Return to Me

Shortly before 1:00 PM today I received a rather odd, but interesting email. It was a Linkedin request from someone named Heather. To the best of my knowledge, I do not now, nor have I ever known this person, so I was curious to learn why she wanted to be linked to me. Her Linkedin request contained the following message:

"I know this sounds odd but I found a high school ring with the name Heather on it from Perry Meridian High 1993. I did a search and found you. I'm living near the southport area and would like to return your

ring if it's yours. It has the initals HAN inside of it."

The message also contained her phone number. So I gave her a call. It turns out that she lives close to me, so we arranged to meet after I had lunch with my mom. During lunch I was wracking my brain trying to figure out where I'd lost the ring. Honestly, I didn't know it was lost. My parents moved when I was in college. I quit wearing the ring after high school and assumed that it had gotten packed into a box like all of my other belongings. I have a pretty good memory, so I don't think I ever realized that I'd lost the ring.

After lunch I hurried to the Walgreen's parking lot where I met Heather Harris and retrieved my ring. Yes, it was indeed my class ring. She said she found it in a park 6 or more years ago. She thought it was odd because her name is also Heather. She said she'd meant to call the school right after she found it, but got busy with life and never did so. She came across the ring recently and did an internet search and came up with my name. I am so thankful that she took the time to do so.

In our family, the custom is to pick out your class ring your freshman year. This way you get to wear it for four years. My grandparents bought me my ring for Christmas 1989. I remember going to the mall and picking it out. It's a simple ring: 19, Heather, and powder blue and silver (school colors) on one side, 93 and a falcon (mascot) on the other. The ring means a lot to me, not because I have strong ties to my high school years, but because it was a gift from my grandparents. My grandpa passed away a few years ago and I know my grandma won't be around forever. Now I have my ring back so I can always have a piece of them.  I gave it a good cleaning and looks almost brand new.

My faith in humanity has been restored for the day. Heather must truly be a special person. Not everyone would hang on to a ring and seek out the owner. I thank her beyond words.

And so...Annie Waits, Annie Waits, Annie Waits

I don't know exactly when I discovered it, but I have a secret love. It is a silly little crush on song with random clapping. I guess the clapping isn't all that random, but I love it nonetheless. I don't know what it is about these songs, but I can't help but feel happy when they grace my radio. I've been known to nearly run off the road trying to clap along.

If you've never noticed it before, I'm sure you'll be listening for those happy claps now.

Some of my favorite clapping songs are:

1. Annie Waits by Ben Folds

2. Take the Money and Run by The Steve Miller Band

3. Saturday Night by The Bay City Rollers

4. Jack and Diane by John Mellencamp

5. Centerfield by John Fogerty

6. Close to Me by The Cure

7. Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da by The Beatles

8. Private Eyes by Hall and Oates

9. Space Oddity by David Bowie

10. Der Kommissar by After the Fire

11. Along Comes Mary by The Association

I'm sure there are more, but these are all I can think of right now. What are some of your favorite clapping songs?

The Lunchbox Has Landed

Every time I open my iTunes or turn on my iPod and "The Lunchbox Has Landed" from The Full Monty Soundtrack comes on I can't help but laugh to myself. It isn't because The Full Monty is a funny movie (which it is). It isn't because it is a great song or one that has meaning in my life. (Actually the song kind of sucks) I laugh because it is by Anne Dudley.

To the average person, Anne Dudley probably means absolutely nothing. Sometime ago I read that one can find out his or her "stripper name" by taking his or her middle name and the name of the street he or she grew up on. Yes, you guessed it...my stripper name would be Anne Dudley.

Anne Dudley - Possibly the least stripper-like name in the history of stripper names. The lunchbox has landed indeed.

Andy Walking, Andy Tired, Andy Take A Little Snooze

When people find out the name of my blog they always ask one question. "How did you come up with that name?" I'm sure what they really want to say is, "That's a stupid name." Well, the name came from someone who has inspired me for nearly as long as I can remember...Andy Warhol. He's not my hero or my idol. I don't aspire to be like him. In fact, in many ways I think Andy Warhol was a fraud. A brilliant, eccentric fraud, but a fraud nonetheless.

So how does one make the leap from a brilliant fraud to boxes of junk? Well, let me tell you. When Andy Warhol died, they found hundreds, if not thousands of boxes in his home and factory. What was in these boxes? JUNK. Ok, so maybe they weren't entirely filled with junk, but for the most part they were. The man kept everything. Old napkins, mail, receipts, etc. It is said that he kept a box next to his desk and he would drop things in it like one would drop things into a trash can or recycling bin. When a box was full, he would pack it up and store it away.

More than 10 years after his death, The Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh was looking for someone to inventory and catalog every article in these boxes. I met with them and would have loved to have take the job, but it just wasn't meant to be. In the time since then, I've often wondered about the things found in those boxes. Perhaps I find this so fascinating because, I too keep boxes of junk. Mine are a little different than Mr. Warhol's, but they are boxes of junk just the same.

Nobody Told Me There'd Be Days Like These

I wouldn't have known what to do with the information if they had.  Two and a half weeks ago, tragedy struck my family in a way we could have never prepared for.  A most beloved son, husband, daddy and grampy was taken from us way too soon.  I say way too soon, but in my opinion, if he died just one day before me it would be too soon.  His passing was in a way that most people say they want to go.  He went to sleep Tuesday night and didn't wake up Wednesday morning.  

I'm the youngest of his three adult daughters.  While we may all be adults, he was still our daddy.  That's what we called him.  I remember a friend commenting once, "You still call your dad, daddy?"  "What else would I call him?  That's his name." I responded.  Father or dad was just way too formal for a guy who loved to bake cookies, tell jokes and go to Disney World.

In the days since his passing, it seems like time moves differently.  I forget what day it is.  I forget what I need to do or where I'm going.  Perhaps the biggest change is that I can't seem to "hold it together."  The most random things reduce me to tears.  My eyes are permanently puffy and red.  My cheeks blotchy and tear-stained.  I look like a hot mess and I don't even really care.

I think as we grow up, there isn't really a way to teach people about grief.  We learn about death.  We learn about paying respects.  We can read books and watch movies that touch on the subject, but until you actually experience it first hand, you never know what it feels like.  I can write about my experiences, but I can imagine that they will only be words on a page to those of you who have never known a loss like this.  To those of you who have known such a loss, all I can say is I'm so sorry for you.  I wouldn't wish this on anyone.

I Love Libraries

Don W. posted an interesting blog this week on the ALA Student Member Blog.  It was about the Facebook group "I Love Libraries".  I Love Libraries is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to library advocacy.  Don W. was encouraging people to become a fan of this group.  His goal was to get 10,000 fans by July.  At first this group struck me as odd.  Libraries on Facebook?  I tend to think of Facebook as a mindless social network.  Yeah, I'm a member.  I use it to catch up with old friends.  I've never really thought about what a powerful marketing tool it could be.  At no cost, Facebooks offers a chance for people to see a message, decide if they want to support the message, and gives them the option to pass it along.  

I think Don W. might be on to something here.  I'm going to join the cause and see what happens.  I'm going to invite all of my friends and see how many join.  My guess is that at least 80% will join.  I mean, who will say, "No, I hate libraries?"

Facebook reaches millions of people everyday.  Why not use it to get out your message?  And what better message than that of Library Advocacy?  

Video Killed the Radio Star for a New Generation?

  There's always something new coming along to replace the old.  This week was no exception.  Amazon began offering a free Kindle application for iPhone and iPod Touch.  When I was young Mtv came along and revolutionized the way we listened to music.  Suddenly music wasn't just something you heard, it was now something you could see.  Since that time there have been other inventions that have changed the way we listen to music such as Apple's iPod.

When Amazon debuted Kindle it changed the way we read books.  Now you could easily carry around your entire personal library without breaking your back.  While the concept seemed appealing, the price tag was anything but.  Still Kindle sold out quickly and I have to say I was shocked.  I would have never guessed that so many would jump on the digital book bandwagon as quickly as they did.  To me it seemed an expensive way to read a book, but that's the same debate my sister and I had when iPod came out.  As much as I love gadgets, I can't see myself ever dropping $359 + the price of the book to read a book.  Now that the application is available iPod (something I already own) I might have to check it out.  With that being said, I can't imagine reading War and Peace on a little electronic screen.

While I think the addition of the iPod component will have more people picking up an electronic book instead of a paperback, I have to wonder what this really means for the future of books.  Will digital kill the paperback star?  In all reality, I doubt it.  I don't think technology will ever completely replace the want for real books.  Sure, it is much easier on your back to tote around a small electronic device instead of a crate of books, but there will always be people like me who love the smell and feel of books far more than the sleek allure of technology.  If Mtv taught us anything it is that video didn't kill the radio star, it only temporarily maimed it.  I mean, when was the last time you saw a video on Mtv?