Completely Unnecessary....

This is merely a blog so I can show off my hair.....i thought it looked cute :)

Numbers....

700: The number of points my course was worth.
18: How many points I was away from an "A".
4.0: The number of academic perfection.
.09: How far away I will be from perfection if all other grades are "A".
562: Number of tears shed.

DMV

Appointment time: 8:15am
Time arrived: 8:05am
Time seen: 8:07am, Incredible!

Disclaimer: This DMV post does not discuss the time delay in being seen. If you ever go to the DMV, make an appointment. There were about 20 people standing in line when the DMV representative came out and said, "Does anyone here have an appointment?". I raise my hand. I'm the ONLY person who raises their hand. He then ushers me past all 20 people to walk into the office first. I resisted the urge to turn around and say, "suckers!".

Conversation with DMV person, Ralph.

R: That will be $20
Me: Here you go
R: We don't accept Visa
Me: Excuse me?
R: We don't accept Visa. We accept credit cards, just not that one.
Me:(Tapping to the card I was sent in the mail) You should put that on there, you know.
R: (silence)
Me: What if I didn't have any other form of payment. I'd have to come back. Oh my goodness, I would be so upset!
R: (silence)
Me: (handing over another card, kinda smiling) And I thought Visa was everywhere you wanted to be.
R: Not here
Me: Well then I guess this isn't where you want to be (I chuckle, I can't help it. I am alone in the chuckling)
R: Please sign here.
Me: Wait a minute, I thought you said it was $20.
R: There's a dollar charge for using your credit card.
Me: Are you serious? I think that's something else you should have said.
R: Go have a seat while I print your new license.

Front receptionist: Would you like to fill out a survey?
Me: Gladly.

Laugh, Cry.....Remember

I was driving home from work friday afternoon trying to simultaneously organize my final exam in my head. My thinking was stopped when I saw a bumper sticker on the back of a car. It said simply, "Laugh, Cry....Remember". It got me thinking about the things I remember and whether or not they make me laugh or cry. Here are a few I came up with.

I remember.....
1. How excited we use to get at the thought of going to secret lake park to play on the playground.
2. Sitting in the back of the station wagon while singing the donut song on the way to dunkin' donuts.
3. Racing to see who could crawl under all the pews the fastest.
4. Wanting so much to be thought of as cool in 5th grade. (Why didn't someone tell me that no one is cool in 5th grade?)
5. Mr. LeMaster using an overhead projector and transparencies to teach math. I thought he was so advanced.
6. Not wanting to go to the hospital to see my mom after she had surgery. (If only I had realized how much she didn't want to be there either!)
7. How good it felt to tell the little girls in my camp cabin about the love of Jesus.
8. The smell of Orlando Hall.
9. The first time I realized that I had legitimately been lied to at work. I just didn't understand how some people are simply ok with that.
10. How incredible it feels to be noticed.
11. Spending more time cutting out tombstones and decorating the office than actually working at the CPRD.
12. Being scared out of my mind that I had contracted some crazy disease in Mexico (sun poisoning can look life-threatening!)
13. The accomplished feeling of getting an acceptance letter in the mail.
14. Hearing mom's keys jingle down the hall as she rounded the corner to meet me for lunch.
15. How good it feels to submit finals and for the first time in months not have anything I should be doing.

Da Studies

Recently I was encouraged to write something interesting about my studies, and so I shall. I think it's quite possible that people do not fully understand what it means to study Library Science as how could it possibly take 2 years to learn how to check some books out and learn the Library of Congress classification system for re-shelving. Oh Contrar.
As a recap of this first semester of studies, I thought I would list (YES LIST!) out my favorite topics, issues, policies and so forth from the last semester.
1. ALA Code of Ethics. Who knew that there is a published code of ethics that librarians must follow. With questions posed to my fellow students and myself such as, "Would you give a 12 year old girl who has noticeably been crying a book on suicide?" or "Would you assist a man of Middle Eastern decent locate bomb making skills on the internet?" and so forth. The answer is yes.
2. The reference desk. Much upcoming discussion surrounds the purpose and necessity of the reference desk being actually a physical desk located somewhere throughout the public or academic library. With the addition of email, text, chatting, facebook, blogs and phones, is it really even necessary to go to the library? Nearly 1/3 of all library personnel are currently reference librarians. This removal of the reference desk would surely change the face of the library facility.
3. Cataloging. Ok, in truth, I still don't fully understand the science behind cataloging. It's more than just learning what everything means as it's all very cryptic, MARC records, AACR2 and IR Systems. It's a fascinatingly organized method in which all sources of information are documented with its own record and then assigned a classification number. Librarians all over the world are continually checking the catalog (this does not refer to your personal library's catalog, but more the universal catalog) for updates, typos and reclassifications that are necessary.
4. Favorite assignments: I had two assignments called Question Sets. The first was based specifically on print reference resources and the second on electronic. Ok, so for my beloved readers, I will give you one of the questions I was assigned. If you can post back the answer in the comment section using only a print resource (that means a book!) then the prize will be yours ;)

I’m an American Civil War aficionado! Can you please tell me how many soldiers Grant had at the FIRST Battle of Vicksburg? Actually, I could use a good map of that battle… do any maps have the battles and number of soldiers together?

All about men!

Dear Readers-
It comes with much introspection, and events as of late that I have begun to ponder what truly makes a man worthy of attention. If you had asked me at 16, 22 or even 26, I probably would have given you a different answer each time. Rather than suggest the rubric for a person's worth changes with the seasons, it is I who has changed. Maturity and, at times, reality can make our clouded judgement clear again. So for the earlier post when I said muscles were the end all of what makes a fella attractive, I have new insight to share! I was sent these words by a friend of mine, and I thought I would share them with you. Disclaimer: While it does not mention it, I think the true worth of a man (and a woman!) is given to us by the grace of God alone. I have no worth outside of the redemptive power of Jesus Christ.

The Strength of a Man
The strength of a man isn't seen in the width of his shoulders;
It is seen in the width of his arms that encircle you.
The strength of a man isn't in the deep tone of his voice;
It is in the gentle words he whispers.
The strength of a man isn't how many buddies he has;
It is how good a buddy he is with his kids.
The strength of a man isn't in how respected he is at work;
It is in how respected he is at home.
The strength of a man isn't in how hard he hits;
It is in how tender he touches.
The strength of a man isn't in how many women he's loved by;
It is in his ability to be true to one woman.
The strength of a man isn't in the weight he can lift;
It is in the burdens he can understand and overcome.