Last Monday in April

This was our first Monday with all the new public-access terminals on the second floor in Adult Services.  There are 41 terminals now, where there were 28 PC's and terminals before.  Monday has always been a busy day for computing, but today was intense.  If we had not had someone from Tech/Media detailed to handle computer reservations for us, I don't know what we would have done.  We wouldn't have been able to answer the phone or take reference questions.

I had a woman today who wanted to find homeless shelters on the California coast.  We recognized her, having spent a lot of time a couple of months ago helping her apply for certification in Florida as a cosmetologist.  She was living at the homeless shelter, and was very unhappy there.  She wanted to live somewhere that is not as hot as it is here, but not up north.  She said that she had gotten cancer on her head from living here.  She thought that California might be the place to go.  God in heaven.  I wanted to help, but she needed more than I could give her as a librarian.  I found an online directory to homeless shelters, and printed out the list of towns in California that had shelters.  She took it and got a computer.

Processing online requests, I got around 20, from what looked like two Chinese brothers, for every current MCAT test-prep guide there is.  I can't imagine wanting something bad enough to work my way through 20 test-prep books. The Decline of the West.

It's the last week of session for the Florida Legislature, and R. is working late.  It was raining when I left the library on my Vespa at 6.  In spite of my poncho, I arrived home with my shoes and cuffs wet.  After I changed, I browned some chicken strips, sauteed mushrooms, a shallot and garlic in butter, and simmered all in chicken broth, serving over rice.

I watched The Journey Home, the EWTN show where Catholic converts tell their stories.  It was a good one tonight, with Leo Brown, a former rock DJ who runs a Catholic radio station.  Good stories.

R. arrived home around 10 p.m. and, after a little while, took a shower and went to bed.  She has to be at work by 6 a.m. Wednesday, and may have to stay until midnight.