The Tragi-Comedy of Shannon Schinagl: Part 1

Last Friday I was out of underwear.  Half of this story was caused by simply needing underwear.  For those of you who know about my obsession with toilets, poop and underwear, this probably seems appropriate.  But really, this is a bit much.

I was still staying with a kind lady here in Newburyport until the floors and painting in my new home were done.  I gathered up my laundry and started down into the basement.

The stairs are old and steep, and toward the bottom there is a small landing, and the stairs turn 90 degrees.  The bottom stair going down toward the landing is a board.  A 2x8.  Laying flat.  Holding my laundry, I didn't see the board, and I was already turning my foot to go down the rest of the stairs.  I stepped on the side of the board and completely twisted my foot.  I shook it off, limped over to the washer, and assumed it would just get better if I walked on it.

When I got upstairs, took off my shoe, and really looked at it, the outer side of my left foot was beginning to swell.  My Mom and I decided I had sprained it, so we put ice on it.  I went to bed assuming it would be almost completely healed by morning.

Now, in the middle of the night I woke to an incredibly strong and awful smell.  My Mom woke, too, and we decided it smelled like someone was frying a ton of onions, but burning them.  Of course, we couldn't figure out why someone would be poorly frying onions in bulk in the middle of a Friday night, but who knows?  Maybe it's a hangover cure.

When we woke up the next morning, Saturday, the smell was the first thing we experienced.  My Mom decided it now smelled like burning rubber, and I don't mean car racing!  It smelled like someone had piled up a hundred tires and lit them on fire.  Granted, that's illegal, and it doesn't seem like something the good people of Newburyport would do, but we couldn't figure out what else it could be.

My ankle still hurt, and it was a bit more swollen, but I decided that was just because I hadn't iced it during the night.  I had things to do and places to go, and really couldn't be bothered.

We had to get to the pet-friendly Red Roof Inn, because Sterling was arriving on Sunday!

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What is wrong with Shannon's foot, and will it get better?

What on earth is that smell?

And will Sterling arrive intact?

Read on to find out!

Newburyport Public Library Foyer

This is the Newburyport Public Library foyer.  Below is the view of the children's room entrance off of the foyer.

This is a shot of the beautiful circulation desk and the stairs to the second floor.

Spelling Pet Peeve

I hate silly store spellings.    All of the "Ye Olde..." blah, blah blah stores that were founded in 1985, and the "K"'s that replace "C"'s, like "Kozy Korner" or something, drive me insane.  It is not cute.  It is poor spelling.

Right around the corner from the library is this:

What is going on here?  If this is actually a word, someone tell me.  I just looked it up in Merriam-Webster's and the Oxford English Dictionary, and this word is not in either.  If you're not in the OED, you simply aren't a word.

Is this salon better because it starts with two letter "A"s?  Every time I see it, in my head I say "ahhhhhqua."

Argh!  Why, why, why?  Why is this better?  The owner could still have made the first "A" all swirly and pretty.  What is gained by the second "A"?

I am going to have to start walking other routes simply to avoid this sign and keep from getting too pissed off and disturbed.

Small Town Life -- Example #3

I went to Starbucks today (need to keep my sister employed!) and sitting outside, on the sidewalk, were two empty strollers.  Nice strollers.  Just sitting there.

Now, the owners didn't go so far as to leave their babies on the sidewalk (apparently it's safe enough to do that in Reykjavic, Iceland), but they left the strollers with all of the baby/stroller stuff in them!

I meant to take a picture.  Sorry.

Look Ma, No Kitchen!

I thought I'd share some pictures of my new home while it's being renovated.

This is a picture of my desk, which is currently the garbage can of home improvement!

Believe it or not, this is the kitchen!  You may have guessed from the very last kitchen-y item: the fridge.

There are two doors from the living room into my bedroom.  No need for that, but there IS need for more uninterrupted wall space!  So this door is turning into a wall.

My bedroom, with a shot of the dormer (which will be my office) and the newly sanded floors, soon to be stained!

My awesome loft!  Right now it has a ladder, but we are installing a pull-down ladder instead, like the kind that go to an attic.

These are my inside stairs down to the rest of the building/house.  There's a gorgeous skylight to provide illumination.  You also see the bedroom door that is NOT turning into a wall.

My also-under-construction bathroom.

Like the deck, the bathtub is also temporarily posing as a garbage can.

And...the house!  That very top window you see on the front of the house is the window in the dormer in my bedroom.

Now, don't you all want to come visit to see how it turns out?  I'll let you sleep in the loft...

Shameless Self Promotion

I am selling my condo in Seattle.  Know anyone who is looking?

Here are pictures, and here is the listing.

Come on...  You know you want to live there.

Newburyport Public Library Children's Room

Finally, I am posting some pictures of my new library's children's room!

First, the children's reference desk.  At this library, not only do we do reference and readers' advisory, we also do our own check-ins and check-outs (see the return slot by the door?) and shelving.

This is the view from the door.

This is a view of the non-fiction.

This is a cozy corner surrounded by picture book shelving.

From inside the children's room, a view in to the children's programming room.  Isn't it beautiful how they have those wooden windows to see into the room?

This is the inside of the children's programming room.  I love the carpeted, built-in risers.

Another door in the children's programming room goes outside.

A cozy nook in the children's (chapter book) fiction.

The children's computers.  All adults are kicked off if a child is waiting!

It is the nicest room.  We have plans.  The beige walls will eventually go by the wayside, replaced by color.  That should make a huge difference!  We are also thinking of teen murals (perhaps of nursery rhymes?) on the posts.

Pictures of other parts of the library will be posted later!