Nikki Giovanni Poem

This poem was posted by PBS, and it has given me a lot to think about today. Would she remember her childhood with such fondness if she had never become famous and successful? Do the children I see every day have this kind of peace and joy in their lives? Should I respect that culture and no longer fight against the poverty that is pervading our society? I think it feels more like a challenge because she's made it more of a racial issue than a class issue. What do you all think?

Nikki-Rosa
by Nikki Giovanni

childhood remembrances are always a drag
if you're Black
you always remember things like living in Woodlawn
with no inside toilet
and if you become famous or something
they never talk about how happy you were to have
your mother
all to yourself and
how good the water felt when you got your bath
from one of those
big tubs that folk in chicago barbecue in
and somehow when you talk about home
it never gets across how much you
understood their feelings
as the whole family attended meetings about Hollydale
and even though you remember
your biographers never understand
your father's pain as he sells his stock
and another dream goes
And though you're poor it isn't poverty that
concerns you
and though they fought a lot
it isn't your father's drinking that makes any difference
but only that everybody is together and you
and your sister have happy birthdays and very good
Christmases
and I really hope no white person ever has cause
to write about me
because they never understand
Black love is Black wealth and they'll
probably talk about my hard childhood
and never understand that
all the while I was quite happy

National Gaming @ Your Library Day

Very busy day at the L today! We set up the virtual football tournament in the teen area, we had board games on nearly ever table in the branch, and the Wii was set up in our meeting room. I have a very small library, but at one time we had over 70 people in the building! It was exciting!

I'm exhausted!

A New Side of My Right

I was awake pig-stinkin' early today and, in fact, I didn't even really resent it. I'm seeing a new side of the elections this year.

You see, I have voted in every election since I turned 18. I may have missed a few primaries, but I have never missed a November election (that I can remember, anyway). I was raised in a politically active family. My father was (maybe still is?) a Precinct Committeeman for our area, and he served on the local (and maybe higher) Board of Elections when I was young. I had a Social Studies teacher in High School that teased me because I could be counted on to give "the Republican Viewpoint" in every discussion. He found it doubly hilarious that I was close friends with the granddaughter of a Democrat Senator.

I remember my very first election when I turned 18. It was a Big Deal! I proudly went in, sure that I was studied and ready to cast a knowledgeable vote. I remember being shocked by finding candidates and races on the ballot that I hadn't heard about and for which I had not prepared. I also remember that it was a Presidential Election, and I dutifully cast my vote for Ronald Reagan to help him win his re-election.

I have trained and worked in the polls, spending those long days helping people exercise their right to vote and feeling very energetic and happy to be there. I was dismayed to find that my co-workers for the day were lackadaisical, to say the least, and weren't prepared to give excellent customer service.

I have played hostess to the polls in our libraries, welcoming the poll workers and encouraging them to use the facilities, making sure they had library cards and reading materials for the slow times during the day. In 2004 when the wait time at our library branch was 6 hours long, I stirred up my staff to walk around, mingle with the neighbors, work with people to get them library cards, clear fines, help them get comfortable during their long waits. That year, we read to children all day, helped the volunteers who brought food and drinks in to the waiting voters and allowed people to have pizzas delivered to them in line.

This year, though, for the first time, I actually worked on a campaign in earnest. As you've seen, our library had a levy on the ballot. I've talked about the issue before so I won't go into it now (especially since the polls are closed, and the results are coming in now, so there's nothing you can do anyway). I helped make phone calls, I spoke to community groups, I wrote blog posts, I donated hand-knit items for the fund-raiser, and today I worked as a poll greeter at the crotch of dawn (yes, you read that correctly). It was a new side of things, and I'm glad I did it. I'm glad I found an issue that was important enough to me that I went out and really worked to see it win. I might just have to get behind some more issues in the coming years. Not tonight, though.

It's been a long day. I'm a light-weight compared to many folks who are still at the "watch party" at our campaign headquarters. It's not even 11 pm yet, and I'm calling it a day. I feel I can safely go to bed since "they" have "called it".

WE WON! THE LEVY PASSED! w00t! w00t!

And I am glad that I have had a part, not just in voting, but in helping others to learn about the issue. After all, I am a Librarian, helping people find information is what I do.

Why I Love My Job

I know it's not cool to love your job, and I have to admit that I can very easily get into a gripe-fest with the best of 'em, but I have to share a story today about why I love mine. I was walking around the floor around noon today, just looking around to see if anyone needed help. A woman called me over and said "Hey Miss Cathy! I'm glad you're here!" which is heartwarming, to say the least (I mean, who doesn't like to hear that someone is glad to see them?)

This woman (I'll call her D) has been in our library branch regularly to use the laptops in our Job Help Center. These computers are set out so that customers who are doing job-related work (resumes, getting email accounts, posting resumes online, searching for jobs, even studying for GED) can use them without having to work with the usual reservation software we have which limits people to 1-hour sessions, and only 3 of those a day. So D has been using the JHC nearly every day for a few months.

She called me over today to talk about how she finally finished the first class she took in college and is now taking Psychology. She's very excited because she passed the first one, and it's been so long since she was in school. She attributes her success to all the help she's gotten at our library! We've helped her learn to use Word so she can type her papers. We've helped her figure out how to submit her homework online through the college website. We've even helped her figure out her FAFSA and register for classes. We've been with her, helping her out, the whole way.

She told me this "it's been real hard, having to come here on the bus every day, but it's been worth it. We have our own computer now, which is why I haven't been coming in as much, but we don't have a printer yet, so I had to come in today to print out parts of the book I need." Yup, she's even getting her text books through the website!

She said "I hope I can do really well in this Psychology class, because it's all about the brain and talking to people to help them solve things, and that's what I know I'm meant to be doing." She had a huge smile on her face. I said "it feels really good to be working towards a job you know you'll love, doesn't it?"

"Yes, Miss Cathy, it surely does"

And that's all I have to say about that.

Dendrites

It's been a long time since I've talked about my crafting! Today I share brain cells! I'd found 2 different kinds of brain cell patterns online, one for knitting and one for crocheting.

Being primarily a knitter, I was fascinated to find the Knit a Neuron Project. Based in England, these are brain researchers who are using knitting as a way of sharing information about brain science and also hoping to end up with a 3D knitted representation of an actual human brain. Cool, huh?

I tried knitting a few of these little ditties, and they're easy and quick to knit. It's a good way to use up excess sock yarn, too, although I have other ways to do that, so I'm not worried about it. I also like participating in something international like this. I'll probably send my finished neurons over to the UK before too much longer.

A smidge of catnip inside, and they'd be perfect for my little fur-faced children . . . although Rosie would still probably prefer the little double-pointed wooden needles I use to knit them (she's weird like that).

Aesthetically, though, I didn't find these as striking as the crocheted neurons I'd seen on Etsy. I decided I had to try some of these, and I can't stop! They're free-form, and they're a blast to hook up. I can do one in an hour, and sometimes start the second. Also, they allow me to continue to contemplate the delicious and amazing miracle that is my brain (or anyone's brain, for that matter). As a casual student of brain research via early literacy, I've long been fascinated by how the brain is put together. And besides, aren't they cool?

Speaking of finished projects, I have 2 more to show off! One is the Branching Out scarf that I've been working on as a knit-along project with the weeknight knitting group I'm part of. I think the others finished months ago, but here is mine, finally being blocked. It's hard to see the pattern clearly because the yarn is so ethereal that it doesn't photograph well. Trust me, in real life it's pretty. Just don't look too closely, as there are quite a few . . . umm . . . design features in this beginning lace project. The pattern is less obvious in this variegated mohair, but that means it's a little less obvious when I make those . . . umm . . . alterations. (wink)

My other new FO is the vacation-knitting! I'm wearing the Argosy Wrap that I started for travel knitting, and I finished it up last weekend. - it's made of this wonderful silk/cotton blend with long self-striping colors. Love it!

I wore it to my first real Art Show! The Main library is currently having a juried show of all staff-created art. Submissions were sought a few months ago, and I submitted just one piece - this felted bag. It has pussy willows on it, and it is one of my best bags. If you recall, I started this a few years ago, inspired by the art of my friend Mary Ann.



Here I am with my bag on display in the gallery. They even displayed it so that you can walk around and see both sides. Exciting! The opening reception was Thursday evening, and the show runs through the last full week of August. If you're in or around downtown Columbus, do stop by! It's free, and there are many, many beautiful and interesting works of art by my colleagues at CML.

On Being Great

Well, my library system has been chosen as the 2010 Library of the Year! It's a huge honor, and I'm so thrilled to be able to say that I've helped bring us to this point . . . me and hundreds of other dedicated staff and volunteers over the years. We do have an excellent library system, and we have been blessed with great leadership, both now and in the past. CML has long been on the cutting edge of great customer service, excellent services to children, babies, teens and most recently job hunters. Sunday a group of managers went to Washington, DC (paid for by our Friends of the Library) for the award ceremony and the celebration. We came back home on Monday (and we're all exhausted!). It was a good trip, though, and it was most generous of the Friends to charter that bus for us! What really ended up bringing me to tears, though, was after we got back when our marketing guru, Alison, wrote about me in her LJ blog. Wow. I'm humbled, but, of course, I still had to share it with you all. (blush) I think she is dramatizing my situation a little, but I sure do appreciate her props. Makes me feel all warm and gushy inside (in a good way).

What's on your mind?

I have to admit that I've had a really hard time focusing today. I often have trouble focusing, especially when I have to do some writing. Don't get me wrong - I love writing, even when, like today, it's all about writing Performance Appraisals for my employees (faithful minions, all). I just have a hard time getting all of the distractions of daily life out of the way so I can get down to writing.

When I was in college, I would clean my room and organize my desk before writing a paper or studying for a test. Now I don't always have the luxury of having the time to get my desk cleaned and organized before I have to write, so I have to find other ways of reigning in my thoughts. Sometimes I am successful. Today, however, I was not. Much of what was distracting me was still work . . . schedule stuff, staffing, budget, customers (bless them), projects, and my own required time on the public service desk, Caldecott and Newbery winners, email clean-up, to name a few. I also let myself become distracted by other things . . . hunger, stretching stiff muscles, news from Haiti, stuff I should have done over the weekend and is now on my mind. You know how it is, right?

So - everyone deals with distractions - how do you handle them at work? Do you work better with tight deadlines (like me) or long-range deadlines? Do you have any tips for me so I can have more success as the week progresses?

They Have to be Carefully Taught

I think perhaps the only time we actually talked about race relations at my house (although I am rather flighty sometimes and might have missed deeper discussions) was one night when my dad started singing a lyric from South Pacific:

You've got to be taught
To hate and fear,
You've got to be taught
From year to year,
It's got to be drummed
In your dear little ear
You've got to be carefully taught.

You've got to be taught to be afraid
Of people whose eyes are oddly made,
And people whose skin is a diff'rent shade,
You've got to be carefully taught.

You've got to be taught before it's too late,
Before you are six or seven or eight,
To hate all the people your relatives hate,
You've got to be carefully taught!

His point, and the point of the song, is that parents will pass along their own prejudices to their children, whether they do it consciously or not.

I remember feeling confused at first, because in nearly all ways, my parents were teaching me to make friends with everyone, regardless of the color of their skin or other differences. The thing is, I grew up in a nearly-all-white neighborhood/school/church. I didn't come into contact with much diversity until I was in late middle school and started going to Conference-wide Youth Group meetings and events for my church. That is where my mind started to open and I started to learn more about people who were different from me, and it was delightful (usually) and challenging (once in a while) and surprising (sometimes).

For the last 8 years or so, I've been managing library branches in neighborhoods where I am the minority. I've been in meetings where I've been the only white face in the room, and when I go out to lunch near my branch, I'm often the only melanin-challenged person in the place. If I go to certain places near my last branch, I can go into restaurants where I am probably the only native English-speaker. I have no problem with any of this, of course, and I love my job (and the neighborhoods in which I've worked).

Why do I bring this up? My friend, Erin, sent me a link to this article from Newsweek about recent research to see if multicultural TV shows and videos are helping our kids be more open-minded, and also what kinds of parent-child interactions would help. Although I have a few issues with the study (they used only Caucasian families, for instance) it is still interesting. The study says that many families just don't talk about racial differences, hoping that raising their children in a diverse world and not pointing out differences will allow their children to be "colorblind" . . . but this appears to be a false hope.

The results of the study? If you want to help your child to view everyone as valuable, you should talk about differences in appearances, but then affirm that we're all valuable. You might actually have to struggle through feeling uncomfortable and TALK. From the Newsweek article:

What parents say depends heavily on their own race: a 2007 study in the Journal of Marriage and Family found that out of 17,000 families with kindergartners, nonwhite parents are about three times more likely to discuss race than white parents; 75 percent of the latter never, or almost never, talk about race.

Aha- so some groups are having the discussions at home, and others are not. Mine was a family that didn't talk about it much, and here I am, a very open-minded, loving person who embraces equality and diversity. I've met some people recently who, judging from some of the comments their teenage boys have made (openly racist), discuss race-relations at home in a way that I would find abhorrent.

The article goes on to describe a study where kids in a preschool were given different shirt colors, red and blue, and for a while weren't treated any differently. They played and interacted as one large group all day, but after a few weeks, when questioned, the kids felt strongly that their own color of shirt was better than the other, and that kids in the other color were "less" in various ways.

This goes right along with other things kids are learning at a young age. Our brains are programed to file information away according to "same" and "different". That is why young babies have to test things out with all their senses (putting everything in their mouth?), sorting through the world by subconsciously saying "same", "different". We are hard-wired to notice differences, then . . . and it's up to us to figure out how to react to the differences. Will we celebrate them or will we mistrust and fear them?

The conclusions that are drawn through this research seem to be that we need to talk specifically to our kids about racial attitudes, especially if we want to help them develop positive thoughts and feelings.

In many (most?) middle-class white families, this topic is probably still taboo. Do you talk to the children in your life about racial attitudes? Do you talk about which behaviors/thoughts are appropriate and which are ugly? And what about beyond race . . . do you talk about being accepting of people of different religions? People who have graduated from a rival school (even that state up North?) People who vote differently from you? Do you talk openly, do you mention the elephant in the room?

Let me know what you're thinking!

Best Bad Example

I've had this topic rattling around in my head for a long time. It all came to me when my sister and I went to lunch at a great (usually) place near her office. This is an amazing story:

When we walked in, the host didn't even say hello, just held up 2 fingers, and started walking with some menus in his hand. He put the menus down on a booth table and then kept walking, and L and I weren't certain if we were supposed to follow him or sit at the booth! When I saw that he stopped to talk to someone at a far table, I figured this booth was for us. After all our menus were there, right?

This guy turned out to be our waiter. He took our drink order by saying "drinks?" He came, brought the salsa and some water, but no chips. Then he came with his order pad in hand and stood there, waiting to write. Still no words, he just looked at us, one at a time. We gave our order and he walked away. L wondered - are we going to get any tortilla chips? I flagged down a waiter (not ours, I don't think) and said "can we please have some chips?", and after a little confusion, he went and got some chips. By this time, L and I were laughing at the bad service. When the waiter brought out our food and set it down w/o a word, I said to L, maybe we should tip one quarter per word. So far that would be, what, 50 cents? I am not exaggerating - throughout our entire time at lunch, that waiter said 3 words to us! Only 3! He barely made eye contact, and was not at all attentive. If the food wasn't so spectacular, we'd never go back.

This got me to thinking about customer service at the Library. I mean, we're in the business, right? How much do we actually say to people who come in our doors? Are we enthusiastic about helping people? When we announce programs, do they sound enticing? Do we assume that everyone has been there before, or do we assume there is someone in the building who really has no idea how things work? Are we patient, treating each customer like they're the first and most important person of our day? I have thought about going back to that restaurant and taking a pic of that horrible waiter, just to keep in my mind how important it is to connect with our customers.

We don't sell great food, we don't even offer snacks or drinks. Sometimes, the building is full enough that there aren't even any available chairs! Our product is more ethereal - it is connection. We give our customers connection to the internet, for sure, but also a connection to another human being. We are sometimes the first person they've asked for help in using the computer or finding that information they need. Sometimes, we're their last resort, sometimes we are their third place and sometimes we're part of the vast array of middle ground.

Regardless of where we fit into the pecking order of their lives, we are there, at the Library, to provide great service. If we can't do that, we are failing.

That's my 2 cents on the topic today.

Gov Strickland proposes 50% cut to Public Library funding

I don't post many things out of a political nature, but this one could not be missed. Gov. Strickland is proposing a huge cut to Ohio's public library funding.

I am not simply asking because this is my own field, but because I see, everyday, the growing importance of public libraries in our communities. As funding is cut for parks, Rec. Centers, public pools and after school programs, those children come to the library for recreation and homework help. As people lose their jobs they come to the library for help searching for jobs, creating resumes and "free" entertainment from our books and DVDs. Public libraries across the country are being called to do more with less money, but this kind of a cut would cause many of Ohio's libraries (long known for being the best in the nation) to lay off staff, cut hours or perhaps even close their doors.

If this is an issue that concerns you, please write to your state representatives and to the Governor's office. If you need the addresses, you can ask your local Librarian for them, or click here.

Thank you for your consideration of this issue.

Humbling Lesson

I attended a community awards ceremony tonight. It was all about awarding people in the neighborhood where I work for doing great things. They have a Beautiful House Award, a Beautiful Business Award, a Public Servant of the Year, a Young Athlete of the Year, etc. I love going to this because it reminds me of the best of the people around me.

This year, I cheered and clapped as the kids went up. YOu know me, I always love seeing the kids being honored. One of them, a High School Senior, won a Young Scholar of the Year. She has excellent grades at Linden-McKinley HS, and a list of other activities, accomplishments and volunteer work as long as both my arms together. It was really impressive!

After the ceremony I happened to share a table with her mother as we enjoyed some refreshments . . . and here is where I was humbled. Along with this young woman's mother, I also met her 2-year-old daughter.

Yup - you read that right - that amazing, bright, gifted, giving young woman is also a mother. She plans to become Bill Gates someday. She has dreams and goals and is already well on her way to making them a reality. And she's a mom.

Now, don't get me wrong. I know that we have lots and lots of teen parents in our world, and especially in the neighborhood where I work. I also know we have lots of great, bright, ambitious, talented teens who have high expectations for themselves and meet them. I was shocked at myself for not really thinking before about those young people who are both at the same time.

Kudos to that young woman, and props to her mother, too, for helping to make it all possible. Someone has instilled some important values in that young woman's life, and it's most likely been her mother.

I am humbled, my mind is more open than before, and I've learned a valuable lesson. Not every teen mom drops out of HS and goes on welfare. I knew it before, but somehow in the midst of all my do-goodery, I'd forgotten.

I'll try to do better now.

New Blog!

I'm part of the Ready to Read Task Force at CML, and as we move into the implementation of this year's phase of the ongoing project, we've been recruiting and training a big team of Ambassadors who will be going into the neighborhoods and meeting families who are not generally visiting the library. They'll be talking about early literacy and sharing the Ready to Read research and information with parents and caregivers to try to improve their children's success in school. Because there will be so many people involved and so much going on, we've started a dedicated blog to share with one another. Feel free to follow along!

Who Are We?

I love thinking about the future. Partly, this is because I love not having to think about how far behind I am in what I should have done today . . . but partly I love it because it allows for that higher-level thinking. I love dreaming, basically. The Current Professional Terminology (CPT) for this is being a Visionary. Whether you call it visionary thinking, daydreaming, dreaming for real or just plain imagination, I love it!

So, when I was given (thanks, E!) tickets to Thomas Friedman lecture at OSU, I jumped at the chance. (Ok, no actual jumping was involved, but in my mind I was jumping) Talk about a visionary! Friedman wrote The World is Flat, which I've read and enjoyed and which really has some excellent point in it about the Global Economy and what the US or any country should be thinking about in terms of staying a legitimate "player" in the market.

What does this have to do with Library 2.0? Well, I'll tell you my version! I'd love it if you read his book and have some comments and shared them. Anyway, his new book is Hot, Flat and Crowded, and it's about how we need to consider Green Technologies (GT), alternate fuel sources, etc, and bring back a culture of innovation in the US if we're going to be able to keep up . . .again, with the Global Economy thing! (see here for a discussion on his website)

One point that really resonated with me and with what we've been talking about is the idea that 20 years from now the whole world will be completely different from what we know today. Now, don't be thinking Wall-E, but also don't discount the truths that are underneath that animated movie. We need to get our head around the concepts of GT and be innovative in finding ways to live w/o leaving such a gosh darn big carbon footprint!

So - hold on here - I'm almost to my point . . .

Government regulation is something that Friedman says will help with this problem, because, he says, we should be charging people a Carbon Tax - something to compensate the world (and whose bank accounts?) for the cost of producing, say, the lovely AC that is currently making my office 68 degrees. He also says that our governmental system (all hail the glorious Democracy!) is NOT good at dealing with long-term, multigenerational changes (this I totally agree with!).

Who is good at handling mulitgenerational change? Well, I would propose that Libraries sometimes are . . . and maybe should always be. Think about the longevity of our institution. Think about CML and how long some of us have been working here. You know, sometimes change is hard to deal with at CML because some of us have been here so long, our experience and our natural human tendancy to think "but we've always done it this way" is slowing down our ability to be maneuverable in the market. On the other hand, we could choose to embrace that longevity and harness it to perhaps create multigenerational change in our world.

This, my friends, is where my brain is today. I am thinking about how we can make a huge difference 20 years from now because of what we're doing today. We can live with a smaller carbon footprint, build our new buildings to be more efficient, AND (those of you who know me should have seen this coming) get all of our local parents to accept responsibility as their children's first teachers . . . and 20 years from now the Columbus School System will be thriving, our children will be out of poverty, the crime rate will be down, etc.

Ahh, it's getting me dizzy, up here on my soapbox.

As for Library 2.0 and the future of libraries I'm ready to jump on the Vision train. I see our library as being a catalyst for effecting real change in our community, through the Ready to Read program, through continuing to be a valuable center for lifelong learning and research, through being a promoter of innovation and through providing people of all socio-economic levels the same great service and opportunities to learn and to access information.

Techno Geekness in Libraries

I've been reading blogs from librarians for a long time. Although I've read lots and lots, and I have lots on my blogroll (see sidebar), there are really only a handful that I will go to all the time. One of them is Amanda Credaro's
Warrior Librarian. It's satire at it's bookishest! She's covered all the bases over the years, too. For instance, I just hit the "home" button from one of her other links and got a bogus 404 error message. It's hilarous! And who among us can resist being able to re-arrange Melville Dewey's face!
(This brief review of the website is my "Thing #7" for L&P @ CML)


On a personal rant, today is the first day of school for CCS, and I dutifully dropped my son off instead of making him take the bus. I just can't resist that puppy dog face he makes when begging! OK, I'll be able to resist tomorrow . . . Anyway, I stupidly forgot to take our traditional "First Day of School and Try To Look Happy About It" picture. I'll grab one tomorrow and post it. (boy, by the time they hit 8th grade, it's hard not to get jaded!)

Knitting banned in Library?!?

I love Shelf Check

. It's usually a very timely comment on what is happening in the library world. Today's strip is about
this article about an Ontario Library that banned all crafts in the library. Seriously? I teach kids to knit my library as often as I can! In fact, I just spent some time this afternoon organizing some of the yarn and needles that my knitting pals have donated so that I will be able to easily access it all as needed.

Ban weapons? Yes. Ban knitting needles? NEVER!

Hi-fi, Sci-fi - Library

Great music video about how libraries are changing! Be sure to watch all the way to the end - cute kid!!!! Who knew guys from Kansas could be so cool? Don'tcha just love Library Staffers?

Learn and Play at CML: blog count!

How many blogs do you have? How many social network sites do you keep up with? How many are you signed up on? I am losing count of my own! I have 2 blogs I've written . . . and keep fairly regularly. I have a couple more group blogs I've contributed to. I'm fairly regular on Facebook, and I like Ravelry a lot. I also Twitter, and I've tried Plurk, but since I'm already established at Twitter I think I'll stop plurking.

I have accounts at a few other social sites, but I don't keep up with them. Some places, like MySpace, make (or at least used to) you get an account just to be able to see and comment on other people's pages.

OK - blog count for me:
There is this one you're reading. There is my Live Journal blog, which I post to occassionally. I contribute to Zimmermania sometimes. I've blogged for PLA. I blogged for CML while I was at PLA. I've encouraged blogging as a learning tool for other staff. Now there's a new initiative starting at work that will have people starting blogs for work. Why would I want to start a new one? I might use the opportunity to try a different software, but then again, maybe I'll just use this one or my LJ and be done with it! But here's my question - is it appropriate to lead all those work folks to my personal blog? Do I want them all here, up in my bi'nness? Yea, I guess it's ok - I've got nufffin to hide, right? Besides, maybe one or two of them will take up knitting as a result! W00t!

Passion Quilt

I posted this at my other blog, but I've decided that I like it enough that I want to share it again and again. The idea is that you choose an image that inspires you, add a caption, and post it - like making your own motivational poster. It's a challenge that has been going around the library blog world for a while.

I like the way this came out, don't you? It's Si, of course, several years ago when he still didn't care about people watching him or what they'd think of him.

Want to try making your own? Let me know if you do!

But What Shall I Pack?

First, here are the promised pictures of the big blizzard a few weeks ago. We had over 20 inches in about 12 hours! Si, as you can see, is covered. LOL He had so much fun running around our yard and over in the nearby playground. He doesn't even seem to mind getting wet.

This is a picture of our paper delivered on Saturday. Do you see that little spot of the paper, stuch straight up in the snow about 1/3 of the way up the drive? I can't blame our delivery person at all. It was nasty! I was surprised, frankly, that we got the paper at all. We never did get mail that day (so much for the mail always getting through!).

What to pack?
I'm leaving for Minneapolis tomorrow for PLA (Public Library Association's Conference). I'll be gone Tuesday through Sunday. What knitting shall I pack? I have several projects:
Baby Surplice Sweater - I"m doing this with size 10 needles and chunky yarn. It's going to end up about size 2 or 4, Toddler sizes. I just had to get some more colors for the striping today as I'm running low on the main ones. It'll still look cool, though, I think. This is a pretty good candidate for the plane because it's easy to follow and stuff, but as I probably only have another 2-3 hours of knitting I could finish it on the plane and then be bored.

This is my clapotis! I've finally given in and decided to try one. I've cast it on specifically so that I can travel with it to PLA . . . but now I've realized that I'll want to switch colors several times throughout the 4-6 hours I'll be en route tomorrow, and I am nervous about cutting implements and airport security. Ack! This is great in all other respects, though, since the pattern is simple but not mindless, and colors are pleasing and calming, and it's silky wool that doesn't take up much room in the computer bag.

My third project for the road is my socks. You can't tell from this awful picture, but the yarn is really bright and wonderful. A cachophony of colors! Trouble is, socks can get really tedious if they're all you have to knit on at any given time. Maybe I could pack the iPod and use that to amuse myself while knitting and traveling. I wonder if anyone I know will be on the same plane. I have a vague idea I will run into someone.

Purple Hair!

I promised the kids at my library that if enough of them (50%) finished their Summer Reading Club stuff (12 hours of reading over the summer), I'd color my hair.

Well, all of our goals have been achieved and passed, so today was Turn Purple Day! My friend Billi did the honors.

I love the colors! Since my hair is already lots of colors (although mostly gray and brown), it turned a nice array of different hues from darkish brown to lavendar.

We had enough dye for my friend, Gary, to do his beard. Isn't it great?