Thankful in 2010

Last year, I was able to list the things I was thankful for the day before Thanksgiving.  This year, I am a week late, but I still wanted to ponder the things I am thankful for this year.  In no particular order (with many a repeat, I am sure):

• my adorable, patient, loving husband
• my dogs Brinkley and Nia
• the time I had with Jake at the beginning of the year before losing him all too soon
• my family
• my friends
• books
• rain
• snow
• wine
• my home library
• my home
• my cozy, warm bed
• sweatshirts, t-shirts, flannel pj pants, and cozy socks
• fires
• my health and the health of the people I love
• my job
• Disneyland and my upcoming visit there
• sushi
• comfort foods like pasta, mac & cheese, chicken chili
• Diet Coke
• David Gray
• tv shows I love: Fringe, Friday Night Lights, Breaking Bad, Community, Glee, Mad Men
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer reruns
• ARCs, whether paper versions I receive in the mail like Across the Universe and Wither, or from Netgalley like We All Fall Down and Delirium
• the holiday season
• professional involvement through YALSA and other branches of ALA
• The Beekman Boys and their goats
• other animals that make me smile like goats, chickens, and bears
• the good luck one earns by waving hi to cows
• dogs and all the people who care for them
• Love Actually
• my DVRs
• love
• friendship

I hope you had a warm and comforting Thanksgiving!

Thursday Tidbits 7/8/2010

The past week has been a blur, between the Fourth of July (which involved a couple different gatherings), working summer school, and some personal stuff that has kept me busy.  (Nothing bad, just busy.)  My sleep has also been terrible; many nights of 3 – 4 hours, no naps during the day.  I am tired all day, yet come night, I can’t sleep.  So I have not accomplished as much as I had hoped this week.  This has also resulted in not finding as many awesome things on the internet to share!  I just have one:

Eclipse with lolcats!

If you’ve never seen the rest of the lolcats on Pop Suede, they are worth checking out.

In other news, I received my seat assignment for the David Gray concert I am attending next month – front row!  I am so excited!

Thursday Tidbits 7/1/2010

I’m back from ALA and I think I have recovered! It was a great conference and I will write about it in the coming week. For now, to ease back in to the blogging habit, I thought I would do my old Thursday Tidbits to share stuff I am loving right now.

• Are you watching The Fabulous Beekman Boys on Discovery’s Planet Green?  I am loving this show so much.  Two NYC guys who have been together for 10 years buy a farm out in the country.  They grow vegetables and care for 80 goats, some pigs and chickens, and one awesome llama named Polka Spot, with lots of help from Farmer John.  They also make and sell soap from their goat milk.  One of the guys, Josh, still maintains a job in NYC so he commutes every week, leaving Brent to work full-time at the farm.  The editing, of course, really plays up the fights and drama, but you can tell Brent and John love each other and the life they have built.  My favorite thing is that they have a goat cam in their barn, so you can go online to watch the goats (and Polka Spot!) whenever you want.  I admit to pretty much having it open on a browser tab at all times.  Goats are awesome.
• BP’s Coffee Spill – very funny!  Less funny: an oil-soaked wave.
• If you didn’t follow Jamie’s Seventeen Magazine Project while she was doing it, it is worth going back and reading her blog about it, and what she has done since.  The next time someone complains that all teens are getting less intelligent, show them this.
• Why LOST fans should start watching Fringe, if they are not already.
• A blind fox becomes a foster dad – very moving.
• I embrace this 100% - Why I’ll Never Be an Adult (strong language, FYI).

That’s it for today.  Coming soon: ALA-related posts and pictures, MANY book thoughts, and why you should get your library involved with Wrestlemania this year!

Thursday Tidbits 4/15/2010

Happy National Library week, and happy tax day!  Today is the last day to ask your Congressperson to support libraries – ALA makes it so easy for you!  Go send your email now!

• I’ve mentioned my love of goats before, so I have to share the pictures Martha Stewart posted on her blog of adorable goats and chickens and other animals!  Thanks, Jen!
• Who doesn’t love puppies?
• How well do you know Judy Blume? I missed 2 for a score of 82%.  I couldn’t remember the phone rings or the dedication.
• A simple rule that makes you a more polite texter.
• Did you grow up in the Sassy era?  I don’t mean later Sassy when it was bought out, but early Sassy, of Jane Pratt and Karen Catchpole and Christina Kelly.  The great Christina Kelly has a blog now, and it is new and already on my must read list.
• While I grew up mostly in the 80s (graduated from high school in ’93) I have a lot more love for the 90s and often find myself annoyed with the 80s things people love.  So I was excited to find the blog Children of the 90s.
• Amen to the blogger at The Fine Cut who wrote about inconsiderate people at the movies.  I’d pay more to see a movie if there was one theater for people who wish to talk and use cell phones and another theater for those of us who desire the quiet darkness to get lost in for 2 hours.

Thursday Tidbits 4/8/10

Tidbits!

• Stephen Colbert vs. dogs from the Middle East – so funny!
• Left over from St. Patrick’s Day - the Muppets sing “Danny Boy.”
• You really must watch this video about an orangutan and a dog who became friends.
• Still don’t believe dogs are awesome?  Check out this dog who helps an autistic boy attend school.
• I might need this clock from Think Geek.
• There are a few women I know that I would love to send this to.
• Jasper’s hair might be the worst think about this picture from Eclipse, but there are a few other things running close behind.

Thursday Tidbits 4/1/10

It’s been a while since I last did Thursday Tidbits!  I promise there will not be an April Fools prank in here.

• While doing research on Washington D.C. for YALSA, I learned that the Newseum has an exhibit on First Dogs!  I am dying to get into the city to see it, and check out the rest of the museum.
• I love hearing about kids-reading-to-dogs programs.
• School Library Journal has a great article by R. David Lankes on what is missing thus far in e-readers.  Gave me some food for thought as I’ve been playing with a Kindle this week and feeling less than impressed.
• Casting The Hunger Games – if they hire KStew or Dakota Fanning, I will cut someone.
• In Which a Girl Reads has an interesting blog post on the popularity of abusive/negative romantic relationships in YA lit.
• It’s so silly, but Michael Buble Being Stalked by a Velociraptor makes me giggle.
• NPR covered 10 movies that would have different endings if Nicholas Sparks had written it.

Thursday Tidbits

Wow, all the snow we have been getting in the DC metro area has been crazy!  We haven’t had school since Thursday.  You would think that after a week off, I would be all caught up in things that need to get done, but no – I have wasted so much time just watching the snow and going out in it.  The practical side of me says this is such a waste of time, but the rest of my disagrees.  I have never seen this much snow fall in such a short amount of time.  I find the snow so beautiful, and the cold always pleases me.  It is also awesome that in a time of technology, Mother Nature can still make everyone pause.  Extreme weather can bring out the best and the worst in people.  My husband has been helping a lot of our neighbors dig out, and he’s also been helping people get cars unstuck.  We lost count of how many times someone has gotten stuck driving down our residential road and cars just stack up behind them, waiting for the first car to dig out, but never getting out to offer to help.

I hope everyone is staying safe and warm whether facing the SnOverload or some other February weather.  In the meantime, here are some Thursday tidbits!

• If you still need proof that dogs are better than cats, this article speaks in the favor of dogs.
• Regardless of your politics, you have to admit that Bo in the snow is very adorable!
• Tips from my county on being prepared to take car of your pets in an emergency.
• If you like movies, you might want to give the Mean Dawg Top 5 podcast a listen.  I am friends with a couple of the guys, and they quit making new podcasts a while ago but recently announced they are picking it back up.  They pick a topic and each bring their list of top 5 movies in that topic and debate and argue.
• Have you seen Gone With the Wind With Vampires?
• Have you seen Bruce the Funny Dog?
• On a serious note, a great blog post from a teacher explaining the way increasing class sizes affects his teaching.
• An interesting article about the difference between Baby Boomer parents and Gen X parents from the viewpoint of a school administrator.

Bear Portraits by Jill Greenberg

Bear Portraits by Jill Greenberg: read in November, 2009, copy purchased for myself

I LOVE THIS BOOK.  Jill Greenberg previously did Monkey Portraits, and decided to turn her camera on bears.  She worked with trained bears, all of whom have experience in movies and TV – she includes each bear’s bio in the back.  The book has an introduction where Ms. Greenberg talks about her experience working with the bears, then the rest of the book is devoted to the bear portraits, with various quotes sprinkled about.  The quotes come from a variety of sources, and they enhance the reader’s enjoyment of the photos.

Ms. Greenberg is skilled with bringing out a human-like quality in the bears, while also including photos that remind you that these are fierce animals who you would not want to encounter in the wild, nor attempt to own as a pet.  Her story in the intro about working with the polar bear reinforces the idea that while these particular bears are trained, they aren’t docile puppies.  The portraits are gorgeous, and it is as if you can almost stroke their fur right on the page.

This is a book I will return to again and again to admire the animals and Ms. Greenberg’s skill.  It will be enjoyed by all ages – anyone who is fond of animals and the art of portraits.

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Photo Friday

I love Virginia wine country!  These are from a wine tour I put together 2 weeks ago.

The first winery we went to was Aspen Dale.  The building where they do the tastings is actually an old barn they have converted.  If memory serves me, the building is over 200 years old!  The tasting was great, with foods to pair with each wine.

A pony at Aspen Dale:

 

The 2nd winery was Miracle Valley.  They hosted us outside under a tent, and they had an adorable dog.

 

Thursday Tidbits

I’ve gotten a little behind this week, so posting has been content-lite this week.  Hopefully next week, I’ll be back on track. For now, a couple thing:

• Trying to decide on a fast food place?  Check out this hilarious flow chart.

• It’s possible that men who marry smart women live longer!

• A ten tear old Arkansas boy has decided not to say the pledge until we truly have “liberty and justice for all” through the freedom for all to marry.  CNN interviewed him, and he’s an articulate, serious kid, who also happens to be wearing an awesome shirt.

• Speaking of CNN videos, if you like goats, you should watch these two goats try to catch a ride on a bus.  I know we can’t let the pigeon drive the bus, but what about the goats?

• I have to take my dog Jake back to the vet today.  He was diagnosed with arthritis earlier in the fall and has been on Rimadyl.  This worked for a while, but he’s back to limping again.  I’m trying not to worry as he seems to be fine besides limping – he eats, still runs around, bringing us balls and ropes, barks at everyone who walks by.  It isn’t affecting his quality of life – yet.  I don’t know what the vet will suggest, so I need to wait and see.  He’ll be 8 this January, which is getting up there for a dog, but he’s a 60 pound mutt, so he should have several more good years left in him, and I want to keep him around as long as possible.

• I saw the film Precious this past weekend.  It is a good movie – well acted, emotional, and sure to receive some Oscar nominations.  I never truly got into it, although my friend shed some tears so it must have been me.  It tries to end on a hopeful note, but I do feel like it is a little false, knowing the time period and the obstacles Precious faces.  I can only assume the book ends the same way, although I have never read it.  I did like that after leaving the theater with illiteracy on my mind, I saw the following bumper sticker on a car, “Those who do not read are no better off than those who cannot read.”

• I’ve started a shelf shifting project this week in the fiction section of the library.  I do realize that I’m gambling a bit with circulation still continuing, but over the past year, things have just gotten out of sorts.  A few random empty shelves, some with just 5 books and some about to burst at the seams.  Of course, I can’t help but weed while I do it, which helps make room but makes the project take longer.  I enjoy it, though. Staring at the shelves, trying to figure out a good place to break the letters down to the next shelf, trying to decide how many books I want to leave.  While it seems to offend some people when we weed and/or spread books out so there are less per shelf, I’m a big believer in doing it.  First of all, it’s a sneaky way to make the library look like it could use new books, so people don’t think the budget should be cut.  Second, I think it makes things visually easier to find.  Third, we don’t have a good display area in the library, and when I’ve tried to make one, it doesn’t get much traffic.  So I like to use the empty space on the shelves to display books.  It catches the eye, makes the shelves jump out at you, and seems to encourage browsing.