State Library has picnic, please come...

I spend way too much time with electronic noise, and except for inmate patrons I am not a very social fellow, but I was invited to the State Library picnic/barbecue in the parking lot of our building in Tumwater. So I am getting paid to put eighty plus miles on the road on my motorcycle on a beautiful day, some days are just perfect even when you don't deserve them. I ride and enjoy and get to introduce myself to the new receptionist, who doesn't want to give the biker guy an electronic pass to wander the building with (smart young woman), but I am rescued by Leslie that remembers me from my younger years and working in that building.

I go to the fourth floor looking for a computer I can use to add a small blog to the Institutional Library Services blog site (it is protected from search engines right now, but Spambots find it constantly to add their enlightened comments to our posts - how much trash is out there floating?). I get to use the program manager's computer, under my signature, she will worry that I might see something - I have kept nuclear targets secret, I think I won't tell you what her office looks like - only she knows where everything is, and having worked beside her she really does have it all filed properly and accessible. Anyway, I knock out something about Library Soloists and am content - if some wanderers want to read it and leave a comment, feel free, it works just like a blog but search engines can't find us, stealth librarians? I finish and kind of log off and go wander the building, saying hello and seeing what has changed, stopping by the free public computer access to check on the blog sphere and leave comments behind.

Then it is time to turn in my electronic pass and find the food and the library folk. Really, this is the largest group of human beings I have interfaced with my real wrinkled red face since Church on Sunday, except for the inmate library patrons, and them I get five days a week. I enjoy taking pictures, there is a long legged red haired lady, I get her in a typical Brigid pose, in every picture she is in you can't see her face, and I didn't plan it that way - she has a really great smile. Catching up on what is going on in everyone's lives (back from Hawaii, been sick and what is happening, how are the grandchildren) and listening to nonsense about the coming election. As part of the Office of the Secretary of State (Washington's) we are involved deeply in elections. I will vote is more than just a declaration, it is a duty and I encourage everyone, everywhere to get out and vote. But it was interesting to find that many library workers and librarians aren't quite like Breda - but then we knew that didn't we? After I had a well stacked hamburger and salads and fruits and vegetables, they had a cake walk and door prizes and games, fun times.

I had to ride off into the sunshine, go ride the ferry to the island, move the mail, and turn off the library lights until next Monday (when I will be replaced because I have jury duty) and ride the ferry off the island. I stopped at a small barbershop, talked to the barber about his hunting (I pass his shop and always notice he takes time to go hunting every year and I wonder why I don't know how to take time to do those kind of things). Since his third wife is Alaskan (don't ask me how that came up) we had to talk about Sarah Palin, and Mike has it exactly right. We compared her to a modern Teddy Roosevelt and her effect on the election in general - polarizing is a good word to burden her with, goes with energizing... well, I have a hair cut, didn't let him trim the eye brows, and wonder if the good smelling stuff will last through the mowing of the lawn tonight, but figure my wife will love me anyway as long as I work at it.

Lots of name dropping and links in this, I am shameless -- a sad state of affairs, I should have had something besides the grass cutting to share with Tam, but no gun stuff today, sigh. Although, I once was stirring up hornets's nests like her t-shirt story. Got to love the idea, although I thought Berkley had a really nice shop for buying and playing D&D stuff when I went through there on one of my jaunts to assignments in Asia to improve Democracy's security and defeat the godless commies. Too late to save Cambodia - one of those inconvenient truths about the Domino Theory. Of course, not everything toppled, but then they aren't democracies everywhere either.