Round Up

In my last post I mentioned the book The Young Visiters by Daisy Ashford, and I also mentioned that there was a movie adaptation of the book. Well, the same co-worker that told me about this delightful story loaned me his copy of the movie. It was wonderful. I love when people tell you about something that you have never heard of before and you end up falling in love with it, and it becomes part of you.

What ever happened to Anacin? Bufferin?

I love almost any rendition of Ode to Joy that I have heard, but I think this is my favorite.

I came across and interesting journal in my travels-Borrowers and Lenders: The Journal of Shakespeare and Appropriation. It's a journal that discusses the all of the different media that borrows from Shakespeare's many works. Here are the articles from the current issue.

Knol-Google's Wikipedia.

Chocolate Chip Popcorn Brownies.

Cake Wrecks-when professional cakes go horribly wrong.

Something else I had never seen before are these very collectible calendar tiles.

I think I wrote A's and my front yard grass woes. After all of our hard work last fall, digging the front yard out by hand (thankfully it is a small front yard), doing everything we either read about doing or were told by so-called experts, we had gorgeous, golf course grass (without all of the horrid chemicals that golf courses use to maintain all of that Emerald Isle green). It was growing so fast A. had to start cutting it in very early spring. The neighbors were giving us lots of compliments on the yard. As soon as the horrid hot weather started, we could see the grass getting browner and browner. Now the entire middle section is dead. We are finished. We have spent a ton of money on this yard so now we are hiring a landscape architect to give us guidance. Last year our water bill was astronomical with all of the watering we did. We are both fairly demoralized with anything to do with homes. We really wanted to sell this year, but with the housing market in the dumps (and really someone should see prison time for this fiasco) it looks like we will stay put for awhile. It will be interesting to see exactly what the problem is with the yard. It seems to be like me and just wilts as soon as it gets too hot. Who knows???

One more vent and then I'm through. What I long for in my next job, along with fair, unbigoted treatment, a decent salary, and congenial co-workers, is for work and lunch rooms. When I was in library school we visited quite a few libraries and so many of the newer ones had at least a designated work room. My favorite was at a library quite close to where I am located. Not only does this library have a work room, it also has counters and tables that are high enough so that most people don't have to damage their backs to work at the counter. If someone is particuarly tall they had wonderful stools to sit on. Bliss!!

Have an interest in History blogs. Here is a list.

The author of The Dante Club, Matthew Pearl, has some book suggestions for Dante lovers.

The 25 Most Modern Libraries in the World.

Norman, Oklahoma home of the National Weather Center.

That's all for today folks. Have a good one.

“The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who in times of great moral crises maintain their neutrality." Dante Alighieri

Round Up

His 90th birthday was last Friday (7/18/08), but there are celebrations all month for Nelson Mandela. If any someone is looking for a hero, this man is the real deal. Happy Birthday Madiba.

I love when someone can open your eyes to something that you never knew about, and then all you want to do is find out more information about it. A co-worker asked me if I had ever heard of the book The Young Visiters. The author is Daisy Ashford and she wrote this book when she was 9 years old. The story about the book is delightful and then my co-worker told me that they also made a movie of the book starring Jim Broadbent and Hugh Laurie. I have been reading the book online through Project Gutenberg. I thought I would do this before I purchased my own copy. I'm not finished with it, but it is charming and very funny. Here is some information on the author, Daisy Ashford and the IMDB (Internet Movie Database) entry for the film.

As of late I have been working on a project for work about Web 2.0. I ended up learning "everything there is to know about the 23 Things project, but was afraid to ask." It turns out the School Library Journal is doing a 23 Things project. They are opening it up so that anyone can take part and learn about Web 2.0

It's sad that I never learned about Jackie Ormes. It's sad that I never learned about a lot of the achivements of women, and women of color. Both groups were woefully absent in most of my formal education. Jackie Ormes was one of the few American of African descent, female cartoonists. And what is also a shame is that she is from my area in Southwestern, PA-Pittsburgh (well I'm from 40 miles south of PGH, but you know what I mean). Learn more about Jackie Ormes here. Here is her Wikipedia entry.

As I have noted numerous times-Summer-hate it. I loathe it more than anyone can possibly imagine. However, there is something about Lewis Carroll's poem, A Boat Beneath a Sunny Sky that somehow lessens my hatred.

Along with all of the numerous islands and cold-weather places I would like to visit, Gander, Newfoundland has appeared on my radar. Some of you may have heard of Gander when so many flights were re-routed there on 9/11/01. I did a bit of research and found out some interesting factoids about Gander. This place is chock full of aviation history. Here is the Wikipedia entry and some cool facts. I just looked at some of the demographics for Gander and there appears to me only 50 black folks there. I guess I could move there and make it 51.

The National Book Critics Council has a blog named Critical Mass.

Don't forget to get your campaign chocolates.

I must have this pan so I can bake my favorite mode of transportation, and then you know, eat it.


Ronel Jordaan is a textile designer with some very unique designs. Look at her wonderful pebbles/rocks. They are felted.

Have fun with the collage machine.

Have a good day.

"As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."-Nelson Mandela

"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world."-Nelson Mandela

Round Up

The Job Trade Administration. I wish something like this existed. I want there to be such an entity whose sole purpose is to find people who want to work close to where they live. For example, there is a public library within walking distance of my home. I'd have to cross a busy highway until they build a bridge there (that's all in the future), but I still could walk to work again. Oh, how I miss that. I am just betting that there are people at that library who not only live closer to where I work, but would love my job. Why can't we trade? If we have similar skill sets, experience and credentials, why not? Better for the person, better for the environment. Win-win.

Please read the Laundress' post June 25th post about the Amazing Albanian Women. Who knew, and I can't wait to see this documentary. Thanks Laundress.

This New Yorker cover is abominable and should be "under fire."

The New York Times has a nice article on 31 Places to Go this Summer.

Save your fingers with the Fortune Teller Finger Guard.

I'm sure you have all seen the commercial with the lovely, young African woman sitting in her village while the voiceover tells the audience that she can't go to school so many days out of every month because she doesn't have access to menstrual supplies. It breaks my heart and brings tears to my eyes every time I see that commercial. Goods for Girls is an organization that is trying to provide access to menstrual supplies for these young girls.

List of U.S. city nicknames.

Isabella Rossellini is the bomb. Watch Green Porno and be amazed.

100 new words added to the Merriam-Webster dictionary. Cool!!!

YouTomb is a research project by MIT Free Culture that tracks videos taken down from YouTube for alleged copyright violation.

Talks at Google (YouTube).

J.K. Rowling gave the commencement address at Harvard. Do you remember who gave your commencement address? For my undergrad it was Helen O' Bannon. I didn't attend my grad school graduation so I don't know who the speaker was.

How well do you know your candy bars? (it may take a moment for the content to load)

It's Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's 250th anniversary. Look at all of the happenings.

Google Maps Mania is a blog about all of the different entities Google Maps has influenced.

The Map Room and Strange Maps. (i think I have mentioned Strange Maps before.)

"Maps are art with a purpose." Lloyd Brown

Round Up

Congratulations Venus and Rafael.

I want the Bookeye Book Scanner. I want every library across the land to have one, and I want one for my own personal use.

The Pathfinder plant very cool indeed.

Right this minute I am listening to Nat sing Mona Lisa on my Pandora Radio station. It's very easy to set up your own "station" and lots of fun.

I love learning about new islands. I still harbor my fantasy about being able to live on my own private island. No cars, just horses, bicycles and maybe a golf cart. I sometimes think I seek a serenity that no longer exists.

I came across 2 blogs about private islands- The Private Islands Blog and The Official Private Islands Blog.

One of these blogs directed me to the Solvetsky Islands. Here is a New York Times article on the Solvetsky Islands. And a New York Times slide show of island sites. What a fascinating place to visit. I'll have to add it to my ever-expanding list of places to go.

Whenever I see craft projects like the Linen Pear Sachet Tutorial, I always wish we would have made things like this when I was a Scout.

Also, a tutorial on how to make tuxedo and wedding dress strawberries.

Have a good week.

Hot town, summer in the city
Back of my neck getting dirty and gritty
Been down, isn't it a pity
Doesn't seem to be a shadow in the city Summer in the City by Lovin' Spoonful