Fatalgram

Well, that's it unless something really really amazing happens

2008-06-25T20:19:00.006-07:00

I'm breaking up with you. It's been fun. We've been going strong since 2004. You simultaneously gave me an outlet and an escape when I was in grad school and exiled to the various unpleasant parts of Florida and (briefly) in a Seattle suburb but I don't need you anymore. I've grown up, moved on, met new people. I do stuff. I don't need an internet connection to make and maintain connections and you know what, I don't really want everyone to know what I'm doing. Yeah, I want some space. And some privacy. I won't take you down but face it, it's been over for awhile and (be honest with yourself), you've seen it coming. I will continue to use my reading blog, Flickr, delicious and LibraryThing because these services are still useful to me. I've given all I can give. Take care.

Until I change my mind, check your mailboxes for updates. Because real people write real letters.

Free Things Free Me

2008-05-31T21:28:00.011-07:00

After work I explored my new neighborhood which essentially means that I just walked around, talked with neighbors, picked stuff up, looked at everything, took pictures of lots of stickers and funny signs, went to the park, swung on the playground, watched a soccer match while the planes soared by, picked wildflowers (aka weeds), visited the neighborhood cat, and came home happy and relaxed. All photos posted. Tonight I'll be drinking beer, finishing a book from the ambitious pile I'm reviewing, making the stencil for Dave's bike patch, making a TPT (tempeh, pepper, tomato) on Island Bread pumpernickel with Vegenaise, organizing some stuff (maybe), and who knows what else.

Garfield minus Garfield

2008-05-18T02:05:00.002-07:00

It finally makes sense. Oh, lonely (schizophrenic) suburban life. (Thanks to Dave.)

Did You Know Monogamy Is A Cult?

2008-05-07T21:38:00.002-07:00

Monogamist Cult comic

Pan Africa, Etc.

2008-05-04T11:11:00.028-07:00

On Friday, Rachel and I shared a vegan Ethiopian dinner at Pan Africa. We ordered two entrees to share and I had a glass of Ethiopian honey wine that was one of the smoothest, thickest, sweetest wines I've ever had. Only $6 a glass! Like mead! Anyways, our entrees were each under $8 and served with injera (spongy Ethiopian flat bread for picking up and wrapping bites of your meal in). We had the Vegetarian Combo and the Vegetable Tibs. Everything was fantastic but my favorites were the strawberry salad, bean soup, wilted greens, lentils, and cabbage. Our plates were completely cleaned.

We then went to McCormick & Schmidt's for fancy drinks and even fancier deserts (mini berry cobbler and mini creme brulee), which made me feel like I should have been wearing business casual and sipping a martini instead of my gin delicious. Everything tasted great though.

Saturday's lineup includes but is not limited to: apartment hunting, thrifting, eating @ Squid & Ink, taking Marley the psycho puppy out for a walk, buying a Heatmiser and an Elliot Smith album, and going to Jill & Ryan's Cinco de Mayo party. On the way back from Jill & Ryan's I noticed several mailboxes set up on a folding tray table. Everything smelled fresh and green because it was drizzling and misty and it was beautiful and rare.

Midnight Snack

2008-04-30T22:28:00.010-07:00

On a side note, Monday morning I awoke at 6:30 fearing for my life. I had a night terror that this unstable patron I kicked out awhile back (and banned for a time but is now allowed to return to the library), was crouched beside my bed pouring a poisonous powder in my mouth as I slept and was about to kill me. It felt very real and was perhaps not all that unlikely a scenario.

Thrifted Puzzles

2008-04-29T21:01:00.013-07:00

I scoped out the Value Village Lynnwood before the bout this weekend and came off with some goods. In addition to a 99 cent pack of construction paper I bought a pack of three heavy-duty self-contained puzzles (also 99 cents). It took only me two days to do something with them. Check it out: Before. After.

I only bought one shirt to convert because I don't need any clothes but there was a good selection of things for the ladies and prices were mostly reasonable if you can get over shopping at Value Village when it's not even a non-profit.

A couple was power-thrifting and kept adding to an entire cart full of rad stuff, things they most likely will wear in slightly off ensembles.

One item that was not reasonably priced was a gigantic framed white embossed unicorn that was centered on a turquoise mat- yours for $19.99!

The furniture and household goods section was pretty crappy. By crappy I mean sparse and picked over.

Best sections: toys, craft supplies, clothes, games, linens (lots of handmade stuff). I didn't investigate the book section because I had to take off.

Take it; it's yours.

Housing Crisis

2008-04-28T11:14:00.005-07:00

I cannot wait to move away from the herd of cattle that lives upstairs.

Reasons why I love my job

2008-04-22T23:09:00.006-07:00

Providing. Information. For free.
Video games- playing, teaching, hosting tournaments.
Providing access to technology tools (digital cameras, digital camcorders, social technologies)
Author visits.
Collection development (aka shopping for the public)
Informational programs- like skateboard demos and watching anime and trying Japanese snack foods.
Reading teen fiction & nonfiction.
Making book lists and pathfinders.
Setting up book displays (it's passive RA)
Vampire. Party

Need An Historical Map?

2008-04-22T19:38:00.004-07:00

Check out the Norman B. Leventhal Map Center's well-cataloged map collection. A valuable, well-organized resource. My friend works there and does a great job. Good job, friend.

Welcome Home, You Fucking Bitch

2008-04-21T12:24:00.006-07:00

Last night Rach took me out for birthday cupcakes and tea after picking me up at the airport. We park. We walk towards tea destination, Rachel with the hot pink box of cupcakes in hand. We hear "Hey- got any leftovers?" I deferred to Rach since I'm usually the prickly one. She ignored it. So what logically follows? "HEY YOU FUCKING BITCH- got any leftovers???!!" Sigh. It's good to be home. No, really.

Where Is My Next Vacation?

2008-04-17T21:50:00.008-07:00

I started three different zines this week but it's not looking like any are nearing an end. No time to complete the tasks at hand. These are zines that are either in progress or ideas waiting to be developed by my slacker self:

The New & Old Domesticity

DIY Hair Dye

SWFL's Cultural Desert

You are not my boyfriend (so stop trying to feel me up)

A Buffy The Vampire Slayer Research Guide

Plus various teen research pathfinders & adult reading guides.

Wouldn't it be nice to have an extended vacation for writing? People do that, don't they?

April is Natl. Poetry Month

2008-04-02T18:43:00.001-07:00

Read an essay, just to be different.

When Did This Become My Life?

2008-03-17T00:36:00.005-07:00

This is the coverless mock-up of my first commissioned zine. It's for an upcoming event at the frye that I'm working on with some rad mini-comix and zapp folks. It has been a ton of fun.

Jessica Valenti Rocks

2008-03-17T00:29:00.003-07:00

Jessica Valenti rocks.

I was actually prompted to read her book Full Frontal Feminism last night because of an annoying encounter at the pub on Monday. The book had been sitting on my to-read shelf for a bit but I just needed that extra push. Anyway, I was enjoying a nightcap, happily reading Voya when a man interrupts to provide his life’s story or whatever. Somehow, this came out of his mouth: "Women need to shop, they need to buy things to be happy." Well, this woman needed some written ammunition and she found it in Full Frontal. Thanks, Jessica!

Let's Be Gen Y Ego-Maniacal Brats Together

2008-03-10T23:55:00.003-07:00

Are we grown-up brats? To learn about the effects of the recent ascent of narcissism and entitlement among the "i-generation" check out today's Seattle Times (via Washington Post) article.

"What we really have is a culture that has increasingly emphasized feeling good about yourself and favoring the individual over the group."

Would this happen in a Scandinavian culture?

Please Give Me Your Poster When I Buy Your Album

2008-03-07T01:06:00.001-08:00

More bands must put posters and stickers and other highly coveted items in their albums. It'd be fun. These albums come with presents: The Woman That Ended The World (Hillstomp), In the Aeroplane Over the Sea (Neutral Milk Hotel), and Cassadaga (Bright Eyes). Sometimes mix cds come with presents if the person who made it for you likes you. Of course it's nice to buy at the shows and leave with extra branded band goodies (plus venue posters), but there's nothing wrong with slipping a little treat in with the album for those who buy 'em in stores. Is there?

Useful Items On Das Internets

2008-03-05T17:21:00.009-08:00

Maybe the Christmas wreath box and napkin rings are lost on me but everything on this list does promote and enable making instead of buying and that is fantastic.

I share it with you and I shall also pass it along to patrons. Free content + free library computer time/printing = progress in the way of social leveling (though small). If only the seemingly insurmountable socioeconomic and techno-literacy factors did not also factor in to impede further progress in the leveling process.

Screenprinting Tutorial

2008-03-05T11:58:00.005-08:00

Useful screenprinting tutorial. Oh sheesh, you make it look so easy peasy.

What I'm Reading Now

2008-03-04T20:10:00.007-08:00

No description but here's the humble roster:

Quilts / Denyse Schmidt

Food Not Lawns / H.C. Flores

The Revolution Will Not Be Microwaved / Sandor Ellix Katz

banana breakfast smoothie

2008-02-09T13:33:00.000-08:00

I just made the most awesome smoothie.

2 bananas (of the soft and squishy ripe variety)

about a cupful of plain nonfat yogurt, but use what you like

a few tablespoons of fruit juice not from concentrate and with no sugar added of your preference (I used Knudsen's Simply Nutritious Morning Blend because I love pineapple, orange and peach juice and it doesn't add sugar and is not from concentrate. But use whatever you've got- it's the juice not the brand that makes it good.) several generous squirts of agave nectar

Combine and blend until somewhat smooth but some banana chunks remain. Yum!

when it comes to cooking stuff that doesn't suck...

2008-02-04T22:04:00.000-08:00

... the Post Punk Kitchen is the absolute best. Nothing more to say. Damn right I'm on hold for Veganomicon @ the library!

fatalgram on content...

2008-02-04T11:34:00.000-08:00

Zines are addictive- you can't make just one! It's good because when you make one that's not about yourself you can actually become an expert on something. Academically speaking, if you're doing your research, it's the same as writing a term paper- just with way more freedom and [it's] way more interesting to read.I believe the magic is in the medium. It's all just content. If my middle school kids could do their homework assignments and participate in class in an online social forum like MySpace, as in, a jacked up version of WebCT or Blackboard, then maybe they wouldn't think school was such a drag and maybe maybe maybe they would learn stuff they're not learning now. I don't know why the institution isn't changing with the society it serves yet survives no, thrives. (from a recent email to a friend)

Do most people email their friends about crap like this?

i made a cake!

2008-02-04T00:09:00.002-08:00

Ok, it's not one you can eat, but it's cute and squishy, just like a real one. See here for details. Nearly perfect day off. I even bought a hand held electronic blender for making smoothies at G-will for $2.99. Plus a stamp that I'm going to do something with soon.

After-Dinner Musings On Library Web Design...

2008-01-31T23:17:00.001-08:00

... as told by the lid of my take home box. Interesting dinners at Indian restaurants in Ballard with technology wish-list-type conversations about Second Life, web site design and mobile technology are fun. Web design should be simple. Libraries offer many services but, as much as each department wants to, we cannot list each and every one of these services on our home page. We can make a library's website simpler and more streamlined which would thus make it easier for the user to find their way to each and every one of those services via user-friendly pathways. It's so simple! Looking forward to the day when a library's home page takes on a directness akin to that of google.

Also discussed over samosas and curry: the limiting and exclusive hierarchy and politics of professional organizations. I still feel that it's just one big popularity competition. The winner is the edgiest most innovative info-pro-star- but that star changes moment to moment in that moment that the switch takes place we lose sight of the collaborative grassroots and daily efforts that cannot (and should not) be qualified and ranked. Do we always need to reward one another with a pat on the back and a cookie? I swear, there's an award for everything these days but no prize (or resume-padding fame), is necessary when you're in it for reasons other than to win it. Is it just me?

The sick rose

2008-01-22T21:53:00.000-08:00

O Rose, thou art sick.

The invisible worm

That flies in the night

In the howling storm

Has found out thy bed

Of crimson joy,

And his dark secret love

Does thy life destroy.

Oh, Mr. Blake.

RRFM

2008-01-17T14:27:00.000-08:00

For awesomeness, see the Really Really Free Market.

Oregon is for ex-lovers

2007-12-31T13:12:00.000-08:00

I've added the how-I-made-it info to my zine's cover images on Flickr, for those interested.

Cool assignment in the FSU writing program

2007-12-27T23:13:00.000-08:00

What the hell is a zine?

Story of Stuff

2007-12-13T00:59:00.001-08:00

Interesting. Thanks, Lee. I am really bad about some things. I have no problem not buying, reusing, buying used/dumpstering but I have issues with not driving and unplugging the computer (obviously) or watching movies (not television) on my cable-less television and dvd player. Or video games. Arrgh. Being antisocial kind of keeps me out of the community at large. That said, I try. And will continue to try to make better choices. Anyways, happiness is not working more to make more money to buy more stuff. It just isn't.

See also: Not Buying It / Judith Levine.

See also: Making Stuff and Doing Things / Kyle Bravo

Talk About Metadata...

2007-12-13T00:49:00.002-08:00

An interesting book review on a book about the state of book reviewing, from Powell's Review-A-Day.

The Harveyville Project

2007-12-02T18:25:00.001-08:00

The Harveyville Project is the coolest thing in the world. I can't decide if I want to stay there for a month or start my own. It is so incredibly spectacular. I found out about it by (finally) reading my April/May 2007 issue of Ready Made. Anyways, it is a fantastic solution for artists plus the buildings are gorgeous and I love the way they've set up inside. Super-rad. The website covers a lot of ground but check out the Ready Made article if you can get your hands on the back-issue. It's worth it for the interview and glossy photos. Wow, I wish I had somebody to do this with.

Free Things

2007-11-27T19:15:00.002-08:00

This week has been a super duper free week for me. First, a nice library patron gave me her Xerox IBM typewriter after I helped her make a reservation for public computer time. This is what happened: I helped her. She thanked me and said she wasn't good with computers, that she was still stuck at typewriter technology. I said, typewriters are awesome, that's nothing to be ashamed of but that I could direct her to computer skill-building resources. She questioned my regard for typewriters, asked what I used them for and we started talking about self publishing. Anyways, she told me she had this giant Xerox-IBM monstrosity hiding away in storage that she needs to get rid of bc she's moving and asked if I wanted it. The rest is cut + paste history.

Then, today when I disposed of my trash and recyclables I found two ebony fold up tv tables, an art nouveau stained glass pull-chain table lamp and a giant walnut framed mirror by the dumpster. All mine and I didn't even need to dive into that dumpster.

Zine Rack

2007-11-18T21:17:00.002-08:00

I made a zine rack today using wood from my failed screen/headboard project. Hammered in a row of nails at a 45 degree angle across the length of the slats. Hung zines on the nails with binder clips. I'm going to make object entries to attach to the wood but that'll be another time. It's nice to have them up because I have so many buried and forgotten zines and seldom enjoy the cover art. Now I can have rotating, topical exhibits!!

Stevie Smith again and again and again

2007-11-15T18:02:00.001-08:00

Stevie Smith reference discovered tonight in Eeeee eee eeee which, btw happens to be a whimsically decent fiction. I'm enjoying it. Weird that Ms. Smith keeps popping up out of nowhere though. I guess more ppl pay attention to morose English poets than I thought.

Stevie Smith washes ashore once more!

2007-11-11T10:44:00.000-08:00

In case you were wondering where in cosmetic consumer culture Stevie Smith is turning up these days.... I found this while I was browsing the Lush site for bath bomb ideas:

Waving Not Drowning Bath Bombs

Herbal lavender for stress-free sleep A small bath bomb with a big impact on insomnia and stress. Instead of drowning in a sea of worries, soak your sorrows away. The balancing effects of lavender and fennel help you slow down, take a deep breath, and get a good night's sleep. Vegan. In Stock.

Way to completely remove a poem from its original context and significance!! I wonder who else even gets it?? If you don't get it, check out Poets.org. See also: Not Waving but Drowning. Sometimes I miss the rigorous structure of academics. I really need to step up my independent study plan.

Let's Avoid Tully's Together

2007-11-10T22:58:00.002-08:00

Do not, under any circumstances, purchase a "smoothie" from Tully's Coffee. Not even when it's the only place open with such goods available @ Broadway & Pike. You'll regret it.

Why? The alleged "smoothie" is really a frosty-icee-slushee type drink. Closer to a slurpee or slush puppy. Yes, it's true: the Tully's Strawberry Banana smoothie is a fake-out! Better off just getting a blender and making it at home.

Re-purposed Coffee Canister

2007-11-05T11:32:00.002-08:00

I needed a utensil holder and happened to have an empty coffee canister (fair trade from Trader Joe's nonetheless!), so I wrapped it with some thrifted wood grain shelf paper (yes, I happened to have some on hand), and glued some felt/cotton on it. Hooray! I lined the inside with some felt so slightly less dry, freshly washed items won't rust. This sounds pedestrian - and it is - but I am pleased with it.

library celebrity

2007-10-28T21:39:00.000-07:00

Overheard @ the grocery: "Would you believe I saw the library lady at Costco??!" I quickly dodged into the produce department to avoid becoming the second librarian-sighting in this guy's weekend. Anonymity is preferable to shopping basket exposé!

sm[art] Spoils

2007-10-24T22:21:00.002-07:00

Attended sm[art], a Bitch Magazine art show & silent auction in PDX this weekend. My swag

includes a Saddle Creek 2007

sampler cd, a KBOO promo newsletter & decal, a Do the Mint Twist sampler cd, simple notecards with thought and speech bubbles to fill in, bitch pins, local PDX artist necklace & ball chain cord; bullet, sm[art] zine/programme, bitch coloring book, Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. propaganda and some other things not appropriate to mention here. Art is expensive but I had a lovely evening enjoying pieces other people were buying.

2007-10-23T22:40:00.001-07:00

If it is out of tune then it is the wrong note.

It's on

2007-10-22T23:42:00.000-07:00

Dear Library patrons (you KNOW who you are),

Why are you so crazy? What is it? Are you always like this or do you only act like an a-hole at the library? Just come in, get some info, maybe hang out a little and then get out of there. It's not complicated. It's hard to mess that up but you always manage to. Don't be a jerk! Get over yourself! And by all means, if you've got a prescription for that imbalance, TAKE it!

Love,

Fatalgram

rent a pitchfork or an activist, whatever

2007-10-19T00:03:00.001-07:00

Read about this site in Utne called Erento where people can rent stuff like pitchforks or activists. Yes, activists. To support your fill-in-the-blank cause. Huh.

Berkeley Tool Lending Library

2007-10-17T17:59:00.001-07:00

A colleague pointed this out to me today: the Berkeley Public Library has a tool lending library. Collective, free community power tools to borrow. I wish this type of resource were available in more communities (such as my own). Maybe I can start one?? Why is this a great thing? Because not everyone needs to own a lawn mower/sander/etc. Free up the disposable income for something else.

David Levithan and Rachel Cohn are my favorites

2007-10-11T00:07:00.000-07:00

Check out the Q&A @ Powell's (how come the library doesn't have great original author content like that? Working on it. Oh yes, breaking. It. Down.). Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist is one of the best fiction, nevermind YA fiction, novels I've come across in awhile. It's deliciously engaging, foul-mouthed and seething with indie-romantic sensibility. Fabulous. Needless to say, the latest and greatest novel is on my YA shelf at home but haven't quite started it yet. There is time. I'm not doing anything at all this weekend except selfishly spending time reading and doing whatever else I feel like doing moment to moment.

failed diy

2007-10-10T23:04:00.001-07:00

The "screen" is now living under my guest bed. F-that. Thank goodness for delicious wine and baths with epson salt and homemade lavender bath bombs. Time to do that then read and sleep. I feel like such a failure! This has never happened. I've never dropped a project before. What now? Do I need to go back to tracing autumn leaves with crayons?

ok wow.

2007-10-04T20:40:00.000-07:00

Tonight I went to PCC for a wine tasting that my neighbor invited me to (he hosts it). There were eight different wines, a decent selection of reds and whites, and all organically grown (many local). The one I ended up taking home with me was a white from Oregon- Cooper Mountain Pinot Gris. Not too shabby at $17.50 a bottle. Oh, and may I say how much I enjoyed the organic cheeese, grape and cracker spread? YUM. Plus, I got my grocery shopping done. Well, I forgot to pick up the Fantastic Foods vegan taco mix, but what-ev. WA pears were on sale and I picked up a loaf of ciabatta and some honey oat deal that looks pretty intense. Said neighbor has offered to help me fix up my bike (he does this sort of thing) so I've gladly accepted. He said it'd be ok for me to stroll by when he gets home from work tonight but I've got some things to do (stuff to paint, food to eat, books to read and write about- the usual), so we'll see. I appreciate the help though. God knows I'm mechanically disinclined so if it were up to me, my bike would prob remain unsafe for riding eternally. OH, and of course there were some interesting people at the tasting. An extremely diverse blend, as diverse perhaps as the wine selection itself. Conservative to progressive stoner hippie. Hmm. It was fun to be caught in the middle.

everything comes down to one larger desire.

2007-09-20T11:43:00.000-07:00

What I really want to do is simplify. That's all.

What I'm Reading Now

2007-09-13T02:12:00.001-07:00

I just finished reading Ned Vizzini's glorious novel, It's Kind of a Funny Story, in which a fifteen year old checks himself into a psychiatric hospital when the depression becomes unmanageable and begins to make him consider suicide. This Mr. Vizzini person writes in a pretttty authentic teen voice. It made me as happy as reading The Bell Jar (the first time).

Work truly wiped me out today. I mean, it eradicated my soul.

illness is a mental thing

2007-09-06T12:04:00.000-07:00

I've psyched myself out of being sick. I simply don't have time for that. Besides, if you think about it, everyone is terminally ill with that sickness called mortality anyways so I'd rather be up and out than nursing some petty wounds. That said, I'm out. Places to go, people to meet.

contract

2007-09-03T14:02:00.000-07:00

Do not judge me and I won't judge you.

Do not judge me so I won't judge you.

Don't judge me.

I won't judge you.

It's Safe, Don't Worrry

2007-09-03T01:34:00.002-07:00

Nostrils are pretty much non-threatening.

wood-smoke scented skin, sticky s'more coated fingers, earth-dampened jeans

2007-09-01T23:48:00.000-07:00

It was a perfect night. A perfect house party in Ballard. Hours spent sitting in the grass with a 60 degree chill chatting around a wood-fire. The S'mores were amazzzingly messy and all over my face but perfectly toasted as I (for once in my s'more-making career), managed to avoid torching the marshmallows. This means that instead of shoving my marshmallow directly into the base of the flame, I let it hover above the heat source. This is maybe a camp fire girl-tale kind of metaphor of my life, but the steady, measured patience has been my approach of choice lately. Can I say, I know exactly what I want and I've got my eyes on the prize? No more botching things by jumpin in too quickly... or jumping to conclusions.

who says this is a suicide capital?

2007-08-18T14:21:00.001-07:00

It's a great day to be breathing and heart-beating.

It's 4:47 am- Do You Know Where Your Bed Is?

2007-08-16T04:40:00.001-07:00

1) Renton is confusing and maps are helpful. 2) Porch talks with raspberry wine-like beer are keen. 3) There is an unidentified wild beast in my backyard.

Truth

2007-08-14T01:57:00.001-07:00

Everything is better with goggles. Get some.

in PDX for the weekend

2007-08-10T19:42:00.000-07:00

Zine sympos-IUM!!!!! (and staying @ the coolest hotel ever. WORD).

What's The Adage?

2007-08-02T00:51:00.002-07:00

After tonight's felt mobile project, I should say "It's like finding a needle in a plush carpet, when you're drunk."

This is how libraries compete with the consumer market

2007-07-31T19:14:00.001-07:00

Worldcat.org is now free so anyone can search for any item in virtually any library worldwide but the really cool part is that you can add the union catalog's search engine to your browser's engine drop-down menu list and find stuff in about all of three seconds. Neat. Finally (I say finally since this is new to me), a search engine that's just as easy and convenient and free as Amazon but of a higher metadata quality (better descriptive info about each item, and sometimes more of it), and sans advertising. This is what it is good for:

1) getting full information about a book/journal/etc that you already know the title/author/isbn of. You get subjects, audience range, publishing history, editions and related works. Not to mention repository locations worldwide. 2) scoring pre-made citations. Forget citing your works one by one. It's as easy as copy and paste.... 3) (in the future) viewing plenty of reviews/table of contents. It's still being built! 4) Sharing/saving item records by way of each item record's persistant link.

This is what Amazon is good for: 1) buying stuff (if you need it fast & cheap and can't find it in local/indie shops. It happens.) 2) finding items when the title is unknown to you, or you suspect the title you know to be incorrect. aka searching by keyword. 3) cover shots 4) table of contents peeks (yes, there are other options and not everything is scanned. When in doubt, try google books. They want to scan it all or something super but vaguely ambitious like that). 5) listing and numerically ordering items in a series. This works well for Nancy Drew, where there is a single prominent series, rather than Nora Roberts' bagillion series & trilogies (And I hate them all). Stuff like the N.R. shenanigans are better off sorted on the author's own website where she lists her many literary defeats aka novels.

But this entry isn't about Amazon, it's about Worldcat. My only grumble is that I'd like a non-google toolbar download for OSX but little victories are all the rage, aren't they? I already had to dl Firefox for When to Work anyways. So when I say grumble I guess I mean something more like a grumble...

Do it: http://worldcat.org/toolbars/default.jsp

Reference Question of the Day

2007-07-23T23:15:00.001-07:00

"Do you know where Fantastic Mr. Fox is?"

And I did.

Victory

2007-07-16T23:31:00.001-07:00

I can wear jeans @ my new job!!! My former library system encouraged panty hose. In Florida.

Summerfest, a field trip

2007-07-15T13:44:00.001-07:00

Yesteday I gave West Seattle Summerfest a try. I'm not sure if it took me longer getting there than actually checking it out but it was an interesting field-trip nonetheless.

I decided to take the bus into the city. My first thought was to go to the park and ride so I located it on the transit webpage, got directions and left. That didn't work. If I explain specifically why, it may give away my super-secret specific location and I don't want that. Anyways, I go back to my place, input a different start location in the trip planner and leave, but this time without my car. It was a nice walk to the bus stop, past the bus stop, circling the perimeter of the bus stop, then back to the bus stop once I finally spotted it.... After this, I seriously doubt my ability to learn new things but at this point in my not-that-recently-relocated life, I may have exhausted my lost-in-the-new-city allowance. This is classic Fatalgram though- trying to go somewhere but experiencing great difficulty getting there due of some type of transportation problem. If it's not traffic or parking it's directions, but moving on..

While I waited for the bus to pick me up a sturdy-looking elderly Asian woman wearing huge old people/emo kid aviators joins me. She's wearing white athletic sneakers with white crew socks and short pajama-like printed capri pants. She ducks into one of the support bays of the bus stop shelter. Out of the corner of my eye I see a little sneakered foot pop up into the air. Then down. Then again. I'm watching her do a series of energetic kicks into the back of the bus shelter. Nothing violent, just light little cream-puff kicks. She's getting more into it and doesn't notice me looking for a couple of minutes, but when she does she looks right at me without stopping and looks away. No flicker of apology or sheepish explanation, just kick, kick, kick.

Moving through the lower body warmup she begins to flail her arms up and out, cranking the elbows out. When she started jumping up and down tapping the leaves on the tree branches above us I was way beyond amused.

By the time the amusement of her little routine had worn off I was approached by an ex-military middle-aged dude who started asking about my tattoo. He wanted to see the whole thing (I lift my three-quarter sleeve for no man), then proudly lifted his already hiked up t-shirt sleeve to show me his 1" diameter arm tattoo. It was a small pair of hearts with someone's name in them.

Sometimes people I meet seem more like characters than anything else. They simply cannot be real. You know you'll never see them again but there they are, holding your attention and imagination captive for five minutes, ten minutes. They demand their time on stage.

The bus ride itself was normal enough. I snuck in some writing and zine-reading time on the bus. As I walk off at my stop the bus driver asked if I was over 17. He thought I was paying too much- that I was only supposed to pay the teen fare. Some places don't card me for alcohol but the the bus driver doesn't even think I'm an adult. This is discouraging.

The festival itself seemed completely and disappointingly suburban at first, but maybe that's because I entered on the side of the bounce house. I walked around and gave it a chance and it was nice. There were some interesting (interesting work and interesting to talk to) local artists. I purchased a pair of unique earrings for my Nana's birthday from a woman based in Seattle and a fused glass pendant for myself from a guy from PDX. There was also a bread shop. I left with a loaf of Oregon herb bread and pumpkin butter. A little heavy in the bag but so worth it.

The way back was fairly uneventful. I of course got lost again (not so much lost maybe as unable to locate the bus stop), though to my horror, several people asked me for directions along the way. At the end of the line an emo teenager asked for directions and used my phone to call some friends who were supposed to have him in their music video in an abandoned building one town over. He had one of those black t-shirts (of course) with the rib cage on it and on the whole, a real ensemble. I felt bad for him because I of course have no idea where anything is, nevermind other towns, and his friends didn't pick up... He did know how to get home from there so I suggested the gas station and left it at that. He said he didn't have anyone else to call but was going to try to get there anyway. Wonder if he ever made it?

Walking home I picked a handful of tart, early wild blackberries on the side of the road.

No Need To Travel Far For Humiliation

2007-07-12T21:18:00.001-07:00

The dramedy of me and action sports: I attempted to rollerskate about an hour ago. After riding in circles all over my laminate floors I thought I had it but clearly did not. Not at all. The actual rollerskate experience lasted as long as it took for me to FLY down the gigantic hill of my driveway, jump/hurl myself like a crazed wild pony over the curb into the grass, take skates off, and walk back up the hill and go inside. It's even better because while I was still sitting in a confused heap at the end of the driveway unlacing the foul contraptions three emo teenagers on bikes rode by and stared at me. Well, that's it. No way I can host any kind of extreme sport program @ the 'brare anytime soon...

day o'fun

2007-07-11T23:09:00.000-07:00

Today was spent with friends in Ballard. It was excellent in spite of the insane heat and lack of ac. I spent 11 lovely hours hanging out doing the following: food and coffee at a woman owned & operated Moroccan cafe, scouring multiple goodwill/thrift shops (I went with two people who like to spend as much time there as I do!!), dog park (I was invited to go on the daily community dog walk at the park... it was beautiful. The park is a trail loop in the woods that runs on a steep incline alongside the Sound. Fantastic views of trees, water, mountains.... and very much fun with multiple dog families), a drive by the Ballard community library (more amazing live than in the professional lit), dinner at a great Indian place, me doing a double look-back at some guy (who did it too- twice- at the exact same times! Probably wondering what is up with the girl staring at him), and a drive by a beach on the sound at sunset (a bunch of people had bonfires going and it was lovely in spite of being super crowded). Oh, and Saturday is a show night. Hooray for that. Time to relax.

Best Goodwill ever

2007-07-10T23:23:00.000-07:00

Seattle Goodwill seriously rocks. It is WAYYY better (less picked over??) than the one in Bellevue. I made out well (aka bought a lot of stuff but mainly necessary things). This is what I found: a fantastic thick (polyfil not feather fill) duvet for when it gets cold (and hopefully it will get very very cold very very soon), a red Ikea fitted sheet, child-size hangers for all of my modest turtlenecks, one of those special pants hangers. The splurge: a $5 pair of rollerskates (I also bought a helmet & wrist guards bc I'm a spaz and know I will fall. Safety first, kids!). Oh, and I bought a little present for a friend. All for under $25!!! After the Will I accidently drove right into the intl district and popped into Kinokuniya & Uwajimaya for some treats. Browsing the bookstore was fun but I left emptyhanded. I almost bought this Japanese bike girls magazine. It was really cool and had all kind of bikes (as in, motorcycles) & scooters and accessories. It was for Japanese women so it was filled with pictures of women standing next to or sitting on their bikes, not sprawled across the handlebars or spread eagled on the exhaust pipe or something equally absurd. It was $10 though and I figured that by the time I get a bike I'll want a more current magazine. Well, really what I thought was, crap, I won't have a paycheck until August.... so that was that. But it was fun to look. Anyways, I stocked up on packs of coconut cream powder (for curry & thai iced teas- YUM), cans of green tea with labels I can't read, the freshest crispiest bok choy bunch and ginger root. Made curry as soon as I got home. I make it spicier each time and the past two nights I've broken into sweats eating it. So good though! Gonna go put the skates on now that it's no longer 90 degrees outside.

success

2007-07-08T14:39:00.000-07:00

Last night was absolutely fantastic. I tried to go to a show but after driving around for awhile (and following directions!), I couldn't find the venue so I just parked, walked around and explored Queen Anne again. In this case, my exploring was more like shopping because I found a great record store and a super used book store and couldn't resist the exciting things I found. Hey, at least I was supporting local business, right? My LibraryThing library has already been updated accordingly. Anyways, after all this walking I was ready for pizza so I found a spot and miraculously discovered two things: really excellent special pizza (topped with walla walla onions and gorgonzola. I am told that these are special Washington onions and that this pizza is only available for a limited time every year. Super delish.), and really excellent friendly people. To finish off the night I drove around a little to see if there was anything interesting going on. There apparently was because I couldn't find anywhere to park in Pioneer Square for under $10. Soooo, more driving around and then I just went home where I proceeded to read half of 40 Hour Man (one of my purchases!) and sip red wine before falling asleep. Even though I didn't get to do what I'd planned, and it kind of seems lame now that I'm writing about it, but I had a great night. C'mon- record store, used books, pizza, walking around Seattle? That's so enough for me. This life feels like a vacation. Oh wait, it is.

un-chaperoned women, un-welcome

2007-06-23T18:17:00.002-07:00

Day One of The Trip That Never Ends: After being stuck in the 110 degree hell that is summertime Atlanta traffic for hours, my mom and I arrived in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Here we were energetically welcomed by a pack of cat-calling southern gentlemen in the Wal-Mart parking lot. Thank you, Tennessee for reminding me of what it means to be unaccompanied by a man in public: I must be an available commodity! NIGHTmare, after-dinner scare. Day Two will hopefully find us in Omaha, or so. I'm already into more YA fiction. We're listening to Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie (Jordan Sonnenblick), on cdbook. One of my awesome friends and former colleagues snagged it for me at BEA. While it's not a light take on a serious subject(adolescent male's five year old brother is diagnosed with a serious illness), the interjected humor is poignant and refreshingly well-placed.I love finding new books of interest to teen boys but this one definitely has appeal for girls too.

Sing A Song To Keep Warm Along The Way

2007-06-22T20:27:00.002-07:00

oh, i'm going for a ride

and i'm never coming back

gonna sail the seven seas

just my M-L-S and me.

Love My Friends But Love To Leave Them Too

2007-06-17T15:22:00.001-07:00

It's fun to pack up & leave, tossing relics of an earlier life out with the trash. Fun, and possibly vital. No ruins remain. Try it, you'll love it. Driving cross country to Washington soon.

Love Bugs

2007-05-28T07:40:00.001-07:00

Lovebugs are non-native species that make two months of the year in the big FL completely unbearable. Supposedly September is the worst but I don't think swarming flies all over my house & roads are any more bearable in the summer than the fall. Anyways, they've been weaseling their way into my house for the past week through my sliding glass doors. I already loathe this type of door because they provide zero privacy and prevent me from placing furniture against an entire wall of my 400 square foot living space. What to do, what to do.

These are terrible pests.

Options

2007-05-23T18:54:00.001-07:00

Creative freedom vs. social freedom vs. personal freedom?

Priorities

2007-05-21T20:45:00.001-07:00

When faced with a choice, does one opt for the dream job or the dream location? Does one become the other? Am I capable of discerning the difference? Maybe the real question is whether or not I am capable of backing up a year's worth of trash-talk.

Zine Things

2007-05-01T19:50:00.002-07:00

These articles have geared me up for the aforementioned project-in-progress: "Your Zine Tool: A DIY Collection," by Jenna Freedman (founder of the Barnard College zine library & awesome person that my friend Emily knows). This is a super helpful article written by someone who knows! Appeared in Library Journal, Jun 15, 2006, 131, 11. p 36. Maybe the first article that inspired me to pursue this interest is "The New Monastic Librarians," written by Chris Dodge & appearing in Utne July-Aug. 2005 (p. 78). Super individuals covered include: Julie Herrada, Julie Bartel, Brooke Young, Jenna Freedman and James Danky. "A Miniguide" (to starting a zine collection), by Miriam DesHarnais lays down the challenges and considerations involved in starting from scratch. This super realistic and useful article appeared in Library Journal June 15, 2006, 131, 11, p. 39. My eye (which has had a steady twitch for the past month), is really starting to embarrass me at work. I feel like such a spazz. Adieu!

there is a zine for every one, and for every one a zine

2007-04-20T18:08:00.001-07:00

This would be such an awesome job. I want to start a zine collection at my library wicked badly. I've done the research for years. I know how I would do it- the only things holding me back are funding and permission. Maybe only permission because if I had the ok I'd donate the collection. It would take so little to make a huge gain in the collection. Spending $100 less on multiple copies of James Patterson's latest piece of misogyny would provide us with more than enough funds for a killer zine collection. Even $50 would buy a TON of awesome zines to satisfy an increasingly diverse and unique community. My argument for zines at my library? We have a well-educated, self-taught, ignorant, yuppie, restless, aging, unsettled, inquisitive, depressed, bored, naive, indian, atheist, ignorant, riot grrrl, wise, hippy, hipster, prepster, materialistic, cracker, punk-rock, indie, thug, hindu, teeny-bopper, text-messaging mall rat, european, skater, black, retiree, white, misogynist, professional, buddhist, republican, feminist, canadian, pro-life, blue collar, spiritual, unemployed, male, female, transgender, asian, gay, pro-choice, straight, latino, bisexual, gender-queer, democratic, christian, patron base. Our community is comprised of all of these stereotypes, all of these identities, and infinite others. Each identity represents a potential zine reader. There is a zine for every one, and for every one a zine. The debate of whether or not to buy zines for a library is tired and old-fashioned. Let's now debate instead which titles to buy and whether or not they shall circulate. As published information/entertainment, collection guidelines still apply to zines. As a format, zines are not an uncontrollable unclassifiable infiltrator. Like books, DVDs, playaways and magazines, zines can be selected and deselected by the standard umbrella policy. They can be liberated to circulation or imprisoned for in-house use only. These decisions are not problems and should not be viewed as obstacles or burdens preventing the addition of these materials to our collection. This is how we can make an entirely new (new to us- zines have been around since at least the sci-fi fanbooks of the 1920s), format work for our infrastructure and most importantly, our patrons.

Dodging Dodgeball

2007-04-14T13:19:00.002-07:00

I am too old/antisocial/lazy/spontaneous/suspicious/non-committal/private for this: http://www.dodgeball.com/ How important is it to publicize social playtime with your extended network of third, fourth and fifth degree "friends?" I don't want to pick on Dodgeball - it is a completely valid and useful networking tool and the worthwhile creative project of someone who must have a lot more friends than I do. Social networking has long ago surpassed novelty and become an incredibly complex and complete machine but the face-to-face manifestation of this network is more of a well-dusted collection than a circle of friends. This after reading Theodora Sites' essay in 20 Something Essays by 20 Something Writers (yes, I am still reading this, an entire month later). In "Rock my network," Sites hits an entire generation in the head with the opening passage: "Why, you wonder, should I be obsessed with making fifth-hand connections with virtual people? Because I'm voyeuristic, and you are, too. We love personal information; Internet communities are a popularity contest, and it is no longer chic to be mysterious." Blogging isn't exactly opting out but I'm not sure where I fit into this whole thing- some outlier off in the non-hipster, out-dated cell-phone distance.

What I'm Reading Now

2007-04-13T17:59:00.001-07:00

Your Personal Penguin / Sandra Boynton (author of "moo baa la la la") is the book of the day. A penguin tries to hard-sell itself to an unsuspecting hippo in order to escape a life of boredom on ice. There is an accompanyingsong (sung by Davy Jones of Monkees fame), that you can download for free. Excerpt: "I like you a lot. You're funny, and kind. So let me explain what I have in mind. I want to be your Personal Penguin. I want to walk right by your side... Look at these wings so perfect to hold you. I'd like to say again what I have already told you. Let me be your Personal Penguin. Imagine me, your Personal Penguin." Coming in at a close second is Scaredy Squirrel Makes a Friend / Mélanie Watt (the sequel to Scaredy Squirrel). Basically the story covers two classic psychological breakthrough moments in the life of an obsessive compulsive squirrel with a well developed anxiety disorder.

Puppets: More Challenging Than They May Seem

2007-04-05T17:32:00.002-07:00

Today I was on puppet duty for toddler & pre-K storytime (two puppet shows, back to back!). My involvement was sort of last minute and I'm already pretty spacey from the medication taken for a nasty allergy problem so I'm sure the kids were wondering what kind of hack was behind the bullfrog/alligator/bird. Even so, it was much fun. Apparently, while I was operating (?) the wide mouthed bullfrog the first time, a toddler stood up, deliberately strolled up to the puppet theatre, touched the frog's foot and just held on for a while.

Hopefully I will be able to improve my puppet maneuvering skills with practice and some time to build my flair. Like Kristy's cataloging prof. said (about cataloging), it's more of an art than a science.

What I'm Reading Now

2007-04-01T08:41:00.001-07:00

The Boy Who Didn’t Want to Be Sad / Rob Goldblatt “There once was a boy who didn’t want to be sad. So he made a decision and he made a plan. He would get rid of everthing that made him sad.” As the story progresses, the boy gets rid of his videos, toys, family, friends, and pets. Sitting alone in his dark bedroom (he disposed of the lightbulb too, before it could burn out), he realizes that the things that made him sad were also the things that made him happy. After the stock breakthrough moment, he is able to live "... happily ever after. And sadly. And laughing hysterically a whole lot. And feeling guilty a few times. Downright miserable now and again. Embarrassed. Intensely shy sometimes. Constantly curious. Full of wonder always. And totally loving life. Ever, ever after.” This book is so goth it's dead.

What I'm Reading Now

2007-03-26T18:23:00.002-07:00

My favorite essays from Mr. Wrong (Harriet Brown, ed.): "A Good Struggle Relationship" Jane Smiley "My First Husband's Girlfriend and Me" Caroline Leavitt "I'm Still Waiting" Susan Jane Gilman "The Key" Michelle Huneven "Professor Wrong" Marge Piercy "Almost Homeless" Christiane Bird "Swoon" Ann Hood "Ardor and Its Discontents" Alicia Erian "The Composite Boyfriend" Audrey Niffenegger Mind-candy: I met him at the Isabella Gardner Museum in Boston, where he worked as a guard. I met him in a class I was taking. I met him at a school where we both taught. I met him at a party; we smiled at each other across a crowded room. We were introduced to each other by our mutual friend Paula, an Austrian immigrant who had escaped from the Nazis as a young girl.... The obsessive-compulsive disorder he hid so brilliantly; he lived like a deranged squirrel, all his possessions wrapped in plastic and stored in Tupperware containers stacked up to the ceiling. He was recently divorced, but insisted he was over it. He mentioned his ex a lot. He lived across the country, and stopped calling. Three months later he called at 2 A.M., drunk, asking if he could borrow money. He placed a personals ad while we were still dating; a friend showed it to me; I called the number and left a message. We never spoke again. We were getting into bed one night when he said, "I think we should see other people." He was already dating someone else. He found me sexually boring and stopped touching me. I found him unattractive and refused to sleep with him. It ended. ---from “The Composite Boyfriend," Audrey Niffenegger (who is awesome) This book is awesome. Read it.

New this week

2007-03-24T12:43:00.002-07:00

I will be volunteering at the Visual Arts Center (hanging exhibits, receiving exhibits, flea market + website stuff, data entry, special events, etc.) and am now doing exactly what I want to be doing.

As for my real job- starting on Monday I'll be managing the Youth Services department while the position is being filled. Never thought I'd be doing that.

Don't call me for computer help, I'll call you

2007-03-22T16:20:00.001-07:00

From now on, the library will be closed from 5 - 9 pm for gin and tonic Thursdays. FOR REAL what a day.

Simmering down with The Devil and Daniel Johnston plus a salad with a baguette and my homemade mustard viniagrette. This is all that's happening with the rest of my night. Part of today's annoyance (to myself, a colleague & a random non-profit-affiliated busy body): "We have over here three NASA scientists trying to set up the PowerPoint presentation." The person who said this would/could not provide any constructive input. Only criticism. This was most unhelpful. There were too many computer issues to list (one being that they were trying to play a DVD on a computer that does not read DVDs), but the whole situation would have been much more pleasant for all involved if people chose to be nice rather than nasty and if people would let library staff know ahead of time when they needed a projector to be connected to their personal computer.

The deus ex machina of online shopping in my mailbox

2007-03-20T16:58:00.001-07:00

Exquisite Corpse

don't need you: a herstory of riot grrrl

Anti 9 to 5 Guide

the new Bright Eyes CD

All of these exciting things geared me up for making my own veggie burgers tonight. I used the vegan/kosher/healthy healthy/yum Fantastic Whole Foods earth burger mix as the base then added black pepper, fresh cilantro, fresh garlic & some other spicy goodies. Served it on a toasted bun with some homemade pico de gallo (which I now know how to pronounce thanks to someone who has corrected and improved and motivated me in infinite other ways). It was awesome. I've been on a real Fantastic Whole Foods kick lately. Last week I made vegan tacos with their faux meat mix as my base. I also make their falafel mix quite often because it is easy to transport to and from work/on a walk/on a bike, etc. I'm really hoping that this won't be one of those companies (like POM), that I fall in love with before finding out about some unscrupulous animal testing practices or something of the sort. Yikes.

My Top 6 Thrifting tips

2007-03-19T09:24:00.001-07:00

After consulting several of the very best thrifting manuals I have decided that my five years of experience entitles me to my own list of thrifting tips. Here you go:

your ability to scan your environment

Know what you're looking for

Divide and conquer.

Know your prices

Know your discounts

Don't be a jerk

Just one more thing, if it's broken/stained/torn/missing pieces/smells funny it's not a deal unless you know how to fix it, can use a non-damaged part for something else, or are completely happy with that blood stained oxford just as it is. In that case, good job. Really though, I once bought a pair of gorgeous mid-century motel-worthy curtains that I was sure I could get the smoky smell out of. Two days later, the stinky stench still made me take a step back when I walked into the bathroom where they rested, soaking in the tub. I tried everything then cut my losses and moved on. Sometimes you just have to say no.

What I'm Reading Now

2007-03-18T18:32:00.001-07:00

Brief Interviews with Hideous Men / David Wallace (fiction)

No Ticket? No Problem: How to sneak into sporting events & concerts / Scott Kerman -- Super interesting. (nonfiction)

Secrets of the Ninja / Ashida Kim (nonfiction)

Invisible Monsters / Chuck Palahniuk (fiction)

Like Being Killed / Ellen Miller (fiction)

Thrift Score / Al Hoff (nonfiction)

Twentysomething Essays By Twentysomething Writers / Matt Kellogg, Jillian Quint (Eds.) (nonfiction)

Magazines: APR/MAY 07 Bust, Feb 07 Ready Made, Bitch #35.

What I'm Reading Now

2007-03-07T19:58:00.001-08:00

The Anti 9-to-5 guide / Michelle Goodman It's pretty awesome. Solid advice for women who don't want to be stuck in jobs that oppose self-actualization. In other words, how to make a living by doing something that you're passionate about. It's not just for people who hate their jobs, offering solid resources for those seeking a little direction in their current path. Was She Pretty? / Leanne Shapton B+W line drawings + text but read the reviews on Amazon bc I haven't gotten far enough to summarize it myself. It's just what's on my nightstand. I haven't started it yet, but this weekend I'll get into Twentysomething Essays by Twentysomething authors, a compilation edited by Matt Kellogg + Jillian Quint. It looks good and I'm dying for some more youthful strife to relate to. I've had this on my "Books to read or know about" list since it came out last summer. It's about time!

Anxiety Disorders In Adults

2007-03-04T17:21:00.001-08:00

This book has fun quizzes in the back. I can't review the general content because I haven't read it yet but I will say that it is worth your while for the quizzes alone. They are that much fun. Do you know your degrees of discomfort or response probabilities in a Gambrill-Richey Assertion Inventory? Do you know your score on a Maudsley Obessional-Compulsive Inventory? What about your Mobility Inventory? Score on the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale? I do. All of these things and more. It would make a swell party game. That and my Autism/Asberger's Syndrome quiz. Imagine, all of it was donated to the library! Endless fun is all mine for under $5.

What I'm Reading Now

2007-03-04T09:07:00.001-08:00

After reading Access All Areas / Ninjalicious and copying the bibliography, I found Invisible Frontier: Exploring the tunnels, ruins and rooftops of Hidden New York / L.B. Deyo & David Leibowitz. Unlike Access All Areas, Invisible Frontier reads as less a guidebook than a personal narrative. I love nonfiction that reads like fiction. My favoritie bit is the trip through the Freedom Tunnel in search of graffiti and mole people remnants. Graffiti Women / Ganz gave me some general background knowledge to work with but since it is limited to female artists I will be researching the artists cited in IF to get more info and be less ignorant of these things. Anyways...

Still listening to my downloadable audiobook (from my library) - Survivor / Chuck Palahniuk. I like it because I like every other Palahniuk novel. Because it is exactly the same.

This morning I started an interlibrary loan that arrived Friday. I'm only on the first story but For Here or To Go: Life in the Service Industry / Leah Ryan is already excellent. It's a collection of stories from service workers all put into context nicely by Ryan's thoughtful intro.

Please Remember Not To Do Any Of These Things

2007-02-24T09:58:00.002-08:00

Do not storm into a library half an hour before you have reserved a meeting room demanding not only to get into the room but also to have staff make five copies of your 20-30 page document "in the back" because the public copier is self-serve, doesn't take more than five dollar bills and doesn't have a document feeder. We are not Kinko's but I'm pretty sure those people wouldn't appreciate your demands either. It would be lovely if a copy service would collaborate with the public library and set up a separate business center at the library (for them, not us, to staff). It would be a great convenience to our patrons. In the meantime, my job title is not "Your Personal Assistant" and the library offers its self-serve copier as a courtesy. Take care of your large jobs ahead of time. At a copy shop. And ask nicely because no one has to do anything for you.

What I'm Reading Now

2007-02-22T20:00:00.001-08:00

I am plastic

Survivor

Running With Scissors

Science of Sleep

Just say no!

2007-02-22T18:54:00.001-08:00

Boyfriends are for suckers.

Another true story about being a librarian

2007-02-13T19:11:00.001-08:00

When approached at the foosball championship (@ the shack), I foolishly divulged that I was a librarian by trade. This is the dialogue that followed between myself, Gary and Larry (I am not even making their names up): Gary: "You're a librarian? You don't look like a librarian in those clothes." (I was wearing cropped jeans and a racerback tank top... I wouldn't wear it to work but wouldn't say it was un-librarianlike.) Larry: "You'd be great at librarian porn." Gary: "Yah, you've got the nice body for it." Me: "I'd rather shoot myself in the face." Larry: "No, really, you should think about it." Me: "Actually, I'd really rather shoot myself in the face." Finally taking the hint, Gary and Larry took off to offend someone less damaged.

Saccharine sweet, rotting the teeth out of my head goodness

2007-02-12T15:38:00.001-08:00

A hand written note in sharpie on the glass side of a bus stop shelter on Burnside: Chaz, wherever you are, I would come home. Unless, maybe it was just planted there. Maybe there is no Joy. No Chaz.

Maybe this is just public art that I don't get?

Silly business at the information desk

2007-02-11T17:03:00.001-08:00

After circling the reference collection until my coworkers had briefly left me alone at the information desk a menacingly shifty repeat offender patron asked me the following questions:

1) "Are you still in high school? College? How old are you?"

This information seems to interest many a patron. The answers are always withheld but especially in this case. None of your business! Who even cares? Sheesh.

2) "Is Valentine's Day a religious holiday or a national holiday? Do you celebrate Valentine's Day? Have you ever celebrated Valentine's Day? Do you eat candy hearts and get Valentines?" Hmmm.

I asked if he had specific questions about the holiday itself and then moved on to the next person in line when he began to walk away. But it wasn't over yet! Upon his departure anyone within a large radius was informed that the St. Valentine's Day massacre is why "you union people have what you have." Well, my library system certainly is not unionized. Stay tuned for more news of exciting times in the public library.

Let's learn

2007-01-15T13:21:00.001-08:00

Let's learn. Let's leave nothing out. Let it take you over. Waiting to arrive at a new location but never achieving a sense of settlement, finality, attainment. It's always temporal. This very same status, which to me had become a bane, would seem to be better than the bane of those bound to mortgages, car payments, spouses, children (and their corresponding

insatiable desires and expenses), etc. Why is it then that I want to exchange that which I have for that which I surely would only wish to be free from should I attain it? I should be finished with this dissatisfaction for freedom and should appreciate and enjoy it without desiring to change it. There is no necessary progression. Everything will always be up in the air for me. Interesting quote that makes sense in light of this whole life thing: "... is it because we have learned the answer to everything and that answer is that there is never a secret passageway, a hidden treasure, or a note written in code to save us from our darkest moments? Why are we struggling so hard against believing there is a world we don't know? Is it more frightening to accept our lives as they are than it is to entertain a fantasy of hope?" -from Boy Detective Fails, Joe Meno

The semiotics of Christmas

2006-12-12T17:35:00.001-08:00

The month of December is not only a time for spending, eating, and hustling, but also a time for semiotics. It's simple: The sign will be a Christmas gift. The signifier is the image or tangible representation of a wrapped box tied with a ribbon. What then, is the signified? First, the concept that the wrapped box tied with ribbon is meant to be exchanged from one entity to another. From that, that the item is in transit, in the midst of an exchange of ownership. Additionally, the gift itself is implied to be within the wrapped, bow-tied box, that the wrapped, bow-tied box itself is not the gift but that it exists to conceal and present the item contained within. Implications of the gift, or the signification: generosity, comraderie, affection, hospitality, consumerism, capitalism, Christmas, Christianity, holiday, December 25, obligation, shopping, exchange, money, overspending, tradition, luxury, measurable affection, gratitude, waste Postscript: Which is better, employment or rice? Which is easier, traveling or eating? Which is wiser, loving or knowing? Which is better, opting out or opting for less?

On Portland

2006-12-10T13:45:00.001-08:00

Piddling around Portland, Oregon was just what I needed to prove two things. They follow. One: people are the same everywhere but a decent landscape and physical environment can make the cultural universals more bearable. Two: there is no fantasy future, there is only the withholding of a potential improved present in fear or anxiety of making a perceived irreversible change. Other than that, the trip/trap was marvelous. Lots of things to see and do and nothing but time and energy to oblige these touristy pleasures since the vacation was a vacation from location and work alike. In spite of some overbearing character flaws, we were able to work together and refrain from breaking up or abandoning one another for any serious length of time during the 6 day trip. An incomplete and somewhat vague summary of trip highlights: (For more detailed information see trip journals vol. 1 and 2. Oh wait, but you won't.) Hotel - The v. hipster cool Jupiter Hotel's best feature for me was the design of the structure itself rather than amenities or services (not much). Each room's door was coated inside and out with chalkboard paint and the rooms were equipped with chalk cups. This led to some very photogenic doors... and insight into the personalities of those enclosed within. Food - Everywhere we went the french fries were great. Really, great. Portland offers a lot of great, locally-owned, indie darlings. Most places had a vegetarian option on the menu and many had more than one. Surprisingly, many of the bars, 21st Avenue bar for example, had excellent, fresh food. Unique, gourmet salads seemed to be their specialty, and for a bar-food price. Landscape - Leaving the grungy decay of the city for the tourist-ridden Rose Test Garden and Japanese Garden proved that there are some generally accepted beautiful spots in the suburban fringes and in the nearby state park. Mountains, trees, grass, sky, flowers, freshness. It was nice to see something other than swampland or golf course. Cleanliness - Portland isn't a dump like Boston. Moving on... Closing time - One of the annoyances that came up a lot is that many places close super early and not just individual businesses, but entire streets just shut down. Granted, there are several stand-alone late-night places, and of course bars are open, but Portland seems to go to bed as early as my own sleepy Old-Florida town. However, I will say that those places that do remain open require their patrons to find other means of getting home than the public transportation system. Late-night outings require trips to be no further than one can walk, bike, skateboard, etc. home or necessitate the use of a personal automobile, carpool, or taxicab. The spacing of the city suggests that a resident would benefit greatly from the possession of a personal automobile but I could be wrong. I don't live there, after all. Information - Independent bookstores, grassroots volunteer-driven radio station KBOO (which we graciously accepted a spontaneous tour of), community education centers and events, and a healthy zine community make for diverse opportunities of information exchange and community growth. Library - This was a disappointment in that I failed to do my research and expected (based on information on the system's webpage), an existing rather than forthcoming (reality), zine collection. Also noticed somewhat apathetic staff playing solitaire at the information desk. Still would like to work there someday in the not so distant future and be a part of the zine library. Tattoo - My flesh inked by PussyCat Tattoo.

My own question

2006-06-04T02:46:00.000-07:00

Where does morality begin and direct reciprocity end? This after reading an article about the behavioral differences between humans and chimps.

Really, now.

2006-06-03T02:45:00.000-07:00

What is the opposite of a lion?

Human Price List

2006-05-23T23:00:00.000-07:00

Head $550 - $900
Head w/o brain $500 - $900
Brain $500 - $600
Shoulder $375 - $650 (each)
Misc. organs $280 - $500 (each)
Whole cadaver $4,000 - $5,000*

The list continues beyond where I have stopped... *These prices are valid only for fresh/frozen parts that are used for research and education. Provides a bit of incentive for unethical practices at the morgue, no? This book is horrifyingly interesting: Body Brokers: inside America's underground trade in human remains / Annie Cheney (2006)

disappointed, surgery

2005-11-02T00:22:00.000-08:00

My heart does not bleed. It does not die because it does not live.