Week. Weak? Weeeek.

Last week was banana-pants crazy. Well ha ha no it wasn't, but as I said to Angus when he texted asking me how I was I texted back "This week I am out three nights in a row, which I am too old for, and also running one library and working in three others, which I am too lazy for". 

The previous week-end we took my parents to Prince Edward County and met my sister and her husband to celebrate my mom and dad's eightieth and eighty-third birthdays. The weekend was glorious - rained on the drive there and the drive home, but we did a super-fun wine tour with a fabulous limo driver/ guide on Saturday and the weather stayed nice and it was SO much fun (pictures to follow). 

So the week-end was lovely but not restful (wine. Also gin. Some rum. I stole a few chairs). Monday I got to my library and all the shelves were moved around. This is secondary to them being moved around the PREVIOUS Monday in a completely unworkable fashion for sightlines and student safety. So now they were in a better configuration, but none of the sections were together anymore. You know how this is for children to find books? It is NOT GREAT. Why did it happen? Because the projector had to be moved, which meant the tables had to be oriented differently. The new projector was purchased last year, so could this maybe have been done a few weeks earlier when no circulation was happening yet because the other librarian is on leave and we were still figuring out how Library Time was going to work? NOBODY KNOWS. Well, someone probably does, but why would that be me, I'm just the FREAKING LIBRARIAN.

*deep breath*. So now pretty much every book in the library has to be moved. And I'm only there one day a week. 

The office administrator has been outstandingly helpful (and comforting, because I think I keep walking around with crazy eyes trying to process all of this), and there's a parent volunteer who comes in to help shelve - she came in and got a lot of the non-fiction section moved. In between my dozen classes, I moved a bunch of the other books. I was not properly dressed or adequately stressed for heavy manual labour, and it was... I don't even know what it was, it all went by in a blur.

The rest of the week was other school libraries, and Thursday I had book club and Friday I had World Trivia Night and Saturday I had a Halloween party and Sunday I had a hangover (I have no plans to imbibe this Saturday or Sunday, lest you all gain the impression I am a Weekend Lush). 

Every day I had to go out in the evening I came home and whined and flopped around and complained that I had to go out again, and every evening I went out I had an amazing time (try not to roll your eyes too hard, I don't want anyone to endanger their vision). 

I sometimes find this kind of thing completely overwhelming, but I felt like I was doing pretty well. I complained and made whale noises (Eve's technique when she doesn't feel like doing something, it's surprisingly satisfying) but I didn't melt down or collapse or withdraw from the world. Win! Except last night I went into the kitchen to empty out my glass of water and put it in the dishwasher. I dumped it and then looked down and Matt turned around from the kitchen and said "what? Did you...just dump your water in the garbage can instead of the sink?" And I said "yes, yes I did." Less win! Maybe let's have a calmer week! 

Two days until NaBloPoMo. Ha ha, I'm like a couch potato who signs up to run a marathon. In two days. 

Comments

Sarah said…
Shelving books in the school library is my favorite parent volunteer role-- it is VERY zen.
October 31, 2023 at 3:55 AM
Nicole said…
Dumping water in the garbage is better than dumping silverware into it or something.
Whew, what a week, it sounds kind of insane. I am good with one evening out, maybe two, but three might do me in!
October 31, 2023 at 5:15 AM
Pat Birnie said…
Wow you did have a week. But you made us laugh and that’s what counts. I know what you mean about being out 3 nights....I’m retired and and I still find that to be too much. One time when I was overwhelmed & preoccupied I was brushing my teeth and spit a mouthful of water into the garbage. Not a full glass of water but still.
October 31, 2023 at 5:40 AM
StephLove said…
Three nights out in a week would be too much for me, too. Glad you had a nice birthday celebration with your parents. I wish I could do that kind of thing with my mom more easily. She's lived on the other side of the country for more than ten years now, but as she gets older, it seems harder to me to be so far away. But on the other hand, traveling there is super expensive.
October 31, 2023 at 5:53 AM
Ernie said…
Reordering books during the school year when classes of kids might wander in . . . that sounds hectic and exhausting. Hooray for mom volunteers. I laughed picturing you wandering the school with googly eyes.

I was just thinking about how our friends had a big Halloween party the weekend before Halloween back when our kids were in grade school and sometimes they had more celebrating on actual Halloween, even if it was on a school night, and I can't remember how we managed, late bedtimes, kids having to go to school the next day, but we were all in. Who even were we? Your fun nights out sound great, but I can relate to why the whale noises followed.
October 31, 2023 at 6:33 AM
NGS said…
I hate when I have evening after evening of THINGS to do, even if they're lovely things. Sometimes a girl needs to veg out on the couch reading a book. My brain cannot process being busy!
October 31, 2023 at 11:17 AM
Suzanne said…
I am making whale noises just reading this. I am deeply impressed your only side effect was a little water in the trash.

Also why do people who move things in spaces not consult the people who use those spaces…? Baffling.

Let’s do the marathon or flame out trying!
October 31, 2023 at 2:17 PM
Elisabeth said…
First time commenter for NaBloPoMo. I laughed at Suzanne's comment - whale noises. I needed that chuckle this morning.

I get drained FAST with a lot of activity and then tend to crash and have to pull back on everything. I never learn...sigh.
November 1, 2023 at 5:55 AM
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