Tiny things

 I am not inspired, so I went to a book of Tiny things to write about that I had purchased some years ago at the Library Store a fun giftshop located in Central Library.

Here is the question:

Starbucks, the global coffee chain was almost dubbed Pequod for the sailing ship from the novel Moby Dick and was instead named after the Pequod's chief mate, to evoke the seafaring traditions of early coffee traders.  Invent another brand name taken from a classic novel.

ok here goes:

Manderley. Escape while you can

Visit Manderley.  Have tea in the charming garden before visiting one of the many "escape rooms" located around the property.  Please stay away from the windows.

Try not to burn the place down.

Probably not as inspired as Starbuck's where a minor character becomes a major force in commerce, but I gave it a go.

I should probably re-read Rebecca.

LAPL celebrates 150 years of being.

 I wrote this for an event but it didn't make the cut, so I post it here for your amusement:

As we start to celebrate the next 150 years of LAPL, I was thinking of things that I know that would be lost to history if I don’t put them on virtual paper.  So here, in no particular order is

 

Betcha didn’t know that:

 

The old Westchester branch (1950) was SO SMALL it did not have a building address.  Everyone just knew where it was.

 

 

The oldest building is the Vermont Square Branch.  The branch was the first one built by the City of Los Angeles with a grant from the Carnegie Foundation.  Built in 1913, the Grand Old Lady of the Library remains spry and vital at the ripe old age of nearly 110.

 

The largest branch is the Mid Valley Regional which houses a Regional Branch, an area Office and the Shipping hub.  Originally designed to be the home base for the Valley Mobile Unit, the department created a shipping hub to better serve Valley Branches when the bookmobiles were phased out.

 

 There were originally ten Carnegie Branches in the City of Los Angeles:

 

·        Arroyo Seco which was torn down to build a new branch in 1960 on the same site. THAT building was torn down in 2001 and a new building built on the same site.

 

·        Benjamin Franklin was destroyed in the 1971 Sylmar Quake. The new branch was built on the same site.  It was a twin to the Exposition Park Branch, 

 

·        Eagle Rock The building is still there, now serving the community as the Eagle Rock Center for the Arts, BUT before it became an arts center, it starred in a few low budget horror films as the “Creepy Library”

 

·        Goldwyn-Hollywood burned down in 1983 due to an arson fire. It was rebuilt in 1986 on the same site.

 

·        San Pedro was torn down to rebuild the new branch.  The old building remained in service to the community while the new branch was being built on the same grounds.  Where the branch stood is now the parking lot.

 

·        Vernon was destroyed in the 1971 Sylmar quake.  A new branch was built on the same site.

 

·        Watts. There is no documentation as to what happened to the branch at 9901 S. Grandee when they relocated to a larger branch built as part of the 1957 Bond, at 1501 E. 103^rd St.

 

There are three that remain in service:

 

·        Cahuenga. It was expanded and renovated as a result of the 1989 Bond.

·        Lincoln Heights. It was expanded and renovated as a result of the 1989 Bond.

·        Vermont Square. It was expanded and renovated as a result of the 1989 Bond.

 

 

 

North Hollywood Library was originally named after an obscure poet named Sidney Lanier.  The Board of Library Commissioners at the time felt it was important to name branches after historical figures who had a connection to California or libraries.  The library collection began with a donation of books stamped “SL” Staff searched and found Sidney Lanier, although he had no local affiliation, he was the best they could find.  Years later, the branch was renamed after Amelia Earhart. Over the mantlepiece in the reading room, there is a quote “I am but a small, winged bird, but I would conquer the world”.  The quote is NOT, as assumed, from Amelia.  It’s Sidney.

 

In 1957, LAPL built 28 branches. It was a massive undertaking, but they did save money on design.  Many of the branches had the exact same floor plan. For instance, Fairfax, Studio City and El Sereno were “triplets”, Pacoima and Sylmar were mirror images.  A sub who worked at both places remarked once that they kept going the wrong way to get to the workroom.

 

 

 After the 1986 fire, the original “Light of Learning “Torch was removed from the roof during construction.  The torch was considered to be too fragile to return to the roof, but as a valued artifact, it was installed and can still be seen in an alcove off the Rotunda on the second floor of Central Library.  The architect also repurposed some of the walls of the old children’s courtyard as the entrance to the Taper Auditorium.

 

 

Who Ya gonna Call? Ghostbusters! The interior shots in the opening sequence of the classic 1984 film were in the basement of the Central Library, in an area called Toad Hall and Rat Alley (a nod to The Wind in the Willows as well as probably acknowledging the other residents of the room)

 

 

Reasons NOT to stay at the Las Vegas Flamingo Hotel

 ugh

We were meeting a friend and as we are members of Caesars' Rewards Club, we had an offer for a "free" room.

We had never stayed at the Flamingo and as it smacked of Old Vegas - you know BUGSY  Segal and all that 40's mob cache- I thought it might be fun to stay there.

Not

First- FINDING the room we were assigned to was hard.  The layout is like a labyrinth and we kept turning this way and that until we found the room

It was dirty

The A/C would not turn on

The soap dispenser in the bathroom was missing

We had to hike all the way back to the front desk and were given a room nearer the elevator that was fine, but

The walls are paper thin and the aging frat boys in the rom next to us YELLED all night long like their conversation was some sort of sporting event.  On the second night we turned up the TV to FULL volume, but it did not deter them

Sleeping in our room was difficult to say the least

Don't ask why we didn't complain.  When we called the front desk about the first room, we were told ewe had to come down and talk to someone in person. It was late and I was in my jammies.

Valet parking is $40 a NIGHT. 

The valet service was ok, but the bell desk people we had to deal with when we were leaving were incredibly rude.  Chris overheard one of them castigating a woman the "you are not in LA and you need to tip me"  They ignored me until I started waving my ticket in the air and even then the one guy snapped at me that he was busy and the two of them both said they were too busy to help me, even though I had followed the original instructions and waited until my car was there to ask for my bags.

The valet service is on one side of the hotel.  The taxis are on the other.  The layout of the hotel is poorly executed.

Oh  you want FOOD?

HA!

We had dinner at Carlos and Charlies. It was meh.

There is no place that has a decent breakfast, The  Starbucks model coffee places- there are two of them- have the same horrible "Breakfast sandwich things" that look like cardboard.  They are only open until 9 pm. The "food court has a burger place and a Chinese place.

We had been told that they gave us a $30 food credit but that was not to be found anywhere.

Around 8 pm I wanted a piece of cake and a coffee and Chris wanted a snack.  Neither was readily available.  We wound up getting a coffee from the kiosk- NO PLACE TO SIT and a piece of cake from the Cake Boss vending machine.  It was NOT worth 9 bucks.

I will NOT be returning to that hotel.  Frankly Vegas is not as much fun as it once was and everything costs an arm and a leg.  We did go on a fun self guided tour for old Vegas sites and found a very cool museum that we need to go back to at some point when we can walk - the initial hike at the hotel killed Chris' back and he was in pain, it also triggered my new knee and I was glad we still had a cane in the car.

I am glad to be home

Abortion medication and what this means

 I see the bought-and-paid for Texas judge has demanded the removal of a safe and effective abortion drug, used to great success for 23 years.

Since WHEN is a judge a doctor?

Since WHEN do they get to demand the removal because it upsets a minority of people who are also not doctors?

We need to stop this right now.  We need to stand in the fire of this moment because THIS is only the beginning of a small minority taking control of what you can and cannot do because THEY object to it.

Insulin?  Made, I believe with human DNA so they are probably going to be screaming about aborted babies next

Cancer Medication?  MARIJUANA is the Devil's Lettuce  We can't have THAT can we?

Thankfully, a judge in Washington state issues another opinion and now it is fast tracking to the Supreme Court, which is probably bad news, since they are bought and paid for by the Christian Right.  I wonder if they will have the spine to oppose this.  Probably not and we are in for a fight.

My country scares me.

I say this all the time Making abortion illegal does not make it go away, it just makes it more dangerous. IF you think you win by outlawing it, you are either blind or naïve.  Women have always sough abortions, It is not a simple thing to decide, but it has always been there.  

The Christian Right who seem to run the legal system in our county, claiming to be "pro-life' just tick me off.  YOU are NOT pro life, if all you want is a child born, but not cared for after they clear the womb.  Admit it, you are pro BIRTH.

Women will be taking to the streets next weekend.  We are in for a long battle.

 

Good Friday Musings

 We are in the home stretch of Holy Week.  Today is "good" Friday.  I always think, well, it wasn't so "good" for Jesus, was it?  To be crucified has to be probably one of the most horrific ways to be killed.  I believe the word "excruciating" has the same root.  But, as usual I digress.

As I often do on Good Friday and Easter in general, I think about my childhood exposure to Christianity and the problems I have with it.  I gave up going to church when I realized that 

A:  The Baptists were trying to scare you into being good

B:  The hypocrisy was overwhelming.  They would pray piously in the chapel and gossip mean-girl style the minute they cleared the threshold. 

I consider myself a Christian, but I don't follow any set path ( I incorporate a good deal of Eastern Philosophy in my beliefs)

But here is what I posted on FB yesterday:

 Here, on Maundy Thursday, I wonder if the Christian Nationalists will be reading and internalizing the commandment of Jesus to his followers:

"A new commandment I give to you,

that you love one another:

just as I have loved you, you are also to love one another.”

Jesus

New Testament - John 13:34

Probably not- they seem to interpret Jesus command as selective- Love people ONLY if they look like you, think like you, vote like you, worship like you.

As we approach the most sacred of our holidays- honestly "The War on Christmas" and all that blather from Fox News really irks me, because while Christmas is nice and all it is really EASTER that defines the faith- I wonder what Jesus himself would have thought about all of this. Since I recall him flipping tables at the Temple, I can't imagine he would be pleased about the current state of American Christianity.

It's one reason that I don't actually GO to church, but still follow a moderate form of Christianity ( basically I try to love people and understand them as best I can. I suppose that is what the commandment meant to me)

As we approach Easter, if you think of yourself as a Christian, ask yourself if you have let hate creep in to your day-to-day and maybe re-evaluate what Jesus asked that we do.

A post from my niece about Judas got me thinking about Judas.

Why are we taught to hate him, to be angry about him?

Think about it.

IF as we are taught in Sunday School, Jesus was sent here by God to redeem our sins by dying and rising again ( and yeah I have some issues with that) then wasn't Judas just doing his part in God's plan? How can you be angry when the whole thing needed to happen and Judas was just the catalyst? I read somewhere in my rather eclectic biblical travels, that Jesus and Judas worked it out between them and Jesus asked Judas to do it. He was thought to be Jesus' best friend. He could not take the guilt that was laid on him by the rest of the Crew and killed himself. Maybe Jesus should have let them ALL in on the plan.

As the saying goes "I ain't mad at ya"

AS we approach our most holy time, I find it interesting that the Christian Nationals are doubling down on hate and racism. I think Jesus' command to us is being ignored

More murdered Children More Republican excuses

 I am not mincing words.

WHAT will it take for our representatives in Congress to BAN assault style weapons? Apparently murdered children is not enough for them to say ENOUGH to the NRA and the gunmakers who apparently line THEIR pockets and support them so they can make laws protecting the Gun lobby.

You will not I say OUR REPRESENTIVES Somewhere along the way, we forgot and they let us forget , that they represent OUR desires for laws that will make our lives better, not special interest groups with piles of money.  US.

Call your senator and your  representative and make your voice heard.  BAN ASSAULT STYLE WEAPONS.  Enact sensible laws pertaining to gun ownership.  Do something about the mental health crisis in this country.

I am particularly incensed by Tennessee Rep Tim Burchett a "proud NRA member" who , according to Rolling Stone has passed legislation to improve gun ownership rights. He is not concerned about HIS child being in the crosshairs when he sends her to school- he homeschools her.  He then called for a return to Christian values.  The IRONY of that surely is missed by Rep Burchett, as THIS particular shooting was at a Christian school.  He says that we can't fix it.  The guy is less than useless, he is an NRA blockade to anything that might stop the flow of money to him and his campaign. He knows who is master is and it AIN'T us!

There will be people out there who think this request to look at sensible gun laws is a move "by the libs" to take away their guns  Cue the mass production of bumper stickers, t-shirts and hats that say something like "You can take my guns when you pry them from my cold dead hand"  

What about the cold dead hands of the nine year-olds who were murdered in school this week.  Collateral Damage?

On a side note, if you are upset about what is happening in Israel with the government attempting to take control of the judiciary, but NOT seeing what is happening in GEORGIA USA as the same thing, pay attention.  The court system was set up to be independent of politics, to abide the rule of law.  But when the Republicans don't like losing the game they change the rules.  So NOW they can remove anyone who does not do their bidding.  I hope Fani Willis has her ducks in a row before this latest travesty of law can be enacted.  

At least he can't go after Jack Smith, who really has the goods.

I am gobsmacked at people who watched the events of January 6 in real time who now deny what they see.  The worst are the Congress people whose lives were saved by those brave officers who now say it was "no big deal."  I know they won't but I would be a wee bit slower in responding to an emergency in the offices of those representatives.

I will be calling Ms. Feinstein and Mr. Schiff in a moment.  I urge you to make similar calls or emails.

Defining Woke

 Recently a right wing author was asked on live television to define "woke" as she was railing against it, promoting her book which has an entire chapter dedicated to the word woke.  Bethany Mandel had ever excuse in the world why she was suddenly flustered by it,  "The host said something rude during the break"  "I was unprepared for the question"   As my mother would have said ( when she wasn't buying it) "a poor excuse is better than none"  She could not answer the question.

Here is a helpful definition  " A word the ultra right use to scare their base into thinking that they are somehow under attack by the very notion that people other than Christian White Males might have a seat at the table and have been "endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights"

I want someone to explain to me how letting others in to the room makes it worse for them.  I imagine this:

Imagine if you will, a world where homosexuality is the norm and a hetero lifestyle is abhorrent.  Can you change who you are attracted to?  Or do you live a life that you do not love just to exists in a society that thinks you need to be jailed or killed.  

Imagine a world where your skin color defines your opportunity, that due to YOUR skin color, you are denied jobs or education,  You cannot change your skin.  How do you improve your situation.  Do you try to work with others in the system or do you try to burn the system down?

I recently read somewhere- and I will have to do a lot more research on the veracity of the statement- that freed slaves were less likely to attack or kill former slaveholders. Slaveholders were afraid of it because that is what THEY would do.

People are afraid of a "woke agenda" because they think it means that their privilege will be taken from them and THAT scares the pants off of them.  They seem to enjoy the unrealistic feeling that by an accident of birth, they are somehow better than their neighbor.

I was talking to a woman yesterday who was concerned that her church was not attracting new members.  we talked a bit about outreach, but since I didn't know her, I did not share my thoughts on the matter.  People, young people are not drawn to religion. My husband says it is probably because we used to go as a family unit and it was part of a scheduled day.  Now, we need to work or rest from the long hours we work.  Sunday used to be a "day of rest" but we were expected to go and hear a sermon .  When I was a kid, the Southern Baptist Minister would try to SCARE you into compliance.  I see that the God of the Christian Nationalists bears a striking resemblance to this vengeful Overlord of my childhood.  People have changed and religion is stuck in the 14th Century.  I know not ALL churches and religions are like that but I think people who profess to be Christian  need to read what Jesus said, not Paul ( who was a Johnny-Come-lately to the party and a misogynistic git to boot.) 

Still a small minority of closed minded frightened people are out there making laws for the rest of us.  Did you vote in the last election?  I did and will be out there again, this time I may need to get loud.  It's what the "anti woke" crowd are doing, making it seem like they are what the people want.  Let's get our Woke tails out there and stop the madness.