Sunday, December 30, 2007

Resolutions



I resolve to not resolve to:

  • Lose weight
  • Get a job
    Graduate

    Of course, not resolving to do the things won't make me not do them. It will just make me not feel like a failure if I don't attain all of them.

    But I do think I should make 2008 "the year of actually using the craft crap I've collected."
  • Sunday, December 09, 2007

    Want!

    I think I might be hallucinating. Could there actually be something that combines my love of books, fine chocolates, and boxes (also known as "things to put other things into")? It looks like there is:

    zChocolat's Carpe Diem Collection




    It's a book that's actually a wooden box. Which is filled with chocolate and more wooden boxes. 211 assorted French chocolates from four different chocolatiers. A total of 6 mahogany boxes. Gourmet cocoa. Aaeiieeee!!!

    ::faints::

    I don't think you can actually comprehend how happy and sad this makes me. Let me attempt to explain again. Happy because....boxes! Inside of other boxes! And chocolate!

    Sad because it costs $364.31.

    Would anyone like to take up a collection for me?

    Man cold

    The weather is nasty and I don't feel like working on school stuff. Grump.

    But this made me laugh:



    Reminds me of when I was married....

    Saturday, December 08, 2007

    Ding dong

    Doorbells are evil and must be destroyed. I've decided that I prefer the low-tech alternative of knocking, especially after recent experiences.

    One day this summer, my doorbell started going off randomly. I stuck my head out to see what was going on and noticed my handyman next door, looking confused. Turns out he was installing a new doorbell at number 8 (I'm number 7) and was trying to figure out why he couldn't hear it when he was testing it. Apparently, my doorbell and my neighbor's doorbell were operating on the same frequency and were setting each other off. The handy-guy figured out how to change the settings on our respective ding-dong machines and all was hunky-dory. Or so I thought.

    Last week, while I was napping on the couch, the cats and I were rudely awakened by the doorbell. I jumped up and ran to the door (I was expecting a package). But no one was there. I looked around and saw a pizza-delivery guy at my neighbor's door (number 8). Ringing their doorbell. Aha! They must've messed with their doorbell's frequency, causing the problem to start all over again.

    I called my landlord and reported that I was yet again having ding-dong troubles. Again, they sent out a handyman, but not the usual, nice one that helped me install my programmable thermostat. After convincing him that no, the doorbell did not plug in anywhere and that it was indeed a wireless, battery-operated one (we argued for a few minutes before he finally took the housing apart and saw that I was right) and that this had happened before and I wasn't making things up, he called in to get permission to buy a new and different model than my neighbors were using.

    Okay, stay with me here.

    After the first handyman fixed the doorbell frequency and the second handyman completely replaced the doorbell mechanism with a different model, I thought everything was fine. Until yesterday afternoon, when the doorbell went off.

    Misha scrambled for the bedroom (the cats hate the doorbell) and I went to answer the door. Surprise, surprise, no one was there. I looked to my right, at the usual culprit, number 8. Nope, no pizza guy this time. Oooookaaay. I looked around the circle. And saw that across from me, at number 2, a water utility worker was ringing their doorbell. Aaarrgghhh!!!!

    Yes, I called in yet another request to my landlord. By now they are probably convinced that I sneak into my neighbors' places and fiddle maliciously with their doorbells, just for the attention.

    Friday, October 19, 2007

    Maiow.

    At least my two cats don't pull my ears. Or hit me with things. Although that would explain all the strange bruises on my legs this summer...



    Found on Michelle's blog

    Monday, October 01, 2007

    Reminder to self:

    Never, ever, move to Alabama.

    From BoingBoing: Supreme Court Denies Alabama Women Mechanically Induced Orgasms.

    Alabama’s anti-obscenity law, enacted in 1998, bans the distribution of "any device designed or marketed as useful primarily for the stimulation of human genital organs for anything of pecuniary value."
    And from the AP Article:
    The law does not ban the possession of sex toys, and it doesn't regulate other items, including condoms or virility drugs. Residents may legally purchase sex toys out of state for use in Alabama, or they may buy sexual devices in Alabama that have a "bona fide medical" purpose.
    Ironically, vibrators were originally a medical device.

    Hey, I think I may finally know what my Halloween costume is going to be! A Steampunk Vibrator! Yeah, a steampunk vibrator that also plays this video! (discovered via Gordon Unleashed)

    Stupid Blue Laws. Maybe we should call them "Blue-Ball Laws" instead. Then they'd be repealed in an instant.

    Sunday, September 30, 2007

    Why I am a librarian

    Because I am too much like Dewey to be anything else:



    Be sure to read irresponsibly in celebration of Banned Books Week! W00t!

    Banned Books Week on Flickr
    Buy schwag!
    Read a banned book!

    (and I am appalled that ALA doesn't have Banned Books Week featured more prominently on their website)

    Monday, September 24, 2007

    GSLIS Cat

    I do believe that this cat is familiar with the GSLIS moodle!



    Apologies for the in-joke.

    From
    I Can Has Cheezburger?

    Friday, September 21, 2007

    Pet Project

    This is an absolutely awesome idea. Turn old sweatshirts into pet blankets/beds. And no sewing!

    It would be nice to make lots of these and give them to an animal shelter. If I had any old sweatshirts laying around, I'd add this to my procrastination project pile in an instant.

    Thursday, September 20, 2007

    Non-social post-birthday girl

    And now begins my self-declared non-social week. I have schoolwork to catch up on, house stuff that needs accomplishing, errands to run, and other things to do, all of which have been procrastinated for long enough. Richard happens to be out of town, so the timing is perfect. I'm not going anywhere except to run errands and to meet with a fellow ASIS&T officer for some officer-business lunchiness.

    My birthday was really, really good. Definitely in my top 5 birthdays ever. Richard threw a Virgo birthday party for me and a few other Virgos which went well. Not too over the top and still very fun. Steph was in town up from St Louis and one friend group (mostly all library people) met another friend group (mostly all GSLIS people). My social networks definitely follow a theme. Good food, good friends...good times.

    I got served breakfast in bed the next day, accompanied by schoolwork in bed (yes, us grad students really know how to par-tay down). On my actual birthday I got roses, a gift card for a massage, and taken out to a nice dinner. I also got nice presents from friends and family, of course. And a ton of Facebook birthday wishes, which was surprisingly fun and made me smile all day long.

    And now that I've been pampered and spoiled and treated so nicely, I'm going to hole up and work on getting all stressed out by all the things I need to get done. But I keep reminding myself that major stress now means much less stress in the very near future.

    If I feel like I've accomplished enough by the end of the weekend, I think I'll go use that massage gift card.


    ----------
    As always, on the day after my birthday, I like to remember all the good times with my best friend C, who died of lymphoma in 2004 on Sept 19. I miss you.

    Thursday, September 06, 2007

    Silly virtual men

    I tend to get random IMs from people I have never met, never IM'd, and never would correspond with. Apparently, if you have boobs, you get these unsolicited please for attention. I've learned that it is best if I just ignore them and close the conversation window. I used to answer back, but then I got sent pictures of naked, hairy (or overly shaved) body parts, which I didn't particularly care for. And I'm too kind-hearted to let them know that I am laughing hysterically at them, so why bother responding?

    Here's the text (so far) of today's "conversation":

    >Hey beautiful
    >Are u a mom?
    >:-} HELLO

    How sweet. Looks like he just wants to make sure that if we hook up, I a) have no kids that would interfere in our fun and b) I'm not deaf. Heh.

    Tuesday, August 21, 2007

    Buzz

    How most people conduct Google searches. If they understand how to use Boolean, anyway:

    fruitflies

    "fruit flies"

    "fruit flies" kitchen eliminate

    how "get rid of" "fruit flies"

    (kill OR eradicate OR destroy) "fruit flies"

    (massacre OR slaughter) "fruit flies"

    "fruit flies" death "most painful" torture

    "I SWEAR TO GOD I WILL MURDER YOU LITTLE FLYING FUCKERS" "fruit flies"

    "anger management"

    From Defective Yeti (do not click if you don't like pics of worms)

    Tweets for Today

    • 10:43 Enjoying cooler weather and having one of my favorite breakfasts: steel-cut oatmeal, coffee, oj, 2 slices of toast, 1 w/honey, 1 w/cinnamon #
    • 16:30 Rainy, rainy day. Nice and cool. #
    Automatically tweeted by LoudTwitter

    Monday, August 20, 2007

    Tweets for Today

    • 11:56 Misha-cat wants to lie on my foot, but he doesn't like it when I move my foot. Claws=ow. #
    • 13:05 Trader Joe's Marcona Almonds with Rosemary are evil and must be destroyed/eaten #
    Automatically tweeted by LoudTwitter

    Monday, August 13, 2007

    mentally exhausted

    I'm sitting in an un-air conditioned cafe in Chicago at the moment. A bit stuffy, but free wireless. And only on the other side of the block from my friend Darryn's, where Richard and I are staying for a few days while he does some work at the Field Museum and I take a "break" before school and work start up full-force for the Fall.

    And I just emailed a finished paper off to one of my instructors. One of my incompletes is done! Woooooooooo!

    Man, how relieving and how scary. I'm been hanging on to this thing for about 9 months now. It was really hard to send it off into the ether and finally snip off this particular thread that has been leeching so much mental energy away from me.

    Now onto worrying about what kind of grade I'm going to get for it. And enjoying some free time in Chicago.

    Thursday, August 09, 2007

    I {heart} my local library

    You know, finishing up an incomplete paper at the library is not so bad when you:

    1. Have a sizeable table next to a window and an electrical outlet
    2. Have free wireless
    3. Have a cafe where you can get a hand blended pomegranate soda, a lemon madeleine, and a Ritter Sport marzipan chocolate square

    Guess which of those is keeping me coming to the library to write?

    Saturday, August 04, 2007

    Furry bookmobiles

    Okay, this is both realy cool and really cute. There is a university in Venezuela that is using pack-mules (bibliomulas)to carry books to remote communities around the area.

    Venezuela's Four-legged Mobile Libraries

    Reminds me of the pack-horse librarians of Kentucky, started by the WPA in the 1930s. There's even a book about them called Down Cut Shin Creek. And here's a nice interview with the author of the book.

    I hope the bibliomulas project is successful.

    Sunday, July 29, 2007

    Librarian Geekery


    I'm currently rewarding myself for working on an incomplete paper for 6.5 hours today by playing my favorite online game Kingdom of Loathing. I'm adventuring in the "Hidden Library" and then I come across this adventure. Click the image to see the screenshot.

    Hee! I love this game! I wonder what librarian helped with this particular sequence...

    Saturday, July 28, 2007

    Bike bike

    This morning I had no bike. Now I have two.

    One is a cute red cruiser, the type that you pedal backwards to brake. I googled to find out more about it and it appears that it is actually a Huffy bike. I shall strive to move beyond the embarrassment of owning a bike normally associated with a Green Machine tricycle. It needs a tuneup and a rear tube, possibly a new seat. But it is *red*. And missing the basket which was pictured in the ad, but that is cheaply fixed. Not bad for 40 bucks.

    The other is a blue Trek 490 mountain bike. At his goodbye gathering, Kurt held up a key and offered the bike that his movers had missed in all the packing. It took about 45 minutes to find it on campus (lots of wandering in my car and trying to figure out where building 1114 was, when what I was actually looking for was 1115), and then trying to not look like a bike thief while puzzling out which bike was his. It has been out in the weather for a few years and is not in the best of shape. I was thinking that I would prefer riding it over the cruiser, but after determining that it was going to cost more to fix up, I'm going to turn it into an exercise bike. I've already got a decent used bike trainer that has been gathering dust in my office, so as soon as I figure out how to lower the rusted seat I'm all set. WD40 and a couple of hammer whacks should do it.

    To be honest, part of the reason that I'm turning the more expensive and higher quality bike into an exercise bike is that it has already dumped me on my ass. I was checking it out in my backyard, climbed onto it, lost my balance (hey, it is really muddy back there), and promptly fell onto my patio, knocking over half my plants, a metal folding chair, and scraping up both legs. Must remember to buy Bactine.

    My sophomore year of high school I rode my bike most every day. It was about 3.5 miles round trip. And then I got my first car. I think that was the last time I rode a bike. That would have been about 18 years ago (damn, I'm old). But now I'm going to be a biker again! Er, bike rider. What are we called now...?

    Monday, July 09, 2007

    Neighboors

    My neighbors suck. The one family, which consists of Michael (4 or 5 years old), Mom (early 20s), Grandma (I think she lives there), and random guy, who is the squeeze of either mom or grandma. I'm not sure if he lives there or not.

    Today it is thundering out, getting ready to storm. I think they've locked the kid out of the house because he has been screaming and crying to be let in for the past 10 minutes. Usually, I ignore his crying because he cries about everything and I can tell the difference between crying-because-of-injury and crying-for-attention. But since his crying now seems to have synced to the thunder, and he is screaming "I'm afraid of thunder!" and "help me!", I think this might be for real.

    Okay, as I was typing this, the other people who live on the other side of the demon-spawn's duplex just came out and talked to him. They have a little boy too, but he is actually tolerable. But they've just driven off and Michael is still outside, crying.

    And now I'm going over there to stick my nose in.

    If you want to sing out, sing out

    I told everyone back in April that I was going to be performing in the annual GSLIS storytelling festival. Well, the recording of the Fest worked and you can listen to me sing The Scotsman right here. Just scroll down a wee bit and you'll see the link to the audio file. Not a half-bad photo of myself, either.

    And no, I haven't been brave enough to listen to myself yet.

    Saturday, July 07, 2007

    ..and then everything clicked

    I've been pretty angry lately. Now, I'm not talking about flying into a screaming rage and destroying things; that's not my style. And I know that I'm pretty good at hiding feelings, so people may not have even noticed the extent of my situation. Not that I've ever lied when asked directly about how I was doing; I'm a horrible liar. But I've definitely had a general feeling of daily unspecified anger, annoyance, and agitation that has gotten worse and worse. Today I could not function until well into the afternoon. My head felt like it was going to explode with frustration and I eventually had to take a Valium to calm the hell down.

    Today I sat down and started trying to recall examples of the symptoms I've been having:

    • The neighbor kids are fucking irritating. Well, they've always been annoying, but I feel like screaming out the window like a crazy person and telling them to shut the hell up, when it is in their right to play outdoors. I also shouldn't be avoiding eye contact and conversation with the most annoying one (well, he is), if only because it is rude. Last night I slammed down the book I was reading and shut myself up in my office with a loud video game because they were so annoying.
    • I had to keep myself from violently kicking Misha off the bed this morning when he started hacking up a hairball. And when the cats walk over me when I'm in bed or on the couch, I feel like screaming and throwing them across the room. No, I haven't actually done it. But I have lately entertained the thought of getting rid of them both, Misha because he has a nasty habit of peeing on furniture when he's upset (my futon couch is now covered in pee-proof vinyl), and Missy has a sensitive stomach and just throws up a lot, leaving a mess. I know that getting rid of them would be bad for all three of us, so it isn't going to happen, but it is still troubling that I'm even thinking about it.
    • I am increasingly annoyed at instructors, for either being "bad teachers" or for teaching something that I find boring or trite, rolling my eyes and mumbling under my breath.
    • I'm falling asleep while reading in bed at night. This is very, very unlike me! I usually have to make myself go to sleep when I'm caught up in a good book. Okay, this doesn't really fit with the anger, anxiety, or agitation, but I think it's related.
    • Continuously worried to the point of distraction and sleeplessness at little things like whether I should have said something a different way or if I've done something wrong and now people won't like me any more.
    • Interrupting people.
    • Unable to concentrate for very long. Partly the reason for my incomplete classes.
    • An increase in panic attacks (minor ones, not the full-blown emergency room type).
    • Unreasonably irritated when I have to wait in line or when people are being slow at serving me at a restaurant or the concession stand at the theater or are in my way when I'm trying to walk somewhere. And my usual level of "road rage" is getting worse.
    This is not my normal mode of operation. I've always been a pretty laid back person, if somewhat prone to tears when I'm upset. But I've never felt so full of rage, not over stuff like this. Anxious, yes. Angry, no.

    Now it just so happens that I had seen my doctor Friday morning about a medication adjustment. I told him about the general anxiety that I've been having, but I didn't mention the anger, because I didn't put the pieces together until now. He prescribed some anti-anxiety medication, in addition to what I am currently taking. Being proactive (and worried), I decided to look up some information about this new combination of meds. Wanting to be an informed consumer plus being a librarian equals researching everything. And guess what I found out?

    The medication I am on has been known to cause anxiety, agitation, and anger. Ah. **seethe**

    The symptoms have been going on for a few months now, but it is just in the past two weeks that I've really noticed them and just the past three days that I've had such strong reactions. Why? I think that it was because I was finally remembering to take my evening meds and the effects of the stuff in my system reached a level of potency and consistency so that I could actually notice what was going on.

    From what I researched, the anti-anxiety medication which I was prescribed may actually help alleviate the anger and agitation side-effects of the other med. But I'll still be talking to the doctor again, very soon.

    Apologies are due to anyone who I may have upset lately. I'm sure I'll be feeling better shortly.

    Tuesday, July 03, 2007

    Dessert, anyone?

    Cake Art

    Beautiful cakes that I would never be able to bring myself to eat, even though the entire cake is edible (no plastic or other indigestibles). There's even a little Russian medievalesque-village wishing us a "Happy New Year!"

    Thursday, June 28, 2007

    Dot dot dot...

    Turns out, I'm an ellipsis. I think I could have guessed that one...
    Found on Mark's blog.


    Your Score: ellipsis


    You scored 46% Sociability and 64% Sophistication!



    Your life can be difficult because of your insecurities, but you should know that it isn't your fault. YOU didn't ask to be thrown in around thirty times per page in every bodice-ripper on the shelf! Those who overuse you can kiss your . . . you know. You need to learn to hold your head high and glory in your solitude. You really do have excellent, scholarly tastes. You must never forget that your friend, the period, will be there to support you at the end of every sentence where you truly belong, and, if what is left out is as important as what is said, why, then you are as vital as the alphabet!

    The Which Punctuation Mark Are You Test written by Gazda on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test

    Tuesday, June 12, 2007

    I like driving, but...

    Seen on this week's Chronicle job listings:

    Position: Digital Projects Librarian
    Salary: Unspecified
    Institution: University of Alaska at Fairbanks
    Location: Alabama
    Date posted: 6/11/2007


    Now *that's* a commute! No wonder they don't specify the salary.

    Tuesday, June 05, 2007

    Cataloging geekery

    I've mentioned before that I really love the game "God of War." Well, yesterday I got to do something really cool. At least I thought it was cool. I got to originally catalog (catalog from scratch) the first copy of God of War II to make it into the OCLC database. Here's the WorldCat record. I even added a subject heading for Greek mythology fiction, for users searching desperately for games on that theme. :-)

    Everyone in the known cataloging universe will be deriving their records from my work! Bwah hahahaha! I rock. And I'm a geek.

    Saturday, June 02, 2007

    Oh, hai! I has funny thing!


    Liberry cat
    Originally uploaded by yanajenn
    I'm in love with LOLCats, when they're done well. No idea if this one is particularly good, but it combines cats and books, which are two of my favorite things. Especially when they're my cats and my books. Kthx, bye!

    Do want!

    Best LOLCats ever!




    via icanhascheezburger?

    Friday, June 01, 2007

    Sick, ad infinitum

    I can't believe I am sick. Again. I think that over the past two months I have been well a total of about a week. I've either had a sore throat, a cold, asthma flare-up, or a combination of the three. This time it is a really nasty cold with accompanying aches and a fever, plus an annoying cough. I was so muzzy at work today that I couldn't focus on anything for more than a few minutes. A bad idea when you are cataloging games and videos. And I'm working this weekend as well. But I lined up some less-challenging tasks to do in case I'm only able to stare glassy-eyed at the screen. I also have a paper to finish up before Monday. I was up until 3am last night working on it, which didn't help my cold at all, or the clarity of the paper. Bed will be early tonight, I foresee. Now that I'm a student, I seem to be much more susceptible to illness (go figure). And my asthma is worse this year too.

    I've almost used up my sick time at work, which is highly unusual for me. Luckily, I only have a few more hours to go before I've fulfilled my contract. In the 2+ years I was a staff member, I probably called in sick a dozen times. I know I had a huge amount of unused sick time (a couple of weeks, maybe) left by my final day. Too bad it can't get converted into cash; I could really use some extra. But it does somehow get credited to my retirement account. I think they figure out what 25% of it is and add it onto your total days worked. Bah. The entire amount of hours should count. At least I am putting all my accumulated staff vacation hours to use. Those unused hours are why my contract is up next week instead of in August.

    Two more weeks of class and about one more week of work and then I have a month break before my third summer class. Well, except for my second job. And my incomplete class. But so much fewer scheduled commitments! Maybe I'll even clean my bathroom sometime this year. Or just sleep a lot.

    Tuesday, May 29, 2007

    Does the public library have a happy hour?

    Having been to the American Library Association conference twice, I can attest to just what trouble drunken librarians can be. And it isn't a "gaggle" of librarians, it's a "shush." Get your group terms straight. You can even verify it yourself by checking The Dictionary of Collective Nouns and Group Terms. Put that in your reference desk and file it, beeyotch.

    Questionable Content cartoon on Drunken Librarians

    Back to my exciting paper on Rare Books Cataloging. Maybe if I had a few drinks first it would be more interesting.

    Wednesday, May 09, 2007

    well, it *is* a really big place...

    I'm doing a little bit of planning for my Chicago trip next week and I came across this gem:


    Am I allowed to bring my bicycle to McCormick Place?
    Yes, you can bring your bicycle to McCormick Place. However, you are not allowed to ride it inside the building.

    Oh, I soooo want to hear the story behind this rule.

    inanity in the afternoon

    I think that's a word; "inanity..."

    Anyway. Do not watch this video while taking a break from cataloging videos in the lower (and therefore quietest) level of the Undergrad library. Why? Because you will hurt yourself trying to keep from shrieking with laughter. If you're me, that is. Especially about 30 seconds from the end of the video.

    SNL video: Training the crack TSA team in the fight against liquids

    Why hasn't this stupid-ass regulation been turned back yet? What a bunch of dumbasses. I haven't flown since this restriction went in place and I just *know* that I'll forget to package my liquids (and gels) properly and embarrass myself in the security line. Or have my boobs patted down (which would be containing more than 3 oz of liquid if you were lactating), which is what happened the last time. Not that I'm lactating. I'm just sayin'.

    Tuesday, May 08, 2007

    Down to business

    The semester is over. I finished all my classes. Maybe I didn't do as well as I had hoped, but they are done. Tonight I put all the materials for those classes away. Now all that is in my living room study area are a few printouts for upcoming Summer classes and the materials for my incomplete classes.

    And I will get the damnable things (3 papers) done this week. Come hell or high water. And whatever other platitudes I can insert in there. I am going to Chicago next week for a conference/vacation and I want to actually enjoy a break before classes start up again on May 21.

    Besides which, I've made myself a deal. I have God of War II sitting on a shelf staring at me. And I can't play it until I'm done writing. Also, I don't have a PS2 console (Richard does), so that handily keeps me from playing on the sly, being that the machine is across town in a completely different house.

    And oh boy, do I feel the need for gratuitous violence, gore, and sex (not necessarily in that order) after this semester. And playing this game is probably the best way to get those particular needs fulfilled. At least, without leaving anyone with a permanent limp.

    Monday, May 07, 2007

    Don't run, it's only storytime!


    Aaaaaa!!!!

    The big bad wolf ate up...well, a piggy, a bird, a bunny, and a little girl. This is so cool! I must make one. And then scare the bejeezus out of little kids at storytime. Bwahahahahaha!

    There are reasons I shouldn't be a youth services librarian.

    greedy

    Neener, neener, I own an integer and you don't! Well, you can too, but not this one! It's mine, all mine!

    C1 C1 52 A3 97 CE 83 52 A0 70 70 2B 06 66 D0 D0

    And you can't know it or copy it or look at it or anything. Or I will sue. Just like the AACS.

    Friday, May 04, 2007

    Exhausted

    As of this morning, I successfully (I hope) completed this semester. Woohoo! Now I just need to finish last semester...

    And I'm feeling so much better! My ears still aren't working quite right and the asthma cough isn't gone, but everything else seems t be healthier. Just in time for wet, dreary weather.

    GSLIS is doing a bar crawl tonight, but I am just not up to it. Icky weather, the fact that I really don't drink much, and also, I'm just getting healthy again. yep, it is a quiet evening at home for me and the cats. I think I shall have a hot fudge sundae and watch a movie. Or curl up in bed with my book. Hell, I think I will be decadent and do both!

    Thursday, May 03, 2007

    gaaaah!!!!! [hack, cough]

    I am still sick. I have a final at 9am tomorrow. I will have tons of bad karma sent my way if I cough and blow my nose the entire time during our final. I do not need bad karma. I need to take a nap. I have woken up the last four nights with a throat that felt like it was filled with shards of glass. I have woken up the past two mornings with my eyes glued shut with sticky crap. My joints and neck (which is a joint) ache. My ears are clogged. Once side of my throat hurts more than the other. I took 6 different types of pills last night before I went to bed. I haven't been able to wear my contact lenses. I am so tired and wiped out by 5pm that all I can do is sit slumped over on the couch, which doesn't help my breathing much. I have been sick since Tuesday, April 17. That means I have been sick for 9 straight days.

    I am sick of being sick.

    Thursday, April 19, 2007

    Acronomious?

    During an IM conversation with Richard today, I came up with what I think is a very clever acronym. SOUP: Significant Other Upgrade Program. As in, something to avoid installing at all costs because it tends to crash the relationship.

    Hee.

    So, SOUP is like a kind of virus. Except soup is usually good for getting rid of viruses, which makes it that much more insidious. Ah, geekery.

    Saturday, April 14, 2007

    Progress

    Okay, the To Do list is all updated. And I even knocked a few things off of it! Yay me. Now, on to the most urgent To Do items, school assignments. And in order to guilt/remind myself, I'm listing them here.

    Last day of classes and also the last day anything is due is May 4. That's about three weeks. And here's what I need to accomplish, in chronological order.


    • Summary: Classism article
    • Advanced Cataloging term paper
    • Summary: Patriot Act article
    • Storytelling Future File
    • Storytelling Project
    • Storytelling Presentation
    • Catalog 3 items of different formats
    • Advanced Cataloging Presentation
    • In-class final for 502
    • Work on incomplete assignments from last two semesters
    • Email those instructors from about progress

    Hoo boy.

    Laundry is in the dryer as I write, dishes will get done after dinner tonight. I'm already prepped for picking Richard up at the Indianapolis airport tomorrow. Tickets to The Decemberists are in my wallet and hopefully Richard's plane will be on time so we can actually go. I need to stop at the library today to pick up a hold, so I'm going to go work there until they close at 6pm. Let's see if I can get those article summaries out of the way.

    Okay, no more excuses.

    Storytelling Festival

    So...I've been asked to perform at the GSLIS Storytelling Festival this coming Saturday, April 21. I was totally shocked (but incredibly happy) to be asked, especially since my class nominated the story-songs I sung in Storytelling class.

    I will be singing either "Mr. Fox" (creepy), or The Scotsman (funny), or both. I'll find out on Monday what it is going to be. And they record the Festival (let's hope they actually figure out the equipment *before* the performance this year), so even if you don't come see me in the flesh, you'll be able to listen later.

    You know, I've never heard a recording of myself? I don't know if I'll be able to listen to the recording once it's done. I know I have a nice voice, but the last time I was asked to sing in a public performance was when I was in the second grade. I bowed out of that one (major stagefright!), but I'm not backing out of this one. I just hope I can start on a comfortable key, unlike the last two times I sang. One was too low, the other was just not quite right. Not off-key, but not my strongest voice. Here's hoping...

    Small steps

    The goal today is to work on my to-do list. No, not to accomplish things on the list, to actually update the damn thing. I have hope (ever optimistic) that I will get to the items on it, but the only thing I am holding myself to is the updating part. Wish me luck.

    Only 3 weeks left to the semester...

    Thursday, April 12, 2007

    hate, hate, hate

    I hate voice-activated phone help lines. Hate.

    Saturday, April 07, 2007

    Irony

    Today's procrastination exercise is taking the form of a cleaning spree. I've done laundry, cleaned the litter boxes, and as a coup de grace, I cleaned the fish tank.

    The dirty, filthy, hadn't-been-cleaned-in-over-6-months aquarium. Poor fish.

    I haven't been taking very good care of them lately. I forget to feed them (luckily they can go safely without food for several days), ignore them, and don't clean their home as often as I should. The cats can at least remind me of their presence by yowling, tipping their water over, and peeing on things; the fish have no such recourse.

    Several fish have "disappeared" I'm down to three, total) over the last few months. I'm guessing that the culprit is the huge sucker-mouth catfish in there. He either got hungry and decided on a little snack or someone died and he took care of the remains. Hey, he's actually a scavenger fish, so at least he's doing what nature intended. Unless he's hunting down fishies in cold(er) blood; then it's my fault for not keeping him fed.

    In my hallway I have an extra, empty 35 gallon tank with a smaller 2 gallon tank inside of it. Kind of zen, actually. But it's also sitting there and reminding me that I need to decide what to do. Should I get rid of the fish and all the accouterments I've collected over the years? That's hundreds of dollars of equipment and years of effort. Should I switch the tank's denizens to the tank with the smaller footprint and relocate my little underwater world out of the living room and the sunlight (which isn't really good for aquariums), like I planned to do last year? Would that actually address the problem or exacerbate it, taking the fish out of my immediate view and leading to even less frequent care? Do I even want to have fish any longer? Should I sell them? I absolutely hate moving them from one residence to another; it is truly a pain in the ass and takes a lot of preparation to do it right (set up the main tank, let it condition for a few weeks, move the fish from their old home, etc.). I am moving in another year, come hell or high (aquarium?) water. Is there another option that I haven't thought of?

    Either way that I decide (and if you have any advice, I will willingly hear it), I rolled up my sleeves and cleaned the damn thing today. The bathtub now needs a really good scrubbing and at one point I slopped half a bucket of thankfully clean water over the living room floor, but I did my much belated duty as a pet-owner.

    And now the tank is clean. The fish are able to filter oxygen out of the water without sucking in mass quantities of sludge and are swimming around happily, thinking little fishy thoughts. Now if only the light worked so that I could actually see the little buggers.

    Friday, April 06, 2007

    Shiny!

    I think setting up a Koha installation has taken over my personality...

    Delicacy and specialness? Hmm, I could get behind that.


    Your results:
    You are Kaylee Frye (Ship Mechanic)

























    Kaylee Frye (Ship Mechanic)
    80%
    Malcolm Reynolds (Captain)
    70%
    Dr. Simon Tam (Ship Medic)
    60%
    Zoe Washburne (Second-in-command)
    55%
    Jayne Cobb (Mercenary)
    55%
    Wash (Ship Pilot)
    55%
    River (Stowaway)
    55%
    Derrial Book (Shepherd)
    50%
    Inara Serra (Companion)
    45%
    Alliance
    25%
    A Reaver (Cannibal)
    15%
    You are good at fixing things.
    You are usually cheerful.
    You appreciate being treated
    with delicacy and specialness.


    Click here to take the "Which Serenity character am I?" quiz...

    Wednesday, April 04, 2007

    Blue

    1. My vacuum is broken and both sets of parts that I've ordered to fix it are the wrong ones. I picked the right ones, but the ordering website was wrong. The shipping costs were also unreasonably high.

    2. There is something in my kitchen that smells awful and I can't find it.

    3. I can't have anyone over because there are cat hair tumbleweeds everywhere. See broken vacuum above.

    4. I had to bring my plants inside because it is going to freeze tonight and every night for the next few days.

    5. All the pretty tulips in the backyard are gonna die tonight.

    6. I had to turn the heat back on because it's only 55 degrees in my place at the moment.


    But in the good news, I finally got the Z39.50 interface to work in Koha at the Family Resiliency Center to work. Woo hoo! Yay me!

    Sunday, April 01, 2007

    Koha on Windows

    I finally figured out how to partition my external hard drive so that I could save both Windows and Mac files to it, even though I've been told that I could save both file types without needing to partition. I decided that I would have better control with syncing if I put Windows files in one place and Mac files in another. But first I had to figure out a way to both partition and format as fat32 without using a DOS based program. You see, my external HD is USB, and no DOS program I found would even recognize that it was even connected to the computer. I used the disk utility that comes along with Windows XP to partition the drive and then used this program to format as fat32. Worked like a charm. I think. I haven't tried backing up my Mac yet, just the PC.

    And just now, I successfully installed Koha on my PC. Yay me! It took 4 different installs/uninstalls of the Apache server. Koha didn't like the latest version of Apache, so I had to use an earlier one. Of course, I hadn't uninstalled the newer version, which caused a hiccup, but in the end I figured it all out. If I was Catholic, I would be going to confession right now for taking God's name in vain so many times. I must remember to tell the people who wrote up the Koha on Windows info that the latest version of Apache doesn't seem to work with Koha without editing conf files. Not hard to do, just needs to be noted. Hey, it hasn't been updated since 2004.

    There was one scary moment where my system stalled, first because it was low on virtual memory, then because there was a Perl hiccup somewhere. But everything looks like it's working now. Hopefully it won't bite me in the ass later on. We'll see.

    Now I've got to uninstall the pieces that are still on my Mac. And then back it up. Thanks to the commenter who offered help installing on a Mac, but I think I'm going to stick with the Windows version for now.

    Crazy renter

    I just got done writing a crazy-tenant letter to my landlord. I hate being a bother, but since I am paying to live here...

    1. Futon frame, car tires, other bits and bobs sitting behind the dumpster for months now. Not their responsibility to haul away, but something needs to be done. I'm tired of the view (my place faces the back of the dumpster) and the potential mosquito breeding ground and the garbage people aren't going to haul it away.

    2. Linoleum in my utility room still coming up in pieces. The door catches on it constantly and I can't keep the floor clean because the kitty litter gets trapped underneath it because the linoleum is *taped* together. With clear packing tape. Just laid down over the original tile floor. Very professional. I'd rip it up myself, but I don't want to be responsible for any "damages" that might occur. Or having to haul it away. I guess I could just throw it on top of the other crap behind the dumpster.

    3. Smoke issues. As in, cigarette smoke coming into my apartment when the windows and doors are closed. It's bad enough that my neighbors smoke on their front steps (yes, I know they have to smoke somewhere) and the smoke comes right into my living room, which is only 5 feet from their front door. I'm going to be here another year (dammit) and smelling smoke all Winter sucks. But since we all got a letter about keeping dogs on-leash they haven't been sitting out there nearly as much (they are the main offenders, surprise, surprise). We'll see how that goes.

    4. Annoying small neighbor child still coming up and smooshing his face against my front door and staring in at me. Gives me a heart attack every single time. I didn't actually put that one in the letter (craaazy), just needed to get it out of my system.

    5. Too many cars parked here. I'm pretty sure that we all get two parking spaces, but I know that at least two neighbors have extra cars that get wedged in to our collective parking lot/front yard. Didn't put this one in the letter either, will save it for some other time. I need something to stew on, after all.

    Other annoyances include garbage from the garage/warehouse next door blowing into my yard, the lack of trees to block the nasty view of the street (they got cut down last fall), and the ugly Christmas lights that are still up on the outside of the unit across from me. Add their kid's toys (I count 5 bikes today) and the assorted trash in their yard...

    Sigh. I'm getting old. Keep off my lawn, you damn kids!

    Google TiSP

    No mention of the OCLC takeover on Google's homepage, but I did find this:

    Google TiSP


    Google TiSP (BETA) is a fully functional, end-to-end system that provides in-home wireless access by connecting your commode-based TiSP wireless router to one of thousands of TiSP Access Nodes via fiber-optic cable strung through your local municipal sewage lines.


    And what do you get when you spell TiSP backwards? Well, not quite, but close enough.

    Google buys OCLC!

    It's finally happened. Hell has frozen over.

    Google buys OCLC, announces new products

    As of today, WorldCat has been renamed "Google Library," and every work ever published is now available for full-text searching in the system. Publishers are already crying foul and their lawyers are furiously filing lawsuits, but our reading of copyright law and the fact that Google has added the name "library" to the product means the lawsuits will ultimately fail.

    I...I can't believe this. What will Google take over next? I guess I should start working on my resume now, since we're all going to be working at Google in a short time. I might as well get ahead of the rush.

    From Hectic Pace:
    A source at Google who did not want to be identified said, "We're looking forward to finally having enough librarians on staff to catalog all those web pages."

    Nooooo!!! I hate cataloging electronic resources! I don't wanna be a cataloger any more!

    .
    .
    .
    .
    .
    .
    .
    .

    April Fools! See, librarians *can* be funny. And I'm gullible. You don't want to know how long it took me to remember today's date.

    Wednesday, March 28, 2007

    I need a nap

    Oh, for fuck's sake, I already had SyncToy installed.

    Backing up files now.

    I hate technology

    Remember how I said I'd be spending my day installing Koha? Yeah.

    So I got through a large portion of the install on my Mac. And then I go to the part where you need to reconfigure your root directory. I realized that maybe it would be a good idea to backup my files before I did that, especially since I have never created a backup and my Mac is my main computer now. I currently have an external hard drive hooked up to my PC, so I thought I'd just use that to backup my Mac. But first I should backup the PC.

    I turn on the PC and the first thing that happens (after it slooowly boots up) is a message from Microsoft wanting me to install Genuine Windows Advantage. After looking up what it is I decided that I could ignore it easily, since my copy of Windows is legit and it is meant to find pirated software (arrr...). Nope, it kept bugging me to install it, so I did some more reading about the program, got pissed off (DMCA!), looked for workarounds, got frustrated, and then just installed the damn thing.

    Then I decided that I needed a backup utility since apparently I haven't backed up my PC since November. I can manually back it up, but a program that would automatically do it for me would be nice and no such thing came with my hard drive. I go looking for that, decide on SyncToy (Microsoft, but I don't really care at this point) and install it. But SyncToy needs the .NET thingy from Microsoft to run. Deep breath. So I find that and go about installing it.

    And my computer tells me it's hard drive is full.

    I can't install a program to backup the hard drive because the hard drive is full. Deep breath. I bite back a scream and start uninstalling programs that I haven't used in months and probably never will again. Not enough room. I delete old school readings that I don't want to hang onto. Still not enough room. Then I go hunting for the space hogs.

    Turns out half of my computer hard drive is taken up with music. Unfortunately, it is a mix of old and new music, since I haven't synced iTunes (manually) between my two computers in ages. I can't just get rid of it, even though I don't listen to music on the PC because I need to replace the sound card. Or the speakers. I'm not sure.

    Then I remembered that I need to partition my external HD before doing anything else, since I was going to be using it to backup PC and Mac files. Different file types, you know. Or whatever they're called; I know I need to partition at least. But now I have to re-find the directions to do so.

    And my class starts in an hour. Deep breath.

    So right now I am looking for the proper way to partition an external hard drive so that it can have both Mac and PC files on it. I haven't finished anything that I set out to complete today. Oh, and SyncToy doesn't do automatic backups anyway, so there's more lost time.

    And people trust me to set up an ILS?

    Koha-ing the day away

    I'm working from home today because I'm not feeling great (nothing serious, just stomach issues) and I'm saving my strength for class this evening. Normally, I'd be at the Family Resiliency Center (warning: really annoying background music) working on setting up their library. But today I'm installing Koha on my Mac so that I can play with settings and then later transfer them to the FRC setup, thereby saving some time to focus on how to catalog their collection instead of poking at Koha the entire time I'm there. They'd like to have everything ready to go by April 25, but I really doubt that's going to happen. Anyway, I need to start keeping better track of what I'm doing in Koha, and my blog is a natural space, so expect more posts about Koha and setting up a brand new library. I'll probably even have some retroactive posts thrown in.

    Today
    I'm working from this lovely document. Otherwise I would be totally lost.

    So many little things to install before I can install Koha: Xtools (which takes up 2.8 GB installed and required me to register myself as a "developer" with Apple and is still installing itself as I type this), MySQL (version 4.1.x, which is old, but actually will work with Koha), and Apache (which was incredibly easy).

    At the FRC I had them install Koha (Windows environment on a network) instead of trying to figure it out myself. Better use of time and resources. Although it has taken some work to convince their IT guys that I'm not just setting up a database containing titles and authors. Once again, no one realizes the work that goes into cataloging a collection.

    Tuesday, March 27, 2007

    Respect the librarians

    Actually, I don't care if you are looking at porn, as long as it isn't near the children's department and you are being somewhat discreet. And you aren't, um...doing anything else. Ah, Madison Public Libraries, I miss you sometimes!


    Homeless guy #1: Damn! I just got kicked out of the library! Damn!
    Homeless guy #2: What did you do, man?
    Homeless guy #1: I don't know. I don't know.
    Homeless guy #2: Aren't you drunk?
    Homeless guy #1: Well, yeah. Also, I might have been looking at dirty pictures on the computer.
    Homeless guy #2: Aw, that's not so bad.
    Homeless guy #1: And they said that I was being disrespectful to the librarians.
    Homeless guy #2, freaking out: No way, man! You can never, never disrespect the librarians! Always respect librarians! What were you thinking? Are you an idiot?

    Outside Boulder Public Library
    Boulder, Colorado

    Overheard by: Librarian on break

    From Overheard in the Office

    Let the shopping begin


    Finally. Cafe Press has just figured out that maybe, just maybe, it should offer women's plus sized tshirts for those of us who are curvier than the norm. Or are the norm, really. I foresee a shopping spree in the near future.

    Tuesday, March 13, 2007

    So dizzay...

    Best. Animal. Video. Ever.

    Twirl-a-squirrel
    birdfeeder device.

    I like squirrels, and I was laughing my ass off.

    Those Russian squirrels better watch out...

    Thursday, March 08, 2007

    Damn academic aspirations

    Okay, aside from taking a class on the subject, which doesn't seem to be likely anytime soon given the upcoming courses being offered, how the hell do I become a better academic writer? I've never been strong at deciding when and how to cite sources (beyond the obvious technical aspects, I mean) and how much and how deeply to explain a concept to the intended audience. I am great at creating "Reader's Digest" papers and tend to condense everything. I do not "expand" on topics enough, but I am at a loss at finding a balance between writing for someone who hasn't a clue about the subject and writing for an audience that is familiar with the material. I feel like I'm treating my audience like fools if I assume that they know nothing about the subject, which is one writing strategy that I've been told to use. This is something I need to get over.

    I've put in a request for one such class: Writing in Library and Information Science. But it is seldom offered, and the request was put in kind of late, so I'm not sure what the possibility of it being offered before I tear all my hair out is going to be. I've got two research papers to write this semester, along with two essay exams, one of which is in-class and closed book. And I'm a little worried, especially since I haven't written a timed essay since 2000. At least with that particular bit of writing I don't have to worry too much about citing, just content and clarity. And I don't have to worry about first drafts, second drafts, etc., since it has to be written in a limited amount of time.

    The whole "drafting thing" is a problem too; I usually just "write raw" and get frustrated if I have to keep coming back to something in order to finish it, which is likely a big part of why I have an Incomplete from last semester. I tend to feel like what I write should be perfect straight from my brain and if it requires reworking, then I must just be a horrible writer and a bad student. Sorry, doing a little self-analysis here as well as asking for advice.

    So why all this agony? Well, I'm going to working towards a Certificate in Special Collections starting this summer, and since the two courses I'm taking are condensed, (10 class meetings, in the space of two weeks), I know it is going to require a lot of focused writing. Scary! And now I'm looking at a possible CAS, which isn't a very solid consideration at the moment, but still. And then there's the whole future issue of working in an academic setting, which might require publishing, or even if I worked in a different type of library, there are projects that happen, grants to be written, conferences to present at...

    Excuse my ego here for a moment. I'm intelligent. Very intelligent, according to the tests and other evidence. That isn't the problem. However, focusing on writing and other school project stuff is an issue. When I was an art student, I could lose myself for hours drawing one item, getting into a flow state. The same thing happens when I am reading something very engaging. Time just slips away and before I know it my stomach is screaming at me for food and the sun has gone down. Is the problem that I'm not enjoying what I'm doing? Or that I feel I shouldn't be enjoying it because it is school-related and I'm getting a grade on it? Or are there other underlying issues? I'm floating through Grad School at the moment, absorbing little and getting A grades without trying hard. Wasn't much of an issue as an Undergrad (well, it was an issue for my professor-husband, but he doesn't count any longer), but this is what I want to do as a career and I really need to shift gears.

    If I carried over the credits which I earned while I was a staff member and had them applied to my Master's, I could graduate at the end of this summer. But I am very much not ready to go back to the "real world," although having money again would be nice. I don't feel prepared to have a job interview, I don't feel like I have a specialty or am particularly good at anything in my chosen field. I'm attending the best Library School in the country, but it doesn't mean much when I'm not using the tools and opportunities given to me.

    Now how the hell do I make everything better? I'm reading a great book about writing, but it is geared towards fiction and autobiographies, not academic writing. The advice on focusing and pushing through when you think you can't write any further is valuable, though. But reading books is only going to take me so far, I realize.

    Beyond writing, I need to make a huge change in the way I approach academics. And that is worrying me.

    Wednesday, March 07, 2007

    Cata-wha?

    Another cataloger burns out...

    The Onion

    Dewey Decimal System Helpless To Categorize New Jim Belushi Book

    DUBLIN, OH-Members of the OCLC Online Computer Library Center's Editorial Policy Committee, which oversees the Dewey Decimal System library...



    I'm feeling a little bit this way myself. Why do I always choose "challenging" things to catalog for my assignments? Back to Advanced Cataloging homework.

    Thursday, February 22, 2007

    Awww, man....

    I'm nowhere near ready to start looking for a job, but damn, this one looks potentially fun:

    College Librarian - Culinary Arts
    The Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago (CHIC)

    Phooey.

    Hoo-hah

    Finally! Someone (Susie Bright, to be exact) has pointed out that "most librarians are not tight-lipped prudes, they're courageous front-liners on First Amendment issues." Thank you!

    In case you haven't been following the story, a librarian at the Sunnyside Elementary School in Durango, Colorado complained that the book "The higher power of Lucky," which contains the word "scrotum" on its first page, wasn't suitable for children and banned it from her library (other school librarians did the same, she's just the one who is foremost in the article). I do wonder if these particular librarians have actual MS degrees in Library Science or are just over-worked teachers who got thrown into running their school's library. It could go both ways; there are plenty of people in my library science program that make me really wonder why they chose to be librarians and whether or not I'd trust them to do a thorough job of collection development. Anyway.

    All this, of course, made me try to remember what "pet words" my family came up with for our genitalia. If I remember correctly, a vagina (well, a vulva, actually, but that's a whole 'nother post) was a "boochie" and a penis was a "pee pee." No, I have no idea where that particular vaginal-nomer came from. It sounds like some type of cookie. Not to say that lady parts can't be tasty items.

    I'll spare you the interminable list of alternative genitalia names that I've encountered (I worked with kids for many, many years), but I'm wondering; what names did *your* family use? Or were they less shy than mine and actually used the real names?

    Wednesday, February 14, 2007

    snow day

    It is days like this when it really sucks to live on the other side of town, away from all my friends. I live in on the far side of Urbana and most everyone else is in Champaign. Too far to walk and there's no way I'm driving right now. Sigh. No one visits, no one calls...poor lonely me.

    Okay, enough of that. That's just depressing.

    My neighbors are currently making a mess by spinning their tires on the snow and packing everything down so that nothing will melt until May. At least they haven't hit my car. Yet. No one here knows how to drive in snow. And now they've ruined the prettiness that was in front of my place by driving on it. The nerve.

    But I got my taxes done and I'm getting a nice refund. I hope I filled out everything correctly; being a student is really weird when it comes to taxes. Now on to the FAFSA to see if I can attend school for another year.

    Tuesday, February 13, 2007

    whoa, again

    Aaand...the University is going to be closed tomorrow. Wow. I don't think that's ever happened before. And yes, it is really nasty out. Even this Nebraskan is impressed. I'll take some pics tomorrow. Oh, and my front door, which faces North, unfortunately, leaks badly and gives a really high whistle when the wind blows right. I am seriously considering nailing a rug to hang down over it to keep out the draft.

    I have plenty of OJ, oatmeal, and coffee, and a full pantry of dry goods, plus I made bread and boiled some eggs today, so tomorrow's lunch will be yummy egg salad sandwiches and soup. I think that tonight's dinner is just going to be popcorn, though. I already cooked enough today.

    I think the catch-up-on-homework gods are smiling upon me. As long as the wireless Internet gods keep a big grin on their faces, I might actually get on top of things. Speaking of procrastination, you may enjoy the following video.

    Ze Frank: Pro-Cra

    As someone who didn't complete her Museum Informatics class partly because of the lure of learning new technology rather than using what was already in her brain, I can really relate. Back to watching Nova (it's about our cousin-apes, bonobos, which is hilariously appropriate for just before Valentine's day) and pushing papers around on my desk.

    whoa.

    The University Library is closed today due to the weather. Actually, the entire University has closed. It's as if the Universe is closed. We never close! At least, we haven't since 1979 or so. All classes are canceled.

    Honestly, it doesn't look all that bad out. But that's the Nebraskan in me talking, plus I was planning on staying home today anyway. I guess everyone who was at the grocery store last night had the right idea. Hey, at least it isn't nearly 12 FEET of snow!

    Whenever we get a big snow, I am reminded of the Little House on the Prairie books, especially the one where Pa almost gets lost going between the barn and the house, but is saved by the rope tied between the two. Here's hoping everyone has enough rope. Which is a really strange thing to wish anyone.

    Monday, February 12, 2007

    Librarian heroes

    From Overheard in New York:

    Thug teen: I wanna take out this fuckin' book.
    Librarian: Okay, well, go to the check-out desk.
    Thug teen: I got to go to the other fuckin' desk, mothafuckah?
    Librarian: Yeah, motherfucker. The other fuckin' desk.

    --Brooklyn Library

    Gee, sounds like some of my Public Library experiences. And Undergrad, on some evenings.

    Weekly Update

    In no particular order, this week I:


    • Watched an episode of Lost with a group of people. Definitely an experience I want to repeat.
    • Saw Night at the Museum with Mark. It was cute, but probably would have been more enjoyable if seen when it first came out.
    • Stitched and bitched at Jen's (I'm making a knitted and felted laptop case).
    • Wrote my final project proposal for Advanced Cataloging class.
    • Evaluated a collection of folktales for Storytelling class.
    • Knocked head against wall over (still) incomplete Collection Development class.
    • Tripped badly over own words in discussion section of Libraries, Info and Society class.
    • E-mailed an (ultimately unneeded) explanation of what I was really trying to say. in discussion to a select few friends. Made me feel less tortured over the whole thing, anyway.
    • Reminded myself that I need to get through the class in order to graduate and that I am perfectly capable of doing so without my head exploding from anger and frustration. It isn't *that* bad.
    • Attended my very first Metadata Roundtable. It was very interesting. I think I am a classification geek. I'm on my way, in any case.
    • Amused myself in Metadata Roundtable by observing the gender ratio and physical positioning of the attendees. Yep, definitely still an anthro geek.
    • Followed up on Grad Assistant possibilities for this Fall.
    • Deleted over 200 blogs from my Bloglines account. Breathing a bit more easily now.
    • Created giant pile of unread magazines and catalogs for the cats to play on. Then recycled the pile, which was the ultimate goal.
    • Heavily weeded the pile of (mostly ALA free crap) books I've been hoarding since Summer 2005.
    • Vacuumed the air-intake duct (it was covered in cat hair) that was behind the pile of crap books.
    • Made a decision to work through what is already on my "to read" list, which is in the higher hundreds, instead of grabbing books by browsing. We'll see how long this lasts.
    • Read a couple hundred pages of stuff for school.
    • Investigated alternative classification schemes for the Family Resiliency Center's library.
    • Was fed a lovely Sunday dinner by Richard (thank you). He saved me from eating my default whatever-is-still-in-the-fridge-with-the-possible-addition-of-crackers meal. I need to start cooking healthy food again. Stupid Winter slumps.

    ...and other stuff that isn't going to make it in this entry. I have too much to write as it is. And now that I've got my fingers warmed up, it's back to that non-blog writing thing.

    Sunday, February 11, 2007

    Here's hoping...

    I'm crossing my fingers.





    From Indexed

    ooo, shiny!

    This is sooo much better than a plastic putty-colored case. If I only had more time...and knew how to do this type of metal and glass work.

    Steampunk PC case

    Mustn't...take..on...new...project! The PC needs a memory upgrade much more than it needs a prettiness upgrade.

    Damn it. Now I want to watch Firefly episodes. Back to homework.

    Via Brassgoggles.

    Tuesday, February 06, 2007

    Telling Tales

    I told my first story to my Storytelling class last night. I kicked ass.

    I actually got gasps and satisfied "aha" sounds at the ending, which still makes me do a little pleased wiggle when I think about it. The instructor said that I really "owned the story."

    Okay, mustn't let head get too swelled. One bit of constructive criticism that I got (from a former theater student) was that I might want to stand a bit more solidly, especially considering my body type. Apparently, I was standing in third position (or first position, which seems unlikely) the entire time. Makes sense. As a bigger person, I tend to be very aware that I'm taking up "extra space" and I tend to hold myself more closed, in order to feel smaller. Something to consider for next time.

    Oh, and I really overestimated what the appropriate age group for the story is. It isn't a scary story, but there is a sudden ending and the plot revolves around a horse and death. I've forgotten my little girl past and didn't remember that bad things happening to furry creatures can be a bit much when one is young. And older, but we tend to be able to handle it better.

    So, now I need to choose the next story to tell. I think I might sing the next one. I even have two song-stories to choose between; one is funny and one is creepy. I'm going to practice both and decide later since I have a few weeks.

    Oh, what story did I tell last night? If you like, I'll tell it to you....

    Monday, February 05, 2007

    The Groundhog spoke truthfully

    Wow! Tonight is going to be a toasty -5 degrees. That's a whole degree warmer than last night. Spring must be on the way. I'll have to switch out my seasonal wardrobe...

    Stupid weather. Why have I lived in the Midwest all my life? Still, it's better than the one Nebraska winter I endured where, with the wind chill, it reached -60 degrees one day. I remember it well because I had to duck into the Goodwill to buy a better scarf. I still have that scarf somewhere.

    And the forecast for tomorrow calls for an 80% chance of snow. Hey, as long as it isn't ice, I can handle it.

    Off to slide the warmer across the sheets to prepare for bed. I wish.

    Sunday, February 04, 2007

    Curled up on the couch clutching my gut

    From laughing too much, I mean. I know certain people have had enough of pirates for the time being, so they didn't get an email about this find, but I thought other people would appreciate it. From the Metal and Magic gallery, from which I have been snagging desktop images from for the past half-hour:

    Arrgh! It be non-girly protection ye be wantin'?

    Saturday, February 03, 2007

    Mwah hah hah!

    How smart are you?

    Okay. I went back and changed one answer. But I knew which one I had gotten wrong, so that proves something, right? Other than the fact that I'm bored and at home alone on a Saturday night, I mean.

    Talking to tabbies

    Well, neither of my cats is a tabby, but I always try for some alliteration.

    On Monday I will tell my first of three stories in front of my Storytelling class. I love this class. It's giving me a nice break from my other two classes while feeding my little anthropologist heart. Naturally, I've chosen a Russian folktale. I've been practicing telling it out loud for the past two weeks; in the car, while doing dishes, in the shower. And to my cats. Who are the absolutely worst audience ever.

    Misha just looks up for a moment, and then falls back asleep. Is he bored? Or just exhausted from sleeping all day? And Missy talks back constantly. I think she thinks I'm going to feed her. Or she's just very critical of my style. Maybe both.

    I think I'm going to have to accost my human friends and make them listen to me. Hopefully they won't be meowing the entire time I'm trying to practice my stories.

    Thursday, January 25, 2007

    Everything has just clicked into place

    On the LiveJournal "The Society for Librarians who Say Motherfucker" I came across the following reply to a post:

    A wise librarian once told me there are two types of patrons: those who use the library to look at naked people and those who try to censor naked people in libraries.
    The world makes so much more sense now.

    Saturday, January 20, 2007

    Baked

    I'm in a cooking mood this weekend, so I decided it was time to make my favorite cookie bar in the world: seven-layer bars. Well, mine are actually six-layer bars because I don't like butterscotch chips. I got everything ready and opened a can of sweetened condensed milk. It was tan. Okay, it's been a while since I made these, but to my recollection, sweetened condensed milk is more of an off white color. I looked for an expiration date on the can, smelled it, tentatively tasted it, and decided in the end that I didn't trust it. So I opened another can. Same. Thing.

    So, now I've got two opened cans of goo. What to do? Well, two cans of sweetened goodness must make the bars twice as good, right?

    ...

    At this moment, I am eating my cookie "bars" with a fork. I may need to switch to a spoon. They are still pretty tasty, but I'm going to stick them in the fridge and see if that will help them transform into a more solid state.

    ...

    Whoops! I had to run and rescue my lunch from the oven; I totally forgot about it. Luckily, the onion rings and veggie burger are fine. I think that the universe is telling me that I need to go work on my paper instead of fiddling with food. Here's hoping that the Char Siu pork I have marinating in the fridge doesn't crawl away or mutate into something inedible.

    Wednesday, January 17, 2007

    Hah!

    Oh. My. God.

    The Daily Show has a segment on right now about a guy running for sheriff in Platteville, Wisconsin, where I lived for one and half horrible years. Apparently, he changed his name to "Andy Griffith" to get more votes. And his motto? "Vote for me, you hicks." Looks like the lead content in the water is just as high as ever.

    Ah, memories.

    In a mood

    Things I have realized and/or re-remembered this week:

    Fat women aren't allowed to have access to nice, technical outerwear (I used to sell the stuff, so I know what to look for). And wearing a men's size instead simply means that if the jacket is large enough to go around my hips, the arms will be hanging down to the floor. Apparently, I don't need to have decent protection from the elements because my extra layers of fat will do the trick.

    Dreaming long, complicated scenarios involving fighting enemies, while not actually having any dream weapons or dream ammo is really, really exhausting, especially when you aren't getting enough sleep in the first place. But whaling on virtual enemies in the real game God of War is really, really fun. Gratuitous violence has its place.

    Googling for a link to God of War and finding out that a sequel is due out in less than two months is really, really bad for my future productivity.

    Salsa classes are never going to be scheduled at convenient times ever again. My exercise resolution is getting harder to keep.

    Having two classes that don't start until 3 pm is really going to fuck up my biorhythms. So is having my one other class start at 9 am. On a Friday.

    I am one of those annoying helpful people. Or annoyed helpful people, take your pick. I get impatient when I see people floundering with technology and have to bite my tongue and sit on my hands in order to keep from jumping up and fixing things. I failed in today's class. But I did fix the problem, even if I might have came off as a putz to the rest of the class. Oops.

    Buying groceries only once a month may save time, but the heart attack at the register isn't worth it.

    Even if you have fed her a goodly portion of raw beef while prepping dinner, Missy Cat will still want more of your meal. Do not give in because cat hurking will ensue. You really should know this by now.

    Rice expands in the stomach. Do not eat more rice just because you are still feeling nibbly because then you will be bloated and able to do nothing else for the rest of the evening but lay on the couch along with the cats. And write blog entries.

    If I'm cold, it is probably because I'm still at home when the thermostat is normally scheduled to turn the heat down automatically. See "fucking up my biorhythms" above.

    When I'm home during the day, I get to see incredibly amusing commercials for pregnancy tests. The best line?: "Without a doubt, it is the most sophisticated piece of technology you will ever pee on." I am not kidding.

    Is anyone else bothered by the Wendy's commercial where two guys are eating two differently-sized $2.99 meals IN THE LIBRARY?! Just me? Okay.

    And finally, to the girl in the grocery store tonight, talking on her cell while leaning her hand basket against the chips, thereby crushing them: Don't do that.

    Thursday, January 11, 2007

    Sidetracked

    So I just took a break from paper writing to look at my physical mail, which Misha Cat was keeping warm for me by sleeping on it. I got the usual slew of bills and such, plus the One Spirit catalog. I actually enjoy looking through it, at least until I get to the angel books ("...channel both the analytical energy of Gold guardian angels and the intuitive wisdom of their Silver counterparts...") and my eyes get sore from rolling back into my head. But then I saw a book that made my day.

    The Clitoral Truth: the secret world at your fingertips

    Isn't that a great title? And the book even contains "suppressed" information about the clitoris. Damn the government! What will they hide from us next? According to one of the Amazon reviewers, readers of the book need to be careful because reading it "could easily lead some to homosexual experimenting or converting." Well, I just think he needs more practice then. Hee.

    Ok, enough of that. I didn't need another thing to keep me from finishing this paper. Back to writing.

    PS. As I was finishing this post, The Sensual Woman by Herbaliser just came up on my iTunes playlist. No, I'm not kidding. I love synchronicity!