Save some green by planting it....

By 1943, Americans planted more than 20 million victory gardens -- at homes and schools and in parks -- that were reported to produce 8 million tons of food that one old film called "America's hidden weapon."

From an article in the LA Times about new gardens springing up, for political reasons. I saw this mentioned on someone's facebook and just had to write about it. Just think of how little involvement we would have to have with countries we shouldn't be importing from if we just put some effort out on the home front! Think of how self-sufficient America could be if we just tried a little harder. America really is the greatest country in the world, even more so when we work together for a common goal. During the wartime, they worked together to avoid dependency on the transportation of food. Maybe the reasons behind it change with time, but the effort should still be there. Just think of what we could achieve...

You could use Ajax or Dawn as well...

So I realized this morning that I forgot to purchase soap at Target and, since the very last sliver of possible soap was used yesterday, I'm plumb out. I'd say after my day of shopping and yard work that I'm completely filthy so I did what every improvising and intelligent woman would do. I showered with Palmolive. I must say that it has left me feeling very antibacterial and smelling a hint of citrus orange. I'd say that's a win win right there.

the boring gets blogged too....

I know all of my faithful readers are dying for me to write a new post. It's just that nothing of interest has really happened lately. And so, consider this the post which lists all of the boring things as of late. Brace yourself, you might need some coffee to make it through.

1. The strap on my shoe has started to give, I think I have only a couple times more wearing them before I need to just chuck 'em.
2. I ran out of "sign here" stickers at work and had to order some new ones.
3. Last night, my kitties fought over who would get to sit closest to me.
4. I'm starting my research on metadata and AARC2 cataloging rules, big group presentation. I had to google "metadata".
5. I'm seeing how long I can go before I really do have to clean out a container in the back of my fridge. It's getting a little suspect.
6. I made a paper clip bracelet at work. I also cleaned my keyboard.
7. Yesterday I coded all of the exam answer sheets so they would be anonymous. That was 10 exams, 6 questions each, roughly 5 pages an answer which equals to 300 pieces of paper that needed a white label placed on it and a code given.
8. This morning I spent 20 or more minutes clearing the copy machine of a paper jam.

I know, you envy my life.

I totally belong

It's an interesting topic when you start to ponder where you really belong, where you feel most yourself and comfortable. Now I love my Starbucks lattes, my Apple products and Target shopping, but where I really feel most at ease and free to just kick back and relax have none of those things. Recently I had the opportunity to go to a local farmer's market and swap meet with some friends. We shopped around, checked out all the historical finds, the pyrex dishes and anything rusty. We snacked on cajun hot boiled peanuts and kettle corn and washed it down with cold lemonade. We purchased strawberries to make homemade strawberry jam, and while hanging out together, we did our hair on the front porch of the dome home. It was then that I realized, I belong here. I belong where the front porch is nearly the same size as the house, conversation is a little slower while enjoyed over a glass of sweet iced tea and dirt roads outnumber paved ones. I belong where the live music has a little bit of a twang and people take time to enjoy the simple things. So while I enjoy my mac computer and lattes, I feel most myself in the country.

Star Wars, really?

I have now heard it all. Upon asking my professor if he has received all of me and my group partner's search assignments, he responded with this:

I have them all in hand and am working to get them graded. Patience, my padawans.

If I wasn't worried about professor respect, I would have reminded him that the force is strong within me and my need for jedi training is nearing an end.

Ahhh retrospection....

I have to say it's an interesting thing to spend some time at an oncologist's office. It is a serious battleground between living in the moment and pondering over one's life. I sit here chilling, and while I have plenty of work to do, I can't help but listen to the woman sitting next to me talk to the nurse. The conversation vacillates between wanting to eat a piece of pizza for lunch and discussing how this is the time in life that it's beneficial to have a husband or someone to be with you. She discusses how she was completely awful to her ex-husband and especially his new wife. I can't help but wonder how life will be for me should I ever have to go through any of these things. There is so much uncertainty in life.

What I am certain about, and for sure the only thing I am certain about, is my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I am certain of His constancy and continued presence in my life until I am with Him in eternity. I am certain of His great love for me even though I will never deserve it. I am certain that He alone is the keeper of justice and that my imperfect idea of what is just will probably never match His wisdom. I am certain that should I ever have to go through something so serious that I would not be alone for God himself has promised to never leave us. I cling to this truth as the only thing necessary for my joy. It is all I have sometimes, and that's ok.

So I've been thinking....

If I just got off the grid and pitched a tent somewhere, the following things would be possible:

1. I could forget this school business. I mean who really needs librarians ;)
2. I wouldn't have to go to work anymore.
3. I could stop brushing my hair entirely.
4. I wouldn't have to do laundry quite so much.
5. I could have some chickens, maybe a goat, and put in a garden!

Yea, I'm seeing this as a very real possibility. I just need to get over my Starbucks addiction, and I'll be good to go ;)

A Comparison

Getting upset over it being Valentine's Day and not being in a romantic relationship is similar to it being Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and being upset because you're not African-American.

Did he just wave at me?

So I pull myself off the couch and put on some shoes in order to make it to the CVS.

Description of appearance: fugly, as in the bangs were sort of smooshed to one side, the clothes were wrinkled and not matching. I had weird walmart cheap flip flops on and hadn't showered. I'm not being dramatic when I say fugly.

I took a sick day today, and am unfortunately actually sick. I needed to get to CVS in order to purchase my weight in over the counter drugs. I set my filled basket down at the register and the fella proceeds to ring up my goods. He says, "Wow, that's a lot of items to fight a cold." My response is, "Yes, well I was planning on taking them all at the same time. Do you think that will work? Cause I'm wondering if the Dayquil and the Nyquil will actually counteract each other if taken together".

I drag myself to my car, tissues and medicine in hand as I hear someone honking at me. I look up with a disgusted look on my face. He waves. Some random Joe in a scary white van waves at me. no no..HONKS and waves! This is not your ordinary "mom and three kids" kind of van, but a scary, commercial-size, no windows, straight out of a Lifetime movie type white van. He then pulls into the gas station next to the CVS. I get in my car and pull out towards the gas station. We make eye contact again. And would you believe it, AGAIN he waves! He's a little more hesitant this time like "hhhmm is that really the neighbor lady who sits on the back pew at church??" kind of wave. I sort of shrug my shoulders and mouth, "I don't know you dude".

Don't worry, I faked right and took the other exit, and then made sure no one was following me home. I know how those Lifetime movies end. Let's just say it ain't always feel good television.

Could you repeat the question?

The following are sentences from my textbook. I have no idea what they mean, which I think might be a bad sign for academic success.

"A frame is a receptacle for information about an entity or event. It contains slots to hold the attributes of the entity. As the text is parsed or the cues read, the slots are gradually filled in."

"This chapter looks at document and information resource representations and surrogates; that is a metadata that identifies and characterizes, and often serves as a key for retrieving the actual documents."

"The proliferation of metadata standards developed by different but often overlapping communities of interest is undermining the opportunities for exchange of metadata."

"Parity checking is based on the possibility that one of the bits in a character may get transformed, but it is unlikely that two bits in the same character will get changed."

Good to know.
______________________________________________________________________

Resources:
Picture taken from Dr. Randy Ralph's tutorial on Boolean Logic
Organizing Knowledge by Jennifer Rowley and Richard Hartley
Online Retrieval: A Dialogue of Theory and Practice by Geraldene Walker and Joseph Janes

Ordering Fun

Ok so I'm placing this order with SPI supplies right, and the girl sounded completely automated.

"Hello, and thank you for calling Structure Probe Incorporated. How may I help you today?"

I pause and start talking, but it's as if the computer program, "Allison" is filtering through all of her possible answers to see what to say next cause there are these crazy awkward pauses. Well I then actually laugh and say "you kinda threw me there in the beginning because it was sounding a little automated, but I wasn't entirely sure". She just kind of paused and then said "I can start with the part number, whenever you are ready". Oh um.....

So then she is telling me about the shipping charges and says "We charge a flat rate whether or not you are using UPS or Federal Express. We can ship faster, but I can not give you a flat rate price for that at this time". I laugh again and say, "Well I like the UPS guy more than the FedEx guy, so do you think that would work?".

"I will make a note of your preference on the order".

A joke for my readers.....

So a man goes to a preacher and asks for him to give the eulogy for his brother's funeral. The brother says, "You can say whatever you want but at some point I want you to mention that my brother is a saint. Remember, say whatever you will, but I want you to say he is a saint during the eulogy."

The preacher gets up and begins the eulogy. He says, "Before you lies the worst possible excuse of a human. He was gambler, a drunk, a thieving, disgusting beast who never had any ounce of character. Compared to his brother, however he was a saint."

Valedictions

My professor for Online Databases signed his class-wide announcement as follows:

Make it so,
The Boss


I have nothing to add to that.

Continuing Saga

Mystery man returned. This time he wanted the room number for a particular course. I did not have the answer, DRAT! I do, however, have connections. You need not fear; I will be getting his name in no time. Let's hope it's not something like Bartholomew. That would somehow be disappointing.

Justice

Disclaimer: Because I have been raised by the mom that I have been truly blessed with, she has instilled in me the fear of "big brother". As in, don't say that "they" might hear you, or don't do that "they" might see you. Before you know it, you'll be on a list, you know, the list "they" monitor!! And because of this, I will be writing a post that is tame compared to my true ideas. Just take this post and multiply it by 100 so you know my true feelings.

Note to "THEM": If you find my post a problem, please let me know.

So we were sitting around our family's (grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles, cousins) lunch table discussing some of the local talk on individuals awaiting trial and other criminals (yes yes, innocent before proven guilty, I know!) in the area who are filling up our jails. Did you know that our taxes pay to PROTECT these criminals in prison?? It's called protective custody, and it was the first time I had actually thought this through. The really awful prisoners get special protection in prison so the other inmates don't "do away with them". Let me just say this..I think there should be a separate justice system for those people who are upstanding citizens and a different system for inside prisons. Can't the guards just turn a blind eye and what happens happens? I mean, wouldn't that in a sense cut down on the costs of prisons and the amount of funding it takes to take care of all the prisoners?? Just let them do what they're good at.....you know....criminal activity! Let them use their "skills" in order to weed out the really dangerous ones from the rest of the group. I don't see the problem with this!

Let justice be served.