Well, drat

I got a call today asking if I would like to be my state medical library association's president (it's a two year gig). I explained that I would love to, but I don't own a car and this makes it unlikely that I can get to every meeting, and I rely on others to get to the ones outside of Lexington. Which is a bummer, because I really would like to do it. I was president of one of the groups that later merged into this organisation years ago, and really enjoyed it.

Sigh. I really need to be doing more to save for a car. Of course, starting this month, I'm finally starting to pay on my student loans, so that might be a little more difficult.

On a high note, the chief of staff and another surgeon at the hospital caught me in the hall the other day and really complimented what I do. And I had a site-visit from the state coordinator of the early literacy project I run and they were pleased too. Plus...I had another book review published on Friday. It's in this month's issue of The Journal of Hospital Librarianship and is on a book about operating interlibrary loan services on a shoestring budget.

So career-wise, things are nice, and I've been working a little overtime, but that's ending as of tomorrow. The data entry work is going well (that was where the overtime came in).

As an added bonus, I got rides both to and from work today as one of my co-workers saw me walking to the bus stop this morning and took me over to the hospital, and of course there's the nice woman who has been giving me rides home the last few few weeks.

Tomorrow I'm going over to a friend's house so I need to remember to wear light clothing since I'll be catching the bus. Fortunately the bus stop across from the hospital is a little more visible than the one directly in front of it (no trees).

I've been reading through my news feeds as I had not done so for several days. I found this gem:

http://www.savethewords.org/ is run by the folks at the Oxford English Dictionary. It allows you to 'adopt' words that are considered obsolete so that they can continue to be used and enjoyed. The site wasn't loading as I write this, but that should (hopefully) be a temporary thing. Thanks to LISNews for the link.

Okay, I think I'm going to go do some reading. I still need to finish the New York Times on the Kindle and then I have Charlaine Harris' Grave Secret out from the library and need to read it before the 16th. The Times reminds me, there was a sad but interesting story today:

For Afghan Wives, a Desperate, Fiery Way Out

It is shameful here to admit to troubles at home, and mental illness often goes undiagnosed or untreated. Ms. Zada, the hospital staff said, probably suffered from depression. The choices for Afghan women are extraordinarily restricted: Their family is their fate. There is little chance for education, little choice about whom a woman marries, no choice at all about her role in her own house. Her primary job is to serve her husband’s family. Outside that world, she is an outcast.

“If you run away from home, you may be raped or put in jail and then sent home and then what will happen to you?” asked Rachel Reid, a researcher for Human Rights Watch who tracks violence against women.

Returned runaways are often shot or stabbed in honor killings because the families fear they have spent time unchaperoned with a man. Women and girls are still stoned to death. Those who burn themselves but survive are often relegated to grinding Cinderella existences while their husbands marry other, untainted women.

The women often mistakenly think that immolating themselves will be quick. Instead, it can lead to burns, infections, lingering deaths, or horrible scars. The fact that they feel so desperate that they do this is so sad and terrible.