library fantasies

if i had a million dollars, or slightly less, i would immediately book a stay at the ultimate hotel.

"The Library Hotel in New York City is the first hotel ever to offer its guest over 6,000 volumes organized throughout the hotel by the Dewy Decimal System.* Each of the 10 guestrooms floors honors one of the 10 categories of the DDC and each of the 60 rooms is uniquely adorned with a collection of books and art exploring a distinctive topic within the category or floor it belongs to."

and it's within walking distance of the new york public library. although i have been to new york several times, i am ashamed to say i have yet to visit the new york public library. if you are looking for a romance about the new york public library, check out allen kurzweil's book the grand complication

in less romantic library news, summer in the public library is exhausting. last week 11,542 people came into our library branch, we received 600 phone calls, and answered 2,449 reference questions. personally, my story time attendance is up from an average of 4 children (during the academic year) to 36 children (since the summer started.) quite a change.

close but not convenient

i spent this evening at traffic court.

i got home from work this evening and i thought to myself, "ah- wonderful. we live about four or five blocks from the courthouse. i can take care of my ridiculous and unfortunate ticket. and today wasn't even as humid as normal, so it's almost nice outside. what a great evening to walk to court!"

so, i get to the courthouse at about quarter to seven this evening. i get a number and walk into the courtroom and it is totally packed. i wait and i wait. and i wait. two hours and ten minutes before the judge calls my name. i go up and tell him i won't contest my ridiculous tickets (did you know that it is illegal to have the dealer frame around your back license plate? i mean, they put the stupid thing on there and never mention it being illegal when you get your oil changed or your car inspected....) i showed him the picture of my frameless plate and proof that i got my car inspected and agree to take defensive driving. then the judge says, "but wait, do you have a new driver's license?"

shocked, i say, "no. why? what?"

he points out that my driver's license expired last week on my birthday. i had no idea. i just got this license last year when i legally changed my name. oh well. he let me agree to take defensive driving anyway and just told me to get the new license right away. very kind.

then i waited a little longer and signed some papers. waited longer in a line and paid a huge fee, and then walked home. all told, close to three hours!

hurricane tracking voodoo pillow

hurricane tracking voodoo pillow
Originally uploaded by clairevoyant paranoia.

last year my dad moved to florida. and then hurricane season started. he and his girlfriend live just a few blocks from the ocean and all three hurricanes looked like they were headed straight for them. in the end, they were fine and the hurricanes went elsewhere. but, in expectation of this year's even busier hurricane season, i made this voodoo pillow for my pops. of course, you don't want a hurricane to hit anywhere, but when it's headed for your house, the illusion of control might be comforting.

for other hurricane voodoo, check out the annual ritual in new orleans.

busy hands

spiraltruck
Originally uploaded by clairevoyant paranoia.

despite all my angst, my hands have been busy lately. i really enjoy hand embroidery. i made this for my cousin's new baby natalie. i thought the cement truck would help her two-year old brother bond with her, and apparently it is working. i just did this one from a stencil, but i can highly recommend the excellent designs by jenny hart.

thought i'd tell yah

john paul suggested that you might not know i have a book blog. well, it didn't have any posts for a while; but, it does now, so you might be interested. for other book discussions, please see the "books to know" column at the right of your page. thank you.

dangers all around

bored at work, i made the mistake of looking at the news.

not the problem

upon further research, i don't think narcissistic personality disorder is the problem. the dictionary is not quite the dsm, eh?

the problem

the problem, maybe, is that i don't think i have anything to say. i really admire kelly, who makes herself post something (almost) every day. that is what i was hoping this blog would be for me, but like every journal i have ever kept, it is mostly neglected.

i was reading a little bit about commonplace books, kept by folks in yonder years. people would keep track of quotations they wished to remember or other bits of text. sort of like making your own textbook for the world. sometimes people would expand into personal thoughts on these excerpts or on other observations of the world. this sounds great; i would like to be able to escape my introspective nightmare.

i am consumed by self-reflection and find myself exceedingly boring. i feel that i have been stuck at this ridiculous, self-constructed crossroads for years (at least five years, but really since i graduated from college ten years ago.) i can't get myself to think creatively about the situation, or to make a freakin' decision, or to be content with where i am. and it is just so boring. i think maybe i've withdrawn a little from the social world because i find myself so boring i cringe when i hear myself trying to have conversations.

ok. that is totally overstating the case. i still have friends and i love them and i love seeing them. maybe i'm just having a bad week. it certainly sounds like i have developed a severe case of nar·cis·sism, as in a psychological condition characterized by self-preoccupation, lack of empathy, and unconscious deficits in self-esteem. i haven't lost empathy, but the other bit sounds right-on.

but isn't everyone obsessed with what they want to do when they grow up?