A26
JAN. 27, 2012
RANCHO SANTA FE NEWS
The love between a librarian and her books JEAN GILLETTE Small Talk I know. Being a librarian sounds like the perfect job. You spend all day surrounded by glorious books and handing them out to smiling youngsters. It seems all sunshine and rainbows, crisp covers and slick typefaces. But there is a dark side to it all, a side laced with pain that few see or understand. We have small trouble cinching up our corsets and
dealing calmly with a book that is lost or stealthily returned drenched in Hawaiian Punch. With composure, we daily face torn pages, younger siblings’ penmanship practice, chewing puppies, chewing younger siblings, controversial passages and other occupational hazards. What cuts to the quick is rejection. Sometimes … they don’t like our books. Is there any sorrow like that of being rebuffed by a reader? I think not. I take it far too personally. I nearly double over when I hear, “Do you have any GOOD books?” This after I have spent 20 minutes dredging up every book I have ever
known or loved to tempt a fifth-grader for his or her book report. Talk about playing to a tough audience! I feel so powerless when my rave reviews just bounce off a student’s 21st-century, video-Internet-3-D armor. I so badly want a Vulcan mindmeld or, more realistically, a hologram I can summon with the snap of my fingers to give the young, but closed, mind a quick look at what went on in my head while I read that book. I’d be grateful if the upcoming Microsoft and Apple R&D kids make that their next project. No, no. Don’t worry about me. In spite of this knife-in-the-heart challenge,
I will persevere. It never stops me from trying again, because, in truth I am addicted. Yep — completely addicted to the brilliant thrill of finding just the right book for the right reader. Having a youngster or a parent report to me that they “loved that book you recommended!” is sweeter than any paycheck. I live to hear that a oncereluctant reader now would rather read than eat. It makes me want to jump up, hug somebody and do my happy dance. My apologies to the cook. Jean Gillette is a freelance writer serving up delicious reads. Contact her at jgillette@coastnewsgroup.com.
Concours shows off cars Register and buy La Jolla Concours d’Elegance 2012 tickets online now for the eighth annual La Jolla Concours d’Elegance to be held April 1 at La Jolla Cove. “LaJollaConcours.com better represents who we are and who we are becoming: a solid concours that grew from a car show for and by ‘car guys,’” said Mike Dorvillier, chairman of the La Jolla Concours d'Elegance committee. Vehicle exhibitors are encouraged to submit applications early as space on the field is limited. “We’ve expanded the Concours to involve more of the community, and we keep attracting bigger crowds,” said Dorvillier. The La Jolla Concours will be held at on the grass at La Jolla Cove. Keith Martin returns as
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walked over to my vehicle and asked, “Why are you following me?” “Are you Eric Williams,” I asked. “Yes,” he replied. “I’m a private detective investigating the death of your friend, Billy, and I am hoping you could tell me where he had been the night of the accident,” I said. Eric sighed in relief once he learned that I was not his probation officer here to arrest him for a violation. He was so relieved that he sat in my car for an hour and provided me a tape-recorded statement informing me that he and Billy had been at a sports bar celebrating his birthday, and had
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not make it financially viable,” said Carlsbad resident Susan Burkland, who was among the demonstrators. “It’s like taking us back in time,rolling back the forward movement we’ve made. “I think they make enough money,” Burkland said in response to SDG&E’s subsidizing claim. “I’m not terribly happy about the increase,” said Gilbert Field of Carmel Valley, who’s had solar panels for three years. Not everyone at the
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Henderson Caverly Pum Charney
LLP
“Property taken from the house, mostly electronics, were recovered,” he said. Wellhouser said there had been an increase of burglaries over the past year. “In most of our cases, the suspects have easy access to the houses through unlocked doors,” he said. “To make it worse, the alarms are not being turned on.” Other recent burglaries include two cases in the 6900 block of La Valle Plateada on Jan. 10; the 6100 block of La Granada on Jan. 3; the 16400 block of La Via Feliz on Dec. 22; the 5400 block of Mariposa on Dec. 16; and the 5900 block of El Montevideo on Dec. 9. “Don’t be a victim,” Wellhouser said. “Lock up the house, even if you leave for five minutes. Turn on your alarm
the emcee and will present awards recognizing winners in a variety of categories, including cars on the Saturday Motor Tour, Concours specialty classes and special awards such as the “Keith Martin Award,” “Director's Choice” and more. A full list of award categories is listed at LaJollaConcours.com. Tickets to the Sunday Show are $35 in advance and $40 at the entrance. The car exhibitor registration fee is $100. Proceeds will benefit the La Jolla Historical Society, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that is dedicated to the discovery, collection and preservation of La Jolla’s heritage. For more information visit LaJollaConcours.com, to obtain a registration form or to buy tickets,call (619) 233-5008. much to drink. Eric testified that they had two pitchers of beer, followed by several shots of scotch. Both boys were underage, but had phony IDs. This shed a whole new light on the story because it appeared that Billy was quite intoxicated when he drove off that bridge. Eric went on to say that he urged Billy not to drive, but to no avail. The construction signs were not faulty.Turns out the only thing that was faulty was Billy’s decision to mix alcohol and driving, which resulted in his untimely death. The claim was withdrawn. Brian Scott is a licensed private investigator and welcomes comments, questions and suggestions by contacting him at brianscottpi@gmail.com, or at northcountypi.com.
demonstration was a solar producer. Alexandra Lane of Point Loma said she was there because she didn’t believe the proposed fee was fair. “The last time I checked, the sun was free and it should stay that way,” she said. “We know the rate structure needs to be fixed and we made a proposal that stirred up a lot of controversy,” Donovan said. “But we are listening. “We want people to provide new ideas and solutions,” she said. “We don’t believe we are the only ones with an answer.We do share the goal of ensuring solar is sustainable for San Diego.” system. Don’t leave valuables out. Lock them up. Put the jewelry in the safe. We have found that it takes just seconds for these crooks to accomplish the burglary. Make sure your door locks work. Test them. Open windows are not a good idea, just a push with your hand and the screen pops out. “It is a good idea to have serial numbers and descriptions of your electronics, cameras and other items kept in a safe place,” he said. Wellhouser said to be observant and to report any suspicious activity to the patrol or the sheriff’s office. To reach the Rancho Santa Fe Patrol, call (858) 7564372 or visit rsfpatrol.blogspot.com/. The Sheriff’s Department offers a free home crime prevention inspection. Call (760) 966-3500 for more information.