I'm a slayer, ask me how.

Remember my post from a few weeks ago about COVID related nightmares? Well, I got to live one this week.

We had a BIG delivery of some shelving items and the only door they could fit through was our front door. It was about 11am and the delivery driver called to say he was on his way so I was standing around, hoping it was a box that could be slid through our side door. While standing outside, a patron pulled up and asked if he could get his books and I directed him to the curbside area.

The truck arrived and just by the size of the truck, I knew whatever was inside was not going to be easy to move. The driver said he was going to need the big doors.

The front doors.

I figured it was a quiet weekday and this would only take a moment, we could do this. We opened the front shutters where the doors are and then wrestled with them to knock them off their sliding tracks so he could get in to the building. While I am trying to do this, the man from the parking lot walks in and starts telling me he can't get through on the phone number listed on curbside and I had to explain he needed to TEXT it (which, you know, the other 30 people who had been by before figured out).

I moved some furniture around and was able to guide the delivery into the children's area and the sign the paperwork.

And what do I see when I turn around? Some old dude at the desk, NO MASK, trying to talk to staff. I heard my staff trying to explain to him about curbside and he started to leave the branch, but then stopped in the lobby and started BROWSING FLIERS! I finally just shouted "SIR, WE ARE CLOSED" and he asked "Well, I can I look at these?" and I said "The building is closed, I had to open the doors for a delivery, we will see you in July."

ARGH! I pretty much stomped around for the rest of the day because I was so annoyed that this person did EXACTLY what I was worried people would do. Which makes me wonder if all the OTHER things I am worried about will happen.

But I think that was the most stressful day so far and it was really only about 30 minutes so yeah, could be a lot worse.

I debated going by the library yesterday. It was my day off but we were hosting the Drag Queen Story Time, which I knew was going to be a huge deal. I ended up texting back and forth with my manager (it was her last day before retirement LOL) and things went relatively smoothly until the the second one started, then a protester came inside the library to start crap. BUT the police removed the man quickly. And let me say I now have a lot of respect for our new board member who was there with his granddaughter and also stepped in-between the shouter and the children. I'm just hoping they post another article with the positive things from the program and photos from the days event (the picture here was from the previous DQST that another of our branches hosted last October).

The staff in charge of the program put their hearts into it 110% and I'm so glad it went well apart from that one tiny incident. Both shows were FULL, so that is over 300 people who came to the library for the program so you can't deny that people wanted to see the program, that they wanted their children to have a fun time and learn that it is okay to be who you are, embrace the real you.



And this is my face as we approach my final week at my current library branch. I'm excited for the change and, of course, freaking out more and more every day. I've already decided that the toughest thing I will make myself do that first week on the job will be choosing which action figures come to live on my new desk to keep me company.

Today, I bid farewell to my manager for the past ten years. She's retiring and we're having a party this afternoon. I've been trying not to cry on her but I probably will today. She's just been an amazing mentor, so supportive, the kind of manager everyone should have and the one I will strive to be like as I start my career in that position.

I'm hoping my final selfie of the month will be with her as my special guest.

...though I should probably go shower or she isn't going to want to stand next to me! LOL TTFN

Got a lovely stack of letters from the elementary school students I visited last month for career day. My geekiness clearly made an impression on them. Not gonna lie, when I saw the cards on my desk, It made me think if the scene in ‘Love, Actually’ where Hugh Grant takes a moment for himself to go through the Christmas cards to the prime minister. #selfie #librarian #lovemyjob





I was leery of Toy Story 4 but all the reviews I have seen sound really positive! I saw the original three in theaters and I want to see 4 on the big screen. Love all of these characters (and that was before I knew Joss was a writer for the first movie lol). #selfie #toystory4 #collection

This weekend was exhausting but so much fun - our 4th Library Comic Con!



We started the day off with a preschool storytime with HEROES! This was our first time doing this, trying to have something for the littles. I dressed up in the Princess Leia Torrid dress (which I meant to get accessories for but never found the time). We also had cosplayers as Spider-man and Wonder Woman. And we invited a real life hero from the base around the corner, a U.S. Sailor. They all helped us sing silly songs and dance around. I think it went well, considering we were mostly winging it! The kids were thrilled, I think we had about 50 younglings in there.

After that, I did a quick changes to jeans and a t-shirt because I was sweating through my dress (Torrid was smart and put layers so nothing peeked through the all white outfit BUT that made it really heavy). Then I helped with the costume contest entrants and then with the parade.

I WAS SO WIPED! By 5 I was ready to pass out and sleep forever.

Anyway, if you want to see my Spider-man friend goofing off in the library (we got permission from the branch manager for him to climb the furniture this time) and the adorable costume contest winners, you can see more photos here

In case you didn't know/forgot, I am a librarian by day. This month, I'm in charge of our preschool storytimes. Today, I decided to end storytime with some parachute play while listening to The Beatles sing 'Twist and Shout'. At the end, I had the parents lift up the 'chute so the kids could go under and that also meant I could grab the 'chute and wrap it back up!

But something wonderful and unexpected happened today! While I was gathering my 'chute up in my arms, my iPod just kept playing and suddenly I heard Paul counting down and 'I Saw Her Standing There' playing.

EVERY KID STARTED DANCING!



It was fantastic. The magic of music, the power of The Beatles - I didn't have the heart to stop the song so I just started dancing with all of them too.

It was so much fun. But now I am EXHAUSTED!

The best day of the year - Star Wars Reads Day!

Well, at least for me, I get to be a Star Wars fangirl for the first few hours of my morning and just geek out while I let the Empire take over my library. I've been doing this since I started full time and I look forward to it every year.

This year, the Old Line Garrison really came through with 15 troopers! And then we had a few Mandalorians in the mix. It was great. They are so good at engaging with the kids and families.

We also used this as a chance to show off our new green screen and wind tunnel, both of which were huge hits (though I just realized I forgot to upload my green screen photos before I left work, guess I will save those for Monday).

I brought some of my Star Wars collection with me to show off. The kids were fascinated with the Micro-Machines and I had to sit and open all of the playsets to show them what was inside. One kid was trying to finagle my toys away, kept asking if I wanted to get rid of any of them and which one I liked the least LOL. He was cosplaying as Kylo Ren so I don't think his parents would hold back from getting him some Star Wars toys.

So much fun!!!! But I am EXHAUSTED!!! Like I said, I'm an extrovert when it comes to my fandoms and promoting my job, but wow do I need a break afterwards. I am going to put on my headphones and explore the world of The Witcher on my own for a bit to relax now. #selfcare

See more pics from today here

Just had a patron call with questions about the Capital Gazette shooting so I needed to read all these articles about the crazy person who killed those people and how he got a gun etc. and omg, I just wanted to say "NOOOOO I don't want to read this anymore, call back Monday, you are making me depressed!!"

Also, apparently in Maryland, you have to be 21+, have certification, attend a training and have state ID to get a handgun or semi-automatic. To get a shotgun, you just need to be 18+ and have an ID. That's it. WTF. A gun is a gun is a gun.

But I'm sure he got it through a third party seller that didn't bother to do a background check.

Honestly, do we really need to do a more extensive background check than searching for someone's twitter handle?

So ready for 5pm. :(

As usual, I didn't read the ol' friends list Friday-Sunday and I just spent an hour trying to speed read everyone's posts! SORRY!! I commented when I had something to say but otherwise, I'm not going to lie -



Forgot to mention this last week but PINK HAIR!



Listened to the new Wombats album on repeat all week and I'm still loving it. They just have a fun sound. I am loving my Spotify subscription and I am considering keeping it after the discount period ends because 1) I hate music radio because it is the same crap ALL THE TIME and so hard to find new music 2) listening to NPR more than once a week makes me depressed and 3) being able to find new music by new bands or new music by bands I like that would never be played on the radio is a better way to start my day. So keep any suggestions coming of new bands/music/singles.

The weekend flew by but mostly because we may have imbibed a bit on Friday night so we slept away a good chunk of Sunday. It was funny because we had a couple glasses of wine and Tim brought up YouTube on his phone to play an old Shin songs for me that he had recently heard and then we fell into this weird pop/rock/alternative hole which then slid into this nostalgic 90s then 80s music video trip LOL. But it was fun to just be silly and dance around the A-Ha way too loud at midnight. THIS is why we bought a house, right? :)

Also, I apparently LOVE Zinfandel. I just gets you the right amount of tipsy.

My brother did the mandatory check in the night he arrived at Navy basic training - they have a strict script that all the recruits have to follow when they called home. So she got the call and he said "I'm here. I'm safe. You'll be getting a package from me soon. I will call again in 2 weeks." and then they have to hang up and hand the phone to the next guy. It is SO WEIRD in this world of being constantly connected to friends and family to suddenly be so cut off. I mean, other people leave for college or new jobs etc. but they can email you updates or post online about how they are getting by each day. But for this, nothing. It makes sense and I'm sure he's too busy/exhausted to post anyway (he barely posted about things when he was here!) but it is so strange to think that if I texted or called, no one would answer.

ANYWAY this is a busy busy week

• Elementary school visit tomorrow for their Guest Reader Day


• Leadership Training on Tuesday


• Crashing a Community group meeting on Wednesday (they are using our meeting space so I'm supposed to go in and be a mole)


• Eye exam + training on how to work with the homeless on Thursday


• ESCAPE ROOM on Friday

It is all good because next weekend is my BIRTHDAY weekend. My birthday is on Sunday so I have taken off next Monday as my Birthday Observed. Which works about because Tim's daughter's birthday is also this week so we will be celebrating her birthday on my birthday when it comes to birthday dinner. So Monday will be my pick. Or Saturday. Not sure which. I flipped my schedule around to do the Escape Room program so Saturday will just be Sylvia and I without her Dad so maybe we will get up to some shenanigans - like sushi for lunch or a movie or something.

Have a lovely week everyone!

THIS omg THIS

I can't tell you how many times I've wanted to say that "video games" line to a parent who insists on stopping their child from reading the book they picked out and WANT to read. *sigh*

This one is for a full fledged librarian with their MLS. It is for a smaller branch so you should be willing and able to do ALL THE THINGS - from working the desk, to supervising people, to doing children's programming and more.

Librarian I

Feel free to share the link if you know any librarians in search of jobs! :)