The end of July

I have about five minutes to type until I have to leave for a doctor’s appointment. I have the sneaking suspicion that I have a bone spur in my left foot, so I’m going to have to get that sorted before the usual Florida/Disney holiday in Autumn.

I’m still working at the same branch at the library, and we’ve just been asked to apply for permanent posts within the council for said assistant jobs. I applied for a three month Info Manager (“librarian”) job, but since I’m going to be on holiday, and I wouldn’t be able to go back to my branch for sure, I decided to withdraw my application. My manager said I was mad not to take the opportunity, but I didn’t get the idea that I would be hired for it anyway. Oh well.

Everyone gets changed around frequently, so no one stays at a branch for long, so the possibility of my being moved is there anyway, but if I were to take a 3 month job in a manager role, it’s guaranteed that I won’t be able to go back there.

For writing, I’ve lately figured out that I can get 500 words done in the morning if I go to work early, sit at my desk, and churn something out for fifteen minutes or so. This isn’t ideal when I’m on a role, but it will have to do for now. This is the kind of job when you’re needed constantly, so sitting down to collect your thoughts isn’t really possible.

And here they thought people in libraries just read books all day. I wish!

Steve may be going on to another job nearby soon as well – right now we’re not sure how that will pan out. So, by and large, we’re getting on with it and keeping our heads afloat as usual.

I applied for an IT Manager job, separate from the library before they told me I could be permanent, but I didn’t get it. Not enough experience with the server they were using. Still, that was my first manager interview. Pretty cool, huh?

An update for July

It’s been hot lately, aside from the awesome thunderstorms and rain we’ve had a few days here and there. English weather is weird – it will change every five minutes. At least in Florida, it rained for a few minutes, then went back to humidity and heat. Here, it’s cold in the morning and hot in the afternoon. You always need an umbrella, and it’s nice to keep a jacket just in case.

We went to York again last month and saw some more sights. Since the weather was better, my photos were better – even the ones of the prison as pictures above. I was also able to call my my parents in Florida with FaceTime and show them York in real time. Pretty amazing, isn’t it? I know it’s funny for most people in Europe to not imagine nativity when it comes to public transportation, but just a video call from the train is a revelation to most of us from Florida. We simply just don’t do all that. The Metro is something discussed in French language lessons and the train is a novelty item, as in, “How cute. They’re taking the train to Boston.”

Aside from that, the library has been busy-ish. I’ve had lots of class visits to get a push for Summer Reading Challenge. Having never worked at the library here over the summer, let alone this branch, I have no idea what to expect as far as event numbers. But I’ve made an effort, which is something a lot of people have told me not to bother with.

I plan on writing a whole post about the realities of working in the public libraries, but since it’s my Saturday off and I rarely get these anymore (another topic of mention for said future post) I’m going to enjoy it with Steve.

The weather is lovely and there are groceries to be bought. There’s a park to walk through, and a lunchtime excursion to be had. It is true – you take for granted all the things you miss when you’re not working. Having a day off is one of them. We appreciate these things so much more when we rarely have them.

So without further adieu, I plan on working on my current book project which is slowly but surely taking some form. I’d love to sit in an empty office for a week and just bang out half of this novel, at least, but that’s another thing I miss and took for granted when I had the time to do it.

Having said that, I did get some first drafts done when I was off work, so I can’t be too hard on myself. As always, I’m trying to have everything and it’s really difficult. I’ve at least started reading more, which helps my mental well being. After much book hopping, I finally got back to the Life As We Knew It series, which I adore.

We’ve also started watching True Detective which is as great as they say. I never thought I was big into mysteries and crime drama, but lately I’ve been into this, Sherlock, Elementary, Breaking Bad and Gone Girl, so maybe my tastes are changing.

With that said, I’ll get back to the wonders of the real world and some writing about the fictitious world for good measure.

But before I go, just to mark the occasion. Today has been an extraordinary day because of this right here.:

Go on, shed your tears of joy. I know I did.