This summer, I’m only working two days a week. And that’s while working 2 jobs! (In the mornings, I work on a project for which I was hired as an Adjunct Librarian. In the afternoons, I’m on the Reference Desk as an assistant.) The following is a re-creation of my day on Monday, to the best of my recollection:
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.
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