Thursday, January 29, 2009

Scary Mary

I laughed and laughed when I saw this video and had to share. It just goes to show that presentation is everything. After watching this you'll never see Mary Poppins in the same light again.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2T5_0AGdFic

Hide the children and enjoy!

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

What a Librarian Will Do in the Name of Furthering Education

Have you ever driven to work with a tadpole in your car? Well I did this morning. Two words. Water everywhere. And why did she have a tadpole in her car, you might ask? Because I'm a librarian. Librarians will do anything in the name of education and learning. Including chauffeuring around a live tadpole so the kids at the library can experience the joy and excitement of watching a tadpole change into a frog. The tadpole was still alive upon arrival so alls well that ends well.

Since I am the one in charge of displays at the library, our regular patrons and staff have grown used to seeing me carrying strange objects in and out of the building. Here is a list of some of the more startling things I've been spotted toting about.

1) A large pink dollhouse (fully furnished)

2) A life-sized robotic pony (You would not believe the crowd of children I attracted that day.)

3) A talking female robot with a pink miniskirt

4) A miniature covered wagon with a team of horses attached

5) A romote controled flying saucer (really flew)

6) A mermaid marionette

7) A live parrot

8) A live poodle

9) A fake heartshaped cake with frosting. (Kids kept asking if they could have a taste.)

10) Three Fairy dolls with wings that move

11) One large stone gargoyle

12) A miniature zoo complete with moving animals

13) A real sword (One little boy made his father come over and ask if he could hold it--please, please, please.)

And my particular favorite: The giant posable skeleton I was caught on the elevator with. Some rather well dressed wedding guests were on their way up to the ballroom and couldn't stop staring at it in horrified silence. It was NOT Halloween at the time.

What can I say, I'm devoted to my work.

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Snow, Snow, Go Away--and Don't Come Back!

Where, oh, where is all my beautiful California sunshine? Can I just tell you all how much I HATE driving in snow? This whole week it’s been snowing with a vengeance. It took me two and a half hours to drive home from work one night. I saw no less than three accidents, two ambulances, one fire truck and five police cars on the way. I’d forgotten my cell phone that day and couldn’t call home and let them know I was all right. My family was about ready to jump in the four wheeler and come hunt for me.

On the way to work the next day I found myself slipping and sliding all over the road. I was gripping the steering wheel so tight my knuckles were white. That’s when I noticed the truck ahead of me had a wickedly grinning silver skull attached to its back end. Every time the driver would hit the breaks, the skull’s eyes would glow an evil red. That can't be a good omen, I thought to myself. Not exactly the kind of thing you want leering at you all the way to work as you drive on icy roads with snow pelting down. I only saw one abulance and one firetruck on the way to work today, so people must be getting more cautious. Or stuck in ditches, take your pick.

Now if I can just make it home in one piece after work today. It's enough to make me want to hybernate for the winter! See you all next spring. (I wish)

Friday, January 2, 2009

Absolutely Fascinating: Part Two

As a children’s librarian I have picked up some absolutely fascinating but completely useless knowledge over the years. Last year I made a list of some of my favorite strange but true trivia and decided to keep up the tradition this year by sharing some more. If you want to entertain yourself for hours try looking up information on the internet about these bizarre but oddly enthralling subjects.

Singing Sands –Have you ever heard of the Singing Sands? I hadn’t. Desert winds can cause sliding avalanches which make some pretty eerie, almost musical, sounds. Not every desert sounds like these do because only a certain kind of sand can create these noises. The sand has to be just the right shape, size, and substance to work right. The explorer, Marco Polo, heard these sounds and believed them to be made by evil spirits. The website below is in a foreign language so just click on the pictures and you will see video of the different types of sounds the sand can make when people simulate avalanches (on a much smaller scale) with their hands, feet, or backsides. It’s even spookier when created naturally because all of these different sounds harmonize together. You have to really turn up the volume to get the full effect.

http://www.lps.ens.fr/~douady/SongofDunesIndex.html

Coral Castle - A man who was jilted at the altar by his young fiancé built an entire castle, all by himself, to commemorate his lost love. It took him 28 years and he never let anyone watch him work, often building at night so no one would see how he did it. Many of the stones involved were so big experts say it would be impossible for one man to have moved them alone.
Hmmm . . .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amXsPcD7g5g&feature=related

Lioness Adopts Baby Gazelle – A lioness in Africa by the name of Kamuniak decided to adopt a baby gazelle as her own. She was so worried some other lion would eat her new foster baby she stopped hunting and began starving herself. I would not have believed it if I hadn’t seen video of this story with my own eyes. Neither will you. If you put in the words, “lioness adopts oryx” as a search in Google you’ll get all sorts of great stuff.

The Principality of Sealand - Just click on the link below. You have to see to this one to believe it! Make sure to click on the Picture Gallery and Fact File links as well.

http://www.fruitsofthesea.demon.co.uk/sealand/

Oak Island Treasure – Millions of dollars and six lives have been lost searching for this hidden treasure no one has ever been able to find. Something was definitely hidden there once, the deep shaft and booby traps left behind attest to that. Is the treasure still there? No one may ever know.

http://www.oakislandtreasure.co.uk/content/section/5/35/

Marfa Ghost Lights – Marfa, Texas has quite a mystery on its hands. Strange glowing lights that have been appearing there since the 1800’s. There are all sorts of theories about what causes the phenomenon. Check out the facts and decide for yourself.

Try not to get a headache while still wondering about it all at three o'clock in the morning. : )

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