Things Librarians Hear: Super Glue Edition
When Children Are Unexpectedly Nice And Excuses Are Offered To The Power Of Five.
That's one way to pay your fines...
Today marks another day full of statistics in the circulation binder, and as any day at the library, it was full of public caused amusement and wonder.
I find myself in a rather elated mood this evening, which is quite odd for a Tuesday. On this day every week I help with story-time, open the library, work through two batches of courier deliveries, and my favorite, help facilitate the after school program.
The saint of a woman that runs the after school children's program every week deserves at the very least a six figure salary and her own personal masseuse. I exist to help her with whatever aid she needs, from clean up to bouncer and everything in between, but she has to plan and deliver programs to children in two libraries every day of the week. Like I said, masseuse, money, etc...
Today after a rousing set of Book Bingo with twenty-six vociferous children, I found myself picking up bingo tokens off of the carpet while Miss M handed out books to the attendees. This one fifth grade girl came up to me and said:
"You look more like a teenager than an adult."
"What?" I replied in a bit of shock, for as I was hopping around on the floor picking up little paper circles I was feeling every one of my thirty-five years.
"Yeah." her friend piped up, "You act like a teenager instead of an adult too."
Normally I would have some wise crack for the kids in response, but here lately I have begun to feel what I guess could be called the side effects of age. That some almost teenagers think that I am like a teenager soothed some of the pain in my volleyball damaged knees...
My amusement peaked a short while later when my coworker brought back this book for me to look upon:
She opened the classic bit of prose to its cover page and lo this is what I beheld:
"How did this even happen?" I squealed with glee as I grabbed my phone to take a picture. "Something this amazing must be archived!"(Sorry, I am a librarian 😜)
Sarah went on to explain that a mother had returned the book on behalf of her son. She said he accidentally spilled super glue on it. This was mom's explanation, I kid you not!
"He accidentally spilled the glue in a straight line!" I was giggling pretty good at this point, for the placement of the coins in perfect intervals screams the concept of a complete and total accident.
"Yes." Sarah replied,"That's what she said."
"How did she explain the coins?" I queried.
"She didn't." Sarah responded in her dead pan way, "The super glue excuse was a far as she got by means of explanation."
I now have a new goal in life. I want to level up to Excuse Level Super Glue and Coin. One isn't living until they can do something obviously intentional and yet claim it was an accident with a straight face. Better yet, have your mom deliver your lines for you! I still can't talk about the things that other people do with a straight face, let alone works of my own idiocy. My excuse-fu is weak, challenge accepted.
And as always, the images in this post were taken by the author on her binding glue residue-covered iPhone.
Your creativity post.
Good job
Ah, thank you so very much! Your kindness is much appreciated! followed!
you are welcome
Ah, the creativity of a boy caught red-handed; unparalleled! :)
Thanks for sharing! ;) 😄😇😄
lol! I am still impressed with how he owned it!
I am heading into that repository of knowledge and excuses here shortly, and am wondering what today will bring! 😊
Thanks for stopping by and commenting, I hope you are having a marvelous day!
My dear @generikat,
I see that a couple of hours have passed since you paused to greet me here. By now, you're no doubt decked out in your half-frames and starched finery, ensconced in your musty enclave, and fully engaged in your very librarian activities of curation, cataloging, contemplation, and carrel-dusting...
Meanwhile, I am seated at my keyboard, wishing that your day may be filled with many amazing and delightful surprises. :) Librarian @generikat, Carry on!
I was indeed fully engaged in my librarian activities, and while I would have loved to have been bedecked in traditional librarian finery, my clothing decor was more of the lace shirt, blue jeans, and cowboy boot variety, lol!
There were many amazing surprises today, my friend and delightful commenter @creatr, for I had to deal with a drunken patron, an abandoned child, and a snowstorm of epic proportions. I did give a clover plant a haircut as I built a garden book display and engaged in some book surgery however, so the delightful aspect of my day was fulfilled!
Have I told you how much I love your comments? They totally make my day!!! Your keyboard skills are unparalleled and hope that you had a pleasant evening!
I'm out of my depth here (literally; we've run out of comment depth, so I've fallen back to being more shallow... ;) So, in that vein...
Where's your pioneer spirit? Can't let little things like ice storms and power outages cramp your style, now, can you?
I was never much for ag when I was growing up. Oh, that I could go back and dummy up, and learn a thing or two from my green-thumbed German-Hungarian grandmother about how to grow things! One of these days I imagine myself doing some experimenting with aeroponics... I hope I don't have to learn it all the hard way when the trucks stop rolling and the family gets hungry...
Well, the first installment of my two-part story has been up almost half a day now... and the conclusion will be posted soon!
"My Little Margie" - A Theological Fantasy, Part I
Written under one of my pen names... Cool concept, that! A "nom de plume." ;) But you librarians would know all about that gimmick, wouldn't you? :D
Good evening, my dear, you are indeed too kind! :) That my comments please you, I find immensely cheering.
I am glad that you had a good day, and quite thankfully surprised to learn of the lovely variety of delights that attended your shift at the library. Epic snowstorms, Oh my! Thanks so much for sharing!
My evening has also been pleasant, thank you. A little dinner, courtesy of my wife's home cooking; a little science fiction television watching with my son - "Timeless," a surprisingly good contemporary series; and a little more musing about how to successfully complete a story that I'm writing in response to @michelle-gent's Fiction-Trail Writing Competition challenge.
Take care, @generikat, and please keep your tales of good times at the library coming! ;)
Wow, it took me an entire day to get back here to reply! There might have been an ice storm and a power outage that had something to do with that.
Seriously looking forward to reading your story for the challenge, and I will endeavor to persevere regarding the telling of tales!
Hope this evening with your family was as pleasant as last night's, I enjoyed a full evening of 4H meetings with mine, lol!
Well, at least a good book is still circulating...
The pun.....It BURNS! lol!
There was no pun intended. It was an honest expression of appreciation that the book is getting read.