And one more thing I learned:
Nothing causes a blank mind as efficiently as a blank computer screen.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Lessons learned
Here are some fun lessons I learned this week:
1. It really does pay to read ALL the words.
Have you ever read something, and thought you knew what you read, only to find out later that you missed a very important piece of information? Yeah. That's happened a couple of times recently.
2. Just put things back where they go.
My apartment complex has laundry cards that you put money on, and then use for the washers and dryers. A couple of weeks ago, I put some money on mine and did a load of laundry. Then, I went to do laundry, and my card was nowhere to be found. So, I paid $20 for a new one.Then I thought I lost my phone charger. Yeah, just didn't put it back where I usually keep it. And I thought I lost my debit card. I found it--not where it belonged. I really don't need the added stress. I should just put things away.
3. Bolivia is trying to get their ocean back.
So, I knew that Bolivia, a landlocked country, has a standing navy because once upon a time they had ocean access. What I didn't know is that they have spent the last 100+ years trying to regain access to the ocean (which they lost in a war with Chile). Now they are trying to get the international powers that be to intervene. Bolivian children, apparently, are raised thinking they have a patriotic duty to fight to get their ocean back. I just don't think I could get that passionate about it. But, kudos to their dedication.
4. Copyright kicks in as soon as you put something on paper.
Therefore, this post is copyrighted. No, seriously. I learned that you don't actually have to apply for a copyright to have copyright on stuff you produce. But it sure does help if you anticipate any legal battles.
5. Cooking is a lot more fun when you have people to share it with.
All week, I have been thinking of things I need to make, and every time I come up with an idea, I think about how long it will last me. When you are only feeding one person, you only have to cook once a week, which means there's a lot of stuff you don't get to try, because there just aren't enough opportunities. Cooking really is a social endeavor.
6. I have some really great music in my music collection.
I have been listening to all of the music in my itunes library, because I have so much I don't know what I have. I have re-discovered a lot of great songs and really want to watch the Lord of the Rings Trilogy again. Ah, the power of music.
Til next time.
1. It really does pay to read ALL the words.
Have you ever read something, and thought you knew what you read, only to find out later that you missed a very important piece of information? Yeah. That's happened a couple of times recently.
2. Just put things back where they go.
My apartment complex has laundry cards that you put money on, and then use for the washers and dryers. A couple of weeks ago, I put some money on mine and did a load of laundry. Then, I went to do laundry, and my card was nowhere to be found. So, I paid $20 for a new one.Then I thought I lost my phone charger. Yeah, just didn't put it back where I usually keep it. And I thought I lost my debit card. I found it--not where it belonged. I really don't need the added stress. I should just put things away.
3. Bolivia is trying to get their ocean back.
So, I knew that Bolivia, a landlocked country, has a standing navy because once upon a time they had ocean access. What I didn't know is that they have spent the last 100+ years trying to regain access to the ocean (which they lost in a war with Chile). Now they are trying to get the international powers that be to intervene. Bolivian children, apparently, are raised thinking they have a patriotic duty to fight to get their ocean back. I just don't think I could get that passionate about it. But, kudos to their dedication.
4. Copyright kicks in as soon as you put something on paper.
Therefore, this post is copyrighted. No, seriously. I learned that you don't actually have to apply for a copyright to have copyright on stuff you produce. But it sure does help if you anticipate any legal battles.
5. Cooking is a lot more fun when you have people to share it with.
All week, I have been thinking of things I need to make, and every time I come up with an idea, I think about how long it will last me. When you are only feeding one person, you only have to cook once a week, which means there's a lot of stuff you don't get to try, because there just aren't enough opportunities. Cooking really is a social endeavor.
6. I have some really great music in my music collection.
I have been listening to all of the music in my itunes library, because I have so much I don't know what I have. I have re-discovered a lot of great songs and really want to watch the Lord of the Rings Trilogy again. Ah, the power of music.
Til next time.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
The Good Old Days
So, I got an email this week that was a flashback from my elementary school days, and I just had to share it. Does anyone else remember these? Oh, yes, those were the days.
I just celebrated my birthday, and while I am not old, I feel more and more like I can say, "When I was a kid ..." Such as:
When I was a kid, we had these things called textbooks.
When I was a kid, we had a phone that was connected to the wall.
When I was a kid, we pegged our jeans.
When I was a kid, we had a record player.
When I was a kid, you had to develop film before you could see the picture.
When I was a kid, stamps cost 27 cents.
When I was a kid, we had computer time once a week and played games like Math Man and Oregon Trail.
When I was a kid, we watched Little House on the Prairie, The Muppet Show, and Tom and Jerry after school.
When I was a kid, we started school at 8:30 and finished at 2:30.
When I was a kid, we learned how to write a report in the fifth grade.
When I was a kid, there was no internet.
When I was a kid, if you wanted to read a book, you had to actually have a book.
When I was a kid, gas was less than a dollar a gallon.
When I was a kid, I had a Rainbow Brite doll.
When I was a kid, there were only 3 Star Wars movies.
When I was a kid, we ate homemade bread.
When I was a kid, Michael Jordan still played basketball.
When I was a kid, the Olympics were held every four years.
When I was a kid, maps still showed the USSR.
When I was a kid, we used paper and pencil to do our assignments.
When I was a kid, we still used chalkboards--they didn't even have white boards then.
When I was a kid, I walked five miles to school uphill both ways in the snow, barefoot.
Okay, fine, you got me. I had on a pair of socks.
I just celebrated my birthday, and while I am not old, I feel more and more like I can say, "When I was a kid ..." Such as:
When I was a kid, we had these things called textbooks.
When I was a kid, we had a phone that was connected to the wall.
When I was a kid, we pegged our jeans.
When I was a kid, we had a record player.
When I was a kid, you had to develop film before you could see the picture.
When I was a kid, stamps cost 27 cents.
When I was a kid, we had computer time once a week and played games like Math Man and Oregon Trail.
When I was a kid, we watched Little House on the Prairie, The Muppet Show, and Tom and Jerry after school.
When I was a kid, we started school at 8:30 and finished at 2:30.
When I was a kid, we learned how to write a report in the fifth grade.
When I was a kid, there was no internet.
When I was a kid, if you wanted to read a book, you had to actually have a book.
When I was a kid, gas was less than a dollar a gallon.
When I was a kid, I had a Rainbow Brite doll.
When I was a kid, there were only 3 Star Wars movies.
When I was a kid, we ate homemade bread.
When I was a kid, Michael Jordan still played basketball.
When I was a kid, the Olympics were held every four years.
When I was a kid, maps still showed the USSR.
When I was a kid, we used paper and pencil to do our assignments.
When I was a kid, we still used chalkboards--they didn't even have white boards then.
When I was a kid, I walked five miles to school uphill both ways in the snow, barefoot.
Okay, fine, you got me. I had on a pair of socks.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Next question
So, I have been participating in Alternate Spring Break (what is that, you ask? Well, instead of heading off to play and be lazy, I am volunteering at a library in the area, helping with outreach and whatever else they need), and I have been meeting lots of new people in my field, and the question that keeps arising is, "So, how did you get into this field?" And I have discovered that I am really sick of telling that story.
Don't get me wrong--it's not that I don't like my field, or that I am not glad for the events that got me here. I think it's more the unprofessional approach of it all. I'm surrounded by people who seem much more driven for me, and my story really seems haphazard in comparison. For example, I never worked in a library or archive before, which always begs the question, how did I know it was what I wanted to do? And, how did I pick my university? I read about it on the internet, and was really excited. The first time I set foot on campus was about a week before classes started. I only applied to one school. And don't ask why I am attending an Information School, because I really didn't pay any attention to that until I got here and started hearing all about it.
All of which is quite amusing, but not quite the way you want to present yourself to potential employers and future colleagues, if you know what I'm saying.
Besides, my studies don't really define who I am. It's one aspect of me, but I'm such a novice at what I'm learning about, and I have so many other interests (what do you expect after years of living?!), and maybe that's why I get bored rehashing the story over and over. I would rather talk about my family, Penny the goofy dog, my award winning story (or my non-award-winning-to-date stories), the places I've traveled, things I've read that I'm thinking about, what I'm learning in my classes (I do like to talk about this, but I find that it doesn't inspire the same interest in others that it does in me. Which is okay), and what I believe in.
The truth is, as crazy as my being here seems, it never seemed all that crazy to me. I knew it was the right thing to do because I prayed about it. Not everyone would understand that, sadly. But since this is my blog, I decided to set the story straight, and there you have it, all you readers--at least, reader, and those I hope will read someday.
So, moving on to the next question...if you could do an interview with anyone who ever lived, or is still living, or, just for fun, who may ever live, who would it be, and what questions would you ask?
Don't get me wrong--it's not that I don't like my field, or that I am not glad for the events that got me here. I think it's more the unprofessional approach of it all. I'm surrounded by people who seem much more driven for me, and my story really seems haphazard in comparison. For example, I never worked in a library or archive before, which always begs the question, how did I know it was what I wanted to do? And, how did I pick my university? I read about it on the internet, and was really excited. The first time I set foot on campus was about a week before classes started. I only applied to one school. And don't ask why I am attending an Information School, because I really didn't pay any attention to that until I got here and started hearing all about it.
All of which is quite amusing, but not quite the way you want to present yourself to potential employers and future colleagues, if you know what I'm saying.
Besides, my studies don't really define who I am. It's one aspect of me, but I'm such a novice at what I'm learning about, and I have so many other interests (what do you expect after years of living?!), and maybe that's why I get bored rehashing the story over and over. I would rather talk about my family, Penny the goofy dog, my award winning story (or my non-award-winning-to-date stories), the places I've traveled, things I've read that I'm thinking about, what I'm learning in my classes (I do like to talk about this, but I find that it doesn't inspire the same interest in others that it does in me. Which is okay), and what I believe in.
The truth is, as crazy as my being here seems, it never seemed all that crazy to me. I knew it was the right thing to do because I prayed about it. Not everyone would understand that, sadly. But since this is my blog, I decided to set the story straight, and there you have it, all you readers--at least, reader, and those I hope will read someday.
So, moving on to the next question...if you could do an interview with anyone who ever lived, or is still living, or, just for fun, who may ever live, who would it be, and what questions would you ask?
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