Saturday, July 15, 2006

The ever-popular "Misc."

If you are into reading what everyone around you is reading, here's a link to find out what lots of people are buying in your urban area. (from Steven M. Cohen)
It's a bit weird. Here is Cleveland's list for this week:
  • Call Center Forecasting and Scheduling : The Best of Call Center Management Review
  • Call Center Management on Fast Forward: Succeeding in Todays Dynamic Inbound Environment
  • The Essential Wilderness Navigator: How to Find Your Way in the Great Outdoors, Second Edition
  • Visualizing Data
  • Dealing: The Cleveland Indians New Ballgame: Inside the Front Office and the Process of Rebuilding a Contender [ok, that one makes sense!!]
  • Dictionary of Energy
  • Animal Diversity
  • Yo, Millard Fillmore! (And All Those Other Presidents You Dont Know)
  • Integrated Principles of Zoology
  • Creative Music Production: Joe Meeks Bold Techniques
I think there might be some wrinkles to iron out!

The literature list a little more believable:
  • Dealing: The Cleveland Indians New Ballgame: Inside the Front Office and the Process of Rebuilding a Contender
  • The Rise and Fall of the Cleveland Mafia : Corn Sugar and Blood (Gangsters and Rum Runners)
  • The Cat Who Came for Christmas
  • Kiss of Evil: A Novel of Suspense
  • Cleveland Amorys Compleat Cat
  • Trace Evidence : A Novel
  • Deep Shaker: A Milan Jacovich Mystery (Milan Jacovich Mysteries (Paperback))
  • Crooked River Burning
  • Tonight I Said Goodbye (Lincoln Perry)
  • The Basenji Revelation
I'm only picking on Cleveland because Ohio has good libraries! :-)

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From the Local File.......

We have a patron I call The Stinker. He smells bad. It's not really b.o., or rather, not only b.o.; there's just something vaguely yickyish about him. Fish is involved, oddly. He makes my skin crawl, my stomach heave...and he is the only patron I've ever felt so ready to throw up on in the past 10 years. There've been others who cause other visceral reactions, but Stinker is by far the worst in terms of "Run Awayyyyyy!" for me. It's difficult for me even to speak to him, mostly because it's hard to talk while holding one's breath.

And, to top it off: some people just shouldn't wear shorts. Gravity really does suck. I don't need to see that. Really, no one does.

He is a regular, but he was MIA for several years. Not that we missed him, until he returned! He's at our library every day. He asks, every day, for more time online. Now, if he were looking for a job, doing school-related timed tests, or whatever, this would be a no-brainer. But no: he's patrolling--there's no other word for it--the online dating sites.

Enough background. On Thursday night, he was moaning to our Cute Southern circ person that the librarian (not me!) wasn't very helpful. The book he was checking out was "Dating for Dummies." But that wasn't really going to help his problem. His problem is that Stinker's girlfriend (!!!) says that he's not romantic enough (the stomach heaves in response). Where can he get help? Cute Southern circ person, being the helpful person she is proceeds to suggest he go get some ethnic cookbooks (Mexican, Italian), find some music that 'matches', and make his lady a Big Production meal. Because "all women like a good meal made by their man. Maybe take her dancing afterwards." [I would dispute this...but anyway...]

I'm in hysterics as she's telling me this later. "You know he's never going to leave you alone now, right? You're his new best friend. All his base belong to you."

No wonder the woman gets stalked by patrons: she's a size 0, lots of beautiful curly hair, has that Southern accent, and is as nice as can be to everyone regardless of danger (or annoyance) to herself.

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from Marian the Librarian, a reminder of why libraries really are important (for some people):
Two guys come in to use the internet who have obviously never seen our fancy new sign-up system. When they get their reservation printout, which includes their library card number, the time of their reservation, and the wait time, they are way impressed.

First guy: Look at this, man!

Second guy: That's an alibi, dawg!

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