Enough is Enough - Part II

Recap

You may recall that in Part I of this post, I discussed the rudiments of documenting a journal name change in a library catalog. The purpose of that exercise was to provide background information for the observation which I will now make.

Observation

Did you know that The Atlantic Monthly, that venerable literary and cultural magazine, has officially changed its name no less than five times since its inception in 1857? The ridiculous thing is, the name alternates between only two variations: The Atlantic and The Atlantic Monthly.

To whit:

The Atlantic Monthly 1857-1932
The Atlantic 1932-1971
The Atlantic Monthly 1971-1980
The Atlantic 1981-1993
The Atlantic Monthly 1993-current

Pithy Parting Question

Anyone want to lay bets on when it will change again to The Atlantic?

Well Spoken

"If you have time to breathe, you have time to read."

-M.

Enough is Enough - Part I

Background

You may or may not know that journal titles sometimes change names. Therefore, if you are looking in a library catalog for a particular journal from a particular year and it appears that the library doesn't have what you want, be sure to read the catalog record closely to make sure that the journal didn't change names, instead of just assuming that they don't have what you want and walking away. If the journal changed names, the appropriate years will be listed in a separate catalog record under the new (or old) journal title.

For example, the Journal of Engineering Drawing was published from 1950 to 1958, when it changed names to the Journal of Engineering Graphics in 1959. Then, in 1970, the journal again changed names to Engineering Design Graphics Journal. These name changes are signified in a catalog record by the notes "continued by" and "continues."

Thus:

1. Journal of Engineering Drawing 1950-1958
   continued by Journal of Engineering Graphics



2. Journal of Engineering Graphics 1959-1970
   continues Journal of Engineering Drawing
   continued by Engineering Design Graphics Journal



3. Engineering Design Graphics Journal 1970-
   continues Journal of Engineering Graphics

To what important point, you ask, is this interminable post headed? Well, that will be revealed in part two of "Enough is Enough."

Oops

At work, I'm supposed to give my supervisor a journal entry telling her what I worked on for the day and listing any problems or questions I have. As I went to put today's entry in Ellen's box, I re-read what I wrote on Wednesday.

Wednesday, I was 40 minutes late and my timesheet for the entire week had already been turned in. So, at the bottom of Wednesday's journal entry, I related what happened and said that I had "40 hours of work to make up on Friday."

That would make for a pretty long day.

Overheard at the Reference Desk (on the phone)

"My dog ate my dictionary. Can you look up the definition of ..."

Disappointments: A Short List (Revised)

• Reaching into the box of Nature Valley Chewy Trail Mix Bars in the backseat of the car to retrieve a snack, only to realize the box is empty.


• Spending a dollar on a soda from the vending machine, thinking the drink will be colder than the can I put in the refrigerator a couple of hours ago, only to find out that the machine soda is much warmer.


• Coming to the end of a fabulous audio book, with nothing to listen to after.

Ready for a Change

After almost a year, I think I might actually be starting to tire of my carefree part-time student employee existence. Now, this is not to say that I miss working at my former place of employment. That is a feeling I doubt I will ever experience.

However, being a lackey with limited responsibility and little input into the workings of the organization sometimes leaves me feeling frustrated and bored. Being an inquisitive person by nature, I like to know what's going on, why things are the way they are, what changes are on the horizon, etc. In my current position, I know little of that, only what I can pick up in the air or in the small snippets of information available to me--I don't attend staff meetings, receive many e-mails, serve on a committee, etc. I'm just here. In the semi-darkness, usually.

I hope and pray this situation will change before too long, when my employment changes. When that happens, if I complain about how difficult and frustrating things are, perhaps I'll be able to hark back to this post and remind myself that I'm exactly where I said I wanted to be.

Yes

I'm Famous

Remember how I told you I had been published? When I arrived at work yesterday, the librarian at the desk said he had taken a strange call from someone purportedly looking for me. The caller mentioned my last name, asked if my name was K--- Anne or Anne K---, was I 38 or so (I think NOT), and was I involved in biofeedback or psychology. The librarian said he didn't know the answer to those questions, but that I would be in at 2 and the guy could call back.

Call back he did, and it was an investigator or an attorney looking for someone named K---- Anne W---, who goes by the name K--- or sometimes Anne. He repeated the same questions he had before, although he asked if I was born May 1972, which would not make me 38. He said he had found my name on "your Web site." I determined he meant the UNT Libraries Web site, but told him I have no background in psychology or biofeedback. He thought from looking at the Web site (a communications studies subject guide) that I have something to do with health sciences.

Anyway, I assured him I am not the person for whom he is looking, and we hung up. A few months ago, an attorney from Louisiana called me at home looking for someone with my name who had worked for Child Protective Services and had lived in Denton (home of UNT). Perhaps the two targets of investigation are one in the same?

A Friend in Need...

is a friend indeed.

Thanks, Starr.

On a Related Note

While checking out what the Knitter's Review forums posters had to say about Knit Lites, I found the flaming hot discussion thread for Knit Picks Options interchangeable needle sets. If you're interested, you can read it here. Clara Parkes, the person who actually publishes Knitter's Review and writes the reviews on the main page, has an unofficial review near the top of the thread.

This prompts me to point out that with all the end-of-term, Capstone, retrenchment, and job-hunting activities, I haven't done much knitting-related activity lately. I miss it.

Stupid Idea or Innovation?

Do you know that someone now makes light-up knitting needles? I saw them in a Mary Maxim catalog last week and made fun of them. I mean, I don't think of Mary Maxim as being particularly high-end. But today, I got an e-mail from Patternworks advertising the same thing. Supposedly, one can use them to knit in the dark.

I went over to Knitter's Review to see if anyone's talking about these in the forums. I found one item that you might want to read (if this sort of stuff interests you).

All I have to say is, they're pricey. And they probably get hot with those lights in them. I think if I'm spending that much money for needles, I might as well get some cool, sleek Addi Turbos.

Word of the Day

I've gone my entire mature life saying "with bated breath" without really knowing what it means or how to spell it. I went to type it in an e-mail and had to think for 1/2 a second about whether it is "baited" (which I knew was wrong) or "bated." Then, I realized I wasn't sure what it means. If I had thought for a minute instead of instantly leaping to Merriam-Webster OnLine, I think I could have figured out that it is a derivation of "abated, " to reduce the force or intensity of .

But, since I leaped before I thought, we'll never know if I really knew that or not.

What's the Deal? Part 2

Part Two of Two

As part of my plan to follow Miriam Nelson's Strong Women Stay Slim, I started keeping a food dairy last week.

As a way to make myself more accountable for my food choices, I also decided to incorporate part of my food diary into this blog. For most of last week, I faithfully recorded in the sidebar what I ate each day. I don't plan to continue that every day, however. It's too time-consuming, the novelty (for me) has already worn off, and it's likely to be extremely repetitive. Plus, we all know I'm not much of a weekend blogger.

On Friday I had a bit of a meltdown and used the sidebars to vent a bit. Saturday, I posted a link to my new favorite healthy food, Hodgson Mills Whole Wheat Couscous with Milled Flax Seed and Soy. Sunday, I posted a philosophical question about Cookies 'n Cream v. Rocky Road. Yesterday, I gave my answer to the question (Cookies 'n Cream), and posted some random "currently eating" info.

So, to answer a question posed last week, I think the sidebars will be an ephemeral thing. Check them while you're here. Who knows what you might find, and it will probably have changed in another day or two. Note that the sidebars are part of the current template, which means that even if you are reading an old post, the sidebar information will be current.

What's the Deal? Part 1

Regular readers might have noticed the debut of two new sidebar items last week: Currently Eating and Previously Eaten. Here's a (not so short) explanation, to be published in two parts.

As you may know, I am valiantly trying to retrench. (If you're not sure what that means, check here.) I am not much for reading the diet book du jour. I mean after all, I know the basics: whole foods, vegetables, fruits, whole grains, lean protein sources, little red meat or saturated fat or sugar, expend more calories than you consume, etc. Nonetheless, I obviously need help sticking to such a lifestyle. This time around, I'm following the advice in Miriam Nelson's Strong Women Stay Slim.

Nelson's book combines common-sense, research-backed advice on weight lifting, aerobic exercise, and healthful eating as a way for women to lose or maintain weight, improve health, and increase bone mass. The book contains an eating plan based on 1200, 1600, or 2000 calories a day; each level includes a certain number of servings or "portions." For example, on the 1600 calories a day plan, I should be eating the following portions each day: 4 grain, 5 vegetable, 3 fruit, 5 protein, 2 dairy, 6 extra. (That's not exactly correct - I did it from memory, but you get the point.) Anyway, you can see that such a plan requires one to keep track of what she eats.

Hence, I started keeping a food diary last week. More to follow in Part Two of this post.

The Job Hunt

I think the people who read my blog are the same people who already know most of the intimate details of my fascinating life. But if not, here's an update on my employment status.

• I am still employed at UNT until the end of August. Thankfully, I have health insurance through that period as well.


• None of the libraries to which I have applied to date have expressed interest in interviewing me.


• I have two applications out currently, on which I may hear something, but probably not--they're a bit old now. I was very interested in one of these jobs--it looked fabulous.


• I sent out an application tonight to a public university in the Rocky Mountain region, for which I have high hopes. Their hiring timeline seems short, so I will probably hear something in the next 2 weeks. It's a visiting position, which means fixed one-year term. But, it also means entry-level, so that is fine with me. I have further hopes for it because I found the announcement the evening before they started reviewing applications, and I only found it by searching much farther afield than I have been doing so far. Perhaps that's significant?


• Yes, right now I am only applying for professional reference librarian positions in academic libraries. At some point, I may have to modify that strategy, but I'm not ready to do so yet. I am not concentrating my search on any specific geographic location. Beggars can't be complete choosers.


• Yes, by September, it is possible I will be unemployed. I have some savings, so I don't feel undue pressure to take anything I have to just to avoid a period of unemployment. I probably can't go more than a few months without income, however.


• Yes, I would be interested in staying at UNT if possible. Right now, they don't have any openings for which I qualify.


• Thank you for all your interest, prayers, and concern. If there's anything else (about this topic) you're dying to know, just ask. Or if I can help you find an information resource...
  

It's Another Holiday

Happy Birthday to Me!

One Red Paperclip

Are you watching 20/20 on ABC tonight? They're running a story on the guy from Canada who, a year ago, traded one red paperclip for a fish-shaped pen, and a 13 trades and a year later, he traded for ownership of a house.

It's a Holiday

Happy Bastille Day!

I'm Published!

Well, ok, it's not a book chapter like this or this; it's part of a Web site that I finally finished at work, after 5+ months of having the assignment.

Here's the main page link. Any "yucky" pages that link off of this one are the pages I haven't rewritten yet (there are two of them). You can also find this page if you "Google" my first and last name along with the word UNT.

Pretty neat, eh?

ps - Thank you to my favorite librarian for providing technical advice on this project.

Errata and Updates

Erratum:

My earlier Body Mass Index calculation was skewed by the fact that I weighed myself at the end of the day (Sunday, no less, when I ate like a true PIG) instead of the beginning of the day. The recalculation shows that I am still firmly inside the "overweight" category, with a comfortable 1.7 index points between me and "obesity."

Update:

No, dark chocolate covered plum bites are not available at my local Kroger grocery store. Perhaps Auntie K's readers in other locales will keep their eyes peeled for them?

Is it Worth a Patent?

As I slept last night, I literally dreamed up two inventions. Both related to grocery stores. Alas, I could only remember one of the two when I awoke. But, I think the one I remember is pretty good.

Idea: A computer at the grocery store entrance into which you feed your shopping list. The computer reorders the items on the list according to location in the store, perishables last, of course, and prints a new copy. You can then shop the new list item by item, moving through the store in an orderly, efficient manner.

Is that brilliant or what?

Did You Know That . . .

a peanut butter and jam sandwich doesn't taste very fresh 24 hours after it's made, even if it's been kept in a zipper-sealed plastic bag? Both the peanut butter and the jam start to soak into the bread, making for a dry sandwich.

another name for the number or pound sign # is octothorpe? Depending upon who you read, the name was made up by a Bell Labs employee in the 1960's, or is a term printers used to use for the symbol. I ran across this term today in a CSS design book.

Yummy!

While researching some nutrition information for today's food diary entry, I found this:

PlumSweets: Dark Chocolate Coated Plum Bites.

They sound delish. Think there's any chance they are already at my local Kroger grocery store?

Accountability

My friend Sarah has a personal trainer whom she e-mails every day with a list of what she's eaten during the day. How's that for accountability?

Sarah's dedication has inspired me to make yet another attempt at retrenchment. I have also been spurred on by the cold realization (not a surprise, mind you), that my Body Mass Index is less than one index point away from categorizing me as "obese." So, at this point, I would be happy to just move back down to the low end of "overweight," much less into the "healthy" zone.

Now, I don't want to turn this into a diet blog or a fitness blog, but maybe there is a way I can use the blog to make myself more accountable for my actions and inaction. I know you don't want to read my daily food diary (it might give you nightmares), so I'll have to think about another way to do it. If you have a suggestion (no sarcasm allowed), let me know.

Glad to be Me

My friend Sarah blogged on a related theme this week (from a patriotic perspective), but I thought I would take a quick break out of my afternoon's work to record my observation on a certain truth. I know my thoughts aren't original, so I hope I they don't seem too hackneyed.

Truth: If you are ever feeling sorry for yourself and your lot in life, just spend a minute with someone else and his problems. If you are like me, you will always walk away glad to have your own problems instead of someone else's.

This is one of the +'s of working as a (soon-to-be) reference librarian. I have never helped anyone at work with whom I would trade places. Take, for instance, the returning student studying to take a skills assessment test tomorrow, who came to me agonizing over her study guide's advice about the serial comma. The study guide is poorly written, and its inadequate examples obscure the issue and do more harm than good. I've talked with said student before, and I know just enough about her situation to know that I would never wish to trade places with her. I'll take my own set of worries, shortcomings, and disappointments, as discouraging as they sometimes seem.

I Doubt It

It's a bit old, but I just read an interesting article about the flip-flop, that universally-loved footwear item. Much of the article focuses on the possible inadvisability of wearing flip-flops to work. At the end, however, an industry consultant is quoted as saying that she thinks the flop-flop trend has "reached the peak, they can't be any more widespread, so maybe next summer something will replace them."

Tell that to all the high school and college students around the country. Most of them wear flip-flops year-round. Regardless of what the experts say, I predict that the flip-flop is here to stay.

How many pairs do you own?

Well Said

"Wicked people never have time for reading. It's one of the reasons for their wickedness."

-Dewey Denouement

as quoted in Lemony Snicket, The Penultimate Peril, p. 226.

The Only Way to Celebrate

What's an American holiday without food? Here's what we're having today:

• barbecued steak
• Fish Eye salad
• corn on the cob
• spinach salad
• twice-baked potatoes
• Jell-o pudding dirt cups

What are you having at your house?

Independence Day

The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America.—I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more.

-John Adams (1735–1826)


Respectfully Quoted: A Dictionary of Quotations Requested from the Congressional Research Service. Washington D.C.: Library of Congress, 1989; Bartleby.com, 2003. www.bartleby.com/73/.

Update

You will be relieved to know that Curly's hand, after she began her course of antibiotics, is looking much better, with hardly any redness and swelling. The dog is still alive, though I think only one person in the house still loves him.

Actually, he was probably loved by only one person even before the "incident."

Half Empty or Half Full?

You tell me: Is the glass half empty or half full?

I took the day off from work today to hang out with Curly and her parents. I have the day off tomorrow too, for Independence Day. Of course, that's two days of pay out the window, since I'm only paid for what I work.

My sister in law apparently expressed the wish that she could avoid going to Sunday School and Relief Society meetings at church yesterday (she's used to being in the Nursery during that time). She got her wish, by spending four hours at the emergency room waiting for someone to look at Curly's dog bite.

Next week, in a practically unprecedented mid-year change, our church meeting time will change from 9 am to 11 am. So, I get to sleep in a bit, but that also means less time to take a nap in the afternoon.