Sponge Babs Stapled Pants

I've been staring at a Sponge Bob Square Pants display for over a month. It's in the case right across from the circulation desk, a locked glass display case where patrons loan us their collections for a month or two. Makes for conversation at the desk, something for the patrons to do while I take forever checking out their books (It's those children's books with tapes and puzzles in bags that kill me. Please save those for Eileen. She loves wrestling open those bags). Sponge Bob also makes for lots of sticky hands and fingerprints all over the glass. The kids beg their moms to buy them this or that item, not understanding that everything they encounter isn't for sale. We've even had kids dragged out kicking and screaming because they didn't want to leave the display. I think SBSP casts some kind of spell with his strangely mesmerizing, googly eyes. The grandmother who put in the display is wacko about Sponge Bob. She said that's not even half of her collection. She's got a whole basement full of stuff. And this is marketing to the EXTREME. I'm talking anything you can think to buy had been transformed into something Sponge Bob: Sponge Bob Barbie, lava lamp, Monopoly, flip phone, glove and ball, etch-a-sketch, remote control...
I loved the little girl who thought he was Swiss cheese...poor Bob. I hear all day, "Sponge Bob!" from both adult and child. I wish the patrons greeted me with such enthusiasm, "Bethany!"

I do have the space between my front teeth, but not as pronounced. Got the freckles too. But I'm more round than square. And I'm more like a sieve than a sponge. I guess I can't compete.

I think the whole phenomenon (which has been going strong for years) must be a sort of commentary on our twisted culture, how we will animate and anthropomorize anything, I mean, come on, a SPONGE? You got to give the creator credit for originality. But I am really tired of, day in and day out, looking up into the unblinking, maniacal eyes of a yellow sponge creature. One more month to go. Then we need a holiday display. Any ideas? No Snow Babies or Hummels either, those are kind of freaky too.

So, on Friday I was in the storage room using the paper cutter and Babs (children's Librarian) comes back there to put her stuff in her locker. She's just chattering away, had a bad morning so far (flat tire, among other things) and trying to let go of some of the tension before she starts work. As we are talking, I see her bend down and hear this weird sound. Click, click, click. I peek over to see what she is doing. Oh, she's just stapling her pants. Huh? She says so casually, "I haven't had time to hem these" and keeps talking as she staples away. She is frazzled and can't seem to get it right, so I go over to help and now I am on the floor stapling pants. I love Babs, she's so carefree and clever. She walked around all day with staples holding her pants hemmed. So I started calling her Sponge Babs Stapled Pants. Silly Babs.

This photo is a re-enactment of pants stapling, as Babs was not at work today when I had my camera. Her pants, shoes (funky clogs) and socks were much cooler than mine. Plus, as you can tell by the seam, my pants are already hemmed. No hip, stapled pants for me.