Misadventures of the Monster Librarian

I've been on a hiatus from the blog for almost a month for a lot of reasons, so it felt appropriate to post about Mumford & Sons ending their hiatus with Wilder Minds coming out in May. I am screaming inside. SO. EXCITED. An oldie, but a goodie. Sitting on anticipation!

An update on the Ohio State FY '16-'17, in regards to public libraries, according to OLC's Access Weekly: " Analysis Underway on Proposed FY16-17 State Budget and Potential Impact on PLF The OLC staff and consultants have begun the tedious process of analyzing the 719-pages of Gov. Kasich's proposed $72.3 billion state budget for fiscal years (FY) 2016-17, and the potential impact the proposals may have on the Public Library Fund (PLF). The budget proposal includes a combination of tax cuts and tax increases. Overall, the administration claims it amounts to $500 million net tax cut, even though it includes increases in sales, commercial activity, tobacco, and severance taxes. Some of the high points of the proposal include: Cuts the income tax by 23% across-the-board (15% income tax cut this year and 8% cut next year); Raises the Commercial Activity Tax (CAT) on gross receipts from .26% to .32%; Increases the Cigarette Tax from $1.25 to $2...

"A Goodnight" Go to sleep--though of course you will not-- to tideless waves thundering slantwise against strong embankments, rattle and swish of spray dashed thirty feet high, caught by the lake wind, scattered and strewn broadcast in over the steady car rails! Sleep, sleep! Gulls' cries in a wind-gust broken by the wind; calculating wings set above the field of waves breaking. Go to sleep to the lunge between foam-crests, refuse churned in the recoil. Food! Food! Offal! Offal! that holds them in the air, wave-white for the one purpose, feather upon feather, the wild chill in their eyes, the hoarseness in their voices-- sleep, sleep . . . Gentlefooted crowds are treading out your lullaby. Their arms nudge, they brush shoulders, hitch this way then that, mass and surge at the crossings-- lullaby, lullaby! The wild-fowl police whistles, the enraged roar of the traffic, machine shrieks: it is all to put you to sleep, to soften your limbs in relaxed postures, and that your...

Lately I've been treading water at work; trying hard to keep afloat with the day to day, while trying to take on a few little projects. Stay tuned on those. While I try and wrap my head around those, I wanted to at least share this info from OLC's (Ohio Library Council) Access Weekly " Gov. Kasich Unveils Plans for FY16-17 State Budget On Feb. 2, Governor John Kasich released his proposed $72.3 billion state budget for fiscal years (FY) 2016-17, which begin July 1 , 2015. It includes a combination of tax cuts and tax increases. Overall, the administration claims it amounts to $500 million net tax cut, even though it includes increases in sales, commercial activity, tobacco, and severance taxes. Some of the high points of the proposal include: Cuts the income tax by 23% across-the-board (15% income tax cut this year and 8% cut next year); Raises the Commercial Activity Tax (CAT) on gross receipts from .26% to .32%; Increases the Cigarette Tax from $1.25 ...

 This is awesome. And a little sad, because it's true.  I love love love Richard Scarry's books, love his artwork, and love that I get to introduce my Savannah Banana to it soon! Back to work today after a wonderful week at the Farm. Missing it more than a little today.

No one at the Farm has had as much impact on my music-cation as TSO . He introduced me to all of the bands/artists listed below, and who knows who all else. Today as I am preparing to leave I am thinking back to my summer in grad school; TSO came for a visit that took us up for a long weekend around Traverse City, hiking Sleeping Bear Dunes, and all the way back to Detroit for a Ben Gibbard concert. How different our lives are 7.5 years later. Thanks TSO for all of these folks: The Postal Service Ben Gibbard Death Cab for Cutie She & Him Fleet Foxes Blitzen Trapper Dar Williams Gillian Welch Ingrid Michaelson Iron & Wine Madeline Peyroux Matt Nathanson Damien Rice MIKA Nickel Creek Regina Spektor Rufus Wainwright Sufjan Stevens