Well, summer is just around the corner and things are getting busy around here.
I've now gotten a job at one of my county's branch libraries as a page. What that means is that my job involves checking in books and audio books and dvds/videos, sorting them either according to author's last name of the d%#n Dewey Decimal system and whether it's new or old; a childrens', adult, young adult, or biography; and then shelving it or transfering it to a different branch or Main, and putting books back in order. All in all, its a more physical job than one might think (those carts get heavy! Not to mention all the squatting to reach bottom shelves and stretching to top shelves and shoving heavy rows to the side to make room...). Plus if I keep this job for 20 years, I can retire at the ripe old age of 41...
I have to admit though, I'm really starting to hate working the children's section. Don't get me wrong, I love children, and I am all in favor of making more kids read (I wish more did, and I wish parents spent more time reading TO their kids instead of using the computers and telling their little kids [who usually can't really read yet] to "look at the books" by themselves. Effectively teaching kids that the library is a place to be bored and thus to hate reading in general...). But kids books are often thin, crammed together, slippery (But its even worse if they're sticky. ), a constant childhood germ threat, and ALWAYS out of order. Not to mention that if an adult book is placed out of order, I at least can call the adults stupid a##holes in private and not feel guilty about it.
However, this job also means my art and writing is going to be slowed down a bit even more. I'm at work for 17 hours a week, and I don't get enough time on my breaks to come home and work (it's an hour's drive to and from the library) Nonetheless Chapter 13 is now about halfway through, and it has changed a bit from what I originally envisioned (I also had to take time out from it to do a little research simply for convenience and to make some elements make more sense for me. ). If I'm lucky, it'll be ready for posting in 1 to 2 weeks.
Another interesting epsiode is a possible near-death experience I had last Thursday. I was getting ready for bed and when I pulled back the covers, I discovered a brown Recluse spider hiding. For those of you who don't know, Brown Recluses are small brown spiders with violin shaped markings on their back and native to the eastern US. They also are extremely poisonous, and often fatal. I was tempted to flush the little creep down the toilet, but instead opted to put "Mr. Pudd" (name of one of my favorite literary villains) out in the garden instead.
So theres the update. I hope everyone is doing well, and has a good month!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Rules To Live By~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. Read regularly, and as many books as you sanly can.

2. Try to watch a large variety and number of films, particularly ones that seem to be often overlooked.

3. Laziness is not a crime, but an overlooked virtue in small doses.

4. Always research whatever whim picks your brain.

5. Silence is a precious gift of relief for some. Don't ruin the moment by breaking it.

6. There is a beauty in everything, even the tragic, grotesque, macabre, and downright forbidden and obscene. Learn to appreciate it even if you don't approve.

7. Never pretend to be flawless. That is a flaw. By being honest about being defective, no one can accuse you of putting on a facade of perfection.

8. Evil is necessary and even beneficial when in balance with good. Otherwise life would be boring.

9. You don't need a relationship to be loved or to give it.

10. Science doesn't cover everything, nor should it. But don't disregard it, just keep an open mind for other possibilities.

11. Death is not to be feared, don't let others use it as a threat against you.

12. Respect the laws of nature. If you can't get along in harmony with the wild, you won't get along with the civilized.

13. Beware of extremes in thinking.

14. Take joy in life. There's nothing wrong with playing now and then.

15. Listen to your instincts and intuition, 9 times out of 10 they are right.

16. Allow yourself to experience every emotion in every degree. That way you will learn to handle them effectively.

17. Never let others use, possess, or abuse you. You are no one's pet, you are no one's tool, you are no one's plaything. You are a living being with a right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

18. Never be afraid. EVER. Someone with nothing to fear is very powerful.

19. You are not better than others. Someone who thinks that is just asking to be taken down several pegs.

20. Kindness is rare and precious, help keep it in existance whenever you can.