Milwaukee Public Library

What: Milwaukee Public Library Card

When:  Friday, January 3, 2013

Cost: Free

This Lizt has officially begun!  When I initially came up with the idea of doing this Lizt and timing fell into place with the job transfer, I made the decision to kick off the Lizt with the Polar Bear Plunge.  What better explosion to start the year of 2014, the year of my Milwaukee Lizt, than to plunge into an icy Lake Michigan with my fellow daring Milwaukee brethren??  As the date inched closer, the news was not good.  The temperatures kept dropping to unseasonably low degrees.  I ran across an article two days before the plunge recommending anyone who wasn’t a seasoned plunger to not take the risk.  With wind chills in the negative 20s predicted, I thought long and hard, and came to the decision that this would be dangerous and stupid.  As someone who has 1) never attempted the plunge and 2) only been in winter temps for approximately 10 days, this was not the right time to try this.  Instead, I’ve decided to let the Polar Bear Plunge be my finishing touch on my first year in Milwaukee!  After hearing horror stories from the plunge, of people being ‘rescued’ from the lake, as well as people emerging with blue feet and scrapes up and down their legs from the ice chunks floating in the lake, I think I made a smart choice.  I decided to stick with this theme of smart choices, so I would make the smartest choice of all to be the first event on my Lizt.  I am now the proud owner of a Milwaukee Public Library Card! 

Icy Lake Michigan! Ice! Floating! Beautiful!

This adventure began on a chilly Friday morn.  Though I live south of downtown, I ventured out of my neighborhood to explore the Villard St neighborhood.  It just so happens that my most favorite Librarian of all time, Jess, works at the MPL on Villard!  Upon entering the building and hunting her down, I surprised her by screaming “Excuse me, Ma’am! I would like to sign up for a library card!”  My excitement may have made me momentarily forget that I was, in fact, IN. A. LIBRARY.  Luckily, I wasn’t immediately ejected and instead was given some very helpful information from the library’s staff.  For example, now that I have a card, I can check out 100 items at once.  (After my probationary period, when I can only check out 5 items at a time!)  How exciting!  Do you know the last time I had a library card?  I think it was when I lived in Charlotte.  That was 12 ½ years ago.  I’d like to thank the staff at the Milwaukee Public Library for your help in expanding my options of books to explore!

No. 1 Librarian, Jess, presenting me with my Library Card!

To briefly discuss the weather situation, I would like to say that I am quite pleased with the amount of snow we’ve had.  In Milwaukee, 23 of the last 28 days have had at least a dusting of snow.  There has been some shoveling of the driveway, but it hasn’t been as awful as some people described it.  The cold hasn’t been terribly unbearable.  But…that’s all about to change.  Monday, the high is -11.  Yes, that’s a negative sign in front of the 11.  And yes, I did say the high.  The wind-chill could get down to the -50’s.  I don’t even know what that means!  Fortunately, this is just a 24 hour problem and then it should head back up to the seasonable temps on Tuesday.  I’ve enjoyed bundling up and walking to our favorite local pub, Blackbird, as well as to visit our friends.  The usual cold (10’s – 30’s) can be chilly, but I’ll take it any day over hot and humid! 

Now that the Lizt has started, and I have posted the link on the side bar, please help me check these items off AND add to the Lizt!!  I’m so excited to be here and am looking forward to truly living and enjoying every moment of the next year!  Happy New Year!