I realized that I left you hanging with the status of my Second Life library activities. First of all, in Teen SL I've had 2 book discussions so far, and no one has yet to read the book up for discussion. But at least I got some teens in world to attend, and we had a good talk about books, J.D. Salinger, and why I didn't go to Harvard. Unfortunately, none of my local teens have signed up for Teen SL yet, so I need to figure out how to reach them. I have a third discussion set up for Wednesday, November 14th, and the book we'll be talking about is "The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl," by Barry Lyga. I'm looking forward to reading this one. I saw the author this past summer at a panel discussion that was hosted by Random House, and he was very entertaining--he professes a great love of librarians, which always gets me excited!
The other SL library activity I mentioned previously was my being asked to manage the cafe on Book Island. The cafe is named The Writers' Block Cafe and Bar, and we had a grand opening extravaganza on Saturday, September 8th. Planning this event turned out to be way more stressful than I had thought it would be. I had preliminary meetings with library volunteers and Book Island residents, with the help and guidance of a new friend named Wendell Holmer. I don't know what Wendell does in RL, but in SL he's quite the go-getter. He was brainstorming like a fiend, stopping strangers on Book Island and asking them to join our discussion. The downside (but ultimately the upside) of this enthusiasm was that what had started out as a little grand opening party, turned into a Goth Fashion Show, dancing, a scavenger hunt, a costume contest, and fireworks! It turned out to be an amazing event (I was told that there were approximately 130 people who attended). The fashions were provided by Raven Pennyfeather of Rfyre, and Kaia Ennui of Nocturnal Threads; Qabalah Quintus provided a Gothic castle as the prize for best Goth costume; we got a photographer (Justine Babii) to shoot the event; Yohan Althouse did machinima; and we had custom made scavenger hunt prizes created and donated by River Ely (leather arm bands, with a buckle and a Gothic cross--beautiful!). The music was provided by DJ Massacre Soon, the dance floor by ssmariner Flossberg, and the stage and seating was created by Daisyblue Hefferman (Daisy, you're totally awesome!). It was a nightmare pulling this all together, but I managed to get it done, with loads of help from the above mentioned people, plus the following, whom I can't thank enough: Eve Ayres, Gi Tammas, Harper Beresford, and Wendell Holmer.
For coverage of the event, check out the following links:
http://sl-newspaper-fnd.blogspot.com/2007/09/letters-from-beyond.html
http://www.flickr.com/photos/10593555@N03/sets/72157601925947241/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0K5N_eghTM
http://adnpvideo.blip.tv/file/393872/
Currently reading : Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Book 7) By J. K. Rowling Release date: 21 July, 2007
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Apple Time
Current mood: Strangely calm.... Category: Life
This past weekend started like any other. It was a beautiful day, but I remained glued to the laptop while my husband was at work. However, during the course of the afternoon a friend suggested that I take my son apple picking. I like a good road trip, so I looked up Apple Picking online and found a place in Racine, Wisconsin called Apple Holler. I told the boy that I had a surprise for him, and he told me that he had a headache and didn’t want to go out. Being my mother’s daughter, I responded with “Too bad. Take some Tylenol, because we’re going out.” And so we did….
We got in the car about 4pm and hit the expressway to Racine. On the way we stopped at McDonald's for the boy, and Starbucks for me, and by shortly after 5pm we were at Apple Holler. The first thing we did was pay for a half bushel of apples. I so wish it had been an actual basket, but, alas, it was a plastic bag that would hold 20 lbs. or so. The young girl who rang us up reeled off the instructions about which apples were being picked, and told us we could eat anything in the orchard we wanted. We then rented a wagon and made our way to the orchard.
The place was pretty crowded, even this late in the day. The apples that were being picked were Jonathan and Golden Delicious. I'm sorry, but "Delicious" is a misnomer. I can't stand those apples. But I hate Red Delicious even more. So, Jonathan, which I love, was our apple of the day. We pulled the wagon past row after picked-over row of trees until the boy decided on one he wanted to try. We walked far into the line of trees, tripping over the discarded apples underfoot, and smelling the freshly fermenting apples in the air. Finally we came upon trees that still had apples in them.
The boy picked his first apple and I took a picture of him holding it. We walked down the row, picking apples, eating apples, and enjoying spending the time together. After we filled up the bag, we headed toward the pumpkin patch. I saw a great one right away and showed it to him. He said, "I want to check out the competition, mom," as he walked amongst the pumpkins. After he was sure he hadn't missed any he came back and said he'd picked the one I suggested. So, we put that into the wagon and went to pay for it.
Besides the apple picking, Apple Holler also has goats and ducks you can feed; a corn maze; tractor ride; homemade cider; cheese curds; corn on the cob; and more. The boy was up for the corn maze, so we put the apples and pumpkin in the car and came back, only to find out that the corn maze was closing. Ever the positive kid, the boy said, "We can do that next time we come here." So, instead of the corn maze, we went into the store to buy food. We got some clover honey, a package of cheese curds, a caramel apple, an apple pastry, and some pop. We ate the "apple blossom" (sort of an apple pie hot pocket, only square) there at Apple Holler, looking at the sunset. When we finished, we got back into the car and headed home.
We had planned on making apple crisp when we got home, but it was after 8pm, so we had to wait till husband walked to the grocery store the next day to get the ingredients. Today, the boy and I worked together to make the apple crisp, and I brought it to work with me tonight. By the time I got here it was more like apple mush, but it was still tasty, and my boy and my coworkers liked it. I'd like to thank my friend for suggesting the outing, because it was one of the nicest times I've spent with my son in a while. He just turned ten, so I know that these times are going to be fewer as time goes on and I need to enjoy them while I can.
Currently reading : Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Book 7) By J. K. Rowling Release date: 21 July, 2007
This past weekend started like any other. It was a beautiful day, but I remained glued to the laptop while my husband was at work. However, during the course of the afternoon a friend suggested that I take my son apple picking. I like a good road trip, so I looked up Apple Picking online and found a place in Racine, Wisconsin called Apple Holler. I told the boy that I had a surprise for him, and he told me that he had a headache and didn’t want to go out. Being my mother’s daughter, I responded with “Too bad. Take some Tylenol, because we’re going out.” And so we did….
We got in the car about 4pm and hit the expressway to Racine. On the way we stopped at McDonald's for the boy, and Starbucks for me, and by shortly after 5pm we were at Apple Holler. The first thing we did was pay for a half bushel of apples. I so wish it had been an actual basket, but, alas, it was a plastic bag that would hold 20 lbs. or so. The young girl who rang us up reeled off the instructions about which apples were being picked, and told us we could eat anything in the orchard we wanted. We then rented a wagon and made our way to the orchard.
The place was pretty crowded, even this late in the day. The apples that were being picked were Jonathan and Golden Delicious. I'm sorry, but "Delicious" is a misnomer. I can't stand those apples. But I hate Red Delicious even more. So, Jonathan, which I love, was our apple of the day. We pulled the wagon past row after picked-over row of trees until the boy decided on one he wanted to try. We walked far into the line of trees, tripping over the discarded apples underfoot, and smelling the freshly fermenting apples in the air. Finally we came upon trees that still had apples in them.
The boy picked his first apple and I took a picture of him holding it. We walked down the row, picking apples, eating apples, and enjoying spending the time together. After we filled up the bag, we headed toward the pumpkin patch. I saw a great one right away and showed it to him. He said, "I want to check out the competition, mom," as he walked amongst the pumpkins. After he was sure he hadn't missed any he came back and said he'd picked the one I suggested. So, we put that into the wagon and went to pay for it.
Besides the apple picking, Apple Holler also has goats and ducks you can feed; a corn maze; tractor ride; homemade cider; cheese curds; corn on the cob; and more. The boy was up for the corn maze, so we put the apples and pumpkin in the car and came back, only to find out that the corn maze was closing. Ever the positive kid, the boy said, "We can do that next time we come here." So, instead of the corn maze, we went into the store to buy food. We got some clover honey, a package of cheese curds, a caramel apple, an apple pastry, and some pop. We ate the "apple blossom" (sort of an apple pie hot pocket, only square) there at Apple Holler, looking at the sunset. When we finished, we got back into the car and headed home.
We had planned on making apple crisp when we got home, but it was after 8pm, so we had to wait till husband walked to the grocery store the next day to get the ingredients. Today, the boy and I worked together to make the apple crisp, and I brought it to work with me tonight. By the time I got here it was more like apple mush, but it was still tasty, and my boy and my coworkers liked it. I'd like to thank my friend for suggesting the outing, because it was one of the nicest times I've spent with my son in a while. He just turned ten, so I know that these times are going to be fewer as time goes on and I need to enjoy them while I can.
Currently reading : Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Book 7) By J. K. Rowling Release date: 21 July, 2007
Friday, August 3, 2007
In over my head???
Current mood: Trepidatious
Category: Jobs, Work, Careers
I've been given a couple of challenging opportunities in Second Life recently. This week I met with Saryn Fanwood, who is my contact person at the "Eye4You Alliance" Island in Teen Second Life (TSL). (This Island is co-sponsored by the Alliance Library System in East Peoria, Illinois, and The Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County, in North Carolina.) The reason I've become involved with TSL is to try and reach the High School students in my library's community, who generally don't come into the library. The idea is to try reaching them where they spend time, which is often on the computer. One programming idea I had is to do a book discussion group. The teens could participate from their homes, and not have to come to the physical library building. They would be able to discuss the books via live chat, and exchange their thoughts with the others in the group. In order to draw attention to this online programming in TSL, I've posted a blog on the library's website explaining what TSL is, how they can sign up for accounts, etc. Cross your fingers that they even go to the library's website and see my post….
The other exciting news is that a couple of the bigwig librarians at the Second Life Library have asked me to manage the library's café on Book Island. My first thought was: it's a virtual environment, so it doesn't need cleaning up, no real coffee to make, etc., so what on earth will I be doing? But the position is a lot more interesting (and scary!) than I had thought. I am in charge of setting up regular programming and events for the "Library Cat Café and Bar," and to publicize these events as well. I met with a couple of the library folk the other day, and then with the owner of the café, to discuss my plans for the space. Daunting, to say the least. Of course there will be book discussions. Perhaps author talks? And someone mentioned "Happy Hour" activities. But frankly, I'm clueless. I mean, I have ideas, but am still figuring out how to implement them. I'm exhilarated and terrified at the same time. And it's all my baby, so if I fall flat on my face, it's my failure. But, if it succeeds…well, I won't get ahead of myself. But let's just say that all this looks great on my resume. I'll keep you posted on how I do. Please send me positive vibes to help me along.
Category: Jobs, Work, Careers
I've been given a couple of challenging opportunities in Second Life recently. This week I met with Saryn Fanwood, who is my contact person at the "Eye4You Alliance" Island in Teen Second Life (TSL). (This Island is co-sponsored by the Alliance Library System in East Peoria, Illinois, and The Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County, in North Carolina.) The reason I've become involved with TSL is to try and reach the High School students in my library's community, who generally don't come into the library. The idea is to try reaching them where they spend time, which is often on the computer. One programming idea I had is to do a book discussion group. The teens could participate from their homes, and not have to come to the physical library building. They would be able to discuss the books via live chat, and exchange their thoughts with the others in the group. In order to draw attention to this online programming in TSL, I've posted a blog on the library's website explaining what TSL is, how they can sign up for accounts, etc. Cross your fingers that they even go to the library's website and see my post….
The other exciting news is that a couple of the bigwig librarians at the Second Life Library have asked me to manage the library's café on Book Island. My first thought was: it's a virtual environment, so it doesn't need cleaning up, no real coffee to make, etc., so what on earth will I be doing? But the position is a lot more interesting (and scary!) than I had thought. I am in charge of setting up regular programming and events for the "Library Cat Café and Bar," and to publicize these events as well. I met with a couple of the library folk the other day, and then with the owner of the café, to discuss my plans for the space. Daunting, to say the least. Of course there will be book discussions. Perhaps author talks? And someone mentioned "Happy Hour" activities. But frankly, I'm clueless. I mean, I have ideas, but am still figuring out how to implement them. I'm exhilarated and terrified at the same time. And it's all my baby, so if I fall flat on my face, it's my failure. But, if it succeeds…well, I won't get ahead of myself. But let's just say that all this looks great on my resume. I'll keep you posted on how I do. Please send me positive vibes to help me along.
Forget what I told you last time....
Ok, remember that club in Second Life that I told you about? The one that I said was so great? Well, forget about it. The dj who was helping me with my set list is great, so don't give up on him. But because of problems at the club, he left. He tried to get someone to fill in to do my rescheduled set list, but the club owner wouldn't have it. She got her undies in a bunch and basically said "no fucking way." So I left the club's group, and my dj friend is trying to get a new gig going. Good luck to him. More news about my SL activites in the next post--things are heating up for me.
Currently reading : Uglies (Uglies Trilogy, Book 1) By Scott Westerfeld Release date: 08 February, 2005
Currently reading : Uglies (Uglies Trilogy, Book 1) By Scott Westerfeld Release date: 08 February, 2005
Monday, July 23, 2007
The DJ Set that Did Not Happen
Current mood: Cranky as hell....
Well folks, I came up with my 40 or so songs for my Special Guest slot in ssmariner's dj set at Umbra Penumbra in Second Life. I picked out some Brian Eno and some Bryan Ferry; some Arctic Monkeys and some Gorillaz; some New York Dolls and some Pine Valley Cosmonauts. And then technology fucked me in the ass.
I was so looking forward to this evening, too. I was off the computer most of the day, having accidentally taken two Tylenol PMs last night (I had a headache and that's all we had in the house), not knowing that the recommended dosage was just one capsule…. So I slept late, was groggy when I finally awoke, and didn't fully wake up until 3pm or so. When I got online around 4:30, the first technological problem I encountered was that there wasn't a wireless internet signal for the laptop to hookup to. I fixed it, but it continued to go off and on all day. The second technology glitch was my own fault: last week I tripped on the laptop cord and the laptop slid off the couch and hit the floor. It seemed mostly ok, but now it appears that the screen has to be at a very specific angle in order to work. If it's not at the correct angle, there are these lines on the screen and then it freezes up. Finally, the third problem was that ssmariner had problems with his computer, lost the songs, found them again, but would have to reload the set list, and there just wasn't enough time to do that. I don't blame ss—these things happen. I was just disappointed.
With the gig cancelled, I had to notify my SL friends, but off course the Friends list showed NOBODY online, which was wrong, because I was chatting with one of them! Anyway, I did a group notice (or "thingy thingy" as I referred to it to EJ) and let everyone in on the bad news. My son was probably the most disappointed after me, but he said "YAY" when I told him it was being rescheduled—this is why he's my hero….
Currently reading : The Plain Janes (Minx) By Cecil Castellucci Release date: 02 May, 2007
Well folks, I came up with my 40 or so songs for my Special Guest slot in ssmariner's dj set at Umbra Penumbra in Second Life. I picked out some Brian Eno and some Bryan Ferry; some Arctic Monkeys and some Gorillaz; some New York Dolls and some Pine Valley Cosmonauts. And then technology fucked me in the ass.
I was so looking forward to this evening, too. I was off the computer most of the day, having accidentally taken two Tylenol PMs last night (I had a headache and that's all we had in the house), not knowing that the recommended dosage was just one capsule…. So I slept late, was groggy when I finally awoke, and didn't fully wake up until 3pm or so. When I got online around 4:30, the first technological problem I encountered was that there wasn't a wireless internet signal for the laptop to hookup to. I fixed it, but it continued to go off and on all day. The second technology glitch was my own fault: last week I tripped on the laptop cord and the laptop slid off the couch and hit the floor. It seemed mostly ok, but now it appears that the screen has to be at a very specific angle in order to work. If it's not at the correct angle, there are these lines on the screen and then it freezes up. Finally, the third problem was that ssmariner had problems with his computer, lost the songs, found them again, but would have to reload the set list, and there just wasn't enough time to do that. I don't blame ss—these things happen. I was just disappointed.
With the gig cancelled, I had to notify my SL friends, but off course the Friends list showed NOBODY online, which was wrong, because I was chatting with one of them! Anyway, I did a group notice (or "thingy thingy" as I referred to it to EJ) and let everyone in on the bad news. My son was probably the most disappointed after me, but he said "YAY" when I told him it was being rescheduled—this is why he's my hero….
Currently reading : The Plain Janes (Minx) By Cecil Castellucci Release date: 02 May, 2007
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Second Life Librarians Gone Wild! (Part 2)
Current mood: Ecstatic!
The day after EJ and I had picked out the club for our Girls' Night Out, I decided to look a little further by Googling indie music on the Internets. One of the results that popped up was a piece from an online music zine called Subterranean Blog which mentioned a club called Umbra Penumbra. It was the first one listed in the article, so I tp'd over there to check it out.
Turns out that this was the club I had been looking for: the music was a nice mix of 80s through today: some Elvis Costello, Kaiser Chiefs, and everything in between. The owner of the club, Violet Morellet, was very friendly, and was interested when I said I was bringing a bunch of librarians the next night for our Girls Night Out. After dancing there for about an hour I said goodbye and IM'd EJ that I had found an even better club for us. I spread the word to my cohorts that the event was on for Saturday, July 14th.
Saturday came and I agonized over what to wear. I know, I know—it's only a cartoon. But even cartoon gals have to look cute! So I finally decided on an outfit consisting of black low waist flared pants, a black shirt tied under the boobs, and black pseudo chuck taylor gym shoes. All in all, my avatar Vikki looked pretty hot that night.
When I got to the club my friend SF was already there. We chatted for a while and eventually 3 other gal friends of mine (EJ, HVX, and MQ) showed up. We were laughing and joking and enjoying the music and the crowd. Strangely, there was only one guy at the club, ssmariner Flossberg. Violet was joking that ss likes to strip for people, and SF started hooting and hollering for him to take it off. (We librarians can be a rowdy bunch, true to the stereotype of what happens when we let our hair down!) Then, suddenly, we notice that ss was, in fact, taking his clothes off. Ok, well, just his jacket and shirt. But it was still pretty funny!
Eventually the night came to an end and we decided that we had to do it again soon. I couldn't believe how much fun I'd had just sitting at my computer! But the music was great, the chatting with friends was fun, and it was a blast.
The next day I went back to Umbra Penumbra and ss was the DJ in an empty club, so I stayed and danced and talked to him as I folded laundry in real life. He asked what kind of music I liked and I told him some genres and songs that I liked. Then he asked me the most exciting question I've been asked in ages: "Would you like to come up with a 2-hour set list for me to play when I DJ next Sunday?"!!!!!! I gave a resounding HELL yeah!" I am so totally excited about this. I'm a guest DJ! So if any of you are in Second Life next Sunday, July 22, 4pm SLT, stop by Umbra Penumbra (http://slurl.com/secondlife/Esoterica/79/158/24) for a dance, and say hello to Vikki!
Currently listening : Black Holes and Revelations By Muse Release date: 11 July, 2006
The day after EJ and I had picked out the club for our Girls' Night Out, I decided to look a little further by Googling indie music on the Internets. One of the results that popped up was a piece from an online music zine called Subterranean Blog which mentioned a club called Umbra Penumbra. It was the first one listed in the article, so I tp'd over there to check it out.
Turns out that this was the club I had been looking for: the music was a nice mix of 80s through today: some Elvis Costello, Kaiser Chiefs, and everything in between. The owner of the club, Violet Morellet, was very friendly, and was interested when I said I was bringing a bunch of librarians the next night for our Girls Night Out. After dancing there for about an hour I said goodbye and IM'd EJ that I had found an even better club for us. I spread the word to my cohorts that the event was on for Saturday, July 14th.
Saturday came and I agonized over what to wear. I know, I know—it's only a cartoon. But even cartoon gals have to look cute! So I finally decided on an outfit consisting of black low waist flared pants, a black shirt tied under the boobs, and black pseudo chuck taylor gym shoes. All in all, my avatar Vikki looked pretty hot that night.
When I got to the club my friend SF was already there. We chatted for a while and eventually 3 other gal friends of mine (EJ, HVX, and MQ) showed up. We were laughing and joking and enjoying the music and the crowd. Strangely, there was only one guy at the club, ssmariner Flossberg. Violet was joking that ss likes to strip for people, and SF started hooting and hollering for him to take it off. (We librarians can be a rowdy bunch, true to the stereotype of what happens when we let our hair down!) Then, suddenly, we notice that ss was, in fact, taking his clothes off. Ok, well, just his jacket and shirt. But it was still pretty funny!
Eventually the night came to an end and we decided that we had to do it again soon. I couldn't believe how much fun I'd had just sitting at my computer! But the music was great, the chatting with friends was fun, and it was a blast.
The next day I went back to Umbra Penumbra and ss was the DJ in an empty club, so I stayed and danced and talked to him as I folded laundry in real life. He asked what kind of music I liked and I told him some genres and songs that I liked. Then he asked me the most exciting question I've been asked in ages: "Would you like to come up with a 2-hour set list for me to play when I DJ next Sunday?"!!!!!! I gave a resounding HELL yeah!" I am so totally excited about this. I'm a guest DJ! So if any of you are in Second Life next Sunday, July 22, 4pm SLT, stop by Umbra Penumbra (http://slurl.com/secondlife/Esoterica/79/158/24) for a dance, and say hello to Vikki!
Currently listening : Black Holes and Revelations By Muse Release date: 11 July, 2006
Monday, July 16, 2007
Librarians Gone Wild! (Part One)
For the past few months I've been getting more and more involved with library activities in Second Life. As I've gotten to know my fellow librarians, I've felt that we all needed some serious girlfriend time. So was born the "Girls Night Out." I put the word out that we'd be getting together at a dance club in SL to have some time to socialize and let our hair down, and I got some positive response.
In preparation for the event, I contacted a librarian friend whom I'll call EJ. She was doing a build in SL and needed a break, so she came with me to see a few clubs so we could figure out where we wanted to hang out.
If you've never gone dancing in SL, here's how it works: there's streaming audio, usually courtesy of a DJ spinning tunes live, in real time. In order to animate your avatar into dancing there are a couple of options. One is to click an object in the club, either a sphere over the dance floor, or to click on the dance floor itself. When a box appears at the top of the computer screen that asks, "Animate your avatar?" you click 'YES" in order to dance. Sometimes the dance is random, or sometimes a menu pops up and you can select the dance you want. The second way to dance is to use your own animation. Some of these dance animations are free, but if you want a particular dance or something more distinctive, you can purchase the animations from a variety of vendors. At any rate, you click on something, start dancing, and have fun.
The first place we checked out was Bubblegum Music Factory. They play mostly 60s through 80s rock and pop music, and have a different theme for each of the 4 two-hour sets each night. Sometimes it's guitar bands, sometimes the theme is "best in red" and sometimes it's bubblegum music. EJ liked the music and the atmosphere, so we put this one on the "maybe" list.
After the Bubblegum Music Factory we headed out to Blackhearts, an 80s club. Now, I like me the 80s music—it's the music of my youth. But with the Ramones and the Cure, also comes
Club number three was a trance/house music place that neither of us liked; number 4 was another trance club that we couldn't find the entrance to; and Club 5 wasn't so much a club as an alley with wooden crates, and hardcore punk and oi music being blasted through the air. Not crazy about this one either. EJ searched SL and found a heavy metal club that looked promising. The music was loud and obnoxious (in a good way), the atmosphere was fun, and there were lots of people there, but not too many that we had a lag problem. We decided that this was the place. That is, until the next day, when I discovered the club of my dreams. (To be continued….)
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Back, with a Vengence....
| Current mood: Has it really been a month since I last posted something? And that last one doesn't even count since it was such a puny piece of crap. Obviously I've not been inspired lately. It's been upwards of 80 degrees much of the last month, so the house has been like an oven (although I'll admit that most ovens operate at well over 80 degrees...). Also, I've been plagued with moodiness and inertia, so when I sit, I stay seated, and when I'm depressed, I stay depressed. That last bit is being looked into by my new therapist, who, it turns out, went to the same punk club that Husband and I went to in 1977. I see that as a really good thing. (And, on a note unrelated to my mental wellbeing, I like my therapist's taste in footwear—he has really cool gymshoes.) Now on to the issue at hand.... I was majorly pissed-off this weekend reading a NY Times piece by Kara Jesella, entitled "A Hipper Crowd of Shushers," (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/08/fashion/08librarian.html). Now, as you know by now, I love being a librarian. I think it's an amazing profession, and I find it rewarding and exciting and challenging. (I may not like my job, but I love my profession.) But this article was the latest in an attempt to entice more and more people into this already overcrowded field. I was irked, in particular, by the following snippet: "And though many librarians say that they, like nurses or priests, are called to the profession, they also say the job is stable, intellectually stimulating and can have reasonable hours — perfect for creative types who want to pursue their passions outside of work and don't want to finance their pursuits by waiting tables. (The median salary for librarians was about $51,000 in 2006, according to the American Library Association-Allied Professional Organization.)" HA! I say. HA! I'm sorry—I must use stronger language: I HATE THIS FUCKING BULLSHIT! I spent over $30,000 on graduate school in order to find a part-time job that pays slightly over $14.00/hour. And yet the p.s. I'm still listening to the Arctic Monkeys' CD, "Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not." Obsessively. Constantly. Family ready to go crazy.... |
pissed off Saturday, May 26, 2007
Will the Real Donatella Please Stand Up...
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Current mood: Bold and Brassy!
Category: Bold and Brassy! Life
So, who is that kid up on the stage playing the trombone? That can't be my kid—but there he is. He signed up for the school talent show and now he's playing his trombone in front of parents and schoolmates alike. Amazing how the genetic trait of "DON'T LOOK AT ME!" seems to have skipped a generation. And he's actually a sort of shy kid, but his friends were signing up, so he did too. He even chose a song with two endings, so he played the whole thing through twice. I am so freaking proud...
Let's go back in time to when my grade school was having a talent show. Did I sign up to be in it? Nope. I fantasized about doing a little dance routine to some song from a popular movie at the time. I practiced in my bedroom, alone, hoping to god that my mother wouldn't see me—I would have been mortified. I would never, ever, EVER think of performing in front of people. I don't know if it was innate, or I learned it somewhere, but I knew, in my heart, that I was not to "express myself" in front of other people. People were not to know what went on inside my head. I disliked playing pretend, lest some hidden aspect of my personality were to sneak out. When I doodled during school or whatever, I always scratched the doodles out. Those scribbling might give something away. (Yeesh.)
I got the "don't look at me" gene from my mother. In fact, I got it by way of nature and nurture, both. I learned to be modest. I learned to be nice. I learned to not wear certain types of clothing. I asked my mother when I was in high school about why I must shave my armpits. Her answer: Because otherwise it doesn't look nice…. I spent my formative years trying to simultaneously look nice, and yet avoid attention. It's a hard juggling act.
Here's an example of how this craziness has affected my life: About two years ago I went to see Stan Ridgway at a small club in Chicago with my friend Cactus. On the way in we were each given a raffle ticket for a drawing later. The club was the shape and size of a shoebox, and was extremely packed, so half-way through the show I told Cactus I was going to the back of the room. Near the end of the set Stan announced the drawing for such items as 6 Feet of Beef Jerky. Of course, my raffle ticket number is drawn. So, Stan keeps calling the number and I just pretend like it wasn't my ticket. "That's never happened before," said Stan. That's because the winner was never ME! Just the thought of walking through the crowded club, up on stage, to get a prize from Stan Ridgway…well, I couldn't do it. So he called another number. After the set Cactus didn't even have to ask me if I had the winning ticket; he'd known me too long to have thought otherwise. But as of late, things have been different for me. Over the years I had dealt with my insecurities and self-consciousness in different ways—some healthy, some not. But there has never been an actual change in my self-perception or mindset, until recently.
After the milestone birthday, and my introduction to Second Life, I'm finally starting to feel like I'm hitting my stride. I'm seeing that in SL I can let the "real" me out, without fear of reproach. I've been making a lot of friends in SL, meeting librarians who are very smart and funny, and I can flirt like the dickens! And this online behavior has emboldened me in real life as well. I find that I'm able to strike up conversations with people I've just met. I'm not afraid to make chitchat with strangers in line at the grocery store. And I can joke around with the cutest guys that come into the library without turning beet red. At long last I am feeling comfortable in my own skin, and it feels great.
Currently listening : The Good, the Bad & the Queen By The Good the Bad & The Queen Release date: By 23 January, 2007
Current mood: Bold and Brassy!
Category: Bold and Brassy! Life
So, who is that kid up on the stage playing the trombone? That can't be my kid—but there he is. He signed up for the school talent show and now he's playing his trombone in front of parents and schoolmates alike. Amazing how the genetic trait of "DON'T LOOK AT ME!" seems to have skipped a generation. And he's actually a sort of shy kid, but his friends were signing up, so he did too. He even chose a song with two endings, so he played the whole thing through twice. I am so freaking proud...
Let's go back in time to when my grade school was having a talent show. Did I sign up to be in it? Nope. I fantasized about doing a little dance routine to some song from a popular movie at the time. I practiced in my bedroom, alone, hoping to god that my mother wouldn't see me—I would have been mortified. I would never, ever, EVER think of performing in front of people. I don't know if it was innate, or I learned it somewhere, but I knew, in my heart, that I was not to "express myself" in front of other people. People were not to know what went on inside my head. I disliked playing pretend, lest some hidden aspect of my personality were to sneak out. When I doodled during school or whatever, I always scratched the doodles out. Those scribbling might give something away. (Yeesh.)
I got the "don't look at me" gene from my mother. In fact, I got it by way of nature and nurture, both. I learned to be modest. I learned to be nice. I learned to not wear certain types of clothing. I asked my mother when I was in high school about why I must shave my armpits. Her answer: Because otherwise it doesn't look nice…. I spent my formative years trying to simultaneously look nice, and yet avoid attention. It's a hard juggling act.
Here's an example of how this craziness has affected my life: About two years ago I went to see Stan Ridgway at a small club in Chicago with my friend Cactus. On the way in we were each given a raffle ticket for a drawing later. The club was the shape and size of a shoebox, and was extremely packed, so half-way through the show I told Cactus I was going to the back of the room. Near the end of the set Stan announced the drawing for such items as 6 Feet of Beef Jerky. Of course, my raffle ticket number is drawn. So, Stan keeps calling the number and I just pretend like it wasn't my ticket. "That's never happened before," said Stan. That's because the winner was never ME! Just the thought of walking through the crowded club, up on stage, to get a prize from Stan Ridgway…well, I couldn't do it. So he called another number. After the set Cactus didn't even have to ask me if I had the winning ticket; he'd known me too long to have thought otherwise. But as of late, things have been different for me. Over the years I had dealt with my insecurities and self-consciousness in different ways—some healthy, some not. But there has never been an actual change in my self-perception or mindset, until recently.
After the milestone birthday, and my introduction to Second Life, I'm finally starting to feel like I'm hitting my stride. I'm seeing that in SL I can let the "real" me out, without fear of reproach. I've been making a lot of friends in SL, meeting librarians who are very smart and funny, and I can flirt like the dickens! And this online behavior has emboldened me in real life as well. I find that I'm able to strike up conversations with people I've just met. I'm not afraid to make chitchat with strangers in line at the grocery store. And I can joke around with the cutest guys that come into the library without turning beet red. At long last I am feeling comfortable in my own skin, and it feels great.
Currently listening : The Good, the Bad & the Queen By The Good the Bad & The Queen Release date: By 23 January, 2007
Saturday, May 19, 2007
NAKED CHICKS!
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Current mood: Perplexed by human behavior
Ok, you know by now that I'm a librarian. I'm also a lefty, feminist kind of gal. And I'm not a prude. So I understand that I may get blasted by other feminists when I say that I don't have a big problem with the existence of pornography. People like to look at pictures or videos of people "doing it," whether it be solo, with a partner of the same sex, different sex, different species, different life form, whatever. Porn has been around for ages, and it has its place in the world. But it does not have a place in the public library.
When people leave their porn printouts in the library's computer center…well that just pisses me off. What the hell am I supposed to do with this crap? It's not even artistic or anything! It's just ads with naked girls touching themselves, looking all plastic and fake. And I'm sorry, but I don't understand the appeal of looking at porn in the library. I mean, I understand not wanting the spam and spyware ending up on your home computer, but who the hell wants to sit in the library with a boner while looking at porn in front of everybody. Oh wait---that would be perverts. And the library is the pervert's friend, unfortunately.
Many people (particularly library staff) don't know how to deal with porn when they see it at the library. They get flustered and upset when faced with a spread open beaver. But I just go up to the offender (same as I would the cell-phone-talker and the snack-eater) and say, "Dude—you have to turn that off. NOW." Then, I file away the person's face in my memory so I can watch him. I'll let other staff know about the incident so they, too, can keep an eye on the guy. And the next time I see him at the library I'll walk by, giving him the skunk eye, letting him know that I know what he's into.
I haven't been to an adult bookstore in a while, but it seems like they could use some internet stations where people can look at and download porn for a small fee. Of course, the library's computers are free, and if you're sleazy enough to look at porn in public, you're not going to be paying for your printouts anyway. Grrr…
Currently listening : Everything Is Illuminated By Ariane Lallemand Release date: By 06 September, 2005
Current mood: Perplexed by human behavior
Ok, you know by now that I'm a librarian. I'm also a lefty, feminist kind of gal. And I'm not a prude. So I understand that I may get blasted by other feminists when I say that I don't have a big problem with the existence of pornography. People like to look at pictures or videos of people "doing it," whether it be solo, with a partner of the same sex, different sex, different species, different life form, whatever. Porn has been around for ages, and it has its place in the world. But it does not have a place in the public library.
When people leave their porn printouts in the library's computer center…well that just pisses me off. What the hell am I supposed to do with this crap? It's not even artistic or anything! It's just ads with naked girls touching themselves, looking all plastic and fake. And I'm sorry, but I don't understand the appeal of looking at porn in the library. I mean, I understand not wanting the spam and spyware ending up on your home computer, but who the hell wants to sit in the library with a boner while looking at porn in front of everybody. Oh wait---that would be perverts. And the library is the pervert's friend, unfortunately.
Many people (particularly library staff) don't know how to deal with porn when they see it at the library. They get flustered and upset when faced with a spread open beaver. But I just go up to the offender (same as I would the cell-phone-talker and the snack-eater) and say, "Dude—you have to turn that off. NOW." Then, I file away the person's face in my memory so I can watch him. I'll let other staff know about the incident so they, too, can keep an eye on the guy. And the next time I see him at the library I'll walk by, giving him the skunk eye, letting him know that I know what he's into.
I haven't been to an adult bookstore in a while, but it seems like they could use some internet stations where people can look at and download porn for a small fee. Of course, the library's computers are free, and if you're sleazy enough to look at porn in public, you're not going to be paying for your printouts anyway. Grrr…
Currently listening : Everything Is Illuminated By Ariane Lallemand Release date: By 06 September, 2005
The good, bad, and ugly moods of Donatella
Friday, May 18, 2007
Current mood: Can't even put it into words...
For a few days now I've been struggling with what to write here. Nothing was GREAT. Nothing was HORRIBLE. Everything has been JUST FINE, thank you very much. And most people would be happy with that. No drama, no crisis, no catastrophe. But no, I'm not most people. If something's not totally mind blowing or totally sucky, what's the point? I had a splitting muscle tension headache yesterday—I guess that's pretty sucky. So I took a vicodin and felt better! And then when I woke up kind of groggy this morning…I DRANK 3 CUPS OF COFFEE BEFORE 10AM! Problem solved!
Somewhere in between Mania and Depression lies a state that causes consternation for those of us who are used to feeling the extremes. Ok, once again I'm exaggerating for effect—I'm not Manic Depressive. I don't have Obsessive Compulsive disorder. But give me substances or inebriants that make me feel on the edge (either high or low) and I feel totally at home. Get me jack-mode on coffee (thank you, Prysock) and I'm set. Give me a vicodin to take the edge off and there's smooth sailing ahead. But leave me with nothing to excite/inspire/sedate me…well, that's hard for me to handle.
I've come to realize that I may be an emotion junky (meaning: if I'm not feeling something in the extreme, what's the point?) This came into play with my recent birthday. As I reflected on my younger days, all I kept thinking was "I will never be as exhilarated about things as I was when I was in my 20s." This was a terrifying thought for me, so I got very depressed, lost my appetite, and lost myself in Second Life, where I had one exhilarating adventure after another, thereby going from one extreme, to the other, and back again. Not really a good couple of months for me.
But now I'm trying to learn to be happy with the middle ground. I'm thankful that I'm self-aware enough to know why I do a lot of the things I do. The hard part is changing. I still want to be thrilled and excited and overwhelmed. But I guess that I also need to be satisfied with things being just ok. (Although, honestly, that feels like a copout—who wants to settle for just ok?) So here's my question: How do I have a passion for something without it getting out of control and becoming escapism? I remember saying something last week about "keeping things in perspective." Is this where I would apply that maxim? Any thoughts on this?
Currently listening : Supernova By Liz Phair Release date: By 16 April, 1995
Current mood: Can't even put it into words...
For a few days now I've been struggling with what to write here. Nothing was GREAT. Nothing was HORRIBLE. Everything has been JUST FINE, thank you very much. And most people would be happy with that. No drama, no crisis, no catastrophe. But no, I'm not most people. If something's not totally mind blowing or totally sucky, what's the point? I had a splitting muscle tension headache yesterday—I guess that's pretty sucky. So I took a vicodin and felt better! And then when I woke up kind of groggy this morning…I DRANK 3 CUPS OF COFFEE BEFORE 10AM! Problem solved!
Somewhere in between Mania and Depression lies a state that causes consternation for those of us who are used to feeling the extremes. Ok, once again I'm exaggerating for effect—I'm not Manic Depressive. I don't have Obsessive Compulsive disorder. But give me substances or inebriants that make me feel on the edge (either high or low) and I feel totally at home. Get me jack-mode on coffee (thank you, Prysock) and I'm set. Give me a vicodin to take the edge off and there's smooth sailing ahead. But leave me with nothing to excite/inspire/sedate me…well, that's hard for me to handle.
I've come to realize that I may be an emotion junky (meaning: if I'm not feeling something in the extreme, what's the point?) This came into play with my recent birthday. As I reflected on my younger days, all I kept thinking was "I will never be as exhilarated about things as I was when I was in my 20s." This was a terrifying thought for me, so I got very depressed, lost my appetite, and lost myself in Second Life, where I had one exhilarating adventure after another, thereby going from one extreme, to the other, and back again. Not really a good couple of months for me.
But now I'm trying to learn to be happy with the middle ground. I'm thankful that I'm self-aware enough to know why I do a lot of the things I do. The hard part is changing. I still want to be thrilled and excited and overwhelmed. But I guess that I also need to be satisfied with things being just ok. (Although, honestly, that feels like a copout—who wants to settle for just ok?) So here's my question: How do I have a passion for something without it getting out of control and becoming escapism? I remember saying something last week about "keeping things in perspective." Is this where I would apply that maxim? Any thoughts on this?
Currently listening : Supernova By Liz Phair Release date: By 16 April, 1995
My Calling
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Current mood: Inspired and Reflective!
Be prepared to be shocked— I am behind on my tv watching. Yes—it's true. I have fallen behind on my favorite serial tv shows: Jericho; Heroes; hell—I even missed the final episode of Gilmore Girls! I have them all on DVR, so I will get to them at some point, but it's just a strange state of affairs for me.
I've been watching way too much tv since I was a kid. So what's different now? The main thing is that I've been focusing on my career. Until about 5 or 6 years ago, I never even had a career. I had job after shitty job, and I have the ID Badge collection to prove it! But when I became a librarian, my world changed. DAMN—I love being a librarian!
As part of my career-building, I've been checking out Info Island in Second Life and talking to the librarians there, asking about volunteering. I must say, I'm pretty ballsed up about it! More and more I find opportunities for creative, fulfilling work I can do as a librarian.
But wait--let me ask you something before I go on: Do you have a library card? If not, go get one. And if you don't like your local public library, complain about it—they won't know there's a problem unless the patrons say something. It's important that people use and support their public libraries.
Ever have a question about "who was that guy in the movie about the car"? Call a library and ask the reference librarian. That's what we're here for. We LOVE getting reference questions! You don't even have to call your local library—you can call any library anywhere! If you're in the Eastern timezone and your library is closed, call one in California! Whenever I'm on a road trip, and we're trying to find something or figure out something, or hell, even just talking about a movie we can't remember the name of, I'll suggest calling the library where I work and asking them for help finding the information.
If you need a phone number—call the library. If you want to know what's on tv tonight—call the library. Whatever it is, if we don't know the answer, we'll probably know how to find it. Just don't call me to ask what happened on Monday's episode of Heroes—I haven't watched it yet.
Current mood: Inspired and Reflective!
Be prepared to be shocked— I am behind on my tv watching. Yes—it's true. I have fallen behind on my favorite serial tv shows: Jericho; Heroes; hell—I even missed the final episode of Gilmore Girls! I have them all on DVR, so I will get to them at some point, but it's just a strange state of affairs for me.
I've been watching way too much tv since I was a kid. So what's different now? The main thing is that I've been focusing on my career. Until about 5 or 6 years ago, I never even had a career. I had job after shitty job, and I have the ID Badge collection to prove it! But when I became a librarian, my world changed. DAMN—I love being a librarian!
As part of my career-building, I've been checking out Info Island in Second Life and talking to the librarians there, asking about volunteering. I must say, I'm pretty ballsed up about it! More and more I find opportunities for creative, fulfilling work I can do as a librarian.
But wait--let me ask you something before I go on: Do you have a library card? If not, go get one. And if you don't like your local public library, complain about it—they won't know there's a problem unless the patrons say something. It's important that people use and support their public libraries.
Ever have a question about "who was that guy in the movie about the car"? Call a library and ask the reference librarian. That's what we're here for. We LOVE getting reference questions! You don't even have to call your local library—you can call any library anywhere! If you're in the Eastern timezone and your library is closed, call one in California! Whenever I'm on a road trip, and we're trying to find something or figure out something, or hell, even just talking about a movie we can't remember the name of, I'll suggest calling the library where I work and asking them for help finding the information.
If you need a phone number—call the library. If you want to know what's on tv tonight—call the library. Whatever it is, if we don't know the answer, we'll probably know how to find it. Just don't call me to ask what happened on Monday's episode of Heroes—I haven't watched it yet.
Zines, Comics, and other Hip Lit
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Current mood: creative
Rather than do the traditional Mother's Day Brunch, the family and I went to the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago today for an event called Zines, Comics, and other Hip Lit, presented by the MCA and Quimby's Bookstore. (See more about Quimby's below.) Quimby's had a long table with a lot of their books, zines, and comics for sale, with some authors and zine writers there as well. I chatted briefly with a couple of the Quimby's folks about my being a librarian lucky enough to buy the graphic novels for my library's collection. (It's pretty amazing that I lucked into this, actually. When they hired me at my library I was told that I'd be buying books in the 700s and 800s, which means Art books—including architecture, crafts, photography, comics, etc. —and Literature. These were the perfect selection areas for me!)
So anyway, while at the Quimby's table, one of the zine creators there, Al Burian, gave me a copy of his book, "Things Are Meaning Less." It's a 100 page collection of comics he drew from 1997-1998. I read it while I waited for my son and husband to look around the museum, and I was awestruck.
The first story is a beautiful little piece, with musings about life, maturity, the nature of coincidence, and a power plant's flashing lights that may or may not have prescient meaning. Throughout the panels, our hero is making a sandwich. The last frame shows him with sandwich in hand and he's thinking: "Peanut butter and jelly sandwich. As usual, totally kick-ass." The beauty of the mundane--I loved this book. I'm definitely going to check out his zine Burn Collector, which is also available at Quimby's.
If you ever come to Chicago, you have to go to Quimby's (www.quimbys.com). It's a great comic book store, with books on every publishing subculture you can imagine, from "Erotica & Fetish" to "Mayhem" to "Lowbrow Art." Check out their blog, too. I was alerted that the new BUTT magazine had come in! Read the description of it here: http://quimbys.com/product_info.php/products_id/19203 But here's a teaser: one of the articles listed in the magazine is: "'Dirty Danny--Amsterdam Homo Hobo Hasn't Changed His Filthy Bed Sheets Since 1996,' by Lenert Engelberts." I don't know about you, but I'm intrigued....
Currently listening : Operators Manual By Buzzcocks Release date: By 12 November, 1991
Current mood: creative
Rather than do the traditional Mother's Day Brunch, the family and I went to the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago today for an event called Zines, Comics, and other Hip Lit, presented by the MCA and Quimby's Bookstore. (See more about Quimby's below.) Quimby's had a long table with a lot of their books, zines, and comics for sale, with some authors and zine writers there as well. I chatted briefly with a couple of the Quimby's folks about my being a librarian lucky enough to buy the graphic novels for my library's collection. (It's pretty amazing that I lucked into this, actually. When they hired me at my library I was told that I'd be buying books in the 700s and 800s, which means Art books—including architecture, crafts, photography, comics, etc. —and Literature. These were the perfect selection areas for me!)
So anyway, while at the Quimby's table, one of the zine creators there, Al Burian, gave me a copy of his book, "Things Are Meaning Less." It's a 100 page collection of comics he drew from 1997-1998. I read it while I waited for my son and husband to look around the museum, and I was awestruck.
The first story is a beautiful little piece, with musings about life, maturity, the nature of coincidence, and a power plant's flashing lights that may or may not have prescient meaning. Throughout the panels, our hero is making a sandwich. The last frame shows him with sandwich in hand and he's thinking: "Peanut butter and jelly sandwich. As usual, totally kick-ass." The beauty of the mundane--I loved this book. I'm definitely going to check out his zine Burn Collector, which is also available at Quimby's.
If you ever come to Chicago, you have to go to Quimby's (www.quimbys.com). It's a great comic book store, with books on every publishing subculture you can imagine, from "Erotica & Fetish" to "Mayhem" to "Lowbrow Art." Check out their blog, too. I was alerted that the new BUTT magazine had come in! Read the description of it here: http://quimbys.com/product_info.php/products_id/19203 But here's a teaser: one of the articles listed in the magazine is: "'Dirty Danny--Amsterdam Homo Hobo Hasn't Changed His Filthy Bed Sheets Since 1996,' by Lenert Engelberts." I don't know about you, but I'm intrigued....
Currently listening : Operators Manual By Buzzcocks Release date: By 12 November, 1991
I'M WEAK!!! But it's ok....
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Category: Life
My moratorium on Second Life is not working out quite as I had planned. Here's a little background info on my entree into SL. In my work as a librarian, I've read a lot of articles in professional journals about reaching young adult patrons through new technology. One thing I kept seeing as a possible venue was Second Life. In March of this year I decided to create an SL acct. and scope out the potential for my library's involvement.
Well, my intentions were pure, but I was soon drawn to the dark side. Ok, I'm exaggerating. It wasn't that dark. In fact, it was a hell of a lot of fun. But I spent a lot more time exploring the more fun areas of SL rather than the professional resources I had gone there for in the first place. And then, what with my addictive personality and all, I became totally obsessed with spending time in SL. I made SL friends, bought SL clothing, rented an SL house (and furnished it very nicely, I must say), and generally spent way too much time playing a virtual version of "Barbie Dream House."
So, after an impromptu intervention (my husband busted me), I decided to quit SL cold turkey. And I did well for almost a week! But it's hard to stay away. Then I had a brainstorm: Why don't I create a new Librarian avatar and keep my SL experience purely professional? I can do that. So I did. And it's going ok so far.
I went on to SL yesterday with my new avatar "Vikki Planer," and headed to Info Island, the Second Life Library location. I met a librarian (Shadow) whom I was familiar with via an SL Librarian social network group on Ning. Anyway, it was fun interacting with library professionals, and keeping my nose clean at the same time! There were patrons asking questions, other librarians to chat with, and just an all around exciting vibe. But as with a RL library, you get the crazy patrons too: when I showed up at Info Island the librarians were dealing with a guy asking about the tightness of a woman's vagina…. I IM'd Shadow and remarked that you can't escape patrons like this, even in a virtual world. Just the fact that the guy would seek out the library to ask a question like that….it's mind boggling. Shadow said she'd been dealing with griefers all day. She also told me that there's an SL librarian offering a class in "Griefers 101," so I'm going to look that up in preparation for my stint as an SL librarian. I don't know when I'll start volunteering there, but I'm putting my plan in motion. In any case, if you're active in SL come to Info Island and talk to some pretty cool librarians.
Currently listening : Favourite Worst Nightmare By Arctic Monkeys Release date: By 24 April, 2007
Category: Life
My moratorium on Second Life is not working out quite as I had planned. Here's a little background info on my entree into SL. In my work as a librarian, I've read a lot of articles in professional journals about reaching young adult patrons through new technology. One thing I kept seeing as a possible venue was Second Life. In March of this year I decided to create an SL acct. and scope out the potential for my library's involvement.
Well, my intentions were pure, but I was soon drawn to the dark side. Ok, I'm exaggerating. It wasn't that dark. In fact, it was a hell of a lot of fun. But I spent a lot more time exploring the more fun areas of SL rather than the professional resources I had gone there for in the first place. And then, what with my addictive personality and all, I became totally obsessed with spending time in SL. I made SL friends, bought SL clothing, rented an SL house (and furnished it very nicely, I must say), and generally spent way too much time playing a virtual version of "Barbie Dream House."
So, after an impromptu intervention (my husband busted me), I decided to quit SL cold turkey. And I did well for almost a week! But it's hard to stay away. Then I had a brainstorm: Why don't I create a new Librarian avatar and keep my SL experience purely professional? I can do that. So I did. And it's going ok so far.
I went on to SL yesterday with my new avatar "Vikki Planer," and headed to Info Island, the Second Life Library location. I met a librarian (Shadow) whom I was familiar with via an SL Librarian social network group on Ning. Anyway, it was fun interacting with library professionals, and keeping my nose clean at the same time! There were patrons asking questions, other librarians to chat with, and just an all around exciting vibe. But as with a RL library, you get the crazy patrons too: when I showed up at Info Island the librarians were dealing with a guy asking about the tightness of a woman's vagina…. I IM'd Shadow and remarked that you can't escape patrons like this, even in a virtual world. Just the fact that the guy would seek out the library to ask a question like that….it's mind boggling. Shadow said she'd been dealing with griefers all day. She also told me that there's an SL librarian offering a class in "Griefers 101," so I'm going to look that up in preparation for my stint as an SL librarian. I don't know when I'll start volunteering there, but I'm putting my plan in motion. In any case, if you're active in SL come to Info Island and talk to some pretty cool librarians.
Currently listening : Favourite Worst Nightmare By Arctic Monkeys Release date: By 24 April, 2007
The Fog is Lifting...
Friday, May 11, 2007
Current mood: Crazy Optimistic!
Category: Life
Life is feeling better these days. I think I've turned a corner. The birthday angst has subsided, and has been replaced by a feeling of optimism. I have to be careful, though--I've gotten comfortable with feelings like this before, only to have harsh reality slap me in the face. I need to "keep things in perspective." (That's the secret phrase for the week, for those of you keeping track at home.)
I just finished an amazing novel called "Remainder," by Tom McCarthy. It's told from the point of view of an "unreliable narrator," who had suffered some sort of accident that he can't remember. Very interesting. He becomes obsessed with "re-enacting" things he remembers, and this behavior escalates. Some of the details he goes into get a bit tedious, but you're right inside the narrator's head, so that's the way he thinks. Anyway, it's very beautifully written, and I say check it out. It's unlike anything I've read before. And I have to say that I can identify with some of the obsessiveness of the guy's personality.... Next book on my list is: "Then We Came to the End," by Joshua Ferris.
That's it for today--everybody have a great weekend and enjoy life!
Currently listening : Brianstorm By Arctic Monkeys Release date: By 17 April, 2007
Current mood: Crazy Optimistic!
Category: Life
Life is feeling better these days. I think I've turned a corner. The birthday angst has subsided, and has been replaced by a feeling of optimism. I have to be careful, though--I've gotten comfortable with feelings like this before, only to have harsh reality slap me in the face. I need to "keep things in perspective." (That's the secret phrase for the week, for those of you keeping track at home.)
I just finished an amazing novel called "Remainder," by Tom McCarthy. It's told from the point of view of an "unreliable narrator," who had suffered some sort of accident that he can't remember. Very interesting. He becomes obsessed with "re-enacting" things he remembers, and this behavior escalates. Some of the details he goes into get a bit tedious, but you're right inside the narrator's head, so that's the way he thinks. Anyway, it's very beautifully written, and I say check it out. It's unlike anything I've read before. And I have to say that I can identify with some of the obsessiveness of the guy's personality.... Next book on my list is: "Then We Came to the End," by Joshua Ferris.
That's it for today--everybody have a great weekend and enjoy life!
Currently listening : Brianstorm By Arctic Monkeys Release date: By 17 April, 2007
Today's a Little Better
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Today's a little better....
Current mood: excited
Category: Music
So, I am officially a friend of the Kaiser Chiefs! YES! Yeah, ok, so it's me and 62,174 other people...D'OH! But there I am, on their comments page, so, buuh! Little things like this are very exciting for me.
Also exciting was discovering plugins and gizmos for Mozilla Firefox, especially the FoxyTunes Player! (http://www.foxytunes.com/) I'm still figuring it out, but when I typed in Kaiser Chiefs it took me to a page with all sorts of media listed, including audio links, videos (YouTube performances, etc.), and more. Technology is very much my friend today.
Currently listening : Yours Truly Angry Mob By Kaiser Chiefs Release date: By 27 March, 2007
Today's a little better....
Current mood: excited
Category: Music
So, I am officially a friend of the Kaiser Chiefs! YES! Yeah, ok, so it's me and 62,174 other people...D'OH! But there I am, on their comments page, so, buuh! Little things like this are very exciting for me.
Also exciting was discovering plugins and gizmos for Mozilla Firefox, especially the FoxyTunes Player! (http://www.foxytunes.com/) I'm still figuring it out, but when I typed in Kaiser Chiefs it took me to a page with all sorts of media listed, including audio links, videos (YouTube performances, etc.), and more. Technology is very much my friend today.
Currently listening : Yours Truly Angry Mob By Kaiser Chiefs Release date: By 27 March, 2007
A Day Late, and a Dollar Short
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
A Day Late, A Dollar Short
Current mood: cranky
Category: Music
Around 1998 I got into the band Blur. I had been familiarwith their music, and had always liked them, but I hadn't bought anythingby them. This was right after the CD "Blur," and before "13."As I tend to do with things I get "into," I became totallyobsessed with them (and Damon Albarn in particular). Then, of course,they broke up. I never got to see them perform live.
So lately I've been discovering some of the UK & Canadian bands likeThe Arcade Fire, Kaiser Chiefs, Arctic Monkeys, Hard-Fi, etc. Today I decidedto look at the music listings in The Chicago Reader (local freepaper with great movie/music/entertainment listings) and whatdo I find but the listing that Arcade Fire has sold out all 3 showsat the Chicago Theater (May 18-20), and Arctic Monkeys' showtonight at the Riviera Theater is ALSO sold out. GODDAMMIT! And a fewof the bands mentioned above were just at Coachella last week! I hate being out of the loop! This is whatI hate about getting older.... Grrr....
A Day Late, A Dollar Short
Current mood: cranky
Category: Music
Around 1998 I got into the band Blur. I had been familiarwith their music, and had always liked them, but I hadn't bought anythingby them. This was right after the CD "Blur," and before "13."As I tend to do with things I get "into," I became totallyobsessed with them (and Damon Albarn in particular). Then, of course,they broke up. I never got to see them perform live.
So lately I've been discovering some of the UK & Canadian bands likeThe Arcade Fire, Kaiser Chiefs, Arctic Monkeys, Hard-Fi, etc. Today I decidedto look at the music listings in The Chicago Reader (local freepaper with great movie/music/entertainment listings) and whatdo I find but the listing that Arcade Fire has sold out all 3 showsat the Chicago Theater (May 18-20), and Arctic Monkeys' showtonight at the Riviera Theater is ALSO sold out. GODDAMMIT! And a fewof the bands mentioned above were just at Coachella last week! I hate being out of the loop! This is whatI hate about getting older.... Grrr....
First Try
Monday, May 07, 2007
It's my first try, so please be kind.... Current mood: optimistic
Hey there--
I figure it's about time that I start one of these dang "blogs," as the kids call 'em. Not sure if I'll have enough to say, but I'll start rambling and try to stop when the crazy kicks in.
I'm a reference librarian at a small public library in the suburban Chicagoland area. I'm sorry, not reference librarian, but Information Services librarian. Yeesh. Anyway, I've been a "real" librarian for about 5 years, but have worked in libraries since about 1991. I was recently made "High School Liaison" to the local high school, so if anyone has any tips on getting teenagers into the library, I'd love to hear them.
Another tidbit: I just had a milestone birthday and had been freaking out lately: crabbiness; distractibility; and becoming addicted to Second Life. But I've cancelled my SL account and am trying to stay rooted in RL. I could use tips on this as well.
Miscellaneous information: I'm a wife and mother; I watch too much tv; and I used to play the cello (badly) in high school.
So, that's me, in a nutshell. Any questions? Any comments? Any remarks? I'd like to hear 'em.
It's my first try, so please be kind.... Current mood: optimistic
Hey there--
I figure it's about time that I start one of these dang "blogs," as the kids call 'em. Not sure if I'll have enough to say, but I'll start rambling and try to stop when the crazy kicks in.
I'm a reference librarian at a small public library in the suburban Chicagoland area. I'm sorry, not reference librarian, but Information Services librarian. Yeesh. Anyway, I've been a "real" librarian for about 5 years, but have worked in libraries since about 1991. I was recently made "High School Liaison" to the local high school, so if anyone has any tips on getting teenagers into the library, I'd love to hear them.
Another tidbit: I just had a milestone birthday and had been freaking out lately: crabbiness; distractibility; and becoming addicted to Second Life. But I've cancelled my SL account and am trying to stay rooted in RL. I could use tips on this as well.
Miscellaneous information: I'm a wife and mother; I watch too much tv; and I used to play the cello (badly) in high school.
So, that's me, in a nutshell. Any questions? Any comments? Any remarks? I'd like to hear 'em.
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