Joie de vivre

From cnn.com's "Five of the most unpopular jobs"

Librarian
Studies have shown that librarians are expected to exit the profession en masse in coming years. The American Library Association Website quotes statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau indicating that more than one-quarter of all librarians will reach the age of 65 by 2009. A study published in the Library Journal found that 40 percent of library directors would retire by that same year.

In addition to the librarians expected to retire within the next decade, interest in the profession is waning among younger workers, according to the BLS. The situation is particularly dire for colleges and universities, which report the greatest difficulty in hiring librarians due to lower pay.

Graduates of library programs in 2004 reported an average starting salary of more than $39,000, an increase of nearly 3 percent over the previous year. The median salary for librarians is nearly $47,000, according to the BLS.


Huh.

Thursday was a GOOD day. *squee* Because:

1) As previously mentioned, it's a possibility that further down the road, I might have a full time job here. I'm not sure what that does to my other plans in life...but I think it would be good for me to hold a 40 hr. week job and see if I can really do it before I go galavanting off alone to make my way in the world. If you know what I mean. And it also means I might get to take a college course or two. As of now it would either be Writing I, Composition I, or American History to 1877. I lean strongly towards writing for various reasons, including the fact that the library director's wife is the professor of the history course. That might be a little strange. And if he thinks I'm so smart, I wouldn't want him finding out differently. Lol.

Speaking of the library, I found out that I have an official title. I'm a Librarian Assisant, Part-Time. Cool.

2) I had no real hope of this happening, but it did--I found a formal shawl/wrap! Granted, I was thinking of something black, and this is cream, but it is so beautiful. It's triangular, fringed, and done in a lacy pattern. I love it to death. I think I'll take pictures of that black dress (with the hemline that's longer in the back) with the wrap for you, savetheolives, which may get developed sometime in the next few months. equuschick, I'll send you some too, if you want. *grin* Actually, if they turn out nicely, (meaning that I look somewhat attractive or at least somewhat like myself), I'll send them to whoever would care to see them.

Randomly, this reminds me that I promised I would post pictures from the ball and of my Elvish dress. This Will Be Done At Some Point. Really.

3) I had a delicious picnic in the car. It was fun, really. It rained really hard all afternoon, and while it's NOT fun to dash around doing errands in the pouring rain (it reminded me of that day we went to Khols, Hannah!)--and especially not fun when your umbrella breaks and you are left basically walking around with half of an umbrella, and a flat umbrella at that--er, where was I? Um, yes. It was fun to eat in the car with food spread out all over the place (fried motzerella sticks!) and Jakada in a goblet...yes, in my picnic basket I carry a goblet...with the rain beating down on all the windows and making Nice Sounds. I felt very European with all the cheese and meat and crackers. Hopefully very soon I can be even more European and eat this type of picnic by the lake at the park.

4) I bought Queen of the Summer Stars, the second of the trilogy by Persia Wooley about Arthur and Guenevere. I'm so happy! I have the first one already, so all I need yet is the third. Hmm...maybe someone would like to get my Guinevere: A Legend in Autumn for my birthday or something? *grin*

5) I apparently looked rather nice yesterday. (Black wool slacks from Miss Jackson's, albeit indirectly, black top, animal print scarf, and hair up.) I was not frowned upon at the Ritzy Snobby Stores, a soldier at Wal-Mart stopped his shopping long enough to nod admiringly (I'm assuming, bwaha) in my direction, and my grandmother told me that I "dress with a certain "élan". I'm not entirely sure what the literal translation of élan is, but I think it's French for "classy and stylish". Or I hope so.