Change is change

Working in a new unit.  So far it's very interesting.  For continuity's sake the "ol biblioteca" moniker will be used for this unit as well as the other.  Because being a librarian in a large library system is kind of like being part of a borg.

So, lemme tell ya about the new 'ol biblioteca.

The thing that immediately struck me was customer hygiene.  Particularly, the practice of having good hygiene.  All, including the problem customers, appear to have bathed within the last 24 hrs. 

I think this has something to do with this building being in a more suburban area. While I'm not letting my former non-homeless customers off the hook on the hygiene issue, a suburban neighborhood has by its very nature higher hygiene expectations of its denizens.

There are at least 30% fewer panhandlers outside the front door 

With less visual stimulation and a smaller area in which to wreak havoc, the teens are less noticeable.  Verily, they are at moments very helpful indeed!

Yes, so far it has been a good change for me.  As to the future, no one knows.  We shall see.

 Meanwhile, off the coast of Australia

OK, Facebook Notes Is a Problem

This is part whine part plea for help.  I remember that somehow I had set up something to automatically put my posts here on my FB wall.

Now my posts all go to my Notes section and, get this, THEY DON'T HAVE PICTURES!!!!


As you well know, my blog is gibberish without the pictures.  I have removed networked blogs and perhaps that was the problem.  This post is a kind of test.  With any luck, nothing will show up on FB unless I post it there.

Sometimes lower-tech is best

Things That Make The Day Go Faster

Marlin the Marvelous Magician tells all 90 kids in the program to scream as loud as they can and then go hug the unsuspecting librarian.  Because screaming and hugging strangers is what we're all about.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Controversy and politics have been a bit slow lately in AZ. What with half the state on fire, legislators being on break, and the all-consuming Casey Anthony trial, it has been downright slow.

Do not despair. I do have a few tidbits.

You may have heard about problems we're having with Mexican cartels wreaking havoc around the state. This is true. While the Joe Arpaio harassment "crime sweeps" are despicable, I do fully support the hunting down and elimination of these Cartel jackasses. Mostly Zetas, I believe.

These piles of shit kidnap citizens of Mexico and parts south and bring them into AZ and parts north. They hold them for ransom. They force them to go out and do their dirty work. Men are tortured in methods reminiscent of Abu Ghraib. Women are raped. People within the houses are crammed in like cord wood.

Identified drop houses are, in fact, raided. Many times, a handful of people are rescued from that hell and sent back to whence they came. Where they are kidnapped again.  Once in a blue moon, perpetrators are even caught.

But something strange is going on. Many, many, many times, the raids find only a recently vacated house. I mean recently. Coffee still warm in the cup. It's almost as if the Cartel members were tipped off in advance so they could hightail it out of there. ...hmmmm...

Call out the rocket scientists! Investigation has revealed that there are a noticeable number of law enforcement officials with ties to people close to the AZ Cartel Contingent.

Investigation is ongoing

Meanwhile, In Soviet Russia

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Save Yourselves!

Regolith by Brent Reilly

My rating: 1 of 5 stars


Avoid this book. Repeat: avoid this book. Step away from the book.



I bought it at $2.99 to try out on my Kindle. The price is the only reason I can imagine for its ranking on Amazon. The first reviews at Amazon rated it high. The rest gave it the lowest rating. Sadly, when I bought it only the good reviews were up. I doubt I'll be buying anything from this publisher again.



The author's favorite word is "fuck." This is followed by "fucker," "fucking," and "motherfucker." I counted the term four times in one page. It is used by every male character. Profusely. Here's hoping the author's vocabulary improves. Having only one swear word in one's repetoire limits one's self expression.



Science. The author likes science. Fair enough. Most of the first part of the book is spent in pages and pages of dreary explanation of the main character's invention of a special kind of steel. To save my sanity, I have blocked out the name of the steel. The author displays a lot of pride in his knowledge of materials. It's as if the author was saying "Look at me! I'm a genius!"



The main character is. forgive my language, an asshole. Yes, his inventions and money save lots of lives in this train-wreck of a disaster novel. The way he makes the trillions (yes, trillions) of dollars to pull off this rescue is despicable. He is cruel. His only redeeming value is he loves his dog. The dog's name is the Spanish word for "fart."



During the story, the main character's daughter gets engaged. She is 16 and her fiancee is considerably older. Pedophilia anyone?



The sex scenes were laughable. They seemed to be stuck in at random so the author can say "see, I can write a sex scene! Naughty me!" I would say they were gratuitous, but they're not even good enough for that.



During extended periods of inner-dialogue, the main character even uses parenthesis. Who thinks with parenthesis? Really, author, I know that the Diamondbacks (Phoenix) are indeed a (Phoenix) baseball team.



Extended rants against the Bush presidency permeate the book. The author is furious with Bush. The rants go on and on and on. The book, at these points, more resembles a political diatribe than a novel.



I want to assure you I read it cover-to-cover. The whole thing had the feel of a train-wreck. I just couldn't look away. And God knows I wanted to.



Would I recommend this to a Science Fiction fan? No



Would I recommend this to a fan of disaster fiction? No



Would I recommend this to a scientist? No



Would I recomment this to a man in a bear suit? Oh hell no!



View all my reviews