May 2, 1992

The weekend's top-grossing new release. Finished in 4th place overall. Gone, forgotten.



I work.  Kelly babysits.  It's a slow Saturday, certainly not much to do in the way of reference, but time passes quickly since there are plenty of other tasks to tackle.  JoAnna's back from Oshkosh once I return home.  I play a little baseball with Andy, his favorite activity of late.  Eddie wanders around the back yard, swinging the yellow wiffle bat, getting into his patented crouch, making me laugh hysterically.  JoAnna and I don't make love.  I thought it would be a natural thing for us to do after her absence, but she's tired, and I'm feeling rather blah myself.

April 28, 1992

Lasted a season and a half on NBC

I think about going into work early -- earlier than my 12 noon starting time, that is -- but get caught up with a little yard work and transcribing journal notes from January 1990.  I spend much of the afternoon at the Madison Public Library.  It's the second meeting of the Dane County reimbursement committee and a productive one at that.  I do have one concern.  We talk about cutting the same size pie into different sized pieces, but I (silently) don't buy that.  I am certainly not ready to accept a smaller check for Middleton.

For the first time in 5 weeks, I work the reference desk without interruption.

March 7, 1992

For a change of pace, I work a Saturday at the information desk,  preview of coming attractions in my professional life, now that Liz wishes to no longer work every Saturday.  Business is steady all day; 5 o'clock makes a quick appearance.

Thursday, March 5, 1992

My day off arrives a day early.  Eddie's had a rough night and with all his various health problems over the past week -- diarrhea, coughing, congestion, runny nose -- JoAnna and I decide that the guy needs a check-up.  Turns out that I'm the one with the flexible schedule (and loving it!).  I'm able to schedule a 9:30 appointment with Dr. Ellis.  It's ear infection time again.  After this visit, Eddie and I go food shopping -- at Woodman's for a change of pace.  The mammoth size and extensive inventory never cease to amaze me.  Too many choices.  Way too many choices.  And what happens when I'm ready to move to the checkout line?  I have to wait about 5 minutes to snail my cart to the cash register.  At Woodman's, it doesn't matter what time of day it is.  There is always a wait.

While Eddie sleeps, I type up more calendar squares.  I have an over-and-out argument with the demon. There will be no indulgence today, not when I have to be presentable for a 5-9 shift at the reference desk.  Even after work, I turn down a chance to go berserk.  Everyone's in bed when I get home, but I settle for an alcohol-free viewing of House Party.  Only milk and graham crackers are served.

Tuesday, February 4, 1992

LINK

I look forward to the drive alone to the South Central Library System office, groovin' on some 80s tunes, but this opportunity for solitude is overruled when Peg Hilliker and Sheila shoos away her ride.  I'm sitting in my office like I'm there for the day.  It's natural for Sheila to think the meeting is at Middleton.  Actually I don't mind the company, but Peg does have a bad scent to her.

The afternoon is taken up with Eve Larkin's interview.  She conducts a professional, very assured storytime though she tends to ramble during the interview itself.  Nonetheless, there is not much outside of personality to distinguish her suitability for the position from Diane.

During the evening, I work the reference desk and attend the council meeting.  No fireworks tonight.

Monday, December 2, 1991

Monday morning I went to work feeling much improved.  A conference call to discuss plans for the WAPL spring conference seemed a waste of time, maybe because I didn't have any specific assignment to report on.  An afternoon snowfall keeps evening business to a minimum, much to my relief.  I was no in mood to deal with the usual Monday hordes of people.

November 26, 1991

Country taping and the drive to Kohl's to buy more blank tapes and Land's End to see if any of the merchandise screams "wife's birthday present.  An Indian knit sweater takes up the chant, but at $84 I decide to think about it.  Then I spot the tattersall shirt of my dreams and continue to keep a clamp on my wallet.

I have little ambition today.  My biggest accomplishment is use to a clipboard to organize all of my upcoming meeting agendas and reports and other various enclosures.

The evening is slow but not too slow.  Chris Robbins actually sits at a table for 2 hours and concentrates on his homework.  Before going to bed, I sit at my desk and drink a martini while going through the newspapers.

November 21, 1991

I'm up until 5 or so, when I'm finally able to fall back asleep.  Tonight's Finance Committee meeting (Middleton's) keeps my mind occupied.  I repeat the worst-case scenario over and over again.  I work until 11, stop by Pat's for a haircut, then spend the afternoon at home, the result of a split day to fill in for Sharon tonight.  The evening at the info desk is surprisingly busy.  There must be a school assignment due tomorrow.

November 19, 1991

I throw Barb's Tuesday schedule out of whack by keeping the washer and dryer in use for half the morning.  I also venture into the back yard to rack some leaves, though about 1/3 of the fenced-in area remains covered.  Agonizing over the conditions of some parts of the exterior of the house, I wipe off some mildew but decide against a more ambitious washing.  Just as well.  It starts raining shortly after 11.

It's a relatively slow evening at the reference desk.  No major incidents to report:  no cellular phone rudeness, no toddlers wandering into the lobby unobserved by inattentive moms, no pizza parties. Sometimes I wonder if it isn't time to take stock of my accomplishments and consider some career alternatives.

November 18, 1991

I print out the newspaper column before driving to campus.  I make my usual appearance as reference expert on Darlene's A-50 ETN.  From there I drive to the WLA office, which is locked and darkened when I arrive.  Just as I'm getting into a recent issue of the New York Times Book Review, Larry rushes up the stairs, apologizing profusely for leaving me stranded -- sort of.  I join the rest of the Finance Committee at the Phoenix Gardens.  Having grabbed a McDonald's drive-thru meal on the way out, I skip ordering a second meal.  During the afternoon portion of the meeting, I occasionally wonder why I agreed to run for a major office and get myself involved in all these additional committees.  Oh well, I'll just have to crank it up once the new year starts.

I spend the last two hours of the workday at the info desk, and what a zoo the library is.  Middleton students have swarmed the library to finish an animal lore assignment due tomorrow.

The most strenuous I engage in during the evening is to put in place a couple of wall maps in the family room.

November 8, 1991

The Nissan is due for a tune-up, brake job, new tires, so the first order of the day is to take it to Dunn's.  

I spend most of the day at the reference desk, expecting a busy day with students out of school, but the rush never materializes.

A lotta stuff didn't materialize this week.

Sharon gives me a ride to Dunn's, and with 45 minute remaining to the daycare pickup deadline, the car is not ready.  The mechanic finishes up what he can and then I begin my race against time and greet Andy with no time to spare.

After supper, Andy and I go grocery shopping.  We also make a visit to Kohl's so I can buy a replacement stash of blank tapes.  Andy disappears into the toy section and has to be coerced into the front of the store.

Andy joint his mom and dad in bed for awhile.  JoAnna suggests that he go to bed but that's not what he wants to hear.  I tell him "When I was a little boy, I could always stay up later on the weekend."  Andy immediately relays this observation to his mom.

"He said I could stay up longer."

Andy can be such a charmer.

October 29, 1991

LINK is one big happy family now that Pete Hamon has volunteered to be Sugar Daddy, at least for 1992.  Jo Zipsie is euphoric and even Peter Niemi speaks in favor of cooperation.

I take an extended afternoon break -- more taping and notebook reorganization -- and return to work the info desk.  The teen queens are no-shows, but Chris Robbins, Brian Long, and John Chancy form a goofy trio that keeps the periphery of my vision occupied.

October 22, 1991

I spend the morning taping tunes and otherwise putzing around.  During most of the afternoon, I stare at my workroom computer and continue to my nuts and bolts notes.  I've been ignoring this project for the past three weeks.  I take an early supper break so I can be at the reference desk from quarter of 5 to closing.  Chris Robbins just about drives me berserk.  Then the senior teen queens take their turn.  I walk home feeling exhausted and trying to bury the thought that I'm overpolicing the library.  I watch the final innings of the World Series (game 3) before going to sleep.

September 16, 1991

Liz tells me that she's working the desk this morning before I have a chance to tell her she doesn't have to.  My day consists of writing a column for the paper, reviewing Bill 25, pondering what I'm going to talk about on Wednesday, and directing people to InfoTrac.

JoAnna has a last-minute change of schedule so I pick up Andy at daycare.  My supper consists of cranberry fizzwater and the last of Martha's oatmeal cookies.  I do laundry and finish Maximum Bob and try to remember the last time JoAnna I made love.  (A week ago Sunday.)

August 21, 1991

After a telephone conversation with Tom Ullsvik, I am walking on air, I can barely contain my elation.  Tom has no problem with the automation capital expenditure.  He feels the support of the Finance Committee is there.  He also asks about decision items, so I give him a preview of the library's 1992 budget proposal and even throw in a few justifications here and there.  His comment, "You have a great story to tell" stays with me all day.  John Westbury and I meet with Liz Erpenbach in the afternoon and she, too, is supportive.

I pick up Andy and then rush back to the library to spend my second evening in a row at the reference desk.  Once I'm home and in bed, I have trouble falling asleep.  The phone jars me awake at 2:20.  A security system malfunction.  I'm lucky to remember to put on a pair of pants before I leave.  Still half-asleep, I attempt to clear the 09 code, to no avail.  I lay in bed awake for most of the rest of the night.

August 3, 1991

I discover ants in the cupboard.  Lot of ants.  The little critters found the uncapped honey jar.  At least one had drowned in its pursuit of pleasure, but the others scatter in all directions when they encounter the exterminator.  I kill dozens of the intruders, clear out the boxes and other containers, and apply an extra-lethal dose of Raid.  As a result of this household battle, I get to work just before the library opens.  When I'm not answering reference questions, I work on the report for the board and my notes for next year's library building project workshop.

I spent the evening as a slave to my boom box, finishing the 1966 series, and then doing some fill-in taping.  About 11 o'clock, I prepare a cookie sheet full of corn meal-coated chicken wings. I wolf them down even though they are incredibly bland.  A side of ranch for dipping purposes does little to improve the taste.

July 30, 1991

My first thought is to go into work early, maybe take part of the afternoon off, enough to take in a movie.  Instead, I stay home and do some taping, still building to achieve the ideal audiocassette library.  DAT?  I have too much invested in the present tape format.  Day 2 after vacation continues a productivity binge started yesterday.  Long-range plan revisions flow out of my brain.

I take a 4:30 to 5:30 dinner break, early, too early to see Andy, but I get to interact with the little Eddie guy.  After work, the evening reference desk shift, I'm surprised to find that JoAnna and Eddie are out.  

July 29, 1991

I get a very early start to the work week, feeling refreshed after a relaxing week off.  I walk into the library shortly after 7, and after fixing a pot of coffee, I plow through the mail.  With Liz on vacation and Alice finishing up her practicum, I spent most of my time at the reference desk.  Even so, I am productive, finishing the revision of the collection development policy and adding some important language to the long-range plan.  I stay at the library until 6 and help myself to some leftovers when I get home.  Later on, while JoAnna gets ready for the upcoming trip to Two Rivers, Andy and I go grocery shopping.

July 19, 1991

I'm able to get back to work today, after two days at home with a mild but disorienting case of the flu.  My five o'clock goal is a clear desk, which I barely have time to accomplish as a result of a busy afternoon at the reference desk.  I take an hour for lunch, stopping at the credit union to cash my check and at University Bookstore at Hilldale where I don't find an issue of Billboard.  It's raining during most of this excursion, but by 6 o'clock, when I leave the library, it's steamy all over again.  JoAnna and Andy have left for her softball game.  To demonstrate the completeness of my recovery, I pour myself a martini.

July 15, 1991

JoAnna is still not back to par, so with having to get breakfast for the boys and driving Andy to daycare, I'm running up to an hour behind schedule. Worse yet, I feel as though I'm coming down with JoAnna (and Barb) have. I start to drag during the afternoon.  A couple of cans of Sprite partially restore my energy level.  The reference desk, though, is so busy that I can't get to any of my projects.  I pick up Andy and, after tidying up the kitchen, we go grocery shopping.  We don't home until 9:30.  I stay up to watch the baseball highlights on TV.