Peeps, I would hire you in a second. I'd love to have a mouse as my second in command. Unfortunately, my problem isn't hiring someone but convincing the beancounters that we need another full time employee. {insert emoticon showing banging head against brick wall here}

We got our first goose as a sentinel for our chickens. Then discovered that she needed another goose for companionship (she was bonding with one of our German Shepherds). Then we started rescuing domestic geese who were injured in the wild. The population just snowballed from there, but we are holding tight at nine and wouldn't mind parting with a couple of them. We still have that first goose and she rules the flock as queen empress.

We do eat the goose eggs - this is the prime laying season right now so we are very well stocked at the moment. One goose egg makes an excellent omelet - plus they are great for baking with.

There seem to be budget cuts and beancounters everywhere right now. Not exactly the best of times. Being a librarian seems like it wold be a stress-free, quiet, pleasant job, but there are probably some tough things about it. Maybe in my next life.
Don't think I've ever eaten a goose egg. How much omelet can you get from one egg? Ugh I'm hungry... have some chicken cooking in the oven right now.

One goose egg is roughly the equivalent to three chicken eggs - so one egg = one omelet. I usually add a chicken egg to the mix because I'm hungry!

We ate at a very meat centric place last night and they had this great quote on the black board: "Vegetarians - what American Indians called lousy hunters."

and this: "If God hadn't intended us to eat animals, he wouldn't have made them of meat."

All that aside, we don't eat our geese. Their personalities are just too strong and we get too attached.

Most of the stress in my life as a librarian is caused by constantly double tasking while dealing with the public - I get only four hours per week when we are not closed to plan, fill out forms, answer emails, etc. and half of that is used with opening and closing procedures so I have to do a lot of my work with constant interruptions. Also, a lot of library patrons are borderline crazy to batshit crazy. And enforcing polices like "You stink like shit on a hot day in Hell so leave the library" can be soul-sucking at times. I try to exhaust all the possibilities before I actually kick anyone out but sometimes they just force the issue. Plus, my library is understaffed - the only other library in our system with comparable use and open hours has 40 more staff hours than we do! Despite all that, and what keeps me motivated, there's all the kids coming here excited about reading and the fact that we are free and open to everyone (unless you stink like shit or look at porn openly in the library).

Lol, yeah I know about stinky library patrons... there were a load back in LA.

Hm, I hit the add button too quick there....
Anyway, the soul suckling nature of most daily jobs is the pits. I guess they're all kind of leech like from time to time.

And I don't think I could eat an animal I raised either... now someone else 's animal is a different story.

Yep, even though I have geese I love at home I've still eaten goose pate in restaurants and I could still look my geese in the eyes when I got home.

Yeah, I've eaten in the presence of my pet fish, and he's pretty forgiving. Considering his own food is made partly from fish I guess it's okay.

Not goose eggs, but I have worked with duck eggs. I'm currently on the hunt for some ostrich eggs. I haven't tried using my drimel yet. I would love to give it a shot, but not sure how to go about it. It's so cool that your wife does that! I would love to see pics. I bet they are beautiful!

I'm working on getting you some pics!

I did a last minute ink sketch of Godzilla on my Easter egg this year. Turned out pretty cool.

I have some pics now saved as jpegs. Does an image have to have a URL to be posted here?

I have not usually been emplyed full time, in recent years. I have a library degree (masters degree in "library and information science") so I have been able to work a fair amount, but I have not always been able to keep up with all the rapid changes in the profession, as all the technology makes so many mind boggling leaps forward.

I volunteer a lot, at a library in the town next door to my town.

HEY, I do one very interesting thing: I have been writing a chapter about astronomy magazines, annually, for several years, which is included in a book that librarians are supposed to consult, if they want to select magazines for their library. This project can actually be almost unbelievably interesting, because by its very nature it exposes me to ongoing advances in astronomy. I don't think a lot of people understand how incredible it is that astronomy is learning SOOOOO much new information every year. They are finding hundreds and hundreds of new planets all the time, around other stars... it might not be much longer before we discover alien life, the way things are going... this is just the most amazing time in human history for that field of study (and for many other fields of study).

to a fellow librarian. I don't have an MLS just a bachelors in Lit & American Studies, but I racked up a lot of management experience other places before getting my first library job. About ten years ago I started as a shelver, then moved up to clerk and then Branch Manager about seven years ago. Most of the time I wish I was still a shelver - the most zenlike, restful job I've ever had despite being constantly busy.

Sounds like you have really found an exciting niche for yourself with the astronomy research.

I'm a lumberjack in NYC...20 years and counting...the saw is family!

I work full time (Mon-Fri, 9-5) in the archive/library of a major publisher. There are some tedious spells grinding through backlogged cataloguing or filing, but much of the work is fascinating to a book lover like myself. Lots of researching literary and publishing history. For instance the other day I was reading through our correspondence with Angela Carter, for which we have a complete record of the first few years of her literary career, starting with her original submission letter for her first novel. Good times....

And cheers to yet another librarian!

I've only read a couple of Angela Carter's books but really liked them. Coming across letters like that must indeed be fascinating.

I don't work. I'm sick.