Where's My Cow

current reads

2008-01-18T15:22:00.000-05:00

Dont Call Me Ishmael Michael Gerard Bauer YA - Middle school - antibullying recommend
The Remains of an Altar Phil Rickman AFic Not his best. but the Elgar theme was fun
Consigned to Death Jane K Cleland AFic not enrolled
Blasphemy Douglas Preston - maybe some other time - religiosity was overwhelming

Finished listening to Over Sea Under Stone -- hated for it to end, love the book love the audio, love Susan Cooper

2007-12-12T20:25:00.000-05:00

Terry Pratchett is ill

2007-12-07T17:15:00.000-05:00

Saw this on Serenity's blog (did you know that is the name of my house?) and couldn't resist -- now i have got to figure out the rating system

Fun Myers Briggs Blog - We need some Fun

2007-12-01T16:26:00.000-05:00

You Are An INFP

The Idealist

You are creative with a great imagination, living in your own inner world.
Open minded and accepting, you strive for harmony in your important relationships.
It takes a long time for people to get to know you. You are hesitant to let people get close.
But once you care for someone, you do everything you can to help them grow and develop.

In love, you tend to have high (and often unrealistic) standards.
You are very sensitive. You tend to have intense feelings.

At work, you need to do something that expresses your personal values.
You would make an excellent writer, psychologist, or artist.

How you see yourself: Unselfish, empathetic, and spiritual

When other people don't get you, they see you as: Unrealistic, naive, and weak

What's Your Personality Type?

The Mom Song

2007-11-19T21:16:00.000-05:00

this is fabulous -- thank you Joanne L for sharing

Vacation Pictures

2007-10-12T21:41:00.001-04:00

from picasaweb.google.com

23 Where do we go from Here?

2007-10-12T15:50:00.000-04:00

What were your favorite discoveries or exercises on this learning journey?
That my technical skills have not yet atrophied and that my colleagues are as amazing as I have always suspected. Meezes are fun and RSS Feeds are not. Most IT problems are still permissions issues -- and Yahoo needs to STOP hijacking my Feeds when I want them to go to Bloglines.

This style of learning is very well suited to me. We have more computers than people in our house, and I like doing a little bit here and a little bit there as it suits me. I could not do this at work, it is too thought consuming for the Public Desk (at least for me) and the team environment I cherish in our workroom is the opposite of the solitude I require in order to write a coherent sentence. That others have managed to do this in that environment truly amazes me, vive le difference.

22 Downloadable Audio

2007-10-12T15:41:00.000-04:00

Thank you Howard County Library -- the MP3 player was loaded up with books and went to Italy with me -- 10 books weighing .3 oz, sounds cool right? I am really really bad at remembering to charge things -- my cell phone is dead more often then live. So of course there was that problem when it died on the beach ... Much better headphones are needed then earbuds on planes -- I had forgotten how loud airplanes are, but I did finish a major chunk of "Thursday Next - First Among Sequels". Back to the beach thing, I like to listen to the ocean and read, that is not the same as listening to a book and listening to the ocean which does not work nearly as well. Then there is the conversation thing, not the heavy duty kind, but the desultory kind you can have while reading that you do not hear with earbuds in your head. And my ears hurt.

OK.. a little off track .. what was I supposed to be writing about? Thanks to John Jewitt for the secret of the little thingie you needed to change to make your mp3 player actually play audio books. I was supposed to read the manual -- hah!

21 Podcasts Podcast.com

2007-10-12T15:25:00.001-04:00

Yahoo is closing down its' podcast site on October 31st-- whats up with that??

searched on podcast.com and found the podcast site of the Denver Public Library. There are some really good children's stories recorded on there -- and that got me thinking -- hmmm.... Penny Theater , LapTheatres, some one else reading -- it's good to change it up in a program
Podcast.com

Wow! Denver Public Library has the most amazing Children's Site -- check this out -- I am sooo jealous --- just out my bloglines on the sidebar for the RSS feed

Yahoo! apologizes deeply, but we will be closing down the Podcasts site on Oct. 31, 2007

20 from YouTube Coton de Tulear - Jerry goes mad

2007-10-12T15:14:00.001-04:00

totally like bathtime at my house times 2

Is there anyone left on the planet NOT familiar with YouTube --- even my totally computerless parents have viewed at others houses or heard references

I would LOVE to see little YouTube videos of the Ready by Five, or shorts from the some of the hysterical Children's Specials --- but there's that only takes pictures of feet thing I still haven't shaken --- technology is no substitute for talent

19 Widgets

2007-10-11T11:41:00.000-04:00

For those who have become overwhelmed by the technical jargon of 22Things, a widget is just a thingie that you can add to an on-line presence (blog, website, whatever). There, that helped a lot, I'm sure.

I tried the three award winning widget sites, and my winner is SpringWidgets. How did I judge? I typed the word literature into the search box and this is the only site that had any literature widgets. I have added a wonderful quote site as a widget Check out "The Downer's Blog"

18 Zoho and web based word processing

2007-10-10T21:30:00.001-04:00

This is written in Zoho which seems to be a full featured online word processor. Does the world need one more editor, I don't know but this is a very decent one.

This is written by editing the post after publishing as I was not sure how successful this would be.
We are having fun now

17 The Sandbox

2007-10-09T11:45:00.000-04:00

See Cotonmom's Favorite Things which are, unsurprisingly, Coton's

16 Wikis - Why I love Wikipedia

2007-10-09T11:17:00.000-04:00

Need a list of the Midsomer Murders in Episode order - see Wikipedia. Need a list of just about every book series, TV series, Film a patron -- yes yes customer --- asks about -- there it is. Just like every other source the more you already know about the subject the less a wiki is for you, but for getting up and running someone has something out there --
Library Instruction Wiki - Stop reinventing the wheel
I really like the openness of this site, makes it handy as a reference. And the idea of 2.0 in 15 minutes a day is good for a laugh -- OK it was my choice to spend 45 minutes investigating Squidoo
but I'm just saying .....

15 The Future of Libraries

2007-10-09T08:40:00.000-04:00

Does this sound pretentious to anyone else? Pleeze.

Away from the Icebergs
Rick Anderson's problem of a 55% drop in circulation over the past 12 years is not just about the Web. If so the trend would be more widespread. His point on making things intuitive enough that users don't require special education to use the library is good, but hey ... its a University - isn't the idea of education built in there.

Is there any other profession that spends so much time agonizing over whether there is a future for that profession? More concentration on shaping the future we want to see, less hand wringing please. Reminds me of that Monty Python scene...

14 Technorati

2007-10-09T08:22:00.001-04:00

OK Have a Technorati button, claimed my blog, and my own favorite (gotta test that button!) For those still looking for the Italy pictures they are coming.

Tags work like MARC records, only a lot less thought is put into them. Grumble for the day :)

13 del.icio.us

2007-10-09T08:05:00.000-04:00

Earlier in our story I complained about using 5 different computers on a regular basis, and what a hassle to deal with different OSes, softwares, and oh yeah ... where's my bookmark. Thank goodness for del.icio.us where I have been stockpiling most of my work related bookmarks and just for fun sites. Not yet ready to store all of those Billpayer sites etc. as privacy is still a relative concept on the web. TTFN

12 Rollyo

2007-09-27T15:36:00.000-04:00

I'm backkkkk... and have created a little Rollyo of some Kids Games sites (the usual suspects, pbskids, Noggin, Nickjr etal.) that I will send Kids to on the Children's computers. Any place else and they have to have their designated grownup get them there, I am not comfortable putting kids on sites they cannot get to themselves ...

vacation pictures are forthcoming -- the digital camera has not yet been downloaded .. ahh technology

LibraryThing #11

2007-08-26T21:09:00.000-04:00

This was soooo easy -- just entered the isbns and up popped all the info. I was hoping for a simple widget that shows me what books I am missing by this author. If anyone out there reading this knows of one --please post a comment

Meez #10

2007-08-26T20:51:00.000-04:00

Just got back from a depressing shopping trip - four hours and nothing to show for it. Meez is a great antidote - so much more fun to create a wardrobe for virtual me

Merlin and Library Related Blogs

2007-08-21T09:26:00.000-04:00

For capturing my initial thoughts, read mahjchick, or just read her blog because it is fun and anything that brings a smile to your day is a Good Thing. I started reading blogs with the great ones, like Librarian Avengers and the Lipstick Librarian. The technical blogs don't interest me as much, perhaps a bit of "been there , done that, have the scar tissue".

Looked at Feedster, Topix, Syndic8, liked Technorati although not the name which has this elitist connotation not borne out by the very down to earth interfaces.

My prize for best blog for pure reading pleasure is Books to the Ceiling If you are fortunate enough to know Robert Rood, she writes exactly as she speaks, eloquent and scholarly. Her readers advisory and recommendations have led me to both re-read classics with an adult appreciation for a well told tale (very different than that of a student up against a deadline for a paper :) and to discover new small press authors whom hopefully will continue to write so that I may read.

Bloglines RSS Feed #8 and more technology grousing

2007-08-16T11:07:00.000-04:00

My bloglines feed is set up and running, my requirement is fulfilled. Now I have bloglines, yahoo feeds, feeds on my toolbars -- none of them are consistent, fueling my technology insanity. Where is that feed from Mike and Jen's Xanga? What did I do with Kim's Children's Literature wiki?

At work I use three different computers on a regular basis, two of them shared so that nothing is configured to my personal satisfaction. At home I use two computers regularly (I am currently on my XP desktop) and the wireless laptop in the great room. Occasionally I use my husbands desktop as he has some softwares I don't, as well as the household files. Too many machines. Don't even get me started on the difference in the softwares between those machines.

For any out there that missed this great video "Medieval Helpdesk"

A Few Thoughts about Technology 7

2007-08-15T15:31:00.000-04:00

Libraries, we are the alpha and omega in technology, aren't we?
We have the first rock that someone wrote on,lovingly archived in the most space-age hermetically sealed advanced chamber produced:)
We are high-tech wi-fi earbudded Vocera wearing digitally correct folks who morph into flannel board producing , cassette playing, off-key singing (OK that's just me) high touch analog storytellers at the ring of a bell.

No one cares how much you know, until they know how much you care

Librarian Trading Cards

2007-08-15T15:05:00.001-04:00

Giles in the motorcycle jacket, you gotta admit, that was a hot librarian. So many great things about that show, the snarky dialogue, the quirky plot twists, and enough teen angst to fuel an entire YA Collection. Catch the reference to the Central Library?

A Drowned Maidens Hair ,

2007-08-15T14:17:00.000-04:00

A brief digression from the process while I rave about this wonderful book by Laura Amy Schlitz. Chapter One "On the morning of the best day of her life, Maud Flynn was locked in the outhouse, singing "The Battle Hymn of the Republic". Grabbed my attention.

A very historically authentic story about an orphan girl adopted by spinster sisters who run a business as spiritualists, a very popular enterprise in the late 1800's. Maud Mary Flynn is eleven, passing for nine, when the sisters train her to become a key player in their deception of grief-stricken clientele. As a tween, I thrilled to the Mary Stewarts, Victoria Holts (precocious child) and this book has that same wonderful Gothic atmosphere without all the adult complications which I would skip over as uninteresting.

Laura Amy Schlitz is a local author, and the lower school librarian at the Park School in Baltimore. And now back to "Mashups"

Exploring Flicker Discovery 5

2007-08-14T09:25:00.001-04:00

Daydreaming about my upcoming vacation -- Positano, some Rome - but the majority of the time in Positano. It is great to find really current photographs , or at least recently uploaded as this was taken last year.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gaetanoastarita/
For truly current shots, I love the webcam at La Sireneuse
http://www.campaniameteo.it/webcampositano.asp

Let's see, bad knees, doesn't like heights, can't swim --- what was I thinking!!! On the other hand, beautiful scenery, great wine and food, and no one swims in the ocean anyway -- it is going to be great.

23 Things - 7 1/2 Habits of LifeLong Learners

2007-08-13T10:17:00.000-04:00

The easiest and hardest of the habits is the same one - Having confidence in yourself as a competent effective learner. Recently graduating from graduate school, I feel confident in my ability to learn. There is a certain familiarity with technology. On the other hand, digital cameras frighten me and they seem to take pictures of feet where ever I point them! The confidence always seems to come after the learning, not before and during when I could really use it. Ever onward.

Read Watched Pondered

2007-08-13T08:57:00.000-04:00

Will comment later -- must run

Read
The Accidental Florist by JillChurchill
A Family Concern by Anthea Fraser
Double Take by Catherin Coulter
The Bad Quarto by Jill Paton Walsh
A Secret Rage by Charlaine Harris

Watched
Stranglers Wood
Death in Disguise
The Killings at Badgers Drift