Friday, July 29, 2005

1307 Just another day at the office

My best stories about work were usually about body parts--but those of animals. Sweeter than Ever works with the police (not sure of her job title): "Last night after 11pm we had a stabbing, a person who was hit in the head by a baseball bat during a fight, an injured person who claimed he had broken both arms, legs, his fingers and then advised his neck also popped, but the truth of the matter was he was intoxicated, a suicidal person who had a .45 to his head and a bottle of booze in the other hand, a runaway from another town who arrived at a party and was sexually assaulted, a vehicle containing drugs and guns outside of a motel and the usual traffic stops, reckless drivers, intoxicated persons, and domestics."

Although, we also did detective work in my library. For instance. It is 20 degrees outside with a windchill of minus 15. Library patron comes up to the desk with overdue notice in hand. "I returned this journal last week--your staff missed it and probably reshelved it." So I go to the stacks. The library's temperature is about 89 degrees because our HVAC system cooked us in the winter and froze us in the summer. I find the exact volume of JAVMA that matches the overdue notice. Yes, it is on the shelf. I reach for it to take it back with me so the computer can clear the records. It is icy cold. I hold it to my hot cheeks and return to the desk and waiting patron.

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