Nostalgia from the Large Print Aisle

It was the winter of 1985.  Due to being in the right place at the right time, I scored a  work term at a small town Public Library.  Those were fun, promising days.  I was able to use my creativity, satisfy a sense of order and learn what it was like to corral and calm energetic children during story time.  I also had a sweetheart who made my heart thump and my knees wobble.  Good, tender memories. 

I am not sure if the sense of order came before or after working in the library.  What I am sure of is the enjoyment I had touching, skimming and sorting those books.  The library brought in the local news paper to photograph the three of us participating in the government-funded program. 

Holding a pile of large print books and smiling coyly for the camera.

Although I enjoyed that work term, I did not pursue a career in library sciences since I heard that it would take years of college and the pay was not great.  I did not have the patience, money nor deep enough love to commit to that dream.  I was still not sure what I wanted to be when I grew up!  I later scored a retail job at our local Canadian Tire (Yay!) and box office night work at our local Cinema.  

I eventually saved up money, joined my sweetheart in Ottawa and continued working retail.  Working in "the big city" was a cold disappointment compared to the relaxed pace of a small town.  After a couple of weeks I registered for a word processing course (when a word processor was an actual computer!) and aimed for office work instead.  


A few months later, good Karma - and possibly a pinch of good work ethic from my stint as an office temp - presented me with more opportunities.  The Information Services department in a small organization created an Administrative Support position for me.  I used this thing called a dumb terminal that connected to this thing called a VAX.  I learned about computer operations, how to run batch jobs, perform backups and apply user permissions using ACLs.  I learned how to use a wonderful word processor called "Word-11" before it and other decent products were crowded out by aggressive brands offering WYSIWYG features - on a new piece of hardware with a new operating $ystem, of course.


Even with those windows of opportunity in the working world, dreams of a future with my sweetheart soon faded to black. I distracted my loneliness by making new friends and taking more courses.  I read to escape the pain.

My work life evolved in the exciting world of Information Technology.  In the blur of that late-1980s existence, I soon married a seemingly wonderful man and subsequently co-created three beautiful children. 

IT work provided plenty of opportunities to learn new skills and attend courses.  I became immersed in the world wide web, electronic mail then online collaboration tools. My aptitude and creativity were recognized and nurtured by a succession of superiors.  The pay has helped me as an eventual single parent.  I have been a valued contributor to the objectives of my work family.

I am toying with the idea of owning a cell phone (yes, I'm one of those hold-outs) or committing to a smart phone with Internet access.  I still cannot justify the cost and possible distractions.  Those small screens do not appeal to my reading preferences.  I have come to realize that my electronic skills, my love of pen & paper and appreciation of the QWERTY keyboard for creative writing will soon be augmented by the pinching, stroking and zooming techniques of a tablet. (A-hem... my birthday is coming up this month.  Nudge, nudge.)


In June my oldest child graduated from university (insert warm, gushy feeling).  I satisfied her gift request by purchasing an Amazon Kindle.  This device can "hold" thousands of public domain books.  This seemed perfect since she is an avid reader and loves the classics.  At least that is a small consolation as I lament the future of the printed word and methods we choose for publishing, writing and reading. 


Regardless of the potential for massive data storage and oodles of options for reading devices, I still enjoy the tangible book.  I like holding it, dog-earing special sections - gasp! - and - the horror! - writing notes in the margins.  Not that I would do this in books I borrow from the library but I find it interesting to see scrawls from previous clients.

Perhaps you do too? 


T


Thanks for reading this far.  If you like my writing style, consume some excerpts from my novel "The Year of the Rabbit".  Sera Fletcher, the main character loved to read and volunteer in her library.  The library also served as a refuge from the loneliness of losing her best friend.  

For the Love of Older Women

No, I'm not referring to the 1978 movie In Praise of Older Women but it likely caught the attention of a few mature men out there, eh?  Or perhaps people were thinking this was a Mother's Day reference? 

This starts out as more of a self-assurance observation.  In a recent professional setting, someone assumed I was part of a "different age range" as in, older than my actual age.  At first I was taken aback.  That was the first time that I can remember when someone did NOT think I looked younger than my age.  Using a tool called "benign interpretation", I turned this around considering that perhaps this person thought I was more mature and wise than my biological age.  That's right... I turned it into a compliment!

I like being seen as a mature, intelligent woman who has many creative, productive years ahead of her.  I am a woman, a mother and a crone in training.  To balance and complement these feminine roles, I also like to nurture my inner child.

With Mother's Day coming up this Sunday, I look forward to my own young folk helping to prepare meals and tidy up in the kitchen.  That will give me more time to reflect, sort and pack for our move - as well as allow for some creative activities.  I also invite visitors to read a post in honour of Marie Fletcher, the mother of the nature child / heroine in The Year of the Rabbit. 

A sense of order with sorting, packing and moving

As I step up efforts to downsize our material baggage, I am facing a dilemma of what to do with the copious books residing in our home.  They seem quite comfortable and content in the living room bookcases and in a couple of bedrooms.  Unfortunately, we may not be able to fit all of them in the smaller abode.  Some of them have not even been cracked open yet!

I will have to be selective with which ones can reside in the new bookcase arrangement, which ones will go into storage and which ones will have to find a new home.  It's a difficult decision. 

As I sort through the books of different subjects and attempt to maintain a logical order, I think about the library work term in Muskoka many years ago.  

As I sort out my little corner of the world, I acknowledge that the challenges I face are insignificant compared to recent tragedies and losses experienced by our fellow citizens.  My thoughts and prayers go out to them.

October is my second-favourite month

I think that after May, October is one of my favourite months.  The weather is more bearable now that I seem to encounter more hot flashes, beginning my adventures with the big "M".  The trees are beautiful with their colourful displays.  Thanksgiving approaches with celebration of the harvest and time to share a feast with family and friends. 

Then there's Halloween.  It's not the same as it was when I was a kid.  We used to walk all over town in a quest to fill our pillow cases with all kinds of salty and sugary snacks.  We made a decent effort to fashion a costume before daring to knock on someone's door and demanding treats.  

Once we arrived home, there was the fun task of taking inventory, sorting by category or trade value. Yes, our parents and older siblings made sure to check for any questionable looking contents.  Those well-meaning people who prepared popcorn balls and other homemade treats didn't have a chance compared to the hermetically sealed, store-bought ones.  Sad, really...

To eleven year-old Sera (a character in my hopeful novel) Halloween was one of her favourite occasions.  Although Halloween served as an unwelcome bridge between carefree outdoor summer play and chilly days of the approaching winter, this year was exceptionally exciting because Aunt Georgette was still staying with them.  To make things more exciting, she and Marie were sewing a witch's costume for Sera.  Sadly, it was to be the same night that her best friend is spirited away. 

Read an excerpt from the novel here:  http://novel-yotr.blogspot.com/2010/10/halloween-night-sera-loses-her-friend.html

Sorting, collecting and hoarding

During a family gathering over the holidays, some of us were discussing the problems of living with someone who hoards and how it hampers our efforts to simplify our lives and physical space. When it comes down to fire hazards due to piles of magazines and newspapers in your basement, that's when you really have to speak up. It can become physically and emotionally draining to live in a cramped, cluttered home - especially when your requests are discarded as nagging and selfish. How ironic! So glad I'm not living THAT nightmare anymore.


Sure, we each may have tendencies to "collect" things like books, photographs, figurines, etc. It helps to define a bit more about us. I like to discover what family members or friends "collect" as it reveals a little more about character and interests. When it extends to too many categories and clutter, that's when a person would want to step back and take a fresh look. You can even hire people to do this for you!


I know that during my purging project, I will have to be selective with the "things" I have collected and prioritize which ones to keep or give away. My books will have to be exempt from this project. It's just a matter of getting more shelf space and reorganizing by subject - again. Hello, IKEA.


On a humorous note, one family member at the gathering quipped that the acronym for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: should really be "CDO", organized alphabetically.



Definition: "Obsessive-compulsive disorder: A psychiatric disorder characterized by obsessive thoughts and compulsive actions, such as cleaning, checking, counting, or hoarding. "



Links about Obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD):

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obsessive%E2%80%93compulsive_disorder
• http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=4610