What a Difference a Week Makes!

When I posted a week ago, I still had 5 assignments left to complete by the end of the semester!  I worked my big little butt off and I just submitted my last assignment!  I’m overjoyed to be done!!

Did I do my best work?  Yes, definitely in my 2 classes that were well organized with attentive instructors.  As for my other class, it’s pretty hard to do quality work when the assignments for 50% of the grade couldn’t be done much prior to the last 3 weeks of class because the instructor was quite late in defining what the assignments were.  She hadn’t posted one tool for the last assignment by last Friday, and then ended up telling us to Google it ourselves.  NO, this was not a good class experience, and NO, my work was not quite as high-quality as I usually do.  That said, under the circumstances I did the best I could, given the other demands on my time.  I feel like so much was out of my control due to the lack of organization, and I think it’s only fair for the instructor to keep that in mind when doing our grades.  Granted, I submitted my last assignment 3 days before the deadline and probably could have spent more time on it, but it was high time for me to be done!!  I spent lots of time on the last project and now the rest of December is mine—as well it should be!

My poor husband and children have been Christmassing as grouchy, Grinchy me has been tied to my laptop doing homework.  No more—I’m free and I have one week to Deck the Halls & Fa, la, la, la, la.  It’s time to shop, clean, bake, wrap, and everything else to whip this into a Holiday to remember!

In case I don’t get around to posting again before Christmas, here’s a wild Christmas greeting from Mythbusters.  If Christmas isn’t your thing,  celebrate in whatever way you like with your favorite choice of greetings, be that Happy Hanukah, Happy Kwanza, Happy Holidays, Seasons Greetings …… I’m an equal opportunity greeter! 

I’m wishing you and yours all the best at the holidays and always!

Study Break!

As the semester draws to a close I am overwhelmed by the amount of work that remains.  Adding a 3rd class to my usual 2 per semester has been hard.  One of my teachers vanished from online Earth between Weeks 5 & 11 and pushed back everything to the end of the semester, so I still have 5 assignments to complete by Dec. 20th!!  Some need just a bit more work, but some aren’t even started.  Yikes!!! 

I’ve found that frequent study breaks are imperative when I’m so stressed.  Here are a few of my favorite R & R ways to de-stress:  Spend time with my loved ones.  Cute Overload–I skip the sometimes annoying comments.  Read (anything not related to school) with my cat asleep on my lap.  Browse Earth Shots Photo of the Day.  Eat–sometimes healthy snacks but more often not! ?!  Play “Name that Theme Song Game“.  Take a nap—everything feels less daunting after a few winks.  Browse Places to See Before You Die.  Play Games–Sudoku, Solitaire on my laptop.  Browse YouTube.  Read blogs and post to my blog—it’s very therapeutic! 

Break’s up—back to work!!

Let it Snow!

 

Ready or not, Winter’s here.  Snow can be a hassle but I sure prefer it (and the other 3 Midwest seasons) over the heat in Florida!  I love vacationing in Florida but don’t want to be a full-time Floridian again!!! Today I feel like contemplating things related to snow—Safety first:  I always worry about people having heart attacks while shoveling—here’s a link to some safe shoveling tips.     

Last night’s snow is so pretty—especially when I can admire it from the warmth of home.  I’ve never been much for snow sports; I’m too big of a wimp for skiing, snowboarding, or ice skating.  Here’s a cool link to snow kiting for my more adventurous readers. Calvin and Hobbes is one of my husband’s favorite comics—check out this funny snow gallery. 

One of my all-time favorites for this season is The Snowman by Raymond Briggs; the book is really good, but I think the DVD is even better.  It’s probably been at least 5 years since I’ve watched it with my children, but I can’t get the theme song out of my head.  I don’t think there’s any speaking in it, but the images and the music are very memorable.  For additional enlightenment about snow, I recommend Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin; also see this cool website of snow crystals. 

If your indoor seasonal décor needs snow, see this demonstration of how to make it.  Last but certainly not least, Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!     

Happy Thanksgiving :)

Since my favorite holiday is only 2 days away, I’m devoting this post to Thanksgiving.  I have so much for which I’m thankful:  Family—I am blessed beyond measure with my husband and children, parents, sisters & brothers, sisters and brothers-in-law, nieces and nephews, aunts and uncles, cousins,…. and together we’re a family tree!  Friends—I treasure your friendship—y’all are the best!  Health—yes, I’ve had some surgeries and scares, but overall I’m doing and feeling well.  Plenty-We’re not rich, but we have plenty.  We have a house to call home, food on the table, plenty of love to go around.  My blessings abound!!!! 

I’m a History buff so I did a bit of web surfing on the subject of Thanksgiving.  The fine folks of NOBLE: North of Boston Library Exchange’s website contains lots of links to things related to Thanksgiving.  Also, see these sites about Common Mayflower Myths, and Debunking a Popular Internet Lesson Plan.  While you’re at it, check out all of Mayflowerhistory.com and explore the history, passenger list and genealogy, written accounts of the Pilgrims, links to museums, historic recipes, etc.  The website states “The author, researcher and webmaster of MayflowerHistory.com is Caleb Johnson.   Caleb has been studying and researching the history of the Mayflower, the Pilgrims, and early Plymouth Colony for ten years.  He has edited and self-published several books…. Caleb is himself a Mayflower descendant, and is a member of the General Society of Mayflower Descendants through his nine Mayflower ancestors.” 

Ok, enough seriousness.  Let’s talk pie!  I’ll never forget my first Thanksgiving with my in-laws.  The feast was much like those from my childhood with turkey, dressing, potatoes & gravy, rolls, etc. (but sadly no sweet potatoes or cranberries except for the molded ones in the shape of a can).  We ate heartily and I left just enough appetite for a small piece of pumpkin pie.  To my surprise, they brought out pie after pie…8 in all–for 14 people!  I had never seen anything like it—there was pecan and pumpkin and apple and blueberry and French Silk and lemon cream and mincemeat and I can’t remember what the other one was.  This was a pie loving bunch and I’ve been more than happy to join in.  Yes, Thanksgiving dinner means turkey and all of the trimmings, but let’s face it—it’s really about pie!!!    

Workin’ Out at the Y– In preparation for all the pie I’m planning to eat, I’m making sure I visit the Y three times this week before Thursday.  Two down, one to go.  I’m generally motivated to take better care of myself but especially so this year.  Last week while browsing at Overstock.com I discovered that they have a surprising product in their Health and Wellness category—Caskets.  Yes folks, if you try everything else in the category to no avail, you can conveniently purchase a casket for the next leg of your journey!  Overstock made an interesting choice of category for their caskets…..  All joking aside, I’m hopeful none of us will have need of a casket anytime soon!  I’m looking forward to many, many more years with all of the wonderful people that I’m lucky to have in my life!!! 

Happy Thanksgiving—May your blessings abound all year round!     

Veterans Day

As Veterans Day approaches I’m reminded of the many, many Veterans that have fought in the many wars throughout World History.  Although “I’m a lover, not a fighter” and personally would have trouble bearing arms, I am immensely thankful for the men and women that have fought in the various campaigns.   

I share the opinion of many that our government mislead and misrepresented us when decisions were made to engage in the current war in Iraq, however I feel profound respect and gratitude to those that are currently serving in our Armed Forces and wish them Godspeed.   Here are some links to ways you can show your support.

Click here for interesting links explaining the History of Veterans Day, etc.

 And now on to a more personal note:  Today I especially pay tribute to my favorite Veteran—my Dad.  Dad served in the Army in WWII in the 90th Infantry Division.  Like many men of that era, Dad’s war experience profoundly changed him but he rarely spoke of it and tried not to think about it.  He hit the Homefront ground running, utilizing the G.I. Bill and quickly earning his Undergrad and Law School degrees.  He married my mother, started his law practice, and then had a large family. 

Before he died 2 years ago, Dad started talking about the war.  He shared some stories with us, but I know he still carried a lot more that he never verbalized.  Veterans Day was especially hard on him; he appreciated the honor, but didn’t like it when the memories resurfaced.  Yes, there were some funny stories that Dad shared with his trademark sense of humor, and some amazing stories of doing guard duty at Merkers Salt Mine where the Nazis had stashed an amazing amount of  gold and stolen Art from other countries.  For every story like those, I suspect that Dad probably had many times more scary and disturbing memories.  Those ones he chose to keep to himself, and they haunted him. 

I had the pleasure of attending the 2004 90th Infantry Division Reunion and meeting some amazing Veterans in Washington, D.C.  It was great talking with their families and learning that most of them shared Dad’s experience of holding it in for many years and then starting to share their stories.  We attended a beautiful ceremony at the World War II Memorial.  This memorial is an absolute must-see!  (Also visit the other memorials; I recommend both during the day and at night.  The Korean War Memorial is especially touching at night—it feels very realistic and eerie.)I learned that the 90th Infantry Division was commended by General Patton and General Eisenhower for the Distinguished Unit Citation and the Presidential Unit Citation, however after many, many years and much effort this remains unrewarded.  I don’t understand the reasons for this; this article ”An Honor Denied“ from Army Magazine explains the details.  I hope this issue is resolved before all of the Veterans have passed on. Thanks, Dad!   

Halloween Fun

Disclaimer:  If you’re of the opinion that Halloween is evil, you might want to pass on reading this post.   

If you choose to continue reading this, I recommend that you check out this article on the Halloween Controversy from howstuffworks.com.  I understand the reasoning behind both sides and I think everyone should research it and follow their own convictions.  To each his own.  I personally believe that kids in costumes trick-or-treating are just having fun and don’t equate the holiday to pagan rituals, evil spirits, etc. Halloween is fun!  Besides, just how bad can a holiday be that involves lots of candy?!? 

A bit of my history:  We weren’t allowed to trick-or-treat when I was a child.  I’m not sure if my parents made this decision based on the holiday’s non-religious evil beliefs or if it was a safety issue.  Either way, we did pass out candy at our house, perhaps to avoid a messy cleanup of eggs and soap the next day.   

When I went away to college I was initiated into the Halloween traditions of costumes and parties.  Likewise, my husband and I chose to celebrate the holiday by buying costumes and taking our children trick-or-treating.  My children have dressed up as a pumpkin, cat, angel, devil, Mary Poppins, football player, Madeline, pirate….. We’ve had tons of fun over the years carving jack-o-lanterns, baking cookies, etc.    

My favorite Halloween joke:   Why did the ghost go to the library?     To get some booooooooks! 

 Click here to carve a jack-o-lantern the no mess, virtual way.

Ghost Cookie Recipe:   Dip Nutter Butter cookies in white Almond Bark and add mini chocolate chips for eyes. 

For tons of other ideas follow this link to http://www.halloween-online.com/.  Happy Halloween!! 

Daylight Saving Time

I was prepared to set my clocks back tonight like I’ve done every last Saturday before Halloween as far back as I can remember.  Then I read this morning’s paper and learned that we’re doing this a week later than usual.  Hooray!!!

I must admit that I don’t totally understand the purpose or reasoning behind Daylight Saving Time.  I understand a bit better after reading this entry from Infoplease; I will just continue to go along with it because it isn’t optional.  I guess I appreciate that the early morning school bus riders will have some more daylight, but it sure gets dark early in the evenings.  Also, I feel bad for those that travel to Indiana and have to figure out what time it is there.  What a complicated mess!

I’m overjoyed that trick-or-treaters get an additional hour of daylight this Halloween–it always irritated me that the time changed right before, rather than right after October 31st.

Lost in the Corn Maze

For some odd reason my family enjoys going to corn mazes.  That is, everyone except me.  Since I am directionally-challenged, it is beyond my understanding why someone would pay good money to get lost in acres of corn (on purpose!).  This seems silly since I often do it for free when driving to and from my daily responsibilities.  Ok, I’ve never gotten lost in a closet but it’s almost that bad.  A GPS navigator is on the top of my Christmas list.

So we plunked down our money and were handed copies of the map.  I watched as the other 3 in my party looked at the map and developed a strategy; my map was safely stored in my pocket and it remained there for the duration.  I’ve learned the hard way that the other 3 tend to make fun of me when I make a suggestion because I often don’t know which way the river is, let alone where to go in unending corn.  So I followed my 3 around and around as they located signs and paper punched their maps, around and around we went for almost 2 hours.

I realized that it couldn’t possibly be more ironic that I, the queen of lostdom, am working in a field where other people will be relying on my help when they need something in the library and can’t locate it.  “Who Me, A Reference Librarian?”  Then I realized, “Why Not Me?”  With my experience working in a library plus all of the amazing skills I’ve learned in Grad School, I’ve learned how to decipher and find my way through library resources and translate “librarianese”.  I’ve become fairly confident in my abilities and actually get a rush when I’m working on a “needle in the haystack” question.

It’s good to know that my experiences being lost help me sympathize with patrons when they’re in search of information.  Having developed an “inner GPS” in libraries, I’m ready and eager to help.  I’ve been there; I feel your pain.

National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Happy October–National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  If 1 in 8 women will get breast cancer in her lifetime, that’s such a large number of women!  Advances have been made in finding the cure, but much work is yet to be done.

1. Please take care of your health and the health of your loved ones.  Please see your doctor and keep up-to-date on exams and screenings. Visit your library for helpful information about breast cancer, or see these web sites: 

American Cancer Society  –   National Cancer Institute  –  FORCE: Facing our Risk of Cancer Empowered  –     Susan G. Komen for the Cure. 

The Breast Cancer Site began in 2000, funding programs to provide mammograms to women in need.  Follow this link and click on “Click Here to Give-It’s FREE”  You can do this daily.  At the top of the website you can access other sites to help out Hunger, Child Health, Literacy, Rainforest, and Animal Rescue.   

2.  Wear pink to help draw attention to the cause.  Your pink might be a reminder to a busy woman to schedule a mammogram, or a helpful reassurance to those that have lost loved ones to this disease, that we’re still working for a cure.  

3.  Please consider purchasing the special pink products of M&Ms, Cheerios, shirts, caps, etc.; a portion of each sale goes toward the cause.  Additionally, many of the above websites accept online donations if you would like to contribute. Thank you!

Banned Books Week–September 29 through October 6, 2007

Several weeks ago my daughter and I had an interesting conversation.  She relayed the story of that day’s Advanced English class in which her teacher was looking for a topic to use as a composition example.  She asked the class “What is something your parents would be angry about if you did it?”  My enthusiastic daughter raised her hand and offered “Censorship”.  Evidently most of the class asked “What’s censorship?”  I believe that the teacher offered a brief definition and said that this topic was a bit more complicated than what she had in mind so they used “Going to Florida for Spring Break” instead. 

My daughter was appalled that she was the only student in her High School class that knew about censorship.  I pointed out to her that no one else’s mother is currently in Grad School pursuing an MLIS, so the topic probably doesn’t come up at their dinner tables.   Perhaps these students have only been exposed to “banned books” rather than the word “censorship”, but I’m quite troubled that these teens (and likely many more just like them) haven’t been exposed to this concept enough for it to “stick”.  If they aren’t consciously aware of censorship they can’t explore how they feel about it and join the dialog to help combat it.  If our next generation isn’t getting the message, the Freedom to Read could be in jeopardy in years to come.  All the more reason for the American Library Association to continue Banned Books Week and for concerned citizens and libraries everywhere to keep this issue front and center.  Yes, good work has and is being done to combat censorship, however there’s still much to do. 

Check out ALA’s 2006 list of most challenged books .

From one year ago, Harry Potter tops list of most challenged books of 21st Century (2000-2005) . 

I recently read and loved the 7th Harry Potter book,      Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows .  My review:  It was killing my 2 kids and my husband that it took me so long to read it.  They all finished it within 2 weeks of its release, but I had to wait until summer classes were done.  They were under strict orders to not divulge any of the plot, and I’m happy to say that they followed this.  H.P. is tops in our house!  J.K. Rowling is an amazing author and I believe that #7 was the best in the series.  She did a beautiful job in the bittersweet task of bringing this series to a close, it was very exciting.  I have an immense respect and admiration for her writing abilities, also a huge appreciation for the excitement and love of reading that many children have experienced/are experiencing because of her work. 

For an interesting op-ed by Judith Krug, Director of the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom, see Harry Potter and the Censor’s Flames .