Words that women just love to hear, NOT!

Said as I was approaching the entrance to the library this morning........."Mmm mmm, you look real good." All said by a grimy looking bum who is here everyday that I'm here. Thankfully, he isn't always on the floor that I work on. Please believe that he is always outside waiting for those doors to open.

I always wonder, "What makes a bum think that I long to hear anything lustful come out of his mouth in reference to ME?"

Six quirks/events of mine........I was tagged

1. Link the person who tagged you.... I was tagged by

Opinionated Diva

2. Mention the rules in your blog.
3. Tell about 6 quirks/events of yours.
4. Tag 6 bloggers by linking them.
5. Leave a comment on each of the tagged bloggers blogs, letting them know that they have been
tagged.

1. I hate to drive/commute! I will if I have to, but I am never happy when driving long
distances.

2. I don't (gasp) eat watermelon. When I was 10, my dad forced me to eat the equivalent of one
very large watermelon. I ate so much that I was sick. I am reminded of that incident each
and every time I see watermelon.

3. My sister was pure evil to me while I was growing up (she is 7 years older.) Her payback has
been that once her oldest daughter turned 13, she began to resemble me more and more.

4. It irritates me when people who have jobs with generous benefit plans don't get their grills
fixed.

5. If I see someone I know and it is obvious that they don't recognize me, rest assured, I will not
try to make them notice me. I am good for avoiding aunts/cousins in the mall, the bank, etc.

6. About 17 years ago, I sufferred a concussion. A young man attempted to mug me outside of
my appartment. I refussed to release my hold on my purse. Because of my resistence, I
was drug a few feet. My neighbors at the time were nosey as all get out, but not one of them
came to their windows that night. I got up, went inside and called 911 myself.


****I am not tagging anyone else.****

Ben siting at your local libary

Monday night, I was on the reference desk for the last hour before closing. After the closing annoucement and the last patron had left the floor, I did my usual. I went to the restroom before preparing to go home.

On my way back to my desk from the restroom, who/what do I spot running from the compact book stacks to the support staff area, but non other than Ben. He was moving REAL FAST!!!

I was both shocked and surprised. I have heard the rumors, but I had never seen any proof.

After telling my co-worker yesterday, he asked, "So, did you scream?" Of course I didn't.

He went on to say that our co-workers had reported seeing quite a few since the renovations of the first floor occurred. I replied, " Gee, thanks for that visual."

Race, class, entitlement

A man walked up to the reference desk and threw the information slip that we give out regarding cellular telephone use on our floor on the desk in front of me. He then stated, " I DON'T SEE WHAT THE DIFFERENCE IS."

I was working on the computer, so I stopped and looked at the patron. I then said, " What are you talking about."

Patron: "That! I don't see a difference."

Me: "A difference, what are you talking about."

Patron: "Talking in the library."

Me: "What do you mean? Do you mean the difference between someone talking on a cellular telephone and what?"

Patron: "Between talking on a cell phone and just talking loudly!" Those people next to me are talking loudly.

* I didn't hear anything at the desk. I walked over to where he was sitting and didn't hear anything on my way over there. Yes, three people were talking, but they were speaking in low tones and even when standing next to then, I couldn't hear them clearly.

So the first thing I said to the patron is, " You should have just told me that you had a problem with the people talking next to you, instead of throwing that sheet of paper in my face( my head was facing down and he threw the paper in a way in which it landed directly in my line of vision.)

We went back and forth on that for a minute. Since I didn't hear anything, I told him so and returned to the desk. Here is where race, class, and entitlement comes into the picture.

The patron was melanin challenged and middle aged. The people he complained about were an African American male, a melanin challenged woman, her melanin challenged son, and the couple's biracial infant. They looked to be late twenties to early thirties. The woman's son was a teenager. The patron bypassed a melanin challenged librarian in order to approach me. At that point, I maintained the opposite side of the room from where he was sitting. He insisted that I check on his complaint. He was fuming when I didn't see things his way.

My post just for Opinionated Diva

A while back, you suggested that I use a mask when dealing with the old dusty and sometimes moldy books. Well, I have been having trouble with my asthma lately(no attacks, just tightness in the lung area.) My allergist and the nurse who is assigned to help you manage my asthma have both advised me that I must wear a mask whenever examining the books.

The last thing the nurse said was something for me to seriously consider. She said, "Maybe this isn't the best place for you to work."

As a sophomore in college, I worked as a library page. I worked at one of the older branches. The place was dusty and moldy. After about 9 months of working there, I decided to get tested for allergies. The results were that I was allergic to all grasses, dust, dust mites, all animals, and all trees. I quit that job and began working various office jobs.

I still like working in the field of libary science, but I will probably seek out something behind the scenes. It is probably time for me to stop dealing with patrons and books on a daily basis.

One thing I hate, oh so much

Being kind and courteous no matter what.

A patron walks up to you at the reference desk, no problem right? Wrong. The patron is filthy. You see dirt all over the face, the clothes seem as if they've never seen soap nor water; and to top it off, the worst of all, the hands and fingernails are black.

The patron asks you a reference question, and you must answer without showing the obvious disgust on your face.

Piss Alley

That is what I deemed one section on our floor yesterday. On one side of the reference desk, it seemed as if all of the regulars who seem to have bladder problems decided to sit real close to each other.

The only way to avoid the horrible smell was to walk all the way around the area. In lieu of that, I tried to hold my breath while I walked past.

How many parents does it take to bring a teenager to a FREE SAT workshop?

The answer must be plenty. This system offers free SAT workshops to high school juniors and seniors twice yearly. It never fails, for the first session, more parents than teenagers show up. The parents were running around trying to get directions to the meeting room where the session would be held. The teens on the other hand were casually walking in circles. I finally approached the teens and told them where they needed to be.

That was Sunday. Monday was a holiday for our school district. There was a parent in here with her child, but the parent was completing the homework assignment. The child was looking on clueless.