To Be Or Not To Be

That's the question I'm confronting right now. Well, ok, Shakespeare was really talking about suicide, and that's not the question I'm confronting. But I am wondering if my blog should continue to be. I haven't updated since August, and I don't know if I'll update again soon. Plus, this blogging endeavor seems to be the height in narcissism, since most of the people who read this are the people I work with, and you guys already know anything I'd post on here. In fact, most of the "blog worthy" events in my life are experienced with you guys.

So I'll have to think about this. To be or not to be ....

Yellowstone Day 2

Wow what a day! Our first stop at the park was old faithful then we stopped at biscuit basin and played in the river. Jess and her friend got soaked :) then we took the south loop around the park, saw some animals, hot pots, and great scenery. We're finishing dinner and i'm ready for bed!

Yellowstone Trip

Well everyone made it here alive and camp is set up. Dinner is cleaned up, desert will be shortly, and i'm enjoying the last of the dying embers. The trip up went faster than i thought which was a relief :) tomorrow we explore the south end of the park-i think- so until then!

Less than a month away ...

The boards are all ready just waiting for the names to be filled in. I can't wait!

A Letter

Dear Man-With-Excessive-Body-Hair,

I saw you in your sporty tank top this afternoon, and just thought you'd appreciate some friendly advice. Even though it's a sweltering 79 degrees outside, and that tank top is probably the only thing between you and death by heat exhaustion, odds are it really wasn't the best wardrobe choice today--or ever.

A better choice would have been the removal of your excessive body hair. You could shave it off, wax it off, pluck it out--I even hear Nair works pretty well. With the hair gone you could channel your 1980s, tank-top-wearing personality any time you like, and I wouldn't risk losing my lunch. Or, if these options sound too painful/time consuming, you could just wear a t-shirt and cover up the hair.

Because guys with excessive body hair should not wear tank tops. It's gross.

Sincerely,

Your Friend

Random

What is with birds crapping all over my car?! I think they sense I hate them.

Blogging as Cure for Insomnia

It’s 2:45 in the morning and I can’t sleep, my body is very unwashed, and downstairs are piles of laundry with my name on them. But I don’t care about any of this BECAUSE I’M SICK! And what else is there for a disease-ridden insomniac to do but blog about her condition?

Here are a few observations and lessons learned during my time of illness:

1)You know how some oranges aren’t very good? They have that weird taste and texture because they’re over-ripe or what-not? Yeah, I can’t taste that, and I’m ever so grateful for it because my body is craving the Vitamin C they (oranges) offer. From the texture I can tell that the orange I’m eating probably isn’t the best tasting, and under normal circumstances I’d spit it out and toss the rest away. But tonight, due to my blessed congestion, all I can tell is that this orange is juicy and vaguely sweet. Of course, if I wasn’t this congested I wouldn’t have these orange cravings in the first place.

2)Seltzer water is strangely delicious when you’re terribly thirsty and/or horribly sick—both of which I have been this weekend. The bubbles feel nice in my slightly cramping stomach, and the coolness of it is refreshing. I like seltzer water.

3)The recent discovery that I like seltzer water may be due in large part to my previously mentioned congestion. In fact, it may be the exclusive reason for my enjoyment of it.

4)Small things mean a great deal when you’re sick. Like the feeling of just brushed teeth, or a boss who says “Take all the time you need to get better because we don’t want your disgusting germs.” Or the luxury of a soft, fuzzy towel after a piping hot shower. Or the relief when the pain killers finally kick in.

5)I LOVE the Vlogbrothers (do a Google search cause I’m too sick to provide a link, then watch as many of their videos on YouTube as you possibly can—they are fantastic). This observation has nothing to do with my sickness, other than that they will be entertaining me with their delightful nerdiness whilst I recover.

6)”Whilst” is a great word.

5)Making lists about your sickness is highly therapeutic, as are hot cups of mint tea.

Well, I’ll leave off for now. There will be plenty of time for more blogging in between the bursts of restless sleep I will no doubt enjoy tomorrow.

Until then.

In which weeds are discussed

I got home this evening and was hit with the I-need-to-do-some-yard-work bug. I blame the decorative grasses. Every fall we tie them up and wrap Christmas lights around them, then each spring they get cut down so the new grass can grow in. When I pulled up this evening I saw those grasses still tied up with green shoots struggling to come in and knew tonight was the night to pull out the electric saw and get to work.

After cutting down the grass, I started cleaning up the yard and weeding the flower beds. While tugging away at a particularly nasty weed, one of the neighbor boys came by on his bike to talk to me. This kid is a unique soul. Last summer he spent a lot of time roaming the neighborhood sans shirt and a knit ski hat pulled over his face—not a ski mask, an actual hat. I think he was pretending to be Batman, or Spiderman, or something-man, but I don’t know how successful a superhero you can be without eyeholes in your mask.

Last night when I got home from work, he was riding his bike in our cul-de-sac. He saw my car heading down the street and changed course straight for me. I slowed down and watched him carefully, but he seemed determined to play a quick round of chicken. Finally, he swerved off into the neighbor’s yard, and I pulled in front of my house. As I opened my car door I heard his little voice accusing me: “Hey dude, er lady. You almost hit me!” I told him I didn’t even get close, but he seemed quite insistent about it. His parents haven’t served me with a lawsuit yet, so I think I’m ok. Right?

Anyway, tonight I’m tugging away at this huge weed, and he rides up next to me and asks, “Whatcha doin’?”

“I’m—pulling—(grunt, grunt, tug, tug)—weeds.”

“Why? Is it because they kill your other plants?”

“That’s—right (pant, pant, tug some more).”

He watches as I keep tugging until finally, the roots pop out with a satisfying rip. Then he looks at me and says, “You know weeds just keep growing back.”

Yes, I do know that. Thanks for reminding me of the futility of my efforts.

That pretty much killed the yard work bug, so I threw away the slaughtered weeds, and put everything away. To the kid’s credit, he did offer to let me move into his house where they apparently don’t have any weeds, but you can understand why I was a little hesitant to take him up on that offer. Instead I grabbed a lawn chair and a book, and enjoyed the fruits of my labors. Why not enjoy those weed-free flower beds while I still can?

wahoo just turned my last final in--the semester is over!!!

Who Said Librarians Weren't Funky?

OK, so they're not funky, but it sure is funny!

Check out the "Flight of the Bumblebee" one that should come up after it. Or just search Youtube for "book cart drill team" and find a strange assortment of librarians with too much time on their hands.

Ok we're testing this out to see if i set it up right. If i did, then this is my first blog post from my cell phone. Woo-hoo!

I Love Google Alerts

Here are a couple things I found interesting as I tried to catch up on all my Google Alerts:

The University of Virginia's Founding Era collection is being digitized and made fully searchable. Available now are the papers of Dolly Madison, George Washington, John Adams, and (most recent) Thomas Jefferson. The only downside is that to actually view the texts you have to sign up for a free trial that only lasts 48 hours, and you can only sign up for a trial every six months. (Or, if you can find enough spare change in the couch, you can just purchase access.) In any case, it looks like quite the undertaking, and they have more collections coming soon.

So I've been hearing about this new book, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. I read one review that really blasted it, but most other reviews I've read were positive. I'm not sure how I feel about the idea of this book, but I'll have to read it as I have to read all things connected to Jane Austen. Now it seems the author, Seth Grahame-Smith, will be combining the supernatural with another of my favorite people: Abraham Lincoln. Oh dear.

I've got some book things to blog about on my book blog, but that will have to wait until tomorrow. Night!

Here Comes the Sun

So I'm very trunky, ready for school to be over with and summer break to begin. (And yes, you can take this as an official announcement that I'm not taking summer school classes. I should, but I'm not going to.)

I've decided that I want to spend my summer reading, reading, and reading. Reading in bed and reading outdoors. Reading in the shower, and reading on the couch while summer thunderstorms rage outside. Old books, new books, poetry, biography and lots of fiction. Young adult books, kids books, and even the occasional book for adults.

This means I've got to start pulling together a summer reading list now. I've got a small list going in my head already, but what suggestions and recommendations do you have for me? What "must-read" book should I add to my list?

Good News!

Just saw this a few minutes ago. Can't say how happy I am for the Captain, his family, and crew!

Captain freed when snipers kill pirates.

I Could Break Out Into Song!

I just read this today, and I am so excited! Romola Garai will play Emma Woodhouse in a new BBC adaptation of Jane Austen's Emma. It's a 4 hour mini-series, and the wonderful Sandy Welch is writing the screenplay. Welch is the genius behind North & South and the most recent Jane Eyre adaptation. I love her! And best of all, no Andrew Davies in sight!!

Romola as Emma is a brilliant stroke of casting genius; Johnny Lee Miller is set to play Mr. Knightly, which I'm a little worried about, but still think it will be OK; and Michael Gambon is playing Mr. Woodhouse. Even though I can't stand him as Dumbledore (*shudder*) I've loved him in other roles, and look forward to him in this. I can't wait to see who they cast as Harriet--neither of the previous adaptations I've seen had the right Harriet, so fingers crossed they get it this time.

Filming starts this week in Kent and Surrey--where the novel actually takes place! Hurrah!

Just a Thought

I am so grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ. I know I don't say it often enough, but I am. I don't talk about my feelings about the gospel very often for a couple of reasons. First, I'm embarrassed of my emotions in general and any display of emotion. For good or bad (probably bad) it's just the way I am, so I avoid emotional subjects. Second, my feelings and experiences in the gospel are so profoundly personal and treasured that it's hard for me to find the right words. Plus, it's hard to talk about something that means as much to me as the gospel does because there's the fear that people will treat it lightly, or misunderstand, or whatever.

But lately, I don't know, I've just felt that I need to say that I am grateful for the gospel, and it does mean the world to me--more than that in fact. It's true, and it brings me more joy than I can say. I listened to Conference this weekend and loved it! I am humbled when I think of how blessed I am to have the gospel in my life, and was reminded again how much it means to me. Just thought I'd share that thought.

I Know They're Here Somewhere ...

This article makes me feel so much better about our "mislaid" books at work :)

British Library Mislays 9,000 Books

Just some odds and ends

I was reading some random news articles and blog posts and found the following things, all of which I thought were interesting. First of all, a copy of the first comic book to feature Superman sold the other day for for $317,200. The owner selling the comic book bought it when he was 9 years old at a secondhand store for 35 cents. If only my 401(k) could get that kind of return.

Next up, an interesting article about libraries in difficult economic times. Apparently, libraries are in some kind of sad irony: the demand for their services is going up, but their budgets are going down, and so is their ability to meet those increased demands. I don't have much to say on this article. I just thought it worth a read.

And finally, the best part. Here's a fabulous blog post on the world's most beautiful libraries. I think I need to go see them all, but for now here's a few of my favorites.

Biblioteca do Palacio e Convento de Mafra I, Lisbon Coast, Portugal

George Peabody Library, Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Handelingenkamer Tweede Kamer Der Staten-Generaal Den Haag, the Hague, Netherlands

Sansovino Library, Rome, Italy

Suzzallo Library, Seattle, Washington, USA

And there's a whole bunch more that I love, but don't have time or space to post here. Just go check it out, it's incredible. But be prepared to scroll--a LOT.

Just for fun

I've seen these in a couple of different places and since I couldn't sleep (again!) I decided to try it out.
Here's how it works.

1. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search. http://www.flickr.com/search/

2. Using only the first page, pick an image.

3. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into mosaic maker.

http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/mosaic.php (choose four columns and three rows, also choose individual URL's)

Questions:

1. What is your first name?

2. What is your favorite food?

3. What school did you go to?

4. What is your favorite color?

5. Who is your celebrity crush?

6. Favorite drink?

7. Dream vacation?

8. Favorite dessert?

9. What you want to be when you grow up?

10. What do you love most in life?

11. One word to describe you.

12. Your nickname.

Unfortunately ...

So I saw this on another blog and thought it was pretty funny--especially when I tried it myself. Here's how it works. Type in a Google search: "unfortunately, _______" but put your first name in the blank. Also, make sure you put the whole thing in quotes. Then giggle over the silly things that come up. Here's my list:

--Unfortunately, Melissa has nothing else to say.

--Unfortunately, Melissa doesn't have time to look after her own pets because she is training every day.

--Unfortunately, Melissa's head would be the only thing I hit all day.

--Unfortunately, Melissa was blind-sided - but she’s better off not being with someone that doesn’t care for her the way she deserves.

--Unfortunately, Melissa did not have a matched relative, so she underwent a year of drug therapy in hopes it would cure her illness.

--Unfortunately, Melissa says her son’s attempts at crawling may just be to get away from his big brother!

--Unfortunately, Melissa was the one who suffered most in this process. I think one day Melissa will be very glad it didn't work out.

--Unfortunately, Melissa is frequently adulterated with other lemon-type aromas like Lemongrass, Lemon or Citronella.

--Unfortunately, Melissa's mom never heard from her again.

--Unfortunately, Melissa is spotted by the killers, who are hit man Bruno Decker and his employer Rudolph Hartman, who turns out to be Walter's client.

--Unfortunately, Melissa didn't grow up with a paintbrush in her hand.

--Unfortunately, Melissa's last words have been stuck in my brain for the past six hours of my life, like a sappy song you hear on the radio.

--Unfortunately, Melissa did not respect Dave.

--Unfortunately, Melissa couldn't keep all her food in her mouth and off her chin.

--Unfortunately, Melissa was busy on the JD loading feeds with Bingo as navigator and could not join us.

--Unfortunately, Melissa can’t sing and Chelsea can’t dance.

And my personal favorite ...

--Unfortunately, Melissa can't stop thinking of how bad Jerry looks naked, and the relationship is ruined.

Update

I've updated my book blog for the first time in almost a year-and a-half (!). I'm trying to be more regular about blogging there, so check it out and tell me what you think.

Very interesting article today ...

I read this today and thought it was worth sharing:

What's Wrong With Teachers?

It's something to think about.

Craptastic Cell Phone Pic

My evening class was moved from the new Elizabeth Hall back down to the old Social Science Building--blech! My prof says she wanted blackboards and chalk for diagramming sentences, but the new classrooms have whiteboards and she thinks we'll all get high on the fumes of the dry erase markers. Whatever.

Class finished way, way early and I decided that since I wouldn't be attending classes in EH this semester, and since I was going to be waiting a while for a ride home, I would wander around EH and see how it all looks. And the verdict is ... I really like it! There are surprisingly few classrooms, but it still looks very nice inside.

And since I was really bored, I took a pic with my cell phone of the outside, then came up to the library to blog about this all. And that's been my evening.

Enjoy!



p.s. That's the Bell Tower on the side. In case you were wondering.