What I’m Reading
Sep
16
Maybe The Universe Is Trying To Tell Me Something. I Just Have No Idea What.
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To tell you all the truth, I really thought I was going to be a whiny baby about getting back into my regular writing routine. I mean, I’m totally whiny about being back at work so what’s the difference? But hey, what do you know, I’m actually enjoying getting back in the blogging saddle. At the very least it’s an opportunity to put the crappy work days in perspective, but I also kind of forgot how much I love all of you who read and comment.
So, thank you for that. End sappiness.
And actually, things here in the library aren’t so bad. The walls are now a calming blue and tan color, I have a couple of couches and tables and rugs on order, and things are really shaping up, design-wise. The next step is to have a shaman stop in and make sure all my chakras are aligned. Or maybe I can just have the Chinese people do that part; they’ll owe me one for providing them with a couch to nap on.
I also have a new air ventilation system that sucks in clean air from outside and spews it around my office. Right now it’s kind of like having a nice breeze, but I won’t lie, I’m a little concerned that come winter it is going to be pulling in the subzero temperatures and I’ll be storing my Lean Cuisines right on my desk. The teachers upstairs have the same ventilation system in their rooms and by the time they come down for lunch they’re blue-lipped and shivering inside their parkas. I suppose it will give me a chance to test drive all those new wool sweaters I’ve been eyeballing at J. Crew but dressing like Nanook of the North for six months out of the year does get a little tiring.
In other news, I came close to being crushed to death this morning by my rolling bookcases. One of my senior citizen volunteers didn’t realize I was in between them looking for a copy of Gossip Girl I knew I had stored somewhere, and started pushing the bookcases together. My shirt got snagged on the corner of the shelf and suddenly, very quickly, my face was crammed against a classroom set of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and my left ribs were crushed by an oversized atlas of North America. Taken by surprise, I only managed a grunt of pain and then started trying to twist my way out of the trap as Polly continued to push harder and harder, confused as to why the shelves weren’t moving.
Finally I managed to rip myself free, twisting my ankle in the process, and Polly gasped when she saw me stumble out, bruised and battered. She ran next door to the school nurse who gave me ice for my wounds and laughed at my indignity.
I haven’t come that close to death since 2005, after a harrowing adventure in re-shelving books. Is it any coincidence that both times it was someone over the age of seventy-five who came to my rescue? I think not. But then again, it’s probably also not a coincidence that both times my injuries were also caused by someone over the age of seventy-five. I’m going to call these senior citizen volunteers a wash and go lie down in the Media Closet for a little while until my ribs stop aching.
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23 Responses to “Maybe The Universe Is Trying To Tell Me Something. I Just Have No Idea What.”
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I would rather be cold and smelling clean air than hot and smelling putrid air! Go to NH.com for all the spooky house and corn maze listings, sign up to win tix.
It’s funny how a nice work environment will make you feel better about your job. Glad your library got a facelift. Of course, that does you no good when you’re smushed under a bookcase, so you have to watch out for those.
You certainly have a dangerous job. Glad you’re OK.
Bookshelves are dangerous! Even when they don’t have wheels. Yours should be firmly strapped down, I think.
That cracked me up!
You should make all volunteers over the age of 75 wear revolving yellow lights atop their heads and little battery packs that beep constantly so you’ll always know when one is near and can take appropriate evasive action.
Sounds like that senior citizen’s been taking her calcium supplements–she seems pretty strong!
I think you’re on to something with that task for the Chinese people. It’s about time they started earning their keep in your library with something besides providing you blog fodder.
I’m glad that you didn’t die before our dinner date. I’d be so sad. And on the other side of things, I’m thinking good thoughts for you and your vent. Come winter, that could be one major cold snap.
Oh man. Old people and rolling bookcases don’t mix. I’m glad that you escape with only minor injuries.
Oh boo. I had a typo. I meant escaped. Oops.
Well, at least it would be an appropriate death for a librarian I guess. Perhaps a rule should be put in place that the 75 and over population are not allowed to move any of the furnishings. Oddly enough, my 45-year-old office mate won’t even pick up her own file boxes. She’s capable of roller blading and working out at the gym every day but she calls for assistance to pick up a box.
My greatest fear when working in Serials was that someone would push the giant shelves together at the back and crush me and I’d be forgotten until they smelled something when pulling a Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society one day.
Who knew that working in a library was such a perilous position? Thank goodness (or not?) for senior citizen volunteers…
I’m glad your back. At blogging.
Woohoo you!
I am very sorry, but I just could not stop laughing at your potential doom.
you kind of make me want to work in a library.
Man, I can totally relate to the debacles of working with senior volunteers. I have some tales for you, sister.
Oh my goodness! So glad you’re safe and not crushed to death. I always thought libraries would be a nice, safe place to work. Guess I was wrong.
Although today I accidentally deleted part of my library (mine is virtual) and nearly had a heart attack and/or a nervous breakdown until one of the lovely tech people saved me.
Seriously, this almost read like a CYOB.
Clearly, you need to employ only strapping young bucks and buxom babes for volunteers.
Oh no! I hope your injuries heal fast!
Maybe your volunteers should be relegated to safer tasks.
Dude, do you have library insurance? ‘Cause you should totally get some. It pays out double if you’re injured by a raging, book-burning mob.
I hope you’re ok, getting squashed between rolling files/bookcases sounds horrible.