. More on that later.

It might be a while before I update again (maybe not), so everybody have a safe, and hopefully joyous start to February!

Choose Your Own Adventure

Does anybody remember those books as a kid? I used to read my brother's collection obsessively. My favorite book was one about Stonehenge. I think it was instrumental in launching my obsession with that place actually, so seeing it and actually being able to put my arms around the stone a couple of years ago was fantastic.

Anyways, I feel like my life is becoming one of those books... not that I'm going to die around the next corner (although I suppose that's always possible), but I get that same excited feeling about it as when I read the books as a kid. For once though, I feel like I am making good choices and not warping myself into something that I'm not to fit onto some other path. We are ultimately, the choices that we make, so why not make good ones (after you've learned from the bad of course).

With the exception of a brief trip in December, I really haven't left Georgia. This has felt incredibly confining as I am used to travel. Even as a college student, I would get away a lot for various color guard events. My last semester I drove/flew out of state every single weekend for four months. Even in graduate school, I would go visit my relatives in Illinois or travel again with color guard, or go home to Georgia. I love being home (I am a major homebody) but sometimes I need a change of scenery to appreciate home more. Luckily, I am out once a month, every month until August this year, starting in a couple of weeks. I can't tell you how much I am looking forward to it all.

So what have I been reading lately? Right now I'm into a book called The astonishing life of Octavian Nothing: traitor to the nation (young adult). It's a two volume series about this African American boy in the Revolutionary War period dealing with slavery and experimentation (experimentation at first meaning education on both his and his mother's parts, then cruelty). It's an interesting read because you can tell that the author is trying to incorporate key revolutionary events into the story. They also have an interesting thing called a Pox party, where guests come for weeks and they infect themselves with small pox and all get sick together. yum. It kind of reminds me of some Edgar Allan Poe story with colored rooms (okay it's been about ten years) and people being sick... anybody? Oh and as I was posting the link, I found out that this book won the National Book Award (EDIT: also named a Printz honor book today).

I'm so excited to hear about the Newbery, Caldecott, and Printz winners... coming soon!

Well, I am going to go enjoy sitting in bed (as my dog sleeps at its foot) for a few more minutes before getting ready to go out to lunch with friends. Have a great week!

My Secret Life, Well, According to Jon...

I've been having trouble thinking of things to blog about as of late. There's really nothing to talk about except books (which is always a good subject for me, but I realize that 3 out of the 4 people who read this blog get bored with book talk) and where I'm going to travel. I refuse to get too involved in politics or issues that kind of matter because who knows who can actually read this thing and use it against me someday.

So I'm telling my boyfriend about this dilemma of mine. He's super creative and decided to write an entry for me, as if it was written by me. I must note that he loves to mock me for being a super dork (mainly because he's one too and can do that without it being demeaning). I must also note, and you should get this unless you're really stupid, that this story is COMPLETE fiction, and that some of the things that I say or do, I don't necessarily agree with in real life (ex. I don't catalog books and I don't database my kitchen utensils, and I would never call my dog a "rat dog", and I don't plan on leaving my job anytime soon for Colorado). Also note that the agency listed that I supposedly work for is very similar to a popular Harry Potter fan site. But here it is. I hope it is at least a bit more interesting than my previous entries.

I realize my life is not very interesting….in fact I know it is not. Why I write in this blog is beyond me. I guess it is habit, or maybe I want to believe that somebody out there actually cares about what I do with my life. Scratch that, I know there is somebody out there that cares. Unfortunately, I don’t have the luxury, the mean or the will to actually find out, say for those who comment on this blog. Is my life really worth dialogging on a monthly, no, weekly basis? I can hear my inner monologue as I write this. A witty voice inside my head reading what I write. I think I will make her British. Yeah, a cheeky Brit girl is my inner voice. I find that people respond more to elegant accents, especially one that uses fun words such as, arse and shag.

Dear god, I have just turned this entry into Bridget Jones’s diary. I am not some middle aged, lonely, British woman looking for a lover, I promise…... Where was I? Oh yes, my life. As you can imagine the life of a bibliophile, as exciting as it sounds, is not in the least exciting as I want to imagine it. As a librarian, I am limited to daily tasks such as cataloging and checking out books and the even more mundane, ordering books. If my love of books wasn’t so great, I would think that I’d hate my job. But being that my love for books is tremendous, I absolutely love what I do! I just wish I could have a change of venue, somewhere less like Georgia, and more like…let’s see…Colorado, yeah, Colorado!

I find that it is a rare thing that one actually enjoys what he does. When I am not ordering books for the small university library, I so HAPPILY work in; I spend my time reading young adult novels, and databasing my cooking utensils. Yes, I know what you are thinking how can anyone live like this? Well, unless they live with their parents, no one can live like this! As exciting as it sounds, that is my life… well until recently. What I am not telling my readers is my real life. Yes, you read correctly. Believe it or not, all this academic book-loving-bull-shite I so lovingly pretend to enjoy is nothing but a farce… A debauchery if you will. You see, I belong to a group so secret, so underground, that the secret government agencies don’t even know that we exist. Before I go, on I must warn you that what you are about to read, you will not remember once you are finished. In fact, it is impossible to remember this entry no matter how many times you read it. That is because this entry contains a higher power… This entry is enchanted. Those who look at it will remember the words when they are reading it, but as soon as they look away, they instantly forget its contents. It won’t even be a distant memory. It would be as if it never existed. I am sorry to disappoint you, but this enchantment is a must. My organization can not afford to be compromised. So enjoy this while you read it because you will never hear it again…

You are probably asking yourself why, and more importantly, how I became a part of an organization so secret that reading about it erase your memory, and why would I risk writing about it on the internet. I write about it for my protection. So, if I shall have my memory erased as well, my story will never be lost… So I can be assured that somewhere, someone, even if it is for a brief instant, will know who I am and what I was. Hell, I may even stumble across this and read about myself, a self that does not exist anymore. There may be some off chance that if this is the case this entry may jump start my mind allowing me to remember my alternative life.

Interestingly enough it was my love of books that brought me to this organization, collectively known as the Muggle Net. The Muggle Net is an organization dedicated to the survival and secrecy of witches and wizards. We are a liaison, between the world of magic and the world of humanity. We are the keepers of secrets that pre-date time. We have operatives in every branch of government and on every police force. The MugNet, works behind the scenes to protect a secret so immense that penetrates every part of life. That déjà-vous feeling you get…..that is a side-effect of coming in contact with a magical entity. The MugNet keeps tabs on the non magical folk that have in some way knowingly or unknowingly come in contact with it. You can imagine what hysteria there would be if everybody knew that magic was real. My job is dangerous. I, myself, have been on the receiving end of spells and charms dealt by those who worship the dark arts. If it was not for my protection charms, who knows what state I would be in.

As I have said before, it was my love of books that led me to join Muggle Net. One series of books in particular, the Harry Potter series is what lead me to the organization. You may think that Harry Potter is fiction. You’d be wrong. Harry is real and so are his adventures. I fact the whole cast is real. J.K. Rowling is a Muggle Net informant. Her mission is to write of wizards and witches and present them as fiction in order to help strengthen the Muggle Net cause. Her writings have helped Muggle Net bring only best brightest non magical folk to our organization. It is because of her that I believe and that I am part of MugNet. Let me explain my story.

The day that changed my life started as usual, my damn dog decided to annoy the crap out of me that morning until I woke up and put him on the bed. Then, after two minutes he decided to jump down, only to want to get back up two minutes later…….and so it went….That stupid little rat dog… all I wanted to do was sleep!!!!! I was dead tired from the day before. I had a hard day of ordering books at the library followed by a night of extensive databasing. I am proud to report that my spatulas have properly numbered and filed away. Needless to say the antics my dog was pulling that morning was undesirable. Unbeknownst to me there was a reason for his eccentric behavior. Dogs have been known to sense things that a person can not feel. Of course at the time I did not know this, I just thought He was being a pest. I finally managed to drag myself out of bed since my dog would not let me sleep. I wrapped my self in my lovely soft on sale for $7 robe, and made my way downstairs to see what the entire ruckus was about. I was startled to find that my parents had been what seemed to be frozen in time. As a matter of fact, the world around me seemed paused. My mother seemed to be in the middle of pouring herself a cup of coffee. The stream of liquid resembled a frozen brown waterfall with a billow of soft mist dead in midair. My father dressed for work was halfway out the door in mid-stride. My heart beat rapidly and I wiped my eyes hoping that when I removed my hands from my face I would wake up to find the normal routines of life moving again. But to no avail, my attempt to wake up was futile. I stood there mystified in my PJ’s. My dog came running up to me and bit the cuff of my pant leg, his attempt to pull me into the living room. Why had he not been frozen? I would soon find out.

One thing I did notice was the sweet smell of pipe tobacco. It permeated the entire house. My parents did not smoke a pipe. Where was it coming from? As soon as I noticed, a voice billowed out across the room and directly toward me.

“Are ya jist goin’ to stand there all day, or ya goin’ to come enjoy a wee bit of pumpkin juice with me?”

How did he know I was there? I had not made a noise. I cautiously made my way into the foyer adjacent to the living room. I poked my head around the door frame. On the sofa was a rather plump man with frizzy white hair and beard wearing very small round spectacles and reading a rather large dusty and worn out book. His clothes were as tattered and disheveled as his hair. He seemed fully engrossed with what ever he was reading. On the coffee table in front of him sat a rather large silver tray with a complete tea service. Interestingly enough, none of the pieces in the service matched. They weren’t even all silver. I stared inquisitively at the whole scene. Without breaking his concentration from his tome he said:

“Well, come on in lass. You got nottin’ to be afraid of.”

“Who are you? And what happened to my parents?” I asked

“Oh, I wooldn’t worry yer self aboot them. They’ll be ookay. Me name is Billings, Archibald Billings at your service. Now come here and talk wit me.”

For some strange reason I was not afraid. I actually felt like I could trust him. By this time my dog had made his way to the sofa and jumped right up on Billings’ lap. Amazingly he did not bark or growl at Billings. Those of you who know my dog know that he does not like anyone.

“Ya got ya self a mean little tike there.”

“Yeah, I am very surprised by his behavior. He never takes kindly to strangers.”

“Oh, I jist ave a way with animals, that’s all. Any way I bet your wonderin’ why I’m here. Am a right lass?”

“Are you a wizard?”

“Aye, you are a bright one. I am a wizard. In fact I lead a of a group a muggles that are very special. Like ya self lassy.”

“Muggles? For real?”

“Aye. Believe it or not thems story you read, they’re real.”

“Real!!! You mean………”

“Aye, every bit o them. And cause ya believe in them is why I’m here this morn. I want you ya to join me group. Will ya be a part of the Muggle Net?”

“Muggle Net, what is that?”

Billings poured me a cup of juice and explained to me the inner workings of magic and wizardry. He told that witches and wizards relied on muggles more times than not, especially when in trouble. He told me that from this point on, my life would change forever and the Muggle Net must never be talked about to any one.

“What ya say lass? Ya in?”

I thought about it for a moment. I don’t why I said yes. Maybe it was because I wanted to believe in something, I wanted to be special. All my life I dreamed of something better, something more. I knew there was more to this world and it had just come full force into my living room. I wanted to be part of something. Change my life? Yes it did. Do I regret my decision? Hell no. Sure dodging curses and always looking behind my back gets old, but so does databasing my cooking utensils. I am a part of Muggle Net. You know what that says? Elite! Life is more than just living…

Hold on………….Flash traffic on the Muggle Net Band. I gotta go! Official Hogwart’s business. Thank you for reading this. I am glad that you have gotten to know me. I am truly sorry that you will never remember me. Such is the life a Muggle Net agent. Maybe I’ll see you in the future… too bad you won’t know who I am…

Obliviate!

WHY am I here???

Well, I'm in the blogosphere for a reason...

Anyways, I'm working on a Sunday. It kind of worked out well. It's one of the girl's, who typically works weekends, birthday today and the third person who used to work weekends no longer works here, and I need to make up for a day that I need off in early February (yay Chicago)... so it worked out. Very few people are here and I am advancing nicely on my prep work for the serials evaluation study that I will complete in March. I'm going to break some hearts with all of that information!

I'm actually okay with having such a flip-flop schedule at this time in my life. I have a "set" work schedule but it rarely works out that way with school holidays, times that I need to fill in for other workers, vice versa, etc. My commitments are minimal... travel dates are about it. I don't have a pet (well I do, but it's technically my parent's), my friends are usually working or available when I am, Jon lives about 1,800 miles away from me, etc. If there was ever a time to have a weird schedule, (besides college and graduate school) this is it and I'm glad to help people out when I can.

ANYWAYS, I don't really have much to update. I'm currently trying to finish up Inkspell (there really will be a third one of these... uggh) on work meal breaks, and reading Margaret Atwood's The Robber Bride. I had problems understanding her writing at first, but I am enjoying it now (I'm about 150 pages into it). The characters are all have really different personalities, but some of the same emotions. She also only gives out crucial information bits at a time, which is good because it makes me want to read more to figure it all out. I also acquired a lot of classics over the break and have decided to read them in between library-loaned current books of my liking. I think I will like the classics more this time around because a. I'm not reading them for school b. I'm not reading them in French and c. I'm older, and therefore, should be able to understand them a bit better (well, maybe). I'm pretty excited for my 2007 "read" list to start accumulating.

Well, that's about it. Besides some way-too-far-away-to-discuss-here travel plans for summer 2008, I've been pretty boring. Maybe I'll update later today with a fun quiz or something. For now, I'm back to the wonderful world of print serials.

Happy 2007!

I hope everybody's 2007 is off to a great start.

My break from work is coming to an end. Tomorrow I start back into the normal routine. Luckily it's only a three day week, so it won't be too depressing.

These past two weeks have been great. Christmas was wonderful, especially Christmas Eve dinner. The lobster was fantastic and the company, even more fantastic. For the first time this year, I also experienced Christmas dinner, which was equally as wonderful.

My parents fell ill with a stomach virus that is still affecting my father to this day. I have been able to avoid it somehow thus far (I'll get it on a work day and have to take time off, with my luck), but I think I have passed it on to others, so stay away from me if you can!

On the 28th, Jon and I went to North Carolina to visit Smoky Mountain National Park and Highlands. Despite a 5 hour detour on scary dark roads when they cut off the North Carolina route in the park, we had a lot of fun and saw a lot of waterfalls. It was SO nice to get away from Georgia for a couple of days.

New Years was fun too. I spent it at Paige's and hanging out with Jon, Adrian, etc. Did anybody else see Dick Clark? Perhaps last year should have been his last bash. It was depressing to watch.

Overall, I'm starting the year off on a good note. I'm looking forward to all of the travel and such!