The best and the brightest and the results...

Well, I was proud to go and cover for Doug, who is on a well deserved vacation, at the Washington Corrections Center for Women. Remember I do try to avoid them, and my wife admonished me not to wink at anyone while there today, laughingly. So I drove off and reported on time, in uniform (pocket protector and tie - the things I hide behind). I found I could open Doug's locker, and leave my keys, and I got to come back and leave my wallet, too. But I had no chit to turn in for library keys, and when confronted with the irregular and unexpected the institution shut me out. The shift Lieutenant couldn't issue me a temporary chit, and I could have hung around all day and collected my pay - but the library never would have opened. Sigh

I called the Associate Superintendent to report that I had been there and couldn't help their library, but I tried. I drove off, paid my four dollars for crossing the bridge over the Narrows - if it weren't so cold and the octopi so large I might try swimming to save the money next time. Anyway, I stopped at the Western State Hospital to report, request a leave and report that I have managed to keep two library branches closed instead of only one. Somedays, I should just stay in bed it is always warmer there than the cold, cruel world awaiting me - but then I could try to warm it up for the rest of humanity - start with a smile, a gentle attitude and sure knowledge that I am going to be loved by someone today. My supervisor sent off quick emails and got the corrections requested - she was going to cover tomorrow and Thursday, and I will try again on Friday --- wish me luck.

Why am I working in a prison library? or any?

After getting a sunburn on the Sunny beaches of Florida, Sunday afternoon, my wife says I am as red as a radish. But I was preparing to ride the Trusty Triumph to work and it was a bit chilly outside, not frosty yet but certainly stirred me to cut a couple of minutes off my jog because I wanted to go faster and stay warm as my breath clouded when I exhaled. Yeah, leather St. Johns Bay jacket, white, knitted by wife, scarf around my neck (flashbacks to WWI flying outfits), pulled on the almost winterized thick gauntlets and allow the motorcycle to warm up a little longer as I adjust the helmet. Florida was nice wasn't it? I waved good-bye and rolled off into the ride, and I don't have to share, go get your own ride, worth every penny and all the unexpected shocks along the way.

A walk to the dock, finally thinking about what I need to accomplish in the library, nap on ferry, and walk into the prison, okay it is a Corrections Center, but that is so many extra key strokes. I am on the outgoing mail, the incoming mail, and find a Library for the Blind bag, knowing immediately who that should have gone to - I know his name, been here too long? Check the four days of email, and answer some that have already been taken care of by others. But one has to look, sometimes they don't skip you and they wait. Find a message from my supervisor that says I have to get the branch manual updated before she returns, and I was so sure I had it updated before I left - put that on the procrastination pile. Finally I have a full crew the last one tells me that his unit was locked down - since movement is already thirty minutes late I could believe it. And we work and help the customers, I find small problems only I can fix, others they should have already and guide them back to doing it better for the library and customers. Sending patrons to me is only when they have done all they can, I get interrupted many times, and that sometimes makes me forget my place and I start over. Can't say there is any boring stuff in my library, everyone wants something from me - the hustle is constant.

Another patron comes to my door and I almost start to snarl, I am such a bad guy, but then I ask what I can do for him, he wants to know what to read -- seems he has a lot of time on his hands and wants to get that stuff he missed in school. He wants the classics and stuff the college types all know, kind of. So I hit Google and print out about three recommended reading lists - glancing at them most of them aren't on my reading list but the education and media elite think they are worthy. Sigh. So I go out and we start to talk more about what he wants from the reading, self education opportunities in the library (all libraries everywhere), and why he didn't do it all the first time years ago. I want to give him Ender's Game but it isn't on the shelf but recommend it (he looks like he need teenage male romance -- which is always competitive adventure not sex, folks). Yes, I did show him the Great Books collection briefly - but I won't start anyone on Dante or Plato, I talk and discuss some more and head for Heinlein - grab Starship Troopers and The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, tell him not to think about any movie about any book - books are always better. He is still oriented a bit towards the classics, been talking to others, and wants to look at Moby Dick and a Dickens or two. So I show him a Classic condensation with illustrations of Moby Dick and walk him over to Dickens and grab the Christmas Carol - since Nicholas Nickleby is way too thick for starting out. I then talk a bit more, another inmate slides a book about reading for self education towards him (now where did that book come from?) and recommends it -- there are no private conversations in prison, every thing is monitored. But that is one of the great things about real readers - they are always willing to share their books just like Oprah (yes, I mentioned her book club - he thinks he might like to join one in the prison). I do go back to the Great Books shelf and find Melville and Moby Dick, or The Great White Whale. So he thanks me and hopes he can talk to me again later and my day is done, it won't get any better than that, all twenty minutes of nudging him into reading and hoping I have picked books that will make him come back for more. I stop at my internet computer and add a couple of self study books for purchase, and the ones that were recommended by Bob to add to the next book cart.

By the end of the day, as I work to clear the paper shredder jamming (when you don't buy it you don't care for it lovingly) and wish my request for labels and removable tape had been filled and decide I will have to purchase them with my own money, since it seems the Governor lost all of hers, where do the dollars go? by the end of the day, I mention to one of the old library workers (a fine large hunk of a man - okay, potential thug or gentle giant) that I had a great fifteen minutes today - out of the eight and a half hours, and he understood. Yeah, I will have to remember that because they aren't often enough, but they are golden.

Linking Books and they circulate...

First batch of books finished and moving out in circulation today, another book cart full going through processing, another cart unboxed and preparing to move into processing and four still to be opened boxes of books to go. Maybe, if everything works well I can get everything done by next Friday. Turned in my Fire Extinguisher and First Aid Kit Report for the month, now I have the library reports to email to the Gang of Three (Go3). Our special Interlibrary loan system for the Camps came back up on line today, so I know there are others out there as I see their replies to the requests. Looking forward to the book budget figures, since it was cut by fifty percent I will have to be tighter than I really am, more paperbacks and less latest of favorite authors, which always come out in hardback first.

As we start processing the materials the favored few show up to see what they HAVE TO HAVE FIRST, don't play well with others and you want to know why some of these patrons should stay here? Because they don't play well with others.

It is a Library, so of course it is quiet, kind of...

Had to tell an inmate not to bring his coffee into the library, no food nor drink allowed. He thought if he told me I should have a sign that he could stay with his coffee. Nope, I am a cranky old man and I want the rules obeyed. He put the coffee in the hall outside, then worried that someone would steal it.

I have been training the clerks in their new jobs, getting books processed and keeping things moving, not as fast as normal but trying to stomp out the little fires before they get to be big ones. This morning, because some inmates may have been outside the fence in civilian clothing, there was a total RECALL, Lock up, and Picture Card Count. That was a three hour exercise in making sure no one is missing, no one was missing but I was about three hours behind. I have some real workers so they came in as soon as they could and we caught back up.

On the work email was more of almost total silence. I had mentioned a couple days ago (Monday?) that it didn't seem like any of the other branches were open - not true, they piped up when they caught up enough to check the email. I had over nine hundred circs on Monday, 730 on Tuesday, and about 330 today - only open a few hours today. I need those books processed and linked before I go ordering new book carts for this month - not that they have a budget amount for me yet, but I can build the cart if I know what I have already.

Finish the June reports tomorrow, order supplies and try to get more done since I have only four and a half years left before I retire on Social Security and go find another job to keep me solvent.

The work week is done... fast!

I was watching some ants scurrying around in the heat and thought about how fast they get as it gets hotter, and it is getting hotter here. I seem to have dropped into that faster is better pace, walking to the dock today, longer strides more of them per minute and my trek over sooner. Maybe the doldrums from lolling in Hawai'i are in my past and the hamster wheel is spinning.

A short four day week, and we finished overdue notices today, added books to the collection, began to open and process books from the purchase orders, started training the clerks in new tasks and established a rotation of two weeks per station and job skills until everyone can do all the tasks. No more territorial rights, seniority dibs and been here longest. Our biggest circulation days were Monday and Tuesday, but we are open more hours then and were well used. I did inmate payroll and end of month reports, still waiting for a few missing numbers. I gave warning about my vacation (working out East) at the end of July first part of August - it will be fast, too. One of my older workers came back from court - he will leave when his address is approved, so I will lose two of the current workers in a couple of weeks or months and have to hire and train more, but that is a constant. I finished updating the Branch Manual, if you ever come to my library and want to know how to make it work, just look in the Branch Manual, everything except MY secret password is there to help you. Of course, I don't have time to read how anything is supposed to be done, I am too busy - which may be why they make me close and go off to learn, discuss and review how the library could be working if I read all the paper and plans that pass or plaster against me...

I was inspected this week by two fine men from Department of Corrections at McNeil Island, it was just a quick look around and talk to staff and inmate workers - giving the inspectors an impression that the library is fine and functioning, and the comment about needing one more worker was even in the report, I found out today that the Job Center lady is on vacation and who to contact if I had an emergency, I don't have one - we are full up again for a little bit.

For those that can't visit, we have two kinds of stands up along the roads in Washington now, one dollar for a basket of cherries (bumper crop and get them now!) and the fireworks stands everywhere - yes, you could buy totally noisy bangs for your bucks. Now I did catch World News tonight and know that the Stimulus Package isn't doing enough for the economy -- well, the President should take a lesson from a salesman in Puyallup, and he has Nearly Naked Fireworks stands, manned (or is it womanned?) by bikini clad babes. And those fireworks and the babes are moving, as opposed to America's economy. Although, I did catch that Ford is doing fine without the Washington leadership and oversight... The not so beautiful people are miffed about the babes, but they have been moving Latte for a long time in that costume, and the owner of the stands says next year there will be more of them.

I know that the world now thinks everything is new, but I have evidence that some things are forever, what was Eve clothed in before the Serpent ruined it all?




Those Greeks and Romans knew a lot about tile.

Friday, week four of Keegan...

He gets a picture taken today, and he is still in Hawai'i. Lucky fellow.

End of my work week:

The library was cleaned this morning, I have finished requesting a hundred and two InterLibrary Loans (ILLs), fifteen are already in shipping status and two more have been rejected. I didn't get another twenty-five because I couldn't find the title wanted. All reserves and ILLs on the shelves ready for pick up. The purchase order shopping was delivered today (ten big boxes of books!) with three UPS ILLs, and two boxes of J.L. Marcus catalogs (hmm and what they want is EastBay). The overdues are done, restrictions applied, and notices printed and addressed for distribution, the patron status is closer to being correct, since I have been deleting the released and re-assigned patrons. The emails are still a bit out of control, but working through them as I can. I should get ready for the weekend, MICC is totally ready for business. I did test and interview six applicants for the open position on Wednesday, but haven't had any assignment from the Job Center for filling the position. I did file for my travel and I did report my computer needs during upgrade.

I need more paper for my printer at home, I need to finish the yard, I need to rest and review before going to the Appleseed in Monroe this weekend and I should get off the computer... take care out there. My wife mentioned that famous people die young, and I told her that she and I will live a long, long time.

Keeping and bearing arms... normally...

there is a bear loose on McNeil Island, and for some fool reason they are going to try and trap it and release it in another better area. The bear swam to the island, because it saw it as a better area already... no body is asking the bear. But they aren't discussing the location of the bear on the radio anymore -- do you think there is a ranger missing?

I was host and trainer for a visiting Library Keeper from the Women's Corrections Center, he normally has twenty patrons when he is open. He was visiting for familiarization and preparing to replace me for a few days while I go off to tropical paradise with my much better half. He told me that once he has replaced me that I will be expected to replace him some time - I have ducked working in the women's facility for many years now, I hope to continue the streak. It was interesting to see my facility and what I do from another's eyes. So we had a good time, got a lot of work done and the differences in the patrons and the interlibrary loan load was quickly obvious. The Institutional Library Service is understaffed, and any illness, family emergency, general time off for exotic vacations or NRA conventions has to be answered by some coverage (normally by the Supervisors that have their own work) or just closing the library - and a closed library sucks (according to one irate inmate).

There was the kind of frenzy with Acquisitions about purchase order shopping for McNeil Island's library, but they came through with the faxed authority and amounts and I put up the signs saying that the library is closed on Thursday so Earl can go shopping for books. They gave me $2400 plus to spend, I will be hitting two bookstores and have made the coordination calls and have a shopping list, which helps but never enough. Still I know what will fill in the dollars I haven't dedicated yet.

Home to wife and Summer, the motorcycle purring under me, an admiring comment from an observer as I wait by an intersection, keeps me smiling, ya know? Oyster stew last night, and clam chowder tonight all from the shores of Washington State, thank you beachcombing wife. I finish my evening with more work on the M1 Garand, study, disassemble, maintain and reassemble. Having so few rounds left for the Paratrooping Red Monkey Zombie hordes, I will have to start shooting the Stevens target rifle again, and rebuild the supply of 30-06.

I heard a story at the range, seems a young woman came into (inherited upon the passing of a family member) some firearms, and not being involved in shooting nor politically as aware as she is now -- she got rid of them, safely. Sigh, reminds me of the Corvette Stingray in the barn behind the old rusting junk... and makes me wish I had been there to see what the firearms were. Well, she is a Rifleman now, and will be looking seriously for a rifle - if she shows up at your shoot, encourage her to try your rifle out and tell her about it. She will only need two - one that shoots twenty-two and one of larger faster bullets - I thought a .223 would work, but what would I know?

There are good days and there are bad...

There are really, and I wonder why the day felt so wrong and so bad. I got to ride my motorcycle to work, that was a good thing although the promise of rain awaited the afternoon and evening. I had four bins of mail and two boxes of books, so it was two trips up and down the steps but that wasn't a problem. Maybe the email with the announcement of the resignation of one of the other library keepers bothered me or started the darkness descending. The crew showed up, and worked well, the patrons showed up and bothered everyone - but that is their job and they do enjoy it. Still I guess it is the feeling of alone, in the midst of peopled plenty. There was that very formal and threatening Memo from the Communications Officer of the Office of the Secretary of State, all about blogs and their proper use and the destruction of your life if you misuse a blog or the State Owned equipment and Heavens won't help you if you actually say something that isn't in accordance with the Office. Sam Reed is a better man than the memo, but he does get protection and loses my support because of it. Those two items could have been my weights dragging my Will down... Will being my grandfather's, and mine and potentially my grandson's secret name. Everyone should have a secret name.

There were other things in the email but I wasn't picking up on anything that didn't have to do with my support of the library, I was too gloomy. I guess looking at Time magazine and People magazine during processing and finding out that I hadn't made the 100 most influenza people or BEAUTIFULL people for the year bothered me. All I know about beauty is that it begins and ends in the heart, and grows as it is shared, and I like to think that influence can't be measured by polling data, money raised, ad campaigns won - influence is butterfly effects and finding out that something one did or said had a good result somewhere beyond the scope of the originator.

I told my wife about Socrates today, it was part of a discussion she was listening to and she wanted to know why he was important - since she hadn't heard of him before. Yesterday, I processed and linked many of our new books and two about the start of the Revolution had come in, Lexington and Concord and Paul Revere's Ride. I told the inmate workers to look up Samuel Whittemore, and they did and read about him. I would get to tell the story one more time as I rode the bus from the dock to the parking lot where the Trusty Triumph waited, wet with the afternoon downpour. The rain - which broke for my time on the road going home and I was mostly dry but very happy when my wife opened the garage door for my motorcycle. By the time I had some hot bean soup warming me up I was a happy man again, blest as always. Wonder if I will ever go back to work?

Conversations with my self... the guy I hardly know...

I wake early, dreams of running roads in the military (do they still do that?) individuals, pairs, groups, clumps and platoon to brigade formations running in the morning calling the Sun up, getting the sweat out of the alcohol before the shower will take the stink of Strawberry Hill away. Loved that part of the Army, my life was five mile minimums for so long. I have returned to road work, the foot feels fine the weather is almost perfect and my body protests weakly but that has to do with overcoming the Gravity of the LazyBoy recliner and the Winter fat. I am not going to get seriously into shape - no racing, competitions, Mister Hardbody calls, nope, I am an old man and being able to move is all I want now. You all know that walking thirty miles a day, or jogging with the dogs on the hunt for twenty to twenty-five miles is the base humans were designed for, seven days a week, fifty-two weeks a year until your teeth were ground down or fell out or competing tribes of other peoples attacked and ate you if you weren't better armed or aggressive. Someone out there thinks we should have talked about it, but there are only so many women around to take and convert to our way.

This is the birthday of several people and the Earth, I guess. Happy Birthday, Wyatt! Melissa! I have only awe of a planet that would put up with me and the rest of Humankind, which aren't too much (kind). Wyatt provides my look at beautiful women that I would never be brave enough to talk to (my favorite war story is when the Miss America contestants were flown into our firebase, and we had to put shirts on, and they were so nice and friendly and I couldn't say one word - not even thanks for being here and being you - nothing, I was so unworthy). Melissa is another Library Keeper, and she called for some of my knowledge yesterday, she didn't get much but not her fault. I found out that she has been to a Boomershoot in her past -- now that makes two library women that are not within their stereotype, the world has more surprises if I just pay attention.

I didn't ride my motorcycle while I was Appleseeding, but the last two days have been right in the perfect and don't miss the opportunity zone (so I haven't), I keep wondering if anyone that doesn't ride a motorcycle understands when I wiggle the bike that it is a reflection of the great fool grin hiding under my face shield? I pick up and load out the Caravan and depart for Idaho today - so my blogging will slow to a stop, I don't have a portable PC which is one step I might make to being electronically leashed, but being frugal (or just plain cheap, take your pick) I travel light. I do have to work on my community service today, the yard must be attacked, clipped, edged and groomed. So I have things to check off my list so the world according to Earl will be as good as he can make it. I tried to clean up the McNeil Island Library yesterday, I had started my day with a little briefing for four visiting ladies, about the library and what we offered the inmate patrons in materials and services, then worked the day through with my three almost four man crew, we haven't seen the last hired since they took him off for mental evaluation. As I am going to Boomershoot I worried about the library, but the Program Manager and my Librarian Supervisor are covering the three days, so all services will remain - and some will be done so much better than I could ever manage. I will get questions about why some things are the way they are, I will get some kind of mention of that isn't the way something is supposed to be done (I miss a lot of memos), but I am always glad if they still let me have the job when I return with all my faults found. My crew has been admonished to report to work on movements not earlier, and I told them that I expect them to report to work and to do the best they can in the library and working with the ladies (they keep saying they want more time in the yard but they aren't serious). They will reveal secrets about their versions of the library operations that I don't even know, and since they are a more mature crew I likely won't hear about how I appear to them from my supervisors when I return. I do know that they will tell me everything that the ladies do that is better than I (okay with that) and all that the ladies didn't do while I was gone that I would have (I do keep explaining that the supervisors still have their own jobs to do at the same time they are keeping the library open - there isn't any slack in our operating staff, everyone has to do more than the Governor and government pays for).

And just to wrap this up, those wonderful women that visited my firebase in Vietnam, had more Field Grade support in cool uniforms with Black Ops guns and air coverage than the poor under strength Infantry platoon that came out of the bush to secure our base while we packed up and departed. I was very proud to lend our shower to the Grunts and show them how to heat the water in the fuel barrel, so they could have a hot one. Would have done it for the ladies but they were flown back to the civilized section of the warzone, with airconditioned trailers, hot water and hot meals. Still thanks for coming by, it is good to remember what we were fighting for.

ILS Quarterly Training Conference...

Close the library for two days, go to Federal Way, Palisades Retreat and meet with all the other Library Keepers and the Gang of Three (Go3). Budget boredom, no money maybe less, keep the library open even if we can't buy more books, keep the libraries open - once the doors close it is over, they don't re-open. Policies and procedures in the afternoon session, and a tearful farewell from one retiring Library Keeper, Virginia. She said good things about all of us that have been working with her - mostly so far away - she used to call me and tell me she supported some of my more foolish risky statements of discord with the establishment - when I am wrong is it easiest to see when I am leading others astray. She is good people and won't be replaced easily.

Final session was of a DVD from the surveillance cameras in the library at the West Complex of the Washington State Penitentiary at Walla Walla. Tough guy heaven, new buildings for the old Concrete Mama stuff... The temporary fill was Joyce, coming down from Airway Heights to keep the library open, she did and while distracted by a reference question about five of the twenty some patrons worked on an attack on another patron. The attacker walked across the entire library, put a book down on a shelf, and wound up and struck the victim from behind. The blow was for shock (worked) couldn't have done more than dislocate the jaw - but didn't. The attacker then wrapped the victim up in his t-shirt put him in a headlock and then beat on him for two minutes in the corner of the library. One of the attacker's partners, perhaps in more ways than one, sat in a chair facing the whole thing, not missing a blow. One other was close to a filled book cart and moving a little to maintain some blocking of the staff member's view of the library, where the fight was quietly going on. The fifteen or so patrons and two inmate workers kept quietly doing the library thing while glancing once in a while to the struggle. Suddenly two inmates come in from outside the library, all the patrons shift far from the fight in one corner and the first two officers show up and start giving orders to the fighters. The attacker lets victim go, victim starts beating up the attacker, more officers arrive, book shelves are being pushed over and around and books are hitting the floor, victim is hitting the attacker. More officers arrive, restraining and cuffing attacker then victim and walking them out and off to segregation cells. The remaining officers pat search all the inmate patrons and workers, clear them out, look for weapons and get statements from the staff about the fight. She saw only the last thirty seconds of the fight, missing the first two minutes (long enough that a deadly attack would have worked) and thinking the response team was quick during those last thirty seconds of fight. There are two cameras in that library, a panic button in the staff office she knew nothing about, and we watched the attack over and over and discussed what could be done to improve security in the library - better view, staying in the library not in office or workrooms, and of course more staff (which isn't going to happen during penny pinching seasons). Valuable training, very valuable.

I got out of my Earl is a loner mode, went for a motorcycle ride and filled my tank up, the Sun is out and it is cool and so is the Trusty Triumph and I. I ride back and stay for dinner at the Retreat (not normal conduct - Earl is a home boy and never stays - but Virginia doesn't notice). After I help move a table, set some stuff around and look at the preparations. You don't think we were going to allow Virginia to quietly slip into that fabled land of Retirement without embarrassing her. Invited old co-workers, gathered presents, letters from the Secretary of State and the Governor, a great scrapbook made by Joyce, pictures by Earl and Doug over the years, and others. About seven, Jeannie cons (prison reference!) Virginia into coming to the Library to play a board game and the Game is On! Surprise Party, three daughters and a grand-daughter have traveled miles in Virginia's van to attend and all of us and the tears start again, the jokes and tales of the troubles told. Jeannie is her old jolly self and cutting up, Doug has brought some decent drinking whiskey, and there is wine and Lemonaide for me. A cake doesn't last after appropriate picture taking and this social stuff isn't bad (says the guy hiding in the corner) but then it is in honor of Virginia, twenty-four years of institutional library service and she has done a fine job. The governor should have come, but then it wouldn't have been as much fun, would it?

Some things hurt more than others...

I dragged the garbage can to the curb, in my sweat pants and muscle shirt with the wooden shoes on, in the snow, my wife asks if that was what I wore and tells me I will catch cold. But I don't believe in colds from the cold just from the snotty, sneezing, coughing huggers with the red teary eyes. Don't know many of them so will be well, did think about riding the motorcycle but the weatherman is iffy today and it will be dark and could be freezing by the time I go home, I will cage me...

I was busy and someone called my name over and over at work, wanting my attentions, the snarling alpha male in me came up and I came out of my den saying things loudly about RUDE, IGNORANT, THOUGHTLESS people (which I had just become one of). The point of my anger cringed and whimpered and said things like "racist remarks and mumble, mumble..." and I felt the fool for being less than he expected and for having hurt him. I hadn't said anything racist that I recognized, but he felt that IGNORANT was racist - while I think ignorance can be cured it is stupidity that seems to be genetic, and I hadn't called him stupid. He snuck away, and I had won but knew that I had really lost - control and one patron that thought he was my buddy and we could talk... I will have to try and repair that relationship somewhere in the future. It will take a while. There is only one of me, two of my fellow library keepers are retiring this year and we still have two vacancies that haven't been filled - going for four and the State has frozen hiring for budget problems (not enough Lotto ticket buyers, not enough sales tax). I must try and fix all that for the ruling Democratic Party, or something.

I did turn off my television news when I found media and the unrighteous preparing to sacrifice their children on the altars of Science and Medicine, and the enlightened representatives of the American people preparing to write Ethical Guidelines for the ritual and rites. Our Congressmen and women know anything about ethics? It probably shouldn't bother me, Science and Medicine are such little gods and the sacrifices are such little defenseless lives - I could never see them without a microscope. But I thought sex was to bring forth babies to gurgle and smile and hold and love. Better go back to what I do best; killing and destroying and listening to the wail of the women...

Well, we can start over, can't we?

Now, most of the people I know aren't completely overwhelmed by Bush's and Obama's Economic Crisis. Tulips just aren't that critical to most of our fortunes, so contracts for tulip bulb potential values aren't going to sink us when the Federal Government decides not to honor them nor subsidize them. Honest, and when my wife and I decided to buy a home (in every one of the five we have owned over thirty-seven years of marriage) we never bought one that I couldn't manage to pay the mortgage insurance and taxes and still buy food and utilities and clothing from my income. I also never thought of my home as my retirement income (reverse mortgage) nor as potential for borrowing against the ever increasing value of the home (have lived in too many homes that didn't increase in value - one is always enough for me). I don't know what my credit score is, I don't care, if you don't want to lend to me - then we are in agreement, cause I have only enough time left on this side of Paradise to pay off what I owe now, not some new debt (no, I am not supporting the debt of foolish Congresses and Presidents). Because I have been observing that Americans are supposed to live well above their means, to borrow and pay back forever (according to the commercials on television, and the infomercials, the current situation comedy - daily dramas and Oprah). My truth is that I have to be responsible and pay my way, I expect y'all will, too.

Now, that fine looking country over there, los Estados Unidos de América,(that has been blamed for selling all those guns to the Mexican Drug gangs, and buying all their drugs), that country is going to have a real problem living as high as they have been. Borrowing money on income they don't have and squandering what they have so they can do less and live largely lazy watching idiot boxes telling them how to be younger and beautiful and sexy. I see a bunch of debts coming due, needing to raise their credit limit and having to pay higher interest to borrow to pay off current debts and operating costs, and people and businesses going elsewhere for opportunity - instead of the land of higher taxes and more regulations and imprisonment and fines. Oh, you think you can sell this "I know what is best for you and you will do it my way or the highway!" I won't buy it, I have lived elsewhere, and I can again. Anyway, it will be interesting to see America fold to the pressure of their bankers (foreign nations of different values and opinions) to be perceived as a strong independent superpower (trying to stay ahead of the Chins, Li's and Saudis?).

And is it only I that see the terrorizing bubble-headed budgets that the Presidents have been playing with and proposing being an indication that even the government is going to live far beyond its means? I mean, if the President were serious he could rent those other rooms in the White House, charge more for his signature and photo opportunities and have special days at the mansion like they do at the ball fields and football stadiums. He could get his own bullet proof vest and concealed weapon and allow the Secret Service to go back to finding the counterfeiting criminals. But then where I would find a second job or start a business to add income in a personal family economic crisis, or all the adults and almost adults would get work or do more in the home and 'chip in' to make all the ends meet for our lives and our dreams - well, I guess some people just go out and party larger and harder, and hold up signs saying they will work for food while hoping to get a twenty in pity. What were they thinking, or weren't they?

I am too hard on the GOOD INTENTIONS of the people representing me in government, because I don't have faith that they will pay the price for their mistakes, they really expect me to pay the price - cause I am just that good a guy.

Well, because I am who I am, a quick story update about the prison library. The fellow I banished from the library for his behavior, the one that tried to kill me with my own bad blood pressure, tried to start some fights with my workers and was such a pain the Corrections Officers made sure he got his medications and was put in solitary for his security and everyone else's peace of mind. Yeah, the one I picked three special books for him to read while he was there and the information he had been looking for the night before. That guy walked up to my counter in the library and said that he wanted to say he was "Sorry". He had just been released from his two weeks in the Hole and was making things right. So we talked a little about why he was acting that way (drugs and fright flight) and how he was doing now. My big question was did he get the books I had picked especially for him, he had and he proudly told me that he read them all. Works for me!

What I learned at work today...

Newsweek has another bright red cover, and declares that Obama has a Confidence Game going... working with inmates that always have a confidence game going I knew I recognized the entire Economic Stimulus Program as one of the biggest Confidence Games going... but I won't be the sucker, I didn't sign the promissory notes, nor vote on passage of the total foolish package. President Obama should have lined out the bad parts and sent it back. Not to worry, it doesn't matter to the inmates nor I.

Lots of good work done in the library, and the crowning point of my day was during the last thirty minutes. I got called a name, okay, not such a big deal, but I like being called Earl and I don't like being called "Boss" not by my crew or anyone else trying to "con" me (not that President Obama ever could - doesn't he smoke?) anyway an inmate approached and said "Jefe, the other Jefe over there said I had to make it right." and I was laughing in my heart so hard it cracked my best grin out over my face. I fixed his status so he could borrow books again and went over at closing and talked to that other Jefe about our new titles - and he denied he was a Jefe... I don't like Mexican and Mexican-American gangs, but I do like real people doing the best they can, more Mexican readers the better. Another Absent Father wants some good books on Creative Ways to teach his children ABCs and Numbers, and now I am, too. Good day, better night.

The Sun was out, the sunglasses needed...

Thursday afternoon as I got into the Caravan for the trip home the Sun was shining brightly, I put on the sunglasses and buckled the seat belt and put the machine in gear. Nice to go home with the Sun still up and shining, means that motorcycle weather can't be far behind, and Friday is the last riding day of this week - it is a date... So I got up and dressed and opened the garage door and rolled the motorcycle out to start it up. It is thirty-four degrees, frosty mostly everywhere, and foggy in butter knife cutting possibilities. Doesn't matter, get the boots on and grab the gear, if one has to be driven about something riding a motorcycle is a good way to go. With the fog I won't notice the fogging of the face shield, will I? Just riding in the gray cotton misty cold. The humidity is high, or those are really fat drops of cold cloud making the morning fog. Doesn't matter, only the ride, staying up and leaning hard and rolling up and out of it. Gets colder, since the gloved hands don't get warmer, I run out of the primary tank fuel, switch to reserve and ride on. So quiet, figuratively, and so alone and in control. Roll into the parking lot, shut down and leave the helmet.

Friday is clean up day, finish the unfinished week, wish I could go home early, but don't - talk books, tell the big old worker that F. Paul Wilson has a book about Jack before he got old enough to be a Repairman. Talk to one of my workers about David Drake, whom is the best writer in the current world according to the worker, I got happily stuck on Hammer's Slammers long before he (David Drake) wrote some nice postcards back to me while I was performing speed bump duties in Saudi Arabia in Desert Shield. We had lots of time to read as we waited for an opportunity to excel. I have finished building the March book cart of stuff to buy, will submit it on the 1st of March, doesn't pay to wait they could cut my budget again and I would rather be ahead than behind. I did a lot of talking today, even with other staff - very rare, but they have been talking to me about work, re-entry resources, motorcycles and today - rifles and shooting in Europe and here in the Northwest. I lock up after shutting down the computers, a good week of work - in four days, one more of five to go and February will be history, too.

I talk a little on the ferry, ride the bus to the parking lot and start smiling more as I get closer to the Trusty Triumph. Get the helmet, start the bike - remembering to put it on reserve tank, and ride off to re-fuel and go home. The Sun is shining, it is warmer, much, than it was in the morning, but the traffic is heavy and don't know about the economy where y'all are - the I-5 South lanes are a slow moving parking lot as I glance that way as I zoom over the bridge above the lost upon the highway to California... riding home is good the bike is responsive and I don't see the fearless woman on her Sportster, although I did yesterday, she has new black leathers with fringes, new to me. I think she goes home early on Friday afternoons. There must be a secret to missing all the red lights, but with too many cars there seems no hope. I do fill the tank up, and head on home. Roast, corn, potatoes and hot coffee the news tells me that Wall Street doesn't believe the Whitehouse about Bank NATIONALIZATIONS this weekend. But I am not holding stock (directly in banks now - my mutual funds are a different matter) in banks. I do trust my wife, my motorcycle and my M1 Garand - which I am off to shoot with tomorrow.

I don't seem to be right for the job...

I missed a meeting with the Associate Superintendent for Programs, I had thought she was off the island and wouldn't be back the remainder of the month, the last was correct, but after Tuesday not today. The work day went well until a young looking felon started acting up in the evening, accusing one of my workers of yelling at him, then wanting me to do stuff for him, some of which I did, some of which I told him he could have if he wanted an ILL, that I could find the album that way. He came back wanting the information so he could buy the album, and I told him I wasn't going shopping for him. He got loud with me and I became tired of working with his handicap, and wasn't doing anything for him so he got louder and told me that I had lied and tried to manipulate me to giving him what he wanted (I am not allowed to give him what he needed). But when he called me a liar I got angry and my blood pressure was cooking so I kicked the desk. Which gave him ammunition, now I was threatening him. I told him to go away and sit down, which he did, after I cooled off I tried to talk to him again - and it didn't work, he wasn't old enough to have a real conversation with. Children are easier to talk to than adults that never grow up. So I ordered him to report to the Corridor Officer and tell her that he was ordered out of the library. He tried to tell me that he couldn't do that, but I told him that I knew better and that he had to follow my instructions. He left and I got back to work, and an officer came in to follow up and asked. We cleared the library on movement and I continued to work and the next group came in and the young failure returned quietly and I didn't see him until I sent everyone out and tried to lock up. When I went by him in the hallway I told him not to come back to the library until his counselor says he can, I will tell his counselor tomorrow about his behavior. I am not a cop nor a snitch, but I am trying to keep a working library open for more than the young fool.

But as I left the prison under the beautiful Full Moon and Cold Dark Sky I kept thinking maybe I am not the person for the job - missing appointments failing to placate the irate ignorant... I might be better as a has been, failed again... too cold for motorcycling far enough away from fools trying to kill me with my own blood pressure. I am not worthy.

Better win the Lotto tonight, in just fifty minutes...

I focus on immediate work, and fly through the day - like I did yesterday, although yesterday I worked my later shift and missed ninety minutes of fun with guns, Breda and Ahab, and fine folks. Anyway, the fog was waiting for me in the morning, as was the blue-eyed snowcat that want to adopt me - or just likes being stroked. Same chill in the air, thanks Al. Same walk in the darkness to the dock, feels good, nap on the boat. Open the library and work. Carry three bins of mail down to the mailroom, bring two bins and two boxes of new books back - and no inmates escaped, nor helped this limping old man, should have asked my supervisor for assistance, since she hasn't gotten me any yet.

Good books coming in - I see three I really want to read, but can't because Newsweek says President Obama is going to remake America, is it going back to the wonderful one I grew up in? You know; before PC, credit cards, internet, abortion and sex education. Probably not. Funny, my mother (who didn't leave the country when Bush was selected, twice, but thought about it) is very happy and she hopes he (President Obama) will have them bring all the people in Iraq, back to the States. I didn't know all the Iraqis wanted to come to America. It would certainly be a start on remaking the country, wouldn't it? Well, quick lunch and back to work.

The three man crew and I really do well, although I sometimes wish I could stop them from bothering me when I have focus - but then realize they have needs, too. So I take the quick break to get stuff for them, and back at it. Ordering ILLs, finding MARC records for donations being added, labeling for Call Numbers, answering emails and back to patron requests and the traffic is light today in the library, a couple of newer inmates to add to the system and a call to the Shift Lieutenant for an RM escort (doesn't happen for whatever reason). One final check of the email and I find my supervisor wanting to know if something happened on/or by the 21st of January so she could report it completed to her boss by the 22nd. I answer "nope" and log off my computer and close the library.

One of my thoughts as I noted it is day two of President Obama's Reign, and I am working as fast as I can, and I haven't caught up, there isn't any help at my level for getting just the light work in the library done - and I am expected to trust the government to get it perfect anytime soon? I have worked inside the government (not governing anything thankfully, yet) for a little more than forty years -- I thought I had been doing pretty good, and sometimes darned fine work, but now I have to change... sad day to know I am the problem and not part of the solution. Best get to doing my taxes, although I am so far ahead of the nominated Secretary of the Treasury in doing them well, never having had too much money to tax wrong. Now if my numbers will just drop I could do as badly and land a great government job... retirement!

Not my birthday yet, but the Vibes are out there...

I keep getting good wishes and that, and the winning Lotto ticket, will make my day. I did tell one of my bosses that if I won the Lotto I would buy the servers and the CD's that the library budget won't buy us.

In the library I continued to try and catch up with the ILLs and all the other things I am to do, being reminded of the almost exhausted swimmer in choppy seas - that salt water is cold and just doesn't taste good when you swallow it and work to keep one's head above the water... I did take an interruption - actually I took a bunch of interruptions all day, only I can work some miracles. The one I was happiest with was with a Russian inmate - don't know how he fell, but he is in the library looking for help and wants me to find the document that he needs. We have a discussion about manners, expectations, Russian customs, Asian Customs - American lack of manners, customs and get your own... he was convinced I was very knowledgeable about human relations and such and must have had a great education. But I told him the truth, spent most or my adult life preparing to fight the Russians --- one of those fights I was always glad that preparation was 99% of the events of the Cold War. I was not in a hurry to fight Russians on their turf, I read and study History. I did find the document he needed and printed the whole thing out for him, our conversation had started with his using a word Americans would only write and never use in conversation - he is very well educated. But I noticed that the Russians are predicting that America is going to collapse by 2012, seems that they think our country is doing many of the foolish things the Soviet Union did before it fell apart. They do say that recovering drug addicts and alcoholics can spot the problems in others with the disease around them.

I don't really need Russians to tell me about America, I am watching it from inside, and I am doing my part to correct the foolishness. New books came in today, I will be taking

Who Killed the Constitution?: The Fate of American Liberty from World War I to George W. Bush

home to read on Thursday (we will have all the new books processed by then), on Friday I am covering the Western State Hospital Library, while my supervisor opens at McNeil Island. Two movies to see this weekend (my birthday present!). Defiance and Gran Torino - if you have to ask why I want to see B+ movies then you haven't been paying attention. I never was an A+ kind of guy... take care out there and go gently.

Really, I could just browse and feed my read all day

The amazing amount of material to find on the Internet. Will never become more than I am if I don't break free, and what is that Facebook thing? Pictures and text (almost) messaging. I think I see a greater divide between the generations and education systems - wonder where that change will lead the country and the world.

Getting time to close the library for the year, had 715 circs, yesterday in only three hours, the evening session was closed due to transfer of contraband, or almost escape attempt during the Visiting Movements - I downloaded records for donated CDs while my crew had Picture Card Count with the rest of the prison population. About two hour delay in ferry boats while they re-established their security inside the fence, so I rode a packed ferry with lots of families that had been visiting. The visitors took it all in stride.

The annual wrap up of numbers for the year, the cleaning of 2008 from the computers, the blocking of days in the 2009 calendar for meetings, holidays and just because I can will happen at my last hour in the library on McNeil Island for 2008. I will know what I did, the numbers will reflect my opening and closing the doors and the patrons that visited. About my personal goals for the year, they didn't happen - don't think lists work well - I did shoot better, ride better, and knocking off the medications has made me feel much better the last few months.

King County Jail has decided to save money by using Corrections Officers instead of librarians to provide library services to their prisoners. I know how well that will work - it all depends on the officer and how much care they have about the mission. They sold it on doubling the budget for buying new materials - from $15,000 to $30,000 for books. Sounds like a good deal but the price of paperbacks has gone from 7.99 to 9.99 or 14.00 for large urban fiction so I figure they will get just about the same number of books unless they are visiting Half-price Books more often. In the end it is all about the budget, there isn't that much money around they gave it to the bankers, or some such thing. I was denied access to GuitarWorld on the internet, couldn't get an article requested about Shredding, so I asked the IT folks - the answer - officially, is that if they are going to deny access to that site for the Department of Corrections employees then the inmate patrons can't go there either. Land of the Free, home of the ? It isn't censorship if they are protecting the children is it?

Obviously, I had better get a better attitude and put a smile back in my heart and head - I am about to work in a prison again and need to make that as small a prison as possible, and allow my library to open all the escape hatches in everyone's mind and day. Later!

After a bit: packed out the donated paperbacks - I encourage everyone to donate to the USO, prisons, and places where people wait for better times (homeless and battered women's shelters) those paperbacks you read once or gifts you haven't gotten around to reading yet, re-cycle and load up another person's mind with mush and matter. It really helps when someone needs escape and motivation and company.

I also took the garbage out, since they missed us in the snows, and along my path I found the set of missing house and car keys. Mine, and I feel better about seeing grass and tossed beer cans if I can find good stuff for my piece of mind. Already my lucky day, better check the Lotto tickets!

Don't slow me down, I have to catch up to ....

where I thought I should be by now. Two days of training means three days of mail to open and process, most of it will be ILLs ordered and new books and serial publications. There are patrons with information requests to fill, new reading and listening desires to express and email from above asking for my attention. Plus a meeting with the Associate in charge of Programs, the library being one of them. So I focus and attack and don't get in my way or try to distract me, I am driven. On Tuesday evening I will blow up when someone tells me that another librarian told him that she didn't have any problem getting what he wanted, I told him to tell her on Friday that I am incompetent - and if he doesn't tell her what I said -- then he will be failing to comply. I then returned to my mellow helpful self, with the next patron not trying to play me, I should have emptied the library of the ninety plus patrons with nothing to do and no where to go, but didn't. So I go home to dinner and my wife asks how it was, and I say busy, always lots to do.

I get hot soup, a salad and a nice light meal, I get to re-introduce myself to the little snow tiger trying to adopt our home as prime mouse hunting territory - that is some purr pouring out and I think about what went on at work.

One point in the two days stands out. I was at the computer ordering materials and typing as fast as I could without getting fingers out of pace and place, driven and focused. The library clerk from the chapel sticks his head inside the door and starts telling me his good news - his address and plan has been accepted and he will be getting out. He tells me all about it, and I am typing faster staying on the target, getting all the letters down in order, and he adds a bit to his story sharing his life. I stop, turn the turret of my tank and blow him out of the door. Well, not really, I looked straight at him and engaged in conversation, my goal is to have him leave and I get back to catching up with lack of progress (which isn't very fast). But the waves of joy in his face, posture and animation beat over me, this is one very happy inmate - he is going to get out. He has a job, a place to live and approval from the nameless folks that have kept him in prison so long. I share his happiness, it seems I am one of the few staff that he is taking the time to share his joy with, and having seen him on many of his darker days, this explosion of happiness is warm and powerful. He apologizes a couple of times from distracting me, bubbles happily some more, asks about my email address so he can contact me when he is out and successful - after I tell him I am in the phone book, can be located on the internet, Googled and such. He copies my whole name and goes and quietly sits the remainder of the hour out. I go back to work, trying to get faster trying to work harder - although tonight one of the inmates noticing my explosion tells me not to work so hard - I look at him and say I don't know any other way to work. I don't - I have been well broken into this pattern.

Still, the joy and warmth of that inmate and his excitement warms my memory, and I will have to, in my quieter moments, thank him for sharing that great feeling, the feeling of freedom and opportunity. You don't know what you have, until it is gone. I will have to thank him.

How to Destroy a Library

Libraries have always been part of my life, I find them full of things I want to know about, think upon and stories to enjoy . They insure that I am continually learning, long after departing the classroom, and they have always supported the quest for knowledge about fighting, loving and foolishness unique to my life. Since I am not the only patron to use the library I would say that for my tax dollars the public library achieves more than the public school system in education, far beyond the K through 12 range. Imagine Lincoln, Douglass, Jefferson and others that valued the printed words with the library systems of our last one hundred years.

Ignorance is destroying our libraries, the people that think they can steal the whole book, CD or tape don't understand the worth as part of a shared collection. I have been weeding the collection at McNeil Island's library of all the books that are missing pictures, pages and sometimes whole chapters. To the one individual that took something away from us all - a curse on your efforts for evil - not that I am a cursor. I don't need to be - in your little world things are stolen from you, you live in fear of being found out. You know the reason you want those pictures of scantily clad elves is because you are attracted to desires for the bodies of children - that is an ugly thing and most of the other inmates will do bloody things to you if they find out. No, you don't need to be cursed for your life is dark, the hidden pictures of beautiful cars, women and motorcycles that you think give you power are just waiting for the corrections officers to find or for you to toss out when the fear finds you again. I know that you won't stop messing up your library, stealing from it and ruining it - not until you grow up and learn to value things you haven't had to pay for, that don't cost you anything directly, until you grow up and learn to share, until you get really old and accept that others will get better people around them in life, and that you will die alone because you never became a better person. You will be back to the library that you have profaned and marred, and those wounds you left don't heal - there isn't enough money for repairing the Vandals' destruction.

Another type of ignorance that destroys libraries, is budget cutting. So having worked in libraries for over fifteen years, the fears of the staff always focus a bit on the budget cycle. There are only so many dollars, and one can hire five people at thirty thousand a year and only one at one hundred and fifty thousand a year. Which is fine if the the big payroll provides more donations and bequests and improvements in how the library provides services and relevance to the community needs. Having been one of the five on budget cuts while there are always well paid leadership and management - leading and managing less every time the budget is cut - I have my opinion. Seems that I have voiced my opinion and shocked some of that leadership a bit before - but I blame that on not being well led and stress relief. Budget is exactly like diet - a word that exists to describe a process and quickly becomes associated with an uncomfortable process that hurts something in one's good life, but if you had always known and observed the process - and lived in moderation - the pain would never be there. But when one has over-reached in spending, the cut back comes and the staff is reduced, the hours shortened, the service slinks off into only a memory and an old fairy tale, until that final cut must be made - that closes the door to the library. Those doors don't ever seem to re-open, and another light in the lives of the library patrons old, new and future is extinguished.

Working a prison library, where there aren't too many lights for the most terrible population of prisoners, 1200 inmates with open time for only six hundred and sixty to have one hour a week, every week that the one Library Keeper is around to open the door five days. There are too many potential patrons that can't improve their minds, lives and futures. They will be coming one day to live with you - to become part of your community. Will they be better neighbors? Did they get a chance to learn what they hadn't before being imprisoned about working for a better life, making good choices and basic good manners? Or are you going to get the fools that still steal from library books, that don't share, that don't care and that only know how to scare?