listening after dark

Four things I did not expect about being a librarian

1. Getting used to saying "you're welcome." Apparently I used to be very bad at this. I would shrug off thank yous with a "sure" or "it's OK." But "you're welcome" is actually the best response. I am pleasantly surprise at how often I am thanked.
2. Heavy lifting. I have moved more heavy things — books, furniture, shelves, computers — as a librarian than I ever did in previous jobs. When you picture librarians, you don't picture manual labor, do you?
3. Math. Oh, the numbers! Along with moving books come the calculations for how and where to move them, plus calculations for the amount of time and the number of people required. Librarians also love to track statistics for book checkouts, program attendees and library visitors. And then there are the budgets. Thankfully I only have to keep track of a few line items for the collections I manage — fiction books, audiobooks and ebooks.
4. Awkwardness. When you interact with the public all day, you never know what sort of interactions you might have. Some of them (people, conversations, questions) are very awkward. But as a side benefit, I may have learned to control my blush reaction, at least in part.

A little here, a little there

This fall, beginning to take part in a two-year leadership program, I have already learned a few things about myself:

1. In certain company, and under the influence of group-generated enthusiasm, I can appear to be an extrovert. That was a surprise.
2. In an effort to get to know more of the group, and in my flitting from one small group to another, I may reduce my chances for having a niche or a subgroup of my own. (In college, I hung out mostly with other English majors, theatre and music geeks, swing and ballroom dancers, and the people I happened to live nearby.) A desire to broaden my circle or a lack of commitment?
3. I am definitely an anomaly for my age group in my demographic in my locale. Unmarried, no children, well traveled, not a college football fan, not a Republican. Nontraditional.

I've never been afraid to do things on my own, my own way, but not loudly. I usually prefer going unnoticed. But in doing so, I may also limit my chances for new friendships, close connections and shared experiences.

I'm not sure what the solution is, or if there needs to be a solution. Just a few thoughts to save for later.

Ten years ago today, I was

Sitting on a park bench in Dublin, writing in my journal about the wealth of green in the grass and shrubs and damp trees. "The smells of fall and decay and cold are everywhere — I love to come out of variously odd-smelling buildings into the crispness."

Taking a break between museums.

Enjoying a respite between colds.

Probably better rested than in previous days, after buying earplugs to drown out the sounds of Temple Bar — glass bottles being sorted at 11 every night and metal kegs rolling down the cobblestone street at 6 every morning.

Contemplating the course of our group's travels — at that point, north from London along the eastern edge of England, all over Scotland and most recently on a long, rainy three-bus trip from Belfast to Dublin.

Realizing an appreciation for the art of Jack Yeats.

Still high on the wonders of Iona, and yet to encounter the glory of the Aran Islands.

You know you're having a busy week when...

All the unread emails in your personal inbox are from yourself.

You have so many stacks of paper and documents on your desk at work that you can't focus on a single task with any real determination.

You keep adding items to your to-do lists, without crossing off anything.

You're annoyed that a stomach virus keeps you in bed for a day, preventing you from doing your planned weekend chores.

You really, really miss your hot tub, which is currently waiting for a replacement pump.

Socially unacceptable declarations

I love my hair.

I don't have any debt.*

I'm happy with my body.

I am confident in my intelligence and abilities.

*I could write a whole post about how it seems acceptable to bemoan (or almost brag about) the amount of debt one has, while it seems un-American to live within or below one's means. Aside from my new mortgage and small loans from family (quickly paid back), I have never been in debt. I've never had a huge salary, but when I was young I learned to save money and only buy things I could afford.

A little bit of everything

For me, every day is a buffet.

When eating a meal with various foods, I tend to eat in a circle, tasting a little of each. Usually without realizing, I leave an equal amount of each food until the end.

At work, I switch tasks often and quickly. I might work on a press release for 20 minutes, then order fiction for half an hour, then answer several emails about varying topics. I might then call a new volunteer to set up an interview, and then work a shift at the information desk for a few hours, doing a number of different things while I'm there — helping people with questions about finding books or movies, using the computers, downloading ebooks, printing and copying.

I've read that multitasking decreases productivity, but it's unavoidable in my life. I still manage to dive into some tasks for longer stretches, and pleasure reading can completely absorb my attention for hours — when I make the time. Lately I am able to spend more time than planned working outside, trimming trees and shrubs, weeding and tidying up our landscaping. Maybe physical tasks are easier to get lost in, when the whole body is involved. When only the mind and hands are busy, distractions are easier to find.

Spring resolution

I feel ashamed. I have been walking Kalispell for nine months, and I have hardly taken any photos around town.

Looking back at my photos from previous residences — Walla Walla, Santa Fe, even Casper — there are a lot of pictures.

Lately I have been neglecting my cameras in favor of time at home. Oh yeah, and that whole grad school thing got in the way for a while.

I will make it my mission to remedy this. Very soon.

Bookish milestones

1. Currently reading 1Q84, the first book I purchased for the library last July in my new job as adult fiction collection manager.
2. Now seeing on best-of-2011 lists and available in paperback, The Tiger's Wife, the audiobook I listened to the weekend I drove to Montana for my interview.

These details may be mere reflections of a publishing cycle, but I find them interesting.

Focus: Color

Recently a co-worker got me into looking at color analysis based on skin tone, hair and eye color, etc., which determines the best colors to wear. Here's a good overview, and here's more in-depth description about individual analysis.

So here's my question. We determined that my coloring is warm, and the first guess was light (light spring; see the first color palette). But I'm not sure; would the warm and soft color palette (soft autumn; see below) be a better match?

Anyone else get kind of hooked on this stuff? I've been analyzing co-workers, friends, family, and actors for their color characteristics. It seems easier to analyze others than myself.

A week of winter firsts

Monday, first time wearing the wool coat.

Tuesday, the thick cashmere scarf.

Wednesday, the snow boots I like to think of as "tank boots" because I feel like I could walk through anything in them. Seriously, I love these boots.

Thursday, the merino wool gloves I knitted last November.

Now it's officially winter.