"There's so much to be thankful for"

[from my online personal journal today]

I'm alive! Never fear. I am around on this Thanksgiving Day. And very grateful to be so, too. S much gratitude that I could share--in this trip as well as in life overall. But I must be off to make a relish/vegetable tray (I love making these!). And then we're setting off for Jacksonville for the big feast. And sometime today I will call me Mum and remember my family memories and traditions as we talk about her better-than-anyone's dressing (aka stuffing--just not in our home), her millions of pies, her amazing mashed potatoes, THE rolls, and John Denver & the Muppets.

I miss my family. The one I grew up in and the one I am still preparing to have. But I'm grateful for eternal sealings that will keep us together through eternity if we our faithful in keeping the commandments and our covenants. I cannot be with them physically on this very family favorite holiday of mine, but I will always be with them spiritually and emotionally. They are "written upon the fleshy tables of [my] heart." I've often thought that an oddly-phrased phrase, but it is quite true. They are permanently in my heart. And we will always be together.

Those two things are always what I'm most grateful for: my eternal family and the glorious Gospel of my Brother, Savior, and Friend Jesus Christ who made that eternal connection possible. May each of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving and be thankful every minute of every day throughout every year for that which truly matters most.

It's Good to be the Librarian

Check out the recent post from ClosedStacks. I love hearing/reading about things like this! Especially such awesome compliments like this:

Q: Why do you think you’ve come across so many interesting librarians? What is it about the profession? Does the ‘meek librarian’ stereotype figure in to this discovery at all?

A: Librarians are curious, open to the world, and constantly learning. That can’t help but make a person interesting! Meek? I think modest is a better word. They aren’t egoists. They’re very happy getting lost in their work and being of service.

Though I'm not quite sure what to think on this:

Q: Did anything you came across in your research especially surprise/concern/inspire you?

A: Their wit and sense of humor! I had no idea librarians could be so funny!

:-) Ha ha. I will put a personal note for my part--if I'm funny, it's because I get great stories to tell from working in a library. That's all.

But I'm so happy others think we are funny, curious, open, modest, and interesting. Always makes me feel good about my choice of profession instead of feeling like I "took the easy road," "do nothing," or "don't matter and [am] not needed." (All things I've been told--more than once.)

As Promised

Here it is--the latest poll! It's on series that I have read and liked (as you can tell by its title). But I learned something as I created this poll--I haven't read as many series as I had thought! Which is funny, considering I'm always telling people how much I love reading series. I'm hoping it's just that I forgot quite a few.

Please note: This is not a list of my favorite series. It is a list of series that I enjoyed for whatever reason or another at the time in my life that I read them. OK? That is my disclaimer.

Just FYI, in this poll I chose to include only those I have read at least 3 books in the series. So I cannot count those in which I've only read the first book.

Like

Enchanted Forest Chronicles (by Wrede)
Dark is Rising (by Cooper)

The Enchanted Chocolate Pot (by Wrede)

Or those I have never read but will very likely enjoy when I get around to them.

Like

Betsy-Tacy (by Lovelace)
Chronicles of Prydain (by Alexander)

Don't forget the "rules" of the poll:

1. Vote for the series that you have liked as well.
2. Make comments about the series from the list that you liked.
3. Make comments about series that you wish you saw on the list but are not on because I either a) have not read them, b) have not read a significant portion of them c) forgot to put on, or d) did not like.
4. Have fun!

"Your Favorites of Some of My Favorites" Poll Results

We had 6 votes this time. Not bad.

These Happy Golden Years - Laura Ingalls Wilder 3 (50%)
Persuasion - Jane Austen 4 (66%)
The Giver - Lois Lowry 2 (33%)
Speak - Laurie Halse Anderson 1 (16%)
Ella Enchanted - Gail Carson Levine 3 (50%)
The Blue Castle - L.M. Montgomery 1 (16%)
Tennis Shoes and the Feathered Serpent Part 2 - Chris Heimerdinger 0 (0%)
Hatchet - Gary Paulsen 0 (0%)
Great Expectations - Charles Dickens 1 (16%)
Frankenstein - Mary Shelley 0 (0%)
Fifteen Animals - Sandra Boynton 0 (0%)
Phantom of the Opera - Gaston Leroux 1 (16%)
Wrinkle in Time (series) - Madeleine L'Engle 0 (0%)
The Story of My Life - Helen Keller 1 (16%)
Diary of a Young Girl - Anne Frank 1 (16%)
Maniac Magee - Jerry Spinelli 1 (16%)
Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas 1 (16%)
Tale of Despereaux - Kate DiCamilo 0 (0%)
Antigone – Sophocles 0 (0%)
Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett 3 (50%)
Tuck Everlasting - Natalie Babbitt 3 (50%)
To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee 3 (50%)
A Grief Observed - C.S. Lewis 0 (0%)
Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - Mary Ann Sheffer 1 (16%)
Book of a Thousand Days - Shannon Hale 2 (33%)
The Book Thief - Markus Zusak 2 (33%)
Sara, Whenever I Hear Your Name - Jack Weyland 0 (0%)
Who's a Pest? - Crosby Bonsall 0 (0%)
How the Sun was Brought Back to the Sky - Mirra Ginsburg 0 (0%)
Goose Girl - Shannon Hale 2 (33%)
Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen 5 (83%)
A Single Voice - Kristin Oaks 0 (0%)
As the Ward Turns - Joni Hilton 1 (16%)
Northanger Abbey - Jane Austen 2 (33%)
Mouse Soup -Arnold Lobel 0 (0%)
Anne of the Island - L.M. Montgomery 3 (50%)
The Book of Mormon - ancient prophets 4 (66%)

And the majority (though it didn't include one of my allowed 5 votes of these favorites of mine) was Pride & Prejudice. I suppose that wasn't too surprising. Thanks for the discussing and the listing of other books! It helped me enjoy this poll a lot more.

Should I or Shouldn't I...

...Feel Guilty?

Am I allowed to have this much fun at work? I mean, I know being a librarian in itself is one of the awesomest jobs ever. But to be having this much of a blast creating my own Library Mystery to pose as a possible program for a much-hoped-for Mystery theme for next year's Summer Reading? It almost seems...unfair to those of you who don't have this much fun at work.

Happiest of Newses!

I am now the extremely proud owner of my very own, "fully-restored" (no icky colorings and blurrings from the Encore! channel taping off of TV) DVD copy of

The Slipper and the Rose

and I couldn't be more ecstatic!!

It matters not to me that the cover, "FBI" (or whatever it is in Brazil) warning, or DVD menu are in Portuguese. It stills plays and sings in English in their original voices. And I love it! Any time I want. Oh. It is a blissful day. PLUS! The cover is not the typical one that you see on so many other DVD or VHS copies.

No, no. It's a picture from one of every female's favorite scene.

And if you are a (female) fan, you totally know why, don't you?!

That's it. I'm declaring the rest of the year Slipper and the Rose Year in which we shall quote the movie to our hearts' content, as well as burst out into songs and dancing from the film with no shame!

"Your face cracks rather easily."

"Yes, yes. Don't trouble yourself--I am acquainted with them."

"Well, of course he's returned! You get more senile every day."

"Kings never cheat. They adapt to circumstances."

They never end! Well, until the movie does. Which I'm going to get back to now.

"So when life gets dark and dreary..."

I remember to pray, and then I turn to my Austen blog. Because it is almost always uplifting for me. To write about things I love? I can't help focusing on the positive and finding some glimmers of happiness in times of suffocating sorrow.

So, yesterday I was talking to a fellow librarian and friend. I learned she hadn't read either the Anne or Little House series in their entirety. And I was shocked, because I was sure she would love them. The Anne one was not quite her fault, as years ago she split the set with her sister and just never got around to get the copies so she could read it all. Well, she's reading them all now. Just finished the 2nd one, which she wasn't too impressed with. I had to convince her the 3rd was definitely worth reading! And that she had to keep going with the series so she could love Rilla completely. I did, however, warn her of the more "boring" ones of the series. At least, the ones that took me longer to get through.

And then we got onto the subject of Little House adaptations and I learned she's only read #2 and #8. None of the other 7! And she said the only reason she'd done 8 was because it was the love story. (Yes, that is one reason it is my all-time favorite non-LDS book.) But that got me all into talking about that series and how the love story actually begins in Little Town, and if she wanted to start to get to know how awesome Almanzo is, then she needed to go back to Long Winter. But of course, By the Shores is how they get to that area, and Mary is now blind, and...and.... I love that series. So much that after our conversation I pulled one and began to re-read parts. And having done family scripture reading, personal scripture study, Sunday lessons prep, family history, and audio clips of past church leaders' talks on this Sabbath Day, I think I'm justified in re-reading parts of the next (and my favorite) of the series to help me capture more glimmers of the silver linings.

My Pre-View

A review on something I haven't seen yet. Though I have seen a clip and a preview. So maybe this is a Preview Review.

A Christmas Carol

The new version. The Polar Express-like one. I had already been worried. The clip had me lessening the worries in seeing Jim Carrey be more on the serious side of acting. (Always a relief for me.) I also was excited about some of the other voice talents. Unfortunately, then I saw a preview. And I am already highly displeased.

A Christmas Carol is an excellent book. One with so much to gain from, and sadly one that most film adaptations have left out something or another. I don't know, yet, what this adaptation has left out, but I know it's going to have to be a decent amount to accommodate for all the Scrooge being shot up to the moon, and Scrooge either at normal size or growing tiny so he can wind, fly, run, and slide through the streets and sewers of London. Yeah. I'm serious. The animators are trying to show off what they can do instead of focus on the amazing story. Yes it's interesting to feel like you're going to get sick yourself while you watch a movie like that. That is impressive animation. Especially if you watch the thing in 3-D, which this like Polar Express (which I did see 3-D) is headed toward.

But I don't care about visual animation impressions. I care about story to storyboard to on screen. Will they maintain what is priceless, powerful, and wonderful? Will the lessons be learned? I am sadly of the opinion that too much will be left out and not as much as could have been retained will remain. Though Muppet Christmas Carol is still my favorite adaptation, I have yet to see one that not only does the book justice, but does it well.

What's your opinion? (This is the one I saw in the theater 2 weeks ago. It started out fine. And then went down hill--with icicles.)

Whereas this one? I can't wait to see it!

Time Again!

It's poll time! I wanted to come up with a good one, but also a fast one. Ha ha. Good one on me. Well, it was certainly quite enjoyable to create. I listed just a few books that I really love. It took longer than I thought because, well, it's hard: "I could no sooner choose a star from the heavens" than to list all the books I love, let alone only some of them. And in this poll I wanted to include some from my recent reading, my all-time favorites, and my childhood.

Of course, we know each book has an automatic vote from me for making it on the list. But I still need to put in some votes just so that, well, there are votes! I'm going to restrict myself and only pick my very top 3. No, no. Make that, uh, 5. OK. I can pare down to 5. I can. Truly.

Here's what you get to do to add to the joy:

1. Vote for the books that you have loved as well.
2. Make comments about the books from the list that you love.
3. Make comments about books that you wish you saw on the list but I either didn't want to put them on or didn't think to put them on.
4. Have fun!

And for those wondering, yes--I love all of the Anne and Little House series. But if I have to pick a favorite within the series, those are the books that ended up on the list. Perhaps next poll will be favorite series.

Here and There

So, apparently you all are happy with me talking about/synopsizing whatever book or movie I so choose. I guess that's a good thing. That, or I lost some of the readers because I haven't been too steady in writing. Sorry about that. I got sick. I know. Again. I wasn't too thrilled about that either. I also have been doing other things that have taken me away from some of the computer time I've previously had.

I would like to make Wednesday nights My Austen Night--but I'm only going to allow myself that if I am being productive at work. Because while I totally can count book-talking (etc) and blog-learning, social-networking as work-related, it's best to make sure I get more library related (specifically my library) work done. Wouldn't you agree?

OK. Well, on to other things. The most recent poll was very low in votes, but we 3 were all unanimous: Norman!!! Best choice for Hannah Swenson--(cookie) bar none. And in happy, related news, I got both the large print and audio copies of the newest Hannah Swenson book today and have enjoyed beginning that. I'm quite excited for some of the recipes, too!

Oh. The Halloween costume? My hair was BIG. Very. It was awesome. I unfortunately didn't get any pictures of it. And with the Harry Potter audio kick I'm on, I had this odd desire of being Bellatrix. But I should have worn my black witch dress for that. And it's not because I like her. I was 1) trying to break my good-girl, princessy motif that I always opt toward. (I know there is absolutely nothing wrong with the good girl, pretty-pretty, but sometimes one just wants something different. I guess that's what the Cinderalla Post Midnight and Princess and the Pea costumes were) and 2) trying to be a character from a book.

Well, that's probably my update for now. I will try to be more consistent. And fun. Until then, I need to get some work done!