Thursday 25 February 2010

I have found my vocation

Recently I paid off a £30 - well closer to £40 fine - for overdue books at the library. I can't afford a £40 fine. It is absolutely and definitely not in my budget. The library has introduced a policy that if you are more than £10 owing on any one library card then you cant take any more books out. So there you have it. I had to pay up.

I'm not sure quite how it happened. Well actually it might have had something to do with 70 books and 3 DVDs and 2 audiobooks being at least a week overdue. And the fact that every time I go into the library I have this mistaken illusion that if I get books out I will actually have the time to read them (or that if I get lovely educational books out for the kids that they wont just use them for ramps for lego racers).

I'm usually very disciplined at keeping track of these things. But deadlines seem to be slipping lately. And I've developed a resistance to listening to that niggle in the back of my head, you know the one that say 'er actually you need to deal with this - now.' So I only have myself to blame. And the library. Because I don't think they should charge hopelessly disorganised home educating mothers. It should be against the law.

When I told a friend about the fine she chuckled and said 'that's why I love you.' So perhaps my purpose in life is to reasure others that they are slightly less crap at housekeeping and financial management than I am. I may, at last, have found my vocation.

7 comments:

Carolyn said...

Yes, I think you have...I found this post strangely reassuring!!!!
Its funny when I read the title of the post I thought it was going to be about running workshops for kids....then I realised that thats what we both do all day anyway!!!

Big mamma frog said...

Oh no! I don't think running workshops is my vocation - you should have seen me pacing around anxiously on Wednesday morning mumbling like some demented old bag 'I bet noone will turn up...it'll be a disaster...the car might break down...we might get stuck in traffic...maybe I've got the wrong day...'

I know what you mean about doing it all day anyway. The members of my writing group must think I'm barmy. I turn up with little printed slips for them containing the writing exercises for that week's session and another slip with the homework assignment on. I'm so used to being with kids I forget that adults can actually organise themselves!

Anonymous said...
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Sam said...

eek! I managed a £10, nearly-fainted at, fine recently, but then it was for only 2 books, so you're doing quite well, I reckon ;-)

I used to use google calendar to email me when the books were due - then I could keep renewing them! I've stopped doing that now - far too organised.

Anonymous said...

I have a confession to make. Overdue books since 1998. We took them to Mexico when we moved because amid all the other madness of shipping our hose a few thousand miles away I forgot to go to the library.

Lesson not learned. I have some books on my shelf now that are so over due I need to sell a bit more stuff on ebay to pay the fines.....

Elizabeth (My Reading World) said...

I have easily paid that much this year!

MadameSmokinGun said...

It seems it's my vocation to be that person too - the yardstick for hopeless cases. I want to be efortless, elegant, erudite but there are too many bloody library books to kick out the way first. My last visit cost a mere £20. Do they pump the library full of TAKEMETAKEME fumes, and then impregnate the books themselves with FORGETMEFORGETME gas? I know it's certainly not MY fault.