Every three weeks I work on a Saturday and today was that week. I rushed to get to work this morning and as I parked and got out of the car I realized that I still had the deposit with me and had never gone to the bank. Rats! So I went into work, let Sheila (who was librarian today) know I was there and went back to the bank. I pass it on the way to work, so I should have remembered.
It was an easy day at work. Everyone was laid back because "Boss" wasn't there. Everything works so smoothly and efficiently when he's not around.
Last night I decided to have one of Joe's favorite meals for dinner -- spaghetti and meatballs. I had everything but the sauce. I asked Joe if he would go to 7-11 for me to get it and he said he would. The store is only two blocks from our house. He was a long time and I started to get worried about him. Then I got a phone call from him asking me to come get him. On the way over there he had fallen and hurt himself. A man came by and helped him up. And Joe being Joe he continued on to the store and got me the spaghetti sauce. He didn't think he could make it home and wanted me to drive him. It took me only a minute to get over there and get him. He scraped up his left arm and knee and is hurting badly today.
I came home for lunch today to make sure he was OK and to make him lunch. It was so nice that I was very tempted not to go back to work. But you know I did.
At least I have off tomorrow. There is always so much to do. We are trying so hard to get this house under control and get some painting done. I got a pale tan color that I want to try on the walls. I'll let you know how it turns out.
Saturday, April 27, 2013
Friday, April 26, 2013
FRIDAY VIEWS
I had off today since I am working tomorrow. I wanted to get so much done, but ended up just taking it easy. I still got things done, but not as much as I had hoped. But there's always tomorrow.
We are thinking about dinner now -- whether to go out or have me make something. I think we are going to opt for the latter. Much cheaper.
I've been taking a lot of pictures of flowering trees lately and thought I would use my Friday view this week to share them with you. There are so many more shots I would like to take, but I'm usually driving and can't stop. Maybe sometime. But in the meantime I hope you enjoy these.
Happy Friday everyone!
We are thinking about dinner now -- whether to go out or have me make something. I think we are going to opt for the latter. Much cheaper.
I've been taking a lot of pictures of flowering trees lately and thought I would use my Friday view this week to share them with you. There are so many more shots I would like to take, but I'm usually driving and can't stop. Maybe sometime. But in the meantime I hope you enjoy these.
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| This is near the entrance to the Cancer Center where my doctor is. |
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| This is a house near church. |
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| And this is a picture I took outside of church last year. I wish I knew what all these different trees were, but I'm pretty sure this is a dogwood. |
Happy Friday everyone!
Thursday, April 25, 2013
IT'S NOT BEEN A GOOD DAY
Folks, sorry about the new moderated comments. I not only have been getting a lot of spam (you have a nice post -- here's what I'm selling), but now the comments are becoming vulgar and insulting. Hurtful. And the person or persons making these comments are too cowardly to sign their name but come in as anonymous. I've tried taking the anonymous off, but then my friend Debbie can't comment. So it's on, but now moderated. I feel bad about doing this to you guys, but I know my friends all understand.
That was just the tip of the iceberg. My boss was on a rampage today because the guard and the other librarian called in sick. He was yelling, cursing and throwing things. Real professional of him. And he picked on me all day. I am so glad that I don't have to see him until Monday. I have off tomorrow because I am working Saturday.
Then I ended up having an argument with Joe. Boss had me so upset I was totally unreasonable with him. I went home at dinner time and apologized and everything is OK now, but it should never have happened.
So now I am headed to the kitchen to make our dinner. We are having baked flounder, fries and broccoli/cauliflower. Sounds good to me. Hopefully the rest of the day will go better.
That was just the tip of the iceberg. My boss was on a rampage today because the guard and the other librarian called in sick. He was yelling, cursing and throwing things. Real professional of him. And he picked on me all day. I am so glad that I don't have to see him until Monday. I have off tomorrow because I am working Saturday.
Then I ended up having an argument with Joe. Boss had me so upset I was totally unreasonable with him. I went home at dinner time and apologized and everything is OK now, but it should never have happened.
So now I am headed to the kitchen to make our dinner. We are having baked flounder, fries and broccoli/cauliflower. Sounds good to me. Hopefully the rest of the day will go better.
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
A COUPLE OF BUSY DAYS
Yesterday was especially busy. I started out by teaching Bible Study. Only Dottie, Debbie and I were there. We talked about the beheading of John the Baptist and the feeding of the 5,000. Even though it was just the three of us we got a lot of really good study in. Leave it to the ladies! I really enjoy leading this study. Joe wasn't feeling good and didn't come.
Then yesterday afternoon I had an appointment with my surgeon. I found another lump in my breast, had a mammogram and ultrasound which showed something in the middle of the scar from my previous cancer surgery. I was told it was most likely a cyst and nothing to worry about but I should get it checked out. So I went to the surgeon I had before.
But he wasn't able to do a needle aspiration because of the scar. And he is leaving in 6 weeks so he didn't want to operate on me. However he did look at it and said he was almost certain it was not cancer because after looking at the ultrasound pictures and report he felt it did not look or act like cancer. That made me feel so much better.
He sent me to a breast specialist surgeon in the same hospital that he felt could be of help to me. So I left his office and went one floor up to her office and made an appointment for the first possible opening which is May 15th. So that is where I am now. I am really not worried about it. I believe my oncologist and the surgeon that it is just an irritation from the scar tissue of my previous cancer surgery. But it still needs to come out!
After I left the hospital I went to see my dentist. I had gotten some food caught under my gum and I could not get it out no matter how hard I tried. She came in, took a look, used some floss and some diluted peroxide and washed it right out. It's still a little tender, but feels so much better.
I was going to get something to eat and then go to work, but I made the mistake of laying down and ended up sleeping for almost four hours. I guess I needed the sleep more than I needed to go to work!
When I woke up I asked Joe if he would like to go out for dinner. He said, "yes" so we went to Checkers.
We have not been to Checkers in so long. We just got burgers, fries and a couple of apple pies. It was good to not cook and cost less than $8.
Today it was back to work. It was pretty busy. I got a lot done though. I entered 20 new Polish books. It is hard (and expensive) to get recent Polish books. A lot of our older customers speak only Polish or mostly Polish so we try to get books for these people. They are so happy to see some new titles. Don't get me wrong, though. We have hundreds of Polish books. These are just new ones! I even had time today (and my back was good enough to stand long enough) to shelf read the 400s and part of the 500s. That is a major accomplishment.
When I got home tonight I found Joe laying on the sofa which is very unusual for him. He said his stomach was bothering him. I was going to have fish and chips for dinner, but I was afraid that would be too much for him. So I made some homemade chicken noodle soup. It's an easy recipe and was really good. He said he felt better after he ate, but he's still not up to par.
Good news though. I spoke with my friend, Karen, and we made plans to go to Ocean City in a couple of weeks. She made the hotel reservations today and when I get paid on Friday I will make ours. We went together last year and it was so much fun. We are trying to make this an annual trip. Of course our husbands are going also. The four of us go to the same church and are such good friends. I am really looking forward to it.
So that's the news from here. What's going on with you?
Thursday:
I am getting too much spam and obnoxious anonymous comments. So I have had to put on comment moderation. I promise to read your comments and put them up. Trust me... I work in a library.
Then yesterday afternoon I had an appointment with my surgeon. I found another lump in my breast, had a mammogram and ultrasound which showed something in the middle of the scar from my previous cancer surgery. I was told it was most likely a cyst and nothing to worry about but I should get it checked out. So I went to the surgeon I had before.
But he wasn't able to do a needle aspiration because of the scar. And he is leaving in 6 weeks so he didn't want to operate on me. However he did look at it and said he was almost certain it was not cancer because after looking at the ultrasound pictures and report he felt it did not look or act like cancer. That made me feel so much better.
He sent me to a breast specialist surgeon in the same hospital that he felt could be of help to me. So I left his office and went one floor up to her office and made an appointment for the first possible opening which is May 15th. So that is where I am now. I am really not worried about it. I believe my oncologist and the surgeon that it is just an irritation from the scar tissue of my previous cancer surgery. But it still needs to come out!
After I left the hospital I went to see my dentist. I had gotten some food caught under my gum and I could not get it out no matter how hard I tried. She came in, took a look, used some floss and some diluted peroxide and washed it right out. It's still a little tender, but feels so much better.
I was going to get something to eat and then go to work, but I made the mistake of laying down and ended up sleeping for almost four hours. I guess I needed the sleep more than I needed to go to work!
When I woke up I asked Joe if he would like to go out for dinner. He said, "yes" so we went to Checkers.
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| Yes, that's my man heading for the window. |
Today it was back to work. It was pretty busy. I got a lot done though. I entered 20 new Polish books. It is hard (and expensive) to get recent Polish books. A lot of our older customers speak only Polish or mostly Polish so we try to get books for these people. They are so happy to see some new titles. Don't get me wrong, though. We have hundreds of Polish books. These are just new ones! I even had time today (and my back was good enough to stand long enough) to shelf read the 400s and part of the 500s. That is a major accomplishment.
When I got home tonight I found Joe laying on the sofa which is very unusual for him. He said his stomach was bothering him. I was going to have fish and chips for dinner, but I was afraid that would be too much for him. So I made some homemade chicken noodle soup. It's an easy recipe and was really good. He said he felt better after he ate, but he's still not up to par.
Good news though. I spoke with my friend, Karen, and we made plans to go to Ocean City in a couple of weeks. She made the hotel reservations today and when I get paid on Friday I will make ours. We went together last year and it was so much fun. We are trying to make this an annual trip. Of course our husbands are going also. The four of us go to the same church and are such good friends. I am really looking forward to it.
So that's the news from here. What's going on with you?
Thursday:
I am getting too much spam and obnoxious anonymous comments. So I have had to put on comment moderation. I promise to read your comments and put them up. Trust me... I work in a library.
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
I've gotten a few questions in my comments recently, so I thought I would post the answers all together here.
Christine asked if I left my tulip, daffodil and hyacinth bulbs in the ground over the winter or if I dug them up.
Each year I plant the bulbs after Easter and just leave them. They seem to do OK and come back each year. Of course after several years the bulbs don't come back. But that's OK because each year I am planting new bulbs so I'm never without. I heard that the cold weather makes the bulbs bloom and that if you dig them up you have to store them in a refrigerator. I find it easier to just leave them alone.
Angie asked about the groundhog -- if it was afraid of people.
Christine asked if I left my tulip, daffodil and hyacinth bulbs in the ground over the winter or if I dug them up.
Each year I plant the bulbs after Easter and just leave them. They seem to do OK and come back each year. Of course after several years the bulbs don't come back. But that's OK because each year I am planting new bulbs so I'm never without. I heard that the cold weather makes the bulbs bloom and that if you dig them up you have to store them in a refrigerator. I find it easier to just leave them alone.
Angie asked about the groundhog -- if it was afraid of people.
Yes, it is very scared of people and immediately goes down its burrow. I took such good pictures by shooting through my kitchen windows using the zoom lens. The groundhog didn't see me and so didn't run away.
Marissa asked how I made my lemonade.
This past time I cheated and used a mix. But I posted a really good recipe for lemonade. You can check it out here. This is quick and easy. Hope you like it.
Sunday, April 21, 2013
THE SUNDAY GARDEN
The garden looks more beautiful each week. A lot of the daffodils and the forsythia are gone now, but the tulips are starting to bloom.
And finally, I know this is not in the garden, but here is the new African violet I bought yesterday. So pretty. I just love flowers.
We went to Rite Aid this afternoon and who did we run into but Joe's ex-wife. Well, that was real comfortable. NOT. Especially since she hates me. But she and I just ignore each other. So it was OK.
While I was there I bought some more half-price ceramic mushrooms for the yard. These cost only $2. I will put them outside tomorrow.
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| The inside of one of the yellow tulips. I love looking down on a tulip. They are all different. |
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| This was a "mistake" photo but I liked it so much that I kept it. |
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| My one pink tulip. |
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| So pretty! |
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| Another yellow tulip. |
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| This is the same tulip, but taken a few days later. It's more closed. And you can see two buds next to it on the right. |
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| The inside of a red tulip. |
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| Red and purple tulips with the yellow double daffodils. Beautiful! |
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| There are still loads of grape hyacinths around. |
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| And the double daffodils are still going strong. I think they are the prettiest of the spring flowers. |
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| The hydrangea leaves are huge. I expect to see flower buds any day now. |
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| Our friend the groundhog is back. |
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| He must have hibernated all winter. |
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| He was just sitting there in the sun warming himself. He is eating my plants and grass. Maybe I can train him so that I don't have to mow the lawn. Ha, ha. |
And finally, I know this is not in the garden, but here is the new African violet I bought yesterday. So pretty. I just love flowers.
We went to Rite Aid this afternoon and who did we run into but Joe's ex-wife. Well, that was real comfortable. NOT. Especially since she hates me. But she and I just ignore each other. So it was OK.
While I was there I bought some more half-price ceramic mushrooms for the yard. These cost only $2. I will put them outside tomorrow.
Saturday, April 20, 2013
SATURDAY DOINGS
The day started really slowly. I spent a lot of time on the computer and watching some DVDs that I need to take back to the library on Monday.
I got a call around noon that my new glasses were in. So about 1 p.m. Joe and I headed out to the eye doctor's to pick them up. They look nice, but like all glasses they will take a few days to get used to them. My eyes have actually gotten a little better so these aren't as strong. I will be fine in a little while.
After we left there we walked down a few stores and went to Hallmark. We got my mother-in-law a card and this really pretty vase for her birthday. We are going to get a bouquet to put into it and give it to her along with taking her out to dinner.
We were hungry by this time so we went across the street to one of our favorite Chinese restaurants, New Kin. We haven't been there in ages. It was so nice to just sit there with a pot of tea and be waited on. Their food is always so good.
Finally I stopped in the library where I used to work which is the next block over. We got to talk with a few of my friends. That was fun seeing them.
On the way home we ended up at Home Depot for Joe to pick up a few things he needed. I got an African violet that is so pretty. It is white with purple edges. I used to have a lot of African violets, but all of a sudden they all died. I have had a lot of success with the purple one that I have now, so I got this second one. I will have to take a picture to show you.
I also got a sample size of paint to try on the living room/dining room walls. Last time I bought a couple of gallons. We put it on one wall and I HATED it. And here I have all this paint that I don't want to use. I played it smart this time and got the sample size for $2. At least this way if I don't like it, it's not a small fortune I've spent for the paint.
The rest of the day I've spent doing wash and straightening up the living room. So you see I've been really busy.
But now I'm going to get off because I have a piece of strawberry shortcake waiting for me. Yum!
And church tomorrow. We are studying the letters to the seven churches of Revelation. It's interesting.
Until later....
I got a call around noon that my new glasses were in. So about 1 p.m. Joe and I headed out to the eye doctor's to pick them up. They look nice, but like all glasses they will take a few days to get used to them. My eyes have actually gotten a little better so these aren't as strong. I will be fine in a little while.
After we left there we walked down a few stores and went to Hallmark. We got my mother-in-law a card and this really pretty vase for her birthday. We are going to get a bouquet to put into it and give it to her along with taking her out to dinner.
We were hungry by this time so we went across the street to one of our favorite Chinese restaurants, New Kin. We haven't been there in ages. It was so nice to just sit there with a pot of tea and be waited on. Their food is always so good.
Finally I stopped in the library where I used to work which is the next block over. We got to talk with a few of my friends. That was fun seeing them.
On the way home we ended up at Home Depot for Joe to pick up a few things he needed. I got an African violet that is so pretty. It is white with purple edges. I used to have a lot of African violets, but all of a sudden they all died. I have had a lot of success with the purple one that I have now, so I got this second one. I will have to take a picture to show you.
I also got a sample size of paint to try on the living room/dining room walls. Last time I bought a couple of gallons. We put it on one wall and I HATED it. And here I have all this paint that I don't want to use. I played it smart this time and got the sample size for $2. At least this way if I don't like it, it's not a small fortune I've spent for the paint.
The rest of the day I've spent doing wash and straightening up the living room. So you see I've been really busy.
But now I'm going to get off because I have a piece of strawberry shortcake waiting for me. Yum!
And church tomorrow. We are studying the letters to the seven churches of Revelation. It's interesting.
Until later....
Friday, April 19, 2013
FRIDAY VIEWS
What a view I have for you today. The street is finished!
I even got to park on it yesterday.
It's been a long time coming. I am very happy!
I was working at the Fishtown Branch today. It was very slow with only two little rushes of busyness all day. And it was a beautiful day. Sunny and warm. I wanted to go home and enjoy the day so badly.
I know it is spring. I made my first pitcher of lemonade this evening. I drink lemonade all summer long. Yum.
I want to show you one more "view" today. This is Wednesday's sunset. So beautiful.
Fifteen minutes later it looked like this.
Sunsets are so beautiful and so fleeting. How beautiful God made this earth.
This is going to be a busy weekend. I'm going to relax this evening because I'm going to need my strength for the next few days.
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
THE END IS IN SIGHT
It looks like the street/water lines repair which started in February is almost finished. I am hoping that by next week we will actually be able to park in front of the library again. It looks VERY hopeful.
When we left at 8 p.m. last night the cement was drying. It looks as if they will be putting the black top on today or tomorrow. And then... hopefully then... we will actually be able to drive and park on the street again. It's a day I've been waiting for for three months!
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| This was taken on Monday as I was leaving work. Looking good. |
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| Yesterday when I went to work this sight greeted me. There were four huge cement trucks. |
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| And guys spreading out the cement. |
Monday, April 15, 2013
THE BOSTON MARATHON
I had an entirely different post planned for today. But in light of what has happened, I wanted to post this instead. I am so heartbroken over what has happened in Boston. My thoughts and prayers are with the injured, the medical people and the police and investigators in this horrible tragedy. My thoughts and prayers are with the families of those who were killed. I am having trouble understanding how someone (anyone!) could do such a thing. It makes no sense. This world is not a nice place to be.
It is only by the grace of Almighty God that this world even exists. And it is by Him that we go on inspite of man's inhumanity to his fellow man. Please join me in prayer.
It's a sad day.
It is only by the grace of Almighty God that this world even exists. And it is by Him that we go on inspite of man's inhumanity to his fellow man. Please join me in prayer.
It's a sad day.
Sunday, April 14, 2013
THE SUNDAY GARDEN
What beautiful weather we are having today. Last week it got up to 89* one day. The next day it was 50*. What's going on? After having some cold, rainy and windy weather, it's been sunny and warm this weekend. It's in the 60s today and I have the windows open letting some nice fresh air coming in. I love days like this! I am hoping my back holds out that I can plant some of the Easter flowers this afternoon.
But in the meantime, here's what's going on in the garden.
As you can see we have a chain link (or cyclone) fence. Although it makes the yard look larger, we really want to get a solid wooden fence for privacy. Our neighbor did and we really like it. I know just how I want it. We just have to save up to do it. They are expensive!
But in the meantime, here's what's going on in the garden.
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| This is a purple hyacinth. I've never seen another one like it. It's not the deep purple (or blue) ones like you usually see, but it's not pink either. |
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| A beautiful daffodil fully opened. |
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| This didn't come out too well, but it's a double daffodil. Beautiful! |
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| The only one of my herbs to make it through the winter was the chives. And boy did they ever come back! |
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| The one purple tulip. The others aren't open yet, but can't wait to see them when they do. |
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| Pink hyacinths. |
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| White hyacinths. |
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| I saw these little toadstools for half price when I was at Rite Aid today. I had to get them. So cute! |
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| The grape hyacinths grow wild all through the grass. |
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| The forsythia, daffodils and my one lone purple tulip. |
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| The hydrangea leaves are getting bigger. Pretty soon we'll have buds and then flowers. |
Saturday, April 13, 2013
FRIDAY VIEW ON A SATURDAY
I finally found some pictures of the main staircase at the library. It is made completely of marble. I noticed the other day that some of the steps are worn down where millions of people have walked on them. The statute is of Mr. Pepper who founded the library. It was the first library in the U.S. that you didn't have to pay to join. He believed that everyone was entitled to have a book to read. That's why it's called the Free Library of Philadelphia. Hope you enjoy the pictures.
All the images were taken from Google images.
All the images were taken from Google images.
Friday, April 12, 2013
ALL STAFF DAY
Yesterday was our annual All Staff Day at work. All the libraries in the city close and we all meet at the central library for a day of lectures and workshops. It is usually deadly dull. But surprisingly yesterday wasn't bad at all.
I picked up Bob and Diane and then we went to Jerry's house and he took the three of us down. We did this because he had a free parking pass and I would have had to pay for parking.
We were split up into A-L and M-Z by our last names so Diane and I hung together all day. I got to see a lot of my friends from other libraries and it was fun talking with them again and catching up. The first thing they did was feed us breakfast! Lots of all different kinds of muffins, juice, coffee, tea, water. And was it ever good!
The beginning of the day was spent in the auditorium with our president, Shioban Reardon, talking about the future of the library and answering questions. We had a break where they gave us soft pretzels, but I didn't take any. I was still full. Then we had a second session on customer service which was really interesting with lots of funny examples. Did you know that if you get good service at a place you will tell maybe 20 people. But if you get bad service you tell about 100 people. The speaker said people like to complain!
Then we had lunch. We met up with Jerry and the three of us sat on the marble steps of the grand staircase to eat. They had all kinds of sandwiches and salads but the three of us got the tuna sandwich, cookies, an apple, a bag of pretzels and a mint. It was good. I looked on google to see if I could find an image of the staircase, but it wasn't there. Someday I am going to have to take my camera down there and get a few shots. It is beautiful -- like a museum.
In the middle of lunch music started playing and a "flash mob" of library employees started dancing. Even some of the vice presidents strutted their stuff. It was cool. Of course I didn't have my camera with me, but I grabbed my cell phone. It's not great, but you get the idea.
In the afternoon we went to a workshop on time management. As if I haven't been to a million of them. But this one was interesting, interactive and fun. I actually learned a few things too. I will never be organized like this lady is. I just don't have it in me to schedule and account for every minute of my day. But I can make things better.
Then there was another break. There was fruit, trail mix, granola bars and cupcakes. Cupcakes? I was good and had a banana. By this time my sugar was going down and I could tell my potassium was low so this was the perfect thing. I also saw a lot of my former co-workers and got to talk to them. It was awesome.
For the final workshop Diane and I decided we just could not sit through another hour plus of a lecture so we took a tour of the Rare Book Department. What a good idea. It was fascinating. I had never been there. We saw their latest exhibit of the works of Robert Lawson. He was an illustrator and what a great artist he was. You may have seen some of his work in the children's books Ferdinand the Bull and Ben and Me. But he also did drawings of the French countryside when he was in WWI and advertisements for various magazines as well as illustrations for adult books. Marvelous! And then we went into the department itself and saw a complete set of first edition Charles Dickens books, maps from the 1500s, a desk used by Charles Dickens in which he carved his initials, a cuniform tablet that was 4,000 years old and a copy of the Magna Carta printed in 1402 among lots of other things. Everything was so interesting and the librarians were so great to us. I want to take a group of my friends there to do a tour.
The Rare Book Department is on the top floor of the building. The walls and ceiling are all carved. I didn't have much room to take pictures on my cell phone, but here is one of the hundreds of medalions.
And they had these beautiful chandeliers. They were very tall and made out of metal of some sort. Brass maybe? You can't see it in the picture but the top looked like lots of lit candles. I really have to bring my camera next time. This library was built in 1927 and is unbelievably beautiful.
As we were leaving for the day, the Staff Association had free water ice for everyone. Diane and Jerry got lemon and I got mango/peach. What a nice way to end the day.
Well, it was nice up to a point. When I got back to my car I found there was a nail in my tire. I didn't dare pull it out because I didn't want it to go flat before I got home. After I dropped Bob and Diane off I ended up hitting rush hour and a 4 car accident. My usual 15 minute ride took me 45 minutes.
Today was my late day so I took the car back to the garage. The tire was still under warranty so they fixed it for free. I thought it would take awhile, but it was only 10 minutes. Then I dropped some things off at the Salvation Army and went to Shop Rite before I came home.
Diane had had her birthday while we were still closed with the water problem, so we celebrated her birthday today. I got a chocolate strawberry shortcake for her. She was very surprised because she thought we were just going to skip her birthday this year.
So now it is a little after midnight and I must go to bed and get some sleep so I can get up for work tomorrow. Or should I say today. Thanks for coming on my trip through the All Staff Day. Goodnight folks.
I picked up Bob and Diane and then we went to Jerry's house and he took the three of us down. We did this because he had a free parking pass and I would have had to pay for parking.
We were split up into A-L and M-Z by our last names so Diane and I hung together all day. I got to see a lot of my friends from other libraries and it was fun talking with them again and catching up. The first thing they did was feed us breakfast! Lots of all different kinds of muffins, juice, coffee, tea, water. And was it ever good!
The beginning of the day was spent in the auditorium with our president, Shioban Reardon, talking about the future of the library and answering questions. We had a break where they gave us soft pretzels, but I didn't take any. I was still full. Then we had a second session on customer service which was really interesting with lots of funny examples. Did you know that if you get good service at a place you will tell maybe 20 people. But if you get bad service you tell about 100 people. The speaker said people like to complain!
Then we had lunch. We met up with Jerry and the three of us sat on the marble steps of the grand staircase to eat. They had all kinds of sandwiches and salads but the three of us got the tuna sandwich, cookies, an apple, a bag of pretzels and a mint. It was good. I looked on google to see if I could find an image of the staircase, but it wasn't there. Someday I am going to have to take my camera down there and get a few shots. It is beautiful -- like a museum.
In the middle of lunch music started playing and a "flash mob" of library employees started dancing. Even some of the vice presidents strutted their stuff. It was cool. Of course I didn't have my camera with me, but I grabbed my cell phone. It's not great, but you get the idea.
In the afternoon we went to a workshop on time management. As if I haven't been to a million of them. But this one was interesting, interactive and fun. I actually learned a few things too. I will never be organized like this lady is. I just don't have it in me to schedule and account for every minute of my day. But I can make things better.
Then there was another break. There was fruit, trail mix, granola bars and cupcakes. Cupcakes? I was good and had a banana. By this time my sugar was going down and I could tell my potassium was low so this was the perfect thing. I also saw a lot of my former co-workers and got to talk to them. It was awesome.
For the final workshop Diane and I decided we just could not sit through another hour plus of a lecture so we took a tour of the Rare Book Department. What a good idea. It was fascinating. I had never been there. We saw their latest exhibit of the works of Robert Lawson. He was an illustrator and what a great artist he was. You may have seen some of his work in the children's books Ferdinand the Bull and Ben and Me. But he also did drawings of the French countryside when he was in WWI and advertisements for various magazines as well as illustrations for adult books. Marvelous! And then we went into the department itself and saw a complete set of first edition Charles Dickens books, maps from the 1500s, a desk used by Charles Dickens in which he carved his initials, a cuniform tablet that was 4,000 years old and a copy of the Magna Carta printed in 1402 among lots of other things. Everything was so interesting and the librarians were so great to us. I want to take a group of my friends there to do a tour.
The Rare Book Department is on the top floor of the building. The walls and ceiling are all carved. I didn't have much room to take pictures on my cell phone, but here is one of the hundreds of medalions.
And they had these beautiful chandeliers. They were very tall and made out of metal of some sort. Brass maybe? You can't see it in the picture but the top looked like lots of lit candles. I really have to bring my camera next time. This library was built in 1927 and is unbelievably beautiful.
As we were leaving for the day, the Staff Association had free water ice for everyone. Diane and Jerry got lemon and I got mango/peach. What a nice way to end the day.
Well, it was nice up to a point. When I got back to my car I found there was a nail in my tire. I didn't dare pull it out because I didn't want it to go flat before I got home. After I dropped Bob and Diane off I ended up hitting rush hour and a 4 car accident. My usual 15 minute ride took me 45 minutes.
Today was my late day so I took the car back to the garage. The tire was still under warranty so they fixed it for free. I thought it would take awhile, but it was only 10 minutes. Then I dropped some things off at the Salvation Army and went to Shop Rite before I came home.
Diane had had her birthday while we were still closed with the water problem, so we celebrated her birthday today. I got a chocolate strawberry shortcake for her. She was very surprised because she thought we were just going to skip her birthday this year.
So now it is a little after midnight and I must go to bed and get some sleep so I can get up for work tomorrow. Or should I say today. Thanks for coming on my trip through the All Staff Day. Goodnight folks.
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