you can tell a lot...

...about a person by the gift for which they trade at a white elephant party. this was the case at my work party yesterday afternoon. after over 60 of us tore open our gifts, we began to nudge and prod our way through a crowded room, trying to hawk our wares.

i watched a bewildered 20-something male walk slowly past, sizing up my friend and i as he tried to determine if we would take his bait. i mentioned to him that the book he was cradling was likely a gem--Jhumpa Lahiri's latest work, "Unaccustomed Earth." He looked at me quizzically and replied, "really? Do you want it?" "No," I responded. "I'm super stoked about my jump rope." Later, I saw him walking around with a sex-themed board game, his gait much more confident.

A colleague from Paris was stumped by a Kleenex box cover in the shape of a face with a protruding proboscis offering the next tissue. I was of no help; who would want THAT? Later, I saw the new owner proudly displaying his new gift due to a swap of an austerely-decorated bowl.

Alas, a workmate was unable to trade her pair of golden Thinkers. We suggested she keep them at her desk and do multiple reps with each to improve her muscles during long phone meetings.

And yeah, I'm pretty stoked about my jump rope.

nothing much, just a snapshot in time

walking home from work with my buddy susan the other day, i commented on this sad cafe with a common name. being an avid photo-taker, she encouraged me to step into the frame.

not much to say, 'cept this is a fairly typical scene in my life: me, bars, and backpack. :)

i wore leg warmers to warm my legs and i'm proud of it.

today a friend told me she had to work out at the gym because it was too hot to be outside. she told me this as i was about to reach for my scarf and head home.

"uhhh, i'm wearing leg warmers today.
and a hooded sweater.
with a long-sleeved t-shirt underneath.
and a scarf."

she was aghast. she lives in kansas, where it's 110 degrees, like the rest of the country. she thought it had something to do with global warming (colding?). i told her it had nothing to do with greenhouse gases or harmful chemicals, and more with it being august in the city. you know, winter and summer, transposed.

patronage of a different sort

at work, i'm the library person, the one who lives, breathes, and supports institutions that support free access to information.

and so i wasn't surprised when after i visited the local library during lunch yesterday, a few beach reads sitting on my desk (thanks marianaria!) started a conversation around libraries. specifically, the topic turned to remorse.

and guilt.

and money. my coworker owes some hefty fines, and is filled with a level of embarrassment that keeps her from returning the books and submitting her overdue fines. because of this guilt, she hasn't visited the library in years. because of this guilt, she can't muster up the moxie to return them. i suggested to her that librarians are nice people; they'll be happy to get the books back, and she can consider the late fees (somewhere around $75) a nice donation to a crucial civic institution. i even offered to join her on her walk of shame and i offered to slip the books into the drop. she declined, sheepishly.

and then, during a casual conversation in the hallway, another coworker admitted the same feelings of guilt and remorse. i shared the story of our coworker, and suggested they link arms and visit the library together. power in numbers! support your library! i thought i may have found the missing motivation.

and then, today, the second remorser stopped by my desk with a smile on her face and confidence in her step, on her way to the library to settle her fines. she remarked that my words had convinced her it was time to "face my demons."

haven't yet heard how her demon session went, but it felt good to help at least one former patron become a current one.

(in recent news, nyt published a story about the ny public library and their use of collection agencies to control violators. the library listserv world was aghast about this practice. some librarians even postulated about getting rid of fines all together...)

friends r fun

lately i've been thinking about how it'd be nice to have more friends in sf. moving to seattle was different; i had two longtime friends there in karen and hollis, and they shared some pretty terrific people with me. by the time i took off, i left behind a loving group of friends that i considered family. all of this took time. after about two years in seattle, i remember clearly that it seemed the friend-making and community-building business was finally getting somewhere. i've barely completed one year in my new home.

nonetheless, i still get out :)
here's me out with my co-workers last week. i'm sitting next to my buddy susan: