Photo-itis

Graduation was a difficult ordeal. The drive down to Tallahassee was not overly long or unbearable but the ceremony kind of was. It consisted of over two hours of speeches and names spouted out like bullets. I was in such a daze that I didn't really hear my name announced, I just followed the instructions of the man motioning me to walk across the stage and shake hands. More importantly, my graduation pictures are awful! It was raining and my hair was poofy and everyone looked so drab with the cloudy sky. I'm not photogenic as it is but the whole thing was just unfair. I think the professional ones were the worst! Even my mother agreed. I've already mentioned the hair issue but I don't even know what was going on with my face. I can't describe it and I'm going to spare anyone else from seeing the horror of those pictures. When I return the cap and gown to my friend she and I are going to take some mock-graduation photos. They will look better and my mother will be happy. I just want the piece of paper to hang on my wall. It should arrive in about a month. I got an 'A' in my final class which felt better than actually graduating. I'm proud of myself. So...it's officially all over---Huzzah!!!!!!

I'm about 99.9% done with my Christmas shopping! I only have one person left to buy for and I'll do that tomorrow. My love of the whole 'stocking-stuffer' only gifts for the fam has increased this year. I'll be taking tons of pictures of my family and friends this year because I have a nifty camera. I'll get some photo paper and hopefully be able to frame them to decorate my barren apartment walls. I'll also post some for the viewing pleasure of the hundreds of people that visit my blog each day!! (that was clearly a joke)

The End Of An Era

Well, folks, it's all over. I just submitted my last assignment. I'm feeling a little odd at the moment. I was expecting an overload of emotions--extreme happiness or sadness. Instead I'm just feeling drained and a little disappointed (once again, my paper was well below my personal expectations, I can't imagine how irritated my professor will be!). I'll be furiously checking my FSU account every hour for the next week waiting for my grade. I hope my emotion overload doesn't suddenly hit me at graduation and cause me to bust out laughing during a speech or cry so much that I'll have graduation pictures with mascara running down my face.

Stubbornness

Well, I'm sitting at my desk getting ready to listen to my last lecture before my last class. I've got on sweats, a fleece hat, socks and shoes and a blanket. I have yet to turn on my heat this year. I'm going to try and hold out until next year. I'm not warm now nor am I ever warm in the morning. My nose is pretty cold right now as are my hands.

I've finished all my reading and have retained little. I got an A minus and A on my last two papers. Our final exam will be posted in about 2 hours. I'm nervous but feeling better after the two As. I'd love to make an A in my last class but I don't want to put too much pressure on myself. I'm feeling a little nauseous at the moment--a common occurrence during the end of the semester for me.

It's off to Warner Robins tomorrow and then to Macon on Friday for the conference. I'll stay a few days in Warner Robins to get some last minute shopping in and quality time with the fam. Maybe me and the boys (my dad, grandpa and brother) can go hit some golf balls; Maybe I'll go super crazy and try to go bowling! I can't wait to see National Treasure: Book of Secrets and I'd like to see Enchanted also.

I finished listening to the Maximum Ride trilogy by James Patterson--it's his shot at young adult lit. It was pretty good but towards the end it kind of seemed like some global warming agenda pushing was going on. I think there might be a fourth book because all the issues weren't really resolved. I would recommend reading it rather than listening to it--the reader was kind of lame. I'm listening to the second installment of Abarat, Abarat: Days of Magic, Nights of War by Clive Barker. I'm eager to learn about Candy's true history and possible powers. Most of all, I get to watch the final season of Gilmore Girls!!!! The entire series arrived about two weeks ago and I have stayed away from it--I have the willpower of an anaconda!

Also to come in the near future....violin lessons!!!!!!!!!


My lovely violin beneath my lovely Christmas tree in my lovely apartment.

The Final Countdown

By this time next week I'll have turned in my very last assignment for my MLS. I'm so excited I could wet my pants! My motivation has ebbed slightly but I'm sure the adrenaline will kick in in time for the due date. It's our second exam, one in which the professor posts several essay questions. We select 2 or 3 to discuss and then turn it in within 24 hours. He's giving us 72 hours this time but I'm going to a teen conference the next day (yep, me, at a teen conference, with real professionals!) so I need to get on the ball. I only have one book to finish, Apostles of Culture by Dee Garrison, and one final lecture to take notes on. The first exam was extremely hard work so hopefully I'm better prepared for this one.

I'm already lusting after several books in our fiction section--items I will be able to read in a little over a week without guilt! First up will be Bloodsucking Fiends by Christopher Moore. It's supposed to be a humorous vampire romance (could life get any better?). The next book is You Suck which we have on audio. It's time to get out my books-to-read-after-graduation list. I also hope I can do some traveling and generally be part of the normal human race again.

Gift-giving panic is on like Donkey Kong. My family is again doing 'stocking-stuffer' only gifts. It was a huge hit last year because most of us are short on money and gift wrapping skills. Frances will be in town again so I'm super excited about that. My sister will also be in town so fellow Target shoppers beware!

Visiting

Last weekend was full of visits with old friends. Frances drove down from Ohio with my nieces. I drove to Warner Robins after work that Thursday, back to work on Friday night, back to Warner Robins Saturday after work, and then back to Atlanta Monday morning to get to work. It was well worth all the driving. I had lunch with some friends from my old university library job that Friday and stopped by my previous job (before the university job--keep up people!) to visit for a while there too. I also got to visit with my old high school friend Kelly. All in all, it was a wonderful weekend. The girls (my nieces) are getting so big! Lilian is gorgeous with her flowing white hair and angelic face and Rosie has such a sweet, beautiful face and the funniest walk I've ever seen. I think I'll get to see them again at Christmas.

I'll be going home for Thanksgiving. I plan on driving down Thanksgiving Day and will stay probably until Saturday. I need to get some serious reading done for school. There are only two more chat sessions left and then I never have to 'collaborate' ever again for school. Completing my last two assignments may not be such a struggle this time around--I wish they were due now! Then I would be done and I could dance around like a fool and celebrate the end of an era.

Work is very busy these days. We will close early on Wednesday and all day Thursday and Friday for the holiday. Luckily, this is not my weekend to work so I will have four whole days off and I'm determined to appreciate every one of them. My first TAB meeting date is getting closer and I still have not received the go-ahead to advertise. I am officially freaked-out about this! All my flyers are ready for display--I just need the OK from home office.

I pulled out my violin last week to play a little. I checked out a DVD at work on playing the violin for beginners. I hate to admit it but I've kind of already forgotten what I learned during my two sessions in September. I can still play the same portion of 'twinkle, twinkle little star' as before and my scales but that is only from memory. It needs to be tuned--which I don't know how to do--and I'm probably playing it all wrong. However, I'm thrilled to get back to my lessons next month or January at the latest (it depends of lesson availability). Anyway, I'm off to review The Dismissal of Miss Ruth Brown for school--some portions might be on our last exam.

Shame On Me

Another long period between posts (I'm beating myself up as I type). It isn't that I've been sooo busy that I can't post, nor is it that I have nothing interesting to post (or maybe that is it). However, these past few weeks I feel like I'm a ball of nerves. Three of my five assignments for my last semester have been turned in. Grades have been received for two (an A- and a B+, not my best work so I'm pleased with the grades) and the class is patiently waiting for the third. Our TA is grading this last assignment which has me biting my nails. For some reason TAs feel like they have to prove their worth and therefore grade rather harshly. Oh, well...no sense worrying myself sick. Graduation is approaching and I'm having mixed emotions. At times I'm so excited I'll just start laughing and at other times I get chocked-up. I can't wait to walk across that stage with hundreds of strangers (I've never met any of the people that I'll be graduating with) and knowing my family will be watching.

Now for a little update about work. I still love my job and the people I work with. My first Teen Advisory Board meeting has been scheduled for December 3rd. We're having a comic book artist stop by for a drawing workshop. I really hope it is a success. I'll advertise like crazy and stop by the middle and high school down the street to advertise as well. I've received a couple applications to join TAB which is very encouraging. I'm also learning the collection more and more each day and how to use the microfilm machines (we had several machines at my old job but I never really had to help customers use them) and our nifty new copier.

The Halloween birthday party was an absolute blast! The food was excellent and it was great seeing everyone celebrating.

It was fun dressing up but since the party was October 13th I felt as though Halloween had come and gone before the actual big day. At first we were allowed to dress-up at work as a book character (I was going to be Hermione again) but then that was canceled. Perhaps if we had been allowed to dress-up it would have felt like Halloween. I couldn't participate in any activities that evening because I had class and a paper due (blah!).

I shall post again soon (I promise!)

The Best Time of the Year

Fall is here and I am so excited! This is my favorite time of the year. The weather is cooler, the leaves change and the holidays are approaching. I'm going to a halloween birthday party next weekend.

I'm going as Uma Thurman's character Mia Wallace in Pulp Fiction. I bought a black wig (which is unnaturally poofy by the way) and I think I have the rest of the 'costume' in my closet. The biggest problem is that I've never seen all of Pulp Fiction. I've seen segments here and there. I decided to get it through Netflix but the copy they sent was cracked. They're sending me a new one today. I understand it is a rather disturbing movie but a bit of a cult flick as well.

My violin lessons have been put on hold until December. I thought I would have loads of free time because I'm only taking one class this semester rather than two. Well, it turns out that taking a class, starting a new job, moving to a new city, and learning a new instrument was more work than I estimated. I'll keep practicing but I'll be ready to really tackle this goal once I graduate.

I've been given a new title at work. I'm the new Teen Representative for my branch. This means that I organize monthly activities for my teen advisory board. The only problem is I have no memebers at the moment. Our branch has been in a lull with this aspect of public service. I'm trying to get the word out and get a TAB together. This week I'll visit the local high school and two middle schools to promote our teen writing contest. I'm very excited about this new responsibility.

My first assignment for class was due last week. I got it done with plenty of time for the editing process. We have not received our grades yet but that may be a good thing at this point (not my best work). I feel more focused now that assignment due dates are approaching. I'm listening to a lecture right now about Melvil Dewey--this whole class is so interesting.

The Novice

I finally bit the bullet and purchased a violin. My first lesson was last night. It felt so strang to be playing an instrument. In middle school I played the trombone, I played for three years and I have not played an instrument since. That was 14 years ago. My homework is to learn to relax when holding and playing my violin. Easier said than done. I feel as if my violin is superior to me, kind of haughty yet magical.

My American Library History class is moving right along. I've been listening/viewing lectures that were filmed about two years ago. It's kind of interesting to watch my professor. American Library History is my final course in the MLS program and it's the only time I have ever seen one of my professors. Strange.

Work is still going well. We are so busy, I think I only sat down for a total of 30 minutes today. I've had this new job for a little over two weeks now and today I got not one but two reference questions. I don't know how I did but I think the customers were able to leave with something useful. The day flew by again which was a good thing because I knew Gilmore Girls would be waiting for me in my mailbox via the wonderful Netflix. I finally saw The Bourne Supremacy (yes through Netflix) which I enjoyed very much. I also saw Alpha Dog--awful, disturbing movie. It made me remember how much I dislike edgy, violent, drug-themed movies. I've been listening to Clive Barker's Abarat. I read it about five years ago and loved it. I wanted to listen to the sequal Abarat: End of Days but it had been five years since I read Abarat so I figured a refresher might be in order. As I listen I'm remebering more. I also checked out The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella on audio book today. There is a dilema when shelving at work--I find at least five items I want to read or listen to (daily!!!).

I'll be heading home right after work on Friday to be with the fam. My uncle from New York will be in town and my birthday is Sunday. The big 27. I don't feel 27 though, most days I feel younger and dumber than your average person of 27. I do however think this is going to be a good year for me.

Crazy Changes

It's been a while since I've posted anything. There is a legitimate reason for that. I got a new job in the Lawrenceville area. I had a little less than two weeks to find a place to live, move in, be ready for work on 8/27 and for class on 8/28. I traveled to Hotlanta about 3 times within a week and then went to work in the evening at my old job. The move went well and I really like my apartment. Today has been an absolutely wonderful day because I finally got my brand new computer, I ordered a washer and dryer, and my bed was delivered. Also, an old friend from my undergrad contacted me and I am just so shocked and excited to hear from her again.


Spring Cleaning by Nishan Akgulian

Since the move, I've been busy unpacking, cleaning and getting lost on Sugarloaf Parkway (it has become the bane of my existance). I'm exhausted but also thrilled about all these changes in my life. I'm enjoying the job thus far and everyone that I work with is very intelligent and professional. I had a change in my class schedule because I learned of some unflattering information about the instructor of my first course choice. I hope The History of American Libraries will be interesting and enlightening.

I'm A Travelin' (Wo)Man

The past several days have been extremely hectic. I was able to finish my design class projects a little ahead of schedule thus leaving extra time to work on my international lit paper. The editing process did take the longest as I predicted. I was able to write the paper in time to leave for my trip to Myrtle Beach to spend time with my folks. It was very hot but I enjoyed walking on the beach looking for rocks and shells, almost beating my dad at miniature golf, and reading non-school related literature (Lean Mean Thirteen to be exact). I was home for two days and then we got some sad news and the family was on the road again to Virginia. I returned Friday. I estimate that from 8/1 to 8/10 I spent 33 hours in the car, not including the commute to and from work on 8/6 and 8/7.

Any free time I've had at home has been on the computer checking for my grades (I received A's in both classes), and trying to fit in leisure activities during this short time off before my last semester begins. I went to see Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix a second time with a friend. I must say it was even better the second time. Things are moving rather quickly at work now preparing for the new school year and looking for replacements for the circulation supervisor. We were able to hire someone for our part-time circulation position and I'll be able to help with the training process.

BookPage August 2007

Feedback

Over the past couple of days I've posted my web site URL on my course discussion board and sent it to friends and family to review. I've received compliments and suggestions. Some of the suggestions include grammatical corrections and editing the page layout. I've added each comment to an editing list that I've written for each page. Most of the changes come from my own observation but it is great when someone notices an error that I overlooked. I realize that sometimes it is easy to get lost in the formatting and design of the page and let the attention to the content take a back seat. I really appreciate the suggestions and the encouragement. Composing the text of a web page is best done in Word and then copied and pasted into the layout. This allows fewer grammatical errors to be made.

The New Yorker day-by-day calendar 5/8/07

My theme paper has been off to a slow start. The beginning of any paper is always the hardest part for me and the editing takes the longest. I have potentially a dozen or so sources to use if needed. Three of my eight theme books are due tomorrow and I'd hate to tarnish my no fine status! I have asked for no interruptions in the house and hopefully any noise will be minimal, I don't want to have to use my librarian face! I look forward to turning in my final draft because that means I will have about three weeks ahead of me to read non-school related literature and I'll have time to get organized for my last course in this program.

The Writing Can Begin

I finished The Garbage King this afternoon. It was a good book with a really positive ending. It wasn't the best of the eight I read for my theme paper; I think Crow-Girl gets that prize. I'd still recommend both books for young adults and adult readers of ya lit. Tomorrow I shall begin writing my theme paper. Tonight will be spent reading over the theme paper instructions (once again) and organizing all my sources--I might even be super ambitious and compose an outline just for kicks!



My Entertainment Weekly came in the mail today with "36 pages of pottermania!" If you have not finished Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows do not read this EW edition yet. It is full of spoilers. On the plus side it is full of fun facts about the seven books and their impact on the rest of the entertainment world. I can't wait for the amusement park to open up at Universal Studios in Florida!


Harry Potter theme park; EW issue #946 August 3, 2007

We Have Lift Off!

My web site is up and running as of this afternoon! What a labor intensive, yet unbelievably exciting and beneficial, process. The decision to purchase a domain name and a host provider was a good move. I used godaddy.com as my host provider as well. Hopefully I'll be able to use the site as another tool to show potential employers my abilities. My main intention is to keep the site as a tool for myself. I found several helpful and unique sites for young adult reading interests and library programs. There are a few things that I need to tweak still but I will get those taken care of before my web site due date of 7/31.

Things are still moving along for the shift at work. We have shifted over 400 shelves this week, including our awkward and heavy art books. In addition to the shift, recruitment has begun for circulation. We are filling our part-time library assistant II position. We are interviewing a couple candidates next week. I will say that the interviewing process for my current job was one of the most grueling. The length of time (2 hours) and number of people I met during the interview (felt like 20) seemed overwhelming at the time. We are trying to fine-tune our interview questions in hopes of receiving more detailed responses.

I intend to have The Garbage King finished by this weekend and to get a jump start on my theme paper due 8/3. I've received positive feedback about my topic, the struggles of orphans, from my professor. I've read eight novels (which will include The Garbage King) all of which take place and are written by authors outside the U.S.--hence the course title: International literature for children and young adults. Updates on this blog will also be accomplished this weekend.

Ideas Afloat

I showed my blog to my supervisor and she is very excited about creating a blog for circulation. We have several student assistants and their work schedule is even crazier than ours. Email is the only way that we communicate changes with all of them no matter what shift we or they work. However, we have found that they do not really check their school email very often. The idea is that a 'friendly' blog would be more casual and interesting to them. We could post procedure changes or notify them of the next staff party in a creative format. I think we should also have a ticker counting down to Christmas break, spring break, summer break, or any other event that evokes delight. My supervisor and I will probably get started on this project once we get the OK from our reference librarian supervisor.

I've been listening to Prey by Michael Crichton on my commute to work for about a week now. The reader is excellent and the story is rather interesting, although the techie stuff is way over my head. Anyway, I recommend listening to it.

Amerian Libraries June/July 2001

1, 2, 3.....Cheese!!

The shifting continues as does the influx of more new books to shelve. Our IT reference librarian has been busy working on re-vamping our library web site. He and I discussed some of the programs to use for web design. He is very comfortable with coding by hand in notepad and working from there. The new pages are such a huge improvement. They are very user-friendly and pleasing to the eye.

My hours after work have been spent taking pictures to post on this blog and my web pages. Picture taking has always been a hobby of mine but I'm not overly fond of having my own picture taken. Ah, the sufferings I endure in the name of education! I also registered my domain name today at godaddy.com. I've been designing the pages since early last week and it looks like everything will be added and ready for publishing tomorrow (fingers-crossed).

A Shifty Day

We've started a mini-shift at the library where I work. This is the first shift that I've participated in. The library recently received some money, all of which has to be spent on the purchase of new books only. We've been spending like crazy because of the whole 'if you don't use it, you lose it' theory. Therefore, our shelf space has become a little congested. It's not such a bad process as long as you only work in groups of two. I've also discovered that it's a great way to see books in our collection that I wouldn't ordinarily look at. A review process has also ensued--we're not calling it weeding but we are reviewing to see if certain copies would be useful at any of our three center libraries. Another benefit of the shift is the day just flew by!

After work I did some more editing and designing for my web site. This evening I think I'll try Google Pages or Geocities with Yahoo to register for web space. I could register through FSU for space but I'd like to use the site after I graduate as a personal tool and possibly for potential employers to visit.

I'm still working on The Garbage King. Dani, one of the two main characters, comes from a very rich family but I think he is getting ready to run away. Mamo, the other main character, is poor and a stranger claims to be his uncle and then sells him to work for a cruel farmer. The boys have not met each other yet, I'm only on chapter 5. I think I've been reading a little slow because this is the last book I need to read for my theme paper. I'm wrongfully assuming that I have plenty of time. I hope to start my paper next Monday and be ready to submit it that Wednesday (2 days early!). This way I can leave ahead of schedule to visit my folks while they vacation in Myrtle Beach.

Secrets Revealed (but not by me)

I finished Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows today at 2:30am. I did not intend to be up so late but two things kept me reading: the need to know what would happen in the next chapter, then the next, then the next, and so on; and also the fear that someone would let something slip about the book. I shall not make any comments about the book except that it was worth standing in line for two hours until the midnight release.

I've also made some improvements to my web pages, submitted my theme paper bibliography assignment, and started the last book for my theme paper The Garbage King. The Garbage King takes place in Ethiopia and tells the story of two boys, one is an orphan and the other a runaway, who join a gang.

The majority of this week will be spent working on this blog, my web page, and finishing The Garbage King.

Must Read Faster!

It's been a busy couple of days. I'm making good progress on my web pages. The Teach Yourself Visually Dreamweaver MX book I checked out two weeks ago has been put to good use. I'd recommend any of the Teach Yourself Visually books. I've already used one for digital photos and it was also helpful.

I also finished another book, A Bushel of Light, for my theme paper in international literature for children and young adults. It's the story of twin girls, orphans, separated when they were eight years old. They become farmhands and housemaids and are increasingly distracted by the memory of each other. Maggie, the main character, thinks of ways to escape and find her twin Thomasina. The novel falls within my theme of orphans but it also has the unique element of twin connections.

BookPage: America's Book Review February 2007

Anyway, most of today has been spent working on my web pages using Dreamweaver CS3 in between reading chapters of the last Harry Potter book. My goal is to reach at least page 500 before I go to sleep. This will leave me 259 pages left to read on Sunday. I think I can pull it off.

The Beginning

Greetings!! This is my first post so I'll give some introductory information. I work as a circulation assistant at a university library in middle Georgia. I'm close to completing my M.L.S. and I'm working hard to learn everything I can about working in a library. I'm the financial coordinator and reserves assistant for circulation and I offer to help reference whenever I can. It's been a slow summer as far as patrons are concerned but summers are usually full of projects and meetings (this is what I've been told, it's only my second summer working here). A mini-shift is in the works, as is an overhaul of our procedures manual.

I hope this blog will be an interesting way for potential employers to get to know my interests and efforts in school and at work. Friends and family are welcome to observe as well ;-)

Calvin & Hobbes by Bill Watterson