Got one

Tuesday turned out to be good for the funny stuff. Hopefully I will remember some of it. I'll begin with the last hour of the day - 3-4. A visitor came in to look for family information. As she sat at the library table, she couldn't help but talk to the other person at the table - our own Julia?? As Julia was sitting there sorting envelopes by zip code, she continually complained about how she hated doing that, and she seemed fairly confused by the numbering system of the Post Office. I joined them to help the patron go through a file and Julia asked me if she and I had met. I replied we had numerous times. She didn't remember me (fine with me) and had even asked Joy about me but said Joy didn't know who I was either. This made the patron feel really good about who was helping her. I tried to give the visitor a look that said don't worry, but I think it wasn't necessary, since I obviously was helping her find stuff.

This same hour produced some conversations about the Dutch and Julia continually asked the patron who was being extraordinarily patient about what words sounded Dutch to her. ???? Remember the visitor only had an hour to research and was trying to read through the files. Our brand new research volunteer Kate said nothing about Julia but I could tell she was thinking about it.

There was also something about the English accent being soothing and Julia said she even tried it out herself.

To end this lengthy entry, while complaining about the postal code sorting and after commenting about who I was, Julia said she really didn't think she would ever come back to Brookside again. It wasn't us, but she thinks she is done. A minute later, as she was leaving at 4, she yelled up to Joy and said see you Thursday!

I Knew It!

I just knew this would happen - as soon as Becky found out about her new job, she stopped blogging about the funny stuff at Brookside. Joy sure is too busy to do it now that she has been deserted by all and somewhat by those who actually come in daily. I will have to either make some stuff up, which wouldn't be hard, or go in more often just for observation purposes. Hm-m-m

Sometimes $1.50 breaks the bank

Just now, as I was sitting here preoccupied with work, the front door opened and I heard a couple of people walk in. I waited for Julie to greet them, and wasn't very surprised when she didn't.

I walked to the front exhibit room and found an elderly couple in there looking around. I greeted them and welcomed them, and the woman said, "I've been here before, awhile ago." I told her that there was a $1.50 admission charge. She said it had been free before. I apologized and she said, "Frank, let's go. Frank!" Frank was absorbed in reading an exhibit label. "Frank, you have to pay, so let's go. It was free before!" I apologized again, thanked them for coming, and they left.

$1.50. I'm just saying.

The Waterboy

Gary is sitting in the backyard, at the picnic table, leaning on his elbow with one hand propped under his chin, eyes glazed. His go-to look.
The other hand is holding the garden hose, which is spraying water on nothing in particular, just a grassy part of the lawn that looks just as green as the rest of the property. There are no plants there, no brown grass, no nothing. I watched him for a minute, and he didn't move. He's just sitting there, watering nothing, and looking bored as hell.

aaaand number 6.

Julia: "Oh my gosh, after today, I could write a book about this place! All the funny things that happen here! Hahaha!!"

TELL ME ABOUT IT.

Julia Gems

Julia had a number of fabulous insights today...and the day's not over yet!

1. She said something random and I looked at her blankly. I often look at her blankly but she must have picked up on it this time. She said, "Yeah, I guess I'm weird, or eccentric you'd call it. Well, I've been called worse things. We Christians have been called all sorts of things."

2. Her: Did you choose to have a purple office?
Me: Yes
Her: It's a truthful color.

3. "I think I need to move. I want a social life. I mean, doesn't everybody want that? There just aren't any good men around here. I know, I've looked. And why don't we ever hear about Canadian men....they're what, only 4 or 5 hours away? They must be very quiet. But I'll bet they're cerebral, I'll bet they're 3 dimensional, you know?"

4. Julia wants to adopt a kitten. 8 months old, female. White with patches. I told her about "Robin's Nest," a great organization that I adopted my kittens from. She asked me more about it so I pulled up the website. She immediately locked eyes on a cute kitty and told me to click on it for more info. Lady is 8 months old, calico, patched, and female (obviously). Then I saw that she has FIV. I said, "Oh, no, Julia...this would be such a heartbreaking thing if you adopted her, she has feline aids." Julia goes, "Oh my gosh. Someone must have given that to her. Her owner probably had it and she was around them all the time so she got it. Aids is airborn, you know. Oh, it's not...right? If it was, we'd all have it. Anyway, that's sad."

5. Her: Did you know your grandparents?
Me: Yes, three of them. My Dad's dad died before I was born.
Her: That's too bad. Did she hold you when you were little?
Me: (Assuming she means one of my grandmothers, although I have no idea which one) Um, yes.
Her: That's nice.

Characters

One day last week, Julia waltzed into my office and righteously declared, "You sure do have some characters working for you!"