Male Librarian

Yet another quiet work day here. At risk of being dubbed a sci-fi geek (which I am), I'd like to state here that switching to Open Access Internet terminals has resulted in a sort of post-atomic winter at our library, with a heaping helping of quiet and not a lot of activity. (Except for printing, that is; and it appears even this duty may be shifted to our circulation desk in the near future.) But like I've said before, I'm not one to complain about a lack of buzz. Aye, Captain. We've scanned the area but there isn't a living being for miles around. There are exciting things happening at work these days. Yesterday I was able to place the library's 25-year old newspaper indexing project on the Web -- something I have been trying to accomplish since arriving here over a year ago. TIL has graciously integrated the programming into our library's website and soft-launched it. We're keeping it a secret for now and will do a big unveiling for administratio...

National Freak & Misfit Day It is obviously National Freak & Misfit Day judging from the patrons that have been taking up residence in the Reference area today. That much is sure. In a way, it sort of reminds me of the so-called cantina scene from Star Wars. Remember that? I'm generally one cool dude in terms of remaining level-headed. I'm friendly, too. But I must admit that during my one and a half year stint as a librarian, I have not always been saintly. I have had three indiscretions. It has been eight weeks since my last blog confession. Father forgive me, for I have sinned. The first of these instances took place at (no surprise here) a copy machine. A lunatic woman (who has a track record of sorts at this libary) marched in and began yelling for help with the copy machine. (Yes, we all know how hard making copies is.) When the conversation degraded to her shrieking, "You work here and don't know how to use this?" I told her to go get help elsewhere...

I broke from my usual Southeast Asian/Korean/Japanese food leanings and prepared a hot bowl of Dal Soup with Tomato yesterday -- it turned out gorgeously. Not realizing how much I missed that cuisine, I made a mental note myself to make it more often. (One of these days I'll get adventurous and make samosas, too. Samosas are definitely one my most favorite foods on this planet.) A second dish I was preparing (bitter melon curry) was a complete failure. I knew something was wrong when I was asked to "squeeze out the excess water after salting the melon pieces." When I tried that, no liquid issued forth. The taste of the curry was awful, but fortunately it didn't matter since I had (successfully) prepared the dal dish in tandem. I have had nightmares the last two nights -- the upshot to not being able to sleep however has been the ability to get up 5am and get all sorts of housework done. Mornings are also my favorite time of the day; everything is so damn peaceful, coo...

Ever hear something so perfectly stated that it seems almost distilled and crystalline in character? So perfectly uttered in every way that it causes you to howl in agreement? Alone at home yesterday, I slipped in my pirate DVD version of Flower Drum Song and watched my favorite guilty pleasure while utterly mesmerized... mesmerized that I had the time, solitude, and privacy to view one of the world's most politically incorrect, culturally insensitive, and terribly tacky musicals of all time. How guilty and giddy I felt simultaneously! I love Flower Drum Song -- the original screen version, that is. Not the corny "new" version without all the corny references to Chinese food. Not the one without all the fabulous costumes dreamt up in some white person's Oriental Fantasy Land. No, I prefer the original in all is trashy glory. So there, I said it and I'll say it again.  I love Flower Drum Song. It is my favorite musical stage show of all time. Anyway, back to the st...

I dreamt last night I was in London en route to the United States. But for whatever reason there were no direct flights, so I forced to catch a connecting flight in the former Soviet republic of Georgia before heading back home. The airplane I was on was huge -- along the same scale as those massive floating cities run by Carnival Cruises. There were dozens of entertainment areas aboard the flight so I was kept fairly occupied until I arrived in Tbilisi. I remember areas with bars (of course -- this was my dream, after all) and water slides. Entering the airport, I was shocked and amazed to discover how clean and modern it was. (It felt like a dream scene from Brave New World.) Oddly though, there was no passport control area. Instead, I was whisked directly into a modern gym where I lined up with my gym bag, anxiously looking forward to working out in the swankiest exercise joint I'd ever seen. While in line, I took in the view of about a hundred men. All of them wore white. W...