Good News!

Well, guys...I have some good news!  After years of waiting, four years of high school, four of undergrad, and three more of graduate school...I am finally a librarian.  And I don't mean in that way that most of my coworkers refer to "Oh, you have your MLIS, so you're a librarian."  I mean, I'm an official librarian in an official librarian position.  I have finally done it!

The Big Boss

So, I have a performance review coming up.  And that always gets me thinking about my ultimate end-game for my career.  The more I work in a library, the more I realize that the only mobility after librarian (the next step up from my current position) is manager.  And the more I think about it, the more I think I might want to be a manager.  I want to be the big boss.

Naked Snake AKA "Big Boss" (Metal Gear Solid)

Okay, maybe not that Big Boss...but I want to be the boss.  Normally, this is not something I would ever consider.  I have always hated being in charge, because I would always butt heads with someone bigger, louder, or older than me, and that power I grasped for a split second would fizzle out.  Then, I had a couple of really frustrating group projects in grad school.  And I realized that being the group leader (aka, the boss) was actually pretty nice.  Being in a position of power, doling out the tasks to everyone, actually gave me a sense of satisfaction in a job well done, and allowed me to keep things organized.  It was very freeing.  Sure, the group didn't always listen to me, but that was because we were all on the same authority level.  The only difference was that I assigned tasks.  Being a real boss means that I actually am in charge.

And being in charge means I get a gold statue of myself, right?

So, I'm hoping to talk to my current managers about getting some management experience.  I don't want to leave my library, and I don't intend to, but if a management position opens up, I want to be able to apply for it.  Heck, if a librarian position opens up, I would like to be able to apply for it, and I believe that showing some initiative in the management portion will look good for me in an interview.

So, yeah...that's what's going on with me.  Until next time, dear readers!

Dear Cute Guy at Work

Stop trying to get under my skin.

Yes, you're adorable.  I'm not denying that.  I'm not even going to try.  But, please, stop making me jittery, teasing until I blush, pointing like a kindergartner , making me stick out my tongue in a childish last resort.

And don't give me that "Oh, I'm not that great" line of crap, or the one about how you feel so bad for yourself.  I see that smirk tugging at the corner of your mouth.  And it's really hot.  And that bugs me.

I can't keep hiding my smiles behind my hand.  I'm trying to be professional, and that's hard to do when you're making me laugh.  I'm not interested in this sort of thing.  Not right now.  And you're so not right for me.  On so many levels.  For so many reasons.

But, your eyes are so blue and your curls so blond.  God, you're pretty.

Yeah, just stop, and I think we'll both be fine.

Work Woes

The other day, we were all evacuated from the building at work, because leaking pipes got water in our light fixtures.  We stood around in the freezing cold for about ten minutes before our supervisors gave us the a-okay to leave (it was supposed to be under 0* that night).  And since it was the ONE DAY I didn't drive myself (the roads were terrible, and my folks offered to give me a lift to work), I had to accept a ride home from my handsome co-worker.

Because of the water-damage, we were closed today, which meant I didn't have that 8am meeting like I thought I would (which was awesome!).  And then, Facebook and our website announced that we were going to be closed tomorrow.  And then I got a call and an email from two of my bosses saying that YES, we are indeed open tomorrow.  Shit.  I was really looking forward to a day off.

Also, I'm not sure how my schedule is going to work out, since I was supposed to leave early on Thursday (we get an hour off for attending the morning meeting), and there was no meeting because we were closed.  So, the question is: are we going to be closed, or not?  And if we're open, do I still get my hour off?

Can't I just stay home?  Can't I just wear my pajamas all day?  Can't I just go back to bed?

The Books are the Life

Working at a library has been one of the best life choices I have made so far.  I could not be happier with my line of work.  However, there is a slight snag.  The books.

Now, I know what you're thinking....But, Em, you love books!  What's the problem?  This should make you happy!  And it does.  It really does.  But, books are starting to take over my life, like they did back in high school.  And I'm totally okay with this.  Sometimes, however, I wonder if that's a problem.

There's hardly a day that goes by where I don't bring a new library book home.  They follow me there like lost puppies or feral children.  And I don't have time to read them all.  Also, did I mention that I have another library I go to?  And I find more books there.  PLUS, used book stores.  And my library sells used books, so I'm always dipping my dollars into the register, after promising myself that I'm only "just browsing."

In case you were wondering, I'm currently rereading Dracula.  Yeah, I read it back in high school, but I thought I would give it another shot, and I'm enjoying it considerably more now.

I have a few more books stacked up and waiting in the wings.  Perhaps I'll talk about those sometime soon, too.  I have a couple Jeanette Winterson novels, plus The Good Earth (a birthday present from Kitsune), and a couple tidbits I picked up at a book sale: Confederacy of Dunces and some Nabokov, among others.

Too Many Books

The air-conditioner was off in the break room at the library, and it's hot enough out there to melt the car tires (okay, I exaggerate), but there was no way I was going to spend my break in a stifling hot room, so I decided to wander the stacks.  I intended to find one or two books, and I left with a lot more than that.  Damn.

A New Job, Summer Reading, and a Great White Whale of a Book

May I just take a moment to talk about how THRILLED I am with my new job?  I absolutely love it!  The people are awesome, the work is fun, and the time simply flies by!  (Plus, I got my first paycheck today, and was rather pleased with what I saw).  And did I mention that I work in a library?  Yes?  No?  Well, I work in a library and I LOVE IT SO MUCH!!!

So, yeah.  Life after college isn't looking too bad.  True, I miss my college friends, but I am so happy with where I am right now...I feel as though God has some really good things in store for me, and I can't wait to see what He has planned.  Life.  Is.  Good :)

I'll be posting some more book reviews real soon.  Currently reading a few books at once, so hopefully one of these should finish up in the next couple of days.  Sarah and I are still reading Moby-Dick, which is surprisingly good, but very strange.  Also, I'm attempting to tackle my LXG Reading Challenge this summer, starting with King Solomon's Mines.  Moby-Dick, meanwhile, will count towards my Summer School summer reading theme.

Speaking of summer reading, did I mention that the summer reading program is starting up at my library in a few days?  I'm really excited.  You all should see if your local libraries are hosting summer reading programs.  They're a fun way to earn some cool prizes, and read a lot of good books :)

Two Small Disappointments

I'll keep this brief....

1.) I didn't get the job at the coffee shop; they loved me, they wanted me to work there, but we could not make our schedules match up.  They wanted me to come during times when I would be in class....

2.) My date didn't actually go through.  He sent me a text a few hours before we were supposed to go out for coffee and chess, saying that he sustained an nasty injury during his workout that morning.  Apparently, he strained his trapezius muscle, and was having trouble even sitting up.

I guess the good news is that I'll still hopefully be able to get a rain check for the date, but as for the job...well, I'm not going to be getting that.

Back on Campus

Senior year is about to start, and I'm so excited!  The past couple of weeks building up to this point were difficult, but I was pleased as punch to discover that just getting back on campus totally helped me readjust; and living in the same dorm as last year makes it feel like I never actually left.

 

I know I've already amazed and thrilled (or perhaps bored) all of you with details of my class schedule and the books I'll be reading, so I won't subject you to that now.  However, I will bring up some other interesting news...

 

I applied for a job in one of the on-campus coffee shops.  I'm actually just hanging out during the interview process right now.  I was the first to be interviewed, and now, I'm just waiting for our little "training" session.  Ironically, we'll be trained before we're told if we have the job or not.  I'm just hoping I'll get a chance to go to the second level of interviews....Working at a coffee shop would be a lot of fun, plus the hours aren't that bad.  And I could always add this to a resume when I apply for a summer job at Starbucks, lol.  But seriously, I would love to work in a coffee shop.  What could be more fun than sharing my favorite brews with my fellow students?

 

I think the interview went well...but I can't say much more about it at this point.  I'll be sure to keep y'all posted if anything happens.

 

In the meantime, I'm reading Tristram Shandy for pleasure, and waiting to see which books I'll be reading first for classes...and I'm totally eavesdropping on some girls talking about very many things, such as:

 

• The extreme hickeys Girl A's bf gave her (resulting in scarves on a hot day, and tons of concealer)
• The possibility of selling one's first born in exchange for text books ("it's cheaper and they will probably accept it")

Oh, the things you hear when people don't realize you're listening...

The Hunt for Summer Jobs

"The time has come," the Walrus said,

"To talk of many things:

Of shoes-- and ships-- and sealing wax--

Of cabbages--and kings--

And why the sea is boiling hot--

And whether pigs have wings."

~Lewis Carroll (Through the Looking-Glass)

And, in my case...also to think of getting a summer job.

Its not that I want to get a summer job, mind you, but money is good as is job experience. And, one must think postivly. This could be a lot of fun.

Does anyone have any suggestions for places I should look at? (Or, at least types of places I should look at? Also, is there anyone who would be hiring a blogger/amatur poet?) Because, that would be the best ;)