Where does this stuff come from? I mean, it's just plain bizarre.
In the semi-scary as Hell department - I arrived to work this morning to find a black plastic bag, tied, and hanging on the door knob to the staff entrance of the library.
Ok.
So what does yours truly do? Well I couldn't very well leave it hanging there - so I picked it up using my car keys (yeah, that will stop anything bad from happening!) and tossed it in the dumpster.
The bag was light weight and sounded like kitty litter or gravel.
You know, it's just better if I don't think about it. Because my overactive imagination and too many mystery novels are causing my thoughts to go to very scary places.
****
I just got the wackiest reference question on the planet.
Slightly Out There Library Patron: "Do you know what's wrong with my eye? It keeps itching, watering, and there is stuff oozing out of it."
Me: "Uh, maybe you should go to a doctor?"
This one is right up there with people who ask me what tax forms they need every year. Well since I'm not an accountant, and I'm not privy to your financial records my answer is "I don't know."
Somedays it really hurts being such a smart ass.
About The Bat Cave
Thursday, May 12, 2005
Tuesday, May 10, 2005
Good Book Alert
First I have to say that I've had the day from Hell. Seriously. Is it a full moon or something? My day started with a trip to the dentist and quickly went downhill. I'm not sure what was worse - my public Internet computers being down this morning, 2 printers (one of them the public printer) taking a mini-vacation or the crazy man who monopolized 2 hours of my time.
All this after going to the dentist.
You know the types of patrons who scare me the most? The ones that are nuts, but don't realize they're completely insane. It's amazing I didn't polish off a fifth of Jack Daniels for lunch.
Anyway, one good thing did happen to me today. I finished a really excellent book. And just to get this out of the way now - yes, it's a hard cover. Sorry folks.
Sex, Murder And A Double Latte by Kyra Davis is a debut novel for Red Dress Ink, and is one of those new chick lit/mystery hybrid books. I'll admit that the whole chick lit phenomenon tends to baffle me more than anything - but when blended with a mystery these books really seem to work for me. I'm not sure why. Maybe because the heroine has something other to worry about besides cosmopolitans, Jimmy Choos and losing 15 pounds? Dead bodies don't like to be ignored after all.
Anyway, Sophie Katz (our heroine) is a bestselling mystery author with a problem. She thinks someone is out to kill her - but the police think she has an overactive imagination. First, the famous movie producer who was interested in her screenplay commits suicide - and Sophie doesn't buy it. She thinks it's murder. Then she gets a threatening, albeit vague, note in the mail. There's also the mysterious hang-up phone calls and the creepy feeling she has that someone has been in her San Francisco flat.
The exact same stuff that happened to the heroine in her first novel, Sex, Drugs and Murder.
Cue creepy music here.
All this, a dysfunctional family, and a mysterious hot Russian guy wooing her too.
This book is a wonderful blend of good mystery and chick lit. Sophie has an interesting life, with a variety of wacky acquintances and a fun, chick-lit style voice. She's also not lily-white, being half-black and half-Jewish. One of the funniest scenes in the book is in the opening chapter when Sophie describes her Jewish mother's reaction to the sex scenes in her novels. Also, becoming bored with inquiries about her ethicity (no, she's not Egyptian or Polynesian) she has a purse full of zippy one-liners.
Also, it's important to note that this is a chick lit novel, of sorts. So while it ends positively, there isn't what I would call a traditional happily-ever-after. However, the mystery does get solved, and Sophie ends up in a better place. Readers who want their heroines to be married and giving birth to triplets in the epilouge need not apply - you won't find that here.
This really was a fabulous book. While it didn't quite make it to keeper status for me (OK, so I'm really flippin' picky!), it easily landed in B+ territory. Sure it's a hard cover - but hey, buy it on sale! Get it at the library! Or put it on your TBB for when it lands in paperback. Whatever you do though - don't miss it.
All this after going to the dentist.
You know the types of patrons who scare me the most? The ones that are nuts, but don't realize they're completely insane. It's amazing I didn't polish off a fifth of Jack Daniels for lunch.
Anyway, one good thing did happen to me today. I finished a really excellent book. And just to get this out of the way now - yes, it's a hard cover. Sorry folks.
Sex, Murder And A Double Latte by Kyra Davis is a debut novel for Red Dress Ink, and is one of those new chick lit/mystery hybrid books. I'll admit that the whole chick lit phenomenon tends to baffle me more than anything - but when blended with a mystery these books really seem to work for me. I'm not sure why. Maybe because the heroine has something other to worry about besides cosmopolitans, Jimmy Choos and losing 15 pounds? Dead bodies don't like to be ignored after all.
Anyway, Sophie Katz (our heroine) is a bestselling mystery author with a problem. She thinks someone is out to kill her - but the police think she has an overactive imagination. First, the famous movie producer who was interested in her screenplay commits suicide - and Sophie doesn't buy it. She thinks it's murder. Then she gets a threatening, albeit vague, note in the mail. There's also the mysterious hang-up phone calls and the creepy feeling she has that someone has been in her San Francisco flat.
The exact same stuff that happened to the heroine in her first novel, Sex, Drugs and Murder.
Cue creepy music here.
All this, a dysfunctional family, and a mysterious hot Russian guy wooing her too.
This book is a wonderful blend of good mystery and chick lit. Sophie has an interesting life, with a variety of wacky acquintances and a fun, chick-lit style voice. She's also not lily-white, being half-black and half-Jewish. One of the funniest scenes in the book is in the opening chapter when Sophie describes her Jewish mother's reaction to the sex scenes in her novels. Also, becoming bored with inquiries about her ethicity (no, she's not Egyptian or Polynesian) she has a purse full of zippy one-liners.
Also, it's important to note that this is a chick lit novel, of sorts. So while it ends positively, there isn't what I would call a traditional happily-ever-after. However, the mystery does get solved, and Sophie ends up in a better place. Readers who want their heroines to be married and giving birth to triplets in the epilouge need not apply - you won't find that here.
This really was a fabulous book. While it didn't quite make it to keeper status for me (OK, so I'm really flippin' picky!), it easily landed in B+ territory. Sure it's a hard cover - but hey, buy it on sale! Get it at the library! Or put it on your TBB for when it lands in paperback. Whatever you do though - don't miss it.
Monday, May 9, 2005
Peanuts And Cracker Jacks
"Some guys take their girls out to fancy dinners. I take mine to the ballgame" -Wendy's Boyfriend sometime around the 5th inning
Yes, my Detroit Tigers were in town this past weekend and not only did I go to the game Saturday night - but it turned out to be a really good one. A fantastic pitcher's duel unfolded, thanks to Bonderman (Tigers) and Colon (Angels), making it a quick game (not quite 2.5 hours!). Percival came out, earned his save, and got a standing ovation from the fans of his former team. Of course, the drunken idiots sitting behind me boo'ed him - but hey, that's baseball!
The best part had to be watching Tiger manager, Alan Trammell, get ejected. Tram isn't a hot head (that's bench coach Kirk Gibson), but he went out to back up Craig Monroe who got ejected for tossing his helmet after being called out at first base. Frankly, I suspect Tram did it to fire up the team - since the Tigers were in the middle of a losing streak.
In other news, a big shout out to Alyssa who told me another way I could get pictures to post on my blog! I followed Maili's suggestion of downloading Picasa 2 - but that still didn't resolve my issues with Hello's Bloggerbot software. Thanks anyway Maili!
I'm smack dab in the middle of an excellent book right now - Sex, Murder and a Double Latte by Kyra Davis. More on it once I finish - but I will say that this recent trend towards chick lit/mystery hybrids seems to be agreeing with me.
Thursday, May 5, 2005
Hasenpfeffer!
Remember the saga of the rabbits? Well I have good news! Turns out one of the librarians at a nearby library adores rabbits. In fact, she has a pet rabbit at home that she rescued after it was abandoned at my library several years earlier. So she drove on down here and was able to capture one of ours. Turns out he was a boy-rabbit. I never got close enough to pick the rascal up to figure that out.
Unfortunately, this little fellow's partner in crime is no longer with us. We have no concrete proof - but we fear the little guy met the wrong end of a car. But I'm keeping an eye out for him (or her) just in case we're wrong!
In other bizarre library news, I arrived at the office this morning to find a bag of groceries sitting by the staff entrance door. Yes, a bag of groceries! The only possible explaination I have for this is that someone left it here for our homeless population.
I'm also waging The Great Dumpster Battle of 2005. I used to have 2 dumpsters. Then someone figured out that we were only paying for 1, so the garbage company came and took the other away. Between the neighboring park, and the good citizens of this city, I've basically been dumpster-less. It's jammed and overflowing by Monday afternoon - and given that we only have one pick up (on Thursdays), it's getting to be a major inconvenience.
I'm not sure if this problem will ever be solved (nobody has any money!). Slapping a lock on it won't solve anything because people will just pile the garbage around the dumpster (they already do this and the damn thing is unlocked). I'd be happy with one extra pick-up or the park getting their own damn dumpter - but I'm not holding my breath. Again, nobody has any money. Still, I'm kicking up a fuss just for the heck of it. Sometimes I suspect it's just because I like the sound of my own ranting voice.
Unfortunately, this little fellow's partner in crime is no longer with us. We have no concrete proof - but we fear the little guy met the wrong end of a car. But I'm keeping an eye out for him (or her) just in case we're wrong!
In other bizarre library news, I arrived at the office this morning to find a bag of groceries sitting by the staff entrance door. Yes, a bag of groceries! The only possible explaination I have for this is that someone left it here for our homeless population.
I'm also waging The Great Dumpster Battle of 2005. I used to have 2 dumpsters. Then someone figured out that we were only paying for 1, so the garbage company came and took the other away. Between the neighboring park, and the good citizens of this city, I've basically been dumpster-less. It's jammed and overflowing by Monday afternoon - and given that we only have one pick up (on Thursdays), it's getting to be a major inconvenience.
I'm not sure if this problem will ever be solved (nobody has any money!). Slapping a lock on it won't solve anything because people will just pile the garbage around the dumpster (they already do this and the damn thing is unlocked). I'd be happy with one extra pick-up or the park getting their own damn dumpter - but I'm not holding my breath. Again, nobody has any money. Still, I'm kicking up a fuss just for the heck of it. Sometimes I suspect it's just because I like the sound of my own ranting voice.
Tuesday, May 3, 2005
RWA Car Pool
It's official - once I send in my paperwork tomorrow - I will be attending RWA in Reno this July. I'm planning on driving up on Tuesday, July 26 and leaving early Saturday morning (7/30). At least I'm hoping to drive up. Right now it's just me, and The Boyfriend doesn't seem real keen on me traveling alone.
So, if you or anyone you know is planning on attending RWA, lives in the Southern California area, and would like to carpool - let me know! I'm also getting a hotel room, so if anyone needs a roommate - let me know! You can leave me a message in comments or you can dig up my e-mail address at the bottom of this page.
Yippee! I'm so excited to go. The books! The mingling! The booze!
So, if you or anyone you know is planning on attending RWA, lives in the Southern California area, and would like to carpool - let me know! I'm also getting a hotel room, so if anyone needs a roommate - let me know! You can leave me a message in comments or you can dig up my e-mail address at the bottom of this page.
Yippee! I'm so excited to go. The books! The mingling! The booze!
You Say Tomato, I Say Toh-Mat-Oh
I hate genre labels. I also hate compartmentalizing books in libraries.
If I had my druthers, paperbacks would all be in one area and you would find John Steinbeck shelved next to Danielle Steel. The minute you break books off into separate categories you do a disservice to library patrons.
Why? Because you keep them in their safe little worlds. They will resist trying anything new.
Why? Because it has a "label" on it.
Gasp, I can't read that! It has a romance, mystery, science fiction, horror, whatever label on it!
Yes, I know. Give people what they want. If they want X type of books, why make it hard for them? I understand that. I really, really do. I just think it's short-sighted. I think back to my teenage years and all the fabulous authors I discovered just by browsing the library shelves. If these folks had been put into their own categories, I probably never would have found Marcia Muller, Sue Grafton, Victoria Holt, Barbara Michaels....
The list goes on.
There's also the matter of mis-labeling. My library has labelled for years - which means it's so ingrained in our service population now that there is no turning back. Here are my two favorite mislabels that I've discovered so far:
Yes, not labeling is certainly the way to go. Less headaches.
If I had my druthers, paperbacks would all be in one area and you would find John Steinbeck shelved next to Danielle Steel. The minute you break books off into separate categories you do a disservice to library patrons.
Why? Because you keep them in their safe little worlds. They will resist trying anything new.
Why? Because it has a "label" on it.
Gasp, I can't read that! It has a romance, mystery, science fiction, horror, whatever label on it!
Yes, I know. Give people what they want. If they want X type of books, why make it hard for them? I understand that. I really, really do. I just think it's short-sighted. I think back to my teenage years and all the fabulous authors I discovered just by browsing the library shelves. If these folks had been put into their own categories, I probably never would have found Marcia Muller, Sue Grafton, Victoria Holt, Barbara Michaels....
The list goes on.
There's also the matter of mis-labeling. My library has labelled for years - which means it's so ingrained in our service population now that there is no turning back. Here are my two favorite mislabels that I've discovered so far:
- The Awakening by Kate Chopin marked with a "Horror" sticker. Now, I'm sure the men of earlier 20th century America did find Chopin's novel "horrifying" but that's besides the point.
- Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk labelled as science fiction. Um, no. In fact, Palahniuk's work tends to defy genres - so no label for him.
Yes, not labeling is certainly the way to go. Less headaches.
Monday, May 2, 2005
Romancing The Blog #4
My latest column is now live over at Romancing The Blog.
Also, I'm still having issues with posting pictures on my blog! I see other Bloggers aren't having problems. Mine just aren't loading. I've even gone so far as to uninstall and reinstall Hello Bloggerbot. Anyone have any insight that might help me? I'm seriously beginning to get cheesed off.
Also, I'm still having issues with posting pictures on my blog! I see other Bloggers aren't having problems. Mine just aren't loading. I've even gone so far as to uninstall and reinstall Hello Bloggerbot. Anyone have any insight that might help me? I'm seriously beginning to get cheesed off.
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