Tag: at the library

Reading is Fun

Please stop.

We’ve been closed for over a month now.  The e-mail letting our patrons know the library system was closing to the public was sent out in January.  There are signs all over the door and parking lot telling people what to do to get their books.

And yet, this.

At this point, I don’t know how we can make it any clearer save for putting up a giant neon sign that says “CLOSED.”

Intro: Cleo

Hang in there, Dot. Only a few dozen more.

Here she is – the most magical of my characters, Cleo Culpepper!

Out of the four Halloween storylines that I’ve done, the 2016 Revenge of the Stuffed Animals was probably my favorite.  I thought the writing and the pacing were the strongest, it didn’t take me forever and a day to finish it, I wasn’t trying too hard, and it allowed me to introduce Cleo as a character.

I think I wanted to introduce both a coworker character as well as a witch character.  So Cleo was able to tick both of those boxes.  For a while there, though, I wasn’t drawing her as much as I would’ve liked to.  Not sure why.  I do enjoy drawing her.  May have accidentally pushed her into the background.  Trying to rectify that.

Also, one of my favorite parts of drawing Cleo is coming up with her massive stuffed animal collection.  Due to her witchy nature, I’d like to think that all of her stuffed animals would be kind creepy/cute, and it’s fun to come up with new ones, like a two-headed cat or a little Sasquatch guy.  I like to think that each character has a bit of me in them, and with Cleo, it’s definitely the love of stuffed animals. I have way too many myself (and will probably buy more because I’m an adult with a regular paycheck and this is what I choose to spend it on).  There is also the fondness for avoiding people.  Trying to work on that.

Next up: Dot!

Nose Pics

Put that nose AWAY, Silas. No one needs to see that.

Based off of a picture my friend Chelsea sent me.

It’s weird, seeing people wearing their masks with their noses exposed.

One, it defeats the whole purpose of wearing the mask.

Two, it looks…well, it looks wrong.

Thankfully, Silas learned his lesson after Cleo talked to him and told him how much of an idiot he looked like.

Also, can’t remember the last time I did a comic set at the library.  Huh.

Working from Home

Oof.

Now, I know that I am super duper lucky to be employed right now.  Believe me, it’s a relief to not have to think about unemployment.

But it’s still not the same.

I miss working with the books.  I miss being at the returns desk.  I even miss interacting with the patrons to an extent.

Not all of them.  But most.

It’s not fun being here at home, at the dining room table, scrolling through the library catalog and trying to figure out what to do with my time.  Plus, my sole coworker only really seems to care about mealworms and napping.  Not much for conversation.

I know when we reopen, things are going to be different.  My boss is already talking about masks, installing plastic shields on the desks, trying to make sure we can still do the six feet apart deal – that’s fine.  I’ll take it.

It’s gonna be nuts whenever we reopen, I know that for sure.

Until then, I’ll be here.  Teleworking.  Having a blast and a half.

After Work

Reflex. Sorry.

…maybe “rough” was the wrong word here.  “Weird,” definitely.

Our entire system was taken down at work for a few days in preparation for a new one to take its place.  This meant, however, that we couldn’t do anything.  At all.  Just check out books offline and tell people over and over again that no, we couldn’t renew their books/look up their accounts/try to find a book/basically diddly squat.

Kind of a surreal working experience.  Thankfully all is well and up and running.

A Man Called Ove Giving Me Feelings

Ha ha ha OUCH.

Pretty much how it’s been reading this book.

In one chapter, I’m reading about Ove getting ready to kill himself in his garage.  The next, he’s punching a clown.

Don’t get me wrong – I’m loving it.  Frederik Backman is an amazing writer, (almost) all the characters are endearing in their own different ways (we do not talk about the Blond Weed), and I can’t wait to see how it all comes together at the end.  But man.  Some points are just rough.

At one point I had to come downstairs and straight out say to my mother, “Please – no more flashbacks.  I can’t take it.”  Again, not because it’s written badly, but because Ove’s life is a long series of sadness and loss.

But I still highly recommend it.  Seriously, makes me want to pick up the rest of Backman’s stuff.

As soon as I get through my very, very long list of other books I want to read.

NOTE: My mom has been begging me to read this book for at least the past 2 years now.  And yes, she is more than pleased that I’m reading/enjoying it.

Walruses and Hauntings 4: Odd Call

Oh, that’s not alarming at all.

And now, a brief conversation between me and my brain from this past week:

Brain: Hey Drew, how’s it going?

Me: Oh, not too bad, I suppose, feeling a bit stuffed up, but –

Brain: Yeah, that’s great.  Listen – you know what would be fun?

Me: Uhhh, what?

Brain: If we just spiraled into a massive depressive cycle for, like, an entire week, won’t that be great?

Me: Wait, no –

Brain: Yeah!  Like, we could just have no energy to do anything at all, and get really, really down on ourselves and everyone around us!

Me: Seriously –

Brain: And maybe even have a breakdown at work!

Me: BRAIN WHAT ARE YOU DOING STOP

Brain: TOO LATE WHEEEEEEEEEEE

So, that’s where I’ve been for the past week – at the lowest point that I’ve been at in quite some time.  Sorry about that.  Doing much better now, thank the dear sweet heavens.  So back to our storyline in progress!