Halloween

OK, here's the afore mentioned post.

The picture I happened upon while cleaning shows some of the kids that attended our Halloween party in 1981. Since they are in costume and it was some 25 years ago, I won't bother identifying them here. I am Holly Hobby in the center, standing next to the clown (who was my first boyfriend!). The witch to my right is my sister.

You can find Mary's Halloween pictures here and here.

You can see BerryBird and SodaBoy here.

And Graham here and here.

Thanks for participating! If I missed anyone, let me know and I'll add you.

Happy Halloween!

My neighbors, the pod people

I really dislike coming home in the near dark to discover that our yard is practically the only one in our neighborhood that hasn't been raked within an inch of its life.

We had strong wind with gusts over 50 mph this past weekend. When I left for work this morning every yard was strewn with leaves and sticks. Somehow, while my fiance and I were working, everyone else in the neighborhood found the time to clean their yards. The gremlin next door went so far as to blow the leaves on our side about 8 feet back from his chain link fence. Why didn't he just blow them in a big old pile by the side of the road for us if he was going to go to all that effort?

Yesterday, as we pulled out of the driveway, I happened to glance in his direction (something I rarely do for fear of the dreaded Direct Eye Contact) to see him heave an armful of sticks that he'd been picking up in his yard over the fence into ours. I am so ready not to live next to these people. How do they all lead lives that allow them to spend so much time grooming their freakishly uniform yards?

Am I really supposed to go out there in the dark after work to rake leaves and pick up sticks? Not bloody likely, my friends.

"Slabs of Chocolate"

I have learned yet another one of life's many lessons:

Stocking up on Halloween candy the week before is only a good idea if you get a kind that you don't like!

They are the perfect thing to take to work for that hankering you always get mid-afternoon, or to munch on when you get home without risk of spoiling your dinner, or late in the evening when you only want a few bites of something delicious. My poor fiance will just have to buy more before Tuesday.

One Year

Today is my one year anniversary at this job. I had worked in the same office for the previous two "busy seasons," but last year I was hired on permanently. It may not be my dream job, but it has security and benefits. If you had told me in college that I would have a job riding a desk and staring at a computer screen all day long, I would have laughed in your face. But here I am.

Happy anniversary to me. This calls for chocolate.

And if you were patiently waiting for brilliant posts to resume after the stress of the paper faded, I hate to disappoint you. I haven't bothered working myself up into a stress-related froth over the poster session yet (that day will come, don't worry), but I feel very uninspired. Nothing witty this way comes.

I need to stop taking these quizzes

I don't have anything insightful to say, so ...

Your Quirk Factor: 53%

You're a pretty quirky person, but you're just normal enough to hide it. Congratulations - you've fooled other people into thinking you're just like them!

How Quirky Are You?

Class-related stuff

Well, I finally heard from my partner after yet another (more panicky) email. We've exchanged rough drafts. Hopefully, the ball is rolling and we can finish this tonight. Oh, the optimism.

I find I am not much for blogging when I am overly stressed, so perhaps after tomorrow's class I can relax a smidge. Although then I may just transfer my stress to the upcoming poster project who's due date is fast approaching.

I have, however, finally decided what class I will try to register for for the spring semester: an intro to Digital Libraries class. I say "try" because it is an online class that will only be open to campus-based students after the distance ones get their whack at it. Don't worry, I have some back-up plans.

When can I panic?

I would like to point out to anyone who may not know this, if you have a group paper due in three days and you have made no attempt to respond to your partner's pleas via email, then you suck!

I mean really. We are supposed to submit one paper. How can we do that if you continue to ignore me? I have now written a rough draft of said paper, but I would like your feedback and involvement. Is that too much to ask for?

What might have been

I have a tendency to dwell on things past. As a result, I've been thinking about the way my life could've turned out had some of the decisions I've made been different.

~ I might've received my bachelor's degree from Boston University in Marine Biology.

~ I might've stayed with the field of Environmental Interpretation and be working at some really cool park or nature center.

~ I might be living in Florida and not be dreading the coming winter.

~ I might be a Navy wife living in California.

~ I might be a nurse working at a local hospital.

Intellectually, I know that it does me no good to dwell on the past, but at the same time I can't help but think reflecting on some of the decisions I've made could help me better weigh my options when presented with my next life-changing moment.

You were how old?!

Last night I met for the first time with the other 3 students I will be working with on our poster project. The issue we will be presenting is "Preservation vs Access." We came up with a rough sketch of our poster and a graphical theme. We split the group into pairs to make it easier to orchestrate the research end. And we did some chatting and getting-to-know-you small talk.

It was really nice. It's been a long time since I had the opportunity to meet new young, intelligent people with similar interests. I definitely lucked out with my group in that I actually like all of them.

At one point we were chatting about a local bar that one of them frequents by campus. It brought back a lot of memories, and I remarked how the last time I'd been there was in 1998. One of the girls in the group said very quietly, "I was 13 in 1998."

Dang.

Why I Want to be a Librarian...

So I don't have to pay $59.99 for this kick-ass costume from Target.

Because, obviously, they must issue these uniforms along with the MLS degree.

I expected better from Target. Besides, what do the male librarians wear?

(There was an interesting discussion over at the Library Garden on this costume last Friday. I find myself agreeing with Peter Bromberg's take on the whole thing. Check it out.)

Soup Lover, I am

One of the things I miss most about my last job was that it was located downtown, right near a little bakery. Not only do they make the best chewy, yeasty, moist loaf of bread, they also make damn good soup during the non-summer months. They make one variety every day. Take it or leave it. When it's gone, it's gone. Try back tomorrow.

I wouldn't say that I am a picky eater. But I would say that, generally speaking, there are a few things I would avoid in a soup, like hot spices, sausage, or beans, for example. When it comes to Pasta's soup though, I would try almost any of them, because they are that good. Always. Plus, they give you a hunk of that delicious bread, which is prefect to dip in the broth or to ladle a bit of the soup into your open mouth. Have a napkin handy to wipe your chin. It also works well to moderate that extra bit of spice you thought you wouldn't like.

Now that it is cooler outside, I can't help but think about and miss the wonderful soup from Pasta's. My gourmet shrimp bisque from Wegman's is yummy, but it's no mushroom and barley or chicken and rice or, well, you get the point.

Working Hard

Over the weekend I spent 10 hours working at the new house, 6 on Saturday and 4 on Sunday. My eyes are burning, my sinuses are plugged, my nose is like a faucet, and my lungs are filled with crud (cough, cough). I can't face going back there tonight, but I know I should. If only to get a couple of the many bags of trash to put out with ours here for pick-up tomorrow. My over-stimulated mucus membranes need a break.

I'd like to do some of my homework, but unfortunately I left the two readings and the quiz material at work where I'd been hoping to look at them during lunch. But eating vending machine chips in 4 minutes before dashing off to a meeting isn't conducive to studying.

*** I found a picture of me taken on Halloween, 1981 while cleaning in my old bedroom Saturday. I plan to scan it and post it on the 31st of this month. If you would like to post an old childhood photo of yourself in costume that day, please let me know and I will provide a link to your picture in my post (kind of like Beth did over at A Cup of Coffey). ***

The Comfort Meme

courtesy of jo(e):

Comfort Beverage:
English Breakfast tea with milk and sugar

Comfort Chair:
I guess my loveseat, but it's not something I think about.

Comfort Read:
The Anne of Green Gables books by L.M. Montgomery

Comfort Television/Music/Movie:
Law & Order or General Hospital
anything by the Dead
The Sound of Music

Comfort Companions:
Emily, my mom, my sister

Pre-Class Tour

Last night, prior to the start of class, we had an optional tour of an audio laboratory & archive located in a small building on campus that I'd never even noticed existed. It's not a field that I have any particular interest in, but I figured it would still be a worthwhile experience.

The tour itself was only 45 minutes and we ended up only making it into two rooms. We, unfortunately, did not get into the archives themselves before running out of time. The sound room had tons of elaborate equipment and Escher-esque walls. The sound engineer demonstrated how audio quality can be improved on old albums and celluloid or wax cylinders.

The best part of the tour was getting to hear a cylinder played on a gramophone (you know, the thing with the big flower-like speaker). That was very cool.

My Day Off

I took the day off today for two stupid reasons:

a) I had not managed to do my homework for the one class I am taking that meets tonight. Hello, time management issues? I can't seem to find time for work, class, the new dog, sleep, and my fiance. My fiance and my classwork seem to be getting the shaft these days. And class will be picking up big-time in the next week or two with a paper and the group poster assignment. It's looking bad for my fiance if I can't figure out how to organize my time better.

And

b) Paulie got neutered yesterday and I was worried about him cooped up in the kennel all day with nothing to do but lick his two (yes, two) wounds. The darling little "free" dog was in possession of a cryptorchid (an undescended testicle), which jacked up the overall bill for the vet an additional $143. It's really too bad he's so cute and lovable. Sigh. And potentially more worrisome is the EKG abnormalities that will require further investigation. So much for free. (But I love him! Hug, hug.)

Cake Batter!!!

I was introduced to the most heavenly ice cream this weekend. At the ice cream chain where you pick the flavor you want and the add-ins you want, and they smush it all up for you on a big slab of cold marble. You know the place. I was informed I simply had to try the cake batter ice cream. So I got that with strawberries and graham cracker pie crust. Fantastic!

This coming from someone who used to mix up brownie batter and store it in tupperware containers in the fridge for snacking (or breakfast), raw eggs and all. In college, I kept a tub of the dry mix for brownies or cake in the kitchen and would eat spoonfuls of that (yes, dry). I've also been known to stash tubs of store-bought frosting in my bedroom. Please don't actually bake those cookies!

So you can see why this ice cream is perfect for me. And you can see why it's a good thing the ice cream shop is at the dreaded evil mall and always has a dreaded long line.

But YUMMY. (I want some right now. Can you tell?)

Not Ready

On my second trip outside with Paulie this morning, we walked about halfway down the block. It was a beautiful morning. The sun was bright, the air was crisp and cool (about 39 degrees F). A red maple was in full glory, the crimson leaves still clinging to the branches and settling on the dew-covered ground. I counted the houses I walked past whose furnaces were sending plumes of steam above the roofs. I love mornings. But I'm not ready to turn the furnace on.

A Pleasant Surprise

I sooo did not want to go to class last night. I was sooo tired that the very thought of a 3 hour class sounded like pure torture.

But just to show me that life is never predictable, class was very satisfying. We had two guest lecturers from Academic Libraries, and one of them turned out to be the director of the library from my undergrad institution. I worked for her for 3 years through the work-study program.

I hadn't seen her in over 8 years, so that alone would've been a nice enough treat. But, as it turns out, she is a delightfully funny and dynamic lecturer. She turned a description of how she got to where she is today into a captivating and amusing lecture. I wish all professors had such well-defined senses of humor.

Plus, she specifically mentioned me by name, saying it was nice to see former student workers in the classroom. Warm fuzzies.

Wednesday Whining

And now for my version of Phantom Scribbler's Wednesday Whining:

* I am so tired. I can't remember the last time I wasn't exhausted. Paulie is still adjusting to his new home and barks on and off all night long. In fact, it appears to be getting worse, not better. Or maybe the exhaustion is making me delusional.

* I haven't finished the reading which is due by class tonight. Nor do I expect to, since my only opportunity will be during lunch today. And since I haven't finished the reading, I can't very well participate in the discussion on WebCT. And yes, class participation is a large portion of the overall grade.

* I have to be involved in 3 interviews for temporary staff today. But I doubt anyone will actually listen to my opinion, so it feels like a waste of my time. (Especially when I could be doing my reading for class...)

* The open-ended house situation is stressing me out. I need to know when I should be requesting days off, when to rent the dumpster, when it will be OK to arrange for the trim work to be done without causing disturbances. I'm itching to get to work because there's so much to be done. I want to be in the new house before the snow flies. Last time we moved it was in February and that just sucked. Plain and simple. Sucked.

* Between work and class, I no longer have time to get any exercise. Not that I was a big exerciser before, but I like to take the occasional walk, and now I am limited to wandering around the yard trying to mentally force Paulie to go potty. Which, as you can imagine, doesn't work very well and isn't exactly aerobic in nature.

* I also have no time for recreational reading, which is why I still haven't finished my Banned Book Week selection, The Sun Also Rises.

* Have I mentioned that I. Need. Sleep. Badly. No? Well, I do.