Thankfully, I've been getting some help from other sources. Zannie, Steph, Jolene, and, of course, Stasi have all been feeding my obsessions quite nicely!

I didn't have to work yesterday because I'm on duty today. Frankly, I'd rather work every Friday for the rest of my life than do Saturdays here. Well, perhaps I wouldn't go that far, but it's been pretty bad. For example, I've just had to get up three times in the typing of this paragraph to help patrons.

I know what you're thinking.

"What's she doing working on an entry while she's supposed to be working?"

Plus, things move in spurts. I might go for an hour without a single question beyond, "Where's the restroom?" and then have twenty people all show up at once for help locating obscure magazines. It's extremely unpredictable.

And then there's the fact that Eric is meeting me for lunch.

I'm at the reference desk today instead of in the children's area. Each has it's own disadvantages; in the children's room, I get asked incessant questions about Pokemon, while here I have to work with Mr. Skittish. He's a relatively new hire, though he's been working here part-time for about a year. He's degreed in Library Science, too, which makes it even harder to understand why he's so frightened of everything. This is the first time I've worked with him, and when he came in the morning, he was positively shaking. He has a notebook, about six inches thick, which he must consult before making any decisions. If God forbid, a patron asks him a question to which he doesn't know the answer, I think his head will explode. So far, I've been able to save him from such a gory fate by grabbing all the computer questions that come our way; he doesn't seem to know much beyond our catalog system.

If there are any male librarians out there, please don't get offended by what I'm about to say, or else please correct me. I'm beginning to believe that there are no normal guys in this field. Every male librarian I've ever met in my life has been...well, odd in one way or another. When I worked at the music library in college, the boss was always, always, in his office playing Solitaire on his computer. In and of itself, that's not such a bad thing, but he also gave off "creep rays" visible to the naked eye; in four years, I never saw one smile grace his face. The man was a miserable human being if I ever saw one.

I'd say I've known probably five male librarians in my life, and they've all been either disquietingly morose or else gratingly flamboyant (those are largely the younger guys). Perhaps the profession isn't appealing to even-tempered men. Perhaps they start out even-tempered, but are slowly driven mad, perhaps by shelving too many paperback romance novels.

Have I set myself up for hate mail? Perhaps. Believe me when I say that I'd welcome such letters if they prove me wrong; the idea that a normal male librarian can't exist is a little frightening.

P.S. Last night, as a few of us were cleaning up after the party, and I yawned. Someone said, "Tired?" I said, "Yeah, exhausted." She then said, "Are you pregnant?" Gosh, I can't escape this at any job!

Before I could give much of anything in the way of a response, the women were off in transports over the idea of arranging a baby shower. I have to admit, it would be nice. I never got a wedding shower.