Okay, so I lied. January 23, 2012

It’s Sunday night and I’m posting. BUT, I’m at work and it’s a slooooow night at the ol’ ref desk. In the past 3.25 hours I have had 4 questions (none of them research questions) that all took less than five minutes.

So, I have finished a book – Death Comes to Pemberly (two thumbs up) – did some Internet surfing and searching, caught up on all my RSS feeds, checked in on both my Facebook accounts, and basically have done everything but juggle trying to stay awake and alert.

Non sequitur here, but earlier tonight my husband made dinner – roast chicken, roasted root vegetables, wild rice and homemade gravy. Wow! Was it ever a party in my mouth. If you know him, I think you should encourage him to cook more often ; )

Looking forward to getting home and getting some sleep. Good thing a good looking man is coming to pick me up soon (Pete! Shame on you for thinking otherwise!)

TTFN

What can I say, it’s been a busy week… January 20, 2012

I feel like I’m at confession: “forgive me father, it’s been 10 days since my last post…” Seriously, I try to post at least a couple of times a week, but some weeks just run away with me like a freight train goin’ down the tracks. First off this was the first week of classes, and that always takes a lot of energy (in a good way). Secondly, I’ve been following a few news stories, mainly the Republican Caucuses (ugh! someone please save me!) and the SOPA and PIPA bills. Third, the weather has been driving me distraction – hot, cold, rain, snow, sunshine – wha??

Then of course there is the family news. My aunt did her first round of chemo, which went well. My nuclear family chipped in to get her a Kindle 3G to take to all her subsequent appointments. As an aside, I would pay money to watch my mom teach my aunt how to play Angry Birds. For myself, I have good things going on and in the works, but I’m going to play it close to the chest for a while longer.

I’ve also been enjoying the company of friends. Last weekend both days were spent in good company (aside from the regulars, of course), and this weekend Peter Parker and I will be treated to a no doubt delicious meal at the home of Bernard and MaryAnn. Hot dog!

Well, I think I know myself well enough to know that I won’t be posting over the weekend, so have a good one everyone!

This and That January 12, 2012

I don’t have a coherent theme today, so I guess I’ll just do a sort of stream of consciousness type of post…

I wonder if anyone else watches Supernatural. If so, WTF, they killed off Bobby!? Bobby is to Sam and Dean as Giles is to Buffy, and everyone knows you can’t kill off Giles! Plus, Cas has been MIA since the fall. Come on!

This is the time of year when I feel like a drone at work – I just keep my head down and my nose to the grindstone for weeks on end. I’m pretty sure that I did not get an MLIS to do this much office work. Just sayin’…On the other hand, I’m looking forward to classes resuming next week. Working with the faculty and students is exactly when I got an advanced degree.

I’m looking forward to seeing my friends Amelia and Dawn on Saturday, and Joel, Matt and Ione on Sunday.

My aunt had her first chemo treatment, which I understand went well, so kudos to her.

Peace out!

Heat Wave January 6, 2012

It’s odd to me that in January the temperature is in the 50′s. Seriously, today feels like a day in March rather than January. Ah well, nobody tells Mother Nature what to do.

It’s been (literally) quiet at work because we are between the semesters. It’s the kind of quiet where one expects to see tumbleweeds go drifting by. Of course it’s like this in the summer too, but after a semester where the library was considered the living room of the campus it just seems preternaturally silent at work.

I wonder if anyone is reading any good books right now. If so, please include a comment with the title and author. I have a few things on my radar and/or ready to go including the graphic novel of Crime and Punishment, Death Comes to Pemberly by the redoubtable Ms. P.D. James, and Moonlit Mind and 77 Shadow Street both by Dean Koontz. Those will get me through the long, cold winter evenings – assuming we actually get seasonal weather this year.

Happy New Year! January 3, 2012

Sorry, I know this is a few days late, but I’ve been very busy bundled up on my sofa watching cable, and for the most part staying off-line. Today was my first day back to work since December 23rd, so I’m officially back in the on-line world.

I had a lovely holiday season. It was low-key and spent mostly at home. I got to watch my favorite Christmas films (the Ref, Nightmare Before Christmas, a Christmas Story, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, and Scrooge – both the Alastair Sim version and the Muppet version)…I got some wonderful gifts including a vintage globe, a vintage (Herman Miller) kitchen table, a nice assortment of books to add to my Edward Gorey collection, and other lovely and thoughtful things too numerous to mention.

New Year’s was also great. Of course it’s my mom’s birthday, so why wouldn’t it be swell? We all got together for lunch and a movie, so a good time was had by all.

My friend Amelia is back at work after giving birth to a charming baby in November, so I give her a shout out of encouragement.

I know a number of you either know my aunt, or have expression concern over her, so I wanted to let you know that she will be starting chemo later this month. I think she will kick cancer’s ass! Seriously, my aunt has been wonderfully calm and philosophical with a positive attitude, so I’m sure she will do just fine. Thanks for asking.

I wish you all the best in the new year!

Marshmallow Fluff December 22, 2011

…and here a few Christmas ditties decidedly on the lighter side.

How ’bout Marshmallow World by Brenda Lee? Or perhaps Miss Eartha Kitt is more your style singing Santa Baby. And who can forget the oldie but goodie I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas? One thing I will not post is Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer because I hate that damn song.

So, enjoy these lighter Christmas stylings by various artists.

I wish you a Merry Christmas!

Christmas Music December 21, 2011

For your listening/viewing pleasure I give you some of my favorite Christmas music. Not the most happy, but satisfying nonetheless.

Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) – By U2 (my Irish Boyfriends, don’t ya know). Am I the only one swooning here?

All I Ever Get for Christmas is Blue By Over the Rhine. Thanks to Kirstin I’ve seen them three times (and twice around Christmas).

Now for some Carols…

Gabriel’s Message by Sting. Lovely, is it not?

In the Bleak Midwinter by Loreena McKennitt. If you don’t own anything by LM you need to buy some of her music right now! If you want to hear the words Julie Andrews would be happy to oblige: In the Bleak Midwinter.

Finally, by Enya O Come O Come Emmanuel

Back by popular demand December 19, 2011

Yesterday at a small family gathering I was taken to task (just a little) about needing to update my blog. Apparently the photos of the tree and advent calendar are getting a little stale. Sorry about that…’Tis the season.

Here are a few things that made me laugh recently, and I hope they make you laugh as well.

1. Facebook – I sometimes fall into the cryptic trap whereby I will post a single word or phrase. Case in point – last weekend I typed “Snowmaggedon” (a movie on the SyFy channel). Well, some of my friends in other states took that to mean I was getting a lot of snow where I lived. Ha!

2. Facebook – Peter Parker and I went out to view Christmas lights on a cold night last week. What I meant to type was “Burberry scarf makes her debut,” but what my happy fingers typed and posted was “bur.” Well this was misinterpreted by some of my friends to mean that I was cold. Understandable, but still amusing. (of course I would have spelled it brrrr, but that’s okay).

3. Breakfast – I had breakfast with my parents and brother yesterday whereby my dad was drinking hot tea and my brother and mother were drinking coffee. Kevin, ever the solicitous chap, refilled everyone’s cups with coffee all around. The only problem was my dad was drinking tea!

O Christmas Tree December 7, 2011

Some regal images of our vintage looking little Christmas tree (carefully secured to the counter with packing tape lest Buffy the cat get frisky with the tree). Also included for your viewing pleasure is an image of our awesome advent Calendar.

 

As the semester draws to a close… December 6, 2011

…I reflect on the first part of the academic year. For me, one of the best parts of my job is working with the journalism department and being embedded in classroom work. This semester, for whatever reason, has had a bumper crop of smart, savvy, and thoughtful students. Nice! In the entry level class the students were attentive, asked intelligent questions, and were not shy on engaging on any topic. Thank goodness! The one surprise for me given how outspoken they were, is that universally the class would (hypothetically, as editors) not publish images of the Prophet Muhammad. No other class thus far has held that opinion. Interesting…In one of the upper level classes I worked one-on-one with students by providing research instruction for papers, and for a podcast assignment. This is the second year for the podcast assignment, and it was astonishing at how good (that is, well researched, no one went afoul of copyright, technologically solid, etc.) these project were. It makes me happy and proud…All in all, it has been a great first half of the academic year in journalism at my little school.