If you're happy and you know it ...

... then you also know ignorance is not bliss.

So many stresses have been relieved in the past few days that I feel more cheerful and optimistic this morning than I have for quite a while. Mind you going out on the town last night with a gaggle of other single women (aged 30-45) from work last night and drinking cocktails probably helped too :)

Tumor on the Pituitary Gland. In summary, the tumor is a non-cancerous fluid-filled sack that is pushing my pituitary gland all out of shape,  However my pituitary gland is still working well, so no surgery.  Every 12 months I will need an MRI and some blood tests to confirm all is OK. As soon as the pituitary gland is not working properly, they will but me into surgery.  According to the neurologist that might be in 50 years time.

Primary Chronic Daily Headaches. Innocuous sounding name for something that has been so painful for over two months continuously. I still need to do a LOT of reading up on this one, but the basics as I understand it (and please anyone with medical background please correct me if I'm wrong):

Stress causes headache causes broken sleep patterns causes stress plus headache which then causes sleeplessness which then exacerbates stress and headache and sleeplessness and the whole circle goes around and around getting more and more severe. It also brings on "medically induced emotional incontinence"; translation: I cry at the drop of a hat.

The neurologist has given me some medication from the tricyclics family to help break this vicious cycle. I also need to reduce the stresses in my life and once we get the dosage correct, this should all be over within the next six months.

As a couple of you know I am having major problems at work with my direct supervisor. She has now admitted in a meeting with our manager and HR that she considers me difficult to manage so she stopped trying and just ignored my presence.

Unfortunately for her, she also admitted that whenever I tried to talk to her about my medical condition and how its affecting my work she said "I don't want to hear about your personal life".  This means she did not follow Occupational Health and HR procedures to inform our Manager and HR that I had a serious medical condition.  Both HR and my Manager are well aware that my supervisor has left the organisation open to litigation if (as it has now been determined) the work situation exacerbated the medical condition.

HR and my manager have decided that for the organisation to redress this issue, I will be moved to a different branch, given a different supervisor and given different work for the next six months.  The details are still to be negotiated but it looks like it will include a return to my forte of cataloguing and database integrity (work I love doing and can do in my sleep - yay!) and I will provide periodic written reports from my doctor to ensure that my work is not affecting my recovery.

I was also given on the spot approval for any leave I wish to take in the next six months. So I decided to take two weeks off work from the end of next week.  I have work to do that cannot be just left, and I have a BIG week of work in early July, but I'm taking the two weeks off in between.

So definitely a win and I should be back to the bouncy Goth Tigger you all know and love within six months.


Unfortunately, as I have a predilection to headaches* and I am in a stressful situation both at work and at home** this situation is very likely to reoccur, so I need to make changes changes in my life.

This is where I still need to do a lot of research on this condition. The neurologist gave me a couple of medical papers and details of a book to read*** but basically I need to start my meditation again, institute a regular regime of exercise (when I am capable and not before) and move back to Sydney or Melbourne (a cosmopolitan city which contains many friends and is easily visitable by family).

So time to now put some quiet music on and give my house a thorough spring clean.



* I can tell the difference between a tension headache, a dehydration headache, eyestrain and migraine
** apparently living on your own with no close friends or family and where the primary culture is an anathema to you is considered a stressful situation
*** because I'm a librarian he gave me the ISBN - he looked so proud of himself :)

Gordon and Abby

I live in a semi-rural area surrounded by vineyards and horses. The property I live on has two houses, the old rambling weatherboard house the girls live in, and the smaller but much newer brick house the cats and and I live in.

The girls look after rescued horses in the surrounding paddocks whereas I get all the freedom of the space without any of the responsibility.

The girls also have three ferrets, six dogs and a sheep they raised from a lamb called Gordon.

Gordon was raised with the dogs, came in every night and sleep with the dogs near the fire in winter and eats dog and cat kibble whenever he can get near it.

He also does an excellent job of keeping the girls' yard from needing mowing. Mine unfortunately was looking quite shabby as my gardener cannot visit any more.

So I had a chat to the girls and they asked if I would accept Gordon in to chew on my grass and I have such a think lush amount and, as it is coming into winter, there's not enough in their penned-in yard to keep him fully fed.  I was happy so every few days the girls lead him out of his yard and into mine.

The first time they did, Abby was very wary and cautious of what this animal was and why was it in her yard .... she slunk down in the grass and slithered on her belly all around the sheep. Then ran back to me meowing querulously but wouldn't let me pick her up. She then slithered back around until she was right in front of Gordon and then leapt up about two foot in the air all paws a'waving doing the best Scrat impersonation I'd ever seen.

The girls and I doubled over in laughter.  Gordon didn't even pause in his chewing. I ran inside for my camera, but could only get one shot in before another car pulled up and Abby ran off.

So now Gordon visits regularly and the girls and I make sure the door to the sleep-out is wired open just enough the cats to get through but not Gordon.  Turns out we were wrong.  Also turns out Gordon gets lonely.

He doesn't like being over here by himself, especially when he can see the dogs have been let into the paddocks with the horses without him.  So whenever I'm home Gordon wants to be inside and that would be fine if he didn't piddle and poo everywhere.

Trubs is not happy about him being inside, it makes her very nervous, so we're keeping Gordon outside now.  I can stand watching his big sad lonely sheep eyes more easily than I can stand watching Trubs being nervous and worried.

So there's the story of Gordon and Abby :)

Book Meme

I read this on LiberryDwarf's blog and couldn't resist doing it myself :)

Do you snack while reading? I do most of my reading at mealtimes. Yes I'm the kind of person who would read the back of the Cornflakes packet if there was nothing else around,

What is your favourite drink while reading? Whatever I'm drinking with the meal? Usually water.

Do you tend to mark your books while you read, or does the idea of writing in books horrify you? I've only ever marked a book once.  My Year 12 copy of Pride and Prejudice and I believe we were forced to - to mark where Elizabeth's feelings changed etc etc.  Also I work in a public library; I am disgusted by people who deface books that other people are waiting to read.

How do you keep your place? Bookmark? Dog-ears? Laying the book open flat? I am ashamed to say that I have occasionally dog-eared a library book.  For my own books I usually memorise the page number I'm on. A trait born of too many years of running out of bookmarks and refusing to dog-ear or destroy the spine of my own books.

Fiction, non-fiction or both? Mostly fiction but definitely both.  As long as the subject matter keeps me interested I'll read almost anything.

Do you tend to read to the end of a chapter or can you stop anywhere? I stop only when an alarm goes off or the phone rings or the train reaches my station or any other form of interruption. Yes I set alarms when I start to read.

Are you the type of person to throw a book across the room or on the floor if the author irritates you? I have done so but very rarely. The most recent was with Twilight. Couldn't get past the second chapter, the actual writing was awful!

If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop and look it up right away? I rarely find words that I don't know or cannot judge from context. When I truly am stumped I tend to be lazy and ask on Twitter :)

What are you currently reading? Pinocchio - Vampire Slayer. I kid you not, its a graphic novel I grabbed from the library - the writing is awful and the illustrations are mediocre, but hey with a title like that you have to at least give it a look!

What is the last book you bought? A Heston Blumenthal book for my Dad for his birthday.  Already planned the Kitchen Chemistry book and DVD set for father's day :)

Do you have a favourite time/place to read? Well I've just moved house so I'm still finding/creating favourite nooks.  Favourite time to read is over brunch on a day off work, because I don't have to stop reading.

Do you prefer series books or stand-alones?  As long as the subject matter keeps me interested I'll read almost anything. I do have issues with series books that really should have been condensed into one novel, or in the case of Stephen King, 1000+ page tomes that really should have been novellas.

Is there a specific book or author you find yourself recommending over and over? I work in a public library, its my job to recommend books.  I find it a much more successful match to find out what the borrower wants and recommend books that match their desires, rather than to foist my own favourites onto them.

How do you organize your books (by genre, title, author’s last name, etc.)? I spent many years as a cataloguer.  So just like mechanics have faulty car and plumbers have dripping taps, I have my books organised into "does it fit on that shelf?"

So .... who's next?

World of Warcraft

I finally succumbed and joined WoW last weekend.  The State Library of NSW is hosting a seminar on Online Gaming and Libraries at the end of the month.  This seminar is being held INSIDE WoW!  In Stormwind in the Saurfang realm for those who are interested.

From the FAQ page: Any library worker from any library, anywhere is welcome to participate. You just need to register, and set up a toon. So any librarians who read this and wish to join in, please do so!

So I succumbed.  With a lot of advice from friends and a bit of help from a great friend I used to work with and the seminar organiser, I now have a 13th Level Human Warrior.

I justify this to myself that to get the full benefit of the seminar, I should really get a proper understanding of the game functions and dynamics :)

So I was having a play this morning ... having given up on Westfall for the quests being too hard for a solo player, I ran back to the other side of Elysian Forest and started a few quests that were too hard a few days ago.

Got all the way over to the area, started killing things, and heard baaaaa! in my ear.  Gordon, next door's sheep had walked in the house and was eyeing off the couch.

Meanwhile my character had died, so I ran her back to where she died, resurrected her, watched Gordon piddle on the linoleum and used my hearthstone to get my toon back to an inn and left the game to take Gordon outside.

OK, Gordon is locked outside, he has lots of grass and fresh water and can't back in. I've cleaned up his piddle and mopped the floor, time to try that quest again.

Oh bother, my home inn is back in Westfall.  Run alllllllllllllllll the way back to the other side of the Forest, get set up with protective spells, start to fight the baddies and the phone rings.  Its my Dad wanting to settle in for a long chat.  OK, character is dead. Run back to where I was in the game, resurrect and hearthstone home before engaging in battle again and my toon appears back in Westfall.

D'oh!

So an hour later, I've finished my phone call with Dad, and am wondering whether to try for a third time go through all that rigmarole for those two quests ....

Its a fine day, perhaps I might join Gordon in the garden and read my book for a while instead .... 

Outlook 2007 Calendar help please?

Is there any way, using Outlook 2007 to set up a second calendar that can be shared with others in the same organisation.

As part of my work, I arrange training sessions for staff.  I also keep a record of who is offsite at seminars/conferences etc.  I also would like to block out periods of time where my management does not want any training being conducted because we have higher priorities, planning for Children's BookWeek for example.

A calendar would a perfect, at-a-glance solution for all of these needs, but I already use my Outlook Calendar for my own movements, meetings, appointments etc. Putting all the training data into the same calendar is highly confusing.

My work IT will not allow me to download applications or tools onto my desktop and my management are highly resistant to using tools other than the Microsoft suite of programs, so I cannot simply set up a Google Calendar. So any suggestions?

Work Questions: Housebound or Home Delivery Service

Morning all,

I'm thinking of sending this questionnaire to my library managers to help with a housebound review I'm conducting.  What do you think of the following questions? Have I missed anything? Does your library do anything different? Innovative? Is there something you wished your library did that it doesn't do?

Please let me know!

Mel..

I’ve been quiet on reporting on the housebound front because I’ve been mulling over issues, especially after attending the Community Engagement training last month. I believe instead of organising the sort of service we want to give, we should arrange a series of meetings with housebound customers and ask what they want from us. At present we provide staff- or volunteer-selected books, audio books and DVDs on a regulated, rostered basis. Is that what they want from us?

 

Before going ahead with that, I’d like to ask, what are WE prepared to offer them? Could the Library Management Team please think on the following areas and let me know which options we do NOT want to pursue …

 

WHO

The image of the traditional housebound customer is a frail elderly luddite who would prefer someone to work “that danged computer” for them.  I respectfully submit that this is a very low percentage of our potential customer base.

·         Do we want to advertise in hospitals to provide a short-term service for those recovering from surgery?

·         Do we want to offer our services to anyone who requires in-house nursing, respite or carer assistance? Including children?

·         Do we want to provide a level of support and delivery to remote customers (those who live more than 30 minutes drive to a library branch)?

·         Do we want to open up a tier of service (possibly with a nominal payment) for those who would simply prefer home delivery (ala the supermarket home delivery services)?

 

WHAT

We currently provide staff or volunteer chosen books, LP books, audio and DVDs.

·         Do we want include these customers on standing magazine reservations?

·         Do we want to teach those customers interested in how to select and reserve their own materials?

·         Are there any materials or stock we don’t want to send out to housebound or home delivery customers?

·         Do we want to invest in technology such as Audio-Read’s Navigator http://www.audio-read.com.au/hardware.htm for our print-challenged customers?

·         Do we want to send out flyers/informational brochures extolling the changes/improvements to our websites? Allow them use to and understanding of databases, tumblr etc accessible via our library website?

·         Do we want to provide information on audio download and eBook download when these services become available?

·         What other information or services could we supply from the library or from City of Swan with their items?

·         Is there anything that we charge other Council departments to include in our deliveries (thereby offsetting some costs)?

 

HOW

Under the present system the housebound customer usually contacts us and the local branch asks them a series of predetermined questions to determine their likes and dislikes. This information is stored somewhere for staff and volunteers at that branch to use to select items from.

·         Do we want to start visiting these customers for face-to-face meetings to discuss their needs? Should the person who has initial contact be a readers’ advisory expert to best gauge their preferences?

·         Should we include a feedback slip in every item so they can advise us in our selection?

·         For those who possess the technology (PC, smartphone, iPad, laptop etc) should we go out one-on-one and teach them how to use the library catalogue to place their own reservations? Should we teach these same customers how to use NoveList or other databases so they can feel empowered to select their own materials?

 

WHEN

At present items are mostly delivered on a standard periodic basis via staff or volunteer at each library branch.

·         Do we want to continue doing this?

·         Do we want to centralise and run all home delivery or housebound from one library?

·         Do we want to enter into an official contact with a volunteer organisation for them to provide regular, reliable volunteers to supply and collect the items?

·         Do we want to offer staff the option of changing their position descriptions to allow them to spend time each week supplying and collecting the items on a regular rostered basis?

·         Do we want to purchase a vehicle for a library staff member to use to supply and collect the items on a regular rostered basis?

·         Rather than using the standard library bags (or shopping bags) do we want to invest in courier satchels whereby we post out the items and the customer or one of their visitors returns the satchel to their local Post Office to be delivered back to us? (We enter into an arrangement with Australia Post to pay a monthly fee for this service) This would be more like Netflix, whereby we send out the next batch when the first batch is returned. This is more flexible as it doesn’t rely on rostered regular deliveries.

 

IN SHORT

·         If the community want these options, which are prepared to provide?

·         Or to put it another way, which of these options are outside the realm of what we are prepared to fight for?