Some people never learn

We have a patron who comes in frequently to use the computer. I've blogged about her before - I like to call her Gabby. Well, Gabby is in desperate search for a job (I guess Cracker Barrel didn't work out), and has been coming in to the library to use the computer to submit job applications. This exchange happened the other day:

Gabby: Real Librarian, can you help me with something?
Real Librarian: Sure, what's up?
Gabby: Well, I am stuck on this question. How should I answer?
RL: Um, is this a job application?
Gabby: Yes.
RL: Well, I'm sorry, I can't help you answer the questions on your job application.
Gabby: Why not?
RL: Because they don't want to know how *I* would handle the situation, they want to know how *YOU* would handle the situation.
Gabby: Oh, well, I didn't know.

And this one:

Gabby: I'm trying to log into this site, and it won't accept my password.
RL: Well, are you a returning user to this site, or are you a new user? (Keep in mind that I had already asked her this question 10 minutes before when she first got to the site, and said she had a password)
Gabby: I set up my email address the other day.
RL: On this specific site or a different site?
Gabby: My email.
RL: Did you already start to fill out an application on THIS SPECIFIC WEBSITE, or is this the first time you've been to this specific site?
Gabby: Oh, I haven't been here before.
RL: **smacks head on desk** Well, then you are not a returning user, you are a new user.
Gabby: Oh, well, I didn't know.

Other questions from Gabby:

Gabby: What do I choose here?
RL: Well, it's asking you what state you live in.

Gabby: What does this mean?
RL: Well, it's asking you how many years of job related experience you have.
Gabby: In school?
RL: No, job related experience.

Seriously, these are the SAME questions you have answered 100 times on 100 different job applications. How can you STILL be having the SAME problems?!?!

It's time like this you wonder how some people make it through the day.

I also got an earful about how she hasn't been sleeping well the past three nights, and she's tried taking some pills for it, and she has a headache. I suppose I shouldn't complain, I would rather hear about her being tired than her sisters menstrual cycle like last time, right??

Yum! Yum!

Happy Wednesday, y'all!! Seriously, best day of the week!!!

This week, I decided to do a food theme, because my friend A came up with a perfectly awesome craft that I just HAD to do!!!

Opening Song: Shake My Sillies Out - Raffi

Book: Yum! Yum! What fun! by Mara Bergman


Rhyme: 5 Sticky Lollipops
5 sticky lollipops fixed on sticks,
Take a sticky lollipop, and you lick, lick, lick! (continue countdown)
(Taken from The Perpetual Preschool)


Book: Peanut Butter and Jelly: A Play Rhyme illustrated by Nadine Bernard Westcott


Song: I wish I were a (type) pizza. (We sang pepperoni first, then marshmallow by request!)
I wish I were a pepperoni pizza.
That is what I truly want to be!
'Cuz if I were a pepperoni pizza,
Then everyone would be in love with me!
(Taken from Everything Preschool)

Book: "Hi, Pizza Man!" by Virginia Walter


Craft: Spaghetti and Meatballs


And, of course, how could anyone forget!!! Tonight is FMRNS!!! WHOOOT!!!! After we watch the season finale of ANTM, we'll be watching a period drama from 1986 called The Name of the Rose. This film stars the GREAT Sean Connery and Christian Slater.

Meeow Monday!

Oops, I kinda forgot to plan story time... But, I pulled something together pretty quick, and it turned out great!!! And I even managed to pull together a theme!! Thank you, thank you!

Opening Song: If You're Happy and You Know It from Favorite Children's Songs CD.


Book: Meeow and the Big Box by Sebastian Braun


Song: The Cat Says Meow (To the tune of Farmer in the Dell)
The cat says meow,
The cat says meow,
It likes to purr and run and play,
The cat says meow!

Book: What Will Fat Cat Sit On? by Jan Thomas


Activity: Wiggle toes, wiggle fingers, wiggle nose, wiggle ears.

Song: Twinkle, Twinkle

Interactive Playtime

Review: Everyone Loves You When You're Dead by Neil Strauss

I have to be honest, I don’t really follow music journalism. However, reading Everyone Loves You When You’re Dead by Neil Strauss was more entertaining that I had imagined!

Neil Strauss has interviewed countless celebrities for the likes of The New York Times and Rolling Stone Magazine. This book is a collection of some of the more gritty scenes from some of his interviews. Most of this material has never before been published.

This is a compilation of interviews from Snoop Dogg, who had to run to the store to buy Pampers, to Curtis Mayfield, who talks about his perspectives on life after he was paralyzed in a freak accident.

One of my favorite lines was from an interview with Lady Gaga:

Neil Strauss: Your fans seem to really like what you stand for, because some people need to be reminded that it’s okay to be different.

Lady Gaga: I love what they stand for. I love who they are. They inspire me to be more confident every day. When I wake up in the morning, I feel just like any other insecure twenty-four-year-old girl. But I say, “Bitch, you’re Lady Gaga, you better f*cking get up and walk the walk today,” because they need that from me. And they inspire me to keep going.

The subjects of these interviews share some amazing things. From stories of inspiration to tales of drug use and crazy sex adventures. They talk about time spent in jail and their constant worrying about what people will think about their music. Neil uncovers some intimately personal details from the lives of these celebrities, and of course, I devoured every word.

If you are even remotely interested in music journalism, or like following the lives of celebrities, then I highly recommend this book. It is almost hard to believe that one person has interviewed the likes of Brian Wilson, Dolly Parton, the Wu-Tang Clan, Otha Turner, Rick James, Ben Stiller, Marilyn Manson, Cher, Chuck Berry, Merle Haggard, Sacha Baron Cohen, Tom Petty and countless others!!

Mother's Day Wednesday

Like Monday, I decided to do Mother's Day stories for the pre-schoolers today!! Of course they loved it, and got to make their mommies a very special craft!!!

Opening Song: Shake My Sillies Out - Raffi

Book: My Monster Mama Loves Me So - Laura Leuck


Song: Happy Mother's Day (to the tune of Happy Birthday)

Book: Is Your Mama a Llama - Deborah Guarino


Song: I'm a Little Teapot/Itsy Bitsy Spider/ Twinkle Twinkle Little Star (they kept requesting songs!!)

Book: Does a Kangaroo Have a Mother, Too? - Eric Carle


Craft: Mother's Day collage


WHOOT WHOOT for FMRNS!!! I am super pumped, as always. Tonight, after we watch ANTM, we will be watching an Action Adventure film from 1994 called The Professional, starring Jean Reno, Gary Oldman, and Natalie Portman.

Review: Don't Breathe a Word by Jennifer McMahon

From the Book Jacket:

One soft, summer night in a small Vermont town, twelve-year-old Lisa went into the woods behind her house and never came out again. Before she disappeared, she told her little brother, Sam, about a door - hidden among the ruins of an old town long forgotten - that led to a magical place. A place where she would meet Teilo, the King of the Fairies, and become his queen.

Sam didn't believe in fairies, ghosts, or anything supernatural back then, and now, fifteen years later, he still doesn't. It's one of the many things that his girlfriend, Phoebe, loves about this practical, sensible man. But a series of eerie occurrences challenges Sam's hard-headed realism. As events spin out of control, the couple finds themselves questioning their reality and Sam is reminded of a terrible promise he made years ago...a promise that could destroy them all.

After reading the description of Jennifer NcMahon’s novel Don’t Breathe a Word, I knew I couldn’t turn down this review. From the minute I picked it up, I didn’t want to put it down. It has a mystery that won’t let you rest until you know what happens next. This novel was unpredictable, and actually had me second guessing the existence of fairies.

Written in two points of view, this novel follows Pheobe, modern day Sam’s girlfriend, and Lisa just before the fateful time when she went missing. Strange things start happening to Pheobe and Sam as they are reminded of Lisa’s disappearance in the form of a mysterious phone call. Having these different perspectives allow us to be let in to Lisa’s family and the events that lead up to her disappearance, as well as see how events unfold to reveal the dark secrets of this mystery.

Each of the characters added depth to the story. They were all well written and carried with them interesting and easy to relate to characteristics. I felt like each one brought something different to the story and they were all having to deal with turbulent pasts.

I really enjoyed this book! It was creepy in a way that kept you guessing. It was a great mystery, and I promise it will keep you hooked!!

Thank you to Harper Collins for sending me Don't Breathe a Word by Jennifer McMahon for review!!

Mommy Monday!

Since Mother's Day is coming up next Sunday, I decided this week would be devoted to mothers!! I found some great books to read to the toddlers!!

Opening Song: If You're Happy and You Know It from Favorite Children's Songs CD.


Book: Does a Kangaroo Have a Mother, Too? by Eric Carle


Song: Shake your Hands (to the tune of London Bridge - do actions along with words)
First we shake our hands up high, hands up high, hands up high!
First we shake our hands up high, then we clap them!
Next we wave our hands down low, hands down low, hands down low!
Next we wave our hands down low, then we hide them!

Book: I Love My Mommy by Sebastien Braun


Song: Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes

Interactive Playtime