Library

Our community library is now seven years old. The community is almost 100, which shows the interest the powers that be have had in providing a library. The Friends of the Library have done yeoman service finding a space, getting donated books, staffing with volunteers (etc. etc.)

It's been a long haul. From being open four hours a week staffed with volunteers with no checkout system to a library with four full time staffers (three professional librarians (that's with a Master of Library Science degree) and a full time circulation desk person has been a labor. A labor of love, needless to say, but a labor. We have computer check out, a web site, wifi and loads of brand new bestsellers.

We have weathered a Founder's Syndrome - when the founders expect to have a say about everything, including how books are cataloged to where to hang pictures on the wall - with only minor scars.

Now we are transitioning from a volunteer-run operation to a professional corporation. The Executive Committee will shrink from 30 to 10 and a lot of us old presidents have moved to the non-Executive level. That's a good thing.

The Director has even changed the locks so random people can't wander around after hours or at times the library's not open.

Our next challenge is extracting ourselves from our benevolent but mystic landlord and finding property on which we can build our own free standing library. After three tries at the City Council without success, it's pretty obvious that he won't be able to convince the city fathers that a library in the basement of a large office building would be in the best interest of the city.

We absolutely would not have been where we are as a library without his active help and donation of 5500 square feet of space for $1 a year for the past six years, but we need to move on.

What I want (not speaking for the Board - just as an interested volunteer) is a free-standing state-of-the-art library which is adequate to serve our high-end well-educated population of 23,000. I envision a library district, with an elected board of managers and a guaranteed revenue stream from the city.

It's amazing what a dedicated groups of people (even when they know not what they are doing) can do.

Reunions

My hometown of Pecos, TX recently had a Mega-Reunion for all classes. We held it in Austin because (1) there isn't much to do in Pecos except the Rodeo around the 4th of July, and West Texas in July is rather hot (Like 114 degrees hot) (And dry) ( And the Rodeo people usually take up all the motel rooms) and (2) the oil and gas boom means that all the motel rooms are taken up with landmen/women who want to lease or buy our mineral interests. Our family mantra is "Never sell the minerals."

Anyway, we held the Reunion in Austin and had a great time. The attendees were mostly from the classes of the 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s - with one graduate from the Class of 1924 (she's 102). Elvis made an appearance and wonderful old cars were on display. The highlight of the event was the Carrico Singers- honoring our wonderful choir director Bill Carrico - who sang the School Song, "You'll Never Walk Alone" and "The Battle Hymn of the Republic". It was great.

Sticks and stones

While contemplating bad names to call someone, it occurs to me that most names "sonofabitch" and "bastard" are names which really don't reflect on the person called that name, but do reflect on his mother. A "bitch" and the "c" word both refer to women. If you want to call a man the worst thing, what would it be? One suggestion is "a-hole", but couldn't that be non-gender-specific? I did come up with the traditional southern epithet "sorry" - as in "He's just sorry" meaning lame, useless and unredeemably bad.

New name

I've decided to change the name of my blog from GrandmotherDearest to a more general "Everybodysentitled" to my opinion, of course.

I will give changing the name a chance tomorrow.