A T-shirt I wish I could get for my Mom

But her library won't let her wear printed t's. Maybe anyway--especially considering the family love of used book stores:

Especially Bookstores

A new video on "Fair"y Use

Check out this thoughtful and incredibly snipped up video on Fair Use. Brilliantly done (kudos if you can name all the videos as they appear.)

Thanks to Walt for the link!

Using Yahoo! Music for Downloads

I'm working on a very special mixed CD and thought it would make more sense (and for the artists--cents) if I legally downloaded. It's faster than trolling the Internet for random bad free copies and while, ultimately, I'll spend about $14 for the songs, they're all ones that I particularly enjoy and they'll be in order that I choose. Also--I kind of doubt anyone but me would put Anastacia, Linkin Park, Cascada, and Natasha Bedingfield all on the same CD. I could be wrong though.

So there was the search to decide what service I wanted to use. I've heard various opinions and I've seen all of the slightly sketchy looking "legal" services online. I don't own an Ipod or a Mac--so getting anything from ITunes was not an option. (I do have an Mp3 player, just not one of the Apple variety and I'm okay with that.)

I use Yahoo!Music often at home while I'm locked in front of a keyboard and monitor and enjoy getting to see new music videos and listen to the radio that they offer--so it made sense to see what they had for this particular project. I considered signing up for Yahoo!Unlimited--except for one little thing. It lets me listen to music, create lists, etc etc etc--but I don't actually own a copy of the music. If I wanted to transfer the music to just my Mp3 player--I would have to pay a higher monthly fee--and if I wanted to own a song outright--it was only 20 cents cheaper than just buying the songs to begin with. Considering that I'm not planning on downloading the 500+ songs that it would take in a year to balance the subscription fee--I'm not sure when it would be a better option.

Perhaps if I listened to music at work--something I currently can't do.

Does anyone use this service that finds it useful? What downloading services do you use?

Traits of the 20th and 21st Century Librarian

LisNews recently had two rather volatile posts that I enjoyed. It listed some unfortunate Traits of the 20th Century Librarian and hoped for Traits of the 21st Century Librarian.

The primary difference seemed to be the focus on age and unwillingness to embrace new anything. Is it slightly broad sweeping? Yes. Are there items on that list that are a little too familiar when speaking of some librarians that I've dealt with? Also yes.

I come from a lifelong learning home. Education, although formally ending a little over two years ago, has never come to a complete halt. There are too many exciting new things to embrace. While I identify myself as less likely to embrace certain trends (such as living solely on text messages and Twitter), I do at least try to keep current on what's out there. Recent experiences and the recent reflections of a few other bloggers point out to me that apparently this makes me unusual. Blank looks, astonishment and "well, she's young" seems more par for the course.

It's a challenge to try to stay current, even using aggregators and RSS feeds, but it seems so worth it. The wealth of information available that we can weed through, read through, and gain others' opinions on is so vital to keeping current. Easier and cheaper (though not a replacement for) journals, available 24/7 with computer and Internet access. I hope we continue towards the trends for the 21st century librarians and don't get caught reverting to the negative outlooks we see in the unfortunate stereotypes of our past.

When all else fails...

I turn up the techno or house (depending on what CD I grab), make a huge pot of tea, and snuggle up with either a knitting project or that book I'm supposed to be editing.

Current song:

Nothing But You by Paul Van Dyk



Sure I'm a librarian...but something about me had to be quirky, right?

Cute Quizlettes....

We always knew I was nerdy...right?

Your Score: Pure Nerd

78 % Nerd, 26% Geek, 21% Dork

For The Record:



A Nerd is someone who is passionate about learning/being smart/academia.

A Geek is someone who is passionate about some particular area or subject, often an obscure or difficult one.

A Dork is someone who has difficulty with common social expectations/interactions.


You scored better than half in Nerd, earning you the title of: Pure Nerd.



The times, they are a-changing. It used to be that being exceptionally smart led to being unpopular, which would ultimately lead to picking up all of the traits and tendences associated with the "dork." No-longer. Being smart isn't as socially crippling as it once was, and even more so as you get older: eventually being a Pure Nerd will likely be replaced with the following label: Purely Successful.



Congratulations!


Thanks Again! -- THE NERD? GEEK? OR DORK? TEST

Link: The Nerd? Geek? or Dork? Test written by donathos on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test

And while I don't know if I agree with this...I suppose being a daisy isn't too bad..

I am a Daisy What Flower Are You?

Hilarious Cartoon!

An adorable comic from Turn the Page. I shared this with EVERYONE at my library.

I'm sure you will too :)

The Joys of Over-Social-Networking

I don't remember the subject of my first email--but I believe that I sent it somewhere around my 8th grade or freshman year of high school. Then, after four years of becoming increasingly addicted to email, I went to college. Ethernet brought instant messaging and a whole new world of friends in immediacy.

Now...I feel like I'm assaulted on every side with new ways to meet and interact with people and the vast majority of them are going by the wayside. Ones that I've tried include AIM, Yahoo Messenger, MSN Messenger, Trillian, MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, Ning, SecondLife, LibraryThing, LinkedIn and somewhere I think I still have a registration to Judy's Book. I'm sure I've forgotten something...

And apparently I'm showing my age because I still prefer to email or send an instant message. Although the Verizon plan I signed up for this evening does include unlimited messaging to anyone on any network, I'm not even really into text messaging. I use it for a few friends--one in particular whose text-spelling is so horrendous that to actually read the message you get nothing but gobbly-gook. In this world of skimming and processing without my brain really working, I can always read her messages clearly. It's not a primary form of communication for me though...apparently this puts me behind the groove.

Among my immediate family, I'm the communicator. I have a couple of close friends from junior high still, one of whom I had dinner with a little over a week ago and another whose wedding I will attend in the fall. I keep up with people from past jobs, schools, lives (it feels that way some days). And yet--it took a conscious effort to remember that I had to go in and change a status on MySpace and Facebook last week. I don't have a huge desire to be "friends" with everyone in the United States with my last name. I don't feel the need to befriend cool strangers who "want to meet other cool people." Selectivity--it's a beauteous thing.

It's cool to regroup with friends from high school and cousins who I've not seen since before college but otherwise I tend to just hover. If an email comes in--great, I'll catch up with someone--but otherwise I tend to be somewhat unavailable. And considering I was out of college before I got my first cell phone--I have a feeling I'll continue to be that way.

Why am I on Second Life again?

Apparently Hef has decided to join the Second Life party. Great... now we get to have PB Bunnies everywhere.

I'm blaming one of the Associate Editors for said magazine, who I do know personally.

Tagged Update

I mentioned a while back that Tagged was the hot site among my pre-teens. Apparently it's now "turning a profit" and doing well while focusing on user safety.

Uh-huh. And that's why one of my regular sixth graders is listed as a stunning 18 year old on the site. Riiiiiight.

Sorry, I'm a cynic but i have a hard time believing the safety promoted by these sites when then kids can way too easily bypass it. Kids will bypass and they don't understand why it isn't safe for them to be any age other than whatever it takes to get on the site (hence a 1o year old posing as 15).

I just hope nothing happens to any of "my" kids.

Feedburner Question

Alright..I'm having some difficulties so I'm going to ask here

I'm trying use Feedburner and I want to pick up anyone who has subscribed previously to my blog. I'm seeing lots of ways to do this with WordPress but not so much with blogger.

Recommendations and assistance requested and appreciated.

That Special Furball in My Life

As is relatively typical for a day that I don't have to crawl out of bed to the tune of the alarm clock-- I slept in, with the cat. If it's even slightly brisk out she cries until I'm semi lucid and then hops up on the bed and burrows under the covers. Most recently she's taken to spooning, she as the inner spoon, and using my shoulder as a pillow.

It's lovely having a pet again--even if she is technically my roommate's. Granted, a few friends who are allergic either cannot stay long in my home or must either take allergy medication before visiting but other than that---fabulous.

Dinah's a neurotic, squirrel chasing, escape focused mutt. Roomie rescued her from The Anti-Cruelty Shelter and I'd recommend going there if you need a new love in your life. Our furball is a medium-haired calico who looks slightly raccoon, slightly Persian, and mostly flirt. She's definitely gotten through life on her cuteness (certainly not her brain--she keeps trying to chase her tail while perched on the top rail of the shower doors...).

She's attention needy, noisy, she sheds all the time, steals chairs and any small object and mews piteously every time we have to clip her toenails (it takes both of us). The attention we get in return is absolutely worth it. Dinah will crawl up in my lap and lick my face when I'm sad, meet me at the door when I get home, and is always up for a game of chase the cat toy. She hides in my clean laundry, hops into open drawers and tries to get under the sink.

I'd love to get her a playmate but am not sure on the timing. It's always hard to find a place that will allow you to have a pet--though many renters have pets anyway. I'd love to get a Siamese again, though if I do I'll probably look here before I go to a breeder.

Song I'm listening to right now: Forever by Papa Roach

Looptopia Knitting

For those of you still running amok about the city, yes I'm home already. I have to take small children to see art tomorrow and thus must be somewhat lucid at seven a.m. But I did go down and I did participate in the first of what will probably become an annual overnight of insanity.

My general impression was that they weren't expecting the cold snap we seem to be having (wasn't it 80--yesterday?) or the number of people who turned out. There were lots of lines and lots of full rooms that no one else was allowed to enter. However, this did not apply to the room I was headed for and the security guard didn't even roll his eyes when the short, french braid pigtailed hedgehog asked "Where are the knitters?"

In a large room there were tables with yarn and needles and a lot of people sitting around chatting and knitting. Many people seemed to be learning for the first time or relearning a skill that "my mother taught me forever ago." There were obligatory punks, too cool to sit in chairs and use needles, who sat on the floor and did finger pieces. Not that I have anything against the floor, nor even against finger knitting, but it was a little too edgy for me.

I had brought a shawl that is in a perpetual (since January) state of being worked on. It's not a particularly hard pattern (feather and fan) but it's a pleasing color and texture and showcases the two basic stitches. While I worked I chatted with two young girls who were excited about being downtown and learning how to knit. The elder of course had "learn to knit before but hadn't done it in a while." When they left I was on my own devices for a little while and then two girls my own age came over and asked for help. One of them had never knit before so patiently for about a half hour, I taught her how to do the basic knit stitch. When she finally got it she was very excited.

The whole two hour experience though felt a bit like being in a zoo. The "wall" to the hallway was glass and people would come along, press up against the glass and take pictures. I could just see some documentary going on....

"Look Jimmy, it's a wild knitter...see how they're using round needles instead of the weird straight ones?"

More people came in and just took pictures--without any seeming regard for whether or not I really was interested in having my picture taken. So if any photos turn up of a pigtailed hedgehog in a white hoodie with a lap full of green yarn...let me know.

And Franklin said he'd be there. I saw him for a HOT SECOND and then he disappeared. Bummer.

Are you a Penguin or a Polar Bear?

On a personal note...

Danielle: A bird may love a fish, signore, but where will they live?
Leonardo da Vinci: Then I shall have to make you wings.

Courtesy of IMDB

The wings didn't work.....

I don't get it...

I didn't get it with the cats even though some of the pictures are really cute...

I don't get it with the librarians...

Apparently something is wrong with my sense of humor.

For Anyone Who Flies Frequently....

Before last weekend's travel to the Poconos, I'd forgotten how well ingrained is the pattern of arriving at the airport, handing over my luggage to people I've never met (still a scary prospect), and then waiting for the opportunity to strip down and be exposed to foot germs.

I don't travel by air much at the moment, but it used to be nearly often enough to take up Clear on their biometrics scanner offer, to let you hop through security a little faster. Anything to make security lines shorter, right?

You still have to go through the near strip-search that security has become (all jewelry, shoes, coats, laptops, etc etc etc) but without the line and possibly fewer germs? Time continues to be our health and money--even if it's just the money in the time bank of life.

I'm not sure how I feel about the fingerprint/iris scan. Part of me has the obligatory knee jerk "big brother is watching" reaction. The rest of me thinks--well, I hand them my passport anyway, and my fingerprint is probably a more viable security check than that is.

If I ever am in the position to travel more frequently (and if they are able to expand it to more airports than are currently using it), I will consider it.

Source: Popgadget!

How often do we all feel like this??

I LOVE this little video

A Chat by Richard Peck...

I had the opportunity this evening to hear Richard Peck deliver the 2007 Zena Sutherland Lecture. He's a dynamic speaker, confident without being overly arrogant about his own abilities. He comfortably engaged the large room.

Richard spoke about a number of things--but primarily about the coming of the YA novel, with the advent in the 70s of a world where children ruled instead of adults.

It was a slight slap of reality recognizing the truth in what he said. He spoke of the current generation of children, and my and my parents generations as well, seeking adult role models stronger than the ones they have, and then when they failed to find them, turning to each other for role models instead. As this culture became the status quo, he sees the downfall of the public school system. I got the impression he wasn't a big fan of the focus on a child's self-esteem coming before the educational process. He spoke of history repeating itself--with his own life seeing a "Pearl Harbor" at the beginning and end of it--likening the disaster I lived through nearly six years ago to one of his own childhood. As he pointed out, "geography is no defense against history."

Perhaps most poignant to me was his point that our teenagers today were dealing with "Adolescent angst in elementary vocabulary..is it any wonder they turn to violence." In my current place of work this seems painfully apparent. If we have not taught them to express themselves--how else but through physical action can they vent their frustrations. I was a frustrated and rather silent writer though high school and even now...the kids I work to serve are not.

It was inspiring to hear him lecture, a gentleman who reminded me a little more of my grandfathers than of my own father. He welcomed us as people of the book and offered us Robert Cormier's The Chocolate War and Paul Zindel's The Pigman as inspiration for his own extensive writings, as well as thoughtfully quoting Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn (he noted Twain was a role model of his). A thought he gave that I will perhaps most strongly hold onto though was that "you can only write by the light of the bridges burning behind you."

An excellent lecture....I'm glad I went.

**Any comments are as close as I could get them whilst scribbling on my program and trying to still listen and enjoy. Anything incorrect should be attributed to my inability to always fully do three things at once.

Reading List of the Week

Currently I'm enjoying Cleo Coyle's cozy Coffeehouse Mysteries. They're light, funny and occasionally make me wince when her descriptions of Manhattanites (and those who just work there) hit a little too close to home.

Now if I could just get her main character to brew me a doppio, I could stay up another 3 hours.

The Mother's Day Project

As I try to figure out what to get mia Mamma..

This Mother's Day Project looked interesting. I hope to get to take part.

Sorry I'm not more expressive at the moment--I didn't get enough caffeine today.

Waking up in the morning would be more fun if....

I had one of THESE

Come on---doesn't that sound like fun?

My luck of course I'd sleep through it--the only thing to get me up and perking these days is my cell phone alarm.

New Faces....

There will hopefully be a few new eyeballs on the blog this week due to an inservice that I attended today. Following the interesting but occasionally mego-ing sessions (Mine Eyes Glazeth Over), a large chunk of personages headed for liquid refreshment of the alcoholic sense.

And in two hours and a cold cider, I probably achieved better networking than I have in the last six weeks. It's amazing what a cold drink will do...