What's Cooking?

Moi!

At least I was broiling under the hot sun yesterday, as I saw the Dodgers take on the Nationals. It was an exciting game! The Nats jumped out to a 4-0 lead. Brad Penny, considered the ace of the staff, had a really bad day. A parade of pitchers followed him to the mound, some to pitch only a third of an inning.

The boys in blue staged a remarkable comeback, as the game was tied at 9-all when I left. (I was feeling the effects of the sun, and I ran out of room on my scorebook :) ) I learned we won in the 12th inning on a sac fly by Shea Hillenbrand which enabled Jeff Kent to score. Jeff did a true belly-flop a la Pete Rose.

Meanwhile, back at the library, we have had our Polaris integrated library system up for about a week and a half. We have begun cataloging and inputting item records. The routines are similar to what we were doing in our old system, but will probably be quicker and more streamlined once we can set up a workflow.

I had a two-hour shift on the reference desk. Someone was supposed to work with me, but evidently wasn't available. Fortunately, traffic was very light. I don't know when the public schools are back in session (my gut feeling is Tuesday after the holiday), but some people are doing assignment-type homework.

One more day, and it's a long weekend!

TGIF!

It's been a long time between drinks, as the governor of North Carolina said to the governor of South Carolina - at least according to Robert Louis Stevenson. I hadn't realized it's been more than a month since I last posted.

The library is migrating to a new integrated library system (ILS). We were able to do this because the city's IT department no longer wanted to maintain our clunky home-grown system, and perhaps with some waving of a magic wand the library was permitted to do this.

I feel as though I've been getting mixed messages about this system. I'm also a bit leery of all the blanks in our databases - materials marked missing when someone input an incorrect control number; items that have been lost but never deleted; lack of an authority file, meaning that materials have not been cataloged consistently not only because the cataloging rules changed (there was a time when Mark Twain was entered under Samuel L Clemens), but subject headings changed. Ah well - we go live August 20. Film at 11.

The Dodgers went on a six-game losing streak, finally broken yesterday in Cincinnati. I did get to see a great game Saturday night, when we came from an 8-1 deficit and nearly pulled off a victory. My next game is Aug. 29, a day game vs. the Nationals.

What's Happening?

TGIF! Granted, ths is a strange week - having a day off on Wednesday was a bit disconcerting.

I celebrated July Fourth at Dodger Stadium. I took a cab to the ballpark, but arrived just too late to see our guys' batting practice (and possible autographs!). I performed my usual pre-game rituals. While I was talking to Irene, one of the ushers, Sweet Lou Johnson came by, and I got a hug! He cautioned me about getting too much sun - might have trouble going back to the 'hood!

We lost the game. Suffice to say our pitchers behaved as though they were throwing batting practice - not so much home run balls as base hits.

After the game, there was a fireworks show. I found my friends Richard and Mary Lou, and when the fireworks were over, we - along with 55,997 of our closest friends - left the ballpark.

I don't think the Dodgers have solved the post-game exit problem. It took us more than an hour to get out of the stadium, and then about 15 minutes to get to my place. It's a good thing I didn't take a cab home - I would have used up all the money I had in my wallet!

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, I've been sort of hanging around. I'm on the reference desk as I type this - it's been slow.

I am having a problem. The person who was supposed to work in A-V this afternoon has called in sick, and I am having a definite problem finding a replacement. It looks like I may have to work the desk. ARRGGGH!

Musings from the Mountaintop

Some thoughts on various things:

• LA has been experiencing its usual summer weather - "Late night and mornings partly cloudy, clearing away to sunshine later in the day." The past couple of days the mornings have been crisp, and the sun's actually out!
• My ALA conference badge has arrived! It's posted on the fridge, along with my e-ticket. I'm flying Southwest, which (a) is much cheaper than the other airlines I looked at; (b) leaves from Beautiful Downtown Burbank, rather than from LAX; but (c) isn't a straight shot. I've forgotten whether I change planes in Phoenix going and Vegas returning, or if it's the other way around. The tasks yet to be completed:
• Connect with the cat-sitter
• Pack (my cleaning lady - who does my laundry - will work for me on Wednesday, rather than Thursday, which is the day I leave)
• Make SuperShuttle reservations

• The library has finally purchased an integrated library system, and we've begun the process of cleaning up our current catalog database. Polaris - the vendor - and our powers-that-be say we should be ready to go live in August.
  
• The Dodgers may have started their June swoon. We've lost two of the three games we've played on this road trip to San Diego. This weekend the guys will not only get home cooking, but they'll play the Toronto Blue Jays. (If I ever become dictator - or commissioner of baseball - my first acts would be to eliminate the designated hitter and interleague play.)
• After more than a year and a half, I've found the most efficient bus routes to get me to work and back. It involves taking three buses - the 201, which takes me from Silverlake and Berkeley to Third and Vermont; the 754, from Third to Martin Luther King and Vermont; and the 740 from MLK and Vermont to Manchester and LaBrea, about a block from the library. Going home, I reverse the pattern, although I'll sometimes get a 711 to Florence and Vermont. The trip takes me about 90 minutes, including waiting for transfers. I have a tight change at Third and Vermont, and if the 754 is at all pushing 7:10 (the time the 201 is supposed to leave Sixth and Vermont), I look for a blind man and his seeing-eye dog. If they aren't there, and it's around 7:15, I take the 754 to Santa Monica and hope for a 304 (limited).
  

Monday Morning Musings

I'm back at the salt mine following a three-day weekend. (Inglewood observes Cesar Chavez Day on his actual birthday. Since that was a Saturday, we got the preceding Friday off.)

Since I knew I was going to have Friday off, I scheduled a doctor's appointment for that date. This cardiologist has a very busy practice, as the waiting room was wall-to-wall people when I arrived and as I left. He told me to lose weight (like no other doctor has told me that :) ) and he would get authorization from the insurance folk for a stress test.

I had planned to go to the Pasadena Center on Saturday, since one of my favorite former Dodgers, Jim Gott, was appearing at a home show. After that, I was going to a yarn store to take knitting lessons. NOT! I stayed home, reading mysteries and playing games on my computer.

My friend Cherie and I had brunch at an Acapulco restaurant near my house. Food was good, and we got a senior citizen discount. (I'm a senior; she's not.) Spent the rest of the day reading mysteries and playing games on my computer. (Do I live a dull life, or what? )

This morning I timed everything right. The first bus I take sneaked up on me (I was reading). The second bus came along just as I crossed the street. I had to wait a couple of minutes for the third bus, but the upshot was I got to work about 8 a.m. - nearly an hour early!