What Kind of Name is Malmstrom Anyway?

I've been abusing the library's hold system for about two years. I will put a checked-out book on hold even when there is a perfectly good checked-in copy on the shelves. I have a very good reason though.

Lets say I want to read AntiCraft: Knitting, Beading and Stitching for the Slightly Sinister. Because, really, who wouldn't? Now lets say that my local library has acquired a couple copies of this book. One of these copies happens to be checked-in and the other happens to be checked-out. I have two options,

1-- I can drag 2 to 4 children (depending on the time of the year) to the knitting section of the library where they will fuss, pout, whine, and generally annoy while I look for this book. Of course the knitting section happens to be right next to the turn-off-your-cell-phone study area. So every quiet squeak and every not-so-quiet yell will be met by the glares and sighs of those who were fortunate enough to escape their children, or possibly chatty roommates, to study at the library.

or 2-- I can put a hold on the already checked-out copy of this book. When it is returned I will be notified by email and it will be placed on the holding shelves and labeled with the first four letters of my last name: MALM. The holding shelves are conveniently located next to the self check-out stations thus allowing me to quickly come in, pick up the requested books, check them out, and leave with out having to talk to anyone. I don't really like talking to strangers at the library.

Though perhaps an abuse of the system it is obviously the better choice.

Today I had 10 books that were ready to be picked up. I don't keep track of the titles, I just keep track of the number. It's faster that way. I look on the M shelf and grab every book that is labeled MALM. When I have the right number of books I know I've found them all and proceed to check out. Sometimes I don't even know what I've got until I get back in the car.

Today I proceeded to the holding shelves and picked up all the MALMs. I counted-- I had 10. On my way to check-out I noticed one of the books was Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. I thought that was a little weird because I own Pride and Prejudice. I decided to look at my books more closely. I checked the title against the list on my account. I realized not only did I have a book that I hadn't requested, I didn't have one of the books I had requested.

Obviously there had been a mistake. I found a librarian and explained the situation.

"Why do you think that Pride and Prejudice is a mistake? Maybe it's not for you." she asked.
"Uh . . . it has my name on it."
"What . . . you think you're the only MALM in the area?"
"Yes. Actually I do."

Apparently I am not.

A quick search of the phone book yielded no less than 4 Malmstroms and I'm pretty sure one of them was wandering around the library today with my copy of Danny the Champion of the World.

I'll tell you what Ms. Malmstrom . . . if you stop touching my books, I'll stop touching yours.

*I feel like I can safely say "Ms." at this point. It was Pride and Prejudice after all.

Good Book, Good Soup?

This is the time of year where some people are enjoying a harvest from their garden.  I, for one, am up to my eyeballs in tomatoes.  If you need some let me know.  Seriously.  We have so many my children have started using them as weapons in the back yard.  

I have heard a similar thing happens when you plant zucchini.  I wouldn't know because I don't like zucchini so I don't plant it.  I only plant tomatoes and basil because all I ever want from my garden in bruschetta and BLTs.  Some day I may try my hand at growing lettuce for the BLTs.  That seems easier than raising a pig for the bacon. 

Back to zucchini . . . if you have an abundance of zucchini you may want to try making this soup.  I have no idea if it is good because I've never made it.  I recently checked the Princess Bride out from the library and found the recipe for it tucked inside.  I assume the previous reader was using it as a book mark.  

I figure you can make one of following assumptions about this recipe--

1.  It must be a good soup because of the book it was found in.  The Princess Bride is a sit on the couch with a nice blanket, pillow, and cosy fire kind of book.  Its like comfort food.  The best soups are comfort food.

2.  It must be a horrible soup because instead of cherishing the recipe it was used as a book mark.

So here is the recipe.  One of you who has a lot of zucchini should try it and tell me if it is any good.

Zucchini Soup

3lbs zucchini -- slice in 1 inch pieces

2 tsp salt

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp garlic powder

1/8 tsp white pepper

2 (10 3/4 oz) Chicken broth

1/2 cups water

Combine and bring to a boil.

Cover and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes.,

Place small amount in blender.

Repeat and blend until smooth.

Add 1/2 cups half and half.

Reheat and serve.

Sinking to Their Level

I love our local library. How much do I love the local library? Right now I have 46 items checked out--46! Okay so thats nothing compared to the woman I saw unload a cooler filled with books into the return slots and then load it back up again before checking out. It kind of makes me wonder how many books you can fit into a cooler, but it mostly makes me wonder why a cooler?

Back to me. Right now I have 46 items checked out, three of which happen to be movies. Movies that are due soon. Movies we haven't watched because I couldn't find them. You have no idea how much stress this has been causing. I was fairly certain I was the last one to touch the movies, and I had NO idea what I had done with them. I lost the movies. I couldn't even blame it on the kids! I have been looking for these movies for days. I went through the toy room, the car, my bed room, the laundry room, I looked everywhere. This morning Michael suggested we look under the couch. As I was crawling around on the floor looking under chairs I saw this.


Do you see it? Do you see all the books, and incidentally 3 movies, that have been neatly stacked inside this toy? Here's the thing, you can only see it from the side. Even better is the fact that those books are packed in such a way that if you pick the toy up they come up with it, leaving you with the allusion that there is nothing under the toy. My children are evil geniuses, I tell you. Evil geniuses!

And I thought I couldn't blame the kids. HA! If I learned nothing else from this, I learned you can ALWAYS blame the kids.

This is Summer

The boy is out for the summer. Madison still has two weeks of school which she is not very happy about. She's going to be even less happy when she hears that Chase's last day of preschool is tomorrow. I can hear it now, "Everyone is out BUT ME?!"

Because Chase has school this morning I figured Davis and I could spend some quality time with the boy. We started by going to the library. As I was pushing the stroller down the ramp I was stopped by an older woman who, in a very thick Russian accent, said "Both boys? Congratulations! You strong mother. Boys good." Nothing like starting the day with a strange compliment.

While at the library I was hoping to find a book that would encourage Kai to read this summer. I showed him, "The Diary of a Killer Cat." It had animals and death in the title, how could I go wrong? "Um okay, but do you think I could get a book about multiplication?"

After we checked out our books I handed him one to read in the car. It was called, "First Grade Stinks." "Mom, the thing is, I don't really think first grade stinks, so could I just read the book about multiplication?" The whole way home I listened to, "Hey! Did you know 10 times 12 is 120?" and "1 times 1 is 1? What! I thought it was 2 . . . no wait, that adding."

I'm going to have to contact the hospital, no way is that child mine.