Vacation-themed song lyric goes here

Today is my last day of work before my vacation. See, originally I took this week off because we were going to go to Disney World. Obviously that's not happening (it's ok, I'll live). I decided to keep my vacation week, though. My family usually takes a vacation during the summer of every year, but last year we didn't, I guess because of all the wedding stuff, and Brandon and I didn't this year, either. So I'm taking my week off, and I've been calling it my Mental Health Week. I'm thinking it's going to be pretty busy, though.

Originally I was planning on taking the whole week to completely clean out, organize, and scrub the apartment. It looks like I will be doing most of that Monday and Tuesday, though. Monday Brandon is off work, so I will spend time with him, but he will want to watch movies and stuff, so I don't know how much cleaning I will get done. Tuesday I will be home by myself, but we are having a bible study/book club meeting at 5, and then I'm going to watch Glee at my parents' house (it's the Rocky Horror tribute episode! Finally!) So I have to accomplish everything by 4 something. Wednesday morning might not have anything going on, but my friend Lauren is going to come by sometime in the afternoon. She hasn't seen the apartment yet, and it needs to be clean enough for people to come over.

Thursday will be the least fun day of my Mental Health Week. I'm supposed to go to the hospital to have an ultrasound (no big deal) and get my gallbladder scanned. The second test is pretty horrible. I had it done four years ago and still remember how horrible it made me feel. You have to lie down flat and they put your belly in one of those scanning donut things while they inject you with something that makes you feel like you're dying. And we're going to do the test at 7 in the morning, meaning we have to be at the hospital at 6:30, meaning I have to get up really early. Fun times.

Hopefully I will recover quickly, though. Friday will be a fun day. I'm going to the zoo with my friend Jackie and her fat baby Owen, and then later that evening Kelli is supposed to come over. I guess after that I can spend the weekend re-cleaning the apartment.

Even if I will be busy (and feel really bad one day), I am looking forward to my week off. I need a little break. My job isn't particularly special, but it's more like I need a break from that day in, day out thing I was talking about in my last post. And I'm very thankful that I have a job where I can take vacation time instead of just unpaid time off work, like some people I know (my poor husband.)

Time, time, time

In August, I couldn't wait for September. August is boring. I mean, my best friend's birthday is in August, which is nice. But other than that, August serves no purpose. Some people went back to school (I didn't.) Some people went on vacation (I didn't.) It was hot outside. All throughout August, I thought "I wish September were here." The weather would be nicer. It would seem more like autumn. Things would be better.

In September, I couldn't wait for October. I figured out that nothing happens in September. The weather did not get cooler. There were a few family birthdays, which was nice. But other than that, September was boring. All throughout the month, I thought "If only October would hurry up and get here." Surely the weather would improve by October. My parents' birthdays are in October, in the middle of the month. So after we celebrate those, it's all downhill til Halloween. I've always thought Halloween was a fun holiday. I like looking at the costumes and decorations, even though I haven't dressed up or gone to a party since 10th grade, I think. And then of course during Halloween week, stores will start to put out the Christmas stuff. I love the Christmas stuff.

The weather didn't change, and now October is here, and mostly over, and I'm more than ready for November. But I think I've already decided I want December to be here. Really. November is boring. More family birthdays (which is nice!) but all of November is basically a countdown to Thanksgiving, which no one really cares about (other than time off work) because they're all waiting for Black Friday, to buy things for Christmas. Forget the 12 days of Christmas, or advent calendars- the Christmas countdown really starts on the last Friday of November.

I have no idea why I want the year to be over in such a hurry. Before I know it, it'll be January, and Brandon and I will have been married for a whole year (which is just surreal) and then I'll start daydreaming about the months to come. "I wish it were February- January is cold and dreary." "I wish it were March- then things will be more exciting." "I wish it were April- then it will feel like spring." "I wish it were May- I'm ready for my birthday!" "I wish it were June- after my birthday, pretty much nothing happens in May." "I wish it were July- June is so boring."

You get the idea.

I guess when life is as steady and, well, dull as mine is (stay home all day til time to go to work, repeat), I want things to move a little bit faster.

To Brown, or not to Brown?

Still no word from the Revenue Office about Brandon's potential new job. Knowing that it's a Metro government job makes me think they would call at the last possible moment, if they were going to call (seriously, it was more than two months after I submitted an application til my interview at the library, and another few months after that til I started the job.) We are still hopeful.

Speaking of jobs, the annual library staff appreciation event is coming up, and I have to RSVP by this weekend. Did I mention that we just got the invitations on Monday? Despite the fact that I've been working at the 'brary since June 2005, I have never ever been to one of these things. In the past I'd heard that they were pretty lame, and I just wasn't interested in going. Last year it was held at the Louisville Science Center, and party-goers were allowed to tour the museum at their leisure. I kind of regret not going to that one, because I haven't been there in forever, and it would have been fun to visit without a bunch of little kids milling around. This year, it'll be held at the Brown Hotel. Fancy, right? I'm impressed that we were able to book such a nice place- with such yummy food! I am tempted to go this year. I just don't know if I will. And I need to be deciding, apparently. Some of my friends will be there, there will be good food, and a photo booth. On the other hand, I really don't like going out- especially to unfamiliar places. I have a feeling I will end up saying I will go.

A job.

You know how most weeks I don't have anything really worthwhile to say? I think this week is different.

On Monday I was just wandering around the internet and found this random job for Brandon to apply for. It's actually a job with our city government, pays more than he earns now (he would have union dues, though) and is sort of related to his field of study. It has something to do with taxes. I don't know. Anyway, I told him about it, and he applied for it on Monday. The next afternoon, he got a call asking him to come in the next day for an interview. Well, unfortunately he couldn't do that, because he already had to work and couldn't reschedule on that short notice. So they found another spot to interview him and he has an interview Friday at 4 p.m.! I guess this is one time where my wasting time on the internet has come in handy. This job would be a great opportunity for him. We're not sure that it would be a better thing financially, but I do think he would enjoy the work more, would have better hours, and working at a desk and computer all day isn't as physically wearing as hauling auto parts around all day. Also, I think having this job would give Brandon more time to study for his actuarial exam, so this would be a good thing all around. Please keep him in your prayers on Friday. I hope this all works out!

I'm going to learn Indonesian.

I got a letter from my sponsor child this week! It was very exciting. Tasya's aunt wrote the letter because Tasya is still not very good at writing (she's only 8- I guess they want the letters to be very legible and clear), which is fine with me. The letter was very sweet. In it, her Tante (aunt) said that her family rejoiced when they learned I was to sponsor Tasya. She told me that Tasya's parents get up very early to do work as farmers. It's hard work, but they know that Jesus has blessed them with their work. She also said that Jesus is a "good father" because he let Tasya and I meet through letters. It was so sweet. I'm so happy that I made the decision to sponsor a child through compassion. I only wish I had the resources to sponsor more kids!

I was on Compassion's website the other day, browsing through the kids that need a sponsor. I searched "girl", and apparently there are more than 200 girls waiting to be sponsored. When I searched "boy", however, I was shocked and saddened to see that more than 1,100 boys are without a sponsor right now. I feel like sending letters to my friends, begging "can you come up with $38 a month to help a child in need?" So what if it means you have to cut back on buying dumb things at the grocery, or aren't able to go to the movies as often as you'd like. I don't have extra money to throw around. But I make it work. I just feel so bad that there's so many kids who need help. Maybe in another year or so Brandon and I will be able to take on another sponsorship. Until then, is there anything you can do?

Brr.

In the words of my friend Lindsay, fall has flaked out on us.

I hate summer. I really do. It's hot and sticky and gross. I hate it so much. Summer is so much worse than winter, in my opinion, because you can always add more layers to stay warm in winter- but there's only so much you can take off in summer! And even if you were standing in your refrigerator in your skivvies, you'd still probably be hot. I'm telling you, summer is terrible. This summer has been especially lame. Here in the Ohio Valley, plant spores and pollens regularly try to murder us. We are notorious for our allergens. It's terrible. During the summer, I usually get a bit of a break from the allergy nastiness, but not this year. It has been constantly annoying and sickening since March, I think. I have been desperately awaiting the fall. Fall is nice because that means it's almost Christmas. The weather is definitely cooler, but not freezing yet. It's pretty much the only time of year that I'm willing to go outside (ha). And yet, I think we have skipped over autumn this year. Really. The leaves started changing a week or two ago, but it was still freakishly hot outside. Sometimes it's sort of cool in the mornings, but then by the afternoon, it would be gross again. No opportunity to wear longer sleeved shirts. Then we come to two days ago- Saturday. It was COLD in the morning. Not cold enough to snow, or whatever, but still. There is no middle ground. It was freezing compared to the past several months. My dear husband, bless him, wore gloves on his way to work. No jacket, mind you. Just gloves. And an undershirt (he refuses to put on his uniform shirt until he gets to work. He hates collars. Mmhmm.) He looked silly. I kept my hoodie on all day. It was cold! And I didn't go outside yesterday, but I can tell you it's freezing in my apartment this morning. I won't go anywhere without a blanket. I'm wearing my fuzzy socks. Brr.

So where did you go, fall? You fickle thing. We were waiting for you, and you decided not to show up. Just skip right into winter, apparently. Thanks so much. : P

Crazy Lady!

Crazy Lady! by Jane Conly is on the ALA's list of most frequently challenged books, though I honestly have no idea why. It's about a kid named Vernon whose mom died. His dad's doing his best to keep the family together. Vern is failing several subjects in school, and really needs help with English, in particular. Tutoring is out of the question, really, because it costs $2 an hour (did I mention it's set in 1981?) That's money the Dibbs family doesn't have. Vern happens to live one street over from a slum, basically, and there's a drunk "crazy lady" and her mentally challenged son that walk up and down the streets and get made fun of. It's pretty weird. Anyway, one day Vern helps the lady, Maxine, out, and she asks what she can do for him. Vern mentions he needs help in English, and Maxine gets him set up with their neighbor, Miss Annie, who used to be an English teacher. Miss Annie doesn't ask for money to help Vern, but she does have him do things to help Maxine and her son Ronald. Vern is not thrilled about this at first, but eventually becomes friends with the small, somewhat dysfunctional family. Vern ends up holding a fundraiser to earn money for a new pair of tennis shoes for Ronald, so he can join the Special Olympics. And then all of a sudden, Maxine decides that life is too much for her alcoholic self to handle and sends Ronald off to live with relatives in North Carolina. Vern is upset. The end.

I really don't know why this book is on the "Banned Books" list, other than the fact that there are a few swear words (I counted less than 10, and nothing too serious). And then there's Maxine's alcoholism. But this isn't the only middle school-level book that features those two elements. The book was rather tame, in my opinion. The worst side of alcoholism we see is just some silly things Maxine shouts in the streets. There's no abuse or anything. The book doesn't tell kids how to get drunk. I don't understand it. The best I can figure is that the book is on the list because in 1993, when it was written, maybe parents were a little more uptight about that kind of thing. In our library, the book is classified as a "J"- a juvenile novel. It's shelved in the children's section and is intended for readers up to middle school. I think that simply relabeling the book as a "YT", a book for younger teens, would solve any problems parents might have with this book. Make it clear it's meant for middle schoolers.
To be completely honest, though, I think the book could probably be weeded from our shelves. It contains dated language and has virtually nothing to appeal to young audiences today. It was kind of lame. I'm fairly sure the only reason we've kept it around is because of its notoriety.