I feel like Barbara Manatee!

In that I feel like singing, "Will you take me to the ball?"

That's right, friends, we are almost at the end of Fairy Tale Festival month, and it has been pretty awesome. It's times like this when I really am glad that I work as a children's librarian. Last week at our library, we had the fairy tale ball. What a swell event!

First of all, the whole staff got into it, even the people who weren't coming to the ball. Here we all are in our finery, hours before the whole thing started.


The ball started off with storytelling (Rapunzel!), and then went on to the dance portion of the event. The kids were so adorable! We had live music (a string trio), and the kids twirled in circles for about 15 minutes. The little boys weren't as into it, but almost all of the girls were wearing princess costumes. The boys who came claimed not to be princes-they were knights or wizards.

We also had crafts for the kids to do. I was in charge of making crowns, which seemed like it would be easy, but it was really quite stressful. Good times. They could also make a wand and decorate a shield, but my table was the most popular (yeah, I'm cool!). Or maybe mine just took the longest and so it looked the most popular. Either way.


Then, our piece de resistance! We were visited by actual royalty! Princess Presto from Super Why! I didn't actually know what this was, but most of the kids were very excited about it. I actually looked her up, so as not to betray my ignorance. And I must say, anyone who is on PBS is okay by me! So, I got my picture taken with her!


The kids were so excited when she came out, except, of course, for the two who got really freaked out. Well, she was really big. That can be a little scary!

All in all, it was a lovely and tiring way to spend a Saturday morning. And honestly, any excuse to dress like this at work is okay by me! I am a fairy princess!

Truths I have learned at the library (today)

1. It is much harder to discipline a child who is being loud and/or naughty when their parents are right there with them. Not providing the discipline. And being a big part of the problem.

2. The last hour of work goes through phases: the long phase (when people are still around, using the computers and making messes. This is also know as the phase we don't like) and the short, but not nearly short enough, phase, once the computers shut down and the people start to leave. I call this one sweet freedom! And if I can last for 10 more minutes, it will be mine!

3. If I eat breakfast at 10, have a snack at 2, and eat "lunch" at 4, then by 7:15, I'm hungry enough to eat a small library patron, although I do not endorse cannibalism. Here's the real question. If I eat a snack at institute at 8:30 and get home at 9:15ish, is it too late for dinner?

4. When everyone in the Children's section is speaking Spanish (except you), you really start to reevaluate your decision in junior high, high school, and then college to take French as your foreign language. How could you have made this mistake 3 times? You console yourself by realizing that even if everyone in Children's was speaking French, you still probably would have no idea what they were saying.

Nostalgia:1, Ignorance of Childhood: 0!

Last night, Maren and I convinced Dave and his mom to watch Young Sherlock Holmes with us. I have extremely fond memories of this movie from when I was little, so I was excited, but somewhat nervous about watching it again.

Why was I nervous? Because one of the things I hate more than almost anything else is when a fond memory from childhood turns out to be really lame! For example: my favorite part of Mr. Rogers was always, always the Land of Make Believe. But when I was watching Mr. Rogers a few years ago, the Land of Make Believe was not fun. It hurt my heart.

Or, two years ago I bought some jelly shoes, remembering how pretty they always were, and how cool I felt when I wore them. But lo and behold, when I tried on my new pair, they hurt something fierce. I could hardly walk in them. Farewell, jelly shoes.

But luckily for us, Young Sherlock Holmes is still really sweet! Exciting, scary, tragic, and mysterious. Huzzah!

Now, the question is, what other excellent things from childhood will hold up well? I've been eying the BBC versions of the Chronicles of Narnia on the library shelf, but I'm afraid. What if they're not good anymore?!?!?! Not only will it be disappointing, but it will prove that I had bad taste as a small person! I'm not sure I can handle that again. I might just have to watch them by myself, so if they do turn out to be lame, at least no one else ever has to know.

I'm alive!!!!

Yes, blogging public, it's true. I have not blogged since December! However! I am, in fact, still among you, and hopefully, will one day soon return to you more wordy and long-winded than before.

In my long absence, I have made many changes. I moved back to Maryland and started a job. Huzzah for not being unemployed! I am determined that this experience will be more betterer than the last. So far it's at least very different, which I think is an encouraging sign.

Oddly enough, that's all that I have to say at the present time! So farewell, but not for long, I'm sure.

2009: a Retrospective

In a word, it sucked. In a few more words, it was kinda like Camp Rock. There were a few highlights (the Jonas brothers, some catchy tunes), but overall, it was a total lame-o-witz.

Here is my year in a nutshell. I moved 4 times. Moving is not fun. I got a new job. I hated said job because of a "difference of personality" with certain management personnel. The difference, of course, being that while I am awesome, peoples in question are not only jerks, but mean jerks (20 points to whoever gets that reference!). After much trials, tribulation, bullying, and threats, I quit said job. So, now after more than 2 years, I am back to where I was right after college: Unemployed and living with my parents! Ain't regression grand? Plus, my fish died.

Of course, being with the Parental Units has been one of my highlights. I hadn't been home for a birthday in two years, and when one shares a birthday with one's best friend/twin, that is a tragedy indeed. Another highlight has been meeting and loving new baby nephew Cooper. What a smiley little bug! Further hightlights include, Ned, the new car; the impending arrival of future niece Bisco; acquisition of lifesize Zac Efron; going to see New Moon with Chelsea and Shay (are there funner people to go to a movie with? No. The only thing that could make Chelsea and Shay more fun would be if they were super wealthy and would pay for consessions); reading all those books from my top 10 list; and singing a solo in choir. Ha ha, just kidding, that last one wasn't the funnest thing ever.

So, all in all, it was a trying year. And frankly, not one I'd ever, ever want to relive. Or one I would have wanted to live in the first place had I known what would happen. But, thanks to the best family in the world, really great friends, the most caring branch president in the world, and of course, the Savior, I made it through. Without all of you, I don't think I could have. So, in the end, I guess it was a good year. I learned a lot (some unpleasant truths to be sure, but I still learned!) and I'm not dead, so I can't complain. More than I already have/do.

In short, Merry Christmas to all! And may 2010 be more like High School Musical and less like a DCOM about a compulsive liar who learns to be herself but never really learns any valuable lessons about not lying, such as that it will make people really despise you, even if you can sing really grood!

A Retraction (oh, the shame!)

Mea culpa, Jonas Brothers. I misjudged you. Frequent (and observant) readers of this blog may remember that I was less than pleased with their Disney Channel Original show, JONAS, after seeing a bizarre and somewhat embarassing episode of their show. I didn't get it. I wasn't sure what parts were supposed to be funny. The lack of a laugh track confused and puzzled me. How was I to ferret out the funny without prompting? Of course, if it had been obviously funny, this wouldn't have bothered me.

So, long story short, for months, I avoided JONAS like the proverbial plague. But, a few days ago, I was sitting around and trying to avoid my responsibilities. So, even though "nothing" was on tv, I couldn't bear to get busy. Therefore, I watched a JONAS marathon on the telly. And oh, how I laughed. Well, maybe not laughed. Giggled. Most definitely a guilty pleasure, but a pleasure nonetheless.

Sure, there are some things I would change. Stella often has too many bangs. Too much bangs? The boys often wear uncomfortably tight pants. Nick isn't very funny (although sometimes that in itself is funny). But overall, JONAS is pretty plobnrg. I should never have doubted you, Disney Channel! Although you did bring us That's so Raven, which I could never really get behind. So my skepticism was not unwarranted!

Bacon we can believe in

Well, things have changed immensely since I became a private blog. And frankly, some of those things, including but not limited to, being a private blog, have been really lame! So, from here on out, I am no longer a private blog! We are going to be a bit more careful and selective in our blogging language. And by we, I mean I. I'll no longer be posting anything with my last name or the specific city in which I live. Generics will be good enough! If all of you can kindly do the same, I'd appreciate it muchly! I'll see how it goes, and if need be (please bless not!) then I will switch back.

On to the fun stuff: Bacon! And by bacon, I mean change.

I am no longer living in S. Virginia. Or working in S. Virginia, if you know what I mean. I'm very disappointed with how things went down, but believe me when I say that I was miserable and mistreated there, so unnamed library can kiss my foot! I was sad to leave my roommate and my branch, though. Many tears were shed. I am a crybaby. That hasn't changed at all! And oddly enough, I really miss Maryland now that I'm back in the west. Virginia, not so much, but Maryland definitely. And has anyone else noticed how tiny the temples in Utah look? They're sitting there, all dwarfed by the mountains, while in DC, it's all, "Ta-da!" towering out of the trees over the freeway. Is it actually bigger? More grandiose? Or does the environment just make it seem that way?

Finally, after all these years (26, but who's counting?) I got my ears pierced! I can no longer safely perform my nervous habit of pulling on my ear lobes. Hee hee! It's kind of a kick in the pants, really.

I'm back at Mom and Dad's house! Another change that isn't so great. Obvs, Mom and Dad are swell, and it's great to see them, but at this point in my life, I am really regressing. Which is not what I want to do. I will be here until I get another (hopefully more pleasant) job, though, and I'm very, very grateful that I have this place to stay in my time of homelessness.

I guess that's all for now. But there have been big things lately, and my last blog was not only forever ago, but also about the world's biggest downer. But no more! I have a naturally cheerful disposition! I shall conquer! Go team me!