The Vampire Librarian

Go See this NOW!

2008-07-19T01:16:00.004-05:00

If you haven't seen this, GO SEE IT NOW! It's only up and free until midnight tomorrow. GO! It's funny, touching, and time is ticking!

Cloverfield

2008-07-18T18:59:00.004-05:00

I saw The Blair Witch Project in the theatres and thought, "That was a wasted $6.50." I would've thought the same if I'd gone to the theatre to see Cloverfield. It's not that either were awful movies, but they don't hold any resonance. Not even the last BW scene. They're experiments in a little done new film type, and they don't quite succeed. Or to put it bluntly, they aren't worth $6.50 to see.

But since I got Cloverfield through Netflix, I'm feeling much more lenient, though Cloverfield shares some of the same flaws as The Blair Witch Project. The anxiety and terror that is supposed to be expressed through shaky camera action and badly framed shots doesn't work in either. I think it's an inherent flaw of the medium. We know that the film's fictional, so handheld flaws that are supposed to make the film seem more real, only annoy us. Cloverfield does have a more robust story than Blair Witch. BW was a straight up documentary-like horror story. We didn't get any back stories with the WB college students. They were just conduits for fear. Cloverfield gives us flashbacks done in the manner of untaped over sections of an old tape. This was clever and can never be done again.

The problem with the back story is that the characters now supposedly have license to do some seriously stupid shit. Instead of running for their lives like any normal person would do when faced with a Godzilla-like monster, they run toward it to save a possibly not dead but badly hurt friend. Wait excuse me, some of these people don't even know the person they're saving. Why are they doing this then? I have no fucking idea.

Like Speilberg's War of the Worlds, Cloverfield focuses on some random victims of the catastrophe, instead of more important participants. I liked War of the Worlds because of that. I wasn't that enthused here.

I read one review that mentioned this would've been a more interesting movie if the camera had been handed off from survivor to survivor, and the story told from snippets of different perspectives. That would've been cool and would've kept me from wondering, as I'm watching, how this group that we're stuck with survived in New York before the monster because they're clearly suicidal idjits.

Drew Goddard wrote the script, whose work I liked on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Lost, and this is his first movie, though I have a nagging suspicion that Cloverfield was originally slated to be a television pilot. From the beginning title card with the government mumbo jumbo, and the inexplicable information that Central Park has been renamed Cloverfield, we open on a going away party for Rob. Hud, his best friend, is filming it. There's drama with girls that goes on too long, and then finally, the chaos begins. No one's quite sure what's going on, but panic ensues, ushered in by the Statue of Liberty's head hurtling out of the sky. We get glimpses of the monster which are exhilarating, and the CGI is nicely done. The movie, for all it's shaky hand, badly framed shots, looks great.

Now the monster, we learn nothing about it except for the very basics. It's big, it's violent, and it has really nasty fleas. Don't know where it came from, what it is, or even if it dies. That's okay. I don't mind that, and it leaves the possibility open for a sequel.

But at the end, I'm left feeling hollow. The characters are not appreciable. The idea was good. The execution was good. But the heart is missing. I didn't care about these young New Yorkers like I cared about Tom Cruise and his family. I think it's the cohesion that was missing. The family unit is easy to recognize and doesn't need a lot of explanation. This group didn't have that cohesion. I couldn't understand why they were sticking together. Also Cruise's family was trying to get to safety, not go check out the aliens, except for the brother, who everyone thought was insane. If the Cloverfield gang had been trying to escape the city, I would've been more willing to get behind them, but their ill thought up quest to save the girl (who should've been dead by the time they got to her or died soon after. She was impaled, people!) didn't jive with me. For as realistic as the movie looked, the characters weren't. A pity, this movie could've been stellar.

Booyeah!

2008-06-24T22:49:00.007-05:00

Ooh, I've been made privy to a righteous smack down of a very, very, very x1000 annoying student. The student already has 2 personal notes from me on her record saying not to bend any rules for her, but that pales in comparison to what another part of the library has done.

What did they do? They slapped her with a $1000 fine. That figure does have the correct number of zeroes. And get this, they're actually being lenient.

What did the student do? She lost a very nice, very new, and very expensive digital video recorder. How she'd lose it? She left it in a university common area, tucked behind a sofa for the night. Why she'd do that? Because she didn't want to lug it around. What happened? Someone took home a very nice, very new, very expensive digital video recorder. The student filed a police report and posted reward fliers for the return of the DVR, but it has not been returned.

Fast forward a year, the library has fined the student $1000, and she's whining that the fine isn't fair. She's been penalized enough for not being able to check out any media equipment for a year. Can't we forgive the fine? Too which the boss on high says, "Hell, no. You're lucky we didn't charge you the full amount which is closer to $3500. You're going to pay the fine, or you won't graduate." To which, I cry, "Booyeah!"

I Am Legend

2008-06-18T23:16:00.003-05:00

I'm gonna do movie reviews more because they're easy for me. I hope you all don't mind. Oh, and they're going to be for stuff that's already on DVD because going to the movies is expensive, and I am cheap.

I read the book some time ago, but didn't feel the need to reread it for the film because this is a Will Smith movie. All you need to know is that the title is shared with a good book. The two have no other connection between them. In truth, reading the book will only confuse you.

Will Smith plays a messianic military scientist. Trying to say that and trying to swallow it are equally difficult. But it's Will Smith! He's so likable. We'll accept anything.

The cure for cancer has killed almost everyone. I KNEW IT! It's the carcinogens that will save humanity. Will Smith is the lone survivor of the deadly plague in New York City. He's gone a little nutty in his isolation. He chats with mannequins and watches old news shows to keep in touch with humanity. His only real companion is his dog Sam. They go out daily to do a little hunting, golfing, scavenging, and the aforementioned chatting with mannequins. I'm surprised the dog hasn't left his crazy ass yet. But this is just the mundane stuff. The real work happens downstairs in Smith's high tech basement laboratory. Now this is one of those little details that irked me. He has to have had this set-up in his basement before the plague. Why the hell did he have the laboratory? His name isn't Dexter. The military wouldn't have approved this. His wife wouldn't have approved it. So it shouldn't exist.

But it's his reason for staying in New York. He's searching for the cure for the cure for cancer. He thinks he's found it. Now he needs to do some human testing. Interspersed all this is recollections of the night New York was quarantined. Will Smith is trying to get his family out. He gets special privileges due to being Will Smith. These inter cut scenes really slowed the movie down which is ironic because they're supposed to be so taunt and dramatic, but we already know something is going to go bad because Will Smith is alone and crazy and not seeking any survivors.

I much preferred observing the aftermath. The empty, overgrown streets of New York were amazing to see. The running herds of deer were cool to watch as they darted in and out among the empty cars. Why Will had such a hard on to kill one is beyond me, especially since he sucked at it, and there's always SPAM. Will Smith's melt down at one of the mannequins was pretty powerful as well as his quiet conversation with another. Smith is nothing if not watchable. He's someone you instinctively root for and watching him in an apocalyptic landscape, destitute and unhinged made the tragedy seem all the more awful. But that's only if you're a Will Smith fan. If you couldn't care less about him, then this film will seem pretty silly to you.

Overall, it was an okay popcorn movie, but not one I'd regularly rewatch. What do I regularly rewatch? 28 Days Later, for when I need a pick me up.

30 Days of Night

2008-06-09T21:18:00.007-05:00

From the Library X movie vault, I checked out 30 Days of Night. I thought, "Ooh, a vampire movie with no sexy vampires. How refreshing." Thank goodness I didn't spend any money on this movie because it is straight up meh. It's the story of a small town in Alaska called Barrow. It has no roads in or out and basically shuts down for a month long night. Some vampires decide that it would be great to trek through the snow to Barrow when the long night sets in and kill everybody. Why? Because they're bored, and they think they can get away with it.

Only one man stands in their way: Sheriff Eben Oleson (Josh Hartnett). He gathers a small band of survivors, and they bravely hide. You read that right. They're big heroic feat is hiding. Let me tell you, watching people cower and wait for the sun to come up (which remember is in a month) is not riveting movie watching. I want flamethrowers, home-made bombs, how about some holy water icicle stakes? Come on, they're in Alaska, they could've totally gotten away with it. But no, instead they shiver and peek out a window for two hours.

I didn't learn any of the humans names and didn't really care to. (Had to go to IMDB to figure out Hartnett's) Didn't learn any of the vamps names either. All character development is replaced by shivering. I get it. It's cold in Alaska. Why aren't the vamps affected? Oh, am I not supposed to ask that question? (Dear me, I poked around a little more on IMDB, and there's so much inaccuracy that it's mind boggling. Alaska doesn't even have sheriffs.)

At the forty minute mark, I was ready for the vamps to find'em, kill'em, and move on, but no, we all had to wait 113 minutes for it to end. Don't bother with the wait, pass on this flick.

Um, hi

2008-06-03T20:58:00.003-05:00

So yeah...I've been working days now for a few weeks. I've been crazy busy with the new job.

I have an office now with walls and a door. It's nice. I'm still settling in and making it my space.

My last official duty as the evening supervisor was calling the cops on a little old lady who wouldn't leave when we closed to the public at midnight. It was lovely. She wailed as the cop (who I'm told is one of the nicest cops in the UPD) talked to her, and some bleeding heart students asked why she couldn't stay in the library for one night. I now wash my hands entirely of these types of situations. Kyle is my replacement, which is funny. He was also my replacement for the overnight.

I got my sunglasses on, and am grinning like a fool. I'm days, bitches!

Viva Club LibX

2008-05-05T22:52:00.005-05:00

I was just alerted by one of my student workers that a bunch of sorority girls were doing body shots downstairs. How did she know this? Facebook.

It all just boggles the mind.

Shh!

2008-05-02T01:01:00.003-05:00

Had a student ask me today if I could make the construction workers outside stop drilling because they were disturbing him.

Sorry, kiddo. My shushing powers do not extend beyond these four walls. Here are some ear plugs instead.

NO, Just NO

2008-04-20T02:51:00.002-05:00

A lot of people say that putting 'NO' signs in the library is a downer, and we should instead only use permissive signs like 'Cell phone use allowed here' or 'Talking allowed', but people don't get it. If students aren't told not to do something, they'll do it because hey, nobody said they couldn't.

Unfortunately, I'm not allowed to put up any 'NO' signs because I'd end up wallpapering the place with them.

What 'NO' signs would I put up? Here are a few. And please remember, all of these would be INSIDE the building.

NO alcohol.

NO smoking.

NO snoring.

NO nesting.

NO wrestling.

NO dancing on tables.

NO golfing.

NO kicking, punching, or rocking the vending machines. Don't punch the wall either when your Skittles jam.

No food fights.

NO bitching about our lack of a large stapler, microwave, change machine, or fax machine. We're never going to get any of those. Get over it, or you know, go else where. You spend too much time here already. Explore the campus. Maybe you'll find what you're looking for in another building. If you ask us nicely, we might even tell you where to look. After we've told you where to go, then GO. Don't continue to bitch. See this sign? NO BITCHING.

God, I really want that last sign.

Got a 'NO' sign wish? Put it in the comments.

How did you get here?

2008-04-15T21:42:00.004-05:00

Once again, here's another edition of strange search terms that landed people on my blog!

Excluded are all the vampire related and LSD/rat poison searches. Though they are the top searches that bring people here, they're just ho-hum now.

free pencils from IKEA - Yes, you can get them and free tape measures too! Go, stock up.

Newspaper rod - How can this be? I am the number 1 result in Google.

going on vacation poetry - I've written bad poetry, but none about going on vacation.

Let's see if I can...

An Ode to Vacation

Oh, vacation, you're so lovely
You make me all school girl bubbly.
A day, a week, a month, or more
No matter the length, you rock to the core.

I'll always love you, vacation.
And I don't care who hears my exclamation.

There, how was that? No flames, please.

P.S. I know I said vampire searches would be excluded, but this one made me guffaw:
Vampires real or meth?

Joose

2008-04-07T22:41:00.003-05:00

This is what the kids are drinking now. It has caffeine, ginseng, and taurine. It's also 9% alcohol. We're not supposed to know that. We're supposed to think it's an energy drink. I'm having fun busting the 'joosers'. I would think this would mess a person up like mixing uppers and downers. It may not be that high a dose, but still not good for the body.

Jekyll

2008-04-02T05:22:00.009-05:00

I've deleted my previous post because it was a bummer, and I didn't want to leave it up to depress me. What perks me up? Psychopaths!

If you haven't heard of the miniseries Jekyll, please go find it and watch it. It's a modern sci-fi retelling of the classic tale. James Nesbitt plays the title character and his alter ego, and I can't believe I haven't seen this man before because he's crazy good in this role. Matching his quality is Gina Bellman, who plays his wife. That's right. Jekyll's married with kids, and the missus is not about to let hubby off the hook just because he's got a homicidal alter-ego. She's still his wife, and she owns him. I cheered for her a lot.

There are a few high cheese moments. The opening sequence to episode five comes to mind, and a few of the secondary characters are way over the top, but the main actors do a stupendous job with great rapid fire dialogue. I also seriously loved how they handled flashbacks in this series. They played with time a lot. Sometimes when shows or movies do this it annoys me because it seems like the only reason they spliced it out of order was to hide how boring the story actually was, but this show did it with wonderfully clear reason to it. Now I think it should go without saying, but this show is pretty dark. Hyde is not a nice fellow. Really freaking scary for the most part. He's a raging id hell bent on killing and fucking everything around him, possibly in that order. So yeah, don't watch this with your kids, but once they're in bed, pop in the DVD, and I promise you'll get a smile like this on your face:

The End is Near

2008-03-28T03:47:00.002-05:00

This will be my last semester working the evening shift. I am to move permanently to days when summer session begins. I can't tell you how good this feels. Working 2nd and 3rd shift for 4 years has really impacted my life and not in a great way. I'm ready to live like a normal person again. I don't know if I'll continue this blog or not. I am getting an office with no windows and low light so I could still be a vampire if I wanted, but I'm not sure. I may want to break completely away from this and start new things. I'll continue to post until mid-May definitely--if I find material. Haven't really had anything blog worthy for a bit, but if anything comes up, I'll be bursting to share. Promise.

Today was the day they officially gave me a date I could start days. For a month now, everything was in the air. I was definitely moving to days, but nobody knew WHEN. It was rather frustrating. I'm so glad to have an official date.

Copier Offence

2008-03-17T21:39:00.007-05:00

This story was related to me by a trusted student, and I have to share it with you.

He and a fellow art student needed to use a copier for a project and went to one of the small subject libraries to do it. The art department's copier was broken, and this library had the closest public copier. They brought special paper to use, so began opening drawers to load their paper. As soon as they'd closed the drawers, a librarian rushed out and said, "Stop!" She told them that they couldn't use their paper because it would cause a paper jam.

The other student decided to ignore the request of the librarian and attempted to make her copies anyway. The copier jammed.

How did the librarian react? She called the police. You read that right. She called the cops for a paper jam.

The police came, spoke to the students, and charged them with...nothing.

I wonder what the librarian said to the dispatcher. I mean do the cops really stop by if you tell them you have a paper jam? The student said the cop didn't seem to know exactly why he was called in. Once he understood, he let the students go.

I wonder what else this library has called the cops for. Coffee spills? Paper cuts? Loud thinking?

Being the Vampire

2008-03-11T19:05:00.008-05:00

It's sad that instead of chuckling indulgently while reading the list Things I Will Do If I Am Ever the Vampire, I was instead nodding ruefully.

(Link found via the awesome Smart Bitches Who Like Trashy Books)

Here's my list to also consider.

Things I Will NOT Do If I Am Ever the Vampire

1. I will not bathe in blood. I'm eternally young. What do I care about preventing wrinkles? And doing it because it's Eveeel is just stupid.

2. I will not become vengeful when the hero/heroine brushes off my advances.

3. Better yet, I won't try to seduce the hero/heroine. There are lots of other fish in the sea.

4. I will not try to reverse my vampirism. I'm happy with all my mad vampire skillz.

5. I will not become a cop or a private detective. If another vampire decides to become a cop or a private detective, I'm moving out of town and not taking their calls. That career choice never ends well and usually results in a lot of collateral damage.

6. I will not piss off any petite women.

7. I will not fall in love with any petite women no matter my sex.

8. I will not date a reporter, especially one that's blonde. They're nothing but trouble. If she's petite too, stake me out of my misery.

9. I will not change my mother into a vampire. Love her, but don't want to spend eternity with her and the whole sorta incest thing squicks me out.

10. I will be humble. Claiming to be a god, king, greater being of any sort is just asking for trouble, usually in the form of petite women.

11. I will not fall in love with a mortal who refuses to become a vampire. The inherent angst is a turnoff. If the person doesn't want to live forever, then really, what do we have in common?

12. I will not make stupid innuendo comments as in, "I don't drink...wine," or anything about stakes or staking. They're old and tired, even to mortals.

13. I will not have a weird or suggestive name. Suzy or Rob is fine. And I will ALWAYS adopt a last name. None of this one name crap. Suzy Jones or Rob Harris will do nicely.

14. I will not keep the same name for centuries. They can track that sort of thing now, guys.

15. If I open a bar, the name will not end in "aven".

Major geek points to those who can guess what I'm referencing in some of these, especially the last one.

High Expectations

2008-03-03T20:23:00.010-05:00

I went outside to mail something and noticed two guys sitting on a bench passing a joint between them. They said hello to me, and I greeted them back. I mailed my letter and came back that way. The guys asked me for a light. I said sure, but seriously worried that they were going to light up a fatty in front of me. They didn't. The one guy lit a menthol cigarette and gave me my lighter back, but he did say this, "You came back because you like the smell don't you?"

I shook my head and indicated the library entrance. "No, I work here."

"You work in the library?"

"Yep." I proceeded to go back inside.

"Hey, how late is the library open?"

"Until 10 o'clock."

"Cool. Hey, when does Spring Break start?"

"Today."

"Today? Oh man, you know there are some parties going on around here."

"You're probably right."

I went inside and called the cops.

Some of you may shake your head at me for calling the cops. I wondered if I should, but the more I wondered, the more I figured screw it--If they're going to be dumb enough to light up in a popular thoroughfare, then Darwin says they should get nabbed.

But I didn't figure the two potheads would come in while I was on the phone with the dispatcher. That was a fun turn of events.

I whispered, "Uh, they just came in."

"The suspects are in the library now?"

"Yeah."

"Do you feel threatened?"

Not yet, but if they hear me on the phone with you, the story might change.

"No, I don't."

"Do you want to stay on the line until the police arrive?"

I want to get off the phone so these guys don't get wise to me.

"No, there's no rush. I just think an officer might want to chat with them."

"Okay. There will be an officer out there shortly."

"Thanks."

And so I waited. I really regretted calling the cops now. I mean, the guys were right here. They were making high MySpace comments and being quiet. Not bad patrons. Why'd they have to smoke a joint practically under my nose?

When the officers arrived, they came to the back to speak to me. I confirmed which ones were the potheads, and the officers went to have a chat with the young men.

Eventually the officers came back to update me. I'd been hiding at my desk. I did not want to let these guys know I was the one who called the cops. I know that's cowardly, but I felt guilty. Yes, I felt guilty for calling the law on these guys. Smoking pot is not the end of the world, but it's not exactly kosher either. Dammit, I don't like feeling like the bad guy for doing what the law says is right.

The officers told me, "We don't have enough to arrest them. We've told them they have to behave while in the library or else we'll boot them off campus. They have no priors. We can only arrest them really if we catch them in the act. We told them we received a call from Y Hall of some pot smokers matching their description to give you a little buffer. Let us know if they act up and we'll come back out to issue a trespass warrant."

I was really relieved they hadn't said I'd called. The cops lied for me. That's good service.

Only thing is, the potheads are still here. I'd think after chatting with the cops they'd leave, but nope, they're still high MySpace posting, and I really want a cig. Is this their revenge? Are they going to hang around until closing and keep me hostage at my desk? Sneaky high bastards.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Well looky here, it seems someone has finally figured out why libraries appeal to vampires.

"LOOK! The pasty white skin - they never go out in the sun! The heavily diffused lighting which gives them a reason for not having a shadow. There's NEVER a mirror in a library... AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN SEE IT?"

Found via Librarian.net

PSA for Students #12

2008-02-28T23:31:00.003-05:00

Leaving your laptop on a table in Library X is not the same as leaving it in your apartment, unless you leave your door open and a trail of dollar bills to the laptop.

Leaving your laptop here while you go to dinner is not smart. Saying you've done it lots of times, just means you are lots of stupid. Don't get affronted if I'm not shocked and saddened when you report your laptop stolen. I'll call the police for you, but I'm not going to let you cry on my shoulder.

You shouldn't have left your laptop here, and no, we won't watch your laptop. You have to take it with you. If you don't want to carry it, then leave it at home, lock the door, and pick up all that money that's strewn about.

That is all.

PSA for Students #11

2008-02-23T06:32:00.003-05:00

If you're sick, don't come near me. Call, email, IM, send a friend, send up smoke signals, just don't come in person to tell me that you're sick and can't work. There are a lot of plagues going around right now, and I'm trying desperately not to catch one.

Coming to me to tell me you have pneumonia is not helping. I don't need to see your pastey face and listen to your rattling breathe to get that you're sick. And if you had the stomach flu yesterday, don't come to work today, especially if you haven't mastered solid foods yet. Seriously, it's okay. Stay home.

Shit, Library X is already one big thriving petri dish without you sickos adding to it. Come near me again, and I'm gonna Lysol you.

Dubious Job Ops

2008-02-18T23:26:00.003-05:00

I remember stumbling over this a while back but didn't blog it. I hate when that happens.

The CIA is always looking for a couple (or more) good librarians. What struck me most is they are always hiring and this bit of boilerplate at the end of the posting:

Important Notice: Friends, family, individuals, or organizations may be interested to learn that you are an applicant for or an employee of the CIA. Their interest, however, may not be benign or in your best interest. You cannot control whom they would tell. We therefore ask you to exercise discretion and good judgment in disclosing your interest in a position with the Agency. You will receive further guidance on this topic as you proceed through your CIA employment processing.

So not only can you not tell people you work for the CIA, you can't even tell people that you're applying. Shit, sharing this link with you, may attract the terrorists to come after me.

But something fishy's going on over at the CIA. They're always hiring. With a starting salary of $52,000, plenty of recent grads have to be applying. What is the CIA doing with all these librarians? I mean usually librarians lock-in for decades in a position. How's the CIA going through so many so fast? Are they being given highly dangerous, TOP SECRET, reference questions?

The pay, though, makes me think about applying (without telling anyone of course), though I'd totally fail the polygraph test because you know, no pulse.

Selling Out

2008-02-11T04:08:00.000-05:00

For those that come directly to the blog to read posts, you'll see ads from Project Wonderful located low on the sidebar and below the archive. I had Adsense up for some time, but that service is a joke for small blogs because they won't pay until you reach $100. I'm never going to reach $100. I haven't even broken $20, and I've had these ads up for several years. Project Wonderful will pay when you reach $10. It's relatively new and seems to have been marketed mainly to webcomics, which I am not averse to promoting. Shoot, I may find some nifty new sites to waste time on at work. But if the ads get annoying, please let me know. I've tried to keep them unobtrusive, but they still have to be somewhat visible.

Project Wonderful seems like a very nice service. I have control over what ads are shown. I get the chance to approve or reject new ads before they are displayed, and I can even reject an ad after approving it. I like having that power. Adsense didn't let me control squat. I've done away with the Adsense nonsense. Google can keep that $17. And if I still don't get paid a dime, whatever. I've had this blog for years. I've never made money off of it nor have I put money into it. That isn't why I started it, but if I can make $5 a month, well, I can treat myself to a tasty honey bun every Friday. Yum.

Don't hate me for selling out.

Repentant But Not Really

2008-02-06T22:08:00.000-05:00

Dear Patron Who Stole a Bunch of Books and Decided to Return Them,

Thank you for dumping these books outside our doors and not bringing them inside. It's been raining all day. Did you notice? If you were worried, I found them fairly quickly so they didn't get drenched in the next shower. What finally happened to make you return them anyway? I know you had most of these books for years. Did the curse get you? Anyway, it was very brave of you to slink up to our entrance and drop them beside the door.

We're very happy to have back:

The Complete Prophecies of Nostradamus
Book 4 by Aleister Crowley
The Complete Book of Tarot
777 and other Qabalistic Writings
Peyote the Divine Cactus
The Symbolism of the Tarot
Exo-Psychology
The Freedom of Life
Magical Mushrooms and Mischievous Molds

We're especially happy to have back the last two in the list, seeing as you have ripped off the covers and title pages. They're really great. Honestly, I wasn't sure if they were ours, but being clever, I found out the titles with Google Books. Yep, we're missing copies of both those books. Thanks! We'll throw them away now.

Never Darken Our Doorstep Again,
The Vampire Librarian

Book Meme

2008-02-04T21:51:00.000-05:00

Woeful, over @ the Library, tagged me with this meme:

Rules:

1. Pick up the nearest book (of at least 123 pgs.)
2. Open the book to page 123
3. Find the fifth sentence
4. Post the next three sentences
5. Tag five people

I had to do some searching for a book because at the moment, my desk is surprisingly book free. I finally turned to the damaged book box near me and now I give you Ovid's Metamorphoses as translated by Mary M. Innes. Luckily, it still has page 123.

Urania answered her: 'Whatever your reason for visiting our home, goddess, you are most welcome. All the same, the story is true: Pegasus it was, who produced this spring'- and she led Pallas to the sacred stream. The goddess stood for a long time, gazing in wonder at waters produced by the kick from the horse's hoof.

Now if 5 people want to volunteer to do this, I'll link to your blogs in this post.

Sam has volunteered.
Library Chicken wants in too.
Bee volunteered!
Librarian Ire's also participating.

And Anon and Liron have added their contributions in the comments.

Vulvapalooza!

2008-02-03T22:32:00.000-05:00

Get ready, organizations around the world will be having Vulvapaloozas, and they aren't the XXX-Events that Google would have you believe. Most are going to be information carnivals held in conjunction with a performance of the Vagina Monologues. I'm glad to say, University Z is having one. I'm curious though about the games that will be played. Can't imagine how those will go. They're also giving out condom roses. I'm curious about those too.

The V-Day organization, who maintains the Vagina Monologues and adds a monologue every year, are very bold, courageous, and kick-ass people. If you doubt me, take a look at their official emoticon.

({})

Having Goals

2008-01-30T19:58:00.000-05:00

              Sucks:*
My Life Dreams:     
     1. Quit school
     2. Get on Girls Gone Wild.
     3. Have my baby.

--As seen on a dry erase board in one of our study rooms.

*Sucks was definitely written by someone else later.

ARG!

2008-01-27T23:30:00.000-05:00

Committed a classic student mistake tonight.

I emailed a document to myself, worked diligently on it for four hours, saving regularly by clicking the save button, closed the document and then realized, I have just lost it.

I hate that. I hate, hate, hate that.

I should've known better. Never rely on emailed documents. Stupid temp files are not dependable. And Word doesn't care that it's saving to a temp file. It'll save and save, and not alert you to the fact that when you close the document, the temp file will delete itself. That's right. It deletes itself. Why does Word not alert you to this? I guess it can't really tell, but come on! There should be some sort of programing possible that will prompt a user to designate the file location and what not. It does it when you create a new document. Why not with a temp file?

ARG!