Library rantings

Sitting at work during my lunch break...

Yep, it's a Saturday and I'm working my butt off so that it won't be so busy on Monday since we're no longer open on Sundays. So sad that we're no longer open on Sundays... Since the dawn of Washington County we libraries have been open 7 days a week and now, look at us. Not enough budget to keep us open regularly anymore.

What's going on anyway?

I don't understand why it is that everyone takes advatage of the library, but no one wants to pay taxes to keep us open. And then when we have to close a day or shorten the hours, everyone gets mad about it. Oh well...

I'm still fuming about what had happened at Hennepin County's Plymouth Library! They lost a large amount of their DVDs on their grand-reopening day. How sad is it when people are so desperate for movies to watch, they feel they need to steal it from the library...? How hard is it, really, to just pop out your library card and check the dang thing out? So annoying... Because once it goes missing, we gotta replace it and guess what? You pay more taxes!

Just another rant...

Another week gone... Another tight budget...

Rent was due yesterday so the check went in...

Yet again, this week will be a big bummer for the family as far as the budget goes. I honestly have no idea how we're to keep continuing like this. After the school loans, energy bill, phone bills, rent, and other bills go through, it's like there's nothing left... I thought last week was tough having only $140 left for gas, groceries, and other household misc and surprise bills, but this week will be worse... After paying for the bills this week, we have a grand total of $75...

And it's to last us the next seven days...

Times are getting tougher, but I keep trying to be optimistic. There are other people out there in worst situations than I am so I shouldn't complain, I guess...

When I think back to my 18 year old self and how excited I was to go to college and finally make a life for myself, my parents had warned me not to accept any school loans, only grants. But after applying for federal student aid and realizing how little I would actually receive in grants, I had no choice but to accept the loans. There was no way my parents would've been able to pay for me to go.

Maybe I should have followed the paths of my friends who decided to work after high school or those who decided to go to the nearby community college or joined the Army... I should have, but then again, none of those were good enough for my parents.

"Work? Then you'll never go to college!"

"Don't you dare make us, your parents who birthed and raised you, look like fools by going to that cheap and poor community college!"

"You are a girl. The military is for strong boys and men. You'll come home within just days of bootcamp crying!"

So I had to go to the best school in the state.

And I loved it there.

And the school loans piled higher and higher.

And here I am now making about $400 every two weeks (in a job I absolutely love, I assure you) and unable to make all of my monthly payments without starving myself every other day so my family could eat...

Now there's this article about another student who is struggling to continue paying for hers as well. Yes, it really is as bad as the home loan crisis and the tone of the article is that "if you cannot afford the school, don't go to it", but what is that saying to the younger generations? "Don't aim your hopes too high."

I guess you must encourage the poor kids not to go, right? Because otherwise the rich kids won't have any jobs when they're done with their degrees. I suppose I shouldn't say "poor" because those in family below the middle class can get lots of state and federal help if they delve deep into the nooks and crannies of paperwork. It's the middle class who get jipped.

When I was 18 years old with hope in my eyes, someone should've snapped me out of it and told me the system was not meant for me.

We want to be so different from the rest of the world, but the truth is that we're exactly the same as, say, China where the poor work the fields and the rich control everything. At least those poor know their lot in life. As for me, I'm lost. Lost between the hope for something better and the reality of what is. And the sad thing is that I'm not the only one.

But then again...

Life is hard.

And I'm complaining...

The Ghost of You

Rules:
1. Put your music library on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. You must write that song title as the answer to the question, no matter how silly it sounds! Most of the time they seem to work though, strangely enough.
4. Ok, go!
5. The answer to #20 is the Title of your note.


1. If someone says "shelf" You say?
You Know What They Do to Guys Like Us in Prison? (LOL)

2. How would you describe yourself?
Radar (Yup, I got my eyes on you!)

3. What do you like in a guy/girl?
Helena (Oh yeah! The tough guy!)

4. How do you feel today?
Slay Me Suddenly ("Your eyes two will slay me suddenly...")

5. What is your life’s purpose?
At This Moment (So true... Love and forgiveness despite other's wrongdoings to us are the best purposes in life)

6. What's your motto?
Don't Lie ("... You promise me the sky, then toss me like a stone..."

7. What do your friends think of you?
Leave Out All the Rest

8. What do you think of your parents?
Vegas ("Gonna sell my car and go to Vegas..." True... They really do make me wanna run away and chase my dreams instead of theirs)

9. What do you think about very often?
I'm Not OK (I Promise)

10. What is 2 + 2?
I Kissed a Girl

11. What do you think of your best friend?
Lie to Me (And Tell Me That It's Gonna be Alright)

12. What do you think of the person you like?
Whatever It Takes

13. What is your life story?
What I've Done

14. What do you want to be when you grow up?
Bleed It Out

15. What do you think of when you see the person you like?
All For Love of One

16. What will you dance to at your wedding?
Valentine's Day by Linkin Park

17. What will they play at your funeral?
Good Night (Hmm... The chorus goes "I'm sorry. I did not mean to hurt my little girl... Good night...")

18. What is your biggest fear?
I Hate This Part (Wow! Very true!)

19. What is your biggest secret?
If U Seek Amy ("Love me, Hate me, Say what you want about me!" LOL)

20. What will you post this as?
The Ghost of You

Crowley

Name: Crowley

Sex: Male?

Species: Python Regius

Crowley ate his first meal at home last night!

It'd been a long and complicated battle, but we finally won in the end. Everything I read either online or in books had warned us about Ball Pythons being very picky eaters, but silly me didn't think ours could possibly be like the rest! I guess what really won out in the end was patience. Either that or hunger- Whichever... All I know is, it sure was fun watching him eat!