6:22 AM Hit the snooze button on my alarm clock.  Toss and turn for a few minutes.  Get up and turn off the alarm that has gone off at 6:30.  Make way to bathroom to shower, wash my face, and brush my teeth.  Get dressed.  Check personal email.

8:00 AM Go upstairs to eat breakfast with parents.

8:25 AM Get in car and head towards Brooklyn.  (I carpool with my parents.)

9:30 AM Arrive at work.  Check work email.  Check personal email.  Catch up on RSS feeds.  Sign into Twitter and see what’s happening in the world.

9:48 AM Talk with co-worker about bicycles.

10:00 AM Begin Job #1.  Log into the FTP server where my project site resides.  Start tweaking HTML, CSS, and PHP code.

10:42 AM Quietly mutter obscenities as the Internet connection waxes and wanes.

10:47 AM Leave my cubicle for fear of smashing something as the Library’s servers go down temporarily.

11:00 AM Return to desk after making a quick trip to the deli for coffee.  Note that the servers seem to be back up and the Internet connection is holding steady.  Put nose back to the grindstone.

12:42 PM Get up to stretch my legs and back.  Consider getting a snack but decide against it.  Fill up water bottle while chatting with office manager.  Return to work, try to figure out why certain things don’t work in Internet Explorer.

1:34 PM Check email.  Update Twitter status.  Continue working on my project.

1:56 PM Log out of FTP server, shut down machine, pack my stuff, and head for my 2 o’clock shift as an assistant at the Reference Desk.

2:00 PM Begin Job #2.  Circle the Desk to make sure that all fliers and handouts are in stock and in neat piles.  Examine all of the public catalog look-up terminals to make sure that each station has scrap paper and pencils.

2:43 PM Phone rings.  Student needs help using the Library’s online catalog to see if we own copies of 2 books she needs.  We do.  She thanks me and hangs up the phone.  I do the same.

3:02 PM Sign into Gmail Talk.  Chat with Alex about mundane things.  Learn that he’s still looking to buy a bike and needs help finding a good one for a decent price.  Hit up craigslist and eBay to look for such a bike.

3:14 PM Student approaches me to ask if I can help him print something.  I accompany him to his PC and note that the default printer is incorrect.  Set printer to correct one.  Student thanks me as I’m walking away.

3:57 PM Zero in on a great road bike for a decent price.  Excitedly tell Alex (via GTalk) about it.  He likes it, too, and will be contacting the seller soon.

4:02 PM Phone rings.  “How late is the Library open today?” I’m asked.  “We close at 6 tonight,” I answer.  “The summer schedule is different.  On Mondays and Thursdays, we close at 9 PM.  On Tuesdays and Wednesdays, we’re only open until 6.  We’re closed on Fridays and the weekend.”  Student thanks me and hangs up the phone.  I do the same.

4:33 PM Find myself alone at the Reference Desk, as the librarian who was supposed to cover the 4 – 6 PM shift has not shown up.  Help student find statistics about healthcare employees in the U.S. over the last 5 years.

4:52 PM Make small talk with the intern who’s passing by.  He congratulates me on my “promotion” to Librarian (since I am now at the helm).

5:13 PM Alex tells me the road bike was sold.  On the hunt to find another bike.

5:28 PM Begin to power down the librarian-use-only computers.  (Of the 12 available, I turn off 10, leaving 2 on for last-minute stragglers.)

5:42 PM Decide it’s about time that I read the newspaper so I hit up the New York Times website.  Also helps to combat the boredom of a summer afternoon at a college library.  Check email and Twitter.

5:53 PM Shut down the remaining 2 reference computers.  Turn off the public catalog look-up stations.

5:59 PM Power down the 3 reference desk computers.  Circle the Desk to make sure handouts and fliers are still in order.  Fix the piles that are slightly askew.

6:00 PM As Circulation staff makes “library is now closed” announcement, I pack my stuff (and glance around nervously to make sure I have everything with me), bid goodnight to the support staff, and head out the door.

6:22 PM Arrive at my mother’s place of work.  Head to my father’s workplace.

6:34 PM Pick up father from work.  Drive to nearby Japanese restaurant for dinner.

7:11 PM Pay bill and leave the restaurant.  Get in car and head home to Staten Island.

7:58 PM Home at last.  My cat, Dixon, greets me.  As he plops down on the floor and exposes his belly, I pet and nuzzle him.  I come up to the aquarium/tank and greet its inhabitants: 2 goldfish and 1 turtle.

8:05 PM After taking off my shoes and putting down my stuff, I feed the cat and clean his litter box.

8:30 PM Change into my “home” clothes (usually PJ pants and a t-shirt I wouldn’t wear out in public).  Sit on couch and turn on TV.  See what’s recorded on DVR, watch what’s of interest (usually “The Simpsons” or “Futurama”).

9:30 PM Pick up laptop.  Check email, Twitter, Facebook, RSS feeds.  Go on craigslist and eBay to look for bikes for Alex.  Email him links to the ones that look reasonable.

10:12 PM Dixon’s meowing so I give him some attention.  He plays with a toy, I chase him down the hall, and we roughhouse for a bit.  I’ve now annoyed him so he leaves me alone.

10:30 PM Turn off the UV lamp atop the aquarium/tank, make sure cat has fresh water, brush my teeth, and head to bedroom.  Read a few chapters of the book I’m currently reading.

11:48 PM Unable to keep my eyes open any longer.  Put book away.  Turn off light.

1. I was introduced to coffee when I was 7 years old. By my parents. (I’ve been drinking it ever since. I take it with half-and-half and no sugar.)
2. As much as I enjoy my classes, I wish I could have my Master’s degree already so I can get my career off the ground. It’s paralyzing knowing that I can’t get hired anywhere until I finish this program.
3. I’m a migraine sufferer. (It runs in the family.) My migraines come with visual auras. Some research suggests that migraines + auras = increased chance of strokes.
4. Unfortunately, strokes also run in my family. Needless to say, I’m attempting to lead my life in a relatively stress-free fashion.  However, my current lifestyle is contradictory this philosophy, as I am currently trying to hold down a part-time job and attend Master’s-level courses full-time.
5. I’ve recently learned that there are reproductive problems in my family, too — myself included. (I was diagnosed with Kallmann syndrome when I was 18.) I may be infertile… and I think I’m OK with that. (But, then again, I am only 22.)
6. My family owned a Great Dane (dog) and an American Short Hair (cat) that we took with us when we emigrated to America in 1994. Both have since passed away. Now, I have a cat named Dixon (he was pre-named by the folks at the shelter) whom I love dearly. I can’t imagine a household without a furry companion.
7. I’ve only needed to get stitches once in my life… and I got 16 all at once. (I was bitten by a dog in my neighborhood. I was 16 years old at the time. I still have the scars on my right forearm.)
8. I love meat. I really wish I didn’t, though. I even tried out vegetarianism for a month in the summer of ’08. It was the longest month of my life.
9. Before I got into librarianship, I was attempting to pass off as a software engineer. By complete chance, though, I stumbled upon librarianship and loved it. Now I want to incorporate both into my career.
10. I built my first website when I was around 10 years old — the same time I got my own computer. My father (a computer aficionado) encouraged me to learn HTML… so here I am.
11. I spent my 16th birthday at the DMV getting my driving learner’s permit. I got my driver’s license when I was 17.
12. My boyfriend, Alex, and I have been together for 3.5 years. He’s my first and only boyfriend. I’m quite happy and look forward to spending the rest of my life with him.
13. My mom taught me to read when I was 3 years old. I’ve been a voracious reader ever since.
14. I’m trying to figure out how to incorporate my interest in sexuality education into my career.
15. Food is a weakness of mine. I succumb to my cravings easily. My biggest adversary is the bacon cheeseburger.
16. I’ve seriously considered three areas in which I may want to get a second Master’s degree:
    • Human Sexuality (a subset of Public Health)
    • Health & Nutrition Science
    • Computer & Information Science

    …in that order.

17. I didn’t watch Star Wars until I was 22 years old. And I freakin’ loved it!
18. Tequila is my poison of choice when going out.  When staying in, I like beer (Corona, specifically) and red wine (Osborne Solaz is my favorite).
19. My favorite bar is, coincidentally, The Library.  It’s seedy and smelly but I love it.
20. Oh, yeah...  Have I mentioned that I’m anosmic?  The only reason I know that The Library is smelly is everyone’s pointing it out.
21. I have a compost bin in my parents’ backyard.  I haven’t added scraps to it or turned it in months.  I should really take care of it better… but I forget about it because I don’t see it.
22. My iPod is old.  Like, 3rd generation old.  As in, I got it for my birthday in 2004.  (That’s ancient in the tech world.)  And?  It still works!  So I haven’t gotten a new one yet.
23. The only other Apple product I own is an iPhone.  (Again, it’s the older generation.  I don’t have the kind of money it takes to keep up with all of Apple’s latest gadgets!)  I’m on T-Mobile, though… so I had to crack my phone.  And, lemme tell you, even with the latest software out there, it’s still possible  to brick the thing.
24. I’ve become lazy and started ordering my groceries from FreshDirect.  (I call it “laziness” but I actually have no time for anything not school- or work-related lately. I spend 4 days out of the week at work and 3 days in class; I barely have a moment to myself.)
25. I make a monthly contribution to my local NPR station, WNYC.  I canceled my gym membership and re-routed the monthly dues to WNYC instead. Because I actually listen to the station on a regular basis, it made more sense to spend the money that way. (I never went to the gym.)