Tribute to Mom

I had to share this, as it was a tribute to my mom from Alan at her service. I was really touched by it, and so spot on:

Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays to everyone!

Have to say, the creative juices have been on a hiatus since the death of mom, but I am slowly coming around. It might be due to the holiday spirit, despite the very large void we have now around this time of year. However, I remember good times and a happy memory of our trip to Vegas this time of year. She always embraced the experience in front of her, which made travelling so much fun. We hit a happy hour at a posh hotel bar the first night we were there. She immediately made friends with a young couple from England, where we shared many adult beverages and became friends on Facebook. The difference is she can hang for a while and then has to call it quits. She was in bed by 8 and here I was, feeling pretty good and no partner in crime. But what a great time we had....

On to some wonderful news. Maddie began her freshman year at North Carolina State University this past fall and is loving it. Big school with division I sports-lots of school spirit and very close to Raleigh, a small city with a great arts community and great restaurants. We visit as often as we are allowed. Academically, she is doing very well in the engineering field. It was an adjustment not to have her in the house, but after I realized we no longer have a trail of clutter, I am kinda liking it. And thank god for technology-communication is only a text away.

Andrew has also made his move and is living in Baltimore in my mother's coop apartment. he moved in at the beginning of December, thanks to my mother ensuring he would get the apartment. His cousin Abby will be moving in in January, as well as his best friend Kelly. The apartment is huge-it has 3 bedrooms and located walking distance to Fells Point.
Additionally, he is working a second job at Anne Arundel County libraries as a circulation assistant. His hope is to continue down this path and make libraries a career. Third generation.

Alan is still working-likes his job too much to leave it. I am also still working, although I can retire if I wanted to. College needs to be paid for however...

We took a fabulous Mediterranean cruise in June, as a graduation gift to Maddie. We visited FLorence, Rome, and Naples, as well as the south of France and Spain. We stayed a few extra days in Barcelona, which was wonderful.

We are wishing all of you a wonderful holiday and healthy new year!

The Adams

Mom

I have spent the last few days gathering up my strength to put this entry out, as i continue to realize my emotions are very close to the surface still. Mom died October 5th, well really the 4th, but declared on the 5th. This morning i went to mail her application for copies of the death certificate and actually came back to work and smiled, despite being close to tears when in front of incompetent service people. I turned into her. Me at the post office, "I need stamps for this envelope-it has to be self addressed and there will be 10 pieces of paper in it." "Post office worker' "I can't tell you that-it needs to be weighed". Me, "Well, i can't really weigh it, can i??? There are no papers in there yet." "How bout you put a slew of stamps on there and call it a day?"

Yeah, they say she is always with you. Those moments make this true. I heard her yelling after Ben Carson said the people of Pompeii should have run away from the lava and they could have saved themselves. I opened a package that contained special scissors to assist you in opening a package, yet you can't open the package to get to the scissors. She purposely left the package closed. I smiled.

The thought of not being able to pick up the phone everyday is overwelmingly sad. I need to tell her how Andrew's job interview went. Or Maddie's experience with 3D printing. Or just to bitch about neighbors who ask the board to do impossible things. Or to simply help me deal with this grief and sadness. She was my go to person for everything. She was my best friend, my confidant, my biggest supporter. It's a bitch to lose your mother.

I try to focus on the happy memories. her quirky habits-she had plastic boxes and pretty hat boxes for everything. We found her box of ornaments for her Queen Elizabeth tree she put up in the dining room every year. And I don't know what we will do at Thanksgiving-no one has the celery salad recipe. Nor will we be able to share her silliness when we played Quelf. I have to find that video of her acting like a whale.

So, this might not be the last of my entries of Mom. But this is all the strength I have for today. I look forward to an afternoon of celebration for her lust of life, her incredible humor, her intelligence, and telling it like it is. Especially on the streets of New York.

I love you Mom.

library stories

NEAR BEER???

At approximately 3:00 Meg reported to me that there was a Solo Cup sitting on the grate by the entrance with a suspicious liquid in it. I walked over and the red solo cup was filled to the brim with a yellow foamy liquid...either urine or beer. I put on gloves and took it into the bathroom to dispose of it. The smell indicated it was beer. I poured it down the toilet and threw the Solo cup into the trash.

A few minutes later the patron checked out his items and asked the circ staff what had happened to his cup. They told him it had been disposed of, as alcoholic beverages were not allowed in the library. Mr P. became very upset and I was asked to come out and speak to him. I reiterated that alcoholic beverages were not allowed in the library and neither were uncovered cups. He asked for his cup back and I told him that it had been disposed of. He got very belligerent with me at this point and said that the cup contained "near beer" and that it was my responsibility to go to the liquor store and replace it. I informed him that I have no way of telling if something is "near" or "real" beer and that it was still an uncovered container in the library. At this point he started yelling at me directly, said "Fuck You" and I asked him to leave. He refused to leave and Don dialed 911. he kept disputing the rules and I asked Leslie to print a copy of the library Rules and Regulations for him. I told Mr P. I would highlight the rules he had broken and he needed to leave.

Mr P. said "You can highlight my ass!" and left. A few minutes later Officer Connor responded. He had seen Mr Pastor walking down the street and asked if we wanted him brought back to the library. We said no. Officer Connor left to speak with him.

Cowboy stops by the library


At approximately 2:20, a cowboy named Doc stopped off at the library during his excursion towards downtown on West St. When we discovered his presence, he had hitched his two horses to a light post on the front lawn. A Capital reporter was interviewing him and several people were gathering and taking photos. Several staff went to check it out – it was very exciting! I was on the desk and asked for help from Kate and Heather. They went out to observe. A few minutes later, I noticed Heather at the main doors telling Mr. Mishler that he couldn’t leave his horses unattended. Mr. Mishler started asking staff if they would stay outside and watch them for him and was told that we can’t do that for him. Mr. Mishler said he would find someone to watch his horses because he wanted to come in for a minute to check Facebook.

I went inside to phone Dana and she gave me guidance on asking him to leave the grounds. We could allow him to complete the interview, but then he would need to leave because the horses were blocking the path to the library and we had concerns about safety of library customers. It turns out that while we were on the phone, he had successfully found a volunteer to watch the horses and came inside and briefly used the computer. By the time Kate, Heather, Evelyn and I returned, he was back outside, finishing up with the Capital Reporter. He mounted and rode off down West St. As he was leaving, Heather said “Thank you for stopping by” and he responded “Sorry for breaking the rules, but we need to keep our hearts open and let go of our fear.”


Intoxicated Half Naked Man

On Monday, Sept. 21st., at approx. 3:23 pm a gentleman came up to me to tell me there was a man on our property showing his genitals. I went outside and saw this for myself. I phoned 911 and a policewoman and then 3 more officers came out to this police call. While I was waiting for the police to come, a father was going to have a chat with the disoriented man and I explained to him that I had called police and politely advised him that he might just want to let the police handle the situation, so he listened and left. The middle school age children approx. 7 - 8 of them came down the small path through Rose's parking lot to our parking lot like they do everyday after school. The intoxicated man dropped his pants and was yelling at the children, who inturn started screaming. Another gentleman who saw the nudity came and stood with me, while waiting for police to come. The policeman had mentioned that the intoxicated man will probably be banned for this incident from school, library areas. Police took the intoxicated half naked man in handcuffs with them. I and the other gentleman as witnesses, may be called to court for this man's indecent exposure. The half naked man's name is Wilson.

changes in life

It's quiet. There are many moments of silence. Other than Lucy snoring. Maddie has been in North Carolina for about 6 weeks. I am getting used to it, as long as I get thrown a bone and she calls me on occasion. I know she is happy there, but at the same time, feels claustrophobic at times-despite the size of the campus. Your world kind of closes in-classes, library, sleep, eat. And despite all the campus offers (especially this size), there's never time. An added bonus-being in the backyard of Raleigh is a wonderful thing.

So, I keep myself very busy with house projects, adult coloring, and more socializing. I also have Andrew, who has been a joy to have around and will help me in any way I ask. And he's funny-

I suspect we will see less of her as she continues her pursuits. She is talking about an apartment next year. She wants to study overseas. All the things you should do at the age of 17 almost 18. I miss her, yet know this is where she wants to be.

One down. One to go.

and our final stop....Barcelona pt 2

Let me count the ways I love Barcelona! Our hotel was situated right in the heart of the city-a half block from Las Ramblas on a foot traffic only wide alley (there are a lot of these in the city). Our first day we hiked up to the park and finished the day off with the Picasso Museum. Little did I know Picasso painted simple portraits before he became famous with his Cubism art.

Monday was Sagrada Familia, which was as grand as I expected it to be. They continue to build it (have been since 1926) and hope to finish in 2026, the anniversary of the architect's death-Antoni Gaudi. Beyond crazy can describe this monstrosity, which can offer mass for 6500 people. It has tree looking columns, christmas trees, fruit scruptures, a giant Jesus on a cross...pretty much everything. Gaudi's style is gingerbread house influence. Or castles that look like they were poured out of sand.

We followed that with a walk to Park Guell, which required a massive hike up a hill to the top. Despite the work out (just about killed me), the view was spectacular. And of course, the park was designed by Gaudi, so lots of ice cream sand castles and beautiful mosaic work. Dinner was a recommendation from the hotel clerk (I take my grandmother there). Spectacular. Delicious. And authentic.

Tuesday, Alan headed home and Maddie and I headed to the funicular of another beautiful fort looking over the city, Montjuic. Think we hit every form of transportation in barcelona-subway, metro, cab, bus, and cable car.

We walked down the national Museum, where we thought we could lunch in a beautiful room overlooking the city. Until we sat down and discovered the cost of lunch. We almost had to sneak out without paying for our 3.00 soda, as the server was pissed we refused to order food.

That night, we arranged flamingo dancing and Paella. Lots of fun, despite the effort to try and get the audience up and dancing with them. We looked the other way. And we sat next to a texan family, who were the epitome of obnoxious Americans. Wouldn't try and speak even a thank you in Spanish. And don't they live in a Spanish speaking state???

That night, we had our upscale dinner at a place called Pla. It was classy, yet unpretentious. Plating was stellar and the waiter comes to your table and sits down to discuss today's specials. Lovely on all levels.

Our last day was on a Barcelona beach amongst the naked Europeans. You get used to it..a way of life. And Americans can be so prudish. Our Victorian heritage i suppose.

Trip home was uneventful. However, Alan had a trip from hell. A large Nigerian woman in full Nigerian garb, sat across the aisle from him, and after an hour, started throwing up. She ended up laying in the aisle of the plane due to illness. No where to put her, as the plane was full. They got to baltimore and could not land thanks to severe thunder storms. Then they started running out of fuel and had to fly to Norfolk to refuel. Came back to Baltimore 3 hours late, only to be quarantined because of this woman's illness. finally got home at 1 30 AM. After being up for 30 hours.

college bound

Tomorrow marks the day where Maddie moves into another phase of her life. I can't say I am handling it well, but I am so excited for her and know this is what we do as parents...push them out of the nest. And she is leaving for such good reasons..as some of my friends say..its notlike she is going to jail or something.

North Carolina State will be lucky to have her. I know she will make great friends, learn many new things, and hopefully curb the party time to handle the rigorous major (environmental engineering). The house won't be the same..quiet and no trails of belongings throughout the house. Who will I share new restaurants with? Ravens games won't be the same. Catching up at the end of the day a thing of the past...

But I can't wait to hear about new adventures and new experiences. She will do great once the jitters settle. I can remember my first few weeks when I moved to Baltimore to go to school and it was unsettling and nerve wracking. It gets easier. As any new experience becomes routine.

I will miss you, but know you are ready to be launched.

our final chapter..spain pt 1

Barcelona. A beautiful city with fantastic food and over the top churches. It is a walking city, with many streets closed to autos, littered with cafes, sidewalk restaurants, and designer shops. I loved the ambiance of the tourist district..you walk everywhere and as you round a corner, there is a beautiful cathedral or groups of men and women dancing the Sardana, Catalonia's national dance.

Being in the city for 5 days gave us a great sense of its people and culture. Above is a charming selection of barnacles that are sold in the open market that has been in existence since the 1100's. I might need to skip that. However, Iberico ham is a delicacy there..and incredibly tasty.


Barcelona has beautiful beaches on the Mediterrean and mountains a short distance away to the west. There foods are influenced by their specific region-Catalunya. It consists of cured hams, lots of seafood (fresh fish, octupus, squid), fresh veggies, rice dishes, and tapas. We consumed copious amounts of sangria and tapas dishes (some we liked better than others). And they eat alot of tomato bread..toasted artisan bread where you squeese the juice of tomato on it.

obviously, its all about the food. But the city is beautiful, clean, and despite the warnings of pickpockets, no issues for us. Recommend to anyone.

finally...a continuation...Palma Mallorca

The cruise ship pulled into Palma de Mallorca for only 5 hours, but Maddie and I took full advantage and took a quick tour of this small island off the coast of Spain. Charming and beautiful describes this piece of paradise. We wondered the streets and eventually landed in a sweet outside cafe for tapas. It was some of the best small plates we have had so far. We only saw a small slice of this beautiful island and worth another visit.

Cannes france

Ah, now I am with my people! My peeps, who drive Maseratis and Porshes and own yachts. Who wear linen all the time. And, by the way, had more police presence than other city. No riff raff here. Or you are kicked to the curb.

Its a small town with designer shops and a large theater for the Cannes Film Festival. I made sure I have my very best hat from Marshalls and our beach bag from a tourist shop. Chic. Sophisitcated.




I will say this-we use our sunscreen. Thank God. Cause this was a typical look:




Sitting on the Mediterranean Sea for the day was just what the doctor ordered. Despite having to hang around with the common folk. Topless beaches are a norm here. I commented how comfortable Europeans are with their bodies as opposed to Americans. There are men in bikinis with large bulbous stomachs stretched out above the bikini line. And women whose breasts have embraced gravity and swing in the breezes, with no care in the world. You don't like what you see, too bad.

Great lunch at the beach..all in French. God thing we have Google translator. Ok, back on my yacht. Well, Norwegian's yacht.

Florenzia

This was a city I would love to revisit. The architecture alone was breathtaking and a smaller city feel to it. It was packed with tourists, as we suspected. We did do a tour of this city and it was a quick and dirty one. We lunched at Sabastiani, a old restaurant in the heart of Florence, where we dined on pasta, meats, and lots of wine. Dessert was Limoncello cake. I really have to shake my head sometimes at tourists we were travelling with, as a couple around my age had nothing positive to say about anything on the tour. They wanted to be able to shop and take pictures of the architecture. And they couldn't understand anything the tour guide was saying. People, read the descriptions. We are n Florence for 4 hours, then off to Pisa.
Pisa I could easily pass by. It is a leaning tower. And alot of street vendors. Not much else.

Marathon walking for 3 days. It would be nice to give my feet a break.

Rome

I have always had a romantic vision of Rome. Sidewalk cafes, sipping Italian coffee, everyone looking very cosmopolitan on quiet streets. This is so not the case. We did Rome on your own and was promptly dropped of at the Colliseum with a map and some general warnings and information. Now, we have been able to get around most European cities we have visited and this one proved to be the most challenging.


No street signs on many of the streets. Bad enough they are in italian, but some don't exist. I asked a vendor what street we were on, he vaguely pointed to my map and mumbled and answer. I asked a police office f he spoke English-he said no and turned away. Not very helpful. FInally, after an hour, we got our bearing sand set off to see all the highlights of ZRome in 6 hours or less. not an easy task. Street sellers are aggressive and pushy...and they are everywhere. I think i was asked to buy a selfie stick 87 times.

Everywhere was crowded..and again,m people trying to sell you tours to see the sites you are standing in front of. That cost no money to see. We did have a good lunch of Pizza and fresh pasta before we tackled the Vatican.
We were told the subway system was extremely simple-only 2 lines. They started a third line, and got to the third station and discovered ancient artifacts and construction has halted indefinitely until archiologists can study the area. So, yes, good news-2 lines. Bad news-don't ride it. Pick pockets everywhere. Someone tried to get into my purse, but I was on high alert and noticed and shooed this your 20 something girl away.

Vatican was a version of Rome on crack. We did make it to St. peter's square, but thats about it. Too much for Maddie and too much for us.

An overwhelming place that is better done in an off season in at least 4 days.

Sorrento and Pompeii

I did have high expectations with the Almalfi coast and Pompeii. And by far, it exceeded it.

Pompeii stands in a time warp from 78 AD. Yes, AD. Yet there was evidence that nor much had changed in the last 2000 years. We had issues with drainage and donkey shit in the c=streets so they built stones to get from one side of the road to anothe so no one had to step in, well, shit. They had the rich, who had benches in front of their homes for the less fortunate who needed to be fed. They would sit on the bench outside the home and wait until someone came anfd gave them a meal. The longer the bench, the richer one was, as they were able to feed a number of people. Imagine if we had that today.

There were bordellos everywhere, stone beds still in tact, with pictures 2000 years old-a menu of sorts, of what services were offered and for so much. I also found a number of stone penises out side many homes-tour guide said there were more penises than people in Pompeii. Apparently you were to rub it everytime you left and returned to your house to bring good luck. Hmmm...Freud might have a field day with that.

See, I only bring you the greatest highlights in my opinion. And what continues to make one uneasy, Vesuvius stands in the background, still very active. Seems to stir every 50 years.

Sorrento
It had to be one of the highlights of our trip. Beautiful blue waters, quiet, quaint town, very nice Italians, a easy town to maneuveur in...just a great experience and return in a heart beat. Our last stop was a farmhouse where we learned how olive oil was made as well as mozzerella cheese. And then we wwere treated to a delicious lunch of meats, cheeses, pasta, lemoncello cake, and alot of wine. Temps were in the high 70's, with cool Mediterranean breeze that flows all the time. I think I made some friends on the bus. Mom, be forewarned-the person I made friends with wants to get her PH'd at Hopkins and is going to stay at your house.

Tomorrow is Rome. A class by itself.

Europe June of 2015

One never knows how much your depend on the Internet until you don't have it for a while. Cruise ship costs for Internet were ridiculous and it was difficult to find wifi on the short times we were on land.
So I ma going to play catch up, as we are now in Barcelona until Thursday. It actually feels good to be in a roomy, yet simple European hotel room. Equipped with a bidet of course.

In any case, we began the trip in Barcelona, where we took a quick cruise to Barcelona's Cathedral before boarding our ship. We just got a taste of this beautiful city until we return in a week.

Day 1 on the ship was a sailing day. The cruise ship houses 4500 people, 3K guests and 1700 employees. It is the biggest ship Norwegian has and it felt that way. Just pulling out of Barcelona required some maneuvering, as it completely turns the boat around to sail out.

I want to say I was most impressed with the talent in the entertainment portion of the ship, but I always felt like I was in an SNL skit and Bill Murray was going to jump out from behind the piano. They did have circ de soleil, which was quite good. So, we spent a lot of time at the pool. And having a beverage card soothed the eye rolling, as we could drink to our hearts content. A good ting and as bad thing really.

Tomorrow I am reporting on Naples.

More library humor

Article appeared in the Huffington Post.....



In the 15 years that I've worked at my local public library, I've learned that we librarians do plenty of things for our patrons that aren't in our job descriptions. After a patron asked me to change her flat tire, and another wanted to check out our pencil sharpener, I logged onto my favorite librarian hangout on Face Book and asked: What's the oddest thing a patron has ever asked you to do?

The first response?

Someone just asked me for a good book to read on the toilet.

Quickly followed by:

A patron who was on his way to the casino wanted to rub my red hair for good luck.

Last week a woman came in asking for my help to get the witches and demons to stop pinching her.

A patron once asked me to sit on his lap. (I laughed at him.)

Unusual Patron Requests proved to be a hot topic. Within a day, I had over 100 responses, as librarians shared stories about that special patron who:

Asked if she could leave her kids at the circ desk with me while she ran errands.

Wanted me to find books to prove that he was Julius Caesar, reincarnated.

Asked me to tell the man sitting at the computer next to hers to stop controlling her computer with his thoughts.

Brought in a mounted wildebeest head and asked if we could store it in the archives for the summer.

I soon realized that Odd Patron Requests fell into categories. Some requests were from patrons who wanted to look their best -- with our help.

A woman once asked if she could trade pants with me because she was going on a job interview.

A man once asked me to use library tape to remove lint from his suit jacket.

I've been asked my opinion about which frame a patron should select for her new glasses.

One man asked if he could use our community meeting room to shave with an electric razor. ("Is the power out at your house?" I asked. "Nope," he said. No further explanation.)

After asking me a reference question, one patron pulled a toothbrush from her fanny pack and went to town on her teeth as I spoke. And when that was done, she brought out the dental floss.

Some requests were car-related:

People have been known to come to the reference desk and ask if we have jumper cables.

A patron once asked to borrow my boss's car.

One of our regulars asked me to drive her to a town two hours away so she could look at apartments.

There were numerous requests for Library Hanky Panky:

Last week, a patron asked me to have sex with him in the alley. I didn't.

A 50-year-old guy asked our Children's Librarian to join him in the rest room. No dice.

One patron asked me to meet him in the copy room. (Wink wink.) Sorry, no.

I once had a male patron in his 50s who wouldn't leave the reference desk until I told him he was naughty. (Handled by stating, deadpan, no eye contact, "Go on with your bad self, then.")

Librarians have been asked to break the law:

A male patron once offered me $100 if I'd go into somebody's yard and steal a cactus.

A patron once offered me $50 to make her a fake passport.

One patron wanted me to tell her my son's social security number so she could use it to get more financial assistance. (I said no.)

Many unusual library questions are medical in nature:

One patron appeared in my office doorway holding a cotton swab and a petri dish and began by saying "You can totally say no to this...." (I did.)

Let's just say that if I wanted to diagnose Athlete's Foot, I'd have a MD, not a MLIS.

"Does this look infected?"

Some patrons want to take our innate helpfulness and eagerness to serve the library community to the next level:

One patron phoned and asked me to check out a list of books for her and drop them off at her house.

A patron once asked for my home phone number so she could phone me with reference questions when I wasn't at work.

Patrons have asked me to do their taxes, clean their homes, and perform at their children's birthday parties.

A patron once asked me if he could borrow $7,000.

A woman once asked me to go look for a dead body she was sure was buried by a lake, because the police wouldn't listen to her.

We are also called upon to Identify Things:

A patron once asked me to identify a dead bug she'd taped to a piece of notebook paper.

I was asked to ID the snake a patron had caught in a bucket.

"There's a brownish-grey fluffy animal under my porch. What is it?"

We've also been called upon to research a variety of interesting topics:

One patron wanted me to find a book to teach her dog German.

I've been asked to research how to avoid being cloned without your permission.

A patron once asked me to direct her to the books about Brazil written specifically for Unborn Children.

I once received a reference query from an inmate a nearby correctional facility for "books on how to levitate."

Librarians are helpful by nature, which means that often we're just fine with going above and beyond our job descriptions to perform small acts of library kindness:

An elderly woman just asked me to tie her shoes for her. (I did. She was too old to bend down and reach them herself.)

A patron recently asked me to help her find the tune and lyrics to patriotic songs so she could sing them to her Marine boyfriend on their upcoming road trip to the state capital. (Sadly, this woman had a mental illness, and there was no boyfriend or road trip, but I treated the question as if there were.)

Despite the odd requests, we librarians remain undaunted. We continue to love library work. And of course, everyone loves a library story with a happy ending. For instance?

A divorced dad came to Story Hour, asked me out, then asked me to marry him!! I did!

crazy times

What a whirlwind as of late. We are wrapping up the end of an era at Chesapeake High school, which is okay with me. Maddie finished strong, despite a very serious case of senioritis. She received 2 local scholarships, in addition to the generosity of NC State, which will cost less than sending her to Frostburg State University. At least this year-guessing everything will go up next year.

Graduation was fine, unless I looked at pics of her getting on the school bus on her first day of kindergarten. It really does go by with a blink of the eye.

She finished 5th in her class of 340-VERY impressive. And in 2 months, she will move to North Carolina. And I will finally be able to clean her room the way it should be and have a guest room! UH....no, it will always be her room. A shrine. Yeah, that's the ticket.

I will miss her greatly. She is my Ravens fan, my sci fi film go to girl, my teatime partner, and my baking buddy. She has always shared my love of great food and great road trips. I could go on with comments about her kindness and compassion, but I won't embarrass her. Needless to say, there will a great void in the house when she leaves. That Andrew will try his hardest to fill.

library stories...

Musings from the library. it has been relatively quiet lately. how boring....


Regular Customer Freddy Waving New Undershorts in the Library


As I walked past the magazine area I noticed a regular customer named Freddy waving a pair of new men's undershorts from out of a plastic bag. I approached him and told him that it was inappropriate to sort underwear in the library. He said that he just got them and that I didn't have to be so damn nasty. He went on to say that he was just sorting his "f...ing laundry". He continued to rant at me with a few additional curse words. I repeated my statement that what he was doing with his underwear was inappropriate in the library and I warned him that if he continued to curse at me I would ask him to leave the building. I then walked away.
I heard him muttering and using a few four-letter words as he continued to pack up his clothing into plastic bags. Within a few minutes he left the building.

Gotta watch out for those senior citizens

Disruptive disgruntled patron, scratched desk
A little after lunch, , Mr Ralph entered the library. He went to the returns area where Becky and Steph were waiting to help direct customers around our new branch. When they showed him where to return his books, he very loudly began to complain about the bookdrop, how low it is to the ground, and how he doesn't have two hands free to bend down and put books in (he walks with a cane). Becky told him that they were happy to help with the books and he continued to grumble loudly as he handed his books over.

After that was completed, he loudly declared "Where the hell are the books?" in Stephanie's general direction. Stephanie had already begun to walk away so she turned around and said "Excuse me?" and he rephrased his question to "Where are the books?" and she walked him over to the new book displays.

After a few minutes, he walked towards the desk with a book in hand. Stephanie asked him if he was ready to check out and he said yes. She began to explain the new self checkout system and he became very angry saying he had been coming to this library for 40 years and he didn't want to use the machines. She offered to do it for him at the self check and he said he wanted to do it himself so she waited for him to move and he didn't. He walked up to the desk, put his cane up on the desk, and slammed the hardcover book onto the desk as loudly as he could, repeating that he had been a customer for over 40 years and he wanted to be checked out right here.

And a few days later...

I had a chance to speak with Mr. Ralph this afternoon. I happened to be at the interior book drop when he came in and said hello to him. He asked if he could just hand me his book and I took it from him. He then asked where the Wicked Witch of the West was. I asked him to not speak about any of my staff that way. I informed him that being asked to not put his cane on the countertops was my directive and was prompted by the scratch he left in the countertop the first time he became belligerent. He did try to do some arguing, but I made it clear that if his argumentative stance, abusive language or any slamming of his cane were to occur again, I would ask him to leave the library. I told him that as long as he treated the staff with respect, we would return that and help him in any way we could. He agreed, and shook my hand. He then went about his business with no further incident.

Get a room....

At 9:05am library customer came up to the desk very upset. She said that as she was parking her car in our parking lot she saw (in a car parked in the far rear of our lot) a couple having sex. They were in the back seat of the car. In her opinion, when she saw them, they were just finishing up and they drove off as she was coming into the library. She stated that she thought maybe the woman was a prostitute.



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

visiting the 70's

Once again, my dear friend Julie has touched my life in unexpectant ways. She has always traveled in large circles and embraced many wonderful walks of life. Despite her shyness and introverted ways, her circle was big and close to her.
Larry is just one of those friends. I have known him as long as I have known Julie-he was her primary Oriole baseball bud, former room mate, former neighbor, and a tight music connection. Larry's commitment to playing music and jamming with other friends began 35 plus years ago. He had a group of men (and some women) gather in his small, tight for space Takoma Park house to play together. They would meet every Tuesday, break bread, and play whatever felt good. This tradition has continued to today, although it is now on Friday evenings.
Marcia and I have talked about paying a call on this lam session and we had the opportunity this weekend. It has been 25 years since I paid a visit to Larry and Cathy's humble abode and it was an evening of high school memories. Larry greeted us with a Hot Tuna t-shirt, long gray hair tied back in a pony tail, and a boisterous greeting. Their home was filled with things to look at-albums, rock pictures on the wall, collections of trinkets, rock coffee table books; Orioles memorabilia. We opened wine and the jamming began, in the small room downstairs that was once Julie's living room. it was just big enough for their equipment-set of drums and bongos, guitars, a bass, a keyboard, and a harmonica. The walls were covered in egg cartons and more great pics of rock memories. The music flowed-guess 35 years of practice has paid off. They were in sync and in tune with each other.
How incredibly grateful I have this connection. I will return, to rock out and share more laughs, political conversations, and great times.

my lost weekend of memories

As I continue my trend of sentimentality, it is of great importance I share the experiences of our annual Julie memorial weekend this past weekend. We began this tradition right after she died in November, 2013. Julie collected friends-many of them. And all her friends became everyone else's friends. We have a group of about 14 women, all of which have known her in different parts of her life-college, post college, moves to Baltimore and Takoma Park, and various other snatches of her too brief life. What was so amazing about her is her longevity with her connections. She has created a group who have all known each other for 35+ years-and she is the common denominator.
Last years outing was hard. It was 3 month after she died-everyone was still grieving and we spent most of the weekend sharing our memories and getting teary. This year was quite different, as time has healed some of the pain of not having her here with us. We were more relaxed and able to just enjoy our company.
There was quite prevalent with this year's weekend of debauchery. We had phenomenal food, many laughs, and oh my god, lots of alcohol. Because we were in the city, walking was the simpliest-granted, it wasn't always a straight line, but no one was hurt or left in the dust. Well, not true, as part of our 10 (we were missing a few this year-hope everyone is there next year) made pit stops to the restaurant and lost track of their party. As well as the name of the place and the address. We followed up with a trip to Mum's in Federal Hill, a Julie hang out for baseball and shots of Evel-a very strange concoction of grain alcohol, cloves, and cinnamon. The 'entertainment' that evening was a young struggling college student strumming an electric guitar badly and singing off key. Didn't matter to us, the die hard dancers rocked out and made his night.
We headed over to the Bromo Seltzer Tower on Saturday for culture-very interesting in a Baltimore history sort of way. I arranged a wine tasting which was over the top great. They cracked 8 bottles of wine, we had many snacks, and made Danzel the wine pourer, very happy. Who, by the way, was a librarian in a former life. Kismet. Thanks Julie. Then off to dinner, for more wine and seafood. Took a quick detour to Slainte's Irish Bar for Irish coffees and Marcia's interpretive dance to hard Irish rock. And capped the evening off with the Cats Eye Pub for shots of Jameson and free bourbon shots and a great blues band. Hats off to the group effort to ensure everyone got home safely, despite a few moments of laying on the lobby floor.
Baltimore never disappoints. its has character, life, culture, warmth, and edginess. And in conclusion, I will need to quote Carolyn, "Julie sure did have great taste in women".
Okay, everyone, here's to looking forward to next year!

Chris

Today would have been Chris' 52nd birthday. I think of him often and ponder what life would be like with him in it and getting to know my kids. His humor has carried into the next generation, which is a comfort in some ways. Granted, he was unique with his perspective on life. He left for Puerto Rico in the 80's to open the Chart House and join a band called Chronic Inflammation. He left his mark on Annapolis with antics only Chris could get away with-challenging a military officer to a foot race, where he showed up hung over with a beer in barefeet, as his competition warmed up with push ups. Think he won. He was notorious for party habits at the Chateau Relaxo, where he once fell into our Christmas tree, where my mother found him hugging. He took life lightly. it was all about fun and sharp humor. He had a great ability to quote, verbetim, Waltons Family Christmas. And most of Saturday night Live. Alan and I went to visit him a year after we began dating and what a phenomenal visit. When the house needed cleaning, we stepped outside and Chris hosed the house out with water (all stone and terra cotta). We swam in the rain forest, drank alot of rum, and ate phenomenal seafood. Puerto Rico will never be the same to me.

He weathered trials in his love life, which was part of the reason for his demise. I prefer to think of his warmth, his humor, and his great ability to write. he was just launching a restaurant column in a local publication in Puerto Rico.

I raise a glass to my brother.

zelda

We are in the height of winter, so they say. Where temperatures remain the most constant-cold. I'd say I have probably seen the sun once this week. long enough to take note before it disappeared. If only it would at least generate some snow- and enough to leave us at home, as opposed to dark days travelling to work.
I have the added pleasure of using my sports car to get around during this bad weather. How joyous it is to come out to leave to for work and not only have to scrape my cart on the outside, but in the inside as well. Heat? maybe in about 30 minutes. I find myself driving with my head over on the passengers side to see around the frost covering the inside windshield. So much for the new roof. Then I must make a pit stop in freezing rain to fill the passenger tire up with air because of a slow leak.
These are times where I think about selling it and getting a normal mode of transportation. One where I can carry more than one person if you are under 200 pounds. Alan can't fit. Andrew can't fit. I grow weary having extra burden for the cutest car in the world.

Then spring arrives. I drop the hood. I zip down the highway. I am rarely a DD. I feel the wind in my hair. And then I reconsider. After all, I have dealt with worse growing up. The great 57 pontiac with no floor. The aging station wagons that leaked smoke in the car when driving. The VW bug that ran great until it bit the dust. And there was a large chevy that lost its power steering and had to be steered manually. All the time. But there was one bright moment-when we were asked to mind a triumph spitfire for a couple of weeks. And that when i decided I would own a sports car.

So, 3 more months. And back to topless days with Zelda.