Reading and Other Things
Jul. 8th, 2020 01:34 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lydamorehouse I still don't feel like I've been reading very much, but I am mostly keeping up with daily The New York Times. I also did some heavy skimming/light reading of the Star Trek: Adventures RPG; Science Division book that showed up the other day. I also got mostly through the introduction of the Indigenous SF anthology that came at the same time as the RPG manual before my brain did that thing that it's been doing during the pandemic where it just sort of goes "blah, blah, blah, wouldn't you rather think about how many potential virus vectors you encountered today??"
No, I would not.
Though I will say that working at the library was FINE. Like, probably the room is on fire fine, but it was so crazy-busy that I didn't have a chance to really think about it. Turns out, the good people of White Bear Lake pretty much think that paper books are as essential as groceries... and as a lifelong reader and erstwhile writer, I can not fault them? But, do wish a larger percentage of them would wear masks while picking up their "curbside" delivered books. However, the phone rang off the hook while I was there with people scheduling their pick-ups (which involves us checking the books they placed on hold out for them.) So, that was a blur of activity that I am only just now starting to recover from.
But the people who work at libraries (librarians and circulation staff) are more often than not people who are very conscientious about rules and good practices and following policies and procedures... and helping OTHER people, so, like I felt like everyone I worked with was compliant to the best of their ability.
One thing I learned, though, is that, if it is hot, it is impossible to get a drink of cold water without taking your mask off momentarily. It's also unreasonable to imagine that you or your colleagues won't need a single drink of water the entire time they're working. So, masks did come off now and again. It simply can't be helped. I did my best to be away from my colleagues when I took my sips, but seriously, I can not go to the car or something every time I need a drink, not when the phones are ringing constantly.
I mean, we all did our best? But this isn't a surgical theater.
They were quarantining books for a week, however, so at least I didn't have to deal with check-in. However, I was doing the delivery one box load at a time so that I could do it in the few seconds when the phone wasn't ringing. Because, if we don't keep up with simple maintenance, there will be no books available for people to check out.
It was pretty insane.
Not sure how often I'm going to be willing to do that again. Fortunately, I don't need this job. I feel so much more empathy than I already did for essential workers and anyone else doing service/public-oriented work. I had already been doubling my 20% tip, but I'm not sure that's enough gratitude to gap the inequity of the distance between those who can drop-in, maskless, for a cup of coffee and wander back to their work-at-home and the people who spend all day working to fill those cups.
No, I would not.
Though I will say that working at the library was FINE. Like, probably the room is on fire fine, but it was so crazy-busy that I didn't have a chance to really think about it. Turns out, the good people of White Bear Lake pretty much think that paper books are as essential as groceries... and as a lifelong reader and erstwhile writer, I can not fault them? But, do wish a larger percentage of them would wear masks while picking up their "curbside" delivered books. However, the phone rang off the hook while I was there with people scheduling their pick-ups (which involves us checking the books they placed on hold out for them.) So, that was a blur of activity that I am only just now starting to recover from.
But the people who work at libraries (librarians and circulation staff) are more often than not people who are very conscientious about rules and good practices and following policies and procedures... and helping OTHER people, so, like I felt like everyone I worked with was compliant to the best of their ability.
One thing I learned, though, is that, if it is hot, it is impossible to get a drink of cold water without taking your mask off momentarily. It's also unreasonable to imagine that you or your colleagues won't need a single drink of water the entire time they're working. So, masks did come off now and again. It simply can't be helped. I did my best to be away from my colleagues when I took my sips, but seriously, I can not go to the car or something every time I need a drink, not when the phones are ringing constantly.
I mean, we all did our best? But this isn't a surgical theater.
They were quarantining books for a week, however, so at least I didn't have to deal with check-in. However, I was doing the delivery one box load at a time so that I could do it in the few seconds when the phone wasn't ringing. Because, if we don't keep up with simple maintenance, there will be no books available for people to check out.
It was pretty insane.
Not sure how often I'm going to be willing to do that again. Fortunately, I don't need this job. I feel so much more empathy than I already did for essential workers and anyone else doing service/public-oriented work. I had already been doubling my 20% tip, but I'm not sure that's enough gratitude to gap the inequity of the distance between those who can drop-in, maskless, for a cup of coffee and wander back to their work-at-home and the people who spend all day working to fill those cups.
no subject
Date: 2020-07-09 01:48 am (UTC)If you are ever facing customers who are maskless, I strongly recommend a "face shield assembly" of some sort. There are some that are very durable and reusable, and some that are more disposable. The library may already have a contract with Grainger, they are a supplier of all of the everything. Whoever orders your toilet paper or furnace filters may be able to order these.
https://www.grainger.com/category/safety/face-protection/faceshield-assemblies
If your employer doesn't want to pay for one, buy one anyway because my dad is right, and wear it along with a cloth mask. It will be safer to take a drink, too.
I think/hope that capitalism will not survive the era of C-19. I feel like we're being shouted at that we need to dump it. I can't imagine this ending, and then a bunch of nurses saying "Yeah, that was fine. I'm okay if it happens again exactly the same."
no subject
Date: 2020-07-09 06:56 pm (UTC)Thanks for the link.