The oddities of Facebook.

So, I started on Facebook many moons ago, when the world was new.   And Facebook actually had functional privacy settings, and all that jazz.   But when you are on it, now, you realize what a small place the world actually is.  Because you are occasionally told when people who are friends of your friends, but have another mutual friend in common, comment on your friends statuses.

Yes, I know that sounds convoluted.  But its funny, because I've realised that I have friends who have friends who link back to a part of my past I'd rather forget... the main players of whom I've blocked...

But then comes interacting/unfriending people on Facebook....  I've been in the middle of a messy situation with someone who called himself a friend, but apparently saw me as a patsy....   He's unfriended me, thank God.    But what do I do with some of our mutual friends?  At the moment, I've restricted most of them, but I don't know...I know the ticker can sometimes show activity even on "restriction".     I know some of them are genuine people who are just nice...

I also have a whole bunch of people I became friends with through games, some of whom I've kept, because they are cool and funny...  people like the guy from Mauritius, whose brother apparently worked for Gerald Durrell... (that is so cool).  Now, yes, he could be making it up, but I think its highly unlikely, just because of how the whole thing came out...

But yes, it can be an issue.  I have "work friends" on there, who I know have seem things they are not supposed to see.. (they are supposed to be "custom")...  so the whole thing is basically not private...

I just find the links of who knows whom very funny sometimes...and sometimes it does give me a heads-up....

Good morning!

Ok, so reading back over some of the old posts, I've been a little depressed/overwhelmed.    But I want to put the word out that I am actually a happy camper.   I'm usually pretty upbeat, and get my sunshine back pretty quickly.

So it is a beautiful day, and I'm heading out to the Library for a book sale (yay!) and then the CSA to do my pickup....

And tomorrow...anything goes!

On creating Library Displays...

One of the fun things about my job is creating library displays.   During the summer, it was weekly, but during the rest of the year, it is every three weeks...   it includes both children's and adult displays...  and they are up for a week.

What do displays do?  They actively boost circulation.   They bring books out from the stacks that people don't know we have...   (it also, to me, highlights gaps in the collection...what do you mean we don't have Rapunzel?  Or we only have ONE book on this? ARGH!)

But it also makes you have to be creative.   You don't just take the easy path, sometimes....

You have to think, ok, what are people taking out? What are people asking for?

For instance: people were taking out the 50 Shades of Grey trilogy.  It was flying, FLYING off the shelves.

Now, if I'd been over at the Main Library, I would have pulled some sci-fi/fantasy S&M books, well-written, good things.  J. Carey, or S.M. Stirling (yes, that is his name)..   but I was still able to pull a display out, since we had "The sexual adventures of Catherine M" (kind of a modern "story of O"), a book of racy/funny ads, a book about an affair, etc.

What I'll also do is pull out Chase, which is a book that details every single holiday that goes on for each day, if its a big one, such as "Patriots Day", or a small one...  but that often, particularly with adults, gives me an idea....

For instance this week, in adults, I did:

Agatha Christie's birthday
Tolkien Week (which we can supplement with Tolkien-inspired stuff)
Help with Homework--we have some calculus, English, French, etc books on the shelf in non-fic, its a good way to showcase them.    And easy to refill too.
Fast Meals--a parent asked, a couple weeks ago, about recipe books with quick meals...

There was one more, but I'm blanking....

And here is a picture:

Citizenship Day!  Hah!  Right on top.

For Children, I started with Talk Like a Pirate Day, which is coming up this week...
Then went to Princesses, Policemen, and Pies.    And I had Princesses and Pirates for older kids as well...

Some of the more interesting displays I've done are :Hitler and Friends (for adults), since we had a number of interesting biographies and fiction books on Winifred Wagner, Eva Braun, etc...

Timing is important too...about mid-August I did a display on potty training in kids, including a couple of cute tushie books we have...

There are displays I would love to do, but doubt I'd be able to:

A really political display.   This one is because we don't have the balance in our collection.  And I really don't want to keep Ann Coulter's books or Rush Limbaugh's books around.  Ugh. (Sorry Dan)    And our displays, if they are at all political, need to be balanced.

A children's display, for older kids, on growing up and maturing...maybe we could do this in the teen section?   The problem is that a parent would probably complain if it was in the regular section, and we don't get so much of the teen traffic in the fall...  we get our teens in the summer.

I wish I could do a better sci-fi display.  I wish I could showcase some of my favorite fantasy authors...

There are some fallbacks, for doing a display, if you really can't think of anything else:

Color: books of all one color--green for spring or st patrick's day.

Cookbooks: bread and soup for fall/winter

Gardening.  If you do gardening in winter, people go "oooh" because they want color and light and pretty...  you don't put out gardening books in summer, so much...

Actually, I have a picture of the "Shades of Grey" display I did, which was one of the first official ones I did as an "Associate".  My boss did a blog post on it:

http://farmingtonlibctbarney.blogspot.com/2012/06/check-it-out.html

It was "shades of grey", featured author (Elizabeth Berg), kitchen/garden tour, journalists, and DaVinci Code readalikes.

Trying to live an environmentally friendly life...

So, I'd LIKE to dye my hair...   unfortunately, the organic stuff all has wheat in it, and the non-organic has mega-chemicals/toxins in it.  *sigh*  I wonder if I could start making my own, even with some toxins in it, it would be better....

Cleaning the house...  Elbow grease!   Because almost every cleaning product available is toxic.   Things that make cleaning easier...toxic...  time to start making my own, I guess....

Eating:  Gluten-free is usually not organic.   Canned foods contain BPA.   Plastics make everything possible, and are prevalent everywhere, even at my CSA....   and contain BPA and pthalates.  Organic fruits only seem to be available in a small window...

Beauty..chemicals chemicals chemicals...or wheat/gluten.  The only deoderants I've found that work end up being discontinued because they work so well and last so long that people don't buy them fast enough.  


*sigh*


Not to mention gardening, with drift from the neighbors who use pesticides...

*sigh*


Chemicals are so prevalent.  Plastics are prevalent.   But I do use less than the average joe...  

How do you get away from chemicals and plastics?

Things I hate about being single, #2001

Being sick, and not having anyone to send out for OJ.  Or who can bring the mail in, or put gas in the car/air in the tires.   Mow the grass...

In general, I like living alone.  I like my independence.  But every so often, I just wish I had more of a support system.

I have a very small workplace.   I hate being sick because everything piles up....

I get sick and then I get behind on everything.  Bleargh...


And I know men aren't great at taking care of their mates, for the most part.  But it would be nice to have someone who could at least make a cup of tea for me, heat up some soup...

Urgh.

What I would like in a political party.

I would like a candidate I can vote for.   I find Obama's campaign ads to be somewhat tasteless.

I would like a party that believes in strengthening American jobs, that wants to bring small industry back to the States.  So that clothes, cars, all kinds of things, can be made here.  

I would like them to get rid of the lobbyists for Big Food and Big Oil.   Big Oil is so entrenched in our current agricultural system, that when it goes down, it will go down hard....   We need to be able to transition farmers to be able to crow crops without Big Ag.

I would like them to support local, fresher foods.  

I would like to get back to smaller, local farms as well.

I would like to support life, of all kinds.   But also Birth Control and the right to have an abortion.

Marriage for everyone.   And no, not the guinea pigs, that is ridiculous.

I would like to protect our natural resources.   Start using solar power, and wind power.

Give the FDA authority to recall foods, to recall drugs, to have *real*, stringent testing of all these things...

Feeling alone.

I was involved, heavily involved, last year.   I was busy with the local community theatre, I was teaching CCD, I was in choir, doing ceramics...

This year, I have been stabbed in the back, the theatre owes me $500, and I've been pushed out the door.   I'm not able to teach CCD because of increased job responsibilities.  The choir no longer exists.

And I'm depressed.

I keep trying to get out there, put myself out there, and all that happens is that I get slapped down.

I don't have a support system.   I don't have anyone to rely on.  And I'm tired of it.

All I see is looking out to an empty life of just me, alone, growing old alone.


I'm tired of being alone.


I don't fit in.


I'm smart, cute, irreverent, well-read, artistic, loving.

I'm also snarky, sarcastic, frustrated, and like my space.

I'm not a bar-hopper, a drinker.  I'm not stunningly beautiful.

I'm tired.   I'm tired of not fitting in.   I've never fit in...


I've tried many different circles...  I've hung out with the geeks, I've hung out with the Catholics, I've hung out with the atheists.   I've hung out with poly and fen crowds, and theatre folks, and blue-collar folks.  I've hung out with upper-crust types.  I've hung out with folks from different countries.

And yet, still, at age 41, I stick out like a sore thumb.  

I'm a little bit hippie for my town, but not hippie enough for the hippies.  I'm artistic, but not enough for the artists....

I don't play politics.   I am just me.  I express my frustrations.   I'm honest, open, try to get along with people, try to keep my mouth shut when necessary...

I get behind on my house and yard....

I just feel like giving up.   I'm just lonely and overwhelmed.  And feeling friendless.