So, just sitting at the good ol reference desk at the good ol library. Um, I had a guy with empty paper coin holders and camera lenses in a bucket, a lady who told me to speed up her hold process, and now am listening to one of our regular couples argue about a reservation time. It is getting pretty funny. He is telling her to cancel the appointment, she tells him the time, he says, no don't she says too late, makes another and then it starts all over. Living the good life, right Nicole?
I leave tomorrow morning for my trip to Oregon to be in my good friend, Kendra's wedding. Packing was difficult for this one, cause they have "weather". Here in Vegas, we don't. So I was confused about warm days, cool nights, and possible rain. So I went with less clothes and more bikinis. She's getting married on the beach, so figure, eh safe choice. No, I brought a jacket too. Excitement awaits in pizza that I hear is amazing, Powell's bookstore which everyone has told me I must visit, a yellow guest room, fixing Kendra's hair on the wedding day which we will see if I can do at all, the beach, and who knows what else?
I have been okay in life right now. Lots more changes still at the library and it has been beyond stressful at the reference desk. Long hours and cranky patrons. But with love and dark chocolate I make it through. okay, just the dark chocolate. I have gone back to my old church and feel like I am home, so that has helped. not involved again yet. But they do have this green community ministry group that sounds perfect for me. I also have not had too hard of a time with school this semester. My classes consist of mostly busy work. Running has been great. I have had my down days, but so far, so good.
Anything else you need to know? I don't think so. That's it for now.
Hello all readers. All two of you. I was whining to my brother cause he made me do this Vox thing, and now no one does it in the group that started it. But I guess i don't care really. I still find things to read on here, and if someone wants to find me, they know where I am. I feel like it is pretty useless though. But it gives me something to do.
So, mom decided Friday night to go visit my Aunt and surprise her at her 50th birthday party. Well, she lives in Tucson, we live outside of Vegas. About an eight hour drive. Yeah. We are daring and adventurous. Well, I am not at all. Because she texts this plan to meet my cousin in Prescott and drive up to Tucson the next day. I am in the midst of Staff Day (which we had trivia afterwards and my team won! Yes!) and I am already planning a handful of things on Saturday and Sunday so freak out. I text back saying I am in a presentation class thingy and I can't do it. So much is going on, I have school Monday, I don't have a small bag to put clothes in, my hair is not dyed. After all those excuses though, I said screw it, I will go. And we did.
We drove to Prescott starting around 6 am, after an eventfully windy night and we got no sleep. So mom sings and talks and picks at me to stay awake and we wait for my cousin in Prescott. By this time, mom has so much energy I am thinking of having her walk the rest of the way to Tucson.
Because the road looked awfully long. When my cousin gets off work, she cleans up, grabs some stuff and we start off to Tucson. We get there about a half hour after the party started (and we did a spit bath in the Walmart outside of town cause we were so hot and it was twelve hours at this point) and totally surprised my aunt and uncle. We ate with all their friends, then hung out that night while she opened presents. Then we slept very little Saturday night, woke up and ate breakfast. In the time it took for them to go to church, I played with their horses and showered, read some, and then we sat in about a thirty minute thunderstorm, got in the car and drove to Phoenix. Let me pause here, and say I neeeeeed sleep. I am not a horrible person, but I know I need sleep. I didn't have any and was dying.
Our original plan was to stay in Prescott at my cousin's overnight, but when I thought about it, I had to go to work at noon today and decided driving right on home would be best. I drank a huge thing of double shot coffee at like 9 pm and drove on home to Henderson. My gosh I am so worn out today. I am like a zombie and my typing is even incredibly slow. It's amazing I got into work. I have two hours to go!!! Augh! But, since I am not so spontaneous, the trip was extremely fun, it was good to have some relaxed time with Mom- even if I was ready to hitchhike by Kingman, and great to see my family.
What else is going on? I have done pretty well with my running. Since it is so freaking hot, I am shooting for a 5k in October. I am also hoping to take spinning on Saturdays. And my goal is to hike the canyon probably at the start of May next year. I still want to run a marathon, but knowing how much I have going on, have my eyes set on maybe just a half marathon in February. Even if I walk every other mile, I am going with the intent of running.
Eating. eh. Too many parties, dinners, and events for me to eat healthy. I have to though, since my friend's wedding is a month away. It is my chance to take it seriously so I can wear my orange bikini. My plan is to find a husband over that weekend. Not marry them, but find someone to start a long distance relationship with and then they come see me, fly me out there, and eventually buy me a pony and ask me to marry them.
School started today. I could cry a little. It is going to be very busy this semester. Doesn't look like as hard, but I am taking two classes and they have few assignments, so it means it's worth more. I can't wait til I am just done with it. I want my Masters, but I don't want to suffer. I think that's about it. So I am blogging into the neverworld of the blogosphere in Voxland for no one to read and care about my boring 24 car trip. If you got to this point, I can give you a funny anecdote.
On the way home, it was super dark and you have to watch for deer and antelope and all that crap you don't normally see in Vegas. Well, I'm not really listening to my mom, and she knows it. So out of nowhere she screams out so loud!! I seriously swerved a little and couldn't stop screaming. I never, ever get scared, and I started laughing so hard and asked her what that was and she said "a deer". Yeah, cause right before ya hit them they yell at you. Whatever Mom.
I came in to today, from yesterday, a Sunday, feeling like, you know what it is going to be a good week!!! Don't ruin it for me patrons of the library.
I went to an old church my family used to go to a long long time ago, and it was great. It felt like we were home. I really enjoyed it and after church hopping for so long, and finding out people I had problems with that weren't resolved had gone, have found a church home again.
My running is still coming along. It has been humid here- humid for what it is worth in the desert- and that makes it very difficult to breathe. But I am getting there. As soon as it cools down slightly, I will focus on a real training goal.
I have made new friends, with old friends even, and cousins. Facebook is cool for that. It is a very comforting feeling to be back in touch with some family that has been on my family's mind for a long time. And it is great to know that these particular cousins never thought badly of my mom, which has given her so much peace. Things are slowly coming together in that area. I miss a friendship I had, but it is in repair to be a pleasing enough relationship, without stress, and I am fine with that. I also have tried to make an effort to be more social- ie, going to Coco Jenkins birthday party's and to see her band play again. Which they are awesome. Rhyme and Rhythm http://www.myspace.com/rhymenrhythm. And a girl's night this week.
I have caught up on some of my fun reading, because I have decided book club is just not on top of my prioroty list right now. I don't enjoy the books even when they are good books.
I may or may not be getting financial aid. I thought I was, but due to the fact it is too expensive for me to take two classes at a time, they want to know why I haven't taken two classes at a time. Um- I would if I could afford it. I am willing to take as many as I have to now, just to GET DONE!! So givve me the financial aid. Thank you.
That about sums it up. Peace.
I don't know if everyone knows this about me, but I absolutely love elephants. So my coworkers have the habit of pulling any donated or advanced reader books that say anything about elephants or have them on the cover. I got this book last summer I think and have yet to read it. Last weekend I picked it up and finished it in three days!
Hannah's Dream by Diane Hammond was not only about a sweet, loving, and solo elephant in a zoo, but all the family she gains in human form. The elephant, Hannah has spent most of her life with Sam, her keeper and as his health declines from diabetes he worries about what will happen to her. She is a little worried herself about things around her and being left in the barn alone at night. So Sam and his wife do everything they can to show their love for Hannah. There are a few side stories in Hannah's Dream that explain why Sam loves the elephant so much and why others do too.
The characters are great in this book, and of course there are some that may get on your nerves at first, but everyone has two sides. When Sam decides Hannah needs a home where she can stay out all the time and other elephants can keep her company, his friends get together a plan to transport her away from the Seattle Zoo to a sanctuary in California. I won't say more, because it has a great ending. It was a touching story, and a quick read, so I really recommend it if you like animal books. Or elephants!
Well, I have decided I don't want to be a librarian. Not really. Don't freak out. But my gosh these people are driving me nuts lately. I hate school for library science, and I feel annoyance towards some of the patrons. I realize I chose to work in the capacity of a public center, but why is it I feel as if I am working in a free adult day care?
I receive questions like “Do you have this book?”, I answer yes, they ask “What does it do?” (it’s a BOOK), and daily I get requests for phone numbers of companies that do not exist. You all really can't dial 411? I also have the 75 year old crazy lady who can't sit still long enough for you to answer her question, yet wants me to personally sit down with her and get her a Twitter account. However, she feels that "all that information from the Internet is just floating around in the air" and it scares her. I don't think she is ready for Twitter. Oh, and don't forget the weird guy that shows me his Korean manuscript once a week, and even though I think he is speaking English, I am not sure of what I am supposed to be saying back. So I nod.
I find that I nod a lot. I nod when someone won't shut up and I've obviously moved on to the next patron. I nod when a student in my computer class starts to tell us how to save an image, when we are discussing hyperlinks. I nod for all those questions I just don't understand what they are saying because they believe mumbling is a great communication tool. I nod for those patrons that say they have a book they want, it's purple and there was a lady in it. Yes, of course we can find that for you. Oh no, we don't have it. So I will nod to appease your complaints. I nod when the guy tells me his space ship is parked in the lot, will it get towed? I nod when I am walking away from all the other patrons who don't believe that yes, I get off at five, that is why I have my sunglasses on.
I just mentioned to Caprice, that I think the computers have made patrons stupider. I think instead of them trying to find information themselves with our assistance, it has become we find it for them, while they sit and pick their nose. Yes, some of them do pick their nose. I have hand sanitizer everywhere. But now that there is this thing called Google, everyone all the sudden knows how to use that but not how to use a computer. That helps us in no way. So when we start to look up "that cowboy song that was in that movie with the guy who had black hair" and you tell me, "no try this." Of course I am going to glare at you through the phone. Hopefully if you are in front of me, I will ignore my desire to push the keyboard and tell you to do it yourself.
I swear the library is driving me nuts. I feel like I need to drink (Dr Pepper) just to survive some days. But I am a public servant. I have chosen this path to serve my community the best I can. Even if it is someone who puts the mouse on the monitor to move it around, or the old lady who marks out all the swear words in a book, but reads the entire series when it offends her the entire time, and even the smelly old guys who call me sweetheart and doll. I want to serve these people, I like to serve these people. Because every now and then, I get a patron who needs a book just because they love reading, and when that one title is recommended and they thank me later because they loved the story it is worth it. Or when they needed to fill out one more form to get a job, and I give them that extra five minute assistance, they are so appreciative. And even the crazies that I nod at, that may be all the interaction they get that is positive. So it makes a difference. From behind the desk, I may still want to throw paperclips at some people, but as a whole I like that what I do can make a difference every now and then.
But then there is library school. What in the world are those dumb classes for?.....
What's the biggest obstacle you've had to overcome within the last 24 hours?
Submitted by ILoveYouMr.Dragon.
I actually ran with a friend this morning (mind you I call it shuffle jog) and we went for an actual distance. Not just a let me see if I can do this, and as we came up to one- just this one- corner, it looked like the steepest hill I had ever seen. It wasn't. I have walked over it thousands of times. But it looked horrible. I overcame it.
As I sit and wait for my eggs to boil so I can make deviled eggs for Caprice's pool party, let's talk. Why deviled eggs? I don't know. I have had a slight addiction lately. This will be the third time in three weeks that I have deviled eggs. I usually have them once a year.
I am also addicted to thesixtyone.com. It is some really rad, yeah I said rad, music from little know artists, who should be really known. I love it and thank you Brittany for directing me. Listening to it now actually and that is why I decided to blog. Because I finished my homework, but am wanting to keep listening while my eggs boil.
I am taking a marketing for libraries class. I think it should be easy since it mostly just a lot of busy work. If I stay on top of it I should stay stress free this summer. Essays and stuff. Oh. I have to email Bryan my big assignment so he can assist. Thanks for reminding me.
I am going to be in Kendra's wedding in September! I can not wait to go hang on the beach in Oregon. I also got a very nice dress. It will be so fun.
I am trying to become a runner. Slowly. But this time I feel like I can do it and I don't hate it like I usually do. I want to run a marathon. I never, never, never thought those words would be produced by me, but I decided with my 26th birthday that I want to do something amazing for myself. And that is something I can work towards even if it takes a whole other year. All right, going to take laundry down. Peace out, Happy Saturday!
Besides vacation, there have been some good times.
My birthday. I spent it at the the Secret Garden at the Mirage with Nicole, Kailey, and Jennifer and my mom. We had a blast watching the dolphins. Then we ate at this place called BLT Burger. Oh my goodness!!! Such amazing food. I seriously got sick off my Twinkie Boy milkshake. The turkey burger was delish and I enjoyed some amazing ranch on my fries.
Three day weekend! I got back from vacation and only worked two days then had three off! Woo hoo!
I am getting a "B" in my awful class. I have one assignment left to be graded it looks like, but I was relieved.
I did register for a class, but the group is optional. That made me cheer out loud.
Going on my vegetarian kick again. But this time entering it a little more prepared. Made a delicious salad and even ate roasted pine nuts. Usually hate them, but roasted, I can do it!
I have decided to run a marathon by my next birthday. My big bro Bryan is going to help me out, and I just am excited to do something for myself. In addition to that, I am going to save up and buy a kayak. In the mean time I am going to check out some dragonboat training at Lake Las Vegas.
I got to see Star Trek twice and watched Terminator Salvation. I loved them both! Good summer of movies so far. starting with Wolverine.
I sewed yesterday! Just a headband, but as soon as I am done watching Newsies I am going to go look at dress patterns. Or paint my nails, or bead. i don't know. I love having free time!
I wrote a great post about my mom and my trip to Leyden, MA and it went away.
It has been so long since I have sat down and read for fun. It wasn't the greatest book, but I got an advanced readers copy of The Uninvited by Tim Wynne-Jones. It comes out tomorrow. It could have been way scarier. I liked the characers though. Which is good. But it was supposed to be this thriller book, and it fell flat that way. Part of it was a family drama, and that worked well, but I think the author wanted it to be scary, and it was not at all. Too tame. But I read it fast!
