...Hookey. –noun
unjustifiable absence from school, work, etc. (usually used in the phrase play hooky)
As a public librarian I don't often involve myself in truancy matters unless we have same kid/teen coming to the library everyday during school hours, without any type of adult supervision and playing around. Then we contact the schools to ask if that kid/child is enrolled and if they are excused or suspended. (We can only do this if a staff member already knows who the kid/teen is and that information is not connected to their library usage. (Crazy privacy laws))
Well today we had 4 teenagers hanging out in the Teen Room laughing and talking at 11:30 AM. I stepped in and asked, "Are we playing hookey today?" at which I got a few blank stares and one (supposedly already out of high school) askes, "What's hookey?"
My point. There is a reason kids/teens are required to attend school and it would be really helpful to them if they paid attention while they were there!
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Too many wants...
...not enough money. Let this be a lesson to any non-adult who may read this blog. Just because you are a grown-up and have a job does not mean you can buy everything you want. With adulthood comes bills, taxes and responsibilities. Sure I earn enough to go out and buy all the gadgets I want but then how do I make car payments, and Direct TV payments, and insurance payments, and property tax payments. The utility bills keep coming and if you want lights, water, heat, etc... you have to keep paying them. Don't forget that because you have that car and insurance payment means you have a vehicle that you have to keep gas in and tires on and fresh oil in and have enough in reserve for and work or repairs that need to be done. Most of us also want to eat so that means grocery bills and you know you don't want to run out of toilet paper or other of life essentials so that gets added onto the grocery bill. For those who believe God's Word is law there is also tithe and charitable giving that comes out of those paycheck that have already been hit by Uncle Sam. So face it. Even as an adult you can't spend money like it grows on trees. (I'll let someone with a family list all the extra expenses kids and spouses add to the budget.)
Now I'm not broke. I have a fairly healthy savings account that I could survive on for a month if I lost my job for some reason but I'm not affluent enough to buy everything I want all at once nor without thinking about whether I really need it and would use it. So these are the purchases I am currently mulling over and deciding if I should splurge and how much can I afford to splurge at once and what do I need to wait for:
1. A Nook: our library has started loaning e-books and I think it would cool to have an e-reader so I can check them out and read them.
I prefer reading from a physical book but when traveling it might be easier to take the e-reader with 20 books on it than to pack 20 physical books in my suitcase. Cost of Nook $199.99
2. A GPS: I do quite a bit of traveling for the library and I really don't like driving in cities especially if it is a new city and I don't know where my location is.
I've borrowed my Dad's GPS before and it really takes some of the stress out of driving even if it takes you down some weird roads. Cost of GPS $150.00 approximately.
3. A Digital Camera: I'm not a big picture taker as I always feel conspicuous when snapping pics. I don't know if it my aversion to having my pic taken or if it is my delusion that everyone is always watching and judging me no matter what I'm doing.
But I will admit that blog postings and facebook sharing are more interesting when there are pics in the content. Cost of camera unknown because I don't know what kind I would like.
4. TV Series on DVD: Regardless of what patron's may think I don't buy everything I want with library money just so I can watch it. I may buy the beginning of a series to see if there is more than me who like it but if it doesn't circulate well then I don't feel justified to buy the rest of the series just because I want it. Right now I would really like to see seasons of Mentalist, White Collar, Avatar: the Last Airbender, Lie to Me, The Office, and Warehouse 13 but without knowing if the will be popular with the library patrons I can't, in good conscience spend library money for them so I buy them myself and if I don't want to keep them after watching I donate them to the library. (Besides the library budget can't afford everything I want plus everything others want) Cost of DVD series $25-$65 a season.
My current free money budget $200. Anything over that I will have to save towards. So, what do you think I should buy first? (Future wants include a Smartphone and DVR)
Now I'm not broke. I have a fairly healthy savings account that I could survive on for a month if I lost my job for some reason but I'm not affluent enough to buy everything I want all at once nor without thinking about whether I really need it and would use it. So these are the purchases I am currently mulling over and deciding if I should splurge and how much can I afford to splurge at once and what do I need to wait for:
1. A Nook: our library has started loaning e-books and I think it would cool to have an e-reader so I can check them out and read them.
I prefer reading from a physical book but when traveling it might be easier to take the e-reader with 20 books on it than to pack 20 physical books in my suitcase. Cost of Nook $199.99
2. A GPS: I do quite a bit of traveling for the library and I really don't like driving in cities especially if it is a new city and I don't know where my location is.
I've borrowed my Dad's GPS before and it really takes some of the stress out of driving even if it takes you down some weird roads. Cost of GPS $150.00 approximately.
3. A Digital Camera: I'm not a big picture taker as I always feel conspicuous when snapping pics. I don't know if it my aversion to having my pic taken or if it is my delusion that everyone is always watching and judging me no matter what I'm doing.
But I will admit that blog postings and facebook sharing are more interesting when there are pics in the content. Cost of camera unknown because I don't know what kind I would like.
4. TV Series on DVD: Regardless of what patron's may think I don't buy everything I want with library money just so I can watch it. I may buy the beginning of a series to see if there is more than me who like it but if it doesn't circulate well then I don't feel justified to buy the rest of the series just because I want it. Right now I would really like to see seasons of Mentalist, White Collar, Avatar: the Last Airbender, Lie to Me, The Office, and Warehouse 13 but without knowing if the will be popular with the library patrons I can't, in good conscience spend library money for them so I buy them myself and if I don't want to keep them after watching I donate them to the library. (Besides the library budget can't afford everything I want plus everything others want) Cost of DVD series $25-$65 a season.
My current free money budget $200. Anything over that I will have to save towards. So, what do you think I should buy first? (Future wants include a Smartphone and DVR)
Friday, January 07, 2011
Free time...
...and how we spend it. Isn't the whole concept of 'free time' suppose to mean that you can spend it doing whatever you want? That's what I think. Maybe the problem is that I claim more time as 'free' than I should. I work 40 hours a week, I sleep about 40 hours a week, I give 5-8 hours to church ministry. The rest of my time I like to think of as free. There is a few hours that I have to dedicated to grocery shopping and cooking and very little housekeeping but the rest should be free to do what I want. (I am an adult after all) Being single I don't have kids or a spouse to take care of, I don't have pets to feed, walk or train, it's just me and I enjoy my free-time!
What do I do with this free time? Mainly I read. Sometimes I read with the TV on but it usually is just for the noise because it is mainly reruns anyway. There are a few shows that I dedicate time to just watching and only read during the commercials. I enjoy watching movies but not many of them have really impressed me lately. Of course the other thing I like doing during all this 'free' time is eat and my body shows it. There are people in my life who feel I should be doing something more productive with my free time. Things like exercising, more housekeeping, getting out of the house, and spending time with people instead of by myself. Isn't the concept of 'free' mean that you don't have to force yourself to do something you can just do what you want? So what if I am a reading addict who doesn't like to leave the house. I have to leave for work, church, shopping and banking. Isn't that enough?
What do I do with this free time? Mainly I read. Sometimes I read with the TV on but it usually is just for the noise because it is mainly reruns anyway. There are a few shows that I dedicate time to just watching and only read during the commercials. I enjoy watching movies but not many of them have really impressed me lately. Of course the other thing I like doing during all this 'free' time is eat and my body shows it. There are people in my life who feel I should be doing something more productive with my free time. Things like exercising, more housekeeping, getting out of the house, and spending time with people instead of by myself. Isn't the concept of 'free' mean that you don't have to force yourself to do something you can just do what you want? So what if I am a reading addict who doesn't like to leave the house. I have to leave for work, church, shopping and banking. Isn't that enough?
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