The past week has been a busy one. Last Friday, Katie and the kids swung by the Jasper Public Library to look at my murals and chit-chat a bit while they were down pestering the parents. They were having a cookout at the parents’ later, but I worked until 5 and knew I’d be tired by the time I got home. Still, awesome to see them. I haven’t seen them since Rook’s graduation. Friday night was spent cleaning up the living room and grocery shopping because the following Saturday, the Lushbaughs and Miller came down from the Haute to visit. We had fun watching on-line music videos where they take the real words out and sing a literal representation of what’s going on in the video. The Meatloaf and “Total Eclipse of the Heart” songs were my favorites. There was an awful lot of laughing going on too, but that’s normal with our group. And after all Ian and my worrying about keeping our food kosher for Miller, we found out that he eats cheeseburgers. Go figure.

Then this past Monday was insanely long. The 4-H fair is going on here in Dubois County, and having been a member for 10 years myself, I’m totally aware of what all goes on at such events. So when we were asked at the library to volunteer to man a table to represent the Jasper Public Library and Dubois County Contractual Public Library (yeah, say that five times fast), I was one of the first to sign up. That meant heading to the fairgrounds right after work, however, and staying until 9:15 that night. I have to say I enjoyed myself. I was with two other librarians and we had a blast getting people to try our trivia contest and the “guess how many pretzels are in the jar” contest. Plus, we were giving away books to adults who entered the trivia contest, and the books themselves were fascinating. They were mostly romances (you know, like Harlequinn or Silhouette and the like), and we started making up our own stories based on the covers. I grabbed a handful and ordered them by the pictures on the cover. First was one with a man and woman kissing, the next was a man and woman where the woman was pregnant, and the last was a man and woman with a toddler. I said they were in chronological order. It was too bad we had to shout over the country music booth next to us because my throat was shot by the time I got home. Still, for a twelve-hour day, not too bad.

Tuesday’s crochet class is getting interesting. I’ve got new people who’ve never picked up a hook and a lot of people who’ve been crocheting for years. So I’m trying to keep making new projects for the more advanced students while working with the new students to get them crocheting in the first place. It makes for an interesting evening of running around the theater with hooks behind my ears, balls of yarn in my pockets, and thread trailing behind me from a doily I started and then set back down. It’s chaotic, but everyone seems to enjoy it, and running it is still fun because I get to help people learn a craft that I enjoy so much. If only my yarn would stop knotting up and tangling. That would make my life easier!

Today was much more interesting, however. Mind you, it’s always crazy busy at the library, especially during summer reading when there are so many kids there for various events (today was a Wii tournament and was supposed to be a sidewalk chalk day but the rain ruined that), but today was a different story altogether. I was interviewed for the local newspaper! Terrifying, eh? I mean, I get really chatty when I’m nervous, so of course, I talked a lot. And stop snickering all of you out there who are thinking, “She must always be nervous because she never shuts up.” I know where you live. Regardless, it was a good interview, I think (she may also have thought I was overly verbose, but who knows?), and I got to talk about a lot of the things at the library. She originally asked for the interview for the Murder Mystery Writing Contest we’re having, but we ended up talking about the murals I’ve painted (still need to get pics posted of those for the mystery and genealogy murals), the adult programs I’m a part of (crochet class, movie night), and even the novel that the library has and the book signing I’m having August 1 there. Have I mentioned that they’re having me do a book signing? I’ve been posting so erratically because of my recent video game playing (I <3 Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney!) and romance-novel writing that I can’t remember. Still, it’s scary enough my novel’s there for people to read but now people will be able to buy it and then read it. Scary. I shouldn’t be so nervous because I used to be in lots of creative writing classes, but I almost can’t help it. After all, who is my target audience? The first novel in the fantasy series is about a sixteen-year-old girl who teams up with a Devil to stop a madman magician from taking over her world. My writing stile is snarky at best and cynical at worst. There are as many pop culture references as classical, and the characters are amalgams of my own strange personality traits. I wonder what’ll happen when the romance comes out. Will they want me to do a book signing for that? How in the world could I sit there for three hours with a straight face when I explain the two main characters are men? Neh, it’s my own fault for enjoying the fringe.

At any rate, so yeah, busy crazy hectic week so far. I’m currently riding my nervous/excited/worried/happy high from being interviewed, hence the loquacious post, but I also don’t post often enough to keep these things short. I’ma go now and get to work on business cards or flyers or e-mail or hell, even one of the novels. At some point I need to get back to book 2 in the fantasy series since book 3’s already done. Sounds like a busy evening too. Hope I don’t end up spending the entire time playing Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney. 😉 So close to beating it though!