Glasses

I was cleaning this weekend and kept pulling glasses out of this drawer. I even found a pair I am pretty sure I wore like 10 years ago. Here is a selection - in order of purchase:

Are they totally nerdy or what? It was hard to keep a straight face.

Got these ones while at BYU

Got these ones during library school

Post MLIS glasses

I'd forgotten how much I love the second to last pair. Do you throw glasses out when you're done with them? I've got to find a place to donate them. 

The Life of Charles Dickens - Illustrated

I just received (purchased) the most beautiful new book. It's the Illustrated Edition of The Life of Charles Dickens. It has a double dust jacket - how can one not love that? It's just so pretty.

Front cover dust jacket

Second layer of the dust jacket

Second layer inside flap

Second layer back

It is filled with all sorts of images, many of them photos of the covers and illustrations for the published serials I am writing my thesis on. It's a little gold mine. Sadly there is not enough commentary on these pictures - but then what would be the use of me writing my paper?

Best of the best

The actual cover of the book is stunning - all those titles in different fonts, lucky designer genius who put that together. It's beautiful. Now to read it. 

Citrus

My folks have a rather large orange tree, which produces rather large oranges. Some the size of grapefruit. Dad dropped off a bag and I have been enjoying them tremendously. Because what is better than a backyard orange when its sunny and 70 degrees outside? Maybe being outside, rather than inside, at a desk, looking out the window at the beautiful weather...at least the orange is delicious. 

Speaking of Father S can I brag for a moment about how he is the nicest man on earth. After  C¹’s birthday dinner it got late and I needed to drive J and the babes back to Elk Grove. The babes were starting to have breakdowns and fits – candy, cake and ice cream do that to a 2 and 3 year old. My saint of a father offered to drive them all the way from Winters just to save me the less than 30 min extra on my trip to drive to Elk Grove before going home. That's almost an hour and a half for him – and he didn’t even blink an eye offering. My guilt complex kicked in and I protested. Really? I’m going to be selfish enough for 30 min of sleep and make my Dad drive them? He countered by stating it was not a big deal. It is a big deal, and he was nice enough to do it.

Sac Bee Revisited

I was cleaning out some photo files and came across this gem.

If you can't guess what this is, I'm disappointed that now you will know. This is the lovely photo that graced the front page of the Sacramento Bee newspaper and had everyone at my office talking. People still ask me about it - two weeks ago my masters program advisor brought it up. And last week a lovely lady from the provost's office gave me a shout out from about 30 feet away, walking across campus, that she is waiting for me to get into the paper again.

This is the same lady who called them morning the story ran - and then first I heard about it. She closed our phone conversation with "I thought it was you, because of the name, but the photo was blurry and I thought 'that can't be her that girl is to big to be her'." I was in shock as I hung up the phone. The experience was closely followed by one of our directors walking up behind me, waving the paper up and down while facetiously asking in a sing song voice "who's a single Mormon?" I laugh now - but I thought about going home sick.

Then there were all the people who were embarrassed for me and saw it but did not mention anything until someone else brought it up and they sheepishly added "Oh, yeah, I saw that" - which only confirmed the feeling that this was humiliating.

The story is still online here - it does not mention me at all - so don't read it expecting anything. I was just some unfortunate bystander who happened to be photographed while shoving something in her mouth. Half a cinnamon roll I believe - which was very sticky - which is why my fingers are lifted up ridiculously. I'm not flashing some sort of Mormon food signal. Now I'm deleting everything from my computer and will not be revisiting this again.

Getting Older

 C¹ as he has requested to be henceforward titled, had his birthday yesterday. If I'd been smart I'd have collected photos of the odds and ends I gave him. Here is what I can remember:

Little J was very disappointed the robot was not for him. He sobbed and sobbed leaving as he did not get to take it with him. The evening was as low key as you can get with the babes running around. 

Laughs and good times with M’s ukulele. Q saw it and started yelling Guitar! Guitar!  - not even 2 and she freaks out over guitars. Daddy J is gonna love that when she gets older, “but he plays the guitar dad!”

Oh, wait, I'm supposed to be flattering C¹ as it was his birthday.

My brother happens to be hilarious, it's genetic, and this text conversation we had yesterday highlights just one of the many reasons I think he is great.

Me: Ha, don't flatter yourself :)

C¹: Of course not, it's my birthday; you flatter me. Which you're doing a poor job of, I must say.

Book Conservation

Did you know it is possible to get a degree in book conservation and repair, or something close to it. Until Saturday this was not a thing I was aware of. It was like finding out that a piece of me could have been filled in years ago, if I'd only known. Maybe I will find a nice short certificate program as I am willing to acknowledge there is a point where maybe I should be concerned about how many degrees I have, or want.

Currently a friend and I (who I met in class) and her coworker at State Parks are taking private book/paper conservation classes with an amazing conservationist near Napa. She trained at Yale and in England, and has a shop that makes me slightly envious. She just finished work on a book that was printed in 1613, said tome was recently purchased for $300,000. More to come about what we did for our first class. Be forewarned I have discovered a new enthusiasm for wheat paste, fold and tear repair, and bone folders. Going to start flattening the old maps I've been storing.

Guac Girl

Q really dug into the guacamole. She climbed up on the table and positioned herself right in front of the bowl. Repeatedly she scooted herself closer and closer, until she almost pushed the bowl off the table's edge.

Notice the chunk of green at the corner of her mouth. Afterward she needed a bath.

Amazingly Jonah slept soundly on the couch all evening.

Salvage

HOW IN THE WORLD DID I EXIST ALMOST 30 YEARS WITHOUT EVER ONCE VISITING A SALVAGE YARD???

Perhaps the fact that the barn, Gma B’s house, and other places I do frequent precluded the necessity of stopping in. 


Last Saturday I had a inaugural visit. So much fun. I had visions of the stained glass windows, fireplace mantels, doors, trunks, claw foot tubs fitting into my apartment – which does already have a claw foot tub I know. 

I resisted purchasing anything. But I found the experience delightful. My friend A has been trying to get me to visit one here in Sac with her but I've always protested, protest no more.