Bloods pumping now...

... but I'm still wondering what to write about. I was sitting here contemplating if there was anything new or exciting going on that was worth a post since it had been awhile when the library's alarm system went off. That's what happens when we set an alarm but don't lock the door :(

So know I'm back at my desk and still wondering what to write about. I have a new roommate in my basement abode and it's working out okay. All he does is sleep there and he's willing to do the dreaded household chores for a little bit of gas money!

It's not just any male that  I've allowed to move into my sacred domain, it's my 16 year old nephew who moved back to Michigan with his parents and younger brother. Mom & Dad didn't have enough room for the whole family until jobs and rental property work itself out so I get a roommate!

Christmas is upon us and most of my shopping is done. With limited resources in the family there is little gift buying. But, being the awesome librarian that I am I do get the nieces and nephs a new book or two each year. They aren't all eager readers so sometimes it takes some digging to find books that I think will peek their interests but I gotta keep at in hopes that someday they will value the gift of knowledge and entertainment.

Since I don't do the shopping-shopping-SHOPPING I will attempt to share this with those of you who do!

I have survived...

...a cross country trip, another rejection and a birthday since the last time I posted. The quick trip to CA and back went very well and the girlies traveled without any problems. My 4th job interview resulted in another letter of 'sorry we have selected another candidate' and I have pushed off the hilltop and am officially over the hill. (This blog does not endorse a one size fits all hill and acknowledges that everyone's hilltop has its own age.)

In regards to my 4th rejection, this one didn't surprise me too much as I was pretty sure I blew it as soon as we hung up the phones. I hadn't allowed myself enough time to get in the proper frame of interview-mind and also had a head cold going on. Where I thought I might have an advantage with the phone interview as they could not judge my appearance, I negated by giving stupid answers. I have 2 remaining resumes out there and I'm anxious to hear if I qualify for an interview or not. I can't really complain though as I do have a job currently even if conditions aren't ideal and I don't have any insurance, I do still have a paycheck.

My  40th year was suppose to be my year of "Big Adventure" and I'm not sure I made it although I have had a few small adventures. As mentioned I have been job searching and had 4 interviews in the last 7 months, I flew to CA even if it was only for the night, my siblings have been transitioning into different states and jobs which have moved my youngest nieces further away and 2 of my nephews closer, I've experienced some spiritual growth with the confidence that there is more in store and I have cleared a lot of clutter out of my house. While not a Big Adventure it has been a good year and I'm looking forward to another one. Unless I find out I'm dying on Monday.

One of the draw back of working in small town libraries is that not many of them offer health insurance unless they are a city library in which they offer the same benefits as all their city workers receive. That is not the case for me. As such it has been over 12 years since I have gone to see a doctor. Well there have been a couple of conditions that I have been living with that are now becoming to big to ignore so I'm breaking into my saving and hoping the Doc I see will work with me and not bleed me dry. (Physically or financially) So we will see what happens but I hope there will be good news along with all the bad. Blessings to all and if I don't post again, Merry Christmas.

This is the great adventure...

...flying 2 kids across the country! It's still almost a month away but I'm already having dreams about everything that could go wrong. Here's the scoop, my sister and brother-in-law got jobs in CA. Naturally this means moving the whole family; beds, books and broomsticks. So how do 2 adults and 2 children under 10 go from Michigan to California?
Moving truck can hold belongings but doesn't come equipped with seating for 4 and sending one adult on the road by himself would cause major stress and sleepless nights for the whole family. The family budget can't afford to ship all the belongings while the family flies (current vehicles wouldn't make the trip) so what is the family to do?????
Enter the footloose and favorite Aunt who opened her mouth and suggested the adults drive out in the moving truck and then someone (probably her) could fly the girlies out after they are moved into their new house. So there it is! In less than a month I'm taking a 6 and a 9 year old to Detroit and flying off to San Jose. Now granted I've flown a few times before but never with children who are easily bored and one who has a tendency to get distracted and not stay close.
But this is one way to help my fellow man and the benefit of loving my family. The good news is that it will give me 2 extra weeks with my youngest nieces before they are no longer able to 'come over' to visit.
California here I come on an airplane wing and a prayer!

God sighting...

...just when I needed it. Okay here's the back story. I'm heading to Indiana for the weekend and I'm told there's suppose to be rain all the way :(
While traveling I'm listening to the audio book "Women Food and God". Something in the book got me thinking about my tendency to either try to earn love & acceptance by 'good behavior' (aka dieting/eating healthy) or to test the love by destructive behavior (aka bingeing) to prove I'm unworthy.
So I started praying aloud that God would remind me of how much He loved me (regardless of what i look like)and that I would recognize it when He did.
So there I was less than an hour from home, a steady drizzle has kept my wipers on slow delay when I realize its stopped and the sun is shining. "Hey God you gave me sunshine to travel in you sure answered prayer fast."
As I dig out my sunglasses my disc ends and I pop it out of the player to hear the song "Your love is amazing, steady and unchanging..." WOW
No rain the rest of the trip even though I saw a lot of puddles the sun kept shining right up until the last 30 minute and then it stayed dry and God gave my another sign of His love.

Change isn't happening as fast as I hoped...

...but that doesn't mean it isn't coming. During my vacation this month I traveled to Indiana and interviewed for a Library Director's job. I liked the library, I liked the staff, I even liked the area and I think they liked me but I still didn't get the job. I knew going into the interview that according to policy and circumstances I wouldn't be able to leave my current position until the end of July beginning of August and they needed someone ASAP. I think that was the main problem (but I guess it could be they didn't like the way I part my hair). For not being part of the job searching market it was actually a nice chance to get my feet wet and brush up on my interviewing skills. I kept telling myself that it didn't matter whether I got the job or not since I am currently employed and I'm just looking for an advancement in my career but let me tell you it didn't matter.
When I got the email saying they selected someone else I still cried a little and felt depressed. I took off for a day at the beach the very next day, and there is definitely some healing quality to watching and listening to water as it rolls onto the sand. (If I hadn't been so depressed maybe I would have done a better job with my sunscreen application and not burned so badly) Having my hopes crushed Being disappointed has never been easy for me so of course this littler foray of emotional plummeting resulted in not losing weight over the last 2 weeks after an initial drop of 6 pounds. I've got to find my mo-jo again and start being excited about the opportunities of life whether they are here in Lakeview or some other little town in the great USA.

Here are some pics from my lovely day at the beach in Ludington, MI

 Sand so clean it squeaked

 The Badgar

Following the Leader Statues

Change is in the air...

...and it's looking stormy. Life is going crazy lately as I'm having a midlife crisis at 40. I've started a new weight-loss regime, using Visalus Body by V, and I'm sending out resumes to pie in the sky job opportunities. The weight-loss has been a life long struggle and this is one more chapter in my efforts to not die before I'm 50. The job search is a half hearted attempt to prove to myself that I don't have to stay in a bad work environment out of fear of change.

Some changes I love, especially those that I initiate myself out of creative inspiration, other times change can bring our my anxiety disorder. Is there an easy way to accept or embrace change no matter what it is? Is it healthy to never question change? Are there things that should never change? (The Bible is of course exempt from change because the message never changes although delivery methods do)

I recently read an article about icons that use images that are archaic and unrecognizable by the newest generation. How much longer will it be before the connection between the 'save' icon and the the floppy disc are totally obsolete? Why does the phone icon look like the old rotary phone receiver when most cell phone users never used a rotary phone? How many Instagram users have used an actual Polaroid camera? What does a clipboard have to do with pasting data? Why does the microphone icon use an old fashion radio style mic? As you can see there are times for change but at the same time there is something to be said for nostalgia and vintage renewal.

So change for change sake may not always be the best choice but being afraid of change can also cause you to miss out on something exciting.

 

Picture for Picture Sake

Recent change at TDL, mural painted by Jeanne Merriman

It's been a long time...

...but that's what happens when life becomes routine. There is nothing to write about so I'll just share this instead.

 

My niece's fashion sense has infiltrated the college spring break crowd!

A social addict...

...who doesn't like social events. Now there's a dilemma for you. How can I be a social addict if I don't like being around people? It's this wonderful thing called technology! I may not use my iPhone to call people but I use it several times a day to check up on facebook statuses, see what's happening on Instagram, and browse through the latest pins to Pinterest.
The sad part is that it's not just about keeping in touch with other people and staying connected. I get some weird validation when my posts, pictures and pins are liked, commented on and repinned. It gives me a sense of accomplishment to know that I said, saw or saved something that people responded to. Does this make me egotistical? The strange thing is if someone were to complement me or respond in person to something I said or did I'm more likely to brush it off or be embarrassed by the attention but if it's in the virtual world I get thrilled.
So if you really want to make my day leave a comment on my blog or share my pin.

Gloom, despair and agony on me...

...because I'm a librarian. I didn't realize it when I started this profession but there are a lot of negative thinkers in this profession. Granted things are totally rosy for libraries as funding cuts are always happening and services have to be cut to fit available budgets but it's not the end of libraries!

The newest gloom and doom is the fiasco with ebooks in libraries. Only 2 of what is considered the "Big Six" of book publishers allows libraries to purchase their ebooks for lending and one of them has a circulation limit on their books that would require libraries to reorder. As a result the library blogs and publications are once again facing the negative and wanting to fight back. Well I'm all for getting everything we can for our patrons but at the same time I realize that we CAN'T get EVERYTHING for our patrons so we provide what we can and work to keep growing and serving.

I realize that I'm not always the most positive person around but I've really noticed that other people's  attitudes really impact my own. Yes I know I'm responsible for my own actions and attitude and no can make me have a bad attitude but face it, if your around it long enough it seeps in and starts seeping out.
Well enough ranting for today. I shall attempt to be cheerful and find the positive side of librarianship!

Why I haven't been blogging...

... because I have been pinning and Instagramming. They say a picture is worth a thousand words and Pinterest and Instagram lets me communicate visually without having to come up with the right words or grammar. But not to leave you blog readers out let me just through some pics at you from my resent trip to Florida.

Be Still My Heart...

...it's only snow! Yes it's true, here it is January 13th and here in Michigan we finally got significant snowfall. It's not the beautiful white ground that has my heart racing,

 it wasn't even the tree branches dressed in gorgeous white flakes, or the very hungry birds that swarmed the bird feeder.

Now what got my heart racing was having to pull out of my garage and driveway and navigate snow covered and slippery roads. It didn't use to bother me. In fact I use to be frustrated when the boss would close for half a day because of road conditions. Now I'm ready to hibernate and not go anywhere. Why you may ask...after all I was born, raised and learned to drive in Michigan Winters so what's the big deal.

One simple roll over last winter and now it's panic attacks every time my tires start to slide or pull a bit in the snowy slush and icy streets. Sure I wasn't hurt, my car was repaired almost like new and I managed to get some time off work due to the accident but I'm finding that the emotional and psychological impact aren't erased as quickly. Any way Winter is here and I will be one of those drivers you all curse at who won't go over 25 miles an hour if there is any snow on the road. Anyway just to leave on positive note: our Pilated Woodpecker is back this year.