Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays to all our friends and family!

I am a bit late with this new form of communication, as my sending of Christmas cards have fallen off the list of what to do during the holidays. Can't say I miss it, but appreciate getting them from friends and family.

I also had to think back as to what has transpired over the year and have gotten to the point where I need to start keeping notes so i can refresh the memory.

2014 began rather badly with the loss of Moses, our cat of 19 years. Perhaps it wasn't a bad thing, as we all know what kind of reputation Moses had. Despite his white beauty of pure good, he was an evil son of a bitch.

Cranky and cantankerous. Except to Alan. He was always sweet to Alan. What does this mean?

Andrew continues to keep school on his radar screen and hopes to get back to the task at hand this spring. He is so close to finishing at this point. He has had a few set backs this year, which he is overcoming. And he never loses his sense of humor.

Maddie has applied to 9 universities for admission in the fall of 2015. 4 have come back so far, with acceptances to all of them. And 3 offered her money. is it enough money to make it affordable? Ah, no. We will all have some decisions to make about this in the coming weeks.

Alan continues his long commute to work, despite his status of being able to retire. That's what happens when you have one more to send to college.

I have also met that milestone-can now officially retire. I can dream about it, but not put it into reality. I do love my job, but I could easily walk away from the drunk patron who taped a horse tail in his motorcycle helmet and the guy who arrives in the building in a bathing suit and raincoat with plastic bags on his shoes. I won't miss that.

We traveled to FLorida in the August to visit Nick and Cindy. Yes, it was beastly hot. I can hear all of you saying-they went to Florida in AUGUST??? Are they nuts? yes we are.

Maddie and I took a short trip top New Orleans to see the Ravens play in November. Love that town and all it stands for-drinking, great food, and music. And a cast of quirky characters.

I following up with a short trip to Vegas with the mother. Never been, so new experience for both of us. My mother can keep up with the best of us, especially if you sit her at a bar and throw in some new people to chat with. She will talk to anyone. Bartenders, maids( and they don't even need to speak English), bellhops, cowboys, gamblers, and 65 year old cocktail waitresses in mini skirts. Probably her kind of town.

I got a Fitbit for my birthday, which measures how many steps you are waling in a day, as well to show you are sleeping at night(I apparently wake up a lot during the night-maybe due to Alan's snoring). This can be a good thing and a bad thing. it can serve as an incentive to keep moving and getting your daily 10,000 steps in. I found myself circling my brothers house on thanksgiving a few hundred times just to reach my quota. And it can serve as your biggest guilt trip. Just look how lazy you really are. I prefer the positive.

Wishing all of you a safe and joyful new year and good health and prosperity!

The Adams family

and speaking of Vegas..

As I have returned from my journeys, I share with you the musings of our own vegas like clientele...

Today, shortly after 11:00am, a man (Robert) walked in and came to the desk to tell Alex and I that his housing complex was bombing for bugs so he would be in the library until about 6pm tonight. He continued to talk about various topics for the next 50 minutes. I sense that there may be something mentally wrong with him.

A few of the stranger things that he said:

1.) He told us that he used to be the reindeers at the store across Ritchie. He said that I probably visited him when I was a child and asked how old I was. I told him, and he said he was sure I would have visited him when I was a child. He wants to be Santa this year.

2.) He told me that he only had $6 to buy food with because he gives all his money away. He said on Veteran's day he had spent $30 on food for 2 homeless veterans. When I told him that I thought that was nice of him he very seriously told me that he is not a nice person. Not a nice person at all.

3.) He said several times (jokingly?) that he was going to steal our magazines. He put some in his bag and said he was going to steal them, and walked through the security gate. He turned around in the lobby and came back and said, “See, I told you I was going to steal them.” I told him that if he had kept walking I would definitely have to call the police on him.

4.) He also told Alex and I that we were beautiful and that men must throw themselves at Alex in particular. He said he liked her sparkly lanyard and when she told him it was a gift he said something along the lines that men like to give gifts to pretty women. I told him that I was the one who gave Alex her lanyard and that stopped his talking for a few moments.

I emailed Brian and Jesse a few times to save us. He walked away when Brian came out front, but came back when Brian went back into the staff room. I was off the desk at 12, and all was quiet for a short period of time.

Around 12:20 Denise came into the backroom to tell me that the man was trying to give Alex a gift. I walked out and saw that he handed her his mother’s World War II dog tag (which he had shown me earlier. He also told me that he had given away his father's tag which he really regretted). She told him she couldn’t accept it, and I told him that she really couldn’t. I tried to hand it back to him but he said he wouldn’t take it, I could throw it away if I wanted to and it was hers and walked away from the desk. We put it in the lost and found. 5 minutes later he came back to the desk to tell me that he was leaving to go to the mall, and that I should tell the other lady (Alex) to wear the tag in memory of his mother. I stated again that she really couldn’t accept it, that we can’t take gifts from customers, and asked him to please take it with him. He said no and left the building.


The library comes in handy sometimes...


On Tuesday evening, an AA County Police detective approached the information desk and asked for assistance. He said that he had a man under arrest for a robbery that took place on Monday evening, Nov. 24. He was arrested based on a photo line-up "identification" by the person who was robbed. The arrested person stated that he was here in the library at the time of the robbery working at a computer. Michelle and I took the detective back to the video camera and quickly brought up images from the time period on Monday night when the robbery took place. It was quickly apparent that the man who had been arrested was in the library during the robbery. Michelle created a disc with two pictures: one at 5:30 p.m. and one a 6 p.m. covering the time when the robbery occurred. The detective took the disc to help clear the accused man. Note--on November 25th the Capital printed an article about the arrest of the man for the robbery and printed his name. On November 26th WBALTV printed an article on their website that stated the individual was released due to "additional case enhancement", and that the police department reached out to the State's Attorney's Office to drop charges against him.

leg 2 Las Vegas baby

There is no way to accurately describe Las Vegas. It is big, over the top, ostentatious, and vulgar, yet makes no excuses for itself. That is what it is. It is hotels outdoing each other. Where else can you go on a gondola ride at the Venetian and ride a roller coaster at New York, where you need to walk under the Brooklyn Bridge to get into the building. it is filled with high rollers and high end socialites who shop exclusively at barney'd and Jimmy Choo's, and your homeless who spend their days in the lobbies in the gargantuan hotels. it is very easy to get lost in Vegas, simply due to building size. The Aria has 4000 rooms, 568 of them are suites. Casinos can be a 1/4 mile long. It is visually overwhelming, which can make it so fun. Fortunately, we had no incidents of chickens in the room or tigers in the bathroom after a night of drinking.

We made a short trip to the north end of the strip, where you can find older casinos and downtown Vegas. it is somewhat seedier-years of neglect and in bad need of fresh paint or perhaps a bulldozer. Circus Circus is one of these hotels. We made an attempt to stay at the hotel to see a circus act (foot juggling), but it was too depressing. Especially when the 65 year old cocktail waitress approached us in the casino and asked if we wanted a cocktail-dressed in a mini skirt and a tube top. She looked weary, like I should have gotten her a cocktail.

It's worth a visit. And i would be open to returning with my peers. Just to see if the cocktail waitress was still running drinks in the casino of Circus Circus. Perhaps a second career for me.

new orleans musings

Saturday night

I have just returned from a trip to the Big Easy, where every time I go, I come away with a different perspective. We traveled with a group who organizes Ravens road trips. I was a bit leery at first, as communication was sparse, but it all came together. It was a group of 214, so pretty impressive to move that many bodies without a hitch.
Saturday began with a reception with an open bar. Which can be dangerous in this city. Fortunately it was a 21 and over event and Maddie wasn't able to attend so I curbed my drinking to be fairly reasonable. It is a city that simply promotes, encourages, and celebrates alcohol. You can carry alcohol everywhere, into establishments, out of establishments, up to drive through margaritas, driving with margaritas, it is everywhere. What may set that off is the incredible cuisine and the music scene. We had a lunch to remember at the Gumbo shop, where they prepare jambalaya, gumbo, red beans and rice, and crawfish chowder.
Breakfast was the Ruby Slipper, where they offer 11 different kinds of eggs benedict. And great bloody marys. Dinner was at the haunted Muriel's on Jackson Square, where I sipped on Turtle soup, and had pecan crusted drum. We popped upstairs to the seance room to visit the ghost and off to see the drunks of NOLA.
Ravens game was icing on the cake, as we came away with a win. Scary stadium though...very high with a steep pitch and high steps to the top. Fans couldn't have been nicer, even drunk. As most people are. All the time. As I heard from someone-there are no rules when it comes to alcohol-they do as they wish.

So, just as I recover from one sin city, I am off to another on the other coast-Las Vegas. I might need to check into a recovery center.

comings and goings

Now that I have recovered from the mid year elections, I am back looking forward to better activities. Let me just say I am appalled by the election of Michael Peroutka as a county council member (and embarrassed). he is from the constitutional party and believes all laws should be part of God's will and the bible. Holy hell...

I attended a Maryland Terps game on Saturday with the ladies-couple of Michigan fans and a couple of Maryland fans.We arrived sort of late-about 2 hours before the game started to tailgate with the fans. However, they all have been drinking and partying since 9 AM and were quite trashed. And the whold parking area was trashed as well. Maddie and Courtney got the full picture of football games at big schools.

We leave Saturday for football in NOLA. And some debauchery. Well, a little. Lots of music and great eats.

That is followed by Thanksgiving..another major eating event. Oh boy.

Crowned by Vegas with mom. I shouldn't need a bail bondmen number should I?

Thinking of Julie on this one year anniversary today.

world we live in

My co-worker's daughter is in graduate school at Hopkins for public health. She commutes each day to Hopkins-no easy feat when you live in Anne Arundel county. It simply amazes me how inept we are in public transportation between 3 cities-2 of which are quite large.
In any case, she decides to visit the market on Broadway. As she is going into the building, there is a homeless gentleman outside the market and asks her for money. She says she doesn't have any. he then says he is starving and even some food would be a big help. She also doesn't have anything. She goes into the market to get her lunch and as a public health advocate, feels she should try and help this poor man. She has enough money for her sandwich, a drink, and chips. She also buys a 3.00 ham sandwich to give to him, as well as her chips.
here is their conversation:

Caitlyn: "Sir, I know how hungry you are and I bought you a sandwich. Would you like to have lunch together?"
Homeless Man: "Well. What kind of sandwich is it?" (seriously???)
Caitlyn: "Its a ham sandwich."
Homeless Man: Well, I am really a pizza kinda of guy".
Caitlyn: "oh i see. How bout taking my chips then?"
Homeless man: "No, no chips for me."

I shake my head....

Meanwhile, in the library, things got a bit heated thanks to government conspiracies:



Heather was on her way to the circulation desk when she heard Curt speak loudly to the woman next to him. She appeared startled so she asked me to investigate.

When I looked over to the customer on computer 5 (next to Curt), she raised her hand; I walked over. When I asked her how I could help her today, she demanded that I "keep him under control" referring to Curt. He made offhand comments about her being a nurse, and how she was trying to control what he was doing. The screen was turned off, which concerned me. I requested that he turn the screen back on, and told me that he didn't know how to. "I'm not in control of the machines. The government has control. I don't have any power over them." I asked him if he would mind if I turned the computer on, and he consented. I turned the screen on, and found that he was watching one of our rated R films-- nothing on the screen was against policy. I explained to him that he needed to act appropriately in the library, including to other customers and that if he did not do so, I would have to ask him to leave for the day. He finally nodded, although he muttered a few other phrases about not being able to control "the nurse" and "the machine". He seemed significantly calmer, and I looked at him while I told the female customer that if she had any other issues, or needed any additional assistance, to please let me know. She assured me that she would do so.

She printed a few minutes later and left the library. After the incident, Curt used the computers calmly for another hour or so. He approached the desk later, and said to Heather and I "I don't have a car." in a very apologetic tone. I took this as an apology for his behavior.

I'll update this with references to other incidents with Curt.

fall

So, its been a while...
Fall is nuts. With activity and people. We are in the throws of massive numbers of college applications. Well, Maddie is-I am simply a by-stander with a check book. I am sort of in denial about all this. Like if I don't acknowledge, it won't happen. We hired a college consultant with much hesitation, but in the long run, if it took pressure off of Maddie (and me), it was worth her hefty price.
Orioles are also in the playoffs, so sports are up front as well.
Library world has been busy and today someone has dumped a deer into the dumpster. Oh boy. And of note, I will mention the followning incident at another location:

At about 8PM on 9/4/14 our security guard, Marcus, told me about something he encountered while on his outside rounds. He noticed some odd rhythmic movement in a recent model Toyota Corrola (champaign color). Approaching the vehicle he observed that the occupants were engaging in fellatio. When they noticed him they quickly composed themselves and left.

Yes, fellatio is an every day, any where kind of activity.


And a final note, Andrew has gotten his loom up and running. it was quite an undertaking, considering how much effort it took to get it into his room. But this is all good-hope to see some rugs in the near future as he grows accustomed to using it. Any requests?

September 11th

I remember this day so well...13 years ago. It was a beautiful September day, skies a vivid blue, temperatures in the 70's, white clouds drifting slowly across the city sky. It was Tuesday and I headed to the Brooklyn Park library for a training in the morning. It was close to 9 30 when a staff member shispered into the ear of a presenter that a plane had gone into the world trade center. I think all of us thought it was a plane that lost direction...a fluke. A few minutes later, it was reported a second one went into the towers.
That's when things changed. The room became uncomfortable and tense. And then the rumors began. Planes had hit NSA, Pentagon, other federal buildings in DC...one of the presenters had a husband at the Pentagon. She never broke her stride-just kept on going with the training. At that point I simply stood up and said I needed to leave and see what was going on at my branch as well as home. After all, all we knew was it was an attack and no idea how bad or widespread.
I got halfway home when I simply pulled over and wept. Life will change for all of us.
It was late morning before I saw any video. I opted to keep my one child at school-safer I thought, as we watched events unfold in horror and disbelief. The emotions of watching so many people die was beyond comprehension and my ability to handle it emotionally.
What struck me in the days following was not only unrelenting grief, but the silence. No planes in the sky. No one commuting. No one talking.
To this day when I see clips of this tragedy, it still seems so unreal to me. I can only hope our world can find peace and harmony and the ability to live together, despite our diversity. For our future adults.

Florida in August

My high school friend Marji was a resident of Florida shortlay after high school. We actually took a road trip to FLorida right after we graduated for about a month-travelling throughout the state and camping. In a tent. In summer. There was never a time when I was not slick with dampness and morning were the worse, as the tent was closed up for the night and the hot sun was beating down on the canvass. When you stepped out, it felt like 90 was air conditioning. However, being 17, it didn't matter. We rolled with it. We always looked great, unlike today when humidity makes limp hair look limper, make up melts, and a fresh look is of the past.
I knew what I was facing this month. I will say, however, that at least the air moves on the Gulf. It might be 90, with 90 percent humidity, but the air is moving. Last night, we headed to the drum circle, which is a weekly event on Wednesday. A number of FLorida residents come with their drums and bongos and rock out until the sun sets. There are a cast of characters that attend each week. Mick, a 70 something man who has a body of a young Arnold Schwartnegger, arrives and pays homages to the 4 directions of the earth, east, west, north, and south. We have hoola hoop girl, who has mastered the hoola hoop in more ways than I could imagine. A couple of belly dancers, some wannabe belly dancers, and various members of the public, all rocking out to the drum beat. My question-is this a west coast florida thing? Unique to this area? In any case, quite cool and spiritual in a way. We are celebrating the end of a beautiful day.
So, shrug off the heat. Pool swimming offers no relief...it is only a few degrees cooler than the air. Gulf is as warm, but you have dolphins doing flips for you so it worth it. To be continued...

updates from our patrons

Well, we all are familiar with our illustrious sit down man. he walks to our building on a daily basis and spends more time here than we would prefer. He dresses in the latest basement fashion-smelly jeans with holes, a rain jacket that is more duck tape than jacket, and various ropes that are slung over his shoulder for his groceries that are carfully (not) packed in plastic bags. he ties them to his body for his walk home. But before he leaves, he has an array of questions he asks that pertain to the issue at hand. Recently, the questions were "Can you drink the water from your dehumidifier?" Well, I suppose you could if you really wanted to. "Well, how bout water from the pool?" Uh, no. "Toilet water?" Sure..go ahead and drink water from your toilet. Why are you asking? "Well, I no longer have plumbing and need a water source." This was verified by a neighbor who believes he is flinging waste into his yard. After all, it has to go SOMEWHERE.

Today has brought a few more of the regulars here. Our patron who lives about 1000 feet from the branch rides his motorcycle over to peruse the DVDs in his usual state of inebriation. His bright red hair defies gravity, coupled with a silver motorcycle jacket and today, a helmet. He is friendly. Way too friendly. He wants to talk. Apparently he drives his mother crazy as well and has been sent to live in the barn (he is easily in his 50's). So, mode of operation-don't make eye contact! Pretend he is not there. he stands in front of the information desk, staring in hopes you will look up so he can talk to you. No. Not gonna happen. He finds his victim at the circulation desk. Poor Rebecca-we give him 3 minutes and we do a rescue. he leaves, much to our relief, but returns with an enormous motorcycle helmet on. Complete with an 18 inch length of silver hair hanging out of the back of the helmet and down his back. No one dares to ask what that is. But he volunteers the information. "Do you like my tail?" "I cut it off a dead horse'" "People follow me down the road when they see my tail blowing in the wind."

I can't make this stuff up.

summer postings

I just reached my 30 years with working in the public library system in Maryland. A milestone that is a relief..knowing if I wanted to, I could call it a day and pursue other interests. Or work a part time job doing something. Always thought counselling would be interesting, but hell no, requires another master's degree. I could be like Lucy in Peanuts and simply set up a booth in the heart of Pasadena. I'm sure I would be quite busy.

Maddie had her wisdom teeth out last week. Despite the stress of having your child go through what is equal to surgery, it sure is fun to see your kid under the influence of the remnants of twilight sleep. It always reminds me of the teen who woke up and thought she was a NASCAR driver. On you tube and worth a look.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17LV6XSxVkI

Andrew is focused on getting his loom up and running. We spent some time at the Eastern Shore Fiber Arts Center speaking to other weavers, which was inspiring. His loom is ridiculously large. It was meant to be a work horse in the day when businesses were pushing out weaved pieces by the dozens. Getting it in the house was not an easy feat-had to be taken apart to get it in the house.

Our chicken population has increased to 12. Good lord.

Our small vacation will be in FLorida this year. In August. Where no one goes in the summer. it will require A/C and pools. And the gulf. Would be nice to take a side trip to Sanibel Island, which is beautiful.

I attended an 80th birthday party last weekend at the American Visionary Arts Museum. Yes, I was one of the youngest attending. I went with the flow and drank lots of wine. Food was amazing and certainly wine will help you relate to anyone. I helped that we were sitting at a table full of liberals. People are fascinating to observe. I liked the gentleman who had a huge array of great food-scallop bites, curried chicken lollipops, stuffed mushrooms, potato fritters, crab cakes, filet mignon, goat cheese salad to choose from. He ate 10 strawberries, 4 large pieces of filet mignon, 3 biscuits and 5 brownies. He explained he did not eat vegetables. or seafood. or potatoes. Or salad. The best produce in the world is right now.

People are flooding the library this summer. On program days, we are averaging 225 people. What is going on? Free entertainment? A/C building?

Let summer live on.

back! With great summer reads

I have had to creative flow lately. Maybe I need a phenomenal experience or something. Wonder if I joined a 'meetup' group i would find interesting people to blog about. Even the library incidents have been a big snooze.
So, I will share some great summer reads. After all I am a librarian....

1. Light Between Oceans by M. L. Stedman Tom and his wife Isabelle take on a job of minding the lighthouse on the island of Janus Rock. Isabelle is desperate to have children, and after 2 miscarriages, she had given up hope. Until she hears the wail of a baby. A boat has washed ashore with a dead man and an alive baby. This read is filled with moral dilemmas and hard decisions one makes in life.

2. I Know this Much is True by Wally Lamb I read his earlier works and is by far my favorite of his. He tells of a story of Dominic and his twin brother Thomas, who suffers from schizophrenia and the intense trials of being his caretaker. Maybe because I have twin brother I could relate to this so well. Not that my brother is schizophrenic, but that's up to interpretation.

3. Wild:From Lost to Found of the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed I happen to find travel books fun to read, especially ones with humor and some insight. I k=now know more about the Pacific Crest trail that I ever knew before. And I was convinced I could do what she did..walk the whole thing solo. Then I came to my senses and realized reading about it is just as good.

4. Fault in our Stars by John GreenNow don't turn your nose up to Young Adult fiction. This is a story of a 16 year old with cancer, who meets a boy in group therapy and they develop a smart, witty, tender, relationship. Green has excellent writing skills-would recommend any of his books.

5. Molok'ai by Alan Brennert Set in Hawaii a century ago, 7 year old Rachel dreams of far away places like her merchant marine father. But one day, a rose colored mark shows up on her leg and she is sent to the quarantined leprosy colony, away from her family and friends. There is warmth, humor, and, and passion that will keep you turning pages. Just an aside, we read this for my book club and we have one member who is ultra conservative and very vocal. Her only comment about the book was perhaps we should have rounded up all the AIDS patients in the 80's and did the same thing to them and we wouldn't be having an epidemic right now. Yes, really.

6. 11/22/63 by Stephen King I used to read alot of Stephen King and then he went off on a fantasy tangent and I lost interest. But he is back in full force. JakeEpping, 35, who teaches English, is told by his pal Al (on his death bed) that he had developed a time travel portal and wants Jake to return to 11/22/63 and stop the assasination of John F. Kennedy. Don't be intimidated by the size...great read.

7. Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell She is quirky, odd, and living a tough life with an abusive stepfather. He is a smart, balanced Asian boy with a serious side and a love for music. Set over the course of a school year, it is a story of star crossed 16 year olds-smart enough to know love doesn't last but brave enough to try. I am NOT a romance reader, but this was outstanding.

Happy Reading!!!

Remembering Vic Adams

We lost another dear friend this week to pancreatic cancer. Second one in 6 months. So my week has consisted of 3 funerals and a court date for my son, which had to be the most stressful experience as of late.

Today was the celebration of life for William Victor Adams III, who has been part of our lives for 30+ years. I met Vic when I begans to date Alan back in 1982-we had them visit Alan's apartment in Baltimore one afternoon. He arrived with laura, who was 7 months pregnant with Abi. He had a great smile and a warm heart and I liked him immediately,

During those early years, we spent a great deal of time with social events. I went to my first bluegrass festival, where I was introduced to moonshine. Not sure that was such a good thing...but key here with Vic was fun with capital letters.

We spent many years at the Preakness. They would come up the night before and we would head to the races with our shopping cart full of booze, in hopes of staying awake for the big race (which rarely happened). Vic was part of a quad-it was Alan, Mike Weber, Vic, and Steve Dudley. I am sure they raised enough hell in their youth and we probably don't know the half of it.

I also could count on an annual appearance at our Bop Til you Drop parties, since dancing was a passion of his. He was invested-shot, chat,dance, chat, dance, shot. And partners made no difference. He was there to get his groove on.

There was a life transition for Vic when he and Laura went their seperate ways and he showed up at my 50th birthday party with a hot 22 year old. A very sweet girl, and I can't say I blame him. They stayed the night and conversation the next morning was limited to was she finished with school and what career had she hoped for. A very sweet girl..but a short lived relationship.

Vic informed us that he had met someone on Match.com and it was a serious thing and wanted us to come for dinner. I was skeptical-after all, Marcia had not had much success in this venue. But okay, dinner. We arrived and walked in and met Joanne, a bright smiling midwesterner with a heart of gold and a tiny dog she dressed in clothes. And the physical difference was striking as well-Laura was a blonde, freckled california girl who was petite. Jo was a silver haired beauty with glasses, a bit taller and curves in the right places. I was wary....until she served a kick ass dinner, chattering the whole time with a laugh that was infectious and concluded the dinner with copious ammounts of lemon drop shots with invites to all to spend the night. Ah, now I get it. She is a foodie who loves good times. A match indeed.

We spent years having international dinners with Vic being a big part of them. he loved to cook, share stories, smoke cigars, and share shots of whiskey. He was forthright with his roller coaster life, his ups, his downs, his loves, his hurts. He struggled when Laura left, but rebounded nicely when Jo came into his life.

I will miss his smile, his laugh, his hugs, his warmth. Please say hello to Julie for me.

trials of young adults

No folks, it doesn't get easier. I yearn for those elementary days of my kids where the only decision that had to be made was what kind of jelly you want on your PB and J sandwich. Or what historical figure you were going to be for your 4th grade report. Yes, our only concern was finding a babysitter when you wanted to go out. Or staying home when one of them was sick.

So switch to 10 years later. We are college visiting in the beautiful state of Virginia. Maddie is driving for more practice on I85-it is a 70 mph zone. She is navigating tractor trailors while keeping her eyes on the road as a brand new driver with a learner permit. As she passes in the fast land, her speed creeps up and there is a cop immediately behind. Being the nice understanding officer dealing with a kid with a learner from another state, he kindly tells her she is doing a good job driving, but just slow down. Oh, and here is your ticket for reckless driving (83 mph is reckless-anything over 80).

Her court date is the Tuesday after Memorial Day at 10 AM....4 hours from us. I made a call to the court to ask the clerk for a continuance (as instructed on the website). She told me NO. Really? I explained I had a family emergency. NO. What am I going to have to do? She says report to court or be found guilty and possibly pay 2500.00 and get 6 points on your license. She said only a judge can grant a continuance and he won't because he has to remain neutral. What the hell does that mean?

So, in the end, we hire a lawyer. I think perhaps the lawyer needs to be on speed dial. He sends a letter to court and asks for a continuance-same woman I spoke to, it was granted.

I hate Virginia. And I would like to go 6 months without sitting in a courtroom for one of my children. I just want to make them a peanut butter and blackberry jelly sandwich.

10 memorable moments growing up with mom....

10.Our family vacations to the Outer banks. This was 2 weeks my mother always looked forward to-it restored her sanity from raising 4 small children. And for some reason, we always vacationed in Hatteras or Okracoke Island, the FURTHEST you had to go to reach your destination. And being a family living on a librarian's salary, we traveled in a volkswagon beetle, circa 1968. Mom and dad in the front, Chris ans I in the back seat, and the twins in the well near the engine. And the cat. And 2 weeks worth of supplies and clothing. We looked liked a travelling circus.

9. Syracuse snows. And me walking to school solo when I was in first grade. It was what you did back then when you mom had 3 kids at home under 3.

8. Her dinner parties. My mom can cook. And throw great parties. Except when she served duck to a library board member that had buckshot in it and she broke her tooth.

7. Living with 3 boys. She checked the police beat daily to be sure no arrests had been made. No food in the fridge was sacred-one brother ate avocado face cream. She rolled with it...

6. Thanksgiving dinners. Always her favorite holiday and we did it up right. I can't remember a time where I actually knew everyone sitting at our table. Or, in one case, under the table. With a bottle of B and B liquor. After a massive eating orgy.

5. Barhopping in Annapolis. When I was of drinking age, this was a favorite activity. She knew everyone in Annapolis...one giant party in your personal bar...

4. Finding various well known jazz musicians sleeping on our sofa. She booked jazz acts at the Maryland Inn, and often housed them as well.

3. Raccoons in the kitchen. Think we mighta called animal control, but this was 10 at night. Finally chased them out with a broom.

2. The lost turkey roaster pan. It was my great grandmother's and used every year for the turkey. But we never knew where it was left. One year we found it on the porch of the house, with last year's turkey in it.

1.Her wiley nature as a single lady. She dated various men throughout the years. One was a spanking new midshipmen, who rode his bike to our house. I remember asking him the morning if he was going to be out new dad....

Happy Mother's Day Mom! What great fun memories!!!!

Welcome back to the grind

Okay, I never should spend extended time with the retirement folks who are my age. It just makes returning to work so much harder. And hard it shall be. I have left knowing our new staff member might be stealing from staff, but no way to prove it. I, of course, check my email in between visits to cooking stores and afternoon teas, only to find out 2 staff members desk drawers had been broken into and some equipment had disappeared. Security cameras proved nothing other than late arrivals everyday from this guy, as well bike riding through the library. Issue was addressed-back to the interview process...
In addition, I am losing yet another staff member who is invaluable to us. I am happy for her-well deserved promotion, but sad for us. And it puts us in a cliff hanging situation when it comes to having enough bodies to cover public service.
The joy of coming to work is starting to fizzle. I needed to print a document in color yesterday. I have no color ink for my printer, nor can we order any. We have a public color printer, but we are asked not to use that for staff work reasons. We had one color printer in the workroom that had color ink, so I had to email the document to myself, walk to the back room, pull it up, and print it. Can't I just do my job? Can't we have more than 125.00 a year for programs when we are required to do 14 programs a month? Can't we have a budget like Baltimore County library? Can we have a staff the size of Baltimore County?
Well, it is Friday...that's a positive thing. Can't wait until Monday.

Road trip

I haven't been in the library this week, so I have no great library stories, but stay tuned....its never a dull moment-

Maddie and I are on a road trip to see some colleges and touch vase with the Carroll clan in Greenville SC. Started our trip visiting NC State University and staying with Nancy (friend and old colleague) and her hubby Mike. These folks got it going on. They live in Cary NC in a 55+ community where they offer just about anthing you might ever eant to do in your retirement-golf, tennis, games, dance lessons, swimming, fitness room, library, social activities, cooking classes, the list goes on. They are who I want to embody..that is what I think about when I retire. I might also add Mike laying 2 hours of tennis on Sunday morning with Maddie and a few other 55+ folks and he kept up with the young one. Guess 70 years of tennis might be useful....
Nancy's passion is food-cooking classes, books, kitchen stuff....so that all we shopped for. Okay by me-
NC State is big, but fun. It is trendy-up on technology. They just built a new state of the art library on the engineering campus which is indescribable.
Then off to Vech, whic has quite a different feel. Much more rural, campus is bis also, but has an intimate feel to it. Buildings are made of hokie stone-they look a bit like castles. Great engineering program here, but the presentation was riddled with tech issues...that i can't seem to understand.
We topped off the trip to a visit to Greenville..such a nice town. Great visit with Bingo and Auntie and the greyhounds-Chloe and J.W. They live a very different life than the Cary NC retirees, quiet, lots of walks, reading, crosswords, good wine...not a bad life either. Face it, retirement is everything it appears to be.
We return to MD this weekend, but it was such a joy to spend this time with Maddie, as I know these times are drawing to a close very soon. Thank god she still likes me and enjoys travelling...

Florida this summer.

And yes, another library chapter....

Bird brought into branch...again
Kimberly brought her bird (large cockatoo on a leash) into the branch & was asked to remove the bird; took bird and tied it up to a stool in the entryway; after another conversation patron took the bird outside. This customer has a history of bringing her bird into the branch.



Additional Information:
3/12/14, Alyssa: I heard Ms. S's bird chirping and looked outside. Our stool was moved outside of the building and the bird was attached to the stool, with a woman standing with the bird. I called Annapolis and spoke to Cindy. Cindy directed me to two points on our AACPL Regulations: #11 Animals may not be tied...on library grounds or in the building and #9 Library furnishings and materials are not to be rearranged or disarranged by patrons without permission of Branch Manager or designee. When I went back out front, the bird was gone and our stool was still outside the building. I will email branch staff with this information in case a similar incident occurs in the future.

I just spoke with Sheila (Circulation) about this. Sheila adds that Ms. S.asked another customer to watch her bird outside while she was in the library.

Coulda been worse...coulda been an alligator.

Inflated Condoms in Lobby & Computer Lab

At about 8:30 PM on Wednesday, March 19, Crystal asked me to come to the lobby. A condom that was inflated and tied like a balloon was lying by the security gate. I disposed of it and Ivan reported finding another in the middle row of the computer lab while closing the branch, which he disposed of.

I reviewed the video footage Thursday morning and observed a young, fair skinned male, probably about 15 years old, playing with two inflated condoms and then tossing them on the floor in the foyer as he left the building between 19:14:35 and 19:15:11 on the recording. He was wearing a gray Redskins hoodie with a second red hoodie underneath, a black knit cap, and baggy blue jeans. Jenny had seen the young man in the branch earlier in the evening and recognized him as one of the young men asked to leave for the day for using a whoopee cushion in February 2013. We do not know his name. A picture captured from the security footage is attached.

Those crazy kids!


I could have reported on a shooting victim coming to the library for medical assistance, but that seemed so pedestrian....

Ms Shellhammer, her bird, and her language

At 4:30 on March 15, 2014 staff heard a chirp outside. A moment later Ms S. entered the lobby. I met her in the lobby with a copy of the Regulations Governing the Use of the AACPL Grounds by Patrons. I asked Ms S. to step back outside with me.

We went outside where I pointed out that she had moved library property from the lobby to outside the entry (a stool) and that her bird was tied up to a Grocery cart. I attempted to engage Ms S. in a conversation pointing out that the Regulations state that animals may not be tied up or left unattended on library grounds and that library furnishings could not be rearranged by patrons without permission.

Ms S. was not responsive to my comments until replying, "You have got to be kidding me! You are such an ass!" then she marched away taking her bird with her. I returned to the branch and started a banning letter.

The system was unresponsive and I was unable to load a banning letter before Ms S. returned to the branch.

I approached her taking Elaine with me and pointed out that if Ms S. spoke to a staff member using abusive language again we would ban her from the library system. Ms S. refused to speak to me. I continued to explain that this was her only warning when she asked for my name. I wrote my name down on a piece of paper and again offered her a copy of the Regulations which she refused. She then said, "Have you been reading for a long time? I'll bet you have been reading for a long time but you won't be for much longer".

I responded that I found the comment threatening and reminded her of my previous warning. She responded, "Oh you find that comment threatening?" She repeated the comment two more times. She seemed surprised that I found the comment threatening. She then finished her transactions and left the building.

Moses

Last Friday, an era ended in the Adams household. Moses the Persian, who would have been 19 years old in May, left the building. We had hoped he would simply die quietly in the middle of the night, but in his true stubborn self, he lived on. His quality of life was minimal-he had a favorite towel he slept on in the basement, only rising to get some food. If he could find it. His eyesight was almost gone, probably due to cataracts. He walked like a drunken sailor-arthritis. He only used his littler box to pee, unless he left the basement to visit Andrew and pee on his clothes on the floor.

I would say there was a great deal of sadness, simply because he has been part of the family for so long. He was a beautiful animal, but pretty packages may not mean pretty things. He was a mean son of a bitch. Visitors were entranced by his beauty and would pet him, only to have him turn on you without notice. We all remember the fear of walking down the hall to the bathroom, Moses sitting quietly, waiting, until you walked past and we took a swipe at your legs. We had to declaw him. Which took care of that issue, not the biting issue.

Interestingly, the only person he never attacked was Alan. Perhaps because Alan never has to torture him by taking him to the vet. Which was always an ordeal, for us and the vet. He was red tagged at the office..a warning to the staff that they were dealing with a mean animal.

Nonetheless, there were moments of love from Moses-as long as he could lay right on top of you.And in his early years, he was playful and spry. Rest in Peace Moses...go kick some ass in kitty heaven.

Christopher

Today marks my brother Chris' 53rd birthday had he lived beyond the age of 33. He was a tour de force-someone who embraced life and skated on the edge. He spent his life looking for new adventures, which took him to Puerto Rico where he helped open a Chart House there. In my early years of dating Alan, we took a trip down there to experience life on an island that he so embraced. It is a life with no rules and carefree attitudes-everything is accomplished manana (tomorrow). Life is one big party. This is where Chris met his wife Terri, who's family lived there from the states to publish a magazine and avoid some stateside taxes. It's hard not to fall in love with Chris. He had an incredible wit, a keen sense of street smarts, and a loving heart.
We spent our week eating great food, drinking copious amount of alcohol (we were actually thrown out of the Bacardi factory, which is difficult to accomplish), and visiting the rain forest and beaches. We stayed in Chris' typical San Juan home, where everything is stone and marble. Housecleaning, which didn't happen often, required us to step outside while his room mates hosed the house down with water. When we finally extracted ourselves from the island life, we barely made the flight with enormous hangovers and alot of great memories.
Chris was a force to be reckoned with-he lived life largely. My brother's shared a memorable story of Chris challenging an ex-military guy to a foot race, where he showed up that morning in a bathrobe, smoking a cigarette and drinking a beer. Barefoot. Chris won that race and was awarded with the man's combat boots, which he promptly put on to accessorize his ensemble.
I see his lust for life in my son. He has the same humor, yet a little more subdued in his pursuits of a good time. Which I am grateful for. They both have an incredible talent for writing, which Chris utilized as a restaurant reviewer. We miss you every day and that void will never be filled. But oh how fortunate we were to have you in our lives for that short time!!

A glorious weekend

After struggling through massive cold, snow, and life's speed bumps, I finally was given a reprieve this weekend. We gathered a group of 13 women to celebrate the life of Julie Gwynn, who was the driving force behind these great friendships. Granted, we are all a bit older-partying until 4 AM simply doesn't happen anymore (we got to 1 30 AM-I thought that was pretty good). Some have aches that deter them from walking long blocks (yes, those long nights of bar hopping just don't seem to be in the cards. it takes less time to get ready to go out however (no more make up sessions, hair accoutremounts, and sexy club clothes). And food and alcohol are what's important..in that order.
We had a lovely dinner at the Helmund Friday eve. We drank copious amounts of wine and hoofed it back to the hotel to continue the party. Granted there were a few who cabbed it-either due to too much wine or a bothersome knee joint or foot. We woke up early (ish) and walked, ate lunch at the Rusty Scupper, and took a water taxi to Fells Point for more afternoon cocktails.
Highlight was a great dinner at Regi's American Bistro (hooray for restaurant week), where we had a delicious meal and a very kind compassionate gentleman who heard the reasons for our gathering, sent over 3 bottles of very expensive champagne in honor of Julie. Many toasts and a few tears. We know she was there in spirit....
Nightcap at Mum's in Federal Hill, where we all had a shot of crown royal, followed by a nasty liquor the bar in known for (our very cute waitress gave us shots on the house). We left her a very healthy tip, for which she responded with, "That you so very much. Thank you for FUCKING very much!!!" We paid it forward....
With our pilgrimage completed, we headed back to the hotel for some pillow talk, Marvin Gaye, dancing, and truth or dare. Which was not very successful, as one member started the game out by asking a a 'truth' question- "What do you hope to be accomplished in 5 years?" Now hold on...truth is about how many men (or women) you have slept with or where was the most interesting place you had sex....not your life goals. So much for secrets...
We kissed goodbye the next morning and promised we would revisit this occasion again in the very near future. Our bond will always be there, thanks to Julie. And sister Lolita is now part of us. How fortunate I am!

I've had it

I am a big fan of winter. I spent my early years in Syracuse New York, where snow was a norm.. It was simply packed down and you drove on it. Life never stopped. In Maryland, it is always a roll of the dice as to how the snow removal will go. 3 years ago when we had 2 storms within days of each other equaling 4 feet of snow, life was paralyzed for 2 weeks.
Our winters have been mild since that massive snowmaggedon, but this year it has been a bit of a challenge. Not only dealing with getting in and out, but the library has taken a beating as well. No surprize there-every time we get substantial snow, we have to worry about our roof.
On the up side, I have remained on my feet as I navigate ice and slick walkways. Another positive is that I managed to squeak out a few days off from work thanks to bad weather. And never mind the bone chilling temps we have dealt with. So, no snowman for me. We are supposed to go snow tubing the second weekend in march. I might need to sit in the chalet with hot toddies.
Come on spring....

library updates

It has been a while since I paid a visit here. It has been a cold, dreary month with not much to celebrate. Ravens didn't make it to the super bowl. Andrew trying to get his footing in life. Moses the cat continues to live. I have been visiting our page for activity in out libraries and we have really had too many to report. How sad? Or maybe it's the lull before the storm. We just opened longer hours starting today so perhaps we will see other walks of life come into our building. We did have a patron call us this morning and ask us if we could give her the names of some spiritual advisors, but NOT a psychic. Hmmm...what would that be exactly? A priest? Her follow up question was to find a matchmaking service where men have to pay and women do not. Perhaps the spiritual advisor could advise her on finding a man.
Despite not much going on in the crazy department, I did find this snippet:


Angel brought a total of twelve books to the circulation desk during three visits this morning proclaiming loudly that she had read them all, explaining that they were not checked out and at one point said "You need to put these away."

According to circulation assistant Amy, Angel was quite agitated about a book that she said talked about Voodoo, that Voodoo was really bad, that we should not have books in the library about Voodoo. I was able to find the book which is titled "Complete Wine Selector." Inside the back cover, the location that Angel pointed to as containing the offending information, included this description of the author: "Katherine Cole writes columns for the FOODday section of the Oregonian." We think that Angel read FOODday as Voodoo.

According to Laura and Kate, Angel also spent about 15 minutes in the 9:30am Castle Ball program. According to Kate, she was interacting with a child who did not seem uncomfortable with the interaction, nor did the child's grandmother seem uncomfortable with the interaction. While in the program (during the crafts), Angel's behavior was appropriate.

At about 4:30 this afternoon, Angel, who we've grown to know for her potential outbursts, checked out 8 items and at first left without incident. She returned into the branch immediately, grabbing a grocery bag that she had left near PC #1, and shouted to a man at PC #03 that it was time to go. It didn't appear that the man at #03 knew her. When she left this time, she set off the alarm. She kept walking, shouting nonsense, and Officer G. and I followed after her, calling her back in. She came in willingly, shouting that it was raining and that she had things to do, and I told her that we just needed to re-check her items because she had set off the security alarm. She continued shouting, saying, "what do you want me to do, strip? I'll strip. I don't have time for this shit." She threw her large black bag with her library books on the counter, dropped a shopping bag, and threw her jacket on the counter. When the contents of the shopping bag spilled on the floor, she looked at us, aggressively spreading her arms, and said, "See what you did?" She continued to shout at all of us, saying "you're just trying to make yourselves look good," telling us to "keep smiling," "take your time" and that she had important things to do. Susan and Marie quickly ran her items over the desensitizers again. As she gathered her things and left, she did not set of the alarm, but continued shouting on her way out. Rebecca saw her turn her head and spit on her way out of the exterior door, but as far as we could tell it was not inside the building.

Ah, good things are back on track....

post holiday blues

I don't generally have post holiday blues but this year seems different. I think I think a good shot of seratonin. We are in the throws of winter, which is usually a happy time-I love snow. But not when it is 6 degrees and no snow in the picture. Work is more stressful than I am used to..after all, I work in a library-how stressful can it be? We open more hours in a month and we have new staff needing training within the 4 weeks to have them working on the desk and handling customers and emergencies. I also have my share of personality issues on staff...
Andrew is making some changes with his future plans, which makes me sad,as i had specific expectations that are not happening. It is not my life, but you always want the best for your kids.
So, whats good? House was cleaned by a super cleaning team in December.7 and a half hours of manpower. I highly recommend it. Getting a raise this month. I think its 1 percent. I planned a girls weekend in February to honor Julie. You always need something to look forward to. And I am 6 games away from winning the football pool. Just in time to pay for the 1000.00 fender bender Maddie was in last weekend. Debbie Downer lives on. Stay warm.