"Sorry about that"

I often say this at the library when somehow we fall short for our patrons. As in, the book they want is checked out, the book they want we don't own, we can't find the book they want that should be checked in, the computer isn't doing what they want it to and I can't make it better, etc.

A lot of people don't apologize for these menial kinds of inconveniences, because it's usually not really our fault. And I totally understand. But I choose to apologize, just because I think it shows a bit of sympathy and understanding for their frustration. Some people also say you shouldn't ever apologize for anything that isn't your fault because it shows weakness - but I think... I'm a librarian. What do I need to show strength for? I'm here to help them, not draw them into little power plays.

So I've been feeling very pleased with myself for this little show of sympathy, but I've been wondering lately: what if these apologies are really for me? Because, usually, when I do apologize, the people give me the frown/smile and say, "It's okay." Maybe I'm just in it for their small reassurances that these inconveniences aren't ruining their day, maybe they give me a sense that I'm not totally inadequate, that they understand that it wasn't my fault. Maybe this is all a play of my defensive system and sense of insecurity.

And then I think about what my five-year-old nephew said recently,
"I think women should just relax."

Good advice.

Conversations I had last week

With my library patrons...

Young boy: I'm looking for a book. The author is Nuff.
Me: Okay, do you know the title?
Young boy: No.
Me: Do you know what it is about?
Young boy: No. It has, like, a brownish cover.



Woman: Hi, I'm having trouble finding a book.
Me: Okay, which book is it?
Woman: Dante's Inferno.
(I know about The Inferno by Dante, but that there is also a Mystery novel called "Dante's Inferno")
Me : Is it a mystery novel? Or is it the classic book?
Woman: It's the classic book.
Me: Right, where he goes down into hell?
Woman: Yes. It's by someone called Lovett, I think.
Me: Actually... Dante's Inferno is by... Dante.


*note: We did find that Nuff book. It has a purple cover.
*note2: The woman had typed in "Dante's Inferno" into the Title Search field. That is a mystery novel by Lovett. But you'd hope that people who know about the classic book also know that it was written BY Dante. But I'm no expert on some things, either. As a good co-worker said, "When library patrons do things like try to locate materials by ISBN number instead of call number, I try to remind myself that I'm equally ignorant when working with services from institutions I don't understand."

Oh, this one is from January but I forgot to post it:
Lady: do you have the winceawards?
Me: sorry, what was that called?
Lady: the wince awards.
Me: wince?
Lady: Yes.
Helpful man next to her: The Winds of War

It's been two days...

Conversation with my brother today:

Adam: hey, did you happen to fix the clock in my car the last time you were in it?
Me: I don't think so. I thought i left it cuz the time change was so close. Is it wrong now?
Adam: no, it's right now
Me: oh well that's why
Me: you went with it wrong for 6 months
Adam: yeah, and it's confusing the heck out of me
Me: you do know we just had the time change two days ago, right?
Adam: NO!

*Update - 10:30pm*
At almost the same time that Adam and I were having this conversation today, his car was in the shop getting the battery changed. The battery! Do you know what that means? That means that his car clock was wrong for 6 months, then it was RIGHT for two days, but it just confused him, and at almost the same moment that he found out that it WAS right... it got changed.

Weekly music crush

I heard this just last night and knew instantly that it was this week's music crush.

It's a remake of Careless Whisper, George Michael's 80's song that laments, "I'm never gonna dance again, these guilty feet have got no rythm..."
The song is so outdated and sappy, and it just cracks me up that Seether did a cover of it... Seether. It totally breathes new life into the song. Too bad it can't do anything for the sappy lyrics.
Honestly, I'm pretty partial to the original song. Love, love, love this remake, though. This is just a 30 second clip, but you can listen to the whole clip here. I'd encourage you to listen to the whole thing, if only so that you can bear witness to the fact that Seether redid a George Michael song.

(RSS feeders, you'll have to visit):

Reasons why people think Utah sucks

Friday, March 6, 2009:

Sunday, March 8, 2009:

Monday, March 9, 2009:

Plain English

This week I'm going to start teaching a class on blogging at the library. For our first class, we have to start with the basics: i.e. what is a blog? My co-workers told me that there was a video online that I could use that it is simple and easy-to-understand.

So I watched it, and not only was it simple and well-done, it was just... fun. Very visual ... more visual than just showing a video of someone's computer screen, because this is more mobile. Check it out:



So I did a little digging and found out that the people producing these videos are a little husband-and-wife team working out of Seattle. And they produce a lot of these simple, basic educational videos for businesses and schools. Brilliant!

I wanted to do a plug for them because I think what they're doing is pretty cool. Some of my other favorite videos from them are:

(I think everyone should watch this first one)
RSS In Plain English
Investing Money in Plain English

To brighten your day

Also as a note:
I'm feeling well enough to re-resolve on my goals. I'm going to start tomorrow morning, 8:00am. Remember, these are my goals: in bed by 12, up by 8, and I'm going to do at least 15 minutes of working out everyday at first, just to build the habit back up. 21 days!