Thrs Ramblings

You know....I haven't had a really self righteous, snarky, smug, superior, self-satisfied post in a while (LOL it DID take a little bit to think all those up) so I'm due for one.

1. I LOVE my job. I wake up wanting to go....and leave happy with what I did. (and they haven't even hired me, yet)
2. I think kids need to learn a love of books no matter what the cost.

But OH. MY. GOSH....what is up with parents who let their kids run wild in the library!?!?!? They have me shelving kids books now. -I think because a)they are checked out more frequently and b)kids aren't that picky if a book is mis-shelved- so I get to see this behavior first hand.

Yesterday a parent left their 3-4 year old for about a half hour while they went to do goodness knows what. I'm a friendly gal, so I spoke to the child. Let me tell you this. If I was a child molester I could have EASILY gotten that child out of one of the four exits (one in the kids area) in two minutes. I couldn't believe it. Unless they thought I'd keep an eye out for them. *shrug* who knows....

Today was story time so we were bombarded with the pre-K crowd. And I couldn't believe my eyes. Parents were (and I've been here, so I'm not judging this behavior) talking and trying to have true adult conversations. But they let their kids run wild. One child knocked over the entire DVD exhibit. Another pulled a shelf of books out. Another....Another....Another. And these parents didn't even bat a eye or stop talking. As soon as the librarian opened the story time room they were gone. I was aghast. I would NEVER leave a mess my child created. ESPECIALLY when they saw me shelving books. Granted, I'm not a "true" library personnel, but my presence there shelving books didn't affect them at all.

Since I've spent so much time in Germany, I have a large tolerance level for non-english speaking people. It's darn hard to learn a language...especially if you are surrounded by people who speak the same language. So I cut them some slack.

Today....I've revised my whole "Don't worry about it....they PAY people to clean up that mess" attitude. LOL not that I've ever actually LEFT a mess. I'm too anal-retentive for that....but I think it real hard.

Anyway, that's my smug ramblings for today. I just couldn't believe people wouldn't feel responsible for their kid's behavior.

...moving on....

I finished a great book last night. "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan" by Lisa See Here's what the review said:

http://www.lisasee.com/snowflower.htm

A language kept a secret for a thousand years forms the backdrop for an unforgettable novel of two Chinese women whose friendship and love sustains them through their lives.

This absorbing novel – with a storyline unlike anything Lisa See has written before – takes place in 19th century China when girls had their feet bound, then spent the rest of their lives in seclusion with only a single window from which to see. Illiterate and isolated, they were not expected to think, be creative, or have emotions. But in one remote county, women developed their own secret code, nu shu – "women's writing" – the only gender-based written language to have been found in the world. Some girls were paired as "old-sames" in emotional matches that lasted throughout their lives.

They painted letters on fans, embroidered messages on handkerchiefs, and composed stories, thereby reaching out of their windows to share their hopes, dreams, and accomplishments.

An old woman tells of her relationship with her "old-same," their arranged marriages, and the joys and tragedies of motherhood—until a terrible
misunderstanding written on their secret fan threatens to tear them apart. With the detail and emotional resonance of Memoirs of a Geisha , Snow Flower and the Secret Fan delves into one of the most mysterious and treasured relationships of all time—female friendship.

Well worth your time. It'll make you want to call your girlfriends right away.

Anyway, my in-laws are coming tomorrow and I want to wipe out my fridge. It's one of those invisible areas where one day you wake up and say. "OH MY....how did this get this bad??!"

Love to you! Ang