Saturday craziness at the library

Today was a stressful day at the library. Why is it that on one of our busiest days of the week, we only have three librarians and several clerical people on staff (and NO security guard), when on normal weekdays (which are much calmer than Saturdays) we have anywhere from five to seven librarians and even more clerical folks AND a security guard???

I suppose tis not mine to ask. But I suspect that in the case of few librarians and clerical folks, it is because this is a way of ensuring that we don’t have to work too many Saturdays. Personally, I would rather work more Saturdays and retain a sense of safety and sanity than work fewer but pressure-cooker Saturdays. But the security guard question is mystifying.

Here are some highlights.
In the children’s room a five-year old girl came to complain to me that there was a boy in the girls room. The “boy” turned out to be an incontinent 65+ years man who said he didn’t want to wait for the boys room because ‘he might have an accident’ … When he finally came out, both he and the bathroom smelled like a sewer. But at least he was apologetic and not belligerent.

Downstairs they had a guy in a cowboy hat yell at the staff when they told him he had a fine. Also, there were several people who just were super-demanding, including this one guy who is hmm… a bit off-kilter and who constantly talks to himself and comes to ask interminable, obscure (and somewhat pointless) reference questions, one after the other, for a long, long time… and yet one feels one has to accommodate him, as he has a screw loose and has been known to walk into the library with parts from a gun in the past, to ask question of how to fix it. (!!!!)

Book recommendations from the world over!

Recently I asked many friends, both online and off, to recommend one book they had read in the past year. In fact here is exactly what I asked:

hello friends!
I have a request for you… If you could recommend (to me or to anyone else) one book that you read in the past year (loosely defined, doesn’t have to be exactly within the ‘08 time span) then what would it be? Who is it by? And why would you recommend it? (The why can be as short or as long as you like. It could even be one word, if you don’t want to write much.)

Linked here for your perusal and enjoyment is the result of everyone’s combined efforts.

Friends, thank you so much for playing the book game along with me!  If you would like to add a book to the list linked above, do fill out this simple form!

P.S. Rajeev Alexander gets the prize (so far) for longest, most thorough review. Thank you, R! :-)

Yesterday at the library

Yesterday was quite stressful at the library. I came home soul-exhausted. There were some incorrigible customers who seemed to relish putting the librarian through her paces. But on second thought, there were some thought-provoking and delightful encounters that made the day well worth living. Here are some highlights.

Two Pakistani-American girls befriended me at the children’s desk. One of them shadowed me all day and even helped with reference transactions. I think it made her feel grown-up and responsible. The best part was when we were talking about how bad my spoken Hindi/Urdu is. I explained to them that Hindi isn’t my mother tongue. Then they asked me where I come from. India, I replied. We silently digested the fact that “our countries” are having some “problems” at the moment. One of them said,

7 things about me – Oh and Happy New 2009 to one and all!

Long ago and far away (as in from the upper reaches of Manhattan) Sandhya from Literary Safari tagged me for a 7 Things About Me meme. Here are the rules (from the source):

1) Link to the person that tagged you, and post the rules on your blog.
2) Share 7 facts about yourself.
3) Tag 7 random people at the end of your post, and include links to their blogs.
4) Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Since #1 is done above, I will proceed with sharing seven facts about myself.

1. I have freckles, which for some reason a lot of Indian aunties think is a personal affront to them and to the bleaching industry. But I like ‘em. (edit: I meant the freckles. The jury is still out on the aunties; well, at least the ones who come armed with bleaching cream.)

2. I adore sour things. Lemons. Grapefruit. Sour belts. Lemon cake. Green mangoes. Thai papaya salad with lime. The tangier, the better. My mouth is watering now.

3. I read (sometimes) while walking in the park, or even across the street (after looking both ways first).

4. I recently discovered Tehelka and I adore that site. It is my new favorite. When I first wrote this, I was thinking in a lighthearted vein, but even from a more serious perspective, Tehelka’s writers have important, insightful points to make regarding South Asian politics. After the November attacks in Mumbai, as I was seeking solace online by trying to find answers, I found Tehelka’s Tarun Tejpal to be one of the most thoughtful, informative and human voices in the strident cacaphony that erupted online and off.

5. I am a bit (ahem) of a germaphobe. But I don’t walk around encased in plastic, so don’t worry too much about my sanity. But I do believe in coughing in my sleeve, not my hand! It drives me crazy when people cough ineffectually into hands that only half-heartedly cover the general area around their mouths. In case you think I’m totally nuts, take a look at this awesomely funny and smart video that may just convince you that the sleeve idea ain’t all that weird.

6. I have been scuba diving. In Curacao. Once. It was hands down the scariest and most sublime thing I have ever willingly done. And, by doing so, I broke the law. (I had no idea it was illegal to go without a special permit, and the friend who persuaded me to go, wisely did not tell me so.) For this I am grateful, as scuba diving is the closest I will ever get to flying. And what slow motion, dreamlike flying! My dream is to one day go again. (After proper training this time, but of course.)

7. Sometimes I am very, very, very slow in responding to email. And yet, when someone is slow in responding to me, I get sad. Go figure. I am trying to get better at this. (Both the getting faster at responding part as well as the not getting sad part.) Um…. see, this post is kind of a case in point. I do believe Sandhya tagged me like, more than nine months ago??? I mean, I’ve had friends get pregnant and have their babies already in that time. (umm, hello Henry! Love ya! So nice to have “met” you last week. You are a doll. At least the size of one. For now. Now don’t forget the Gujarati I taught you, kay? Mwah!)

Sheesh. (Note to self: Got to get better at getting back, Bookish!)

Okay. Whew. With New Year’s and all, I am so glad to have this entry finally finished and published! And now for my turn to tag others. (Rubbing hands gleefully!)

1. Joy from The Spiral of Seasons, my friend and mentor in all things healthy and librarian-y!

2. Sally from Any Given Sundry, another wonderful online friend. Her photographs are perspicacious.

3. Pranav from Scarlet Guju, my friend since babyhood, who tells it how he sees it on his hard hitting blog.

4. Ariah from Trying to Follow, possibly the most soul-searchingly honest seeker I have had the privilege to meet.

5. Linda from Touched by Cancer, a friend of great empathy and eclectic interests who reaches out to others with helpful advice through her blog.

6. Mahmud from Cruel, Crazy, Beautiful World, a friend from the west coast days, who is currently writing and writing and writing his heart out in Bangladesh. And who is having a book published very soon–called Killing the Water; definitely check it out!

7. And lastly, I’m tagging someone I know only through the blogging world; Pessimisissimo from Exotic and irrational entertainment… (and Pessimisissimo, I don’t think your obsessions are indefensible!)

Okay folks, it was nice to share with you my first post from 2009, which was more than nine months in gestation. I hope that our next mulakaat (meeting) will not be so far away. May 2009 shower blessings upon blessings upon us all!