We're taking a bit of a breather while the world rearranges its underpants. Meanwhile, the other blog is here.

Tuesday, September 08, 2009

Do moths whistle?

Bronwyn spent yesterday at Umpty Library, catching up with the stock-editing that the librarians should have done. Again. My innocent "how did it go yesterday" prompted a tirade of Anglo-Saxon splenetics including a couple of words I hardly ever use, even when provoked.

Wendy, one of the Reference Librarians, has got right up Bronwyn's nose.

"I wish I could get paid for pissing around the library doing sod all except walk around with a biro in my hand and being so fucking patronising, so very, very fucking patronising."

Was one of the gentler passages.

"How the library assistants don't kill her I do not know."

I learn later that, amongst other things, as fast as Bronwyn was taking tatty cookery books out of lending stock Wendy was trying to accession them into reference library stock.

9 comments:

Pearl said...

I have so many questions, but let's get to the one that confuses me the most.

Biro?

Definition, please.

Oh, and I chuckled -- chuckled! -- at the words "Anglo-Saxon splenetics". That was beautiful.

Pearl

Madame DeFarge said...

Would it be better if she walked around with a fountain pen? It works for me, capturing an air of superior insouciance.

Kevin Musgrove said...

Pearl: biro = ballpoint pen

never be afraid to ask! (-:

Madame DF: I'm astonished that Umpty's reference library isn't still working with clay tablets and styluses.

Pat said...

'prompted a tirade of Anglo-Saxon splenetics including a couple of words I hardly ever use, even when provoked.'

I wonder if they are the same as mine?

Gadjo Dilo said...

I never knew that "accession" could be a verb - just goes to show the advantages of working in a library!

László Bíró, 1899-1985, Hungarian-Argentinian inventor of the ballpoint pen. (Though the idea was, of course, stolen from a Romanian design, but unfortunately that could only use the blood of the undead and the nib quickly became clogged up).

Macy said...

OMG for YEARS I've been claiming that I can indeedy name 7 famous Belgians. One of these has included Alfred Biro the inventor of the Biro pen.
Dang, were Audrey Hepburn and Alfred Sax Hungarian too?

Affer said...

Re tatty cookery books: exactly how many books on cooking potatoes can there be?

Unknown said...

I'd be thrilled to remove some motes (demote) from the stock at Umpty's library with the of my quill pen. Is it possible to book temporary Wendy exchanges?

Kevin Musgrove said...

Pat: mine are the c and tw words, the latter of which comes as a shock to southerners!

Gadjo: it's one of our few 'doing' words.

Macy: I happen to know that the entire Treorchy Male Voice Choir actually came from a small hamlet in deepest darkest Wallonia.

Affer: sad git that I am, I checked. We've got 13 and Worldcat.org has 72.

Wendy: I like you too much to even countenance it!