Poetry Friday! (2 days late - sorry about that!)

Today I like you to a poem about food by Ogden Nash:

The Clean Plater

Here is an excerpt:

Some Singers sing of ladies' eyes,
And some of ladies lips,
Refined ones praise their ladylike ways,
And course ones hymn their hips.
the Oxford Book of English Verse
Is lush with lyrics tender,
A poet, I guess, is more or less
Preoccupied with gender.
Yet I, though custom call me crude,
Prefer to sing in praise of food.
Food,
Yes, food,
Just any old kind of food. . . .

. . . Never mind what kind of food.
When I ponder my mind
I consistently find
It is glued
On food.

I post this to declare that I am now an official Weight Watcher member - again. Sigh.

If you Give a Mom a Morning

If you give a mom a morning off, she's going to want to brew a pot of coffee.

But if she's going to brew coffee, she's going to have to clear off the counter first.

She'll have to put things away, and if she's putting things away she's probably going to put dirty dishes into the dishwasher.

When she sees that the dishwasher is nearly full, she'll walk through the house looking for the rest of the dirty dishes to put them in, too.

Some of the dishes in the kitchen will need to be hand-washed, so she'll get those done. A

nd, because the dishwasher is portable and will be in the way while it's running, she'll need to get the coffee on before she moves the dishwasher.

When she goes to put the coffee on, she'll need to hunt in the "sharps" drawer for the scissors to open the new packet of flavored decaff, and she'll realize that the drawer is a mess.

After setting up the coffee to brew, she'll clean out the drawer, leaving even more stuff on the counter.

Then she'll pour her coffee (done by now), get a drink of milk "just in case", and set up the dishwasher to run.

Finally, she'll sit back down at the computer to drink her coffee and enjoy her morning off, just in time to welcome her Boy Scout home from camping . . . .

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.

Cam Mail

Google introduces voice chat and video chat through their email. I likey! This will inspire me to a.) get my webcam out and hook it up again . . . and b.) get my mom to start using gmail.

Wouldn't it be great if we could cam from the library for this kind of thing? What would it mean for us if we allowed camming in public?

Create your own MUPPET!`

You must try this! But seriously - $90? And there doesn't seem to be a "put this on my wishlist" option! Hmm - maybe it'll improve with time.

10 Random Things About Me

Helene gave us all the challenge to do this . . . and, of course, you know I love love love memes and lists!

1. I marched in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade when I was a sophomore in HS, and it was so much fun! I got to see Jim Henson and Frank Oz while they were doing sound checks before riding in the parade, too. All my friends were excited about seeing Eric Estrada, but I didn't care much about him.
2. I love Indian food. My husband doesn't like it, but his friends do, so when they want to make me feel special, they take me out for Indian - isn't that sweet?
3. I think my son is one of the best artists of his age. His drawings are really amazing. Too bad he currently is so obsessed with military history that he's just drawing that stuff. I loves to draw people, though, and his faces get better all the time. They really look like the people he is drawing!
4. I love naps. I love the luxury of being able to sleep whenever I need/want to. I think I get this from my father, who takes naps all the time now that he's retired.
5. If a young person asks me to buy something to support their school programs/extra-curricular activities, I will buy something (unless I'm flat broke). I sold so many candy bars and grapefruits and cheeses when I was in band and orchestra that I can't resist helping others in this.
6. I am friends with a lot of people (no secret) because I like everyone . . . but I have very few close, close friends. I don't really understand why, but it is just the way I am.
7. I have always wanted to travel around the world, but so far the only other country I've been to is Canada. Sad, huh?
8. When I was younger, in college and before, I was planning to become a Methodist Minister. I changed my mind as a senior in college. A way long time ago, though, when I was in Middle School, I wanted to be a Librarian. Go figure. Mostly, back then, it was because I loved my school librarians (elem. and middle). Besides, if I can't be a Lounge Singer, I figure Librarian is the next best thing. (I'm secretly holding out hope that I can do both someday)
   
9. I break out in song spontaneously. Anyone who knows me knows that I have at least one song rumbling around in my head all the time. My son tells me that not everyone does. Is that really true? You don't all have music in your head all the time? Poor you!
10. I am not in any nameable generation, really. I was born right at the end of the Baby Boom, and, being the youngest of 3, I really relate more to them than to the X-ers sometimes . . . but then there are many ways in which I really am one of the X-ers. I like to think that those of us born in the mid-1960's have our own little gen going. You know who you are!
    

Sleeping Well

Ha! I slept so well the night before last that I barely made it out of bed in time to get myself dressed for work! Yesterday was one of those days that never ended, too. Work 9-5, left early to run to the IGA to buy butter before going to Simon's school, helped host the Empty Bowls event (I got the butter for the bread to go with the soup), cleaned up from that, had a quick PTA meeting (all 5 of us who stayed), and then home at around 9:15. Is it any wonder I slept well last night? Now that I've gotten up to get Si out the door, I'm going back to bed for a nap, even!

I just wanted to do a quick post since I missed posting yesterday.

The Empty Bowls event was great. The kids make clay bowls. The parents bring soups. Our great Parent Consultant managed to get a great donation of rolls and soups from Tim Hortons. The school's Orchestra performed. The school's Steel Drum Band performed. The parents and guests buy a bowl for $10 and then get to partake of the soup buffet. It's great!

Can't Sleep

. . . so I might as well fiddle around with my blog, right? KB pointed out this great post by Helene with 4 ways to analyze a blog, so here goes . . .

Typalizer says I'm either a Doer (sorry, lost the script for that, or ISTJ, which they're calling a Duty Fulfiller, which doesn't seem as accurate to me.


Genderanalyzer says I write like a woman. Go figure.

According to the Blog Readability Tester, I'm still writing at the Elementary Reading Level. Sigh.

And, according to the Business Opportunities Weblog, my blog is worth . . .:

My blog is worth $5,645.40.
How much is your blog worth?

Simon's Cat

There are only 3 of these short animations on YouTube. I'm hoping the director is making more! This one is a perfect depiction of our cat, Sam . . .

LIttle Boxes made of ticky tacky . . .

Yesterday was Sculpey Day! My BFF came over, with her daughter, and we sat around all afternoon playing with Sculpey and getting a jump-start on Christmas Crafting! I kept going until my back hurt too much to keep slouching over the table. I'm covering Altoid boxes. The darkish ones are all intended for men . . . Si's teachers, etc. Suggestions for what to put in them? I'm thinking M&M, or even mini M&Ms . . . any other ideas? I love the way the colors swirl and layer. Sometimes I cover the bottom of the box, too, but honestly, that nearly doubles the time, and taking a poll of the men in my house, I got a 100% that male recipients of these boxes won't give a darn.

Security at Library

Those of you who know me know that I take Library Security very seriously. I am a trainer for my library system, even! I nicked this vid from a colleague's blog because I think it is fabulous! This is the Library, Baby! The Library!

Poetry Friday

I share with you a bit from a poem by Gwendolyn Brooks called Aloneness:

Aloneness is different from loneliness
Loneliness means you want somebody
Loneliness means you have not planned to be somewhere with other people gone
Loneliness never has a bright color.
Perhaps it is gray.
Loneliness does not have a lovely sound.
It has an under buzz.
Or it does not have a sound.
When it does not have a sound
I like it least of all.
But aloneness is delicious.
Sometimes aloneness is delicious.
Once in a while aloneness is delicious.
Almost like a read small apple that is cold.
An apple that is small and sweet and round and col.d
And just for you.

There is more of this poem in the book Hip Hop Speaks to Children - my new favorite poetry book. It comes with a CD, which is delightfully colorful, rich in the sounds of the original poets (including Langston Hughes) reading their work.

Front pages across US

Front pages across US
Originally uploaded by hblowers

I like this collage - what an historic event! It's so cool that we can see other peoples' news online, too. It's an amazing world we live in.

Library 2.0

Well, I have come to another end, also. This is my last official post for the Learn and Play at CML project we've been doing for a few months. You've seen me posting my 23 things, and I appreciate my non-L readers sticking with me! I also warmly welcome all the new readers who may have joined from CML and might, if they're interested, and might keep reading. Welcome! In order to limit my verbosity, I'm going to do a list (also, just because I love lists).

Top Things about L&P at CML

1. Being able to explore Web2.0. It's given me the incentive to really look into some tools that I'd not used before, and to go deeper into things I've only sampled before.
   
2. Encouraging my team to explore - use their backroom time to do some fun things.
3. Seeing people finding great new tools.
4. Nifty new flash drive I'll get.
5. Thinking about ways we can use this technology to reach and serve our customers.

Final Thoughts:

1. We need to keep moving forward - don't stop here with just 23 things, but keep exploring and stay on the cutting edge. It's not enough to just do this.
   
2. When we think about using these tools, we need to remember they are tools, not the end-all and be-all of service. A really good chef's knife can do a lot, but real chefs have a variety of knives they take care of and use. We need to be the same way - the right tool for the project is important.
3. The cool gadgets aren't the whole answer to the most important question: What do our customers need and want? The first answer always has to be: excellent customer service. The next question, then, needs to be: How can these tools help us give excellent customer service?
4. How can we continue to find ways to help bridge the digital divides in our community? What do the people in poverty need to know of this stuff? How can we help them access what "the haves" have?
5. How can we use this technology to promote early literacy (you know that's always in the forefront of my mind!)?

Thank you all for reading!

The End

Finally, we've come to the end of another election season. It's been grueling! Watching network television has been painful for months. Listening to campaign speeches and watching the debates has been trying, although I've done it. Will Obama bring change? Most definitely. Will those changes be good for America? Some will, I'm sure. Some will harm the country, also, I have no doubt. It is the nature of politics. This Great Democracy that we have has it's drawbacks. IMHO the biggest drawback is that, as soon as they get elected, they start campaigning (one way or another) for re-election. Sigh. That is why I must agree with what I heard Thomas Friedman say a few months ago (paraphrasing): 4 years is not enough time to fix what is broken in our country.

So - am I happy today? Yes and no. Since I am an optimist, I will finish this Election Post with 2 happy thoughts:
1. It is extraordinarily uplifting to see an African-American family moving into the White House, and I do think these next 4 years have great potential for moving us in a good direction in some things.
2. McCain gave a very noble, very powerful speech of concession. Again paraphrasing, I love when he said that we need to all move forward together as a united America.

'Nuff said

MOLDI adventures - Thing #22

OK - I've tried it. I'm sitting here in my office, knowing I have to work this 12 hour day (at least - hoping we'll continue to have no lines at the poll this evening), and decided to try the MOLDI (Mid-Ohio Digital Library Initiative, where you can download books and movies, supposedly just with a library card) audio book and movie downloads. Grr. If I was at home, I could download all the proprietary software, make all the updates to the players and things that are needed, and download a book or movie. Several years ago when we first got this stuff, I dutifully (and excitedly, really, as I love gadgets) downloaded an audio book and a print book. It was fun, but neither one was any easier than just getting them from the L, and unless I was far away, I might as well just get them through more traditional means and not muck up my hard drive with more software.

So today, I thought "Hey, maybe things have changed in . . . what . . . 3-5 years". So what has changed? Nothing! First I looked for some titles I've been meaning to listen to: Thomas Friedman's Hot, Flat and Crowded - nothing, and then Charlie Brown's Great Pumpkin movie - nada. Sigh. Then I just browsed and found a Lawrence Block mystery I like - got that in the online book - not audio - but it's now on my computer. Big deal, though, as I don't really have a handheld that will hold it and I'm not likely to sit at a terminal and read it.

Then I found a movied I'd be willing to watch, but after about 3 download things, it told me it can't play because I need a newer edition of Window's Media Player. Grr. Same for the audio book. Blah

So what did I learn about MOLDI? It's not where I want it to be, yet, to be a happy user. That said, I do have a good friend who downloads audiobooks all the time because he works really odd hours and ends up not being able to access the physical library much. Understood.

It's not horrible - it's just not yet the product I want to use.

Great Ads

Did you know you can watch all of those great Mac/PC ads? I never realized how many there were, but I've really enjoyed going back and viewing them all.

Another Meme

1. What time did you get up this morning? 4:00 am - time change day

2. Diamonds or pearls? Rubies

3. Last movie you saw? Better Off Dead - watched it last night with Mike on the couch

4. What is your favorite TV Show? Good Eats with Alton Brown (anything with AB is great!)

5. What do you usually have for breakfast? cereal or eggs

6. What is your middle name? Fithian (it used to be Louise, but then I got married and changed it to my Maiden Name)

7. What food do you dislike? liver . . . those innard parts are icky

8. What is your favorite CD at the moment? I've been listening to my iPod, so it's a real mix of folk, R&B, blues, rock & roll, alternative, Christian, Country, and a little rap

9. What kind of car do you drive? Purple PT Cruiser, or our Neon

10. Favorite sandwich? BLT, especially if the T's are good

11. What characteristic do you despise? egotism

12. Favorite item of clothing? skirts with pockets

13. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? Europe or China

14. Favorite brand of clothing? Lands' End

15. Where would you retire? near Simon, I think . . . but that's a long ways away

16. Favorite birthday? I've had a lot of good ones, but my fave have to be the ones we celebrated at Rendezvous - the re-enactments - with a few dozen musicians jamming around the campfire until the wee hours of the morning

17. Favorite sport to watch? I like watching sports live, but I'm not too big on watching them on TV - except I like them all more now that I'm knitting. Oh wait, I do like watching figure skating and synchronized swimming.

18. Beach or Mountains? both!

21. Are you a morning person or a night person? morning (see #1)

22. What is your shoe size? 7 - 7.5

23. Pets? 2 cats, Samwise and Rosie

24. What's your favorite holiday? Christmas for the traditions and music, Easter for the meeaning

25. What did you want to be when you were little? first I wanted to be a nurse because our nurse costume had a blue cape . . . but then I realized that real nurses didn't wear capes (and what's the point, really, w/o the cape?), so then I was undecided for many years until school because our Librarians at school were great - but then in early HS I wanted to be a Minister, but that changed in late college . . . .

26. How old are you today? 44, but I usually feel, in my head, like I'm only 12 or like I"m 100

27. What is your favorite candy? dark chocolate with nuts

29. What day are you looking forward to? Thanksgiving, when I can spend all day making a fantastic meal for my family (well, for part of my family) - seriously - I love having time and room to cook

30. What are you listening to right now? crickets and the breeze

31. What was the last thing you ate? raspberry cobbler - yum - hmm - sounds like a good breakfast food

32. Do you wish on stars? no, not really - I'm more likely to pray

33. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? just one color? I think I"m more like one of the handmade crayons we've made, with bits and pieces of lots of colors in them

34. How is the weather right now? a little cool, but unseasonably warm, considering it's November

35. Last person you spoke to on the phone? Main Library Security when they called yesterday afternoon to check on us after a customer called 911 from our phone because she'd been assaulted down the street

36. Favorite soft drink? Diet Cranberry 7-Up - but I usually drink water

39. Favorite restaurant? Pita Hut, currently - love those falafels!

40. Hair color? brown, light brown, blond, and lots of grey

41. What was your favorite toy as a child? I don't know - dolls, I guess: Barbies, kiddles, trolls, etc, where we made clothes for them and stuff - imaginative play

42. Summer or winter? Fall

43. Hugs or kisses? both - and keep em coming!

44. Chocolate or Vanilla? chocolate

45. Coffee or tea? both, but always decaff

46. What is under your bed? cord for electric blanket and lots of dust bunnies

47. What did you do last night? watch movies on the couch with Mike

48. How many keys on your key ring? 11, but 3 of them belong to a friend for whom we sometimes cat-sit, and one of them is for Mike's bike lock - so I realized I need to clean that key ring!

49. How many years at your current job? nearly 7 years in this position, 21 at the L, total

50. Favorite day of the week? Friday, because if I'm working it's because I will prolly have a real weekend (2 days off in a row), and if I'm not working . . . well . . . I'm not working!

51. How many towns have you lived in? 3 if you count college

52. Do you make friends easily? I make friends easily, but it takes a long time for me to make close friends

53. Who inspires you most? I get inspired by hopeful stories of people who've done great things for other people to make a difference in the world

54. Who do you want to tag to do this meme? Everyone who reads it! Then let me know if you've done it.

More on the Carousel Pilgrimage

Our trek to NYC last weekend to see and ride the old, restored carousel made the NY Daily News, along with a lovely pack of extra pictures (pic #1 is my cousin, Kim and Aunt Nancy)

Podcasts Thing #21

You know, I've got mixed feelings about podcasts. I love the idea. I love that anyone can basically start their own radio show. Video show, too, if they are vlogging. Thing is, I have a short attention span. I like listening to what people have to say about things . . . but then my attention wanders if the podcast is more than, say, 20 minutes. I've enjoyed Lime and Violet . . . but it's too long for me to listen every week. I've tried Sticks and String, too, but still . . . too long. I think podcasts just aren't for me every day. Once in a while, I can geek out on what other people are saying about knitting . . . but I'm not into putting them on my iPod and taking up my music/book space.

But maybe that's just me?

I do like exploring the directories that L&P suggested. I hadn't really spent much time searching for podcasts before, since the first few I listened to didn't thrill me. It's good to know those sources are out there, though.