After working all weekend, I am off on Monday and Tuesday this week. On a hunch, I decided not to try to blog my work day on Saturday, and I was right. It was far too busy to even try.
I even wonder, now, whether I have anything new to say about being a reference librarian. But I tell myself that I am just tired.
I rose at 9:45 Monday morning after a delicious sleep. I made my morning offering, and had two cups of coffee and two cigarettes on the front porch. I showered, shaved, and ate two fried eggs with a slice of buttered whole wheat toast and a glass of grapefruit juice.
I took Claudius the cat out, keeping an eye on him while reading the Sunday New York Times. It seems to help, if you are a writer hoping to be noticed in the NYT, to be named Jonathan, (Franzen, Lethem, Safran Foer). Jonathan Franzen is now on the cover of Time Magazine, and he garnered a three page adulatory review by Sam Tannenbaum of his new novel, Freedom, in the NYT Book Review. NPR's All Things Considered today ran a story featuring chick-lit author Jennifer Weiner complaining about unbalanced coverage.
There was an interesting opinion piece about calling women "Ma'am". For young women, being "ma'amed" is apparently the kiss of death, making them feel old and unattractive, matronly. But here in the South, I still feel obliged to address older women that way. I guess I agree with Judith Martin:
“Everyone is in denial about age,” she said. “Why would you want to do away with showing respect for age? What do you gain by saying don’t treat me with respect just because I’m older? What sort of devil’s bargain is that?”
I finished Cameron: Ordinary Seaman, a grim tale about a convoy escort destroyer in 1941, dead in the water, drifting in the cold North Atlantic.
And then, weary of words, I put the book down and closed my eyes, slumped in my green leather chair, letting the tide of dreams take me. So tired.
I washed some towels and underwear, took Claudius out again.
R. arrived home, and we went out to Ted's Montana Grill. She had a steak, and I had a cheeseburger & fries. Home to watch The Journey Home on EWTN. A bright young man with the makings of a theology professor had converted from the Church of the Nazarene. I had not known that they had their roots in Wesleyanism.
3 comments:
Had lunch with some friends and former colleagues from the academic library where I once worked. Seems as though more of them are negotiating severance deals and early retirement. I must have started a trend.
I'd probably be pushed to write too much about being an Information Scientist but, I suspect that you're pretty well placed to write about what goes on around you.
I listen to the odd 'live' gig on NPR, courtesy of the internet.
Enjoy your time off. Hope the weather holds.
I formally request the return of 'Blogging Reference'.
Martin, yes, early retirement is something we're seeing more of these days. The County offered deals to a number of staff close to retirement. There was no compulsion, but I don't know of anyone who turned it down.
Mercedes, I have to laugh. You're not the only reader who has told me that Blogging Reference is what they enjoy most about this blog. As you know, I was inspired to start this blog by RefGrunt, who posted only that, a daily log of desk transactions.
I thought I might let myself off the hook this time, as it was my second weekend this month. I'll try to do it at least once a month. In between, I'm afraid you'll have to be satisfied with my other stuff.
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