Flag Maker

So, to continue the theme of heroic American costumes, I strongarmed my friend Cap to be Betsy Ross for Halloween.  I even purchased her costume before she could say no.  Now maybe you aren't familiar with what the woman who made her first American flag looks like.  I'll help you out.

Betsy Ross Facts

Are you interested in knowing what she does not look like?

This costume is not good.  It didn't even come with all the pieces.  El Capo's going to have to go out and get an updo before the party.  I haven't opened up my costume, but now I'm a little scared.  Bert's adventure trying on his beard did not go great and I was left cleaning bits of it out of the sink for awhile.  I'm pretty sure whoever made these costumes are Communists who hate America.

Need to Clean

This weekend, a few of my favorite people from Long Island are coming up to visit us, which makes me happy for many reasons, but importantly, it gives me incentive to clean.  I'm not, uh, how you see, neat, most of the time, so it's good when life gives me a reason to pick up my junk.

However, an experience two nights ago gave me additional incentive.

Picture it - Ray and I are asleep at about 3am when suddenly - Bam - I'm awake.  I don't know what woke me, but I do know I have a tendency towards an overactive imagination that often exaggerates the worst thing possible.  While I look around trying to make sure everything is all right, I become convinced that there are 3 or 4 intruders sitting on the floor next to my bed.  I became paralyzed.  Part of my brain knew that it was absurd that people were sitting next to my bed, but I just couldn't figure out why that was so absurd.  I was so sure I could make out (fuzzy) details of the people.  I went back and forth regarding waking Ray but a.) I really felt like I couldn't move and b.) I was sure that the noise he would make on being woken up would provoke the people on the floor.

At least 10 minutes passed while I tried to convince myself that I was being ridiculous.  And then suddenly, it either got a bit brighter in the room or my eyesight miraculously improved but I realized what the "people" were: piles of clothes and books.  My desk chair.  The crate that holds my winter clothes.  Released from the spell, I could finally relax and went back to sleep.

I think maybe it might be a good idea to clean up those piles so I don't give myself cardiac arrest.

Stimulating Dinner Conversation

The Beets like to entertain.  It's a fact of life.  Last week, Ray was cooking up 5 lbs of pot roast, so we decided to have some friends over.  Boxed wine was flowing, stirring up some rousing debate.  Eventually, we came back to one of life's most important questions - which dinosaur would you prefer to eat?

Now, the answers ran the gamut.  Bert said T. Rex, of course, 'cause he's a burly man.  The brontosaurus got 3 votes.  The theory behind this was that since they were herbivores, the meat would be nice and tender, like a grass-fed cow.  That's solid logic that you just can't argue with.  Another good answer was pterodactyl confit which would be tasty due to ample amounts of fat.  I'm a little grossed out, but still on board.  Triceratops and Stegosaurus rounded out the legitimate answers.  Of course our favorite train enthusiast had to throw a wrench in the conversation by saying she would like to eat dragon.  Which is just absurd.  Damn it.

The conclusion?  We need to buy a dinosaur and eat it, that's the only way to solve the discussion.

And yes, I did take notes during the debate.

Want #2

A small, funny-looking dog.  Fluffy.  Decidedly not small enough to fit in my bag or a doll's stroller.  Named Sergeant Henshaw.  Called Sarge when he gets old and curmudgeonly.  I will love it forever.

Costumes

Beet and I decided to go as former Presidents for Halloween.  I'm so excited.  I can't wait to speak softly and carry a big stick.  Although as a female, I of course have to "tramp" it up.  So get ready for this:

biblioklept.org

Is that hot or what?

Want #1

I think every librarian needs to have these shoes.

Fluevog Shoes

I pine.  I just can't decide which color is best.  But keep it in mind when the birthday month comes around again.  I've been waiting a year, I can wait another 10 months.

Fact #1

I do a really awesome Yoda impression.  Don't let haters tell you otherwise.  They either:

a.) are jealous
b.) are liars
c.) don't know what Yoda sounds like.

I wish I could do a recording so you all could hear how accurate it is.

Follow-Up

I showed the blog to Husband Bert when I got home last night.  He enjoyed it immensely.  We had great fun shouting the word scuttlebuttering.  He would like me to promote his own blog.  I will not do that.  Bert does enough of his own blog promotion.

Secondly

A lot of nutters come to the library.  They often don't like to make use of the material at the library, they just like to chat with whoever will listen.  As people stuck behind the reference desk with no means of escape, they normally talk with the reference librarian, and will not stop unless forced to.  When I'm there, it's almost always with someone else, and as I am not big on small talk in general but especially not with randoms in the library, they usually lose interest in me after a bit and move on to someone else.  Until last night.

Picture it.  I'm alone at the reference desk as my fellow librarian has gone to eat dinner.  Solo nutter comes up to the desk to ask me about the nearby grandfather clock and when it will ring.  He commences speaking about how it sounds like an organ and that organs are used to make music on carousels.  He then asks me if I like the park.  What park, I ask.  Disney World, he replies.

How did random nutter know?

I've never been, I say as I will myself to stay silent on the subject and that he will move on.  This is a tough one for me.  I can be a bit fanatical about Disney, and having just returned from a trip, I am anxious to share my stories.  But he does not stop there.  He begins regaling me with the history of Disney World, getting fact after fact wrong.  I am not responding at all, so if I had shown the slightest bit of interest he would never have left.  The strength it took to not correct him or go into a detailed conversation with him about the merits of the Carousel of Progress was something I did not know I had in me.  If I had joined in, a passerby would not have known who the nutter was.  After 10 minutes, he grew bored with my lack of knowledge about Disney World and moved on, allowing me to finally talk to all the library patrons who had been waiting for him to finish.  I will now cross my fingers that the next time I'm working at the library, a loon will not start spouting incorrect facts about Harry Potter.  I don't know how I can resist a second time.

The First

So, I've been a bit bored lately.  I've decided the thing that is missing in my life is a blog.  That is a lie.  But I figure it's something to entertain me for a short span of time, at least.  We'll see how long it lasts, and I don't think I'll publicize it for awhile until I see what sort of commitment I have.  I don't really have much to say, no particular topic in mind.  This will probably be a hodge podge of random thoughts about life, movies and books and the like.

My first thought - the sun.  Does anyone else think it's super annoying?  It wakes me up in the morning, it's crazy hot, and as I was driving to the library tonight it was making a concerted effort to blind me.  And it nearly won.  But not this time, friends, oh no, not today.