Today's Visitor

As I've discussed before, working alone does have its perks. I don't even get visitors very often.

I finally had a visitor a few minutes ago. I was just minding my own business when I glanced over to my left, and saw him.

And I suddenly wished I had someone else in the office with me.

Seeing how big it was, I decided this was going to involve a shoe and lots of paper towels. (I won't smush or bother insects outside, but inside is my turf.) I did have the presence of mind to take a picture first, since it would make a great blog post. Though as I was taking the first one I thought "Oh shoot. The spider's going to hear my camera go off and attack me!" So, I pulled my camera/phone away as it was taking the picture. My visitor didn't budge, so I took a deep breath and tried again. This one took, so I put my phone down, pulled off my shoe, and smashed him. Twice.

Then I grabbed a handful of napkins from my desk drawer and disposed of my visitor in my trashcan. It was about this time that I really wanted to throw up, but I didn't.

I am so brave.

I just hope he didn't invite any of his friends.

A Little Dose of Reality

I will be starting my Masters of Library and Information Sciences this fall. Orientation is only two and a half weeks away. I'm so excited to be pursuing this and getting more formal education, but it still hasn't quite hit me that it's real. I had the same problem when I was moving here, when I was going to my London Study Abroad, etc. I plan for it, I save for it, but it still takes a while to sink in. Even at this point, it's sometimes hard to believe that it's happened.

I just spent the last couple of hours working on my FAFSA (since I can't afford to live in the DC metro area AND go to grad school), and I'm feeling really good about this whole thing. It's just a little more real. I'm looking forward to finding out how much I can take out, what other things I can pay off/consolidate, and possibly get just a little more on top of my financial situation.

Of course, I'm not a huge fan of being in debt all. But, there are certain things that's it is perfectly acceptable to go into debt for. Higher education is one of them. I'm going to be so grateful to have an MLIS, so that I'm more marketable for other jobs should I ever decide to leave the one I have. I very much look forward to the time when I can start a family and, hopefully, be a stay at home mom. For now, however, I'm going to go back to school and learn some really great things. Aside from my classwork, I'll learn discipline, as my program is all online, and I'll get better at time management. Later, I hope to instill in my children a love for education.

I'm so grateful that I live in a world where I have this choice and these opportunities. Instead being destined for ridicule as a spinster at the tender age of 23, I can go out and make something of myself in a totally different way. My time for marriage and family will come, but that isn't yet, and I'm totally okay with that. Some of you may know that my plan at one point was to be celebrating my second wedding anniversary next month. If that had happened, I'd still be living in Provo, working some random job that I may or may not like. I could possibly even have child and a half. Sure, sometimes I'm sad that I'm not or I don't, but I will never regret this chance I have. That doesn't mean I'm not happy for those who are celebrating wedding anniversaries and having kids at my age. It's just not my turn. Instead I get to go to the grad school of my choice, live near one of the coolest cities in the world, eat whatever I want for dinner, and otherwise do what I want when I want to.

Life rocks!

Geese!

I'm usually one of the last people to leave the building at the end of the day. What happens when all the cars leave? The geese come out to play! This is a picture from my office window from twenty minutes ago. I thought geese enjoyed hanging out by ponds and other assorted bodies of water, but maybe I'm wrong. Or, perhaps, my parking lot really is a pond and I drive a boat.

Either way, the geese amused me.

The End

I finished the book about 15 minutes ago. It was marvelous, and yet I still feel somewhat heartbroken. That's all I will say at this time, since there are many who have yet to finish, and I don't want to spoil anything. Plus, I still need to let it stew around in my head for a while.

Thank you, J. K. Rowling.

And so it begins . . .

Shh! I'm reading!

"Two men . . . "

It's the Last Midnight

In just a few short hours, the world will know the fate of Harry Potter. Yes. I am a Harry Potter nerd. Yes. That is my wristband to pick up my pre-ordered copy tonight at the Arlington Borders. Yes. I left for work early this morning to go to Borders first. Yes. I have my Sybil Trelawney costume with me.

I AM SO EXCITED!

My family discovered Harry Potter shortly before the 4th book was released, and we have an interesting, cutthroat pecking order when new books come out. The four of us that read it still all manage to finish it within the first few days, sharing only one copy. My dad's cousin gave us her extra copy of the 4th one when her family was done with it. I later bought the first four British children's versions in a box set whilst I was living in London. When the 5th book was released, I was working in the BYU library, which had ordered 10 copies, and I managed to get one via fast-catting. When I graduated from BYU, someone gave me the British children's version. For Book 6, I went to a book release party in Salt Lake with my friend Eilonwy without preordering, http://www.missgiggles.com/Books/Children/HP6.html , and won the book.

I didn't want to take any chances this time, so I pre-ordered for the first time. Smash and I, and several of our friends, will be celebrating in Old Town Alexandria before getting the book in Arlington. This, of course, will make perfect blogging fodder - but I have to read the book first. :)

The Invocation

One reason I chose my blog title was because it sort of had a mystic quality - that I had a charge to care for and protect my library materials. I imagined dark caves and exploring the archives in hushed tones.

Apparently I was more right than I thought. I accidently tried editing something in a record without going through the editor, when the following prompt popped-up:

"The 008 field may only be modified using a dialog editor. Do you wish to invoke the editor now?"

I was rather amused by the use of the words "wish" and "invoke". I told Fran of this and she followed with "I hereby invoke thee Editor!" and "Don't forget to pour the sacred salt in a CLOCKWISE circle."

Of course, I pictured myself in dark ceremonial robes in a hidden room, with candles, pouring salt in a clockwise circle and calling upon the Great Editor.

I am The Book Guardian after all.

I am so going to get struck by lightning.

Job Perks

Lots of jobs have perks - casual Fridays, sales spiffs, quarterly bonuses, etc.

My favorite perk? My own office. It's in the southwest corner of my library, in the southwest corner of my building, far removed from pretty much everyone else in the building. Yes, there are days when I get lonely and don't see anyone else in the entire building, plus the view out my office window isn't particularly exciting (unless the cute half of the fire station next door is going to the deli).

Today is not one of those lonely days. I'm sitting here cataloguing music and singing along to the Broadway cast recording of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. This is awesome.

Other days I've used my office as a dance studio, a place to cry, a vanity (when suddenly at 2 PM I finally feel like wearing make-up), and oh yes, an office.

I should get back to that, but first I have to skip back to a couple songs ago on the CD that I missed singing because I was typing this. :)

Ducks and Platypi

If it looks like a duck, walks like duck, and talks like duck, it's probably a duck, right?

WRONG! In this case, it's a platypus. It's start out the same, but you learn pretty quickly that's it most certainly a platypus. Luckily, I like platypi, but sometimes having a duck would be really nice.

It's even harder when some of those close to me have as many ducks in the last week as I've had in the last year.

*sigh* Oh well. It could be worse, I could not have any platypi at all.

I Only Wish I Had a Good Story

I could talk about how interestingly random, difficult, dramatic, yet quite rewarding my weekend was, but let's just say I'm glad it's over. I did call into a radio contest last night where they were having "Crappiest Weekend" contest, and gave a Reader's Digest version of the negative aspects of mine. The DJ wouldn't qualify me because mine was "too depressing" and he was looking for entertaining. *sigh*

What I will share with you is how I sprained my ankle, which, at Fran's request, involves an alien encounter.

I was kissing an alien in front of the Prada store on the street, when a man came and grabbed my purse away from me. The alien was no help (jerk!), so I took off on my own. Just as I tackled the thief, I hit my ankle on a light pole, which caused it to sprain. I did get my purse back, the thief was apprehended, and I broke up with the alien. But my ankle will take some time to heal.

Haha. Right.

I hadn't seen my roommate in days, so when her car pulled up at the ward activity next to the one I'd just gotten out of, I ran around the back of my car to go give her a hug. The terrain was uneven and I rolled my ankle, falling straight to the ground. I was able to walk after a few minutes, but it's been rather uncomfortable since. Now, the pain and the swelling has gone down, but it's turning some interesting colors.

I show you.

Kids, don't try this at home.

Independence Day in Washington, D.C.

I had the amazing opportunity to go into the District of Columbia last night to celebrate Independence Day. Security Boy and I metro'd into the city, set up a blanket on the lawn at the base of the Washington Monument, and watched fireworks. I had hoped to get in earlier to see some of the musical acts, but that unfortunately was not the case. The air was humid and the wind wasn't so kind on my hair, but the temperature was perfect and the sky was clear. It was a beautiful night. The fireworks were awesome - Security Boy and I had fun pointing out different shapes or particularly interesting explosions. We tried to wait out the crowds heading home by walking around the Mall a little, but we still made it home at a decent hour. (Who wants to work the day after the 4th? I certainly didn't.)

We are so blessed to live is in this wonderful country. We can do whatever we set our minds to, and have some many opportunities available to us. Our freedoms did come at a cost though, and I am so grateful for those who give their lives to obtain and preserve it. Both of my grandfathers served in the armed forces, and their example is one I definitely look up to. Thank you to our troops, past and present, and to anyone one else who strives to make this country one of the greatest!

Overall, I had a great holiday, and had some wonderful company to enjoy it with!

Being Crafty

Friday I was feeling rather creative, so I dropped by Michael's on the way home from work. After I spent a little more money than I intended, I busted out the roommate's sewing machine.

My dad was a little worried that I was spending Date Night with a sewing machine, but I sure had fun!