I've been reading Newes From the Dead by Mary Hooper today.  I am so morbidly intruiged as I read this "dead" girl's struggles, and I can't imagine the strength it would take to get through her trials.  And the whole thing goes so well with our violent and moody weather. 

For a little background, let me tell you, this book is based on the true story of Anne Green, a servant who was (wrongly) hanged in 1650.  But get this....she survived!  And the doctors are just about to disect her.  It sends chills down my spine. 

It reminds me of watching old documentaries about how the mythology of vampires began.  They were known as the undead, and that's what Anne is.  Could Anne have been a vampire and we just didn't know it? I'm probably just letting my imagination get away from me, but it's fun to think about...

                                      

Okay, everyone's talking about it, so let's not ignore it here.  The H1N1 flu, also known as the Swine Flu, is scaring everybody.

Here's the thing I find amazing; in a country of over 300 million people, there have been only 109 confirmed cases of H1N1.  That's less than 1% of our population.  That's even less than .5% of our population. 

I'm not saying that we shouldn't worry.  If the World Health Organization tells us to worry, it's a good idea to start washing your hands more.  I'm impressed that such a small amount of the population is causing so much worry.  Then again, I know it can escalate quickly, I've seen 28 Days Later and I read The Stand by Stephen King.

MCPL has more information for you here to help answer your questions. 

Just remember, wash your hands more, avoid contact with people who are sick, and excersize your body and your mind.  And as the late great Douglas Adams said, "Don't Panic." 

Some great books to read:

Fiction:
Fever, 1793  by Laurie Halse Anderson
The Devil's Paintbox  by Victoria McKernan
Code Orange  by Caroline B. Cooney
The Stand  by Stephen King

Non-Fiction:
Hunting the 1918 Flu: one scientist's search for a killer virus  by Kirsty Duncan
Outbreak: plagues that changed history  by Bryn Barnard
The Good Doctor's Guide to Cold and Flu  by Neil Schachter
The Germ Freak's Guide to Outwitting Colds and Flu  by Allison Janse
Outbreak: disease detectives at work  by Mark P. Friedlander

Driving to work I felt like I was driving through a kaleidoscope, multicolored petals and leaves bathing my car as I zoomed along.  (Uh, zoomed at the speed limit or less, for those of you who are police officers, I swear, I obey all traffic laws...seriously.)  And when I came into the library, I trailed white dogwood blossoms behind me like a tree nymph. 

Spring is amazing in the way that it seems the whole earth is celebrating waking up from a long nap.  The trees are yawning, stretching and unfurling their leaves hoping to soak up some sunshine.  The grass is poking its head out of the ground and looking toward the brilliance of the sky, and the animals are playing in and around everything.

The other day, I saw a squirrel jumping on a cherry tree to watch the blossoms fall.  When they had all fallen, the squirrel would jump on the limb again to make more petals flutter to the ground.

I keep staring at a blank page wondering what I should write. 
And the whiteness is glaring.

I'm stuck.  I have all these ideas floating around in my head, but the words for them keep slipping by without finding a sticking place.  I'm stuck but the words aren't. 
And I just keep staring out the window at the trees waving in the wind.
The library is quiet this afternoon.  Quiet like a meadow waiting for something to happen.  It's enough to make me want to get up and make some noise, but libraries are supposed to be quiet spaces, so I hold back.  Besides, shattering this quiet would be wrong, somehow, like breaking mirrors or shoplifting....stealing the silence.
 
 
Your friendly neighborhood blogging librarian is currently reading:
  The Graveyard Book  by Neil Gaimon

What a great day!
It's gorgeous outside, we should all go out and play. 
And then celebrate National Napping Day with a nice long afternoon nap. 
 

So, I stood in line at a Subway restaraunt this afternoon for more than 10 minutes and I couldn't help but wonder why there were so many people craving footlongs today.  Then, when I came back to my lovely library, I found it completely full of people eager for books, DVDs and information.  It was great, totally busy and pretty fun, actually.  I'll tell you, Saturdays are usually pretty busy at the library, but I've never seen anything like this before.  I just couldn't figure out why everyone was suddenly so interested in being out of their houses until I looked at a weather report.  They're predicting up to 5 inches of snow this weekend. 
Wow.
I can tell you right now, I'm not going to even try to fight my way through a grocery store today. 
But, I'm glad that everyone seems to want to be at the library.  It's been almost like a party.  Well, okay, maybe "party" is too strong a word, but I'll tell you, there are a lot of people having a good time at the library today. 
Maybe you can come on out and join us.

February 24th is National Tortilla Chip Day.  Yay!  A whole day to celebrate a chip.  Mmmm......
What will you do to celebrate?
Take our poll on Teensite. 
Now, I'm hungry.  I think I'll check out the 641.5 section to see if there are any good cookbooks.  Since it's so cold today I think I'll look for some soups or breads or cakes.  Something warm that makes the oven stay on for a while.  While I'm waiting for it to bake (and sitting in front of the oven warming my toes), maybe I'll check out some of the books on this new list.  I'm looking for something good to read.
 
Your friendly neighborhood blogging librarian is...
looking forward to celebrating tortilla chips 

This is something that has always moved me.  Yes, I believe in Santa Claus.  Yes, I believe in Fairies.  Yes, I believe in the goodness of the human spirit and the wonderment of childhood.

I would like to share this with all of you, in case you haven't read it.  My father used to read this to me at all times of the year when I was growing up.  He most liked to read it to me on my birthday (in the middle of summer).

(You can find this on the Newseum's webiste at:  http://www.newseum.org/yesvirginia/)

..TR>

 

 

..TABLE>

Eight-year-old Virginia O'Hanlon wrote a letter to the editor of New York's Sun, and the quick response was printed as an unsigned editorial Sept. 21, 1897. The work of veteran newsman Francis Pharcellus Church has since become history's most reprinted newspaper editorial, appearing in part or whole in dozens of languages in books, movies, and other editorials, and on posters and stamps.

"DEAR EDITOR: I am 8 years old. "Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. "Papa says, 'If you see it in THE SUN it's so.' "Please tell me the truth; is there a Santa Claus? "VIRGINIA O'HANLON. "115 WEST NINETY-FIFTH STREET." VIRGINIA, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except [what] they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men's or children's, are little. In this great universe of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge. Yes, VIRGINIA, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus. It would be as dreary as if there were no VIRGINIAS. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished. Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies! You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if they did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that's no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world. You may tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, VIRGINIA, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding. No Santa Claus! Thank God! he lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.

..P>Your friendly neighborhood librarian is reading:

  Book of a Thousand Days  by Shannon Hale

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5:30 AM 

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Hey it's Rita, and here's my second try.  I was informed that i got quite a few hits last time, so I guess I'm not as bad as I thought, haha.