stellar

~ Half of the circulation staff called in sick today.
The circulation manager didn't come in today, and no one knows where she might be. (There seems to be a voicemail message on her phone, but since it's hers, she's the only one with the password.)
The director didn't deign to arrive until 2:30, and as far as I know, didn't let anyone know that beforehand.
How professional!
~ We've participated in a standing order plan for adult fiction for the last few years. We picked the authors that we thought were the most popular, and we automatically receive their new hardcover books. It's a very convenient system, but it's expensive (in the sense of there sometimes being a hell of a lot of items showing up that we didn't intentionally order) and it's a bit confusing to keep in mind who's on the list so we don't order duplicate copies of those titles that are coming via the program.
I did some research last week into how well those authors are actually circulating. The results were surprising. The old standbys, like VC Andrews, Michael Crichton, and Andrew M. Greeley, don't circulate well at all. We'll take them off the list and think twice about even ordering their books from now on. At the same time, some authors surprised me - Barbara Delinsky's books, on average, circulate 15x. That's good, for us. Dean R. Koontz goes out reasonably well, too. I think the biggest surprise was Anne McCaffrey (a science fiction author), who I've always been told is a guaranteed circulator for this library. Most of her titles have circulated twice since we've been automated (since 9/02). Not only will we remove her from the list, but we'll also weed her area heavily. It's amazing how a little research can be so enlightening.
~ My Hair: The Continuing Saga. It was dark, short, and razor-cut (for the last week and a half), but as of this morning it's a buttery, sort of tawny brown and much more softened at the ends. Lori says it'll lighten up more in the Florida sun.
~ Cookies - didn't make any. T.O. made spritz cookies, which is a skill that has escaped me for my entire life. I envy her ability, but I also envy her tools - she has a grandma-era aluminum (I'm assuming it's aluminum, anyway?) cookie press, and that can really make all the difference. Mine's some high-tech Wilton gadget. Damned cookies. At least she took pity on my pathetic spritz-poor self and shared some. They're lovely: light, crisp-but-not-hard, and not overly sweet. The perfect cookie for a weekend in which I ate too much anyway.
~ Clothes. I bought out The Territory Ahead. A t-shirt in Cornflower, 3 pairs of shorts - 2 of the "Trompe L'oeil" in Natural and 1 of the "Live and Let Live" in Overdyed Green, and finally, a spring jacket: "The Raquette Lake Cruiser" in Cognac. I'm extremely happy with my purchases. New clothes for vacation!
~ I came into work so late today (10:00) that I've got to work until 6:30, damn it, so I should probably do something 'worthwhile' to make the time pass. One more day until it's departure day! I cannot wait....