Saturday, December 27, 2008

Ready for the New Year

It's been a crazy few months, but I think it's time to get back to library blogging here - that was the purpose of this, after all.

The Library was able to fill a new position recently, which brings benefits to many of us. Katrina is working at the Information Desk and Computer Services, which frees up some time for other staff. She is jumping right in to lots of projects, and has great ideas for organizing and improving things - like a notebook at the Information Desk with the meeting room confirmations. Why didn't we think of that? She does Saturday mornings for me, and the extra hours away from the desk are an incredible gift! Finally I can do those little things I keep putting off (like updates on catalog computers, which should be done but never seem urgent when I'm turning things on each morning).

I also trained a new substitute in Computer Services, and she was able to fill in several times during the holidays - another great help! The training list we'd developed a while ago certainly came in handy; I could make sure important items didn't get overlooked and the new people were sufficiently prepared.

This winter has brought more international students - groups from Peru and Chile have been using our internet and wireless. We were able to help 2 stranded students before Christmas when they discovered the jobs they'd planned on were no longer available. That's always so heartbreaking - I take the Mom point-of-view and try to imagine how I'd feel if one of my sons was in that predicament. We got them a place to stay, and transportation to where they needed to go. Hopefully things worked out for them.

Next up: Offline! My favorite MLA gathering (maybe the chocolate is a factor?).

Friday, December 26, 2008

That was Christmas...

So Christmas is over - it was so low-key I almost missed it! It was wonderful not getting caught up in the holiday madness (although I did feel a little guilty, and sorry for anyone who wasn't so lucky - sometimes you can't avoid stress, I know). Every so often I'd think back to the Christmases in years past when the boys were little and we went all out - that was enough to make me glad that's behind me now!

Jon-Erik enjoyed the wonderful snowfall Portland received (and was very glad not to be traveling!). He spent Christmas at a church dinner, volunteering and socializing, with his new friend, Mallory (little is known about her, except she's working on a Fine Arts master's degree with a job as a waitress at Old Chicago in Beaverton, where they met). I try not to interrogate him on this too much. He gave her a jar of MT Huckleberry preserves, and she baked him cookies.

Tom is still in Gainesville, TX hoping for warmer weather - they have been below freezing more than he'd like. He spent the holiday with some friends there. Next month he will go to Alamos, Mexico to work on our house there, and hopefully get it more ready to sell.

James-Philip and I had breakfast with my parents, then he went on to spend the day with more friends. I had a wonderful (quiet!) afternoon watching "Christmas with the Kranks" (not nearly as good as the Grisham "Skipping Christmas" book it's based on, but entertaining anyway). Since it had warmed up nicely I went for a walk and came upon 4 deer on the hill - picture perfect, if I'd only had my camera with me!

Of course, warmer weather often means snow, and this morning was no different: at least 9 inches overnight (other people have said 12), which, added to the accumulation in my driveway, meant my SUV just didn't have the clearance necessary! I ended up high-centered halfway out. Not many options at 7:45 a.m.! Even the roadside assistance on our insurance plan wasn't helpful: they don't come to a place that hasn't been plowed! So it was a call to my neighbors, and their pickup, who were able to drag me out. They get their driveway plowed, and I'm just a branch off that, so I've asked their snowplow person to do mine also (which I wish would just have been done automatically - wouldn't they think I'd also want a clean drive?). But I think it will be OK when I get home tonight. At least I got to use all the 4-wheel drive options on my vehicle!

Happy New Year to all!