March is Women's History Month

Dear Abby and her sister have been giving advice to newspaper readers for as long as most of us can remember. They have helped thousands of people with their sound advice and empathy for the troubled and confused. So in honor of wom en's history month I give you some humorous letters that Dear Abby has received.

Dear Abby,

A couple of women moved in across the hall from me. One is a middle-aged gym teacher and the other is a social worker in her mid-twenties. These two women go everywhere together and I've never seen a man go into their apartment or come out. Do you thin k they could be Lebanese?

Curious

Dear Abby,

I have a man I never could trust. He cheats so much I'm not even sure this baby I'm carrying is his.

Dear Abby,

I am a twenty-three-year-old liberated woman who has been on the pill for two years. It's getting expensive and I think my boyfriend should share half the cost, but I don't know him well enough to discuss money with him.

Dear Abby,

I suspected that my husband had been fooling around, and when I confronted him with the evidence he denied everything and said it would never happen again.

Dear Abby,

Our son writes that he is taking Judo. Why would a boy who was raised in a good Christian home turn against his own?

Dear Abby,

I joined the Navy to see the world. I've seen it. Now how do I get out?

Dear Abby,

My forty-year-old son has been paying a psychiatrist $50 an hour every week for two-and-a-half years. He must be crazy.

Dear Abby,

I was married to Bill for three months and I didn't know he drank until one night he came home sober.

Dear Abby,

Do you think it would be all right if I gave my doctor a little gift? I tried for years to get pregnant and couldn't and he finally did it.

Dear Abby,

My mother is mean and short-tempered. I think she is going through her mental pause.

Dear Abby,

ISU Library

Indiana State University

Terre Haute, IN 47809

An American in Paris

Ellen Watson

I spent the week of January 19^th in Paris, and it was wonderful! I ate at least 100,000 calories (but who's counting!?) and walked a minimum of 500 miles, and enjoyed every minute of it. My favorite patisserie was about a block from the Les Halles Metro station, on my way back to the apartment - founded in 1730, it provided elegant and delicious pastries, quiches, and breads. Then there was the chocolat africaine - hot chocolate so thick and rich that a spoon would stand up in it, served with real, unsweetened whipped cream on the side ... wonderfully decadent and sinfully delicious!

I did do things other than eat, of course. I did most of the obligatory tourist stuff, like visiting the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower and L'Arc de Triomphe. I have (bad!) photographs to prove it! But I enjo yed even more visiting some of the smaller museums and sights - the Cluny, with its marvelous medieval tapestries; the Jacquesmard-Andre, a wonderful house of treasures; the Marmottan with its glorious Impressionists; Le Defenseur du Temps, a clock with a n automaton (looking a bit like C3PO) who battles a dragon, cock, and crab to keep time safe; the animal and flower markets; the Hotel du Sens ... a whole array of memorable places.

What I remember most vividly, however, are vignettes of life in Paris: the dogs in the restaurants, children riding carousels and (very smelly!) donkeys in a park on a sunny Saturday afternoon, the smells wafting out of the confisseries and restaur ants, the men sweeping the streets with brooms made of fluorescent green plastic formed to resemble natural broomstraw, the artist in his gallery taking such care to speak slowly and carefully to accommodate my fumbling French (it worked - he made a sale! ), the tight narrow circular stairs (3 flights!) up to the apartment, a perfectly Art Deco restaurant where some of the patrons looked as though they'd been eating lunch there every day since 1930 ... just life.

This was my first international travel, and I really enjoyed it! I highly recommend it, as educational, enlightening, and humbling.

As the Campus Turns (part II)

M.E. Griffy

Just look at her, how could Jaimie ever suspect that Euphemia could have partaken a bit much of the bubbly at the reception? She had been very pleased with the reception her voice confirmed that. Whenever Euphemia was excited about something, you w ould hear a high pitched nasal accompaniment with whatever she said, and she was very excited that evening. Thanking everyone for coming, placating the trustees for their support, pointing out how unique the memorabilia was and through it all was that nas ally irritating sound. Jaimie believed that many of the trustees support was gained in an attempt to escape the reception and Euphemia.

Euphemia had been very pleased with the success of the reception, but tipsy, surely not. How ridiculous to imagine that she could have relinquished her beloved Taurus to Washboard River.

Jaimie stopped just past Euphemia to let her come round and get into the passenger side of her Beetle. As she waited for Euphemia to take her precise little steps to the door, "so as not to wrinkle herself," Jaimie glanced up at the old Victorian ginge rbread cottage. It was dark and dreary, flanked on either

side by Weeping Willows, how appropriate! Windows closed, curtains pulled, but wait, wasn't that shade drawn down only a moment ago? "You know Jaimie, I can't tell you how much I appreciate these rides the last few days." "Euphemia, do you have company visiting by chance?" Euphemia paled slightly while fumbling to engage her safety belt. "Why, no Jaimie, what would make you ask such a question?" "Oh, I just thought I saw, well, nothing, never mind."

It was obvious the question had shaken Euphemia in no uncertain terms. Jaimie felt it best to leave well enough alone and perhaps she had been mistaken about the shade anyway. The silence was deafening as they puttered along Sunnyside Lane in the Winte r gloom. Thank goodness it was only a fifteen minute drive after they turned onto I-666. As they approached the on ramp the sun brilliantly broke through the overcast sky. Jaimie's mind drifted a moment thinking about how lovely it would be when Spring fi nally came, so she didn't notice the shadow that had fallen across her hands upon the wheel. She felt a gentle spray hit her face, awakening her from her momentary daydream, then a voice boomed, "Clean your windows for a quarter lady?"

To be continued next month...

They Did What?!

Robin Bradford

This month's trivia comes from the 1998 Guinnss Book of World's Records. If you haven't seen the book since it transformed from a paperback to its more reader friendly model, complete with color photographs, then I highly suggest you check it out. Here are samples of some of the incredible feats found inside:

Most Monogamous Marriages by a Woman: 22 by Linda Lou Essex, of Anderson, Indiana, who has been married to 15 different men since 1957. Her most recent marriage was in October 1991, but that ended in divorce, like the others.

Most Overdue Book: A book in German on the Archbishop of Bremen, published in 1609, was borrowed from Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, England by Colonel Robert Walpole, 1667-68. It was found by Prof. Sir John Plumb in the library at Houghton H all, Norfolk, England and returned 288 years later. No fine was charged.

Motionlessness: Radhey Shyam Prajapsti (India) stood motionless for 18 hr. 5 min. 50 sec. At Ghandi Bhawan, Bhopal, Indian on January 25-26, 1996

Shaving: Tom Rodden of Chatham, England shaved 278 volunteers in 60 minutes with a straight razor on November 10, 1993, averaging 12.9 seconds per face. He drew blood seven times.

Traveling: John D. Clouse of Evansville, IN had visited all 192 sovereign countries and all but six of the nonsovereign or other territories that existed in early 1996

Spring Break Luncheon

Lora AmsberryAugier

The staff Spring Lunch was held on March 11, 1998 during the Spring Break Week. The theme of this year's luncheon was "Your Favorite T-shirt Day." Everyone wore his/her favorite t-shirt to the festivities. Hot dogs and all the fixings were provided by the Library Association and the attendees were asked to bring a salad or dessert. A contest was held for different categories of t-shirts. The judges were Ron Martin, Gene Norman, and Shirley Risley.

Winners of the t-shirt contests were:

BEST TEE. Esther Hedges (MonoCat) -- Environmental theme

MOST COLORFUL Teresa Kirkpatrick (Training/PR)--Tropical fishes, fishes, fishes

WORST (but Sheri's favorite) Steve Hardin (LIS)-- OOOh No Mr Bill

MOST OUTRAGEOUS ..Teresa Herrington (ILL)--"Have you bounced a friend lately?

Honorable mention for tees hanging.

.Marsha Miller (LI&O)--Sisters of Perpetual Annoyance

Kathy Gaul (IRD&P)--Free the Bound Periodicals

Sally Baker (SCCM)-- Remember....

Evelyn Vail (THMEC)--Thundering Armadillos

Happy 25^th Anniversary CML

The Cunningham Memorial Library building celebrates 25 years of service to the Indiana State University next Thursday March 18 1998. A reception will be held from 3-5 pm on that day.

Marsha Miller and Carol Jinbo were spotted assembling a display case for the event. The display can be seen in the case located near the browsing books.

Student assistant for Library Information Services, Rebecca Lake, will be awarded the prize for best essay titled "What CML Means to Me." She will read her essay during the short program at 3:30 pm. on Thursday.

Refreshments will be served.

8 new students join the ranks of Lending Services.

Michelle Ealey, Terre Haute, Radio-TV-Film major

Keith Giorgio, West Orange, New Jersey, Industrial Auto. Technology major

Shamara Harrison, Hagerstown, Indiana, Early Childhood Education major

Greg Lewis, Gary, Indiana, Elementary Education major.

Jody Patterson, Springfield, Illinois

Jonathan Rogers, Terre Haute, Chemistry major

Kristina Stafford, Sullivan

James Taylor, West Terre Haute

Tiara Johnson has just been hired to work in Library Information Services Department. Tiara hails from Indianapolis, is a freshman, and has both an academic and a performing arts scholarship (violin).

Rittika Sarkar (LIS - student assistant) got married this month. Congratulations and Best Wishes!

We goofed.... Corrections to last month's newsletter.

Blizzard of '78 Update

I was just reading the library newsletter. In Blizzard Bytes you have put my name on a paragraph that isn't from me. I only wish I had been a third grader in 1977-78!!

Sheila

Editor's note.