Drop the Book, Part 2

I'm not feeling quite so sorry for the hapless patron who got locked in the library the other night, now that I heard he's done it before--at least once, possibly more than once.

And I never did feel sorry for the guy who walked in while the police were in the process of subduing their first "perp." Supposedly, all the action was taking place right in front of the doors, so you would think that an aware person would see the police, with guns drawn, and decide that he didn't have to get that book right then after all.

Hooray for Niceness

Business at the reference desk is starting to pick up a bit, but things are still relatively slow. So, for the past several hours, with only an occasional question to interrupt me, I've been thrashing aimlessly through the murky disaster that is the UNT Libraries Communications Subject Guide Web site. It's all a big, cloudy mess, and I don't know where to start in order to impose some order and dejunk everything. As I used to say all the time in my former career, "I think my head is about to explode."

So, imagine my delight when I answered a telephone call from Dr. Dan Peak, a UNT Professor. Now, in case you don't know, some university faculty members act as if they are in every way superior to everyone they meet, and this attitude sometimes manifests itself in rude behavior. Only one faculty member has ever been truly rude to me, but I've spoken with several whose manner was brusque, to say the least.

Well, not Dr. Peak. He needed help finding a few resources, and he also turned out to have a technical problem that was hindering him. He absolutely couldn't have been nicer or more appreciative of my help. And then, before I finished writing this post, Dr. Peak called back to tell me that he found the first item he needed, and to ask another question. In the course of the conversation, he told me that as a doctoral student at UNT he used to pass time in the library by browsing through Civil War issues of Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, and asked if it was still in the basement stacks where it used to be.

I'm ashamed to say that I didn't even know of the existence of such an item. Leslie's was a competitor of Harper's Weekly, and actually began a couple of years before Harper's. It sounds like it would definitely make for interesting browsing. Incidentally, I determined that Leslie's is now housed under lock and key in the libraries' Rare Book Room. Perhaps students back in the day were a bit more respectful of rare newspapers than they are now. Or perhaps someone just wised up to the fact that some things deserve to be kept in a safe place, regardless of how much you trust your users.

So anyway, hooray for Dr. Peak and his pleasant, polite demeanor. Not only did he rescue me from the middle of my murky mess, but he definitely brightened the evening.

In the same vein, another pleasant patron left a reference book on the desk while I was in the office gobbling down my dinner (I had pulled the book for her earlier), and on top she left a "thank you" note with a smiley face.

Hooray for niceness!

Drop the Book and Step Away from the Shelf, Sir

When I returned to work yesterday, I read in the weekly newsletter that someone tripped the burglar alarm at the library two Fridays ago when he tried to exit the library after it closed. About 30 minutes before closing, the circulation department starts making PA announcements about the closing. The final announcement is about 9 minutes before the posted closing time, and it says that the library is closing and the building must be cleared immediately. The "security person" makes a cursory check of the stairwells (4) and floors (5) at about that time, but I know they don't check the bathrooms. I suppose if you were closeted in a bathroom with an MP3 player blaring through the headphones, it would be quite possible to miss all the announcements, and to emerge 30 minutes later to find you have been locked in the building.

Anyway, when the straggler tried to exit the locked building he set off the burglar alarm, which sent the UNT police on the run, guns drawn. Then, while the police were dealing with the alarm-tripper, someone else, noticing the front door was unlocked, entered the building from the sidewalk. He too was confronted by the police and told to lie down on the floor.

I gather from the tone and content of the e-mail that people complained that someone involved in the incident, either the straggler or the hapless visitor, was treated unfairly by the police. None of my acquaintances in Circulation are here today, or I would try to find out what really happened.

Too bad the crackerjack reporting staff of the North Texas Daily has taken off for the summer. If not, we might have been able to find out the real scoop on the "Incident at the Willis Library."

And definitely too bad for the poor straggler that UNT Libraries don't blare the Hawaii Five-O theme from the loudspeaker to signal closing time, like the library at a more inventive institution used to do.

Back in the Saddle Again

Well, Auntie K is back from her trip, and here's the report. Probably in more detail than you desire!

I had a great time this weekend visiting with Brother #2 and his Lovely Wife, and playing with Adorable Niece #3 (not to be confused with Adorable Niece #1 or Adorable Niece #2).

Said family moved from a tiny apartment to a house, and it was fun to watch Curly (aka Niece #3) enjoy her new freedom. Free from confining baby-gates and an off-limits kitchen, Curly now enjoys opening and shutting the kitchen drawers, running back and forth between the living room and her bedroom, and opening and closing her bedroom door.

The trip's agenda was thus:

Thursday: 10:15 am departure. Not quite as early as I hoped, but I don't know anyone in my family besides my dear Redd grandparents who ever leave on a trip a) at the crack of dawn or b) at the time they say they will. I was pretty proud of 10:15, given that 8:00 was the ETD. 2 hrs and 15 minutes is not too long of a delay.

Thursday, continued: 1:30 pm arrival. Helped pack items from the kitchen, admired Curly, chatted with Lovely Sister-in-Law. After supper LS-i-l and I watched the Lost season finale she had videotaped the night before, so we could discuss it with each other. Brother #2 only enters into Lost discussions in order to make fun, so LS-i-l was eager to talk it over with a real fan. After the break, more packing, then Brother and I took two carloads of things to the new house. We got back to the apartment at about midnight.

Friday: The movers arrived at 9:00 am, at which time Curly and I fled the scene and hung out at the park for a while. Curly's favorite activity at the park involved walking up and down the concrete steps, one hand on the rail and one hand on Auntie K. We returned to the apartment right as the movers were headed out for the house, so the whole family packed up various cars and headed to the house as well, where Curly and Auntie K ate lunch and took a little nap. That afternoon, Brother and I made one more trip to and from the apartment for some more packing and hauling. Once he got the DVD player up and running, and Curly and LS-i-l had gone to bed, Brother and I engaged in some quality sibling bonding by watching a Seinfeld episode (The Pen).

Saturday: Curly and I hung out at home while her parents did some shopping and went back up to the apartment. We had fun reading Teletubbies books, taking a nap (of course), and playing with all of Curly's toys. Saturday night, LS-i-l's brother came in town for a visit and ate dinner with us, after which I took a trip to Target. I was suffering from withdrawal symptoms, and didn't think I could wait until this week to get my Target fix.

Sunday: Everyone went to church, of course. Curly was very well-behaved. It was a bit of a shock to Auntie K to have to attend Sunday School and Relief Society (the women's meeting), since she is used to missing those meetings to be in Primary (children's Sunday School). After church and a filling lunch, everyone took naps of varying lengths (naps are big in our family). Once everyone had awoken, and we spent some time chatting and snapping photos, I departed for home at about 5 pm, arriving sometime after 8:30 pm.

All in all, it was a lovely trip, despite the packing and moving activities. And now, on Monday afternoon, I'm back at work, back to the computer, back to blogging, back to that l-o-n-g to do list...

Auntie K Takes a Trip

Well, I'm off on a trip south to visit one of the sibs for a few days and to babysit niece #3 while her parents move. I think this will be more enjoyable than the animal sitting, but will probably require a bit more energy. I hear niece #3 is quite active these days. Apparently, she doesn't like to sit still for long. Quite the opposite of her auntie!

So, Auntie K's Blog will likely be on hiatus for a few days, as said sibling is not "connected." But I'll try to come back with a good photo of the girl to show off here when I return.

A Picture is Worth...

three hundred dollars.

One Thing Leads to Another

**Warning: This post may lead to time-eating Internet surfing**

Are you aware of the crawl Blogger has on their home page where they list recently-updated blogs? Every day, they also list a new Blog of Note. I've looked at a few of the noteworthy sites, and they're usually pretty interesting.

Well, today I randomly clicked on an updated blog, The Concept of Irony, and it turned out to be really good. The most recent post, about items he had sent to PostSecret, is quite humorous. I also enjoyed a previous post (complete with photo) about a high school student who performed, in costume, the author's Short Imagined Monologue by the Microsoft Office Assistant Paper Clip (I hate that little thing, but I'm not the only one.)

Of course, then I had to check out PostSecret. I've heard of it, but never looked at it. They describe themselves as "an ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a homemade postcard." The entries vary from humorous to hilarious to pathetic to frightening to sad to bittersweet. PostSecret recently published a book that you can buy at your local bookstore (or at my favorite, Barnes and Noble.com).

Next, that led me to FOUND Magazine, a concept related to PostSecret where people send in found items like grocery lists, notes, poetry, "anything that gives a glimpse into someone else's life." FOUND also has two hardcopy issues available in bookstores. FOUND II is newly available.

Hmm. Auntie K's birthday is coming up in a few months. Guess now she has a few more things to add to her wish list.

Happy surfing!

Financial Bliss

Well, some of you are aware that I did not discuss payment details with my employers before I began animal sitting last weekend. I wasn't certain I would see the employers immediately upon their return, and was thus a bit anxious about when I might be paid.

However, everything turned out just beautifully. I arrived at the house on Sunday afternoon to check on everyone (I had been at choir practice) just as the homeowners arrived home from their trip.

Immediately, the mistress said that she needed to pay me before I left, and she exited the room and returned to hand me some cash. As she gave it to me, she said that she hoped it would be enough. I assured her that it would, and promptly put the money in my pocket, thinking it bad form to inspect it in front of her, particularly since we had never discussed actual rates. I could see a $100 bill however, so I figured I would be fine.

Well, imagine my elation when I inspected the wad in the car and realized she had handed me not one $100 bill, nor even two $100 bills.

Yes, that's right. I earned $300 for my weekend of toil!

I think the only time I have ever handled a $100 bill was when I cashiered at Minyard Food Store many years ago. I've certainly never had three of them in my possession. Luckily, my personal banker offered to go out the next morning and convert them to more practical denominations (thanks, Dad).

To top off the story, earlier in the week I received the $100 stipend check (minus taxes) I earned for working at my school's exhibit booth at the Texas Library Association conference in April.

All of this means, to a poor hourly wage-earner like myself, that I'm rich!

Oh wait. That's not true. My new digital camera also arrived last week. Coincidentally, it cost nearly the same amount as what I earned on the two extra jobs. Easy come, easy go.

But I am having fun learning how to use the new camera.

What's on Your Agenda Tonight?

So, who out there is going to be watching television tonight? You have quite a few choices, including:

• American Idol


• Lost


• Phoenix Suns v. Dallas Mavericks

Since I'm not an AI watcher, my vote is with basketball. I am a devoted Lost fan, but I've told you before how I feel about television commercials, so I probably wouldn't watch Lost when it's aired, even if I were going to be home.

Which I won't.

I'll be at work, sneaking listens to the game on my Sony Walkman FM/AM radio cassette player. Remember those? They list them on eBay as "vintage."

Go Mavs!

Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?

In the house I stayed in over the weekend, I counted ten clocks on the first floor. Of the ten clocks, only two showed a time anywhere close to the actual time. Most, in fact, were not even working. Now, if one is interested enough in clocks to have ten of them, wouldn't one also be interested enough to set the time on them correctly? (Unless you're Doc Brown, that is)

I myself have quite an interest in knowing the correct time of day or night. In case you aren't acquainted with them, here are some of my favorite time-related Web sites:

The Official U. S. Time

U. S. Naval Observatory Master Clock Time - This is what I use to set my watch

WorldTimeServer.com

Reality TV I Can Get Behind

I'm not much of a reality TV fan. I fall into category of viewers who prefer their shows to be strictly fantasy or to contain lots of fictional detective action. That's why I watch Lost, Monk, The Closer, and Without A Trace.

I caught a show last night, however, that I can definitely get behind. It's Food Network's Food Network Challenge, which airs Sundays at 10pm/9 central. This week, they are airing Sugar Showdown, a challenge where four sugar artists have to create a 4-feet high sugar sculpture on an outdoor theme. In each of the first two rounds, someone is eliminated, leaving two artists who vie for the $10,000 prize in the final round. I only saw the second half of the show, but it was pretty amazing. They are showing the episode four more times this week if you are curious to see how to make a dolphin out of blown sugar. Don't try this at home!

The next new episode is Build a Better Burger 2. Not sure that will be as thrilling as Sugar Showdown, but you never know.

Computer Free Zone

As connected as I often am, it was still nice to enjoy a computer-free Sunday yesterday. My cousin Brooke was in town this weekend visiting a friend, so she went to Church with us and then came to the house for dinner (delicious, Mom), and lots of fun conversation. I had to bow out later to go to choir practice, but I thoroughly enjoyed the visit we had. Anyone else want to come for a visit? The house looks pretty presentable right now, as long as you don't need a bedroom to sleep in overnight!

And now, back to weekday life, computers and all.

Just Read Starrlett's Stuff Instead

My friend Starr has blogged about some very interesting things this week. So you should just go straight there instead of reading whatever I might have to say. Here's a summary, so you know what you are getting into:

1. Next year, ABC will run the season of Lost in two separate chunks of one new episode every week, with no repeats in between, in the mode of some cable networks. Good for them! Starr's post is here. Be sure to check out the link in the title of her post. It brings back some good memories of all the tv watching I did with my brother during the late 70's/early 80's.

2. Cool stuff to browse through on the Internet (like I need more time wasting opportunities). Actually, Starr's post is just about some fun things she found on Blogthings, but I didn't know about that site, so it was fun to try some of them out for myself. Also, click on the title of this post on Starr's blog to find out about more Lost info from Wikipedia, another site where you could waste spend oodles of time.

It's All Relative

Well, the animal sitting isn't going that well. I'll just say that one of the five charges is a real pill. A barking, snarling pill, and I'm afraid she might take a chunk of my flesh if given the opportunity. One of the other five exhibits completely opposite behavior, and we spent last night in bed together cheek to cheek. The cat, whom I've only laid eyes on twice, is the best of my charges.

All of this is making Oscar the Wolf look better and better by comparison.

To whit:

• Oscar is quiet (unless he sees another dog or hears thunder outside).



• Oscar doesn't chew on non-food items.



• Oscar does smell, but he also has never tried to crawl in bed with any of the humans in the house. If fact, he will only come into my bedroom for seconds at a time. Must be too neat and clean for him!



• Oscar did take a lunge at me once, and he's been known to growl at me when he's lying down and feels that I may try to steal one of his beloved tennis balls, but I'm never in any real fear that I might lose a finger to him.



• Oscar is sometimes a bit dusty, and he sheds like nobody's business, but his hair is not matted with dirt and he doesn't have a cloud of flies following him about outside.



• Oscar basically sleeps or lies about all night. He doesn't usually bark, whine, bang the door to his kennel, or growl. And if he does want attention or need outside, he looks not to me but to his beloved master, so I can continue sleeping in peaceful oblivion.

I am Auntie K; Auntie K is me.

I decided I'm getting tired of referring to myself in third person. Since using second person would just be weird, that leaves us with first person. The normal approach, that is.

And after all, we all know who I am by now, right?

Unlucky Move

I suppose most of Auntie K's readers are acquainted with ISBN's, or International Standard Book Numbers. Kind of like the SSN of the book world, except an ISBN has 10 digits.

Until now, that is.

In January 2007, ISBN numbers will start converting to 13 digits in order to accommodate increasing publishing volume (more than 195,000 new titles and editions published last year).

Wait a minute. 13? I think this is a highly unlucky move. Everyone has supposedly been planning for this for a year already, but it sounds a bit like an evil plot to overthrow the publishing and library world, and to stop all library catalogs in their tracks. Let's hope Auntie K. is wrong.

*If you're dying to know more about ISBN's, look at this FAQ.

Auntie K Goes to the Dogs

Auntie K is animal sitting 4 dogs and 1 cat this weekend. How's that for a non-animal lover?

Two dogs and the cat belong to some neighbors who are traveling out of town for their son's wedding. The other two dogs belong to said son.

Josie, a poodle/chow mix, is a little bit of a thing who stays in the house and is no trouble. Tyra is a big beast who only stays outside, poor thing. She has quite a menagerie of flies that travel about with her. Their cat, or at least I think it was their cat, was sitting outside the front door when I arrived today and promptly whisked in the house and up the stairs. Hope it wasn't someone else's cat!

That leaves Millie and Nestle, the kennel trained dogs of the son. Millie is a puppy, some kind of skinny red hound (think she's an Ibizan) who will be big when she's grown, and she is fine. Nestle is a chocolate brown Labrador, who growled and barked so much at Auntie K and at Grandpa West from inside her kennel that she has yet to be let out. Auntie K is hoping for better luck when she returns from work tonight. Otherwise, Nestle might be pretty hungry before too long.

The disappointment of it all is that Auntie K was hoping to drown her sorrows, and her disgust at the 92 degree heat, in the swimming pool out back. Alas, the water in the pool is a murky green. Here's a pretty good picture of a similar-looking pool.

Random Library Stuff

Well, one of Auntie K's readers recently said that she eagerly anticipates each new Auntie K post, so that really creates some pressure. Not sure if today will hit the mark or not, but here goes.

Right now, it's 6:15 and the evening at work is stretching out before me. From where I sit, it looks like a long, hunger-inducing 3 hours and 45 minutes. Yes, I do have projects on which I should be working, but I can't do those with a clean conscience and light heart until I finish reworking my resume and send out some applications. I did all the cosmetic changes on the resume last night, so tonight it will be down to the real guts of the thing. Which is why I'm blogging. But of course, I will stop to cheerfully help anyone who walks up, calls up, or e-mails the reference desk.

This week I have talked to two people at the desk who were interested in learning a second language by reading children's books. The first person was thinking about changing her major to Spanish, so I sent her off to find El Patito Feo. Just now, I talked to someone who asked for "short stories," but it turns out that like the other patron, she wanted children's stories in order to practice (English as) a second language. So, I sent her off to the juvenile collection at large, assuming she could identify an appropriate book by browsing. Interestingly enough, UNT's juvenile collection is not here at the Humanities and Social Sciences Library, but is down the way at the Science and Technology Library. Go figure. And, I'm not sure how good a collection it is. They don't have one single Nancy Drew book over there. Can you imagine?

To finish off, I'll see if I can't find something interesting to share from the book that was sitting at the desk when I came on duty: The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms.

One of my favorite sayings is "Don't Look a Gift Horse in the Mouth." According to the Dictionary, this "cautionary proverb" can be "traced to the writings of the 4th-century cleric, Saint Jerome. It alludes to determining the age of a horse by looking at its teeth." I always thought of the meaning as, "don't complain about something if it's free." The Dictionary interprets the meaning as "be critical or suspicious of something received at no cost."

Don't you feel enlightened?

Urban Fairies

The travel section in Auntie K's Sunday's paper had a fascinating story about the fairy doors in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Maybe you know about them? They are little fairy-size doors in various buildings around town. Some of them even open up so that big people can see inside the fairies' living quarters.

If you're curious, check out the Urban Fairies Web site. Be sure to read about the kindergarten class project to trap a fairy near the fairy door in their classroom.

Unidentified Object Revealed

**Warning: Not for the squeamish reader**

Here is an article describing and showing pictures of the original purpose behind the unidentified object Auntie K blogged about earlier.

Thank you to CJRW for furnishing the object under discussion.

Carb Bliss

An imaginative reader just posted a comment about the Unidentified Object from May 8, wondering if it is an Aebleskiver turner. It isn't, but that's a great idea.

A great idea that sent Auntie K off into blissful dreaming about Aebleskivers and other yummy, high carbohydrate treats like pancakes, cookies, and yummy "cake-bread." Auntie K ate two of the three for breakfast this morning (leftover buttermilk pancakes, the best she's ever tasted, and anise seed bisochitos (official state cookie of New Mexico)*.

There's a reason Auntie K has the "voluptuous" figure she does, and why she would never do well on a low-carb diet--if she had to give up bread she would be too sad to go on living.


*Auntie K used the recipe in Nancy Baggett's All American Cookie Book.

Postal Bliss

Auntie K is lucky enough to have a wonderful auntie herself.

Look what her Aunt Linda sent her in the mail this week! Not one knitting pattern in one envelope, but two knitting patterns in two separate envelopes!

You probably can't tell from the photo, but the cardigan is made of Muench Touch Me. At $14.85 a skein, and 26 skeins a sweater*, Auntie K won't be making it anytime soon. But she does aspire to make the pullover some day. She's not going to bother finding out how much the yarn for the pullover would cost. No sense in killing the dream yet.

*That is, $386.10. For one sweater. That may or may not turn out, given the difficulty of the pattern and the ornery nature of Touch Me.

Post Game Slump

I should be elated, right?

Last night, I finished my school work at 10:30 (not my best effort, but too late now), took the beast for a truly beastly walk around the block (he really was a pain), made German Pancakes, and watched Richard III (interesting, but the reviewer who said it was a better Shakespeare film than Ken's Henry V or Much Ado is plum crazy). I rounded off the evening by reading the beginning of s 'n b Nation before drifting off to dreamland.

Now, it's 3:48 the next afternoon, and I've done nothing all day.

I don' t want to ever do anything again.

I was dreaming of a computer-free day, but that's not possible, since I have things to do for Primary tomorrow. So I'm blogging instead.

I won't feel like it, but the list of things to do as soon as I finish blogging (in no particular order, though I'm sure you can identify the most urgent ones) includes:

• take a shower
• do flyer for Primary Quarterly Activity (water games!)
• set up a Bloglines account
• buy a digital camera
• redo my resume
• send out job applications
• set up chairs for Primary tomorrow
• renew vehicle registration
• watch Ken's Hamlet before the tapes are due at the library
• make a date with my dear friend Sarah, whom I've neglected for months
• wrap Mother's Day gifts
• knit
• clean the bedroom
• clean the bathroom
• get the car tires rotated
• exercise
• make a dental appointment
• teach myself CSS
• redo Auntie K's Blog's template
• start an account at Library Thing
• improve my Web portfolio and move it to a new host
• get organized for Capstone
• apply for graduation
• eat something
• find out the Sacrament Meeting hymns for tomorrow
• watch the Mavs beat the Spurs tonight
• drink more water
• get a Flickr account
  

See what I mean?

Seventh Inning Stretch

I'm almost there--one last school assignment due at midnight tonight, and then I will be only one 3-question essay exam away from completing my library science degree.

Unfortunately, that one last assignment is a personal reflection upon a group collaboration project, in the form of dated journal entries (with reference to concepts learned during the course and to outside sources) that I have supposedly been working on for the past two months.

I have one entry. I have to leave to go to work in 3.5 hours.

Why, you ask, am I blogging instead of working on the journal?

As I said to Mom last night when she asked why I didn't work on the journal as the project progressed, "Why does the sun rise in the East and set in the West?" That is to say, blogging is easier and more enjoyable, so why would I do homework if I could be blogging?



*BTW, special thanks to CJRW, LRM, and Starr for being such faithful readers. Starr, I enjoy reading your blog and all the cool things you mention there, and I had fun trading comments with you last night at work (when I should have been working on the journal).

PS - Am I the only one who finds it odd that Blogger's built-in spell check doesn't recognize the word "blog" ?

Run...

It's a Wolf!


(Auntie K apologizes for the zombie eyes. Maybe if she one day becomes as adept at using Photoshop as this guy, she'll do a better job of photographing the beast.)

Burger Bliss

Guess what I had for supper on the way to work?

#1 Wendy's Combo, Small;

no lettuce, onions, or pickles;

with a Diet Coke (sorry, Mom).

And did you know there are people out there in the developed world who have never eaten a fast food burger? How do they go on living?

As it is, I don't know why I thought life was living during all the years I wasted time eating the #5 Wendy's Combo. Luckily, I've seen the light.

Apologies to any of Auntie K's vegetarian readership.

Italian's Ski Hat?

Two guesses as to what this is that I'm working on (Linda and Cynthia* are ineligble to participate):




No, it's not a hat for an Italian skier


*Does that leave anyone else to guess?

Library Bliss

One is good, Two is better, Three is even better.

Today I have visited not one, but three libraries.

True, the third visit was to come to work, and visits one and two were quick run-ins to pick up hold items. Nonetheless, you have to admit that three library visits in one day makes for a pretty good day. Of course, as a truly committed public library patron, I came out of visits one and two with more than my hold items, including *Stitch 'n bitch Nation. I doubt I'll make anything from it, but it's always fun to look.

I haven't borrowed anything at work tonight, but the evening is still young.


*Disclaimer: Auntie K got the book from the new book shelf at the Garland library, but she linked to the Plano library's catalog record because she's partial to that library and that catalog.

Eliminate that Diaper Rash

OK, I've heard of pushing children into growing up too fast, but this is taking it to the extreme: Diaper-free babies.

Remember what it's like to potty train a 2-year old? Try a 2-month old.

(Of course, Auntie K doesn't know from experience what it's like to potty train a 2-year old, but she can imagine. And she was a 2-year old potty-trainee once as well).

Cordy

Today is my cousin Cordy West Coon's birthday. She would be 36. When I think about her, I'm struck by the frequent use of quotes and adages about living each day as if it were our last. In Cordy's case, she died of leukemia after an illness of only a few weeks, seven days after her 31st birthday, leaving parents and sisters, a husband, and two young children behind.

I don't know about you, but I rarely do live every day as if it were my last, even knowing what I know about the life to come and our purpose here on earth. After all, there's always tomorrow in which to do what I didn't accomplish today. Someday, however, tomorrow will find us in a very different place from today, and it will then be too late to do most of what we keep putting off.

Cordy cared about her extended family and tried hard to keep in touch with the West cousins we never saw, writing to them frequently and keeping track of their comings and goings. She and I spent two years together at BYU, if memory serves me, and I was grateful to have her as a friend.

Spoiled Rotten

OK, if I were a true blogger at heart, I would have posted about this weeks ago, but what can I say?

Did you hear the news about Philips applying for a US patent that would allow broadcasters to "freeze" a TV channel during the commercial? In theory, the viewer wouldn't be able to surf off to a different channel during the commercial.

I won't go into it all here. Just Google Philips patent commercial, and you'll get all kinds of results from blogs and techie Web sites complaining about the story. Here's an interesting comment I read about how this is the kind of thing that might make people push for the socialization of media organizations. Hmm.

Anyway, the point of all this is to give you my take on the whole thing (else why are we here?). Right after I heard the story, I was in Houston for a few days for the Texas Library Association conference (yay!), and an interesting experience gave the Philips story some personal relevance for me.

As everyone knows, a hotel stay isn't worth the money if you don't spend at least one evening 1) sleeping or 2) eating junk food and watching TV. Thursday night, I opted for #2, and settled in with a bag of mint double stuff Oreos (not as good as I hoped) to watch Without a Trace (I'd already exercised option #1 earlier in the week).

Well, I'll just say that all the commercials were a rude shock to my lazy, spoiled rotten, DVR-watching self. These days, I rarely watch any shows as they're broadcast, because it's infinitely preferable to record it on the DVR and watch it later when I can fast-forward through the commercials.

This led me to reflect upon how truly spoiled we are by much modern technology. My grandparents were my age or older before they even had a television. Forget all the obscene options in viewing and recording we have now.

Of course, that doesn't mean I'm ready to give up the DVR anytime soon. I'm willing to accept and admit that I'm spoiled. I mean, why better myself if I don't have to? Besides, I have an appointment with the DVR right now to watch last week's Lost episode. ...Sans commercials.

Philosophical Question

If a cockroach rustles in the corner, but I can't hear it because I'm wearing earplugs, is it still making noise?


Please excuse me now--I think I'm going to be ill.

A Lilliputian Hiking Pole?

I'll give you two guesses as to the origin and specific purpose of the object pictured below.




(And no, it's not a Lilliputian hiking pole.)

Typical Day

Our household functions (slightly more) smoothly with the help of the Board.

Here's a look at a recent day's postings (some details have been obscured to protect the innocent):

Good Enough for School Work

Well, my portfolio Web site is, I think, complete enough to submit as my final assignment in Web Development. In truth, it still needs a lot of work just to come up to my standards. However, this is school we're talking about, and it's 3:02 in the morning, so I can only carry perfectionism so far.

If you care to take a look, I would appreciate any constructive comments. (Don't use the contact form in the portfolio Web site to send me comments, however, because there's no server scripting behind it, and your info will just go into cyperspace if you actually submit the form.)

Even if you aren't into critiquing, you should at least check out the Memory Map I made. It's pretty clever, if I do say so myself. I don't know if Nieces #1 and 2 are computer users yet, but perhaps their parents could help them look at the Map--it has one particular link they will find interesting. Their father should recognize a few things too.

And now, on to the other class I've neglected for the past 28 hours...

In a Perfect World...

I realized yesterday that in a perfect world, no one's hair would go gray before they turned 50. Or at the very least, permanent haircolor would be just that--permanent!

*Auntie K doesn't say this out of personal experience, of course. She is just sympathizing with a "friend."

Mom's Knitting, part 2

Remember the felted bags Mom finished last week?

Well, when I got home from Houston a few days ago, Mom told me that the green and pink one was supposed to be a Christmas gift for me last year, but it wasn't finished at the time. So, she presented it to me now, and even gave me the choice of which bag I wanted (difficult choice, but I went with the green and pink since that was the original intention).

Pretty cool--Christmas in April!

Own Worst Enemy

I was thinking a few days ago about how librarians often bemoan the lack of respect and recognition we receive outside the library. I mean, we all know how common is the question, "You need a degree do to that?"

Yes, you do. A librarian is a degreed professional with specialized skills and training.

I think, however, that we often contribute to the situation through our own actions. One recent Friday, I encountered a typical question from at least three patrons I worked with at the reference desk. All three were working on papers and having trouble finding appropriate resources. After I worked with each, they all voiced some variation of the question, "How do you do all of this? It's so amazing that you look stuff up and make it look so easy." I, in an effort to put them at ease and encourage them, replied each time in an off-hand way, "Oh, I get a lot of practice."

I get a lot of PRACTICE!? Well, by saying that, I reinforced the image of the librarian as nothing special, just someone who hangs out in the library a lot but who doesn't have any qualification beyond a fondness for books. As if to say, "If you too sat here long enough, you could do what I do."

What I should have said is, "Yes, it can be difficult and overwhelming. But I've been to school to learn how to do all of this. In fact, librarians have masters degrees in library science. And that's why we're here--to help everyone else, just like a doctor or a lawyer helps you answer medical or legal questions."

Often, we really are our own worst enemy.