Killin' time being lazy

I just shouldn't be allowed out on my own...

2009-10-30T18:13:00.002-04:00

I live in a Town about an hour north of NYC. It's a sprawling town, and there are some oddities (like, I have a street address there but vote/pay taxes in the next Town over and my fire district is a third Town). All the shopping and sidewalks and Post Office are in the smaller administrative unit. This isn't that unusual: my parents live in SmallTown, just outside SmallVillage. Today I went to

Trying to figure it all out...

2009-10-23T05:17:00.003-04:00

YALSA Blog says that libraries are not supermarkets. This reminded me of my mantra: it's about the patrons (including messing with Dewey to make it easier). It also makes me wonder why is it so difficult for librarians (school, public, academic, whatever) to embrace change, to get over the Way Things Were Done. Change is hard, granted, but how you can not move forward (particularly in light of

The horror...

2009-10-18T15:00:00.004-04:00

Maybe it wasn't actual horror, but it was nearer to Amityville than I've been before, so it just seemed appropriate.Last night I had the pleasure of seeing #3 Niece marry her boyfriend of 12 years (they met at a basketball game in high school). The ceremony was in Queens, with the reception out on Long Island, so we'd have to spend the night at the Hempstead Hilton. Because of my chronic

A Booklover's Lament

2009-10-14T18:37:00.003-04:00

Two things happened today: the National Book Award finalists were announced and the MS/US Librarian at MPOW finished reading one of my favorite reads of the year, Marcelo in the Real World (a book she very much enjoyed). What's the connection? We talked about purchasing the finalists (turns out we already have two) and about the potential audience for Marcelo.Marcelo's a great book - one I'd

Imponderables

2009-10-14T08:41:00.000-04:00

There's a road near me that has been repaved. For the past two weeks(ish) there have been delays as the lollipop guy guided traffic around the area undergoing work; sometimes the line has been so long that it's worth it to go the five miles out of my way to get home (when I leave early in the morning there's no problem). Usually, repaving means that there's grading and a nice layer of asphalt

Losing the Symbol

2009-10-12T10:10:00.001-04:00

If a student asks me to read a book, I'll usually drop everything and read it (even if I'm in the middle of another read). It's led to some great discoveries, like City of Ember as well as good re-reads (The Bell Jar, for example). Then there are the books I pray I don't have to read: The Lost Symbol being one of them. Thanks to bookshelves of doom I learned that I could read John Crace's

Things could be worse

2009-10-11T10:26:00.002-04:00

The past few years at MPOW have been pretty stress-filled, thanks to the fire. Luckily, much of that has lessened but there are still some things that need to be resolved. One of them is the rebuilding of the old space - we're getting close to the finish line, with progress evident on a daily basis. It seems so close I can almost see us in the new space!Is it perfect? No. There are always

Links Galore

2009-10-09T10:07:00.005-04:00

Good for the economy and your wallet: How to Save Green When You Shop Green (þ: Wise Bread) First Jump the Shark... then Nuke the Fridge... and now Grow the Beard (þ: SwissToni)Decluttering tip of the week: check this productivity blog daily (þ: Alison) and then minimalise your e-mails.At the end of the day, whatever - and how annoying it is!

Notable Quotes

2009-10-05T08:37:00.000-04:00

The shop's tables, I now sa, were covered with wooden blocks of varying sizes, each one carved with a single letter; the were literally the building blocks of words. There were also blocks carved with every imaginable mark of punctuation. He lifted one displaying a cartoonish "!" and put it in my hand."Have you ever held a shout before?" he asked. "How about a question?" He found a "?" in the

Am I worthy?

2009-10-02T04:25:00.002-04:00

According to the NYC Heat Guidelines, between October 1 and May 1, landlords are required to provide for their tenents when the outside temperature falls below 55F (day; it's below 40F at night). During those times, the heat should meet a

Notes from Mt. Bookpile

2009-10-01T08:41:00.000-04:00

Haven't been blogging as much, but I have been reading (and watching many Netflix - but that's another post!). So, what does Q3 bring? Not quite as stellar as Q, "only" 45 books read, but not bad. All reviews are over on Killin' Time Reading.BiographyThe Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope; William KamkwambaChildren's/Young AdultThe Hate List; Jennifer

Notable Quotes

2009-09-28T08:14:00.000-04:00

The past is never really done with, unless you consciously close the door to it with ritual and prayer. Otherwise, it will follow you forever.Elf Realm: The High Road, Daniel Kirk

Not quite brave enough

2009-09-27T14:57:00.004-04:00

It's erev Yom Kippur and despite my not being at all a religious Jew (you know, because of the whole being a Quaker now thing), it's a time of reflection. There's a lot whirling around in my lazy little mind - work things, professional things, personal things - and most of all I want to shout Stop. World. I. Want. To. Get. Off. ... or at least have a brief sabbatical.I've been feeling as though

Imponderables

2009-09-27T08:07:00.000-04:00

Recently at MPOW, I received an invoice. Accompanying said invoice was a piece of paper saying that the vendor was, among other things, going green. So, here's what came out of the envelope:That's right. Five pieces of paper, two of them copies of other pieces of paper. Am I missing something in this whole Going Green thing?

Better Late Than Never (part two)

2009-09-24T13:15:00.000-04:00

I've known Irene for a year, ever since our wonderful lunch at Millbrook. So how thrilled am I that her book on BFF breakups has been published? Very.And how upset am I that on my day of resting, I totally missed National Women's Friendship Day? Again, very.From her blog: The day is intended to provide an opportunity for women to recognize those friends who play important roles in their lives

Better Late Than Never (part one)

2009-09-24T10:11:00.006-04:00

I should have posted this two days ago, but 10098 Days Till the End of the Year is still a healthy chunk of time, right? As Beth suggests, For the past two years I have done the Goal's Guy 100 Day Challenge which supports you in your finishing up some of those goals... I want you to think of at least one goal you'd like to focus on for the rest of the year. You can make changes to your life.I've

Perfect Sunday

2009-09-20T13:23:00.000-04:00

Got up... cleaned the house... an hour's Silence... home tothe first fire of the season and...Kir, Sahadi's hummus and fresh veggiesI'll be all set for tonight's Twitter snarkfest!

Deja vu

2009-09-18T08:30:00.000-04:00

This morning I was watching the news, trying to determine exactly what the weather had in mind so I could dress appropriately. Then a commercial came on - a commercial for Maxwell House ("good to the last drop").It struck me then that coffee commercials have pretty much disappeared from the tv. I can't remember the last time I heard about Nescafe, Folgers, Chock-Full-O-Nuts, Taster's Choice or

Music Meme

2009-09-14T09:10:00.001-04:00

For a while over in Facebookland, people were listing the 50 music groups they'd seen live. I've seen no where near that many, but I think my list might qualify as one of the most eclectic:David BowieJethro TullCharles AznavourBonnie Raitt (3 times)Spyro GyraRolling StoneEric ClaptonLou ReedClannadkd lang (2 times)Li'l Ed & the Imperials / Koko TaylorCharlie MusselwhiteMary Chapin CarpenterBjork

Links Galore

2009-09-11T09:29:00.000-04:00

50 things the internet has superseded ( : @joycevalenza)You know how much I love lists - so listverse is a Must Read site.Brilliant post on the Thunk that greets you when you say you're a Christian. Now, if onlysomeone would do the same for Republicans.When you buy packaged foods, do you ever wonder if it'll look as good as the picture? Wonder no longer: Food in Real Life is here!

Things I hate about conference (pre-2009 conference season edition)

2009-09-10T08:28:00.001-04:00

Ernie asked what great conference sessions we've recently been to - what worked for us. I responded that what doesn't work - really doesn't work - is the session that is supposedly geared to the masses, to librarians of all levels. Very few really can claim that (disaster preparation and Best New ??? are the only two that really spring to mind). Most try, but they end up catering to the

Obamavision

2009-09-08T04:45:00.003-04:00

There's been such a fuss over President Obama's speech to schoolchildren later today that I'm hesitant to wade in but... oh what the heck.The problem I have with the speech is that it's window dressing: hey! look! the President wants you to stay in school! This window dressing comes at lunchtime here on the Eastern Coast. So, the President wants to interrupt what might be the last good meal

Links galore

2009-09-04T08:25:00.006-04:00

Another list to argue with: The 50 Worst Artists in Music History (þ: Thing One)Joke? Serious? Eternal Earthbound Pets (þ: Seth)You really can have it your way (þ: Lifehacker)Wow. @neilhimself's downstairslibrary makes my bookshelves look puny! (þ: @medinger)

Not the battle we need to fight

2009-09-03T08:12:00.001-04:00

Several people pointed out this article in the NYTimes. In it, the "new, experimental" method of allowing student to choose their own books is highlighted. Nothing new there, and the comment that "Letting students choose their own books, they say, can help to build a lifelong love of reading" should inspire a huge DUH in all readers.One of the comments I read was "where is the school library?"

Book Meme

2009-08-30T09:38:00.000-04:00

Found this over on Bookgirl's Nightstand and just had to play along: Using only books you have read this year (2009), answer these questions. Try not to repeat a book title. It’s a lot harder than you think!Describe yourself: Along for the Ride (Sarah Dessen)How do you feel: Beige (Cecil Castellucci)Describe where you currently live: North of Beautiful (Justina Chen Headley)If you could go