MARC who?

Garner and I are in a cataloging class right now. Cataloging is the most serious subject I have yet encountered in library school (which is not that surprising, considering my other classes are about playing Wii and henna tattoos). And seriousness combined with many hours of class with a sun peeking through the window does not combine well. So, as if we have not proved out nerdiness enough, we begin telling cataloger jokes. Well, jokes about cataloging. I would assume catalogers have a better sense of humor than we do.

Garner: Christy, if something ever happened to me, I would bypass Groom. I would give you authority control.

Me: Garner, you are as trustworthy as a Library of Congress MARC entry

Garner: Maybe I should tell Groom he's my main entry.
Me: You should! I think I'm going to say that in my speech at your wedding
Garner: Actually, I hope that we forget that we ever talked about this by then

The greeting card line is totally on its way.

He's Got Two Left Feet and He Bites My Moves

Confession: I just got caught in the library school computer lab busting out to this:


Did I mention I was wearing headphones? Did I mention I was singing out "You are the girl that I've been dreaming of ever since I was a little girl" in a quiet room? Excellent.

In other news: I used a randomizer for the big winner of Pay It Forward and it ended up being...

Jen @ Loveletter Typewriter

Guys, thank you for entering. I was worried. I wish I could send all of you something but then I look at my bank balance and remember my poverty. And Jen, you should email me and tell me your address so I can send you some awesome mail!

It's For a Friend

Sometimes my friends and family imagine me a human bookmobile. They send me with books to be returned to my thriving metropolitan library as well as request their reserves to be delivered to them.

For some reason, I always do it. And for some other reason, I usually have some problem with them (the library items, not my family and friends) requiring me to go to the circulation desk. And for this reason, I am usually embarassed. After all, who really believes those books are for your friend/sister/mom?

And so, I present to you the most embarassing books I have picked up for other people from the library:
1. An Introduction to Feng Shui-DVD (actual cover seen to the left)
2. The Slow Fat Triathlete by Jayne Williams
3. Your Best Life Now by Joel Osteen
4. Eat Mangoes Naked:Finding Pleasure Everywhere by SARK

And for all the marbles...

5. If I Did It by O.J. Simpson

I can only hope Kanye was telling the truth when he said that that don't kill me can only make me stronger.

Payin It Forward

Make no mistake, library life is taxing. Between our full schedule of press conferences (cleverly disguised as "library school classes") and movie premiers (I got invited to tonight's advanced screening of Get Smart! I felt like quite the library VIP) we have neglected something very important. Why am I talking as if I contain multitudes? And why am I talking in Walt Whitman poetry?

The point is, I have won a couple Pay It Forward contests!

Jamie at Oh! How Lovely! sent me some goodies (including some very cool cupcake soap!) from the Windy City (do they even call it that anymore? At least I didn't call it Chi-Town, right?)

And Lacey, who is also a formidable opponent at Scrabulous, sent me a winnah's package from NYC (including madlibs! I love madlibs! It says so on my facebook profile)

I would post pictures because both girls are so sweet and are so awesome, but my camera is temporarily unusable. But that is a blog entry unto itself. But Lacey and Jamie, thank you both so so much! I felt all happy when I went to the mailbox to find packages from you two. I'm smiling like a goon even as I write this.

But that means I now need to fulfill my end of the bargain and pay it forward to some other bloggers. If you want free stuff from me, drop a comment for me off this entry. If you've never commented, this is the perfect time to start. And if you already comment, you should also comment. I have that blog anxiety that I am going to initiate a contest and no one's going to enter. It's like a birthday party you throw that no one comes to. And no one likes that.

Monday is the day to comment by. Do it! Also, feel free to play me in scrabulous.

ChristyLouWho is a Jerk Sometimes

This post was originally planned for yesterday evening, but I ended up playing my Scrabulous moves and passing out. I know, the life of a library school student is very glamourous.

Since I work at Main Library, there is an atrium before coming into the library. Because of this, petitioners love coming to Main because they don't have to stand outside in the elements. Since I work at the library, I tend to see these petitioners more than the average library patron. Try every day. Although I am all for the democratic system, the aforementioned circumstances cause me to develop some canned responses for petitioners so as not to waste my time or theirs.

The straightforward:
Petitioner: Are you a voter?
Me: Yes, but I'm really not interested in signing.

The lie:
Petitioner: Can you sign a petition?
Me: I already signed

The avoid:
Me: (avoiding eye contact)

And most recently,
The all-encompassing denial
Petitioner: Will you sign a petition?
Me: Probably not.

Yup, that's your friendly neighborhood ChristyLouWho. Friend of the working man.

New Baby Smell

A woman at my library recently went on maternity leave to, you know, have a baby. That was last week. Exactly 7 days later, she marched back into the library with baby in tow. Maybe I'm just not old enough for the whole baby thing, but I never quite know what to do when people bring babies in. All the veteran moms know all the questions to ask, about sleeping through the night and feeding and all that. But I always say stuff like "little shoes!" and "that's a nice dress you have on" and then spend the rest of the time looking at the baby.

It is times like this that I become very aware of the fact that I am the youngest person at my job.

So while New Mother is standing there talking to the veteran mother librarian types, the teen coordinator and I crouch down and stare at the baby.

TC: I wonder if it smells like a baby.
Me: I don't see why it wouldn't smell like a baby.
TC: You know, how babies always smell like baby powder and static electricity?
Me: Static electricity? I don't even know what static electricity smells like.
TC: I'm going to smell the baby and see.

So Teen Coordinator leans over and sniffs the baby's head. I just stand (crouch?) there trying to look nonchalant. Luckily, New Mother isn't paying attention because she's talking about a Pampers sale they found or something. Teen Coordinator straightens up and smiles at me. "Static electricity and baby powder" she confirms with a victorious smile.

Just then, a colleague of ours walks by. Teen Coordinator says "Hey, you know that new baby smell?"
Without missing a beat, he replies, "Is that like a new car smell?"

At least I'm not the only one who doesn't have the whole "Baby in the Workplace" thing down.

Solidarity!

One of my best friends growing up was really into Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Although I am usually not one for vampires, I watched a few episodes of it, just for solidarity. She sat through Breaker High (does anyone remember that show? It was one of Ryan Gosling's first gigs), so I figured the least I could do was watch some vampires get schooled.

But see, the thing with Buffy the Vampire Slayer was that no matter how good the actual episode was, you always felt stupid telling other people about it. It never came out sounding quite as cool as you knew it actually was. You're all, "Buffy's friends resurrect her through a powerful spell. Buffy finds a job at a fast food restaurant while conducting a secret, mutually abusive affair with Spike that later leads to him seeking a soul to be worthy of her love. Tara is killed by a deranged murderer, Willow descends into darkness and begins a rampage that nearly causes the end of the world." Do you see? But when you watch it, it doesn't seem as weird.

That is kind of what it's like to work in youth services at a library.

When I tell people how my day was, I end up saying stuff like "Well, we talked about Saturday and I'm going to puppet the fox that judges the race between the tortoise and the hare. Then I'm going to get a life-sized alligator and tell a story of a kangaroo that gets eaten, but don't worry, he gets spit out when he tickles the alligator's tonsils". But, you know, that's my job. And getting to be the fox? That's semi-exciting. I may have mouthed to Garner "I'm going to be the fox!!" as I was going to practice and she might have mouthed back "I'm so proud of you!"

If there is anything to learn from this (and there might not be) it would be 'tis better not to be alone in your weirdness. Bring someone else along for the ride, whether it be Buffy-ing or Library-ing.