In which Buzzy is ecstatically happy
It's only actually been a month since my last update, but it seems like so much has happened since then. I suppose that is because so much has happened since then. To put it briefly, life is grand, and grander than I ever could have hoped. And although I have not yet heard from UMich, I am more confident in the ultimate outcome than ever. I suppose that having finally actually submitted the applications could have something to do with that.
Finally, the applications are off to UMich, as of a week-and-a-half ago. I think that I even have all of the materials in (that would be nice, wouldn't it?). It's nice to have the burden off of my shoulders. Now I just have to cross my fingers and hope that they like me (and that my recommenders liked me, too, for that matter). I'm more excited now about going to grad school than ever before, in part I think because I feel like I'm actually on a more clear path of where I'm going in life, as opposed to the somewhat foggy ones I've treaded in the past. At any rate, I should be hearing from them in the next few months. I'm fairly confident I'll get admitted to the School of Information, although I'm really nervous about getting a fellowship or library associate position so that I can actually afford to go! I'm still a bit worried about whether the School of Public Policy will admit me, given my lack of background, but I figure what happens will happen; it's in their hands, now.
I had an wonderful "holiday season" (such a nice, generic term, isn't it?). We went over to Emily's for Christmas Eve dinner, and a good time was had by all. Apparently, Bo and Emily have decided to get Casey started early on the whole golf thing, so he got a set of clubs. I got him a basic set of legos, which were a hit. He made me a penguin. Emily got a Japanese lampshade that nobody could figure out how to open. I got a gift certificate to Off the Record, the only music store worth its salt this side of Eugene. My only real Christmas wish ever (or wish in general, for that matter) was granted, too. As I said, life is good, and I am more happy than I could have imagined.
This New Year's I actual broke my somewhat traditional midnight visit to the Cape Blanco Lighthouse and instead went out to a bar with some friends. Somebody was handing out Happy New Year hats and tiaras to the men and women respectively as midnight approached. I got a tiara, which made me happy for some strange reason. I haven't been called "ma'am" when I've been in stores lately; maybe I was missing it. Anyway, midnight passed joyfully, and we danced for a while on the disgustingly-sticky dance floor. Again, a good time was had by all.
I am drawing ever closer to the completion of my seemingly-Sisyphean task of cataloging the videos at Langlois Library (I'm up to "T"!). The other day, when I was looking up records for a movie, I ran across a record from the Multnomah County system that had an added note saying "DVD player required." Umm . . . duh? I suppose that a cataloger really shouldn't assume anything. After all, librarians are the people that feel that the height of the book is as important a piece of information as the number of pages. But still . . . Seriously, though, I am really glad to almost be finished with the videos. The task has almost taught me more about cataloging than all of my other years combined. And the patrons seem to like the way we're revamping the audiovisual collections - and the library in general. I'm really lucky to have somebody as capable as Nancy to keep things in functioning order.
Today (and last week, too), I acted as vice-English teacher as the juniors and seniors do their much-dreaded literary analyses. The English teacher sometimes sends students to me when she knows I've read the book they're reading. It can get somewhat awkward, though, when a student starts asking me about the deep symbolism and imagery in a book I haven't read for eight years; I'm lucky if I can remember the general plot. Heaven only knows I certainly can't remember the characters' names; I have a hard time remembering my students' names, and some of them I've had for three years!
With literary analysis time also come the obligatory lectures on various truths of PHS English: 1) it's a bad idea to use a five-year-old floppy disk to save a fifteen-page assignment crucial to your grade; 2) never, ever, ever use ClarisWorks or Microsoft Works to type documents because, contrary to what they say, they in fact work on nothing; 3) reading the book will greatly improve your grade; and 4) saving documents on the hard drive of the library computers is a generally bad idea, particularly if you plan on working on that document later; those Centurions are ruthless.
Jamie and I went down to Eureka for MLK Jr. day, and I found the coolest bead shop ever! they had an entire wall of seed beads! I wish that it were a tad bit closer to Langlois, but it was still a nice find. We also saw quite possibly the gaudiest building ever, the "Ingomar Club" of Eureka. The house looked like it was from a Lemony Snicket or Roald Dahl book, perhaps a wing of the Wonka chocolate factory or something (Charlie and the chocolate factory opens in July! Hurray!). Perhaps "Ingomar" is a code for "Oompa Loompa." Who knows?
And here is said gaudy house in all its glory:
Anyhoo, I'm doing just dandy right now, despite anxiously-awaiting a response from they who hold my future in their hands. I'm happy, the weather's passable, and my two libraries are finally getting to be in better shape. I have been somewhat vague in fully explaining my atypically-cheery state of mind. The vaguness is a byproduct of how much I've been thinking about what to write, I suppose; with thought comes hesitation. But please know that things are going well here in little Lang-wa, and I hope that y'all are doing well, too. Until next time, I bid you all a fond adieu.
Current book: The subtle knife by Philip Pullman. This is the second book in the His dark materials series, which is absolutely fascinating. Action, adventure, intrigue, theology, philosophy. Simply brilliant!
Finally, the applications are off to UMich, as of a week-and-a-half ago. I think that I even have all of the materials in (that would be nice, wouldn't it?). It's nice to have the burden off of my shoulders. Now I just have to cross my fingers and hope that they like me (and that my recommenders liked me, too, for that matter). I'm more excited now about going to grad school than ever before, in part I think because I feel like I'm actually on a more clear path of where I'm going in life, as opposed to the somewhat foggy ones I've treaded in the past. At any rate, I should be hearing from them in the next few months. I'm fairly confident I'll get admitted to the School of Information, although I'm really nervous about getting a fellowship or library associate position so that I can actually afford to go! I'm still a bit worried about whether the School of Public Policy will admit me, given my lack of background, but I figure what happens will happen; it's in their hands, now.
I had an wonderful "holiday season" (such a nice, generic term, isn't it?). We went over to Emily's for Christmas Eve dinner, and a good time was had by all. Apparently, Bo and Emily have decided to get Casey started early on the whole golf thing, so he got a set of clubs. I got him a basic set of legos, which were a hit. He made me a penguin. Emily got a Japanese lampshade that nobody could figure out how to open. I got a gift certificate to Off the Record, the only music store worth its salt this side of Eugene. My only real Christmas wish ever (or wish in general, for that matter) was granted, too. As I said, life is good, and I am more happy than I could have imagined.
This New Year's I actual broke my somewhat traditional midnight visit to the Cape Blanco Lighthouse and instead went out to a bar with some friends. Somebody was handing out Happy New Year hats and tiaras to the men and women respectively as midnight approached. I got a tiara, which made me happy for some strange reason. I haven't been called "ma'am" when I've been in stores lately; maybe I was missing it. Anyway, midnight passed joyfully, and we danced for a while on the disgustingly-sticky dance floor. Again, a good time was had by all.
I am drawing ever closer to the completion of my seemingly-Sisyphean task of cataloging the videos at Langlois Library (I'm up to "T"!). The other day, when I was looking up records for a movie, I ran across a record from the Multnomah County system that had an added note saying "DVD player required." Umm . . . duh? I suppose that a cataloger really shouldn't assume anything. After all, librarians are the people that feel that the height of the book is as important a piece of information as the number of pages. But still . . . Seriously, though, I am really glad to almost be finished with the videos. The task has almost taught me more about cataloging than all of my other years combined. And the patrons seem to like the way we're revamping the audiovisual collections - and the library in general. I'm really lucky to have somebody as capable as Nancy to keep things in functioning order.
Today (and last week, too), I acted as vice-English teacher as the juniors and seniors do their much-dreaded literary analyses. The English teacher sometimes sends students to me when she knows I've read the book they're reading. It can get somewhat awkward, though, when a student starts asking me about the deep symbolism and imagery in a book I haven't read for eight years; I'm lucky if I can remember the general plot. Heaven only knows I certainly can't remember the characters' names; I have a hard time remembering my students' names, and some of them I've had for three years!
With literary analysis time also come the obligatory lectures on various truths of PHS English: 1) it's a bad idea to use a five-year-old floppy disk to save a fifteen-page assignment crucial to your grade; 2) never, ever, ever use ClarisWorks or Microsoft Works to type documents because, contrary to what they say, they in fact work on nothing; 3) reading the book will greatly improve your grade; and 4) saving documents on the hard drive of the library computers is a generally bad idea, particularly if you plan on working on that document later; those Centurions are ruthless.
Jamie and I went down to Eureka for MLK Jr. day, and I found the coolest bead shop ever! they had an entire wall of seed beads! I wish that it were a tad bit closer to Langlois, but it was still a nice find. We also saw quite possibly the gaudiest building ever, the "Ingomar Club" of Eureka. The house looked like it was from a Lemony Snicket or Roald Dahl book, perhaps a wing of the Wonka chocolate factory or something (Charlie and the chocolate factory opens in July! Hurray!). Perhaps "Ingomar" is a code for "Oompa Loompa." Who knows?
And here is said gaudy house in all its glory:
Anyhoo, I'm doing just dandy right now, despite anxiously-awaiting a response from they who hold my future in their hands. I'm happy, the weather's passable, and my two libraries are finally getting to be in better shape. I have been somewhat vague in fully explaining my atypically-cheery state of mind. The vaguness is a byproduct of how much I've been thinking about what to write, I suppose; with thought comes hesitation. But please know that things are going well here in little Lang-wa, and I hope that y'all are doing well, too. Until next time, I bid you all a fond adieu.
Current book: The subtle knife by Philip Pullman. This is the second book in the His dark materials series, which is absolutely fascinating. Action, adventure, intrigue, theology, philosophy. Simply brilliant!