Misadventures of the Monster Librarian

Didn't have these pics downloaded earlier...wanted to post the pics to go with this weekend. The top picture is of the Retreat house that we stay at. I LOVE SUBIACO! The second picture is of the monastery side where the monks live, attached to the chapel...also known as "'Da Monks Crib!"

Life has been moving at its usual pace, propelling us ever onward as a strong wind takes a balloon. Since last I wrote a few things have happened. I wound up getting the part-time Children’s (Infant’s-5th grade) Librarian position, receiving the call last Tuesday; she offered the job with the question, “Can you start tomorrow?” And I did. The position is only 20 hours a week but offers some interesting responsibilities that I haven’t yet had the chance to do, so I am excited for it. I am responsible for four regular programming elements: Babies Storytime* (one/week for five week sessions) Young Toddlers Storytime* (once/week five week sessions) Afterschool Group* (1-5 grade) Bedtime Stories* (Infant-11yrs.) (* denotes a name change) as well as being responsible for updating the displays every other month, doing some collection development: working with the audiovisual collection for the Children’s DVD’s, audiobooks, and books on CD; and also helping with the occasional party,...

Never got to mention what a good time I had this weekend, on retreat on the shores of Lake Huron. The weather was cooperative; providing us with cool nights which made it wonderful to find oneself in front of the huge, flaming bonfire. And the sunrises were astounding; painting Lake Huron in pale yellows and blood-orange reds. Friday night I reacquainted myself with the kitchen, storing food and setting out things that I would need in the morning. Stayed up until 2:30am, chit chatting with friends, which made the 6:30am wake up hard. It was amazingly refreshing to walk out of the cabin, hair still damp from a shower, into the cool low 50s air, just beginning to see the tinges of crimsons and gold on the distant horizon. I walked over to the lookout over the lake and stared in awe at how magnificent the colors were, and how majestic the lake looked in the first throes of dawn. It was a different lake than the one that I had seen the night before under a setting sun, and eventually a s...