I am a new librarian in more ways than one.  Of course, I am just starting my career, but I'm also of a new sort of ilk, librarian-wise.  Just looking at me will probably tell you that, but what I mean is that I'm a radical, outgoing, community-minded, technology-oriented, tattoo-having, librarian.  I find more things I want to share everyday so I've been envisioning a new blog for myself.  I'll keep you posted, but today I wanted to share something that I think many of you may find funny.  I was at a new book look for youth today.  This is a time when we get to see some of the new stuff being released and a presenter, a woman I respect, highlights some of the books she has particularly enjoyed.  During her presentation she talked about how her filter was maybe off, but wasn't it alarming how the books for teens were so adult?  Talking about things like: Sex!  Gay Sex! Transgendered Teens!  Violence!  Drugs!  My gosh!  It's so crazy!   Now maybe I am not the norm, but we are drilled and drilled on how it is not the place of a librarian to judge what is appropriate and inappropriate.  Frankly, I'm thrilled that we have at least two new books getting praise that have transgendered characters, and the reality is that I don't care what your filter is:  teens have sex, live with violence, have diverse sexual and gender identities, and do drugs.  These books merely represent facets of the experience of being a teen.  Not only is it great that these books reflect real experiences, but they also open up new horizons of understanding and allow vicarious experience without glorifying poor choices.  Really what more could a parent or other concerned adult want!?

I've been thinking about blogging a lot lately as I've dealt with some pretty heavy issues and some interesting experiments.  Life moves quickly and somehow, blogging and writing about my life has not been as important as living it.  I've always enjoyed writing about life as a way of reflecting on it and feeling grounded in it, but lately I've overlooked this.  Here are some of the topics I've considered blogging about which will give you an idea of what's been happening in my life and my mind, or the life of my mind.  Hopefully, I'll be able to tackle some of these topics in more detail at a later date, but until then, here's my end to 2009:

1.  I've been thinking a lot lately about social class and education and how they are intertwined and related but how the relationship that people always intuit between these two things is not necessarily true.  Meaning as education increases, earning power increases, income increases and social status increases.  I don't think this is really as true as people perceive. 

2.  I've been making lots of stuff, but not nearly as much as I'd like.  I experimented in the handmade holiday to a large extent and found it difficult to do everything I wanted.  Hence the fact that no one got holiday cards from us. I also instituted Make Parties where people could get together and share skills and make stuff.  Needless to say, I would like reevaluate the idea and reinstate 2010 monthly make parties. 

3.  I've been out of contact.  I hate feeling like I want to do so much with people and then doing a lot but feeling like I've neglected so many people that I love, especially around the holidays.  For an example of how badly things spiraled out of control, I did not really check my e-mail (something that I once did compulsively) for nine days.  I'm happy to not be a compulsive e-mail checker, but I also realize that using that as a primary means of communication and then neglecting if for that long is pretty pathetic. 

4.  My year ended with the culmination of about nine months of worry.  Earlier in the year, my father's primary care physician and heart specialist wanted to run tests on what he thought was a partial heart blockage.  My father's insurance at the time was good, but not great and my father, as usual, saw dollar signs and worried about how much he would end up paying for the tests and then worried about how he would then be unable to retire for another three years if he had to take time off of work.  After retirement and switching to another health care plan, he finally decided to get things checked out since he'd been having some strange symptoms.  The family had been worrying for months and thinking the worst.  I had nightmares, lost sleep and felt ill any time I thought about it.  His appointment was on Monday and after getting the blood results back early Tuesday morning, the doctor called him and asked that he come in immediately to be admitted.  After doctors and nurses tossing around phrases like heart damage, congestive heart failure, heart attack and more seriously disconcerting phrases, procedures, and tests.  The multiple tests came up that everything is actually pretty okay.  So after two days and one night in the hospital with doctors that didn't explain much at all (we called on a coworker and doctor friend of my husband) my father came home last night and we celebrated the New Year.  I could say a lot more about the medical system, doctors and nurses in this whole process, but I won't just yet, I'll just thank a good doctor who knows how to deal with patients and families and explain things that are really, really important.  Thank you, Lisa. 

With that I'll sign off with hugs and well wishes to everyone.  I know I am more thankful and relieved today than I have been in a long time.