Being mentioned in Dispatches, don't you know?

In the Empire's military, being mentioned in Dispatches was sure to bring attention to your heroic (or otherwise) achievements, and since many could not buy their next promotion it remained a valued measure of one's capabilities and potential. Well, I have been mentioned in the Travelling Librarian's Report of 2009.




"4.1.3 McNeil Island Corrections Centre
McNeil Island Corrections Centre is a 20 minute ferry ride from the mainland and
is a facility for male medium security offenders. As it takes time to access the
prison some staff live on the island, outside the facility, in case of emergencies.
There is also a special commitments centre on the island which holds sex
offenders who have finished their sentence but are considered too dangerous to
be released. These men do not have access to the library in the prison and as the
centre is not considered to be a prison no library is provided within it.

McNeil Island has the capacity to hold around 1,000 prisoners and the prisoners
work in all areas, including on the ferry carrying staff and visitors from the
mainland. The library has a stock of around 17,000 books as well as the music
collection. Earl, the associate at McNeil Island had integrated the easy readers
into the general collection although they were still identifiable by a yellow sticker, but he found that the men were more likely to borrow them this way, indicating that they found it embarrassing to be seen borrowing the easy readers than other books."

We have a two for... Library and Guns and foolishness...

So young person goes to the library to find information - which is a good thing - wants to know about guns and concealed carry - which in New York and Frequent Fearland a BAD thing. AND SOMEONE IN THE LIBRARY RATS HIM OUT TO THE POLICE! Telling anyone what someone else is borrowing or reading will get one fired and maybe charged with the CRIME in my modest library. What is going on?

The ANNOYED LIBRARIAN explains the New York law violated, and just the normal trust betrayed for those interested. And then says you can contact them by email on the Pelham Public Library website. Which I did just because I am shocked! I would still think that librarians should be allowed to carry their personal weapons - I trust them, although not as much as I did yesterday.

Good morning, too early but sleep is done...

Time to run, haven't gotten the blood pressure measured yet, but I am very heavy, although a half pound lighter than yesterday morning. Imagine that, change to fresh batteries and the air pump and measuring stuff hummmm, right along and find the pressure and the heart rate in record time. Duracell, not that Energy Bunny.

Dreams were different, a bit, there was a military overcast, but a church was much more central than barracks with broken plumbing. The church was a bit disorganized, but the ladies of the church (and this was a kind of country church) rode around in shiny aluminum camper vans with busy hens painted like nose art on the rear end in eight foot by seven foot size - nothing 'chicken little' about that, and they were busy. There was singing, picnicking and good works being done, but there was friction and the minister was in shadows and not leading as much as led... I did get to slide my M1 Garand into the dream, to take shooting, right up there with the other church activities. I have thrown darts, played cards, dominoes, volley ball, softball and pitched horse shoes - but have never shot targets with the church. More the Boy Scout activity, is my life that compartmentalized? Is compartmentalized a verb? Don't forget the Girl Scouts need to learn how to shoot, too. Breda would never forgive my lapse.

Big day today, register the newer rifle on Fort Lewis, registered weapons hurt so many fewer people than unregistered weapons - look it up (everyone has an opinion). Then drop off twenty-six dollars in rolled coins for my savings account - every penny saved today will help the credit crunch. Bankers know if they don't have money to move and if they don't move money quickly that they won't get rich and be able to send their grandchildren to Ivy League schools - because bankers only get paid by the number of times they assist in moving money - more times equal more money (successful moves, not the throw away kind). And it doesn't matter what kind of money - drug money, thug money, tax money or Zimbabwe's best fresh printed. The only thing the government needs to do is make sure the money is sound - but policy seems to dictate that is really beyond the control of the government, or they pretend it is. Although the United States is my country and is BIG, STRONG and wonderfully Democratic as an evolving Republic/Empire - the current policy of printing money to pump up the volume is exactly what little ol' Zimbabwe does to keep the population placid... along with thuggery. We haven't gotten to the laws making us behave better yet, but they are right behind the bail out. Anyway, back to my last positive thought - put your loose change into a bank today, help jump start the economy (no, don't go buy anything on credit, pay all that off!).

The visiting English librarian visits today, this afternoon, the crew cleaned up and we look okay. I have eleven boxes of almost new books, donated by a citizen probably because our library was in the newspaper and he was reminded that not everyone was as fortunate as he. So he shared, and it adds to the work day, but he is a man and the books I have looked at so far will circulate well in my reading population. Still, there are too many for just my library and we will list and ship to other libraries and camps over the coming weeks.

My wife has finally paid attention to my being gone this weekend -- off to shoot, wondering if I was going hunting. Nope, just shooting. She has the estimators coming on Friday morning before she goes to work. She had yesterday off, Federal Holiday, and was housemaking and humming along. I got the Kiwi, Strawberry, Pineapple, Cherry shortcake for desert last evening - which is why I am not two pounds less weight this morning, but it was so good - yes, Cool Whip could have added a pound but she didn't add that and I like real whipped cream - but no one does that anymore do they?

Let's get the Rifle and go shoot... soon, one hopes.

I came home early yesterday, to find my wife needing to go to the doctor and my package from the Civilian Marksmanship Program. I took my wife to the doctor and two of the booklets prepared by the United States Army Marksmanship Unit: Service Rifle Marksmanship Guide and International Rifle Guide.

Now I have had, for more years than you need to know, a terrible jealous envy of any group of soldiers that get to fire rifles and pistols in competition, with armory support and opportunity to earn the President's Hundred Tab and those other cool medals and honors. Yep, I never met any of them, they didn't seem to come out to play where I was engaged with godless Communist hordes or training groups of young men to shoot well and work as units to engage the hordes of enemy. So I had what I thought the Army was about and for, and was pretty proud of being a paratrooper, but I didn't think well of the Golden Knights or the US Army Marksmanship Unit, glory boys and playboys is what I thought of them. I was sure they didn't eat mud nor snakes like my buddies and I, and although they could really shoot well I was sure I had more ways to kill quickly than they (suburban legends?) and being artillery I could kill in mass and really out of rifle range for the forward observers and grunts. But I am being cleansed of the jealous envy.

I received "Mind over Matter" 3 DVD set for High Power Rifle Competition with the US Army Rifle Team. And it is great, and the shooters from the unit do a fine job of instructing and sharing their skills with the rifle. Which justifies the whole unit to me, just wish they had been sent to do more work periodically with the rest of the Army. Or made a DVD to share for trainers without their many rounds and shooting experience. Great DVD, buy a copy for your local library to share with the shooting and non-shooting public.

I have to go and prepare for the Courthouse wait again today, but for all of the United States Army Marksmanship Unit members past and present I do apologize for being jealous and mean spirited, I just wanted to shoot more and better but had other things on my plate. I am glad that someone gets to be the best and lead the rest, Thank you.

11B becomes an 11C, change is good...

Suspect sometimes sings to me, I went from well trained 11B to 13B because the Army needed me there and this week they are teaching me new tricks. Not the Army, the Washington State Library wants me to cover the absent vacationing Library Keeper at the Western State Hospital.
So from Tuesday through Friday I am working in a 1940's style library, where the largest circulation is in CD and DVD and VHS. There are books but not used so much and they have been weeded well and I am in awe of the space remaining on their shelves - can't get that much room in McNeil Islands library shelving.
The library software is different and linked into the Statelibrary and I have used it before and adjust easily. I haven't figured out the ILL codes so I can work on OCLC but will try to find that information today. The security set up is different going through the DSHS instead of the DOC and I can't do some searches and such on the work stations, but can from the public access terminals (different security set ups).
The other major change is in the patrons, I get patients and staff and they are certainly not like the guys at MICC. I get to be a charming old fellow and don't have to put on my "Tougher Than Thou" persona. So you aren't getting the real me because most of the patrons are very nice, will wait for their turn, actually say 'hello' and mean it when they ask how you are and what is your name. They will remember my name and I promptly forget theirs - bad habit from years of everyone with a rank and name tape. One lost college student, returned to the proper direction to find the local college library with the proper staff and much material. One staff preparing a training conference looking for citations for support in current treatments, sent away with less than she needed since I had lack of skills in online data base search, or she didn't know the real titles of the publications. I also have to talk to women MUCH more than normal - I will recover next week from that shock. I had better, or they might decide I need to work at WCCW and I have avoided that so well over ten years.
So I get to stretch and learn some new skills, solve puzzles and work around barriers, meet and talk to new folks that would like to have their normal librarian back (we aren't really librarians, lacking the MLS). I assure them that she will be back Monday but I will try to help now, a nice harmless ol' fellow.

Nice Cold Clear Day - Mount Rainier stands out

I want to ride my Triumph, because I am excited at so much Sun and all this free time, the cold doesn't even affect me - I see others in leathers on their motorcycles and they are having more fun than I in my minivan on my way to visit a public library. Why not me?

I think I should have my sunglasses on, I think about the interview, I think about friends, I park and visit the library and set their alarm off twice as I go in and out and then about - checking the new books on their shelves; Westerns, Mysteries, and Sci-fi. I meet my friend and we talk and that makes the day worthy, offered to put a good word in for me - but enough remember me from before I will go with the interview alone. I am early, I am invited in and addressed as "William" which I correct to "Earl" - these ladies don't know me, and I have never met them. Maybe I have changed too much as I aged, one of the pages I worked with before didn't remember me when I said 'Hi' either, it has been almost ten years since I worked for that library.

I am introduced and we touch common grounds before the questioning begins, the rules established, the language appropriate. Information Services is hiring one Library Associate, first question is what do I do now that would be helpful in their library and that position. I recite all that I remember that I do - and it is a long list, when their last question outlines the duties I would have in their library I realize that I won't be doing as much as I do now, and being only one of many I will be under appreciated. Still I answer the questions honestly, relaxed and with a little humor. My wife's advice was to not talk too much - since they are trying to write it all down I do think and then respond appropriately. Thirty minutes later the interview is over, they told me what the maximum pay was (if I worked there a long, long time) per hour. I shook their hands, for some reason the woman with gloves on the entire time upset my harmony, and I didn't like shaking the gloved hand, it was cold in that large room but two of us didn't have gloves on.

I drove home, counting two more motorcyclists going in my direction and one coming against the traffic. I considered that I probably won't get called - over qualified and too independent - hard to supervise, but would remain on their list for a year and maybe more interviews as new holes appear in their staff. My inside informants have said the budget talk has been very quiet, the personnel problems haven't changed much. I decide that the motorcycle needs a run in the cold clear air... time to breath, time to roar. I get home and take off the tie and interview gear, put on sweats, extra layers, mask, turtleneck sweat shirt and boots. Get the good warm gauntlets down and the full face helmet. Open the door, roll the bike out, turn the fuel valve, open choke, turn key, press starter - such lovely improvements over the kick starter of my first motorcycle (I don't have to prove I am a man any longer?). Close garage doors, put on helmet, adjust gauntlets, get on motorcycle, turn off choke, roll throttle, release, disengage clutch, tap into first gear - roll down drive and onto the street and adventures.

Others are going home and I am going against the traffic, and I fly (both wheels on the ground) and I fly. Stop at the Harley-Davidson dealer to see what is there, and nothing calls to me, I am too particular about my ideal motorcycle and too content with the Triumph in silver and graphite, even with its wounds, honorably earned the hardway, battle scars and scares, things to talk to my son and friends about over a beer (okay, a coffee). Time to go home and I want to miss all the congestion of the commute - not easy, but I have more flexibility on the motorcycle and I use it - seventy-five in a sixty zone? How did I get that fast, must be an error in the guage, this is the commute and nothing is protecting me, slow down a shade and read the traffic and the road. Very round about route ridden, but I finally get past the herd of migrating motorvehicles of suburbia and scoot home to find my wife dressing for church. Day is gone and it was great.