Alternative writings

This is something I've come to the realization of over the past week. Much like TV, books and the radio, if someone sees something on the computer they believe it to be true even if reality shows that it's not. My big example of this is from a conversation I have a lot while manning the front desk.

Patron: *comes up to me" The computer says that this book is available, but I can't find it.

Me: All right, let me double check. *goes back to check, because sometimes second eyes can find it when the first try doesn't* I'm sorry that book doesn't seem to be on the shelves.

Patron: But the computer says it is.

Me:*checks the main catalog* Yes, it does. However, I don't know why it's not there.

Patron: It should be there. The computer says it is. *looks at me like it's my fault that it's not there.* Where is it?

Me: I don't know. I'm sorry.

Patron:*flounces*

The fact that the computer says that the book is there, trumps the reality that hey the book isn't there. No, I don't know why the computer says it's there. It's a mistake, clearly. Yet they can't seem to get this into their heads. They have this belief that since the computer says it is so, reality must bend to its whim, instead of the computer being wrong.

I don't mind it so much when they say, "hey the computer says the book is available, but I can't find it" because there are a lot of books and if you're not used to looking for them it's easy to miss. But when they get insistent that since the computer says so, then it must be so and push on that point that it starts to get to me. Computers are only as good as the people who input the data into them. Sometimes, those people make mistakes.

They're not sentient scheming machines out to make people's lives miserable.

That's the programmer's job.

I will not strangle the professors. I will not strangle the professors. I will not strangle the professors. I will not strangle the professors. I will not strangle the professors. I will not strangle the professors. I will not strangle the professors. I will not strangle the professors. I will not strangle the professors. I will not strangle the professors. I will not strangle the professors. I will not strangle the professors. I will not strangle the professors. I will not strangle the professors. I will not strangle the professors. I will not strangle the professors. I will not strangle the professors. I will not strangle the professors. I will not strangle the professors. I will not strangle the professors. I will not strangle the professors. I will not strangle the professors. I will not strangle the professors. I will not strangle the professors.

I love my swordmage. I do.

Game Sunday. We managed to knock down the heavy hitter, a dragon warforged. We needed the ax she was carrying. The ax is an artifact like weapon. It does at least 1d12 +4 damage, frost. And she was adding another +4. AND on Criticals it did another 2d12 +8. Needless to say it would have pummeled us. Once she was down, I lassoed the ax with one of my powers that let's me grab and pull things to me. Then I picked it up and teleported away across the room. Bamf! She was disarmed for the rest of the encounter. Even if I did become her chew toy a bit.


----

I have shown true dedication to my job. I've made up a bunch of new signs to be laminated. Today I brought in my art markers and have been coloring the designs in. Currently I am making rows of tiny pencils yellow. And then I am going to give them pink erasers.

Alec in a trenchcoat Because I can.

It took a bit of a frustrating amount of time, but yes. A quick sketch I did at work of Alec in a trench coat.

Annoyed Kippur is Annoyed.

Apparently someone at the university has managed to tie up the ENTIRE SCHOOL'S internet server by downloading videos or something and so NO ONE can get any work done. The internet is splotchy and unreliable.

Guess who needs to use the internet to do their work?

Could it be everyone in the library?

Guess who's sitting around basically twiddling their thumbs?

Could it be everyone in the library?

It's going to be a looooong day.

I am having chocolate cake for breakfast today. Why chocolate cake you may ask? Because it's left over from a surprise party yesterday at work. A surprise party for me.

It wasn't a complete surprise. After all I knew there would be food. Last week I suggested a potluck lunch after seeing one of the other departments bringing food in. The boss liked the suggestion and said I should arrange it for next Tuesday which was Rosh Kodesh (the first day of the new month). I was we don't need it to be for a holiday or anything like that, just a random library lunch thing. Bossman insisted and so I managed to do the food shuffle.

Tuesday comes and I bring my tuna casserole to share and other people have their food. It seems nice. The lunch is set for eleven which meant I'd be up at the front before it started. Come elevenish one of the co-workers says bossman wants to see me. I figure he wants to ask me about some sort of random library thingamagjig.

No. It turns out that the whole Rosh Kodesh was a ruse. They were throwing me an employee recognition party. See, the school doesn't recognize part time employees for things like having worked there for five, ten etc years, for some reason or another. I've been working at the library officially for the past eight years and have gotten squat beyond the bossman's and everyone else's constant you're a fantastic worker. Sure, that's nice, but it's hard when you're sitting at the employee recognition lunches and seeing people who've been there less time than you get recognized because they're full time. I can't work full time because a) it would drive me crazy and b) they can't pay me. Thus I am doomed to perpetual limbo of good work and long service but no recognition.

Apparently the library people realized this so they threw me a luncheon. To say I was shocked is an understatement. I got a warm fuzzy feeling of snuggling kittens though as they told me how much I was appreciated and I got a card and a Chamsah.

It's good to know you're appreciated like that, even if it's not official recognition.

Two out of the three office staff is out sick. One is coming in late and one isn't coming in at all. I'm number three.

They are sick because the fourth person (who really isn't office staff so much as there), he with no hygiene -Harvey- has been coming in sick. I do not know if he'll come in today. He's supposed to come in in about ten, fifteen minutes and hasn't called in sick.

Our reference librarian hopes that he doesn't come back in, because she doesn't want me to get knocked out. I don't want to be either.

Likely he will come in. He generally does.







Edit: He did.

Work has me so stressed out that I've had an almost continuous tension headache for the past three weeks and have been clenching my jaw so badly I need a nightguard.

I really need a new job. -_-

I have a very tolerant mind when it comes to life and people and opinions. Occasionally, however, I find myself looking at something that just completely offends me and I will do things that I will not normally do.

As I'm sure most of you are aware, I have a deep and abiding love for books. No matter how horrible the book is, I will always treat it with respect.

And then there are books like the one I've found today.

America's Ju-Deal By Franklin Thompson.

From the introduction:

The New Deal when shorn of its disguise, reveals us nothing short of a Ju-Deal. The Jews have minutely fulfilled the prognostication of that great American, Benjamin Franklin, who is credited with making this prophecy before one of the Convention conferences at the time of the framing of the Constitution. ...

In government, finance, industry, commerce, foreign and domestic affairs, education and the professions, the Jewish minority has overthrown the Christian influence which has since the founding of our country, guided and imbued the spirit of our institutions in their true administration. A Christian majority has been completely deprived of its rights by an alien minority.

The Jewish minority is ruthless and devastating in its attack upon our religion and ideals, which is clearly manifested in their concentrated attempt to draw us into war with a great Christian like Germany. That same minority awaits the day when America will be a Soviet.

The entire book is like this. As it was in the stack of books to be sent out to be sold I talked to one of my higher ups and she said trash it.

And I agree with her.

I don't think Boss Man is in charge.

Last week we had a birthday party for the Evil Bitch From Hell and at the end of it she said well one of the students' last day was on Monday so we should have a little party for her. Boss Man said, "well we don't usually do that sort of thing" and EBFH said something else like "Well she's not going to be here for the Student End of Semester party. Oh there's someone else's birthday next week and again Boss Man said, Well we don't usually celebrate student's birthdays.

Come Monday there was a small party for the Student who was leaving. Complete with a card.

EBFH completely overrode Boss Man.

This is Not Good.