This is, I think, every librarians' favorite week of the year - at least it should be. This is the week we celebrate our right to read what we want and the freedom to challenge our minds. These "banned" books are usually the award winning in-your-face pieces that do not end "Happily Ever After," but they do inspire us to see the world in a different light. (My sister also has a post on this subject - Thanks Beck!)

One of these banned books, The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier, has recently shaken up my world. It is an existential piece (very depressing - I might add) that deals with picking your battles and fighting against a society with flawed man-made rules. It is about a boy who stands up to the status quo and refuses to sell the chocolates at his school. The tragedy is that no matter how hard he fights, and regardless of the significance of his battle, he cannot win this war. It's similar to another of my favorite books, The Woman in the Dunes by Kobo Abe, which is about a man who must learn to live in the pit of a sand dune, daily shoveling out the sand that has caved in from the night before.

The fruitless struggle in The Chocolate War may seem like a wasted effort, but that is not Cormier's intent. One of the most striking images of this novel is when Jerry, the protagonist, opens his locker to find a chocolate mess all over his belongings. Jerry gazes at the poster he has hanging in his locker, which is now smeared with chocolate goop, that reads "Do I dare disturb the universe?" As he stops and asks himself the question, he answers, "Yes, I do, I do. I think. " Cormier continues, "Jerry suddenly understood the poster - the solitary man on the beach standing upright and alone and unafraid, poised at the moment of making himself heard and known in the world, the universe." What an awesome illustration and what a fantastic book! Can you believe it is banned?!?

Aren't they cute?!? Tim and I recently heard from some of our old school buddies, Warren and Holly Carey, who are now living in Edinburgh, Scotland while Holly pursues her doctorate. They have a photo gallery of some of their adventures - see this. ~ Sigh~ Here is me, wishing I could visit!

And speaking of my red-headed friends who are now living in different countries, today is declared "Pray for Rachel & Chris" day. They are having issues getting loans and whatnot (plus other emotional stresses not fit to blog about) and just need some long-distance lovin'. I miss you, girl! STAY SAFE - you promised me!

As for other random musings, I read an interesting article here about fairy tales. It references the Terry Gilliam film The Brothers Grimm (which I thought was sadly disappointing for a Gilliam flick, but the idea itself was great). What really stood out to me from this article is the the need for these tales and how they inspire us to grow and create. Tatar (author of the article) speaks about "...how the violence in these stories can tear us apart but also restore us to life through the knowledge, wisdom, and experience they impart." And that we are "Too anxious about the trackless future to trust in the clarifying energy of wandering in 'once upon a time,' we are in danger of losing our willingness to resurrect wondrous narratives that first transfix us with the terror they arouse, then engage our intellectual powers, provoking forms of curiosity that lead us to consider possibilities - what could be, what might be, what should be." It's a great article - read it here.

After a really long day at work and feeling completely unappreciated for the hard labor you put forth, what is the last thing you want to see while shopping at your (used-to-be) favorite grocery store? You guessed it - a large black rat scurrying across isle ten! The reality is that I am sure there are countless grocery stores in the health-conscience states that have this very same problem, however when a rodent of unusual size scurries through your line of vision it tends to be rather troublesome. Now I am faced with a crisis of belief. This grocery store is so nice and new on the outside and has items that I normally cannot find elsewhere, yet underneath its nice facade, it contains disease-carrying vermin that very well could be break-dancing (and whatever else rats do) on my future purchases. Do I continue to shop here and ignore today's misfortune, or do I take my business to the other grocery stores (which, I might add, do not even bother with a facade of niceties and which I am sure contain critters galore...). My dad would dismiss the entire dilemma and say "A little rat droppings puts hair on your chest." I wish I could erase today because I say, "Ignorance is Bliss." What ever happened to the corner grocery store where you knew your grocers' name and the name of his cat? (Food for Thought: Aren't grocery stores a lot like people you know? Attractive on the outside, but crawling with vermin on the inside?)

A friend of mine, Kathy Egan, wrote a really striking poem about the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina and all the excess baggage that came about because of it. It is beautiful to me because of the purity and humility in which it was written. Thanks for letting me share it, Kathy!

"Guilty As Charged"

We're a nation of finger pointers
Looking for someone to blame
Seeking to find exemption
From the horror and its shame

We all have our excuses
For being unaccountable
As we plunge to hell in our hand baskets
Because problems seem insurmountable

From the President, to the Governor, to the Mayor,
To the press
From the green lawns of the White House
To the backstreets that oppress

From the rich man to the pauper,
To the middle, high and low
From the scholar to the gangster
We have our ducks in a row.

From the wrath of Mother Nature
To a bureaucratic chain
To a God who turns a blind eye
To all suffering and pain.

From the black man to the white man
And all shades in between
None shall be exempted
From these horrors we have seen.

As I point my finger
I'll point it to the West
I'll point it to the North and South
And then I'll let it rest

On one residing in the East
She thought that she could be
Free of a Nation's indictment
My finger points at me.

~ Kathleen Egan ~

Airport Farewells

Airport Farewells
Originally uploaded by peachicken.

Boy, I miss my Rachel! I got an email this afternoon from her with some of the details about how they are settling in. I sure miss being able to just pick up the phone and chatter about the struggles of the day without worry of a 6-second delay or immense phone charges. They seem to be really happy, in spite of the trials of being "foreigners" and having to deal with visa issues and loans, etc. This is from her email: "We absolutely love it here. Everyday God confirms our need to be here. We really believe in this ministry, and we are so excited to be a part of what C-Kruis is doing." I am really excited for her, but I sure wish she lived a little closer than South Africa!

Robin Hood Tim

Robin Hood Tim
Originally uploaded by peachicken.

I am still playing catch-up from my blogging sabbatical! This photo is from last weekend. Tim and I needed to get away (at least an hour away) from town, unpacking, homework and whatnot - we thought a renaissance festival would be the ideal thing to cheer us up. It was also a bit of a birthday cheer for my boy, too! (Happy Birthday, old man!) So we spent a couple of hours in another time - a time full of swords and arrows, mead and turkey legs, full skirts and pantaloons, and Shakespeare and storytelling. We had a great time! This is the Sterling Forest Renaissance Faire website and here is where you can get more pictures of our time there.

Innovative Ways To Raise

Money For Libraries!

Inspired by the movie "Calendar Girls," in which the members of a stuffy British women's club pose semi-nude for a charity calendar, six Waupaca-area library administrators have produced "Desperate Librarians," a sexy but tasteful calendar they're selling to raise money for their libraries. Ahh yeah! Now that is what I call job dedication! See this...

I must have been abducted by aliens. How could I have totally not known about this awesome chick's wedding?!? To one whom is loved by the muses and also one of my favorite people - congrats, Jill and Phillip! I hope your life together is full of song!

Back by Popular Demand! (Thanks for reading, Mom!)

Well, we are all moved in - not totally settled of course, but our stuff is here and we finally have cable again! The cats are not too traumatized, but Juno is still frequently hanging out under our bed. Apartment life is definitely different - I get to hear my next door neighbor's phone conversations every morning at 8:00 and smell all sorts of ethnic foods at dinner time. But today I reaped the benefits of parking my car in the basement garage during a torrential rain storm and taking a nice and dry elevator to my apartment. Ahh Yeah. And I personally believe that it is important, if not vital, for every woman to have a master bathroom. The best part of the move though, by far, is PRIVACY!!! (Sorry Andy) I can do whatever I please, whenever I please, wearing whatever I please without fear of traumatizing a little brother or his plentiful array of female guests.

It is just a good feeling to nap on the couch with my cats again, with a place to call home.

Mommy's Little Monster

Mommy's Little Monster
Originally uploaded by peachicken.

My cat likes packing tape. I am glad one of us does. My cat also likes boxes and exploring new territories. Me, I hate boxes and I like home sweet home. I've been thinking - maybe my cat should be the one who packs up and moves us. Granted, we are not moving far, we are just moving a couple blocks away. But how do you pack for moving down the street?!? You know, this time last year we were also moving. We are regular nomads! I think that by now, the kitties are used to moving. But I still don't like packing tape.