Hanukkah ended yesterday, I believe, so it's a little late for me to say "Happy Hanukkah," but I can at least post a couple of relevant pictures. Above, the menorah on a traffic island in Swiss Cottage, fully lit on the last morning of the holiday.
And here's the Hanukkah decoration that my boss put up in our library. It's made out of wrapping paper and books, which I think is pretty clever! She actually built it a couple of years ago, and we had the foresight to store the paper and use it again. (The books, of course, live on our shelves year-round.)
My only excitement yesterday came from re-homing some useful picture frames. The Russians upstairs threw away eight perfectly good, seemingly brand-new Ikea frames of various sizes, which I found in our rubbish bin when I took out our trash on Sunday. The dark wood was unmarred and the glass unbroken. I couldn't let them be wasted like that, so I put them in a bag and took them to work. I set them out on a table with a "FREE" sign and they were gone within an hour.
Oh, and there was this:
The parent organization at school erected a bulletin board of little thank-you notes from parents to our staff and faculty, and I got my own little shout-out! I have no idea who wrote this but it gave my day a boost. I think they're giving me too much credit, but hey, I'll take it!
The traffic island menorah looks nice.
ReplyDeleteWhat some people throw out in our building is amazing.
How nice to receive a note of appreciation. By not really taking classes, librarians probably don't receive a lot of thanks.
One of my bosses' pet peeves is that the librarians are often forgotten. So it was nice to get a mention. (There was also one to all of us, thanking us for book recommendations!)
DeleteIt never ceases to amaze me what people throw out without a thought for charity shops, or even selling them online for the more expensive items. I am basing this on occasionally watching the programme " Money for Nothing" where you see what folks are about to chuck in a skip and they are rescued and refurbished or made into something else entirely. The "chucker outer" then gets any profit that is made from the sale of said items.
ReplyDeleteI think a lot of people just can't be bothered with charity donations. Tossing it in a skip is easier. It drives me crazy!
DeleteBruiser Steve, lol
ReplyDeleteBriony
x
Exerting my authority!
DeleteThat star! You’re obviously NOT being given too much credit. What great praise. Never forget that. As for the book menorah, ingenious.
ReplyDeleteWell, it was a nice message to receive, that's true. :)
DeleteThat's a woman's writing and she must be American because she mis-spelt "favourite". It's nice to be given a positive stroke like that. In work, people often get knocked or criticised when something goes wrong but praise is in much shorter supply.
ReplyDeleteThis is why we all have to take online reviews with a grain of salt. People are motivated to write mostly when something goes wrong.
DeleteNot to be a pedant...but what if the words on the star are meant to be a threat...She just didn't have room for the 'or else' at the end. Did you check the back? Maybe it's on the back...
ReplyDeleteSeriously, your school seems like a very nice place to work.
HA! Well, that's true...I didn't look at the back! But there IS a period, so I'm hoping the thought ends there. :)
DeleteGood for you for taking those abandoned picture frames to work to be happily claimed by co-workers. As for the star, it's so nice to be recognized for the good one does.
ReplyDeleteI was so surprised to get a personal mention!
DeleteNice to have a good star
ReplyDeleteIt was a pleasant surprise!
DeleteYou deserve that star!
ReplyDeleteWell thank you!
DeleteI never understand why we throw things away, especially when they are in good condition. We donate every single thing we have decided we no longer need because there is bound to be someone who can use it.
ReplyDeleteEnough of that. The gold star is wonderful. How nice of that person to acknowledge you. Lovely.
I do too -- I give everything to charity. In fact I donate things that are borderline rubbish, but I figure they can decide whether it has value or not. They know what will sell or can be repurposed.
DeleteThat's so sweet! Would have made my day too.
ReplyDeleteNice to get positive feedback!
DeleteThat little note is great. It's so nice to be recognized from time to time. I can't believe they put perfectly good frames in the trash. That is so wasteful. Good for you for recycling them.
ReplyDeleteIt astonished me. They've thrown away other useful stuff before -- not all of which I rescue. I can't do everything!
DeleteSteve Reed , Your blog is my favorite place, and you keep it that way!
ReplyDeleteWoo hoo! :)
DeleteI am glad that they appreciate you at work! It is so nice to be acknowledged for all you do!
ReplyDeleteIt really is nice to feel valued.
DeleteA wise person once told me that no matter what you feel, if someone offers you a compliment say thank you. I pretty sure you would have told them thank you if you knew who had done it.
ReplyDeleteI loved libraries as a kid and young adult. To me it was like entering a fantasy world full of exiting adventures and stories. But with time and changing attitudes, it has lost it's allure. The local library keeps throwing out shelves full of books and instead put in more computers, movies, music and one can even check out fishing gear. For me, who only reads non-fiction these days, my library has reduced itself to half of one shelf. I find it sad.
Fishing gear! That's a new one. I wouldn't lament the loss of certain books. Some really aren't all that useful anymore -- many reference materials, for example, are out of date almost as soon as they're published, so it's better to get that info online. I think kids still gravitate to libraries. Our students love to hang out there, but admittedly they're often doing something other than reading!
DeleteI think there is also a distinction to be made between school libraries and public libraries. When I go into my local public library, I am almost always the only one looking at books. The rest are sitting at computers, browsing DVD's and CD's or just sitting in a chair reading their phone or tablet. When I go into my kids school library, it is the complete opposite.
DeleteI love that library menorah. What a great idea. And that thank you note is wonderful. Hey Steve Reed, I love that you keep on blogging everyday. Thank you for that too.
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome! I love doing it as well. :)
DeleteOh you had a couple of really great mood boosters. I especially love that you re-homed the Ikea Frames. I am never around when things like that happen. I usually find out 5 minutes too late.
ReplyDeleteI love your little star shout out. It does give you a good feeling that someone thinks highly of you. Especially on the long days.
Have a awesome day. xxx
Keep an eye on those trash bins near your new apartment! You never know what will be discarded! :)
DeleteIsn't it amazing how a little star with a thoughtful thank you can lift one's mood? Remembering various things you've written about doing in the library over the years, it is clear that you deserve a ⭐.
ReplyDeleteIt definitely gave me a boost! I think all my coworkers deserve to share that ⭐.
DeleteWhat a great idea to make the menorah using books and foiled paper. It's always nice to know that folks appreciate what you do for them. Enjoy your day, hugs, Edna B.
ReplyDeleteIt was a cool idea. I think it came from Instagram or one of the librarian web sites.
DeleteFrom what you post here, I can tell that you're an excellent librarian. When I was in school the librarian was dour, humorless and unhelpful. He sat at his desk and did virtually nothing. I was scared of him.
ReplyDeleteI hope I'm NOT that guy, but some days I feel dour. I definitely try to fight it!
DeleteHow nice for the shout out. It does feel good to be appreciated. I'm glad you rescued the frames. Humans are terribly wasteful.
ReplyDeleteAren't they? It astonishes me.
DeleteAw that's a great shout out! This parent appreciates all your hard work in keeping their little angels in line :)
ReplyDeleteLittle angels...hmmm...
DeleteI had another word in mind, but you keep pointing out that this is a family friendly blog :)
DeleteThe wrapping paper book menorah is so clever!!
ReplyDeleteIt IS a good idea! And pretty easy. We save the paper and use it again the following year.
DeleteScore On The Recognition Front - Sure Goes A Long Way - Well Done
ReplyDeleteCheers
Will it get me a bigger raise? LOL
DeleteIt's always unbelievable the quality of stuff that's thrown away.
ReplyDeleteI'm always astonished at the good stuff I find on the street or in the trash.
DeleteWhat a lovely hug.
ReplyDeleteIt was indeed!
DeleteDoesn't Ikea has a buy back program?
ReplyDeleteGood that you took it and let people take them. It is nice to be appreciated for doing a good job.
Oh, I didn't even think of that! Maybe I could have cashed them in?! But then I'd have to get myself to Ikea, which is more trouble than it's worth.
Delete