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I've got a bad mood hangover. I think it started with the relentless headache that has been pursuing me for three days. (I ditched it, though! if the headache and I were in a movie with a chase scene, I just duped it with a maneuver so painkiller obvious it will be slapping its hand on the steering wheel and creatively cursing while I laugh and fishtail my convertible into the metaphorical sunset where headaches are personified by movie cliches and my hair flies around attractively instead of whipping me in the eyes. Yee haw!) Where was I? Oh, right. So anyway, I've had this on again off again (now off) headache, I've been feeling generally pathetic and sorry for myself (delightful!), and work was a pain in my ass.

I worked at one of the big regional branches today -- this is one where I love the patrons, the building is beautiful, the staff are all nice, but I swear the feng shui is wrong or something because there are problems every time I go there! Today I only worked 5.75 hours, yet 4.5 of them were on the desk. (this is WAY TOO LONG and against the usual custom of no more than 2 in a row. Public, I love you, but there are limits.) The good part was that I got to issue a lot of new library cards to kids. I love this! Especially the ones who obviously really want the card.

My favorite today was a little boy who was probably right around 7. He had red hair and freckles and filled out the form himself. I always try to talk directly to the kid when I give them the Library Card talk, and I try to make sure I'm really talking to them and not just parroting the laundry list of points to cover, since while it may be the 15th card I've issued in an hour, it's his very first library card ever. I'm sorry to say that I was distracted during our transaction because there was an old lady at the self check machine nearby who had volume control issues. (she reminded me of Principal Skinner's mother on the Simpsons. "SEYMORE! this damned machine doesn't work. How will I check out my erotic fiction?!") I apologized for being distracted and redheaded freckled boy (with glasses!) got his books and I think it was fine.

There was an altercation today that involved teenagers, much voluble swearing and forced ejection. I was helping the wife of a middle aged couple sign up for a new card while this was going on. We were chatting about putting things on hold, while in the distance what had been just part of the background noise erupted into a volcano of FUCK YOUs, which led the husband to ask if it was always like this at the library. (my answer: no. True answer: more often than you'd think if you haven't been in a library since the 1960s.) He then asked (as chairs were being pushed around and a crowd was forming) if this behavior was a cultural thing or if they were just retarded. (my answer: ... True answer: they're teenagers. it's a cultural thing AND they're retarded.) After that bit of excitement I had at least 2 little old men come up to the counter to regale me with tales of the good old days when librarians shushed people.

Anyway, somehow the overall awfulness of this work day (which comes nowhere NEAR the awfulness of my old job, so I'm not really complaining) made the rest of my nonsense recede and that's where it's been all night. I found some Youtube distractions, headache's still gone, Lost was !!!! and I don't have to work tomorrow. Things are trending upward and I hope they continue!