waiting for eight

On Friday night, I had the first Presidential debate on TV. Mainly, I listened to it while working on a job application. Occasionally, I looked up when something sounded interesting. But mostly, I wondered which candidate would give me safe roads to drive on (the new I-35 W bridge opened here) and an economy that I could trust. Unfortunately, these issues weren't covered in the debate. So I'm still wondering.

wanting to sleep, but can't

Last night, I hung out with some friends. So I come home and pick up the book, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist thinking that I just read one chapter while drinking my tea. Whoa - big mistake. I couldn't put the book down. I mean, it was one of those things that I was so curious to see if Nick and Norah get together at the end, that I keep reading and reading. And, then before I know it's 3 a.m. so I go to bed. But, then for some reason, I wake up at 10 a.m. and now I can't go back to sleep.

wondering why G is bad

So I watched Penelope the other night, and it really wasn't that bad of a movie. I mean, it was quirky, but I enjoyed it. And, it got me thinking why live-action movies like Penelope and Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium with G or PG ratings get slammed by the critics. I mean, they reminded me of that very cheesey TV version of "Babes and Toyland" with Drew Barrymore and Kenau Reeves. Kind of whimsical and nostologic of childhood. Not exactly Oscar material, but fun movies to watch.
Isn't that what movies are? A place to escape and believe the impossible? Maybe if they had song and dance numbers or animation they be better received by the critics. The Pixar and High School Musical empires tend to go over well. But, why not something like Kitt Kittridge?
Has our culture become so cynical and misguided that we can only tolerate violence and sex? One of my favorite movies is the Frank Capra movie, You Can't Take It With You. In 1939, it won the Oscar for Best Picture. I shudder to think if it would even be nominated if it was released now.

where I've been

I realized that's been over a month since I've posted anything here. So here's a brief recap of my past month.
2 visits to the doctor to get over my chronic sinus problem
Fed 600 people with burgers, brats, veggie burgers, and hot dogs at a barbeque fundraiser
1 trip to the Minneapolis Impound lot to spring my car that was towed because I was parked less than 5 feet away from a driveway
So things have been lively. Plus on tuesday night, I went to film shoot planning to be an extra and they needed someone to play the part of "friend" and say lines. Not sure if my performance on camera will impress the Academy, but I hope that it does not merit a Darwin award.
Thankfully, next week I'm going on vacation. But, time will tell, I guess what kind of interesting things will happen then.

Thing 6

I had more fun using these tools then I anticipated. I made a trading card for myself and posted it on my blog. Then I made one for my roommate and her fiancee that are marrying next month.

I think it's great how the digital revolution allows people to easily transform their images into new products like trading cards and buttons. For libraries, it gives staff people more options to design stuff themselves to advertise their products and services instead of hiring companies to do it for them. However, if the library is part of an institution that has their own PR and marketing department, their options for using online tools might be more limited.

I played around with Image Chef a little bit. I made a button saying "Sarah loves snow." These sites will be great come Christmas time to create unique gifts for friends and family.

P.S. I also changed the layout of my blog. The white space was getting to me so I think I'll try this green one for a while.

Ringing in the 4th

When it comes to the 4th of July, I really don't do much to celebrate. I watch fireworks on TV instead of going outdoors to see them or buying them myself. And, I don't grill food. Today, I made a tasty peperoni, mushroom, and green pepper pizza.
So I actually kind of suprised myself when I turned on the TV and watched the US Olympic swim trials. Well, part of them, anyway. And, I was blown away by the final of the women's 100m Freestyle. Here, was Dara Torres - 41 and mom of a two-year old girl. And, she totally kicked butt in the race and beat all her younger competitors. The woman who finished second, Natalie Coughlin, is 25.
It was cool to see so I thought I'd blog about it for those who missed it.
P.S. My favorite 4th of July movie scene is Fred Astaire's firecracker dance in Holiday Inn.

So I went to the Converse outlet...

And, I came back with 0 pairs of Cons.
Other interesting developments in the week past...
1 mouse found on the floor of my apartment. I, of course, screamed and stomped on the floor. It didn't move. The thought of a mouse laying on the floor gave me the creeps so I quickly called my roommate for advice.
She suggested poking the mouse with the broom to determine the mouse's state of consciousness. The thought of the mouse suddenly squiggling around after touching it with the broom also creeped me out. (It was another mouse and different place, of course, but it fell from the ceiling and my father picked up by its tail and it was alive.) This was the reel that was going in my mind as I cautiously moved the tip of the broom handle over to the mouse.
The broom and mouse made contact. The handle moved, but the mouse didn't. After listening to my roommate convince me that the mouse is probably dead because it didn't scurry away after poking it with the broom, I plucked enough courage to sweep the mouse into the dustpan. I hold the dustpan like I would a ping pong ball on a spoon, only without dropping it. I make it outside and ponder where to leave the mouse stiff. A bush looked nice so that's where I laid the unwelcomed rodent to rest.
9 days spent in my Nike Airs. My Plantar Fasciitis better heal soon. I'm tired of matching my wardrobe to blue and white shoes.

Thing 5

To have more fun with Flickr, I added the Spell with Flickr to the bottom of this website. Then I created my favorite picture of my Cons into a puzzle and posted it here.

I was impressed with the various mash ups that are available. I could see how it would be simple for a library to put their photos on Flickr and create a product like a movie poster or calendar to advertise the library to their customers.

Online photo sharing can be helpful to let friends and family see photos in the digital format. I favor it over sitting at a computer and looking at tons of photos. Copyright protection should be maintained if the photos are copyrighted. And, if the photo is not yours, give props to the photographer.

Digital photography is now the rage, and online photo sharing seems to be a trend, too. I'm curious to see what the future holds. Will people tire of taking pictures? Or, will a new digital medium be established

I'm excited. There's a Converse outlet store near the Twin Cities so I'm going to go check it out. So far, I'm still at ten pairs of Cons. And, I haven't purchased any this year. But, I have been tempted since Target now carries Converse One shoes in their stores.
Now that Converse are more popular, my enthusiasm for buying a new pair has dampened. Maybe it's knowing that I have ten pairs already. Or, that the fact that I wear Cons makes me no longer unique. I'm not sure, but so far, I haven't seen any that's triggered my buyer's impulse.
Another thing that I've noticed is that I often look at people's shoes to see what kind they are wearing. And, then I kind of make a silent judgement in my head about the shoes and the person wearing them. If they are Converse, I, of course, think to myself, "Cool - Cons." And, my smile to that person in passing is perhaps a little bigger than someone who might be wearing shoes like Crocs.
Doing this, though, doesn't really seem right. I mean, I'm a librarian - not a fashionista. And, judging people for their shoes or anything else really shouldn't happen. Unfortunately, though, it does. I just started to read Greg Boyd's book - Repenting of Religion: Turning from Judgement to the Love of God. Maybe I'll post more on this topic after I've finished it.
P.S. I still look at weather forecasts, but I'm trying to live my life and obsess about the weather less.

Thing Four

To explore Flickr, I typed in "Converse shoes." I only looked at the first 8 pages of results, but the first one was my favorite. I was going to upload it to this blog, but then I read the copyright statement and decided to use a hyperlink instead.

Then I created an account with Flickr. This process was fairly easy since I already had a Yahoo account. Then I took some pictures of my library. I'm going to post my favorite here. It's of me pulling microfilm for my job.

I'm not sure if I'll use Flickr for my personal photos. I had trouble adding this blog to my Flickr account. So I just downloaded the photo from my computer to this blog. But, I can see how Flickr is helpful for storing photos and sharing them with friends. For a library, Flickr could be used as an access point to bring people to the library website if they posted some of the photographs in their collection on Flickr and then gave the URL of their website to find more.

Thing Three

I set up a few RSS feeds on Google Reader. I kind of put if off because I thought it would be hard, but actually, it was kind of easy. So I added the blogs of two of my co-workers who are also doing the 23 things (Norton Knows and Slappy McPretzel's 23 Things Blog). Then for the non-23 thing material, I added two blogs that I check regularly that are written by my friends.

I was kind of stuck, though, on the third non-23 thing so I used Google to search just for blogs. It took me a minute to think of a topic, but then I typed in "Converse shoes." I added the most interesting result, ConQuest - Cons on the Go, to Google Reader. It's a LIVEJOURNAL site where people just post pictures of themselves and their Converse shoes. It's nice to know that I'm not alone in collecting many pairs of Converse shoes, but I haven't decided, yet, if I'm going to add them to the ConQuest site.

hello weather obsessed

The clouds are starting to clear now outside the window, but the wind is moving them.
I'm starting to realize how weather obsessed I am. Perhaps the signs were present when I was younger. I recall looking at the themometer outside the kitchen window in the morning to see the temperature. But, now I've come to the point that I'm always checking weather.com to see the 10 day forcast if I planning to do something outside or traveling on a trip. And, it's common for me to watch the weather forecast on TV after getting up and before going to bed.
So when my roommate asks me about the weather, I usually have a response. Actually, I'm just telling her someone else's forecasts or predictions. These forecasts and predictions guide me as I select my clothing and plan my day.
I'm beginning to wonder what would happend to me if I stopped obsessing about the weather. Would I wear a long-sleeve shirt when I instead should have worn a short-sleeve one? Will not carrying an umbrella drastically increase the chances of me being stuck in the rain?
I'm not sure, but I do wonder what will happen to me when I break free of my weather obsession. So I'm going to try and see if I can not see Sven or Belinda doing the forecast on TV and obstain from checking the hourly forecast on the Internet.
People before me lived without knowing the weather forecast. Granted, they did have a farmer's almanac. But, life is too short to spend it worrying about things the weather. At least for this moment, that's going to be my mantra.

Thing Two

Sitting here, I am not sure how to describe this in words. I am trying to complete these 23 Things and learn more about the Web 2.0 tools. This is partly fueled by curiosity, but also by the need to stay current with my librarian peers.

Individually, I've kind of have been reluctant to embrace new technology. Not necessarily computers because I've dealt with them since the 5th grade. Even though their form (Commodores with green screens) is rather ancient. No, I'm talking about all the other tools and gadets. I just bought a digital camera in the last year, and that's only because I thought I'd be traveling to Europe. So I'm still figuring out how to use it. I downloaded a picture of my Converse shoes and made it my avatar. But, I've yet to do the MP3 player or Ipod. I have a cell phone, but it's about 3 years old so it just takes pictures besides giving me the opportunity to reach out and touch someone.

I guess my main question in this post centers around what John Blyberg briefly mentioned under "L2 requires a fundamental change in a library’s mission." And, that's the question of how savvy a library's customers will be in terms of technology. I mean, I see the Web 2.0 being a hot topic in library circles. And, I'm not against this because today's 5th graders have a lot more high-tech computers and other gadgets than I did when I was their age.

But, I am wondering if Web 2.0 tools will be embraced by all library patrons. Will the older ones be as apt to use Facebook and Flicker as the young ones? Perhaps age will not be a factor in regards to a library's mission. I am curious, though, how the baby boomer generation will embrace Web 2.0 technology. A lot of them are approaching retirement. And, I wonder if their library service needs will be the same as today's youth. Or, will they be different?

ode to Beverly

I'm not sure if you'll get Internet access in heaven. But, I wanted to state a few thoughts that are on my mind.
Your memorial service had the Dixieland Band as you requested, And, plenty of people weeped and wailed.
You made the hours of my job pass by pleasantly when you came to volunteer. At first, I found you intimidating. Rachel had warned me that you and Florence were a rowdy bunch.
Soon after meeting you, though, I looked forward to seeing you on Thursdays and discussing topics like movies, politics, and life. Usually, with laughter and on your part, sass.
So thanks for sharing your stories, jokes, and experiences. And, for encouraging me to travel and asking about what's new in my life. I'll miss you, Beverly. And, your rendition of "Here she is..."

Friday ramblings

I have been wondering if keeping a blog updated regularly borders on narcissism. I mean, I'm not saying that all bloggers are stuck on themselves. But, I kind of feel like this silent pressure to appease the readers of this blog to post regularly. A lot of times, I really don't feel like I have anything interesting to post. And, I really don't want this blog to become a log of my activities like Carrie did laundry today.
So I guess the readers of this blog (if there are people in the world that peruse my ramblings) will have to be patient with me. Maybe just check me once a month or do the trendy RSS feed thing to see when I added a new post.
I've realized recently how much time I spend in front of a screen. At work, it's either a computer or a microfilm reader. (Gold stars to you folks who can know what microfilm is). At home, it's my laptop or TV. And, as a librarian, I feel like I should spend even more because Web 2.0 is all the rage. So I have my Facebook account, 2nd blog, and the good intention of finishing 23 Things on a Stick so I can learn about more popular Internet tools.
As I'm writing this now, I'm starting to become tired. I mean how do people fit in so much screen time into their daily lives? I wonder if I'm the only one that experiences times when my head is so fuzzy from staring at a screen that I don't want to even think?
So I guess that's my rambling for the day.
P.S. Converse shoes celebrate their 100th anniversary this year. The Smurfs haven't been around that long, but they are celebrating 50 years. And, I completely spaced on celebrating the Gondor New Year (apparently March 25th), but I'll have to either watch the movies or read Tolkien's books soon.

thing 1

I was in such a hurry to register my blog for the February deadline that I neglected to see that I needed to label my posts. I also did not discuss my experience about setting up this blog.

Before 23 things on a stick, I had set up a blog with Xanga. The process for creating this blog was similar so I was able to do it quickly. But, I noticed that the templates I could choose for this blog were more asthetically pleasing than the choices I had on the Xanga site.

The task of adding an avatar baffled me a bit because it was a new term for me. But, I googled it and found one to post. It's only a tempory one until I can download my picture of my Converse shoes.

hello march

I am happy that February has come to an end. I know it's suppose to be the shortest month, but in Minnesota, at least, it seems like the longest. Because it's usually cold and snowy - big surprise. But, more than anything, February is usually when I come to my breaking point. I'm tired of scraping and brushing my car. The layers of scarves, sweaters, and long johns are getting old.
So I'm happy that march is here and hopefully, old man winter will be here no more. Maybe.

this blog

I decided I'd give this 23 things on a stick a try. Usually, I avoid things on a stick. When visiting the Minnesota State Fair, I go for the food items not on a stick because the lines are usually shorter.



But, who knows? This experience may have me lining up for key lime pie on a stick this summer.

So I went to my first caucus

Super Tuesday was kind of anti-climatic for me. Where I lived before, we always had primaries. And, since Minnesota is an open caucus state, I liked the idea of being able to choose which party caucus I wanted to attend.
So I went, I was a little disappointed because the official there directed me to the wrong precinct. I realized this after I had cast my Presidential preference ballot. Does my vote still count if I placed the ballot in the wrong precinct box?
Then I walked into the actual caucus meeting. They were choosing delegates and since I wasn't sure if I was in the right precinct, I left.
I have to admit, though, that the experience gave me a glimpse of something that I rarely see - people walking around in my neighborhood at night. And, although the wrong precinct thing was annoying, I now know my precinct for future elections and I have a better idea of who my neighbors are.

Pondering Jane Austen

Masterpiece Theater on PBS has gotten me reading Ms. Austen's novels. I hate to admit it, but Pride and Prejudice was the only one I had read previously. Now, I can change that number to two and a half (Persuasion and part of Northanger Abbey).
Besides increasing my exposure to her written word, I've developed more of an appreciation for Austen's Persuasion. I saw a 1995 movie version in college, and I could not abide the fact that Captain Wentworth would pay attention to Louisa Musgrove if his affections for Anne Elliot were true. Yes, eight years had passed since he rejected her proposal, but wouldn't the fact that she still remained single still give him hope?
But, then again, maybe is was the slow and subtle pace of the movie that didn't fall to my liking. I think my first impressions of Persuasion were influenced by Disney notions of love and romance. Last year's Enchanted was the perfect example of these ideas. Giselle imagines her Mr. Right and constructed a model of him out of common household items. Prince Edward (of course being the human form of her model) appears and saves her from the ogre attacking Giselle's house. Then, poof, she's in love. Better watch out, there may be another princesszilla (http://www.newsweek.com/id/70985) on the loose.
I recently turned 30 and maybe I can relate to Anne Elliot more since I'm still single myself. But, watching the 2007 version of Persuasion on Masterpiece Theater, I found myself feeling like I had become accquainted with a new friend - one that I had seen before, but never really taken the time to meet. When I read the book, I found that Austen's ideas of love and romance were more subtle than a 2 hour Disney movie. But, the quiet nature of Captain Wentworth's and Anne Elliot's relationship seemed more realistic. I could see Austen's plot occurring today.
One of my friends is convinced that her life is like a Jane Austen novel. I'm not sure if I feel the same. Maybe I'll have an opinion on the subject after another 30 years.

I'd like to thank the Academy

For giving Once a nod. It would have been nice to seen other nominations for this film besides best original song. Hopefully, "Falling Slowly" will give the three nominated songs from Enchanted a run for their money.
For the person who thought to show Shia LeBeouf's black Chuck Taylors when he got off his bike in Transformers. Until that moment, I really was kind only half-interested in the movie. (Granted, I saw it on DVD so that kind of lessened the cool factor of the special effects.) But until that point, I was kind of distracted by how the plot, minus the whole Autobots and Decepticons, was similar to Independence Day. US soldiers being attacked an unknown enemy. Unlikely hero trying to help save the world. The Cons, though, and Bumblebee won me over in the end.