Librarian Amy

How well does your name Google? Who are you up against? (Celebrities, etc.)
Submitted by Matt Blank.

*  "amy marriedname" brings back 27,000 hits.  I love the anonymity of my married name.  It crosses ethnicity and race, and makes me happy that I can kinda-sorta hide online. 

* "amy middleinitial marriedname" comes down to 60.  The bulk of them are me, my amazon wish list, an amazon book review I wrote, and then a book I co-wrote at my previous job on a variety of bookstore websites.

* "amy marriedname" & librarian brings 268. Not all are me, but a large percentage of them are - me at SLA, me on flickr, me doing art shows and the purses I used to sell (it mentions that I'm a librarian in my artist's bio). 

* "amy maidenname" - 11 hits.  See what I mean about increased anonymity?  Not that I'd ever doubted taking my husband's name, but that was a major reason to do so.  Of those 11, two are my cousin's wife, who is apparently an incredible volunteer at her kids' school.  The other 9 are me - mostly my job in NYC, and the book I helped write when I was there.  Then a few are my sorority's alumni website. 

Have you been affected by the pet food recall?  Has it changed the way you feed your pets?

Yes.  We had been told "don't feed your cats wet food, because once you start, that's all they'll want to eat."  We have freak cats.  They don't like canned wet food.  Will turn their noses up at it, Livy in fact has gone to rinse her mouth out after taking a bite.  (Mind you, she'll eat off of the kitchen floor no problem.)  But they loved the Nutro cuts & gravy pouches.  They would meow and dance and swarm the kitchen for it.  We had only used it as an occasional treat, so maybe once or twice a month.  The first morning we heard about the recall, we immediately threw away the remaining pouches and I started to obsess. 

We've tried a variety of other wet foods, and no matter what we try, they turn their noses up at it.  The only thing they've been excited about has been canned, organic tuna.  So we've done that twice.  No more pouches for our girls. 

Our dry food, the food that the shelter recommended, is Nutro Kitten.  It has not yet been part of the recall.  The last time we were at Whole Foods I picked up a free sample of Wellness Salmon Flavor.  We tried the trick that Register Key suggested to me - giving them little bites of new food as a treat to get them excited about it.  We just finished a bag of Nutro - I'll pick a new one up tonight, and a full bag of Wellness tomorrow night at WF.  Then we're going to slowly switch over to Wellness, since it's organic as well. 

I've been reading several blogs about healthy and organic pet care, as well as followed more than one discussion on this.  I don't take my pet's care lightly - they're my children.  And now I have to go, because one of them just brought me a mouse and we're going to play. 

What are the 10 most memorable music performances you've seen? (Remember, "memorable" may not be good.) 
Submitted by Bill. 

No order -
1.  They Might Be Giants, we were in high school and they were taking requests.  Someone shouted out "You Sexy Thing."  I can't hear them, or that song, and not think of them.  There was a guy in front of me doing 'the vogue' the entire concert.  Joyously fun time. 

2.  Mighty Mighty Bosstones - junior year of college, Valentine's day.  I came down to the city and saw them with my best friend - I think we realized then that we were best being each other's Valentine.  Amazingly, astoundingly good show.  It was one of the last tours with Nate on bass, and he was on that night. 

3.  Mighty Mighty Bosstones - sometime during grad school.  They were playing at best friend's grad school - best friend's little sister grabbed Dicky by the thigh - we were up against the board the entire night.  I think my hearing is still impaired. 

4.  Steve Miller - sophomore summer of college.  It rained and rained and rained, and we were on the field, so we were muddy and drenched.  We were more than a bit inebrieated, and I made out with my long time crush.  I can't hear Jungle Love and not smirk.  I went home that night, being a good girl.  Had I not, I suspect my life would be much different.  (Not so much about the performance, as much as the experience.)

5.  Lollapollooza, the year the Bosstones toured.  We bumped into them on the way to second stage, told them they were the only reason we were there.  They invited us to go watch Redman with them.  I was a stuttering fool.  Again, best friend's little sister made time with one of them, I believe the drummer.  That was the show that someone tossed a shotgun shell on stage during Hole, and Courtney stormed off stage. 

6.  Peter Paul & Mary, a few years ago.  I'd always sworn that the man I married would be a man who wouldn't mock my love for this group.  I grew up watching their family concerts on PBS, and that's what I wanted - a family that would go see PP&M.  (Without the kids.)  So we went - they were amazing.  But there are train tracks next to the ampitheater.  Every time a train went by, they'd have to stop, and then they'd play a song about a train.

7.  Poison/Slaughter, junior year of high school.  Memorable because I got asked to the prom in the middle of it.  And then the guy behind me threw up a bottle of Jack Daniels on my seat. 

8.  REM, the last tour Bill Berry played drums.  Good god, Michael "swivel hips" Stipe is a  SHOWMAN.  I went as a kinda-sorta fan with my best friend (obsessed fan).  After the concert I turned to her and said "I'd drink his kool-aid."  We've seen them four times since then, and they are  just getting better and better.  The most recent show included an impromptu version of Sweet Emotion that showed a slightly different side of them, but I maintain, that's a cult I'd still join, again and again. 

9.  James Taylor, about five years ago.  I bought tickets for us and my parents, we went and had a lovely time.  He is the connsumate professional.  No opening act, and we left at midnight before the third encore, with my dad protesting "I won't leave until he plays Handyman!"  There's something about him, a twinkle in his eye that you can see even in the cheap seats, that tells you he enjoys what he does, and that he wants you to enjoy it too. 

10.  The Clarks/The Gathering Field - grad school.  A benefit concert for the local NPR station, it was great to see two of my favorite local bands on the same bill.  I've seen both bands a million other times, but just that once to see them together was fantastic.  Also the show I re-discovered my adoration for bass players. 

What's the last compliment you gave and/or received?
Submitted by MalieKai.

One night late last month, Matt & I were in an office supply store.  I was looking for tabs for a binder, which were on an endcap.  A couple walked in and I looked up, made eye contact and smiled.  (Because that's what we were taught to do in college - make eye contact and smile.  Those of you who know where I went to college will understand.) 

Anyhow, the gentleman in the couple stopped and did a little doubletake and told me that I had a beautiful smile.  I laughed briefly, and told him thank you, and that my parents paid a lot for it.  (Braces, multiple oral surgeries...)  It was a nice surprise, and made me feel good.  Because I'm not generally one to smile in photos (since I hate to have my photo taken) and it's just a nice random thing to hear. 

What's a leap of faith to you? Have you ever taken one?

When I was in grad school, there were one or two boys that I had kind of been flirting with, kind of been dating, but it seemed like the relationships were all crumbling around my feet at once.  At the same time, I was a bridesmaid in a friend's wedding, and another friend slipped me another friend's email in New York.  On a whim, I threw him an email, and after a few days back and forth, he asked me to come visit.  So I got on a Greyhound and rode nine hours next to a woman who'd been on the bus for three days, on a bus where the bus driver made it as far east as Allentown and said "ok, I've never been this far east, I'm going to need directions from all of you to make it to the stations."  We were hours late, and when I got into Jersey, it was a huge relief to step off of the bus and see him there. 

When I got back on the bus after that weekend, I think we both realized that something had changed.  We were engaged six months later, living together eight months later.  Married about two years later, and the first weekend together was ten years ago this December.  Sometimes we both look at each other and it just doesn't feel like ten years.  I think it suprises us both that we're still so happy and in love as we are. 

This probably isn't' a huge leap of faith story to many people, but for me it was.  I was living a normal, quiet life in Pittsburgh, going to school, I had a group of good friends to hang around with, living at home, trying to figure out what I wanted to do, applying for library jobs in the area, interviewing for positions, just moving along in a life without a partner.  Then getting on a bus, to spend the weekend with someone I'd kinda sorta known in college, but not all that well, and not seen in over two years, well, that was a leap for me.  I'm not a risk taker.  I don't like drama.  And then I walked off the bus and into a long distance relationship, and came home from a visit to tell my parents I was engaged to a man they'd never met, and was planning to move two states away after graduation.  I know they were baffled.  Or surprised.  Now ten years later we've got a house, and good jobs, and two cats, and we're back in the same state as our families.  There's no drama, and neither one of us are big risk takers, but we're both glad that he invited me and that I had the faith that he wasn't a serial killer or anything, and got on that Greyhound. 

If you could have one superpower, what would you choose?
Submitted by J.T.

I would like to freeze time.  Ever since I was a little kid and I saw the Twilight Zone episode where the woman could freeze time whenever she shouted "Shut Up" I've wanted to freeze time.  As an emotional teenager it was mostly to fulfill elaborate revenge fantasies and have airtight alibis.  Then for awhile it was to make my commute better - just freeze the cars and weave in and out of them.  Of course, I think that being able to run all of my errands without anyone else pestering me would be wonderful.   But lately, my fantasy of freezing time would mean that I could catch up on sleep. 

Do you read the Sunday paper?  Which one(s)?

One of the guilty pleasures of my life is my Sunday morning ritual.  We usually sleep late, then have brunch while we read the papers.  We get both our local paper - the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - and the Sunday NY Times.  We've got a whole ritual down - I dig into the local paper first, starting with the comics, then the Parade and the ads, then the classifieds, then the front page, the regional news, and the travel/entertainment section last.  Matt starts with the Times first, usually the Magazine section and moves from there.  I generally only read the travel, style and entertainment sections, and then the Magazine section last - I like to relish it.  I like the lazy morning of passing sections back and forth, talking and debating various articles, and just the time spent together. 

Do you buy products made locally?  Is there anything made in your area that you love?

I've always been a big believer that if you spend any period of time in a place, you'll find one or two favorite foods that will forever tie you to the area.  I've got two or three from each place I've lived through my life - Osso's pizza, Krency's cupcakes, Shorty's hot dogs & gravy fries all from Washington PA.  Also from my home region is Sarris Candies.  I've bought chocolate covered pretzels from all over the country, and let me tell you - none can compare for me.  I LOVE chocolate, and try to buy local chocolate where ever we travel, but I'll keep coming back to Sarris.  And I gift Sarris as well.  In general, when I meet people for the first time, I try to bring some Sarris. 

From college, there is a wing place a few towns over that I think has some of the best sauce ever.  They've franchised a ton of times since the original place, but yeah, that's another one I gift - Sauce from Quaker Steak and Lube - especially the Louisiana Licker and the Golden Garlic.   In fact, we had Licker sauce with wings for the Superbowl. 

There are a ton of things made in Pittsburgh, but a big part of my mother is in me, and that's the part where you feed the people you love.  (Which means in general, yes, we buy local as much as we can.  We do chains as little as possible and support local businesses.  A lot.  To the point of boycotting some chains.  But when I give gifts from my region, it's going to be food - I'm just like that.)