Friday, January 24, 2003
Notes from the Reference Desk
* I get more proposals and invitations for dates just for helping people find information they need than I ever do in the real world. It is a pleasure to say, "Oh, thank you, but this is my job, and job satisfaction is sufficient." (I guess that's a pretty librarian-y response, as well.)
* It is a very bad idea to assign a premenstrual librarian to many reference desk hours at the beginning of a semester.
* At least I am mostly working weekend evenings and during the Super Bowl, when the place should be dead quiet.
* People who love books often say they wish to be librarians, which has become more & more ironic as the library environment evolves further toward the thoroughly digital. (For the record, though, I do not believe that "traditional" books will ever be obsolete.)
* Since most periodical indexing only goes back a century or so, digital databases & indexes came along just in time and are the best thing since bottled wine. Consider the alternative: paging through a hundred or more volumes of a single source index (say, to the New York Times) to look up a single term, only to have to go through a hundred more for another source. I fell in love with print indexes at a young age, but even I hit my limit when I realized how much more efficiently it could be done with technology.
* I get more proposals and invitations for dates just for helping people find information they need than I ever do in the real world. It is a pleasure to say, "Oh, thank you, but this is my job, and job satisfaction is sufficient." (I guess that's a pretty librarian-y response, as well.)
* It is a very bad idea to assign a premenstrual librarian to many reference desk hours at the beginning of a semester.
* At least I am mostly working weekend evenings and during the Super Bowl, when the place should be dead quiet.
* People who love books often say they wish to be librarians, which has become more & more ironic as the library environment evolves further toward the thoroughly digital. (For the record, though, I do not believe that "traditional" books will ever be obsolete.)
* Since most periodical indexing only goes back a century or so, digital databases & indexes came along just in time and are the best thing since bottled wine. Consider the alternative: paging through a hundred or more volumes of a single source index (say, to the New York Times) to look up a single term, only to have to go through a hundred more for another source. I fell in love with print indexes at a young age, but even I hit my limit when I realized how much more efficiently it could be done with technology.
Thursday, January 23, 2003
Army of God easily outnumbered in the City of Good Neighbors!
In freezing snowy weather, no less. That's my town. Stamina, yo.
In freezing snowy weather, no less. That's my town. Stamina, yo.
Monday, January 20, 2003
Toronto
Got so stir crazy in the cold & limbo that I decided to visit Toronto in the sub-zero weather. Had a lovely time, visiting and having Ethiopian food.
In the restroom at the resto.
At the Cadillac Lounge (a kind of Elvis-y, honky-tonk place), we caught a great band, Taxi Chain. Their music was, we concurred, completely uncategorizable ("the funkiest nagpipe combo on the planet"), featuring mandolin and tenor sax and a bagpipe. Sometimes folk would get up and jig. Those crazy Canadians.
I ended my visit in the best possible way, with a few hours in the hot tub and sauna at the Elmwood Spa, followed by a massage. Not quite Kabuki, but lovely.
***
Everytime I go to a spa or retreat, I find I am consumed with thoughts of starting one myself. I know exactly what I like and what I don't. I like a little soft music. I like a whispering rule. I like clothing-optional. I like it not to be like a gym. I like a cold plunge. I like the little extras: cold water with lemon in it, cucumber for the eyes, washcloths, free soap & shampoo in the showers, free q-tips, lotion, some sea salt to scrub with in the steam room. I like some weak green tea. I like to be outside a bit sometimes. I liked the terry robes at the Elmwood, the elegant brick building. I like massage to be available but not mandatory. I like no time limits. I like it to be a little bit dim, not too flourescent or chlorine-y.
One day....
Got so stir crazy in the cold & limbo that I decided to visit Toronto in the sub-zero weather. Had a lovely time, visiting and having Ethiopian food.
In the restroom at the resto.
At the Cadillac Lounge (a kind of Elvis-y, honky-tonk place), we caught a great band, Taxi Chain. Their music was, we concurred, completely uncategorizable ("the funkiest nagpipe combo on the planet"), featuring mandolin and tenor sax and a bagpipe. Sometimes folk would get up and jig. Those crazy Canadians.
I ended my visit in the best possible way, with a few hours in the hot tub and sauna at the Elmwood Spa, followed by a massage. Not quite Kabuki, but lovely.
***
Everytime I go to a spa or retreat, I find I am consumed with thoughts of starting one myself. I know exactly what I like and what I don't. I like a little soft music. I like a whispering rule. I like clothing-optional. I like it not to be like a gym. I like a cold plunge. I like the little extras: cold water with lemon in it, cucumber for the eyes, washcloths, free soap & shampoo in the showers, free q-tips, lotion, some sea salt to scrub with in the steam room. I like some weak green tea. I like to be outside a bit sometimes. I liked the terry robes at the Elmwood, the elegant brick building. I like massage to be available but not mandatory. I like no time limits. I like it to be a little bit dim, not too flourescent or chlorine-y.
One day....
Thursday, January 16, 2003
One good turn deserves another
I parked like a jerk last night when I came home from the Jazzbird gig, but I didn't realize it till this morning. Drove to work, and saw that some minivan driver had also parked like a jerk, taking up two spaces in our already desparately crowded lot behind the library. I parked 3 lots away, grumbling, but while walking to the library passed a car with its lights on. Knowing the corollary that cars with lights on often also have an unlocked door, I tried the driver's side & sure enough, found it open. Switched off the lights. Walked on feeling more cheerful.
So many emotions lately--impatience, desire, frustration, restlessness, boredom, longing to be of help. Planning a jaunt to Toronto this weekend in hopes that a change of scenery will soothe my soul a bit.
I parked like a jerk last night when I came home from the Jazzbird gig, but I didn't realize it till this morning. Drove to work, and saw that some minivan driver had also parked like a jerk, taking up two spaces in our already desparately crowded lot behind the library. I parked 3 lots away, grumbling, but while walking to the library passed a car with its lights on. Knowing the corollary that cars with lights on often also have an unlocked door, I tried the driver's side & sure enough, found it open. Switched off the lights. Walked on feeling more cheerful.
So many emotions lately--impatience, desire, frustration, restlessness, boredom, longing to be of help. Planning a jaunt to Toronto this weekend in hopes that a change of scenery will soothe my soul a bit.
Wednesday, January 15, 2003
Sunday, January 12, 2003
Saturday, January 11, 2003
Thursday, January 09, 2003
Tuesday, January 07, 2003
Epiphany
Yesterday was the Christian holiday of Epiphany. Aptly, Joe Todaro and I have begun preparations for our own festival of consciousness, Urban Epiphany. It will be held April 27, 2003 at the Unitarian Universalist Church at Elmwood and West Ferry in our beautiful city.
For those who don't know, Urban Epiphany is a community gathering of all local poets, each of whom are invited to read for two minutes each. This takes some hours, during which folks come and go, laugh and cry, get caught on film & generally have a better time than they expected to. Because Joe and I are both Tauruses and I am a librarian and Joe so helpful, the event is almost frighteningly tightly organized, which damn near guarantees a good time for all, but requires that if you want to participate, you contact us early, like now.
Yesterday was the Christian holiday of Epiphany. Aptly, Joe Todaro and I have begun preparations for our own festival of consciousness, Urban Epiphany. It will be held April 27, 2003 at the Unitarian Universalist Church at Elmwood and West Ferry in our beautiful city.
For those who don't know, Urban Epiphany is a community gathering of all local poets, each of whom are invited to read for two minutes each. This takes some hours, during which folks come and go, laugh and cry, get caught on film & generally have a better time than they expected to. Because Joe and I are both Tauruses and I am a librarian and Joe so helpful, the event is almost frighteningly tightly organized, which damn near guarantees a good time for all, but requires that if you want to participate, you contact us early, like now.
Monday, January 06, 2003
Saturday, January 04, 2003
A Little Tenderness
l love my town. An hour of darts at my bar. Meanwhile, defrosting the fridge, and a quick trip home to check on drip and dog. A little groove to Stevie W.'s "Superstition." Then back out with Jae-boy ( technically a girl) to Mohawk Place (where I always seem to drink too much & cry) but where Mike Campagna & the Average Johnsons were playing, with my pal Liz Abbott sitting in to sing. And John Allen, playing sax, which can never be beat unless Kim Preston is in the house, in which case they should duel.
Mike asked me up to do some of my poem "Kali Yuga" at an instrumental break. (There is clear reason I've been watching music so avidly for going on 21 years, but it is not only this...) I spoke, shouted, sang my bit and stayed onstage with Liz to sing some back-up and sat back down to huge applause, more than most poets ever see but this is my town, it's my town.
And now it is just shy of 11 pm and I have ravioli on thew stove & real Grandma Guercio red sauce which no one could ever be sorry to consume. Ella Fitzgerald & Blondie on the jukebox. This is my life & I am happy in it.
l love my town. An hour of darts at my bar. Meanwhile, defrosting the fridge, and a quick trip home to check on drip and dog. A little groove to Stevie W.'s "Superstition." Then back out with Jae-boy ( technically a girl) to Mohawk Place (where I always seem to drink too much & cry) but where Mike Campagna & the Average Johnsons were playing, with my pal Liz Abbott sitting in to sing. And John Allen, playing sax, which can never be beat unless Kim Preston is in the house, in which case they should duel.
Mike asked me up to do some of my poem "Kali Yuga" at an instrumental break. (There is clear reason I've been watching music so avidly for going on 21 years, but it is not only this...) I spoke, shouted, sang my bit and stayed onstage with Liz to sing some back-up and sat back down to huge applause, more than most poets ever see but this is my town, it's my town.
And now it is just shy of 11 pm and I have ravioli on thew stove & real Grandma Guercio red sauce which no one could ever be sorry to consume. Ella Fitzgerald & Blondie on the jukebox. This is my life & I am happy in it.
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