I got a job!

So I did it. I got a job. I turned down the chance to work at the zoo, even though it might have been fun and was closer. Well, I wasn't actually offered the job - they aren't deciding for another week or 2, but I decided that even if I got the job, I really didn't want to risk having work on Christmas day. It's open 365 days a year. So instead I'm back in a library. This time, though, I won't be a monkey, which is how I sometimes felt before. I'll be in the youth section, and I get to do things a librarian might do, like plan story times and order books. I even get my own ordering budget for whichever section they assign me to. I just sort of stumbled across the job. I wasn't originally going to apply because I thought it had too many hours, but I did because it sounded like it might be more fun than some of the others. As it turns out, it's a lot like my old job at Oak View, as far as hours go, and I get to work normal shifts. A lot of public libaries have 4 hours shifts, which is great for moms, but not so great for college kids with an hour commute to school and an hour commute to the library with traffic. Anyway, I'm just glad that I won't be treated like a moron. I doubt a lot of PhD's are hanging out with the picture books anyway.

On a related note, I've got some funny interview stories. I would like to say that the interview for the job I accepted was very nice, relaxed, and normal. Some of the others, however, were a little different. To begin with, I apparently have a North Carolina accent. I think I said y'all once in the 2 years I lived there, but I actually had someone tell me that I couldn't have lived in Vermont long because I just don't have a Vermont accent. Honestly, I don't think any of these people have ever been to Vermont, and they think all New Englanders sound like they're from Boston. Even Vikki doesn't sound like she's from Boston, and she grew up a lot closer to the city than I did. Granted, I didn't say "Wicked Cool" at any time during the interview, but it just didn't come up. I also had people sound shocked that it gets hot in NC in the summer. We've been having a heat wave here in the midwest, and I commented that it wasn't too shocking after living in NC. Apparently it's a well hidden secret that it gets hot in the summer in the South. Who knew.

I'm sure there are more stories to tell, but I don't want to share them all at once. I'll save the fun for later. I will say this, though: The library I'll be working in lets you check out puppets. How cool is that? Wanna do a puppet show, but you just can't find a walrus puppet? Check the library!

Lunch

Lunch is one of those meals that I truly dislike. You only get an hour or half an hour, and it's never enough time. Plus, if you work, which I will eventually do, it's not like you can cook yourself something, unless it comes in a package. I really just don't like lunch foods. Sandwiches you say? eh Unless they've been made for me by a sandwich artist or someone at Brueggar's, they just don't taste very good. You've gotta get the fresh rolls and all the toppings. When there are just two of you, it's kind of difficult to buy fresh rolls and have them last long enough to get through your week of sandwiches. I grew up eating all of those TV Dinners, and I really don't enjoy them anymore. So what does that leave me with? PB&J, strawberries, and some cashews. Every day. I don't even really like to eat dinner left overs for lunch. Something about it just doesn't appeal to me. Unless it was macaroni and cheese or something. Anyway, if you've got a good lunch suggestion that doesn't cost a fortune and doesn't require going out, let me know.

Segregation

So here's a real post...

Usually I write about things somewhat comical, but I've got a serious topic. Segregation. After growing up in the North, I assumed that the South was still a pretty backward place where segregation was rampant. After living in Raleigh for 2 years, I can say that while some aspects of society remain segregated, it's not anything as I had imagined. Yeah a lot of the African Americans who worked at the library hung out with other African Americans at lunch, and the same with the whites, but I think that had a lot more to do with their jobs and less to do with their actual race. As a library assistant myself, I didn't spend a lot of time with actual librarians, so why would I go around talking to them at social events? They didn't even know my name...

On to other aspects... so now we've moved back North. I'd recently heard a professor mention that segregation in Northern cities was actually more pronounced in the South because many African Americans who had once been slaves remained on land near where they had been slaves, thus remaining near whites. I don't have a lot of experience with Northern cities, so I didn't know what to make of it. But after living here for a little while, I wonder if it might be true. We rode the train into the city on Saturday. At nearly every stop the people getting on the train were one race or another. Or at least a large majority. Maybe that has to do with the fact that there are some pretty rough neighborhoods between here and downtown (thank goodness it's an elevated train) and maybe some of the other neighborhoods are well integrated. I don't know. But I do know that 90% of the faces walking around downtown Oak Park (about 3 blocks north of our apartment) are just as pale as mine (ok, maybe not that pale), but if you go just 1 block south of our apartment, the numbers are reversed. It's something interesting that I don't think I would have noticed if I hadn't lived in the South. After being surrounded by people of all different ethnicities, it's odd to feel so homogenous. Food for thought.

Yes ma'am

I've been told to post... :) I miss you Robin!!