Hello all. It’s another of those entertaining brain dump posts. This time I have a mascot for the event. I was walking through the library recently, and when I reached the Children’s section (well, specifically the Parenting Collection in the Children’s Section) what did I see? The resident huge bear sitting in a chair reading a book. I couldn’t resist.

* Speaking of things I can’t resist, you should really stop by and check out my friend Emma’s blogs – Treehouse Jukebox and Phoenixville 365, her celebration of her new town in pictures.

* Have you been keeping up with my travels over at my Where’s Calliope blog? I’m slowly but surely posting my Reno adventures over there. I suppose I would be faster if I hadn’t taken 405 photos while I was gone.

* Have you seen Iron Man 2? Wanna see the folks from Think Geek recreate a scene (and showcase their new product)? Check it out here.

* If you like a spot of Library humour, and have ever done any book weeding, you will love Awful Library Books. (Check out this Computer Book!)

* Do you like Doctor Who? How about Trock (a.k.a. Time Lord Rock)? if you said yes to both, check out the music video for Chameleon Circuit’s song Type 40.

* Hey! Who’s the Cutest?

Since I have to update and restart my computer soon, I thought that I’d share my current tabs with you lot.

Here we go:

Have I mentioned how much xkcd rules? It is a webcomic of extreme coolness. (As you can see…)

* I want to try this Coconut Curry Chicken Recipe. It sounds really good. And on the subject of food, I’m looking for some good casserole/hot dish recipes. If you have some good ones, please let me know.

* If you have an iphone or ipod Touch and are a Stargate fan, you might like to get this DHD app.

I still want this SurvivalStraps Survival bracelet from Think Geek. I wonder how many more times I’ll go look at it before I buy it.

Have I mentioned my obsession with learning Latin? Well, I’ve finally found a podcast that I want to try. Perhaps I’ll finally get into the swing of things. (And yes. I have taken Latin before.)

This gave me such a giggle – Top Shelf Announces ‘League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: 1988′. (Yes. This was an April Fool’s Joke. Too bad, though.)

Clever marketing ploy – A t-shirt that says “Health Reform is a BFD.”

And finally…

The reason I want an ipad (though I *am* waiting for the second generation) – The Star Trek ipadd

* The Tron Legacy Trailer can be found here. If you loved Tron…check it out.

* The rather rude, but also hilarious Ten Words You Need to Stop Misspelling can be found here.

* Jobs of Yesteryear: Obsolete Occupations from npr.org is a very interesting look at how things used to be.

* I mostly looked True West Magazine up for my friend Debbie, but you all might enjoy checking it out, too. They even offer a directory of Western Businesses. And yes…That includes stuff from the “Old West.”

* And, of course, I already told you lot about my friend Laurie’s jewelry shop Acanthusleaf Designs.

* Did you hear about the All-Black Penguin?

…and that’s it. For now, anyway.

Hello again all.

I’ve had my new job for two weeks at this point, and I must say I am loving it. I’m not so big on having to deal with a learning curve situation, as I much prefer to know what I’m doing inside and out. (I have a whole perfectionist/hate making mistakes thing…’cause, I’m all perfect and stuff, y’know. Sigh.) Once I’ve finished putting away my stuff, I’ll take some photos of the place for you all. I have four bookcases! Four! (Maniacal laughter)

Oh! And my hair is red now. Every Spring, some alarm seems to go off in my head, and I decide that my hair is booooring. That is a photo of me at the top, taken with a program on my new computer.

In other, more TMI news…

My cycle started again, so after taking January off due to the three ovarian cysts and February off due to bad timing (I went to L.A. for Gallifrey One, remember?) I headed back in to get my innards checked out. The good news: I no longer have three cysts. The bad news: I have one sizable one. or at least, it looked pretty big to me. So, no drugs again, but we’re probably going to try the ovulation kit and and an IUI.

And, I have to say, I’m getting tired of all of this. It’s terribly depressing. Six years of this is a bit…hard to deal with. I’m getting afraid that I’ll be too set in my ways to deal with the chaotic whirlwind that is a child. Will I lose the ability to play airplanes in the park or understand that playing in the mud is fun, not just messy. I don’t know. And I’m tired of not being able to exercise as much as I want to for fear that I’ll lift something heavy without thinking or something along those lines. I’m not really built to be that careful. I used to do all sorts of stomach crunches, darn it! Also? I want to lose twenty pounds. I’m getting fat. And I don’t feel like I have enough time left to take a break and deal with getting in shape or make some life changes that might help.

Yeah. Frustrated. Flabby. And still not pregnant. No idea why, either. And all that the drugs seem to do is give me more cysts.

At least my new job is fun.

Mostly, it was the usual introductions and making sure that I had the proper access to things from my computer. But amazingly, considering my propensity for getting freaked out by stuff, I just really stoked. I feel I can do the job they hired me for. Dig my random confidence. I’m looking forward to tomorrow and everything.

Well, I need more fun things for my cube walls (waiting for the printer to get hooked up here again), a new electric kettle (purchased and ready to leave), tissue for my sniffles (purchased and stacked with some mint tea and the kettle), etc. but otherwise I feel good about this.

The rest of the week looks to be more of the same. Meetings and learning stuff. Now, I’d better be off to bed. It’s getting late.

– I had a great time at Gallifrey One. Ignore the fact that I got really sick the Monday I was supposed to drive home. Bleh.

– I have a new computer, and it’s mostly set up. Picture to follow once we get my camera to speak to said computer.

– My old job ended on Saturday. They gave me a basket full of socks as a going away gift. 37 pairs.

– My new job (Collection Development Librarian) starts tomorrow.

– And a Small World Alert! Today I was at a gem and jewelry show and ran across a friend from college…who also knows one of Koshvaders co-workers. You should check out Morgan’s jewelry: Medievaljeweler.com it’s fab. It’s a small dang world.

Right. I’m off to bed now. Wish me luck.

And I discovered today that I got The Job. I beat out three other people. Go me. (Squee! Gotta go buy the t-shirt I promised myself now.)

I am a Librarian, like my parents before me. I am quite good at reference services, or so I’m told. But really, my heart belongs to Collection Development. And, like a good librarian, I will now give you too much information on the subject.

Collection Development, as its name implies, involves the development of a collection. The first step is the selection of items for the collection (keeping in mind the needs of the users of said collection.) Then comes purchasing (depending upon budgetary constraints) and making sure that you get what you ordered. The items purchased are then processed and get their time on the shelf. This time can vary from very short in the case of paperbacks (not very durable, you know) to “until it up and dies” in the case of classics in a particular field. The final step, as you may have gathered, is “deselection,” other wise known as “weeding.” I love weeding. Yes. This makes me peculiar, even in libraryland. I had a boss once offer to send me to another library to help them with their weeding. There’s even a whole manual dedicated to guidelines for weeding. Mostly, books and other materials are weeded based on condition, usage (or lack thereof), and accuracy. See what I mean? Too much information. Moving on.

So, yeah. My new job, starting on March 8, is Collection Development Adult/Teen. I get to buy stuff for the library system. I was pondering this possibility the other day and it occurred to me that not only do I have a career (which came as a bit of a shock) but I have a career path. I worked with computers before the dot bomb, then I spent five and a half years working with teens and three working with adults. Now, I’m moving on to specializing in something I’ve already done a fair amount of while working with teens and adults.

Dude. I’m a grown up. How weird is that?

I had to get up early (fail) to go deal with a fix-it ticket (fail) that I had already mailed but came back to me due to not enough postage. (fail)

I remembered to pack a lunch (win), found a parking spot right out front of the place I had to go to (divine intervention win), and had to stand in a long line (fail). But I made it back to my car with three minutes to spare on the meter (divine intervention win).

I ended up being late to work (fail), but it didn’t adversely affect the desk schedule and I could just work a bit later to make up for it. (win)

My ankle randomly started hurting at work and I seem to have a wee cold (fail). But I bought a new ace bandage (win)…and I’m experimenting with some cold meds (win or fail? dunno yet.) You see, I have all kinds of problems with meds in general, and historically cold meds and I don’t interact well. So, I thought…why not experiment? [insert mad scientist laugh here]

Now I’m home after shopping for food for the family and my poor kitty with one tooth. (Not that it seems to be slowing him down at all. We just thought he’d like a bit of a supplement.) Hmmm…I’m home now with my ankle wrapped, food put away, and meds taken, so…(win).

I think, in light of the fact that the day is over and I’m in my comfy bed, I’ll unscientifically call today a win. Any day you can walk away from, eh?

In other news, my Mother-in-Law is home! We mostly have the care situation figured out, so now we’re working on the next steps.

Well, it seems like the cold meds are starting to make me dizzy, so I’d better sigh off. Night all!

Me again.

It looks like my Mother-in-Law may actually be coming home on Sunday. (As in later today after my latest attempt at that sleep thing.) This is our third theoretical release date for her, so here’s hoping that the third time is a charm. And as you may imagine, we have been in a flurry of cleaning here in my “not normally that tidy” but considering recent events grown into “more along the lines of chaos incarnate” place.

Here is a quick list of some actual housework that has occurred here recently: (the following list is based on true events. please remain seated while reading said list to prevent fainting from shock.)

* The sheets on her bed are new and clean.
* The second floor has been vacuumed (except in my messy room.)
* We have a new towel rack (to replace the one in bits lurking about the bathroom.)
* A new shower curtain liner was purchased and hung up.
* The bathtub was cleaned and now sports non-slip duckies.
* The stairs are clean of the usual debris (a.k.a. stuff found downstairs that belongs upstairs.)
* The infamous entryway where I have slipped and fallen twice now has a new rubber-backed rug.
* A new rubber-backed rug lurks at the back door.
* Much kitchen/dining area stuff have been moved about.
* and lots of laundry has been done…and put away!

*whew!* So…yeah. I’m hoping that at the very least she’ll be able to move around the place with the walker I’m told is coming home with her.

In other news, did I mention that I am not taking any fertility drugs this month? Nope. I have managed to develop not one, not two, but three cysts. Bleh. But really, it’s great timing. I just don’t have the time this month. I declare it to be divine intervention, and will now move on to my next newsbyte….

My interview for the job-possibility-I’m-not-saying-much-about is on February 10. Please send any/all prayers and good thoughts my way.

And finally…I have a new cell phone. Why do I have a new phone? Well…it was free. Relatively-speaking, of course. You see, Koshvader needed a new phone as his had started to come over all wonky. And after much debate, he chose a Motorola Droid. Well, said Droid came with a free Droid Eris. So, I ended up upgrading too, though I had not planned to yet.

Let’s pause for a minute to discuss this phone:

1) It’s way more modern that anything phone-like I’ve ever had. I mean, come on, I’ve never even downloaded a ringtone before. I keep discovering new things and hurting my brain.
2) It vibrates when you push its little virtual buttons. Let it be here noted that I hate things that vibrate, as they make my bones ache. Yes. That includes those coaster things they give you at restaurants while you are waiting. (And nope. Apparently you can turn that off in the other Droid, but not in mine.)
3) It’s named Eris. I mean…come on. Who named the phone after the goddess of discord?
“Eris is the Greek goddess of discord and strife. She is Ares’ constant companion and follows him everywhere. Eris is sinister and mean, and her greatest joy is to make trouble.” – Encyclopedia Mythica

But honestly, I can get used to all of this cell phone…usefulness. It’s turning out that I’m using Eris to tame a bunch of the chaos in which I find myself in the new year.

And in the meantime? I’m giving lots of folks their own ringtones. Be afraid.

One of the things I’m doing is moving a few things around (like my mail station) and clearing off my cork boards.

From the Cork Board:

From the Forgotten English day by day calendar – Friday May 21 (year ?):

Cockade: A ribbon or knot of ribbon, or something similar, worn on the hat, usually by officers of the army or navy, sometimes by others. – John Ogilvie’s Comprehensive English Dictionary, 1865

Why I saved it:

Well, I expect that it was in reference to the pub I used to love called The White Cockade. I miss that place. You drove along the 9 for a bit longer than you expected and kept a close eye on the right. It was a great place to be on a dreich day. Sigh.