Full time. I manage a library. It's either the second, third or fourth busiest branch in our system (depending on which stats you are looking at) and I am understaffed (I could use another 40 hour employee - all I have is three part timers and a lot of volunteers) so I end up multi-tasking all day long. On the bright side, I work for a library but on the dark side I am underpaid and overworked.

My guess is she wouldn't like working here. Vacation and benefits are crappy compared to most European jobs.

But, I'm sure I would love to have her on my staff.

Ever paint any goose eggs? My wife has a tradition of us doing Easter eggs from hollowed out goose eggs (we have 9 geese). This year she is also cutting designs in hers using a drimel and then lighting them from within with a little portable light. I'll try and get some photos when they are done.

And congrats on supporting yourself with art - not an easy thing to do.

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.

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).

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.

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?

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.

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.