This and That... but mostly THIS

More changes...

I was a stay at home mom for years.  I knew that when my kids graduated from high school and flew the nest, I needed a plan to keep me busy and my mind active.  I sat down and made a plan.  I wanted to pursue my dream career.  I wanted to be a librarian.  I had worked in a library in college, and I loved every single minute of it.  When the kids were in elementary school, I volunteered in the school library media center, and I knew that this was what I wanted to do.  The media teacher let me experience what it meant to be a school library media specialist, and I became a substitute teacher so that I could gain that experience.  I took a part time job in my local public library, and got more experience working in the library world, and I knew that I wanted to be a librarian.

I sat down and made a ten year plan.  We're looking back to 2005 here.  I planned out how to get a Masters Degree in Library and Information Science while raising kids - and figured out how to do so without breaking the bank while we were saving to send the kids through college.  After much research, I found the online Master's program at Drexel.  It had everything I was looking for, and it was certified by the American Library Association - meaning that the degree would be recognized anywhere in the United States.

Unexpected things happened along the way.  We moved.  I lost a job.  I had to take a year off of my studies when my Dad got very sick and eventually passed away.  But I never lost sight of my final goal.  When the economy began to loosen up, I began substitute teaching in order to gain more experience.  My goal at that time was to become a School Library Media Specialist. (SLMS)

Well, that goal never quite came to fruition - I did a lot of stints as a SLMS over the course of five years of subbing, but I never was offered a job.  So, after I graduated from Drexel, I began searching for a library job that was outside of the school system.

I had one job - part time - no benefits - in an Academic Library.  I earned the startling sum of $200/week for 20 hours worth of work for a position that required an MLS.

I found another job last year.  Again, part time, with no benefits, but this one paid me significantly more than the last.  It was in a public library - and I do adore public libraries!  You can't put a value on what their services add to the community.

Through it all, I've loved every single minute of my job - even when I was working for ridiculously low pay, I still loved what I was doing.

Earlier this week, I got an offer to move up to a full time librarian position!  I get to stay in my wonderful little public library, and work with the best team of people I have ever had the honor of working with!

It is my dream job!  And It only took 12 years from the time I sat and wrote down exactly how I was going to make this happen. 

I'll keep the blog up as much as I can - but it's going to be less.  Over the past year, I've written less and less.  I will post at least once a week.  I'm hoping I can post twice a week.  I will definitely be posting on Mondays.  I'm going to shoot for another day during the week, but I can't promise which day during the week the post will be going up. 

I would like to thank everyone who takes the time to check in with me over the years I've kept the blog up and running.  Believe it or not, having a place to write down my thoughts has been a sanity saver more than once!


Peace!

This and That

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 Eclipse

The eclipse of the century is over.  We've got 7 years until the next eclipse in the United States.  Were you in the path of totality?  We were well outside the path of totality, with about 80% coverage here in Maryland.  I made a pinhole viewer and a pinhole projector to see the eclipse, and we were able to watch the eclipse through the viewers and on the reflection off the hood of the car, as well as through the shadows of the leaves on the trees.  It was a fun afternoon for a science geek!

I punched several holes into my pinhole viewer and look!  Many little eclipse shadows!

I love this!  The light coming through the leaves of the trees made mini-eclipses!

We also made a pinhole projector out of a tube of wrapping paper.  Here, you can see the eclipse at it's totality in Maryland in the shadow on the envelopes.  We really, really enjoyed playing with the shadows!  The light was really dim here during our totality.  We never got totally dark, the birds kept singing, but the light was very odd.

The OTHER Eclipse
No, people were not amused when I put this up in our workroom along with our pile of lost sunglasses over the weekend....

Another Overdose
The 23 year old who lives around the corner from us died of a drug overdose over the weekend.  Even one more is too many more.  I've lost count this year.  My oldest son's graduating class has been decimated.  6 years after graduation, 300 kids total, we've lost almost 30 of them to drug overdoses.  That's 10%.  That's just in our tiny little community.  I can't imagine what this looks like on a national level.  We are losing the next generation!  What can we do to keep our kids safe?  What are we missing?  What do we need to change to help these kids? 



On my Nightstand

Sherman Alexie is the well known author of several books including "The Absolutely True Story of a Part Time Indian".  I'm reading his most recent release right now.  I am not certain what I was expecting, but it certainly wasn't the stark look at the life of a Native American growing up on the reservation with alcoholic parents.  It's a painful look deep into the heart of a man and a people who have been systematically stripped of their cultural heritage and their hope.   Anyone who has grown up with a parent who struggled with addiction can relate to his tale.  As he relates his own story of growing up and coming of age in this very difficult environment, you see the true strength of the man, and the depth of the love that holds him firmly in this world.

Reading this book right on the heels of Undefeated, the Jim Thorpe story has definitely made me think about the plight of our Indians - how they have been treated them in the past, and how we continue to treat them in this so called "enlightened" time.  I've had a thought provoking couple of weeks of reading. 

This and That

Viewing the Eclipse
Much of the United States will be in the path of totality for the upcoming eclipse.  Here in Maryland, we are only going to see a partial eclipse.  I am very excited about the upcoming  solar events!  Next Monday I am headed to one of our local libraries in order to safely view the eclipse through the solar filters the Astronomical Society will have set up outside.  I'm not buying eclipse glasses.  I am making a pinhole viewer, (here: https://www.nationalgeographic.org/activity/build-a-solar-eclipse-viewer/family/) and I will be watching the live stream of the event in real time on the NASA website. https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/eclipse-live-stream

If you're going to be outside observing the eclipse next week, remember that it is NEVER safe to look directly at the sun.  You can do permanent, irreversible damage to your retinas.  You can watch the eclipse using the eclipse glasses, but with the number of recalls I've seen for the glasses, I'm not certain that it's safe.

Whatever you choose to do, keep your eyes safe and healthy!

On My Nightstand

I remember hearing about Jim Thorpe when I was a kid.  I've always heard about Pop Warner, but I'd never put the two together, and I never really understood the impact that the two had on the sport that we call American Football.  While this is catalogued as a children's book, the material is presented in an engaging narrative that everyone will enjoy. 







Catapults
I had a library program last week where we built catapults out of craft sticks, rubber bands, and spoons.  We built castles out of cardboard blocks, and then we used our catapults to launch marshmallows at the castles.  Did we get them over the castle walls?  We did with some of them!  Curious to see how we made our catapults?  Check out the directions I found on the web here:  http://theresjustonemommy.com/2014/11/11/simple-craft-stick-catapults/

Beans, Beans, Beans, they're good for your heart...
Middle child is home for good.  He doesn't have a professional job yet, so I've hired him to finish the huge pile of odd jobs that I have around the house that need to be done.  By God, talk about progress! It's worth every penny I'm paying him.

The big bonus is that the kid loves to cook, and he is good.  He makes the best pot of beans I've ever eaten.  We've had at least one pot of beans every week since he's been home.  He makes a huge Dutch Oven full, and it provides us with meals for several days.  I'm eating a lot of beans - and um... yeah.. you know how the rhyme goes:

Beans, beans they're good for your heart.
The more you eat the more you fart. 

Enjoy your Monday!

This and That

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On My Nightstand

Technically, not on my nightstand!  It's in the CD Player in my car.  This is the original NPR Radio Drama of Star Wars.  It was originally produced back in the 1990's.  There are two carryover voices from the motion picture - Mark Hamill (Luke) and Anthony Daniels (C3PO).  The voices of the other characters are not the same as the movie, but they are FANTASTIC voices!  This is a drama, not the book, so you have a cast of characters to listen as they narrate the story.  The original soundtrack by John Williams is included in the recording.  There is nothing like driving down the road with the Star Wars theme blaring out of your speakers between the spellbinding episodes!

Hey, for those of you who are die hard Star Wars fans, these episodes contain information that was in the books, but only hinted at in the movies.  In the course of my 20 minute commute to work, I can listen to one entire episode.  

ALS Sucks

Six years ago, one of our cousins was diagnosed with ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease).  We've all watched as his health has slowly deteriorated over the years.  The worst part of it for all of us was that as his body declined his mind remained fully active and engaged. 

When his diagnosis came through, he and his wife traveled every where they had ever wanted to travel, and seized every moment as it came along.  They gracefully battled through the disease together, never once dwelling on the negative but always focusing on the positive.

He lost his battle with ALS last week.  He was 42 years old.

As a way to honor him and his memory, our kids went out on an adventure Friday afternoon.  They went to the zoo on their own and made some memories!  They stuffed themselves onto the bronze nest and took a picture of themselves.  They took a ride on the kiddie train, and they picnicked along the Jones Falls.

Carpe Diem.

This and That

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On My Nightstand:

I'm still working my way through Born to Run!  I'm almost finished with it, but it has sucked me in on so many levels.  First, there is the story of Bruce, and his single minded determination to succeed against the odds.  How he managed to survive on less than $20 a week, with little more than his bold, brazen confidence to see him through.

Then, there's the second level that the music and his books speaks to. A much deeper level - and I don't know if it was intentional on his part, or if I'm reading more into his book than he intended.   Many times, Bruce is lamenting the life that he fled from in his songs - the working class life that his parents lived - and how quickly that entire class of life is disappearing.  That working class group of people that was able to live a middle class life with good factory jobs was beginning to disappear in the late 70's and early 80's.(A decline that continues to this day.)    Having recently finished the book Hillbilly Elegy, I see how the tales of despair and hopelessness have become interwoven.  Both Bruce and J.D. Vance are telling the story of the working class - stories that we all need to hear before they disappear.

My favorite kind of reference interview!

I'm looking for a book
said an adorable little girl, who is missing her two front teeth.
What kind of book?  I asked.
Bithcut.
????
Bithcut?  What does bithcut look like?
You know, Bithcut the Dog?
Ahh.... those missing front teeth!   


The Peach Orchard

Look at those pears!

Last week, daughter and I spent our day off roaming through the Pennsylvania countryside.  We drove up to a used book store, stopped by a beautiful library (pictures to follow later this week), and stopped by an orchard.  We are at the height of peach season right now!  I bought a big box of peaches, and I've had to hide them from my family - my crazy family that will put down a box of peaches before I even get a chance to have one.  So, half of the peaches are hidden deep in my fridge, and I've been eating them for breakfast and lunch.  The rest of them were gone within the first hour after my husband came home.




Word of Wisdom

Dr. Scott Parazynski was promoting his new book The Sky Below today on CBS This Morning.  He is the only astronaut to have climbed to the top of Mount Everest. In the course of the interview, he said something that has stuck with me, and I wanted to share as my closing thought:

The pathway to success is non-linear.  You have to accept some failure along the way.

-Dr. Scott Parazynski

This and That

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This is one of my rare weekends off of work, so you get to put up with a "special" post from me on a Sunday!

On My Nightstand
The BOSS!

BRUCE!

I'm really enjoying Bruce's autobiography.  I don't want to stop reading.  The same voice that comes through so clearly in his songs is so very clear in his book.  His lyrical compelling look back at his life will leave you laughing and shaking your head, and sometimes in tears as you contemplate his honest look back at his own life.  I admit - I've been flipping through the book, reading things well out of order. (And I've enjoyed every minute of it!)

Bruce's voice was a part of the soundtrack of my coming of age in the 80's.  His music has always resonated with me, and carried me through times both good and bad. Reading his book, I realize that his music has been the focal point and strength that has carried him through his own challenges and joys.

The power of music.


The Towels!
Normally I work weekends, so I don't get to see the husband in action on a Saturday.  I get to see the results when I get home, but not all of the work that goes into making things happen.

So, husband washed towels yesterday and decided to dry them outside.  He came in to eat lunch and got sidetracked.  Keep in mind, I had NO idea that the towels were outside.  I was in my usual clueless state, quilting, cleaning the bathroom, and complaining that the kids don't call often enough (Hint, hint..Oldest Child....) when all of a sudden we hear the crash of thunder.  We look outside to see buckets of rain pouring down.

Now, my philosophy is, if it's raining that hard and you've got clothes on the line, just leave them.  The sun will eventually come out and dry them out again.  Not husband.  Nope.  Off he ran to go rescue the clothes from the line.  The towels were soaked and so was he.  It was a sight to behold!

Mike Rowe
Do you follow Mike on Facebook at all?  I adore him, love his blog updates from his dog, Freddy, and really enjoy the letters that he shares from his Mom.  Yesterday, he posted a text that he had received from his mother about his father out walking in the heat.  I don't want to step all over his copyright by publishing the tweet, but if you follow this link to his page and scroll down to the bottom of the page, you'll see the text message.  Do it!  You won't regret it!  http://mikerowe.com/

Man, I would love to have tea with Mike's mom! 

Damn Hot Flash
I know I'm fortunate.  I don't get many hot flashes.  Ever since I tracked down all of my food allergies, I have maybe one or two hot flashes a year.  I just felt I needed to qualify that, since I'm about to share a moment with you.

I was invited to a job interview last week.  There I am, in a conference room with 3 wonderful people, wearing one of my hated business suits with my hair down. (I never keep my hair down in the summer.  I always pull it up.  What was I thinking? It's hot with that much hair flapping around in my face at the best of times.  But on a 90* day?)    What should happen but the great grandmother of all hot flashes.  Bright red face, sweat pouring down my face, my hair seems to be holding in all of that heat - so even my scalp starts sweating.  What to do? Mention the obvious hot flash?  Laugh nervously?  Keep going?

I kept talking and used my resume to fan myself, but dear God, it was horrific.  No surprise that I didn't get the job, and I'm going to blame the hot flash for that one. 


An Incident in the Building
Last week at work, I was minding my own business on the reference desk, people watching and hoping that someone would come ask me a question.  A fun, challenging question.

Suddenly, a tone that sounded something like the tone you hear in the movies when a ship is about to explode, or enemy fire is at hand came out of our intercom system with the disembodied robotic voice calmly reciting "ATTENTION - an incident has been reported in the building.  Please evacuate the building immediately.  Do not use the elevators."

What is your first thought when you hear the phrase "there has been an incident in the building"?  Let me tell you, some interesting thoughts race through your mind.  None of them are warm, fuzzy thoughts, either.

You know, I had read an article the day before about how people tend to freeze in emergency situations.  It went on at length to state that because of our own natural confusion, we will be the cause of our own demise in an emergency.

Let me just say that in this case, the answer was NOPE.  We had people up and moving out of that building before we got our walkies out.  I went to make certain that my half of our floor was clear, and people were gone before I could get there.  They were stuffing laptops into bags as they walked down the stairs.  Calmly and quickly, they moved out and did not linger.  That building was cleared in record time.

I can hear you thinking "But wait, Bettina... what was the incident?  Was everyone OK?  Did anyone get hurt?"

The pipes for the water sprinklers on the first floor ruptured.  We had water everywhere.

Fortunately for us, the break was over a fairly empty spot.  We did lose some materials, but not as many as we could have.  None of our electronic equipment was damaged, and the water never got close to the electrical outlets.  The library closed for the rest of the day, but we were up and running the next day.  Ceiling tiles were replaced, and the carpet was clean and dry!

Our facilities management team rocks!

Enjoy your week!

A Little of This... and a Little of That

Skin Biopsies-
No cancerous cells were present.  The mole on my arm was an "Atypical Mole".  These are the kind that most commonly turn to skin cancer.  All of the margins of the mole were removed, along with some "extra" just to be on the safe side.  The wounds still hurt, but I am so glad to know that there were no problems.

The Cats-
In general, the cats drive me nuts, waking me up at 5:30 in the morning, chasing hairbands up and down the hall all night, and squabbling on the bed somewhere in the middle of the night.  But then, we have a moment like THIS:

Luna (left) & Tiger (right)

Water Glass-
Daughter asked this question the other day: "Mom, why do you keep a mason jar full of water - with a lid - next to your bed?"
Me: "I keep the glass full of water next to my bed so that I can get a glass of water if I get thirsty."
Daughter: "But why do you keep the lid on the jar?"
Me: "Because I went to get a drink of water in the middle of the night and got a sip with a stink bug in it."

Reading-
Do I really read this much?  Or am I listening to books on tape?
I am actually reading every word of every book I list on here.  I am a fairly quick reader.  I have my Kindle, and I not only read books I've purchased on my Kindle, I also check out electronic books from my public library.  Getting the software up and running was a little more challenging than I was expecting to begin.  When I took my Kindle into the Library, the very helpful librarians showed me how to set up and access my account.  God I love my librarians!  They are awesome!

I know, you're asking: Do you actually understand what you're reading?
Excellent question, actually.  I do have excellent reading comprehension.  Had it tested when I was in college as a part of an Educational Testing class.  Comprehension is a crucial part of reading.  I really move fast when I'm reading fiction with a fantastic plot.

My Kindle!

Informational texts or textbooks are another story.  I've slogged my way through a factual text from work that I hope to review on here tomorrow.  It's an interesting book, and has expanded my knowledge of the field that I work in considerably.  But, as with all factual textbooks, I have to read slower so that I can make certain that I understand what I am reading, and I will go back and double check what I've read and find definitions of new terminology.  This book has had a lot of rereading and definition checking.

Social Media-
I had been a member of an online group for our community on Facebook.  I found myself getting sucked into unnecessary drama, and was sitting as an observer when someone would post something, and other people on this site would attack them, their spelling, their career, their lack of education, you name it... the insults, bigotry, and racism were just too much to bear.  If you stood up and said "Hey, you're out of line", you were the next person up in the line of people to be attacked.
When you looked at the content of what was being posted, it ranged from "What is the best nail salon in town"  (we have 16 of them) to "Best Chinese Food in Town?"  We have two establishments that serve Chinese Food.  You'd think trial and error would work... All the way down to personal insults about the way people drive.
Finally, on Saturday morning, I made the decision to drop the drama, and I left the group.  My Facebook Feed now only has posts from my friends and family, and I have no drama.  NICE!!  That was the reason I joined Facebook in the first place!

Lent Madness-
IT'S BACK!!!  If you are a Christian, Lent Madness is one of the best ways to celebrate Lent.  6 crazy weeks of face-offs between Saints.  Every day, you read the story of a Saint of the Christian church, from the early years of Christianity to the modern day.  It is a fascinating read as you read and find our more about the people who's faith has brought us to where we are - for better or for worse.  Lent begins in just 9 days... are you ready? 

 

Click on the button to go to the website.

No, the SEC does not reimburse me in any way for sending web traffic their direction.  But, I do get notifications in my news feed on Facebook each morning letting me know of the previous days' decision.  Nice of them, don't you think?

Have a fantastic week!

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