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I'm a library science student who also runs a small library in a residence hall.
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Tuesday, November 18, 2003
Fun with the Church Sign Generator (I started to center this pic, but decided that I'd rather align left...)
I'm supporting Dean for president, and I hope you will too. I could never vote for Gephart, Lieberman, Kerry, or Edwards because they voted for the war and the Patriot Act. I don't like Wesley Clark -- though I must give him credit for hiring someone with a sense of humor! Kucinich...good guy...doesn't have a chance. I love Carol Mosley Braun, and hope that President Dean has a place for her in his administration. Al Sharpton...while Al has been entertaining at times in the debates, telling it like it is, he totally lost my respect when he accused Dean of being racist. Al, you know that's not true, and it's not very Christian of you to lie like that to get publicity. BTW, where's the Green Party this year? I'd have liked to see Nader in the debates. Lost in translationMarketing translation mistakes (The Locum one has to be the funniest ever...)Monday, November 17, 2003
These libraries know exactly what they are doing. They even have rooms full of computers, videos, DVDs and CDs now to lure young people through the door.(from LISnews) Saturday, November 15, 2003
(Look for me to revisit this issue in five years.) Wednesday, November 12, 2003
 Last night, Candace Bushnell, author of Sex and the City, spoke here at IU. She gave a wonderful talk to an auditorium packed with women. Afterwards, she signed autographs and posed for pictures with adoring fans. By the time I got to the table, she had been chatting, posing, and signing for nearly an hour, but she was still full of energy and looking fabulous. I was amazed how much she reminded me of Carrie on the show...that should be the other way 'round I guess... Anyway, Sarah Jessica Parker has her down pat, the way she rakes her hand through her hair, the way she talks, the body language...it's amazing. She is only 5'6", but her long thin arms and legs make her appear much taller. She wore a grey sweater, silver pants, and, of course, a fabulous pair of Manolo Blahnik heels. Monday, November 10, 2003
Yet another reason I love my church...
Who did I meet at church service on Sunday afternoon? Bestselling author James Alexander Thom. Now, this was just too exciting. I have recommended his books to people many times in the past, both while working in an independent bookstore, and in libraries. After the service, I worked up my nerve, introduced myself as a fan and a librarian, and asked if I could take his picture. He was very nice about it, and even a touch bashful... This caused me to reflect on earlier famous author encounters... Walter Dean Myers: I met him at ALA 2000 in Chicago. He was very nice and autographed the audiobook of his latest novel for me. I read lots of his books when I was a kid. (Once I find an author that I like, I tend to read everything that they have written.) Richard Preston: I went to a talk he gave at the local university in the mid-90s. His book, The Hot Zone had just come out in paperback, and I had really been selling the heck out of them at the bookstore, and recommending it to everyone I knew. He gave a great talk, funny, engaging, etc. and at the end announced that he had paperback copies of the book to give away, and that he would autograph them for us. My cousin and his friend had also come to the presentation, and we chatted while we stood in the long line. My cousin needed to drive his friend home to a town in Southern Illinois -- about an hour's drive -- so they had to give up waiting and leave. I offered to get their books signed for them, and continued waiting with now three books. When I got up to the table, I was about to start gushing about how much I loved the book, and how I had sold so many at the bookstore, etc. but when Mr. Preston saw that I had three books, he made a snide comment about it. (I don't remember the exact words, but the gist of it was that I was being greedy, having taken three books instead of one.) I wanted to explain, but I was mortified and speechless...I just stood there biting my bottom lip and fighting back tears, until he handed me back the books and I rushed out, embarassed beyond belief. While the actual author encounter was disappointing, I still love that book, and would recommend him as a speaker. Thomas Rockwell: My mom took me to a booktalk by him in circa 1981. I loved his book, How to Eat Fried Worms, and I remember that that was the first time that I had encountered an "epilogue" in a book. (I had a heck of a time trying to sound that one out!) Many, many years later, when my friend Jackie's kids showed no interest whatsoever in reading, I read them the first chapter of, and then gave them How to Eat Fried Worms. The episodic nature of it hooked them, and they finished the book -- even fighting over it at times. I gave them Bunnicula and it's sequels next, and then turned them on to Harry Potter, of which they are still fans. Wednesday, November 05, 2003
Rockin' the VoteYesterday, I got up at 4:30 (okay, maybe I hit the snooze button a couple of times) to go work at the polls for the local Democrats. My shift was 6am to 10am, then they asked me to work on the phone bank, so I did that for three hours, calling people in two precincts. One of the names on my list was "Bill Hayden", now there's a Bill Hayden running for city council, but it could be another Bill Hayden right? It's not an uncommon name... So I called him up and did my little shpiel -- a slight variation on the script that they had given me -- he chuckled and told me that he had already voted, and that BTW, he was running for city council. We had a good laugh.Last night, I kept tabs on both the elections here, and the races back home. Here in Bloomington, Mark Kruzan, the Democratic candidate, won by about 3000 votes. Back home in Evansville, Democrat Jonathan Weinzapfel defeated incumbent mayor Russell Lloyd, Jr. by a 2 to 1 margin, thus proving what I've been saying for four years, "You may get elected on your daddy's name (Russell Lloyd Sr.) and reputation, but you can't get re-elected on it." Rockin' the Vote Pt. 2
L to R: Charlie, Bill, Bob, Betty, and Elizabeth All the people that I worked with at the polls yesterday were in their 60s and 70s. This is pretty typical. I would really like to see some younger people working the polls. We have primaries coming up in May, and since it will be a presidential election year, it should be more exciting than usual -- please consider working at the polls next year. Monday, November 03, 2003
I was told that the reason that there are so many students in the library school right now is that many people went straight from undergrad to grad school -- sounds like it was a good idea. |
