Guardian Angels

After a lovely girls night on Friday I loaded the beagle in the car on Saturday morning and headed to Michigan for the long weekend. While on the Indiana Toll Road I hit some metal debris and my right rear tire was history. As I tried to find a safe spot on the side of the road I passed about half a dozen stranded cars who had also hit the debris and finally pulled in front of a huge semi tractor who had his emergency cones out. After a wasted call to Triple A I was going to attempt to change my own tire when the truck driver behind me walked up and asked me if I had a spare. When I showed him my jack and spare he changed my tire and gave me directions to the nearest TA truck stop to have it fixed. Daniel, the trucker from Nebraska, thank you. Not a lot of people would have helped me, I hope your lunch was good and the beer was cold.

That is the 2nd time a trucker has saved me from what could have been a disastrous situation. At 19 I was driving around Ohio looking at colleges when my engine started on fire late at night while driving in the middle of nowhere in a thunderstorm. I left the car on the side of the road and started hitchhiking because all I was thinking was to get to a public place. A trucker driving an empty car transporter pulled over and offered me a ride. There was no front passenger seat so he threw down a suitcase and gave me a towel to dry off. He took me to the nearest truck stop with a "Good luck little lady" and he was off. So to both my trucker Guardian Angels, thank you for being in the right place at the right time.

Flash Back Friday #13

Last nights DNC acceptance speech by Barack Obama was absolutely fantastic. Powerful, energetic, touching, inspiring and unforgettable. I, like million of others was riveted.
Here is a flash back of Barack's famous keynote address at the 2004 DNC.

Bill Cosby's New Book

Caught a bit of Bill Cosby on the Oprah show this morning while getting ready for work. Here in Chicago where she films, her show airs twice, once in the morning and reruns again late at night. The book by Cosby and Alvin F. Poussaint Come On People: On the Path from Victims to Victors addresses ideas for strengthening our country and taking responsibility for where we are and what needs to be changed.
Cosby is one of my favorite entertainers and listening to him talk about the issues facing children and problems with race and fatherhood is fascinating. At times during the interview he was funny, brilliant and angry and his views are straightforward and just plain common sense.
Honestly a few times I was terribly distracted as the camera panned back to Oprah, she seriously had the LARGEST diamond earrings on I have ever seen, it was all you could look at on the screen. HA!

Great Online Cartoon

Check out the quirky and completely original cartoon Questionable Content at:
http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1210
Martin Reed works at the Smif College Library and has an assortment of odd friends and a computer named Pintsize with too much personality.
The link above is for a funny episode that takes place in the library, click on the next tab to see what happens. To start from the very beginning click on the tab for first.

Enjoy!

Did you watch the DNC?

I enjoyed last nights coverage (on multiple channels CNN, MSNBC, PBS...) of the Democratic National Convention from Denver.
I have to admit Ken Burns video tribute to Edward Kennedy moved me to tears. Watching Ted Kennedy give what is likely his last speech at a convention also moved me. But it was Michelle Obama who impressed me the most. Well spoken, intelligent and incredibly dedicated to her family and her country watching Michelle's speech was worth the ridiculously long "musical interludes" that I swear were longer and more frequent than the intermission in Gone with the Wind. Michelle was inspiring, funny, humble, fiercely loyal and just fascinating to watch. If you aren't a fan of this remarkable woman then get on Youtube and watch her speech.
I'm looking forward to Hillary tonight, should be a loud crowd when she takes the stage.

End of Summer

Most of our kids are enjoying their last days of summer vacation before another long school year begins. Here's hoping that most of you squeezed in your family vacations, trips to the pool and lots of bbqs with family and friends. One of the top priorities on my summer-to-do list (see my earlier post here:http://livelylibrarian.blogspot.com/2008/05/new-exhibits-at-chicago-museums.html) was to see 2 exhibits at Chicago museums. My son and I recently visited the Field Museum to see the Mythical Creatures exhibit and while not as good as I had hoped, it was worth the visit. This past Friday my Library had a Staff Development day at the Museum of Science and Industry to see the Smart Home: Green and Wired. Not only is the museum fantastic but the new exhibit is really inspiring. Showcasing current green technology and ideas the house is a not-to-be-missed event.
One of the little known facts about Chicago museums is that they have some of the best gift shops in the City. Not only do they collect fare from around the world but they offer items relevant to their special exhibits. I bought a great reusable bag (Reisenthel Cityshopper see post http://livelylibrarian.blogspot.com/2008/08/ireland-is-green.html, a scarf from India and an organic cotton t-shirt with the green message.
When supporting your local museum also consider supporting their shops and the vendors they use from around the world.

Another Great Book Cover

Awhile back I posted Can You Judge A Book By It's Cover? about some great book covers.
Today while doing some collection development I found one that made me laugh out loud!
I Don't: A Contrarian History of Marriage by Susan Squire.

Talk about a cover that makes you want to pick up the book!
I can't even share what went through my mind when I saw it, it's NSFW.