How do you indulge yourself?  According to Dictionary.com, indulge means “to yield to, satisfy, or gratify.”  Too often we focus on our family and job to the point that we don’t take time for ourselves.  Add in the economic constraints we’re all facing, and there’s even less opportunity for indulgence.

Have you ever thought of the library as a place of indulgence?  Some people only think of the library when they need information; but think about it – we have best sellers, popular movies and TV series on DVD, music and magazines.  Why buy or rent when you have free access at the library?  Add in the service of placing holds on materials you want and being able to pick them up quickly at the circulation desk (or even the drive-thru at the Perryville branch), and you have quick and easy access that you can easily incorporate into your weekly errand running.

Not sure what you’d like to read, watch or hear next?  Talk to our librarians at the information desk and they can hook you up with services like Book Mate and Interlibrary Loans, as well as offering recommendations for great reads on the spot. If you’re more hands on, you can use our databases and find things yourself or download to your computer or MP3 player from our digital library.

My favorite indulgence is reading bodice-ripper romance novels, leaning heavily toward the paranormal and historical (handsome, arrogant English lords and brawling Scottish Highlanders, oh my!) with a smattering of stories that focus on ex-special forces heroes – I do like those alpha-males!  The selection we have here allows me to indulge frequently and heavily.  I love to curl up on the couch with a book and have a nice glass of wine, maybe some dark chocolate or cheese, and let the movie play out in my head.  This works equally well with mysteries and cookbooks.

So now that I’ve shared my not-so-secret indulgences, what are yours?  Bodice-rippers like me, true crime, cozy mysteries, sci-fi, westerns, celebrity gossip magazines – what’s your favorite indulgence?

Ahhh fall, my favorite time of the year! The cooler temperatures bring relief from summer’s humidity, the leaves change colors to give us a beautiful show, and the nights start getting longer. And for me it’s the most conducive season for one of my favorite pastimes: skywatching!

I’ve long been fascinated by astronomy, and in 2005 my darling hubby helped it become almost an obsession when he gave me a telescope for Christmas. I was thrilled! Ecstatic! Overwhelmed! He and one of his engineer brothers put it together while I read the instruction manual (yes I’m one of those nerds who does read it) and then I became fearful. What if I messed it up trying to collimate it? How the heck was I supposed to aim it and find something? Where did I start?

So I turned to my trusty old standby for research – the internet and CCPL’s wonderful website and catalog! I found a book that became my lifeline called Night Watch: A Practical Guide to Viewing the Universe by Terence Dickinson, written in normal people language and spiral-bound so it can lay flat while you’re gazing. Other helpful books were:

The Backyard Astronomer’s Guide
Discover the Moon
Astronomy: A Self-Teaching Guide
Turn Left At Orion

At this point the only problem I had was that I couldn’t find the planets to take a peek at them. Since they move independently and aren’t in a “fixed” location from our point of view like the constellations are, I was confused. Back to the internet! I found a really cool site with monthly sky maps that showed the location of everything, including comets, and they send me a monthly update via email. I was able to find Saturn pretty easily; however I had a real DUUH moment when I thought I was aiming at Saturn, but it was actually an airplane.

I then decided I needed a mentor. I was still afraid to collimate my scope – aligning the mirrors and eyepiece so you get the best image possible. So I again went to the internet to find local stargazing groups. The Astronomical League has a club locator, which led me to the Delaware Astronomical Society and the Harford County Astronomical Society. Through these clubs, I found a helpful mentor who was passionate about astronomy and sharing it with everyone.

Now that I know a little more about what I’m doing, I still use the resources here at CCPL. Every month I can find out the latest astronomical news with the Elkton branch’s subscription to Sky and Telescope magazine, and I still have my lifeline books listed above if I’m having trouble.

My adventures in astronomy are far from over, and I’m sure I’ll have many more forehead smacking DUUH moments; but I know I have excellent resources to turn to in the library!