This post is for a class as I embark on my next educational journey: a post-masters certificate in digital (information) services at San Jose State. I really like learning-- especially when there is the incentive of a grade and a piece of paper that says I learned something, so I will probably always be a student in some form or another. The topic at hand is how to succeed as an online student.
First, I am glad to report that I passed a skills assessment for online education readiness. Things would have gotten ugly if it had told me I was a poor candidate for learning stuff online. I would have had to bust out my diploma from FSU (if I could find it, as it is rolled up in a box somewhere in my crafty closet) and yell at mu monitor, "See!?!?! Do you see?!"
Seriously, though, online classes are pretty demanding. Another self assessment asked about time management and organizational skills. Time management involves keeping a calendar, a practice at which I am somewhat of a failure. Thankfully, I have many poorly-kept calendars to remind me that I should be keeping one, along with a great many to-do lists that sometimes mention deadlines. In spite of this imperfect system, unfinished work stresses me out and causes sleep loss, so procrastination isn't really a problem. Organizational skill is another realm where I appear insane outwardly, but there is always a method to the madness. My desk may be a mess, but I know where everything is, and I will clean it when the work is finished. As Michael J. Fox will tell you, "A creative mess is better than idle tidiness."
The other elements for success are more obvious fits for me. As mentioned, neuroses lead me to self-motivation. I am comfortable working with technology (and I have an IT husband to yell at if something goes horribly awry), I enjoy a good challenge, and I am a very big fan of independent work that allows me to squirrel away in a room of my own.
In the next breath, online classes require a lot of group work even if the group members don't have to look at each other. Former SLIS director Dr. Haycock, in his presentation on effective teamwork, addressed the fact that many people really aren't fans of team work. I have a lot of respect for his addressing this because, in my previous encounter with online education, no one was willing to face the downsides of group work. Everyone was super-excited to work together with a million exclamation points, even if we couldn't agree on roles and responsibilities and secretly wanted to punch each other in the face.
Dr. Haycock discussed the stages of team development: forming, storming, norming, and performing with emphasis on that fact that many teams never make it past the storming stage where conflict rears its ugly head. This is definitely my biggest area for improvement because I would rather complain about the horrible injustice of it all in private than have to pick a potential fight with someone. Dr. Haycock made a good point that no one has the right to bring up a team issue without being willing to put it on the table for everyone to discuss respectfully. This seems so straightforward, but it is very difficult to follow through on! Along with defining team member roles, establishing and following ground rules, and picking a strong leader to guide the process, the most important lesson here is just to be honest and forthright. It is indeed true that most of us are going to be working on teams, like it or not, for the duration of our careers and lives, so I suppose I must be grateful for the opportunity to practice my teamwork skills at a distance! Also, in case my manager should find himself reading this, just remember how I told you I can be a great mediator and conflict resolver if other people are going nuts! Grin.
Saturday, September 1, 2012
Friday, August 17, 2012
Awesome Things No. 2
A randomish old blog post from the library has inspired me to post Awesome Things No 2. Which blog post, you ask with bated breath? This one from Elizabeth back in July. I LOVE this idea! Now I want to go on a blind date with a book, but it's 8ish on a Friday, the libraries are all closed, and I don't think this display exists anymore. Maybe I should just go to the land of E books on my iPad and hit buttons (yes, there are buttons on my iPad. . .) with my eyes closed until I find something interesting.
So Awesome Thing No. 2. (dun dun-un DUN) is free foreign language learning online. Mango Languages, a popularly-subscribed-to library database, is about five thousand times more fun than Rosetta Stone. Really. Srsly. How do I know? Because my husband tried to learn Spanish from Rosetta Stone while sitting in the bath tub, and I listened in, and it wasn't nearly as entertaining as my glimpses at Mango Languages have been. While you may find this evidence subjective, you should still give it a shot if you have any desire to learn more about another language.
The interface is attractive and intuitive, multiple languages are available, and quick flashcard lessons teach you words and sentences, as well as offering cultural notes and grammar lessons where you can watch the part of a sentence light up in English and the foreign language to better understand a language's structure.
Before I tell you the full list of languages, here's the best one, which I just discovered. Yes, Mango offers pirate lessons. International Talk Like a Pirate Day is coming up in just over a month, so it's definitely time to brush up. Here are (or arggggggggh) some screen shots of pirate lessons in action.
And now here are all of the languages you could potentially learn for free. I believe these will link to HDPL's Mango sign in if you have an HDPL card. Otherwise, see if the library you use subscribes by going to their website.
So Awesome Thing No. 2. (dun dun-un DUN) is free foreign language learning online. Mango Languages, a popularly-subscribed-to library database, is about five thousand times more fun than Rosetta Stone. Really. Srsly. How do I know? Because my husband tried to learn Spanish from Rosetta Stone while sitting in the bath tub, and I listened in, and it wasn't nearly as entertaining as my glimpses at Mango Languages have been. While you may find this evidence subjective, you should still give it a shot if you have any desire to learn more about another language.
The interface is attractive and intuitive, multiple languages are available, and quick flashcard lessons teach you words and sentences, as well as offering cultural notes and grammar lessons where you can watch the part of a sentence light up in English and the foreign language to better understand a language's structure.
Before I tell you the full list of languages, here's the best one, which I just discovered. Yes, Mango offers pirate lessons. International Talk Like a Pirate Day is coming up in just over a month, so it's definitely time to brush up. Here are (or arggggggggh) some screen shots of pirate lessons in action.
 |
| The front page of Pirate lessons |
 |
| A flash card |
And now here are all of the languages you could potentially learn for free. I believe these will link to HDPL's Mango sign in if you have an HDPL card. Otherwise, see if the library you use subscribes by going to their website.
- Arabic (Levantine)
- Chinese (Cantonese)
- Chinese (Mandarin)
- Croatian
- Czech
- Danish
- Dari
- Dutch
- Farsi (Persian)
- Finnish
- French
- French (Canadian)
- German
- Greek
- Greek (Ancient)
Friday, August 3, 2012
Awesome Things Vol. 1
I've discovered something surprising at Zappos. A lot of people there actually like libraries. WHAT? I know. It's crazy. Imagine my surprise when three chicks simultaneously (are you getting excited?) told me they had considered becoming librarians. I doubt that has happened to a librarian in the history of forever outside of the sequestered world of library school.
Something else I've discovered is that most people don't know about some fairly awesome things that exist at the library (or not even at the library if they have a card and live in the right place); thus, Awesome Things (that you didn't know existed at the library) is born.
Awesome Thing Number One
Free music to download legally, and keep forever
Chances are, your local public library spends a few cents of your taxes to subscribe to Freegal, a database of downloadable music from the Sony catalog. Around here, you can download three songs a week. I am guilty of thinking it's a pain in the ass to sign on just to get three songs, but that can add up to a free album every month. Of course, Sony probably doesn't include your most favorite/obscure/etc. bands. That bit can get frustrating, but who hasn't downloaded a plethora of songs they would never have purchased simply because they were available and worth a listen? It's good times.
People who remember what CDs are have long checked out music, ripped it, and built expansive collections of not-so-legal music. I'm really not sure why the recording industry hasn't come after public libraries as fiercely as it has everyone else in the entire universe. Perhaps that's a little perk of having your pop-culture presence consist entirely of old lady/sexy lady/"shh be quiet" cliches. More likely, there's a legal reason that my feeble brain doesn't have access to, but I hope I haven't blown anyone's cover!
The moral of the story is, you can maintain your role as an upright citizen and still get free stuff. Thanks, library. All you need is a card from a district that subscribes to Freegal and serves the city where you live. Tada! Is this in any way not awesome? The truth is, I don't have a library card for the city where I actually live, so I'm off to do that.
Something else I've discovered is that most people don't know about some fairly awesome things that exist at the library (or not even at the library if they have a card and live in the right place); thus, Awesome Things (that you didn't know existed at the library) is born.
Awesome Thing Number One
Free music to download legally, and keep forever
Chances are, your local public library spends a few cents of your taxes to subscribe to Freegal, a database of downloadable music from the Sony catalog. Around here, you can download three songs a week. I am guilty of thinking it's a pain in the ass to sign on just to get three songs, but that can add up to a free album every month. Of course, Sony probably doesn't include your most favorite/obscure/etc. bands. That bit can get frustrating, but who hasn't downloaded a plethora of songs they would never have purchased simply because they were available and worth a listen? It's good times.
People who remember what CDs are have long checked out music, ripped it, and built expansive collections of not-so-legal music. I'm really not sure why the recording industry hasn't come after public libraries as fiercely as it has everyone else in the entire universe. Perhaps that's a little perk of having your pop-culture presence consist entirely of old lady/sexy lady/"shh be quiet" cliches. More likely, there's a legal reason that my feeble brain doesn't have access to, but I hope I haven't blown anyone's cover!
The moral of the story is, you can maintain your role as an upright citizen and still get free stuff. Thanks, library. All you need is a card from a district that subscribes to Freegal and serves the city where you live. Tada! Is this in any way not awesome? The truth is, I don't have a library card for the city where I actually live, so I'm off to do that.
Sunday, July 22, 2012
It is Done
I'm no longer the cat's librarian. Oscar's a little pissed, but he's handling it with aplomb (thanks, spell check). He knows that he still owns me, regardless of my job title or nebulous online identity. The title and address may well change fifty more times this month. The content may or may not remain trivial and scattered. Essentially, I just need an outlet for my sarcastic narcissism and questionable comma placement. With that in mind, I wrote a two-sentence paragraph with a play-by-play of this fabulously productive weekend, and then I erased it. More to come.
Monday, June 4, 2012
Ch ch ch changes
Well, the name of my blog has become obsolete because I'm not technically a librarian anymore, even though I feel like I always will be one on some level deep inside. My new job title would be fabulously alliterative, but otherwise confusing-- The Cat's Content Coordinator, anyone? So the question is, what shall I call myself? Am I still allowed to use the L word? And do I want to?
Long story short, I very gratefully accepted a job at Zappos, which may very well be the happiest place on earth outside of Iceland. The first month was dedicated to new hire training where we learned to take customer service calls. I got to talk to a lot of interesting folks from around the country, including two from my hometown. Good times were had by all (except for the people who had to wait a really long time while I figured out what the hell I was doing). One friendly customer, who failed to tell me about the periods in her gift card code for an hour or so, even sent me props for helping! I officially love her.
This week, I take the plunge into content, which entails writing product and outfit descriptions, as well as weeding out bad product info on the site. I'm enjoying myself so far and telling myself that posting outfit descriptions on a website kinda makes me a writer in a very tangential way.
My quests at the moment involve learning to be more social and communicative. I've pondered using my blog as an impetus to change, forcing myself into uncomfortable situations to obtain posting fodder. Perhaps I will become the cat's confident cool chick.
Monday, April 9, 2012
E.E. Cummings Reinterpreted for the Tweeness in Me
I love me some E.E. (Cummings, that is). Most especially, I love his poetry about love. The political and less sentimental works are great, but the romantic ones make me giddy with their sweetness. Perhaps this is an oversimplification of a great artist's work, and if it is, I apologize to his ghost, as well as Marion Morehouse's ghost. Perhaps, though, he'd enjoy the simple pleasures we can derive from his writing as much as we do.
As of late, I have been wanting to tattoo every line all over my body, reinterpreted in the most sickeningly sweet way possible. Don't worry, though. I don't have any tattoos yet, so I am obviously capable of tamping down my compulsions. The origin of this desire lies with the idea of a wedding tattoo that has been simmering for nearly 3.5 years now as we continually procrastinate. My friend soul mate, Sarah, read aloud "I Carry Your Heart with Me," at the wedding of husbasaur and dactyl, as we shall henceforth be named to protect the innocent (really, that's just how we refer to each other). I know that the act of having this poem read at my wedding was fairly unoriginal, but it was inspired by a shared love of Mr. Cummings, and we found it apropos as a couple who spent most of our budding relationship separated by 2,000 miles of Texas, Alabama, and the like. We really felt as if we carried pieces of each other across the distance. Okay, I did, anyway. There's usually no telling if the husbasaur is capable of sentiment.
The wedding tattoo hasn't happened because I was supposed to design it, and I am by no means an artist. With the advent of obsession, though, I've tried to generate some ideas upon which a tattoo artist can improve. Initially, husbausar wanted a heart shaped box with a heart inside. I tried that, but the result always looks like a cheesy Walmart marketing photo for V Day, or some semi-creepy Nirvana reference. I've always found text tattoos endearing, so the most recent incarnation is a texty heart with more text and a couple cutesy hearts inside: the idea is a much more attractive and shapely typographic rendering of the following, only right side up, and minus the hatchy hearts:
The same little birds quote introduces the adorable picture book Little Bird by Germano Zullo and Albertine, which appeared among our new books at the library last Friday, and which probably inspired this post all together (yep-- it's about books somehow. Thanks, Mika, for suggesting a read).
The good news is that we met a tattoo artist who hosts LasVegas Mystery Adventures by night, and he happens to have been an art history professor before the tattoos and mystery adventures. He told us he enjoys cognitive tattoos, so maybe he can help me hash it all out, or simply tell me I'm an idiot!
As of late, I have been wanting to tattoo every line all over my body, reinterpreted in the most sickeningly sweet way possible. Don't worry, though. I don't have any tattoos yet, so I am obviously capable of tamping down my compulsions. The origin of this desire lies with the idea of a wedding tattoo that has been simmering for nearly 3.5 years now as we continually procrastinate. My friend soul mate, Sarah, read aloud "I Carry Your Heart with Me," at the wedding of husbasaur and dactyl, as we shall henceforth be named to protect the innocent (really, that's just how we refer to each other). I know that the act of having this poem read at my wedding was fairly unoriginal, but it was inspired by a shared love of Mr. Cummings, and we found it apropos as a couple who spent most of our budding relationship separated by 2,000 miles of Texas, Alabama, and the like. We really felt as if we carried pieces of each other across the distance. Okay, I did, anyway. There's usually no telling if the husbasaur is capable of sentiment.
The wedding tattoo hasn't happened because I was supposed to design it, and I am by no means an artist. With the advent of obsession, though, I've tried to generate some ideas upon which a tattoo artist can improve. Initially, husbausar wanted a heart shaped box with a heart inside. I tried that, but the result always looks like a cheesy Walmart marketing photo for V Day, or some semi-creepy Nirvana reference. I've always found text tattoos endearing, so the most recent incarnation is a texty heart with more text and a couple cutesy hearts inside: the idea is a much more attractive and shapely typographic rendering of the following, only right side up, and minus the hatchy hearts:
Husbasaur was minorly offended by this idea because he believes that E.E. Cummings was a stickler for form, and that he would not want me to replace the word heart with a sketch. While attempting to research this, I discovered this bit of discussion about e.e. cummings vs. E.E. Cummings by scholar Norman Friedman, and as a result I am somewhat convinced that the poet would not mind my reinterpretation for the sake of my tattoo's cuteness factor. What do you think? Would you promptly vomit on my wrist if you saw a more-attractive rendition of the above picture emblazoned there?
My other favorite Cummings quotes for potential tattoos include, "I'd rather learn from one bird how to sing/ than teach ten thousand stars how not to dance," which has been my standard favorite quote for many years, as well as, "may my heart always be open to little/ birds who are the secrets of living." In the latter quote, I think interpretation of the line break could lead to an interesting discussion of whether he wanted to be open to little birds, or simply to little, but that doesn't stop me from hoping that I can use the quote as wall decor if ever I spawn a little girl, whose name may be Wren or Aderyn, both words for little birds! I'm not the first to have this idea, as obviated by this artwork available on Etsy from rawartletterpress (interestingly, she also doctored up the form).
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| $18.00 at rawartletterpress on Etsy |
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| Here it is at Good Reads |
Monday, March 19, 2012
I read a book!
Isn't that exciting? So I'm gonna review it for you, my millions of loyal readers (a.k.a. Stephanie-- thanks, Stephanie!) What book, you ask? Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain. I know somewhere along the line I claimed that I read only YA, but as it turns out, that was a big lie. Oh well.
My motivation for reading this book was purely selfish. When I take the Myers-Briggs test, I usually score 99% introvert, and I am self-involved enough that I have taken the Myers-Briggs test about five thousand times to make sure the result remains the same-- thus, my interest in a book all about my primary personality trait. I have a feeling that most extroverts are entirely uninterested in hearing the rest of us wax philosophical about our rich inner lives, but I hope I am wrong in at least a few cases because this book is highly informative. To be fair, I think Susan Cain is correct in stating that the U.S. constantly reinforces what she calls the "extrovert ideal," and that is why we introverts need a book to reaffirm our collective self esteem, and extroverts probably aren't spending too much time analyzing their social preferences and energy sources. C'est la vie. (It's also why I am writing a long-winded blog post about it). Whatevs.
Quiet comprises four sections: "The Extrovert Ideal," "Your Biology, Your Self?," "Do All Cultures Have an Extrovert Ideal?" and "How to Love, How to Work."
Cain begins by exploring the rise of extroversion as a preferred trait in America. Apparently, it started with Dale Carnegie who began as a quiet child of farmers and became a charismatic salesman who taught workshops on how to make people like you by being uber ebullient (dammit, Dale Carnegie, why you do that?) Cain cites a few studies that have shown extroverts work well under introverted managers, and vice versa, and she explains how "the new group think" prevents many good ideas from coming to light because introverts tend to fail at speaking up in meetings, team building activities, and the like. She argues effectively for workplaces that encourage extroverts and introverts alike to do their best work by combining open concept with niches for solitude.
Part two offers compelling evidence that extroversion and introversion take root in our genetics as well as our environments. Cain presents the work of Jerome Kagan, a developmental psychologist who conducted longitudinal studies which revealed that many babies who are "high-reactive" (a.k.a. very sensitive to and alarmed by unfamiliar people, objects, and situations) grow into introverted adolescents and adults. Moreover, Cain cites evidence that a significant proportion of humans, as well as creatures of other species, possess specific genes that affect the travels of serotonin through our brains. These genes can apparently make the introvert very depressed or extremely well-adjusted, depending on the environment in which we develop. So be nice to your quiet kid!
Of course, not every culture values extroversion as highly as Americans. Part four suggests that Asian cultures in particular lend themselves to higher rates of introversion and the belief in "soft power." Apparently Finnish folks are also more likely to be introverted, as revealed by a popular joke that a Finnish person (a Fin?) shows his affection by staring at your shoes instead of his own. May I have a ticket to Japan or Finland, please? Are they hiring?
Finally, part four explores to what extent introverts can and should parade as extroverts in the interest of career success and familial harmony. Many of us, apparently, are capable of high self monitoring, which allows us to adjust our behavior to suit the situation. Others, however, are utterly incapable of expressing our inner jovial selves to please an audience, and find the high self monitors disingenuous. Discussion of a much- loved professor known for his humor and entertainment value, as well as how parents should handle raising their quiet children rounds out the book.
I found this book deeply enjoyable. Reading stories of others who also felt like Charlie Brown growing up made me feel much more okay with my ongoing Charlie-Brownishness. Also, I feel much more confident that I may yet find a niche in the professional world even if I do need to hide out in the bathroom every now and again to reclaim inner peace! Cain's research is thorough, and her writing is just swell. The only negative I find is that extroverts reading the book may feel put off, as if they are being dismissed or disdained by a horde of introverts. In a recent NPR interview, Cain declared otherwise, saying that she loves extroverts. If you happen to be an extrovert, you probably quit reading about an hour ago, but I hope you will somehow stumble on this book anyway, and learn that people who stick their noses in books during lunch aren't necessarily misanthropes.
ADDENDUM:
I forgot to mention before that even educated, articulate Susan Cain perpetuates a librarian stereotype. In her conclusion, she encourages people to make changes in their lives if it will help them be true to their personalities. I can't quote her exactly because my iPad is downstairs, I am not, and I am lazy, but she tells unhappy news anchors to go to library school. That made me chuckle. Being a librarian generally involves talking to a non-stop line of people, some of whom are completely insane. We're bartenders with books instead of booze. Unhappily introverted TV personalities, if such a thing exists, should probably go to school for computer science or become truck drivers.
My motivation for reading this book was purely selfish. When I take the Myers-Briggs test, I usually score 99% introvert, and I am self-involved enough that I have taken the Myers-Briggs test about five thousand times to make sure the result remains the same-- thus, my interest in a book all about my primary personality trait. I have a feeling that most extroverts are entirely uninterested in hearing the rest of us wax philosophical about our rich inner lives, but I hope I am wrong in at least a few cases because this book is highly informative. To be fair, I think Susan Cain is correct in stating that the U.S. constantly reinforces what she calls the "extrovert ideal," and that is why we introverts need a book to reaffirm our collective self esteem, and extroverts probably aren't spending too much time analyzing their social preferences and energy sources. C'est la vie. (It's also why I am writing a long-winded blog post about it). Whatevs.
Quiet comprises four sections: "The Extrovert Ideal," "Your Biology, Your Self?," "Do All Cultures Have an Extrovert Ideal?" and "How to Love, How to Work."
Cain begins by exploring the rise of extroversion as a preferred trait in America. Apparently, it started with Dale Carnegie who began as a quiet child of farmers and became a charismatic salesman who taught workshops on how to make people like you by being uber ebullient (dammit, Dale Carnegie, why you do that?) Cain cites a few studies that have shown extroverts work well under introverted managers, and vice versa, and she explains how "the new group think" prevents many good ideas from coming to light because introverts tend to fail at speaking up in meetings, team building activities, and the like. She argues effectively for workplaces that encourage extroverts and introverts alike to do their best work by combining open concept with niches for solitude.
Part two offers compelling evidence that extroversion and introversion take root in our genetics as well as our environments. Cain presents the work of Jerome Kagan, a developmental psychologist who conducted longitudinal studies which revealed that many babies who are "high-reactive" (a.k.a. very sensitive to and alarmed by unfamiliar people, objects, and situations) grow into introverted adolescents and adults. Moreover, Cain cites evidence that a significant proportion of humans, as well as creatures of other species, possess specific genes that affect the travels of serotonin through our brains. These genes can apparently make the introvert very depressed or extremely well-adjusted, depending on the environment in which we develop. So be nice to your quiet kid!
Of course, not every culture values extroversion as highly as Americans. Part four suggests that Asian cultures in particular lend themselves to higher rates of introversion and the belief in "soft power." Apparently Finnish folks are also more likely to be introverted, as revealed by a popular joke that a Finnish person (a Fin?) shows his affection by staring at your shoes instead of his own. May I have a ticket to Japan or Finland, please? Are they hiring?
Finally, part four explores to what extent introverts can and should parade as extroverts in the interest of career success and familial harmony. Many of us, apparently, are capable of high self monitoring, which allows us to adjust our behavior to suit the situation. Others, however, are utterly incapable of expressing our inner jovial selves to please an audience, and find the high self monitors disingenuous. Discussion of a much- loved professor known for his humor and entertainment value, as well as how parents should handle raising their quiet children rounds out the book.
I found this book deeply enjoyable. Reading stories of others who also felt like Charlie Brown growing up made me feel much more okay with my ongoing Charlie-Brownishness. Also, I feel much more confident that I may yet find a niche in the professional world even if I do need to hide out in the bathroom every now and again to reclaim inner peace! Cain's research is thorough, and her writing is just swell. The only negative I find is that extroverts reading the book may feel put off, as if they are being dismissed or disdained by a horde of introverts. In a recent NPR interview, Cain declared otherwise, saying that she loves extroverts. If you happen to be an extrovert, you probably quit reading about an hour ago, but I hope you will somehow stumble on this book anyway, and learn that people who stick their noses in books during lunch aren't necessarily misanthropes.
ADDENDUM:
I forgot to mention before that even educated, articulate Susan Cain perpetuates a librarian stereotype. In her conclusion, she encourages people to make changes in their lives if it will help them be true to their personalities. I can't quote her exactly because my iPad is downstairs, I am not, and I am lazy, but she tells unhappy news anchors to go to library school. That made me chuckle. Being a librarian generally involves talking to a non-stop line of people, some of whom are completely insane. We're bartenders with books instead of booze. Unhappily introverted TV personalities, if such a thing exists, should probably go to school for computer science or become truck drivers.
Friday, March 16, 2012
Books, Shnooks
Well, I think I may just have to dedicate this space to kitschy cat fashion for the long haul. Or maybe I'll just take things one post at a time.
Over the past week or so, I have made one or two half-arsed attempts at editing a photo of the librarian's cat no. 1 to use for my header. Essentially, I want my black cat to wear some orange cat-eyed glasses, and I won't stop my half-hearted attempts to create said image until it happens. (It may be a while). (I like to write commentary in parentheses).
Just moments ago, I stumbled upon a T shirt emblazoned with the next best thing: a navy blue cat wearing orangey nerd glasses at ModCloth. Clearly, my idea is utterly unoriginal, but I am happy to know that for thirty bucks, I can wear a librarian's-almost-cat on my chest without learning how to use Gimp. I am going to have to purchase this even though I swore to myself that I would stop impulse buying clothes for a few weeks to avoid sorrowful deep debt. It's an addiction. Here is the cat.
Over the past week or so, I have made one or two half-arsed attempts at editing a photo of the librarian's cat no. 1 to use for my header. Essentially, I want my black cat to wear some orange cat-eyed glasses, and I won't stop my half-hearted attempts to create said image until it happens. (It may be a while). (I like to write commentary in parentheses).
Just moments ago, I stumbled upon a T shirt emblazoned with the next best thing: a navy blue cat wearing orangey nerd glasses at ModCloth. Clearly, my idea is utterly unoriginal, but I am happy to know that for thirty bucks, I can wear a librarian's-almost-cat on my chest without learning how to use Gimp. I am going to have to purchase this even though I swore to myself that I would stop impulse buying clothes for a few weeks to avoid sorrowful deep debt. It's an addiction. Here is the cat.
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Meeeeeow
So what do cats, books, and fashion have to do with each other? I'm not sure, but I think they're all swell.
Today, The Cherry Blossom Girl, who is beautiful and French, led me to discover a bit of cat fashion and beauty that made me drool. I like to believe that I am interested in fashion, but I'm not so hot at keeping up with the real thing, so I had never before seen these Miu Miu cat platforms, which have apparently existed since 2010. Gah! The librarian's cat would definitely approve:
Miu Miu shoes (see more satin heels)
I need to own them immediately even though I am a repeat-failure when it comes to wearing heels. Unfortunately, I can find only their swallow-print counterparts for sale online.
A less expensive and more readily available cat product comes in the form of blush and lipstick from Paul & Joe via Asos. Uh, cats wearing mini top hats and bow ties? For $30? How would anyone ever bring herself to smash poor kitty's adorable, semi-expensive hat against her cheek? I just want to buy one and show it to people as a conversation piece. The lipstick, I could handle using, but I'd probably lose it in my car after one use only to find it melted after a few months of Las Vegas summer. Le sigh.
Completely unrelated to cats, I stumbled upon a slide show entitled "Fashion Inspired by Awesome Teen Novels" on Lucky. It sounds great, but who on earth picked the awesome teen novels? Yes, Hunger Games is awesome and apropos to fashion and current pop culture. Twilight remains vaguely popular, and I suppose glamorous sparkling vampires lend themselves to fashion. But The Baby Sitters Club, The Box Car Children, and Goosebumps?!?! When were those teen novels? Pretty sure someone really wanted to display some fun train-and-spider-web-themed jewelry and needed an excuse. I'd prefer to see some stylish stuff related to Matched by Allie Condie, or The Luxe by Anna Godbersen, please. Maybe in a future post here. Which YA titles, or any book titles, would you like to see translated into fashion?
Today, The Cherry Blossom Girl, who is beautiful and French, led me to discover a bit of cat fashion and beauty that made me drool. I like to believe that I am interested in fashion, but I'm not so hot at keeping up with the real thing, so I had never before seen these Miu Miu cat platforms, which have apparently existed since 2010. Gah! The librarian's cat would definitely approve:
Miu Miu shoes (see more satin heels)
I need to own them immediately even though I am a repeat-failure when it comes to wearing heels. Unfortunately, I can find only their swallow-print counterparts for sale online.
A less expensive and more readily available cat product comes in the form of blush and lipstick from Paul & Joe via Asos. Uh, cats wearing mini top hats and bow ties? For $30? How would anyone ever bring herself to smash poor kitty's adorable, semi-expensive hat against her cheek? I just want to buy one and show it to people as a conversation piece. The lipstick, I could handle using, but I'd probably lose it in my car after one use only to find it melted after a few months of Las Vegas summer. Le sigh.
Completely unrelated to cats, I stumbled upon a slide show entitled "Fashion Inspired by Awesome Teen Novels" on Lucky. It sounds great, but who on earth picked the awesome teen novels? Yes, Hunger Games is awesome and apropos to fashion and current pop culture. Twilight remains vaguely popular, and I suppose glamorous sparkling vampires lend themselves to fashion. But The Baby Sitters Club, The Box Car Children, and Goosebumps?!?! When were those teen novels? Pretty sure someone really wanted to display some fun train-and-spider-web-themed jewelry and needed an excuse. I'd prefer to see some stylish stuff related to Matched by Allie Condie, or The Luxe by Anna Godbersen, please. Maybe in a future post here. Which YA titles, or any book titles, would you like to see translated into fashion?
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Intermission
I am in the middle of reading lots of books, but at the end of none. In the mean time, here's an adorable picture of the librarian's cat when he was just a wee kitten. When my friend Natalia, whose cat spawned Oscar, posted this on Facebook, I remembered why I tolerate him. And he still finds plastic bags alluring.
In other life-related news, this week I started taking Computer Science 101 for FREE through Udacity. A real-life nerdy cute professor is teaching a gazillion people how to build a search engine with Python, which is extremely generous and awesome. The one logical piece of my brain is operated by a very tiny hamster on a rickety wheel, so I am hoping I can keep up because I very much want to enter the world of information geekery. I think that is most of why I enjoy calling myself a librarian.
In other life-related news, this week I started taking Computer Science 101 for FREE through Udacity. A real-life nerdy cute professor is teaching a gazillion people how to build a search engine with Python, which is extremely generous and awesome. The one logical piece of my brain is operated by a very tiny hamster on a rickety wheel, so I am hoping I can keep up because I very much want to enter the world of information geekery. I think that is most of why I enjoy calling myself a librarian.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Why I'm Not a Grammar Nazi
I took a class in college called Advanced Grammars. On the first day, the professor asked us why we were interested in grammar. My naive response was something along the lines of, "I like being a grammar nazi." He looked disturbed, nodded, and moved on. Throughout the semester, I grew rather embarrassed about my response, as I learned the difference between prescriptive grammar and descriptive grammar. The professor was (and is, of course) a linguist, and he favored the descriptive. He taught us that language is ever-evolving and that supposedly incorrect usage eventually becomes acceptable and even correct with popular usage.
Meanwhile, I was also learning more about prescriptive grammar in my other classes. My favorite English professor of all time was a hardcore prescriptivist. The Little, Brown Handbook was her Bible. She taught us what is CORRECT in Standard American English (SAE). We were not to split infinitives (see?), and the correct possessive form of the last name Jones would be Jones's (I've never met anyone else who does that cause it looks crazy). I still hold these things dear when it comes to writing. I love Oxford commas as much as the next librarian. Sometimes I feel irked when sentences end with prepositions. But I also begin sentences with conjunctions, and when asked how I'm doing I usually answer, "good," instead of, "well." Thus, I may correct someone's non-SAE speech in my head, and I am amused by really poor writing and obviously unedited publications, but I try to avoid practicing grammar nazism. (Don' t get me wrong, though. I do believe it's important that English speaking people learn SAE as well as they can for the sake of their futures).
Case in point, the image up there. A kazillion people have already pointed this out all over the interwebs, but I'll do it again for fun. The SAE version of that sentence would be, "Don't you wish your girlfriend were grammatically correct like me?" because it's subjunctive. Some people believe it should end with, "like I," as well. See more of that argument here. Moreover, an English teacher somewhere pointed out that a person cannot be grammatically correct-- only the language can do that. A person can merely speak or write in a grammatically correct fashion. Of course the card is amusing, and of course that's how the song goes, and of course that's how most of us speak every day, but it isn't "grammatically correct" in the way most self-professed grammar nazis would want it to be (woops).
There are a few possibilities about the provenance of this image. Most likely someone with an incomplete grasp of SAE was attempting to be REALLY EFFING WITTY. However, it may have been the work of a clever trouble maker who wanted to rile the grammar nazis. That would be really effing witty indeed.
Long story short, that's why I am a reformed grammar nazi. There are FOUR topics that are inappropriate for polite conversation due to their inflammatory nature: religion, politics, the great pumpkin, and grammar. Grammar nazis cannot possibly speak perfect English because perfect English doesn't exist, and even if it did, nobody would get it right all the time. Inevitably, grammar nazis face the same fate as those who assume.
Monday, February 6, 2012
Travel without Travail
The cat's librarian spent last week under sunny Florida skies while the libarian's cat set off the security system by leaping across the room in glee (or terror) at being left to his own devices for a few days. We were reunited with an OCD arm biting session and lots of cuddles last night.
My trip back home to Lakeland was utterly enjoyable, and I'm so glad for the pleasant surprise. I was feeling trepidation about seeing my parents because they're a bit wacky, and meeting my friend soulmate Sarah's fiancée and new pals because I am socially inept, but everything stayed light and fun. My parents were mostly amusing instead of terrifying now that I know I don't have to become them, and Sarah's associates were friendly and fun.
Even the Southwest flights were superb-- smooth sailing through the sky. The crews staffing both flights were fantastic. One sarcastic fellow asked every single passenger if he or she would like a "delicious drink," and a female flight attendant made an endearing sound effect when she saw an elderly woman's eagle cane and became excited about him flying with us. On the way in, I met a Nashville musician traveling home from a Vegas gig, and he proved fairly amusing with his recruitment of petite seat fellows and assumption that a group of African American men were musicians because they owned fancy headphones and happened to be black. On the way home, I became convinced that Iowa and Missouri are the friendliest places on earth due to the pleasant personalities I encountered from both states.
The obvious next topic of discussion is "What did you read on the plane?" so here goes. I didn't manage to finish a book because I was flailing about in my sleep on the return trip, but on the way to Tampa I enjoyed the first half of The Starboard Sea by Amber Dermont. This one was a Net Galley find, and I believe it will be released later this month. I haven't finished, so no review is in order, but I hope to post something shortly so that St. Martin's will let me read more galleys! The description bills it as a modern Catcher in the Rye, so I had to try it out. While I don't recognize Holden Caulfield in the protagonist (nickname Prosper), I am enjoying the seaside prep school setting, learning about sailing, and thinking this is an adult novel with great crossover teen appeal.
I'll fill you in on the rest soon, but for now I must prepare a game of giant Angry Birds for teen library patrons tomorrow.
My trip back home to Lakeland was utterly enjoyable, and I'm so glad for the pleasant surprise. I was feeling trepidation about seeing my parents because they're a bit wacky, and meeting my friend soulmate Sarah's fiancée and new pals because I am socially inept, but everything stayed light and fun. My parents were mostly amusing instead of terrifying now that I know I don't have to become them, and Sarah's associates were friendly and fun.
Even the Southwest flights were superb-- smooth sailing through the sky. The crews staffing both flights were fantastic. One sarcastic fellow asked every single passenger if he or she would like a "delicious drink," and a female flight attendant made an endearing sound effect when she saw an elderly woman's eagle cane and became excited about him flying with us. On the way in, I met a Nashville musician traveling home from a Vegas gig, and he proved fairly amusing with his recruitment of petite seat fellows and assumption that a group of African American men were musicians because they owned fancy headphones and happened to be black. On the way home, I became convinced that Iowa and Missouri are the friendliest places on earth due to the pleasant personalities I encountered from both states.
The obvious next topic of discussion is "What did you read on the plane?" so here goes. I didn't manage to finish a book because I was flailing about in my sleep on the return trip, but on the way to Tampa I enjoyed the first half of The Starboard Sea by Amber Dermont. This one was a Net Galley find, and I believe it will be released later this month. I haven't finished, so no review is in order, but I hope to post something shortly so that St. Martin's will let me read more galleys! The description bills it as a modern Catcher in the Rye, so I had to try it out. While I don't recognize Holden Caulfield in the protagonist (nickname Prosper), I am enjoying the seaside prep school setting, learning about sailing, and thinking this is an adult novel with great crossover teen appeal.
I'll fill you in on the rest soon, but for now I must prepare a game of giant Angry Birds for teen library patrons tomorrow.
Monday, January 23, 2012
Literary Lush
So far while I have attempted to write this post, both librarian's cats have been spazzing out, so I am hoping they'll chill for a few minutes and go watch some HGTV. Aisling launched my electric pencil sharpener off the side of the desk, sending pencil shavings all over my tangle of wires. They both attempted to flip the lamp over numerous times. Then they bolted away, growling and yowling. I have a fantasy where I can draw, and I create famous picture book characters named Grrrrowl and Yoooowl. They are both neurotic owls.
Anyway, I digress. While I was working very hard at the desk today (no really, we were busy) my mind wandered onto the topic of books and bars. I have been following one bookish bar, The Lady Silvia, on Facebook for a while, and I'd really like to see it sometime. The bar is designed "to resemble the famed Prague Library of the 19th Century, creating a highly stylized, incredibly intimate getaway from the world outside," according to the website. The Lady Silvia is a speakeasy located in the Soho Lofts downtown with no sign to guide you. It's absolutely gorgeous, and it'd be the perfect place to host a boozy book club. Anybody wanna join? BYOBooks? Books and Beer? Bilbliophiles Anonymous?
Here's a stolen image and a link to their site:
Another place I am eagerly awaiting is The Velveteen Rabbit. Have you ever heard of a more awesome name for a bar? I am picturing purple velvet and turquoise chandeliers. Probably way off, but it's fun to dream. I know virtually nothing about the future establishment, but I did find their blog today. Gin with basil and lemongrass? Yes, please! Rabbits wearing monocles? Even better!
Among these two and the Harry Potter-esque feel of The Griffin, we could have quite an awesome time forgetting to have deep literary discussions.
Anyway, I digress. While I was working very hard at the desk today (no really, we were busy) my mind wandered onto the topic of books and bars. I have been following one bookish bar, The Lady Silvia, on Facebook for a while, and I'd really like to see it sometime. The bar is designed "to resemble the famed Prague Library of the 19th Century, creating a highly stylized, incredibly intimate getaway from the world outside," according to the website. The Lady Silvia is a speakeasy located in the Soho Lofts downtown with no sign to guide you. It's absolutely gorgeous, and it'd be the perfect place to host a boozy book club. Anybody wanna join? BYOBooks? Books and Beer? Bilbliophiles Anonymous?
Here's a stolen image and a link to their site:
Another place I am eagerly awaiting is The Velveteen Rabbit. Have you ever heard of a more awesome name for a bar? I am picturing purple velvet and turquoise chandeliers. Probably way off, but it's fun to dream. I know virtually nothing about the future establishment, but I did find their blog today. Gin with basil and lemongrass? Yes, please! Rabbits wearing monocles? Even better!
Among these two and the Harry Potter-esque feel of The Griffin, we could have quite an awesome time forgetting to have deep literary discussions.
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Young Adult
Here's a sort-of movie review. Have you heard of Young Adult? It's still showing at a few theaters around Vegas, and it's definitely worth the trip past your regular movie watching destinations. The husbasaur and I saw it at Regal Village Square, which may be my favorite Vegas theater. They tend to show more foreign and indie movies (meaning they show some, and the only other place in Vegas that does this is the newish Theatre 7 downtown, as far as I know.)
So what's it about? Mostly Charlize Theron's character, Mavis, who despite that name was the It girl in high school. She's pushing 40, still gorgeous, but highly dysfunctional; she's a bit of an alcoholic, somewhat sociopathic, and her claim to fame is her ghost authorship of a superficial Y.A. Series that was once popular. Mavis spends her days sleeping, online shopping, and occasionally banging out a sentence or two for her latest work (essentially, she's me, if I were an author). Insipid reality shows are always playing in the background, hilighting the depressing futility of Mavis's life.
When she learns that her high school sweetheart is a new parent, happily married, Mavis leaves "the big city" (Minneapolis) for her hometown of Mercury, MN. There she strikes up a sweet, funny, offbeat friendship with Matt, the town geek, who walks with a cane due to a high school hate crime (played by Patton Oswalt [as Matt, not the hate crime personified]). Unfortunately, Mavis is really out to free her former heartthrob, Buddy, from his horribly stifling marriage to the woman he loves. She weasels her way into their lives and takes a tailspin toward utter insanity, trying to get what she wants.
Mavis is a difficult character to sympathize with, but I finally began to like her near the end. She reveals why she's been stuck behaving like a teenager for the past twenty years, and she takes the first steps toward growing up.
Because of the darkly hilarious exchanges between Mavis and Matt, the echo of real life, and the nod to Y.A. lit, I give Young Adult a quirky thumbs up. Go watch it, and stop by Sambalatte on the way for a Nutella cappuccino. Do it.
So what's it about? Mostly Charlize Theron's character, Mavis, who despite that name was the It girl in high school. She's pushing 40, still gorgeous, but highly dysfunctional; she's a bit of an alcoholic, somewhat sociopathic, and her claim to fame is her ghost authorship of a superficial Y.A. Series that was once popular. Mavis spends her days sleeping, online shopping, and occasionally banging out a sentence or two for her latest work (essentially, she's me, if I were an author). Insipid reality shows are always playing in the background, hilighting the depressing futility of Mavis's life.
When she learns that her high school sweetheart is a new parent, happily married, Mavis leaves "the big city" (Minneapolis) for her hometown of Mercury, MN. There she strikes up a sweet, funny, offbeat friendship with Matt, the town geek, who walks with a cane due to a high school hate crime (played by Patton Oswalt [as Matt, not the hate crime personified]). Unfortunately, Mavis is really out to free her former heartthrob, Buddy, from his horribly stifling marriage to the woman he loves. She weasels her way into their lives and takes a tailspin toward utter insanity, trying to get what she wants.
Mavis is a difficult character to sympathize with, but I finally began to like her near the end. She reveals why she's been stuck behaving like a teenager for the past twenty years, and she takes the first steps toward growing up.
Because of the darkly hilarious exchanges between Mavis and Matt, the echo of real life, and the nod to Y.A. lit, I give Young Adult a quirky thumbs up. Go watch it, and stop by Sambalatte on the way for a Nutella cappuccino. Do it.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Time is on my side.
Yes it is! That's why I've waited so long to write again. I just love to begin posts that way.
I own an iPad now, and I've quickly become addicted to staring at the screen for hours; thus, I decided to wander over and bang out some self indulgence here.
The librarian's cat has become rather literally OCD since last we spoke. He really seems to believe that I am his mother, and while it's awfully flattering, his attention can get suffocating. Every night, he finds it necessary to mount my arm, kneading and kicking. This can go on for an hour if I don't intervene. It probably seems creepy that I wouldn't, but sometimes when a cat attacks at three a.m., you just go with it and try to get back to sleep. Moreover, when I try to stop him, he says, "ROOOW!" in a disturbing voice and lunges at me to begin nursing on the blanket, my arm, or the fuzz oozing from a hole in the comforter. Thankfully, I discovered a cat calming serum distributed by Whisker City that allays the OCD for a few hours at a time. The liquid contains supposedly calming herbs, but I have a feeling the truly active ingredient is the alcohol, and I'm worried that the poor kitty may soon count alcoholism among his troubles if I continue to administer calming water every day. This is unfortunate because I believed he may have been cured after a week with no creepy episodes, but last night he went at it again, and I promptly spiked the water.
I believe his anxiety is caused by the librarian's second cat, Aisling, who has already been among us for two years it seems. I hope they will work out the hierarchy soon so that we can all find peace.
In reading news, I still do that. Most recently, I finished The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler. It's a YA title set in 1996. Two teens sign on to AOL for the first time only to stumble upon the future via Facebook. Somehow, the website just appears in the favorites bar, and they manage to figure out that they're glimpsing the banality of their future Facebook selves fifteen years early. Josh is married to the popular girl, and Emma is unhappily married and unemployed. They find out that they can change the future by making decisions in their current lives, which leads to Emma getting rid of a series of unpleasant marriage prospects and Josh getting chummy with Ms. Popular much earlier than he was supposed to. Conflict ensues, and the friends ultimately discover that living for the present is the best way to create a happy future.
The unpleasant features of this book include a few too many references to 1990s technology peppered throughout the first chapter, and a mildly didactic prompt to get over Facebook, but the plot is very compelling nonetheless, and I zipped through the story because I couldn't wait to learn what happened between Josh and Emma. Ultimately, it's a sweet Y.A. romance worth a quick read.
I hope I'll continue to read and write this year. It's one of my unresolved semi resolutions for 2012.
I own an iPad now, and I've quickly become addicted to staring at the screen for hours; thus, I decided to wander over and bang out some self indulgence here.
The librarian's cat has become rather literally OCD since last we spoke. He really seems to believe that I am his mother, and while it's awfully flattering, his attention can get suffocating. Every night, he finds it necessary to mount my arm, kneading and kicking. This can go on for an hour if I don't intervene. It probably seems creepy that I wouldn't, but sometimes when a cat attacks at three a.m., you just go with it and try to get back to sleep. Moreover, when I try to stop him, he says, "ROOOW!" in a disturbing voice and lunges at me to begin nursing on the blanket, my arm, or the fuzz oozing from a hole in the comforter. Thankfully, I discovered a cat calming serum distributed by Whisker City that allays the OCD for a few hours at a time. The liquid contains supposedly calming herbs, but I have a feeling the truly active ingredient is the alcohol, and I'm worried that the poor kitty may soon count alcoholism among his troubles if I continue to administer calming water every day. This is unfortunate because I believed he may have been cured after a week with no creepy episodes, but last night he went at it again, and I promptly spiked the water.
I believe his anxiety is caused by the librarian's second cat, Aisling, who has already been among us for two years it seems. I hope they will work out the hierarchy soon so that we can all find peace.
In reading news, I still do that. Most recently, I finished The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler. It's a YA title set in 1996. Two teens sign on to AOL for the first time only to stumble upon the future via Facebook. Somehow, the website just appears in the favorites bar, and they manage to figure out that they're glimpsing the banality of their future Facebook selves fifteen years early. Josh is married to the popular girl, and Emma is unhappily married and unemployed. They find out that they can change the future by making decisions in their current lives, which leads to Emma getting rid of a series of unpleasant marriage prospects and Josh getting chummy with Ms. Popular much earlier than he was supposed to. Conflict ensues, and the friends ultimately discover that living for the present is the best way to create a happy future.
The unpleasant features of this book include a few too many references to 1990s technology peppered throughout the first chapter, and a mildly didactic prompt to get over Facebook, but the plot is very compelling nonetheless, and I zipped through the story because I couldn't wait to learn what happened between Josh and Emma. Ultimately, it's a sweet Y.A. romance worth a quick read.
I hope I'll continue to read and write this year. It's one of my unresolved semi resolutions for 2012.
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