Photo Break Friday

Since you suffered through my nearly 1700 word diatribe, I figured you'd bear with me for a couple of completely non-library related images.

Over Christmas, Gypsy got to watch "Cat TV" at the Incredibly-Patient-Mother's house. There were a ton of birds hanging out in the backyard and three very healthy and acrobatic squirrels. I'm told this is the "skinny" one. Squirrel sandwich anyone?









On the way home she met AudioGirl's Dinah. They spent the night hissing at each other.











But Gypsy has settled in nicely since we got home (she was happy to be back here). She found which chair gets the most sunlight for her battery recharging naps.










She's located a wonderful supply of "celery" (that's what it sounds like she's eating).









She's figured out if she gets in between me and the monitor that I HAVE to pay attention to her. (Yes, my desk is a disaster)










And she continues to be stunningly beautiful.










I'm having "Cat Warming" tomorrow night so she can meet some of my LPL coworkers. And I've arranged for the RefQueen's daughter to cat sit for my next long trip.

TechNO Changes?

While perusing a vanity search, I found Walt's post about TechNos and revisited my own list of things I don't do in this ever changing technological world. I thought it'd be interesting to do a comparison.


Last Year:

• DTV: Wasn't worried about the transition
• SQL: On the To Learn Better List
  
• No Digital Camera
• A little concerned about Blu-Ray

This Year

• DTV, the transition came and went and many people still need boxes. Haven't heard any great fussing about it though. **ETA: Walt reminds me that we've not gone through DTV yet, though a couple of our local stations have. Still, it has dropped off the radar of late. Thanks Walt!
  
• SQL: Still on the to-learn list, though my database work is thumping various aspects into my brain
• I now have a small digital camera that lives in my purse. It's pretty awesome and I'm enjoying it. Still miss some of the film camera aspects, but being able to inflict all of my Ravelry and Friendfeed friends with pictures of my yarn and knitting projects.
  
• Have yet to buy a Blu-Ray player.
  

New Things for This Year?

• I'm still not an active gamer outside of the occasional round of Scramble or Word Twist on Facebook
• I've not gotten into ebooks. With piles in my library basket, on my bookshelves, and on my waiting lists, it could yet be a while before I get to those.
  
• My high speed internet doesn't play nice with my wireless, so I've never used Hulu

What things have changed for you over the last year? What things have you become aware of that you are choosing to not embrace or might embrace in the future?

Making an Effort....Or at Least Trying to

There's been growing discussion on the boards the last couple of weeks about participation in our national organizations. For the majority of us, this seems to be a sore topic full of frustration. I particularly liked Emily Ford's discussion of it, self-identifying somewhere around Level 2 (trying to be involved but generally feeling stifled).

I did finally re-up for another year of ALA, after much pondering, many consultations, and not a few rounds of ranting how this was resume filler that didn't seem to be doing much good to/for anyone. I appealed to NMRT, Madame Director, the RefQueen, and a ridiculous number of non-librarians (who don't particularly care) on their opinion of if I should rejoin. It meant I reconnected with one of my libschool cohorts but didn't provide much in the way of clarity.

Ultimately, I decided to give Library and Information Technology Association (LITA) a try. It's a division of ALA, such that to join what I was interested in, I had to join the overhead. With optimism of how welcoming they are, and the knowledge that I had a few friends in there already, I sent away the hard earned funds and the committee form. I signed up on the LITA list....

Thus far....that's been it. No one has emailed regarding committees and while the list has had a couple of interesting conversations, I've not really seen anything I felt inclined to dive into. This is rather dissatisfying as I was looking to actually get involved in doing something more than read lists.

Granted, I actually can identify projects LITA has taken on (e.g BIGWIG) and I know a number of the names and faces around LITA. But when I've brought the topic up on other library related networking places it's been met without much response. And that's kind of frustrating. I'm not sure if everyone is just focused elsewhere or if it's based on my inability to go to both conferences.

So tonight I fling myself at the list again, hoping to spark something. Not sure what yet, but something....

And yes, in the interim, there is the LSW.

My Starbucks is Closing!!

Though certainly not as bad as it was when I lived in New York and passed three Starbucks on my way to work, I have a mild addiction to Starbucks. In the winter, it's vanilla lattes and blueberry scones. In the summer, venti iced green tea with a single pump of classic. I wrote my undergraduate thesis at one on the north side of Indianapolis; I have had innumerable talks with friends, addressing all kinds of drama at others.

It was something Sibling-the-Elder pointed out as a bonus when I moved to La Crosse that I wasn't really that far from the local Starbucks. Not an around the corner stroll but certainly right on the way to work and I could rollerblade.

It's one of the 600 they are closing.

There's a lot of whining going on at Chez Hedgehog. It was a super long tough day filled with completely uncontrolled children, parents who are more interested in their laptop screens than they are their four year olds (seriously--one got outside today before anyone noticed), and just not enough sanity to go around. My business manager and Madame Director both came by for piece of chocolate and I think the RefQueen was headed down for it this evening.

Ah well, there's still three independent coffee shops downtown and I own an espresso machine and a coffee maker. And a tea kettle that gets a ridiculous amount of use when it's not eleventy-hundred degrees out.

I suppose I'll survive. Somehow.

A TechNot....

Speaking of the Raccoon--

Rochelle put up a "not a meme" asking what our level of technological savvy level is and confessing just where that fabulousness runs out.

I'm okay about the DTV thing--mostly because I just finally bought a TV in late October. I hadn't owned one since 1999. My roommates had always had them--so I didn't see a need to add another one to the mix. LiB has a nice post with coupons and a nifty handout about it.

My confessions?

I can read SQL but I'm pretty lousy at writing it raw. I do design work but I work entirely in Access, because that's what my clients use. While this works out nicely for all of us--there are times I really wish I was a little better at writing it straight out. And don't even get me started on CSS. It's a continuing education goal I have.

I still own and am very happy with a sturdy point-and-click camera. It zooms, flashes and reduces red eye. And it takes great pictures. I'm not looking forward to the digital transition, even though I know I need to make it. I hate the delay on digitals--and that there doesn't seem to a way to get around the delay. With a "one time" camera from Walmart or the grocery I aim, click and it takes--no waiting. With my camera I can turn the flash to required and click away.

I'm not looking forward to Hi Def. Blu-Ray seems to have won but I'm looking at my large DVD collection thinking-- again? I just got rid of all my VHS tapes when I moved to Chicago. I'm hoping that's going to be a slow upgrade.

An OpenID: You May Already Have One

A comment on an earlier blog post--made by the venerable Raccoon--reminded me that I needed to get an OpenID.

An OpenID is a single log in that I can use anywhere that accepts it (growing number of sites available here) so that I might hopefully have a few less pin numbers and passwords running around my head or scribbled on a scrap of paper that will invariably get lost. Of Zen and Computing has a very clear, non-technical explanation if you'd like more detail.

R's comment wasn't about OpenID in particular--but Blogger accepts OpenID for comments--so she was able to use an alternative log in from a site where she was already registered. She did this without even having consciously signed up for an OpenID. Blogger then used the OpenID icon by her name in the comments section. Blogger updated this week with small icons next to the comments that allow you to see all of the log in options it will allow-- AOL and LiveJournal are just two.

I chose to use one of my Yahoo! logins for my OpenID. It struck me today that with the pending hostile merger with Microsoft this might not have been my most brilliant idea ever but I can probably change it at some point in the future if desperately needed. I've not been OpenID'ing all over the intertubes just yet. Yahoo! signed on this project in January, giving it much exposure and a boost that it needed. I was pleased because I know my Yahoo! ID when I'm semi-lucid as well as when I'm as hyper as I was on Valentine's Day chocolate. The best part though was that I wasn't going to have to register myself at yet another website. It was very easy--I went here and spent about 2 minutes confirming the registration and looking at the tutorials.

Something to check out. The people I have heard from who have signed up for it say they are pleased to be going around the net and seeing new places where the OpenID icon appears and knowing they don't have to fill out yet another log in. I'm looking forward to it! If you have experience with it--please share.

Job Opening at La Crosse Public Library

In case you're fascinated by tons of snow, temperatures well below zero degrees Fahrenheit, and a really great library system--check out the job ad that has gone up for La Crosse Public Library.

We've got two branches in addition to Main where I work at, overseen by a valiant lady who needs a second in command. It'd be a chance to do a little bit of everything and to help expand new ideas that you have. Job description available here. If you're interested in a lovely small town nestled between potato style mountains ("bluffs") and the Mississippi--it's perfect. School systems are good if you've children, there are three universities here for your own continuing ed, and the people are awfully nice. Happy to share opinions of a recently relocated--shoot me an email.

We've got a hedgehog and a raccoon-- what can you add to the mix?