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Showing posts with label do it yourself. Show all posts
Showing posts with label do it yourself. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

This Librarian Has Moxie and Epoxy


This Librarian Has Moxie—and Epoxy, and a glue gun, a nail gun, a hammer, wrenches in various sundry sizes, pliers—snub nose and needle nose---ha ha! This librarian knows the difference  and other  motley  tool thingies and doo dads to fix “stuff”

 

I bet you know the feeling: book shelf broken. You call your custodian who assures you he will fix it. It stays broken. After repeatedly reminding the custodian, you move the shelf out of the way off to a corner somewhere. It stays broken. You wait. It waits.

 

A chair breaks. You pick up the pieces and move it off to a corner somewhere. You notify your custodian. It stays broken. You wait. It waits.

 

Upholstery comes loose on a couch. You ask if the custodian can tack it back up or nail it. He assures you he will do so. It stays loose. It gets worse. Now the entire bottom of the couch is on the floor under the couch. You wait. It waits.

 

A wheel comes off a rolling cart that holds rolls of butcher paper. The bolt which attached the wheel to the cart is nowhere to be found, having magically vanished off the face of the earth. You contact the custodian. He assures you he has a bolt that will fit. He assures you the wheel will be attached. The next day, the wheel is attached, but there is no bolt. Every time the cart is moved, the wheel comes off.

 

How hard can it be to attach a bolt, fix a rocking chair, put up a book shelf and re-attach the lining of a couch? The librarian wonders. “I will wait no more!” she declares valiantly.

Enough! The librarian thinks, “I have a Master’s degree after all. Surely, I can use simple tools and repair these things myself.”

 

Well, this librarian had had enough, so she grabs the wheel off the rolling cart and gets in her trusty truck and drives over to Ace Hardware where she vows  to get everything she needs to repair “stuff.”

 

The hardware  store manager beamed from ear to ear. He showed me hundreds of bolts.

 

“No,” I say. “I only need the one that fixes this wheel.”  I brandish the pesky wheel.

 

“Well,” he says,  carefully examining it as if it were the Holy Grail and shaking his head, “This shaft has suffered extreme damage. You’re going to need more than just a bolt”

 

He goes on to say how I will need a super-duper bolt with an extra special fancy  washer and I’ll have to get channel locks and big, brawny men to attach the wheel—they will need super muscle strength that I obviously don’t have. 

 

“No, I say. “It’s for a simple cart. I don’t need it to last until eternity.”

 

He demonstrates how to attach a bolt. Sheesh, is he even serious?

 

I assure him that I am a librarian and perfectly capable of using simple tools. He asks if I have a wrench. I assure him that I have both standard and metric wrenches. Ah, a newfound bond is formed. I am speaking his language now.

 

This guy is seriously overdoing a simple fix.  45 cents buys a simple bolt and this librarian is now  armed and dangerous.

 

I attacked the garage at home, grabbing the nail gun, wood glue, various nails, a hammer, a couple of wrenches and a roll of duck tape for good measure. You can use it for anything, right?

 

The next morning, after a couple hours of tacking, nailing, hammering and hot glue-ing , the library is a happy place again.  

 

This librarian has learned her lesson: why wait for big, brawny men sporting channel locks when a librarian with moxie and epoxy can get-ter done! ?

Disclaimer: This post was written for humorous purposes only. The names have been changed to protect the innocent and the not-so innocent.

Before:
 
And after the Librarian to the Rescue With Moxie and Epoxy, etc.
 

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Fun Pick: The Wimpy Kid Do-It-Yourself Book

The Wimpy Kid Do-It-Yourself Book
by Jeff Kinney
Abrams

2011
224 pages (illus. + color pages)
Due in stores May 10, 2011

Hilarious, creative, and visionary, Jeff Kinney has done it again! He will have the hit of the summer! Teen and tween boys (and girls) are going to want their own copy of this unique book. Greg Heffley (the wimpy kid) warns them, "don't write down your 'feelings' in here. Because one thing's for sure: This is NOT a diary."

Wannabe writers, cartoonists, graphic novelists, and artists will show their talents on these pages. Kids can write cartoons, fill in the characters' voice bubbles, answer all kinds of interesting questions like: "Have you ever peed in a swimming pool?" and "Does it get on youur nerves when people skip?" Kids can fill in pages planning their dream home of the future, what they think their future life will be like and what will be the annoying catchphrase in the future.

With Kinney's insightful and hilarious art, this Diary of a Wimpy Kid is a true winner! The book has 32 pages of full color cartoons and lined pages where kids can tell their own story. Great fun!

Highly, highly recommmended grades 4-up and anyone who likes art, drawing, doodling, and humor. Many adults I know would benefit from this book. Lighten up, already!

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received the sneak peek from the publisher. I did not receive any monetary compensation for this review.