Well, yesterday turned out to be busy but manageable in the library. My boss was out and she had a substitute -- a guy who's getting a library degree and is interning with us. We had five 9th Grade English classes come in and check out books to read next week, when the students will all be on break. I didn't allow any kids who still had summer checkouts to get a new book, and at the end of the day that only prevented three students from getting something -- the rest all brought their overdue books back. I call that a win!
Everything ran smoothly and the day was very calm. And at the end of it all, I went to a pub with the middle school librarian and some other teachers and had a couple of pints as a little end-of-the-week celebration. A surprise element was meeting the director of this movie, who is married to one of our school administrators. Who knew?!
So, yeah, break next week. Two days are parent conferences, which for me doesn't mean much but Dave will be busy, but then we're off after Tuesday. We have no special plans yet but I may try to stir up some kind of late-breaking adventure.
I walked Olga yesterday morning and she was feeling frisky and insisted on making a complete circuit of the neighborhood. I was afraid she would make me late for work but I squeezed in just under the wire. As we were walking I found some trash that included someone's miniature painting of (I think?) a tree trunk.
The big mystery in the library involved that spreadsheet of games I mentioned one or two posts back. One game was listed in our catalog as "The Concentration," and it had no picture and no descriptive information. I could not find this game anywhere. I looked and looked and was completely at a loss to describe it on the spreadsheet, much less link it to a how-to-play video or web site. I even went down to the Lower School to see if it was there, and it wasn't. I began to suspect it was some kind of test entry in the catalog that didn't correspond to a real object.
But finally I looked on our puzzles shelf and found this:
Yes, it appears to be a (donated) Asian game -- which I guess is why we didn't describe it in the catalog. All the rules are in Japanese -- or is that Chinese? I couldn't even find a description online, maybe because its name is so similar to the card game Concentration and its bazillion variations. I suppose someone might play it but they'll never find it if it's with the puzzles, so I moved it to the games cart and took this picture for the catalog and spreadsheet. We wind up with some interesting stuff in the library!
Rules for the game
ReplyDeletehttps://youtu.be/-yOswUuc04w?si=nHLvYtcZia_oPY-k
HOW DID YOU FIND THAT?!?!
DeleteSeriously, I'm impressed. It's not even the same name, but it's definitely the right game. Thank you for making my spreadsheet more complete!
Similar to Kluster, or Magnetic Chess, but much rarer an might be valuable. In the back of my head there is something similar I’ve seen played recently but it hasn’t surfaced yet…
DeletePlop! There is came! They played Magnetic Chess in Wie is de Mol? 2024, episode 5, minute 23 (in Dutch) https://npo.nl/start/serie/wie-is-de-mol-streaming-editie/seizoen-1/wie-is-de-mol-streaming-editie_5/afspelen
DeleteYes, that is a VERY similar game! Just a square format rather than round.
DeleteSo grateful to Limbus for the link. I was going to stew about the game all day! Is it odd that you needed a substitute boss for a day and that substitute is a student intern?
ReplyDeleteLOL -- yeah, a little odd. I could easily have done everything myself, but I think the boss wanted the intern to have the experience.
DeleteTree? That's not a tree Steve, it's a horse's head! Did you rescue it? According to my catalogue, it is worth in the region of £150,000.
ReplyDeleteAlas, I left that fortune behind for someone else.
DeleteGetting all those books returned is definitely a win! That painting looks like a tree trunk to me.
ReplyDeleteMore a tree trunk than anything else, though I do see a sort of vague animal shape.
DeleteYou seem to have accidently come across a way to get books returned.
ReplyDeleteIt's an awful painting and thankfully you didn't bring it home and frame it. Did you?
Ha! No. I left it there.
DeleteI was going to suggest that Kay from Musings take a look at it. She and her husband are Japanese. But Limbo was on it. I take my hat off to you!
ReplyDeleteI know, I'm so impressed that Limbo knew it right away.
DeleteI see you have a lengthy video linked above but I just used Google Translate to translate the Japanese on their website. Easy peasy!
ReplyDeleteProduct Description: Your concentration is the key to the game!
Place the six colored magnetic balls on the board without them sticking together.
If they stick together, you must take all the balls away.
The first person to run out of balls wins. Now, who has the best concentration?
Excellent! Thanks for the translation! How do you type the Japanese characters into Google Translate? I wouldn't know where to begin. (Or can you just upload the photo?)
DeleteI'd be interested to know if anyone plays that game.
ReplyDeleteMaybe now that we know what it is and how to play it, they will!
DeleteKids are pretty resourceful and can probably come up with their own rules for the Asian Concentration.
ReplyDeleteYeah, true. As long as they don't just start winging those balls at each other.
DeleteThe blog community comes to the rescue again!
ReplyDeleteI really like your first picture. Is that a petunia trying to get out into the big wide world?
It's amazing what the "hive mind" can achieve! Yes, that petunia is making a break for it through a neighbor's fence. :)
DeleteIt's amazing what you can find out on the internet. I love that it's called "The Concentration". Years ago I remember watching a movie with Jason Stratham, "The Transporter". The main character is asked by a young woman if he is "the gay", after he refuses her sexual advances. It stuck in my mind all these years.
ReplyDeleteI can't even imagine not returning a library book. It boogles my mind.
"The gay" -- ha! I've always found it a little weird when people use gay as a noun, as in, "Are you a gay?" It's an adjective, not a noun! LOL!
DeleteI see a long-eared mule in that picture!
ReplyDeleteLove the petunia or morning glory growing through the fence!
I can see the mule resemblance, definitely! The flower is one of my neighbor's petunias. :)
DeleteGood job on getting more books back from kids. It's wild to me that so many of them just apparently don't care. I was SUCH a rule follower as a child! Although also a scatterbrain, so I might not have returned my books either. Ha!
ReplyDeleteI know, me too! I think this is why I struggle with overdues so much. I just don't understand the "who cares" attitude.
DeleteInteresting looking game. I hope you learn more about it.
ReplyDeleteBetween Limbus's link above and Ed's translation, I think we know what we need to know. I could even play it now!
DeleteI think you might enjoy being a librarian, it suits your research temperament, such a great second career. Would you believe I saw a donkey portrait in that tree trunk painting?
ReplyDeleteI saw a mule ... Sorta the same thing! YP saw a horse!
DeleteOh, yeah, I love the research part of the job. I've always enjoyed answering questions and solving mysteries. I DO see the donkey likeness!
DeleteWhat a busy day you had and a productive one. I love that photo of the bloom popping through the fence. Nice capture. And, that game looks interesting.
ReplyDeleteI was amused at that little flower, making a break for it!
DeleteGlad you had a calm day at work. Like Pixie, I find it amazing people don't return library books!
ReplyDeleteA lot of people don't consider that when they keep a book, no one else can use it. They lose sight of the community aspect of the library. They're thinking, "It's just a book. What's the big deal?"
DeleteYou do find the most interesting things! Glad Olga was feeling frisky; that's a good sign. Hurray for getting the overdue books back! That game looks too complicated for me although it reminds me of another game I used to play. (and can't remember)
ReplyDeleteIt's kind of like Chinese checkers, but with a magnetic element.
DeleteHa! You can always rely on Bloggers to solve problems and provide answers.
ReplyDeleteAnd so quickly! I was amazed!
DeleteI was seeing an animal, too, until you said tree trunk. I guess I can see that, too. Sorta.
ReplyDeleteI'd try the game.
I should put that picture on Instagram. Maybe it will become the new "white or blue dress"! LOL!
DeleteGood find by Limbus! Now you can show some of the students how to play that game! Hope you think of some fun and relaxing adventures for your break. Steve!
ReplyDeleteI think I'll print out the rules in English so they can be in the box. That will make the game more approachable.
DeleteOnly 3 students with outstanding books. That's quite good. You'll have to let us know if someone decides to play the "Concentration" game.
ReplyDeleteWell, three in the 9th Grade. I have a lot more in other grades!
Delete