Five Things On a Friday

I have neglected this blog for far too long. Time to check in. Maybe I should call it quits until my life simmers down. Anyhow, here's what's been going on.

1. A librarian in our district retired at the end of November. Instead of hiring a replacement for her, as we all expected they would, the district decided to make the rest of us cover all her classes. Result: I'm now working in 3 libraries and have been saddled with 17 new classes in the middle of the year. Aaaarghhhh!

2. I've been working hard on cleaning up a library that's been neglected for the last 5 years - perhaps even longer. Lots of junk has accumulated and I'm trying to declutter it. I came across 4 tape recorders (only 1 worked), a broken book-binding machine, 8 free mugs from a library supply company (two of which had the skeletal remains of spider crickets in them - ugh), boxes and boxes of spiral book binders, a complete set of childhood biographies of famous Americans that nobody has read in ages, a set of Biography Now (most of them published in the 60s and 70s) and all sorts of useless racks, cd holders, cassette tapes and things that I can only describe as worthless crap. The collection is pretty solid, although many of the books need to be replaced due to wear. I am also reconfiguring the layout of the library and replacing the dusty, uninspiring pictures with more kid friendly artwork and posters. The administration is trying to get us a nice bright area rug and I'm hoping we can get the library a fresh coat of paint sometime over the next few months. It's a challenge but it's gratifying to see how much better the library is already looking. I'll take a picture and post it soon.

3. After weeks of mild fall weather, winter descended on us in a furious blast of arctic air. After enjoying temperatures in the 50s, we're now shivering! Brrrrrr!

4. Speaking of shivering, I'm currently reading Maggie Stiefvater's YA novel, Shiver. What a beautifully written and intriguing love story. Hat's off to Maggie!

5. Anybody know what to get a husband who claims he has everything he needs? I wish I could knit.I'd make him a scarf and gloves. I used to knit and crochet but it's been years and I've forgotten how, sigh.

Enjoy the weekend, everybody!