Owning a dog

I'm not of the group that thinks that you don't "own" a dog. I believe I do. But my dog is unbelievably neurotic--more on that later. Meanwhile, I've just started a part-time job that has me on my feet for my entire shift: tough on my arthritic hips and all those other joints above, below and in any remote way involved in locomotion. So.

I came home from a 7-hr. shift (six plus a 1-hr. break) and my feet & legs were killing me. I came in the door at about 8:20 p.m. and wanted to feed Holly-dog immediately, since I'd been gone since about 9:30 a.m. (extended office hours for my LIB105 students that day--and I actually had students up through 12:00!). Poor Holly had had diarrhea, and I, not realizing this, stepped into it right inside the door. So of course I tracked it through the kitchen a bit. Caught it and then cleaned from about 8:30 until after 10 p.m. Holly was, of course, mortified. But I let her know I wasn't mad and she seemed to pick up on that. But sheesh, this part-time job stuff seemed to be a big mistake after that! Not really. I'll come home if I have to, to let her out. it was just really really tiring to have to come home and clean, with bleach and Spic 'n' Span and paper towels and carpet cleaner, etc., etc.

I know why I've never lived alone.

Haiku

While walking the dog today, beautiful sunshine at 5 p.m., pretty stiff wind blowing on and off, the smell of fallen leaves, I decided it was just a day for haiku. So, for your enjoyment:

Yellow leaves blowing
Browned by October wind
Reds already left

Flat October sun
Harder, somehow, than summer
But not cold, not yet

Jobs for retired librarians

I guess it's just one job, really. I started on Sunday at our local Borders--that is, at Borders Books and Music in Plattsburgh (said with lilt in telephone voice). Right now I'm a "greeter:" I have to greet every customer who comes into the store and say, "Hi, may I help you find anything specific today?" What's really terrific is that about 1/3 - 1/2 the customers who come in actually want help! So I don't feel like a completely intrusive doofus.

It's actually enjoyable: It gives me the people contact I know I need (I'm still amazed how much I like "cocooning"). And of course I've seen enough books already to spend ALL my earnings! I'm very carefully staying away from the picture book section! So far the baddest thing is that I cannot wear jeans of any type. Rats. I'm going to ask about corduroy "5-pocket pants" that I'm hoping will slide by. I don't feel like buying too many clothes for a job that'll end after the holidays. But I'm definitely buying some black sneakers. I'll be on my feet for my entire shifts so I need truly comfy shoes and I absolutely REFUSE to be that "little gray-haired lady in sneakers!"

So I'll be a bit busier than I have been, and that's a good thing. Maybe I really will lose a few lbs. since I won't be near food while I'm working--thank heavens the mall just moved Aunt Annie's Pretzels way up the row from Borders!

Ooooooh! as in aaaaargh!

Bruce & I JUST got home from going to get our season tickets for the PSU men's hockey team and having lunch. It's 5:08 p.m. We left the house at 12:10 p.m. Tickets went on sale at 1:00 p.m.--JUST to last year's season ticket holders (LYSTHs from here on)--and there are enough excited Cardinal hockey fans to go early to get in line. So we met our friend Bill and were joined by our friends John & Sue; since we all sit together we all bought together. (No one can buy for anyone else. Go figure.)

We walked out of the Fieldhouse with tickets in hand at 2:50. No joke. It took us 2 hours and 20 minutes to pay for 2 season tickets. The set-up for ticket sales was THE worst designed "system" I have ever seen. Literally. I have never in my life seen such poor planning. Add to the wait the fact that the one, yes that's right ONE, computer being used was slow.

Absolutely nothing in the clusterfrak was computerized. The lone computer being used was to re-enter all of our information into a database. For some reason last year's database was not being used for anything, but the Athletic Dept. had printed out the list of LYSTH, so it's clear the database did exist.

The biggest error was that the Athletic Dept., almost certainly after a "meeting with all the stakeholders" and probably thinking they were getting a jump on things, had assigned seats to each LYSTH, in approximately the same place the seats were last year. This is because the seating changed considerably, going from bleachers to theater-style seating. But most LYSTHs didn't like the reassignment. This was the first line to stand in.

The second line was for each single or pair of LYSTHs to go individually (or as a couple) into the actual rink and put a hand on the desired seat(s). Why, I do not know.

The third line was to get that laying-on-of-hands approved by the guy from Line 1. The fourth line was to get each LYSTH's info entered into the database on that one computer. The fifth and last line was to get the actual tickets, one for each home game.

It is truly amazing that no one killed the Athletic Director, who was the guy at the destination end of Line 1. Apparently the idea of using clerical personnel or even work-study students for some of this never occurred to anyone in the Athletic Dept. But I forget, it IS the Athletic Dept. Duh.

We had lunch at 3:10 and after a short stop that I'm sure I'll tell about some time later, we came home. Now I'm going to take 1) a Tums, and 2) a nap.

But we got our tickets.