Since my life is more than shoes...

Christmas Kitty

2008-12-25T22:43:00.005-05:00

Scooter definitely enjoyed his first Christmas with us. PJ pretty much avoided the entire extravaganza by sleeping in the sun.

And here's the tree he tried to eat...

What's going on?

2008-11-08T17:54:00.004-05:00

What's going on? I got a full-time job (now I'm in charge of stuff at a real library!), I'm going to school part-time (last 2 classes!), and the house is a mess. I'm supposed to be writing a paper for a class that I thought would be really useful and has turned out to be very frustrating. Andy is away at the first of many wrestling tournaments for the season. We will have a new president for the first time in a while. I really don't have much to say, but I thought I should say something, since it's been months and months. Andy thinks I should start a different blog about something once I finish school. Any ideas? I'm not very good with this one anymore. :) It's only 6pm, and it is so dark that it feels like 8. In fact, I actually looked at the clock in shock when I realized that it was only 6!

We went to our 5 year reunion last month and saw a lot of people we didn't know. I thought that was very strange, but Andy reminded me that I did spend 1 semester abroad, 1 semester spending most of my time at the historical society and writing a gigantic paper, and a lot of time with people in the class behind me because I switched majors. Also, half of my first year seminar class never actually graduated and the other half is across the country or across the world. It was fun to see the people I did know, though, and to play in the Falcon Fun Zone with Asa, Reese, and Abel. I even got a pretzel. :)

So that's the update. I really like my job, although it's a lot of work. I am disappointed that I finally got my first "real" job just in time for us to be told that the economy is terrible and we won't be getting raises of any kind until at least 2010. Oh well, at least I have a job.

And at least the kitties are home with me. How cute:

Friendly Kitties

2008-07-01T16:06:00.000-05:00

Ok, they're not best friends, but they are willing to ignore each other long enough to stare at something interesting out the window.

New Kitty!

2008-03-24T18:55:00.005-05:00

PJ has a brother! We didn't plan to get a kitty right now, but he didn't work out with his other family and we agreed to take him, assuming PJ wasn't terrified of him. She is a bit scared, but she's still trying to exert control. She hisses like a big kitty, and he just submits or runs away. Usually. We've only had him for 24 hours, but I'm optimistic that they are adjusting well.

Introducing Scooter (aka Leopold, but we thought PJ and Scooter sounded cute!)

I love these mousies and milk rings!

Kitty standoff. This was taken this morning. They're slightly closer now. :)

Scooter likes Andy better.

The bizarre-ness that is Radio Disney

2008-02-15T11:38:00.003-05:00

I have to listen to Radio Disney for one of my classes. Let me just tell you that it is the craziest selection of stuff. There was "The Right Stuff" by New Kids on the Block, which, of course came out in the early 90s. Are they promoting NKOTB's reunion? I have no idea. Then they had Disney Channel standards like Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montanah and something called Jonas Brothers alongside NSYNC and Carrie Underwood. Does this mean that today's tweens like a combination of The Fray, Raven-Symone, and 90s pop? I'm so confused.

Old lady

2008-02-06T12:52:00.001-05:00

So Andy is now 27, and I'm 26 1/2 today. We've been married for 4 1/2 years. This is just crazy! Our 5 year reunion from college is coming up this year, and I can't believe it's already been that long. 26 seemed old enough, but to be almost 27 feels ancient. (Sorry all you blog readers older than I am :) ) 30 is near, and I've only worked full-time for about a year and a half. Not that I'm complaining, because I like going to school, but I'm suddenly feeling as if I'm too old not to have a real job. :)

In other news, I do like being an adult, since I just ate a Fastnacht before I head on back to the kitchen to actually eat lunch. Starting with dessert is never bad.

A word to the wise

2008-02-04T12:40:00.000-05:00

Putting together a filing cabinet isn't as easy as it looks. While we ended up with something that looked pretty nice, it took forever! We've bought that "put it together yourself" furniture plenty of times, and this one was the worst. We ended up getting a bigger one than we originally planned, mostly because we thought it made sense to plan for expansion. Well, at least I can get my papers off the floor!

New Jersey

2008-01-01T12:36:00.000-05:00

We went to see my cousins in New Jersey a few weeks ago. They just sent us some pictures. Julie is my second cousin (I think), and her daughter, Ashley, just loved Andy, despite the fact that I was the one who got on the floor to play with her first. She had an interesting toy, which was essentially Santa's Barn - who knew Santa had a horse, kittens, hamsters, mice, goats, etc.? Apparently the people at Playmobil

It was really hard to get a group shot that worked. This one's pretty good.

Andy, you play with me. Now tell me what this is and why you have a black eye? (Wrestling, why else?)

I guess Janet can play if she really wants to.

5 Christmases

2007-12-27T22:25:00.000-05:00

That's how many we've had since we've been married. I never went to the hospital on Christmas day, but there was the time when I went the day after...

Christmas #1 - In our little apartment on the NCSU campus.

Christmas #2 - This is the one where I went to the hospital the next day. I don't really remember Christmas because I was so sick. Good thing Andy remembers it for me.

Christmas #3 - This one was in Vermont, and it was cold. There's a picture of me wearing a long-sleeved shirt, sweatshirt, and a hat in front of the Christmas tree. It was pretty chaotic, but every once in a while you've got to go home for a holiday.

Christmas #4 - We went to my friend Barb's house from work. She has 3 daughters and 5 grandkids. We ate really good food and played the Twister version of DDR. I was terrible.

Christmas #5 - The first in our own house. We went to Brian and Bethany's and had the best popovers I've ever had. I don't know if I've ever had popovers before, but I want more! Andy got Guitar Hero, which has made him very happy, although I think I've damaged a nerve in my finger from playing.

Automated Postal Center

2007-12-19T10:32:00.000-05:00

Why do people stand in line at the post office when the automated postal center is just around the corner? I have no idea. Yesterday we went to the post office. There was a huge line. We walked up to the automated postal center (no line), mailed our package and left within 1 minute. Other people hadn't even scootched their boxes forward in that time. Now I don't know what happens when you go to the postal center and your box is too big for the little box taker thing. Maybe you still have to stand in line (in which case, just get the post office man to ask you the questions, like are you sure you don't want insurance to cover loss if Aunt Mabel's socks don't make it to Kalamazoo). But if you've got a small package and you've got an automated postal center, use it. You'll never regret it. Unless of course there's no one in line, it might be faster, I'm not sure. Oh and if you want to send something media mail you have to stand in line - for whatever reason you can't do that at the postal center.

del.icio.us

2007-12-06T15:42:00.000-05:00

I used to have my own computer. Not that we don't have a computer any more, but I used to only use one computer. My trusty IBM Thinkpad from college that stood the test of time and got my through an MA in Public History. Well, it's still going, but it has some trouble with PDFs, can't run Word with the track changes feature (cuz it's Win 98 with an old edition of office that eats the new version's track changes), and it gets really sad when you have too many websites open at once. Oh yeah, and most places won't let it on their WiFi because Windows 98 might eat them. Or something.

Anyway, it used to be my only computer. I used Andy's computer when I really had to do something that mine just couldn't do, since his laptop was just a smidge newer than mine and had XP. Well, that laptop bit the dust (it still goes, kind of), and we bought a new computer from Tiger Direct about 2 1/2 years ago. The shine of its big screen still didn't lure me away from my laptop in the corner. What did was the freezing cold winter temps in the bedroom of our tiny apartment in Oak Park. Then I was hooked. So I still used the IBM when needed, but the big computer was just so much better for viewing multiple PDFs of articles about food while writing my Master's Essay. So I transferred my bookmarks and started using the "big" computer.

Then I got into grad school at UIUC. I knew I wanted a laptop because there's nothing I hate more than computer labs. They usually smell, have weird temperature control issues, and are just downright annoying. Since I had all sorts of trouble with my trusty IBM at LUC, I wasn't about to try to go to 10 days of library school bootcamp with a laptop from 2001. Nope, sorry, not going to have it fail at some crucial moment when I desperately need wireless service. So we got me a new laptop. It's pretty and silver and does everything I need it to. Except that it's a laptop, and it is still really nice to use the big computer sometimes.

What is the point of this rambling, you ask? Well, I was just thinking today as I bookmarked some useful website, that I really need to start using del.icio.us. I have bookmarks all over the place, and I have to check both computers to find what I need. I'd never bothered with the site much before because I didn't think it was worth it to me. Now I wish I had. So I think I'm going to break down and try it. For the good of myself and those around me. And the giant bookmarks list I've got on this computer alone...

December 5

2007-12-05T11:31:00.000-05:00

20 days until Christmas. Just thought you'd want to know.

looky here at my lookybook

2007-12-04T15:22:00.000-05:00

this is a really fun site (lookybook.com) that lets you look at picture books AND embed them into your own website!

The latest

2007-12-04T11:31:00.001-05:00

So I turned in 2 more websites, one about books for kids, and one about cookbooks. Enjoy:
http://courseweb.lis.uiuc.edu/~jevogel2/lis403/index.html
http://courseweb.lis.uiuc.edu/~jevogel2/lis501/index.html

Now I have 3 more papers, but they're all 2 pages or less (although one is 2 pages single spaced). The worst is over, but I have to maintain my momentum....!

You know you want to go...

2007-11-26T09:30:00.001-05:00

cuz librarians are sexy

By the way

2007-11-14T16:32:00.001-05:00

Here's the page my group and I made about digital storytelling. In case you're interested...
http://courseweb.lis.uiuc.edu/~jevogel2/lis506/index.html

There is a mosquito outside my window

2007-11-14T16:30:00.001-05:00

I kid you not. It is November 14, and a mosquito just landed on the outside of my window. How is it still alive? Shouldn't it have frozen to death by now? Is this just another example of a superbug? Should I run outside and try to kill it to protect humanity from an infestation?

It flew away, so I guess it's safe to wreak havoc on mankind.

How to make yourself look cool

2007-11-10T23:16:00.000-05:00

Use a website template to impress your friends. Or at least create a darn snazzy website for your classes. I just finished a first draft, and it looks pretty good, if I do say so myself. Once the group has approved it, I might just post the link here for all to enjoy.

Pickles

2007-10-26T12:39:00.000-05:00

Anyone who has eaten a meal with me knows I love pickles. Sweet, dill, hot and spicy, you name it, I'll eat it. I have been known to eat pickles and cheese for lunch on occasion. After I do this, I always wonder, what have I done to my insides? I'd imagine pickles are somewhat acidic, since they are preserved and all, so I wonder - does eating half a jar of pickles damage your insides? I've never felt any ill effects from eating half a jar of pickles, but maybe I've just grown accustomed to it. I don't know. But it's something I was thinking about today, since I stopped by the grocery store on the way home from the library and picked up one of those big dill pickles from the deli barrel. I used to love those when I was a kid, and I still do. :) Alton Brown made pickles like that the other day, and I wanted one, but since it was 11 at night, I wasn't really interested in going out to buy one or the ingredients to make one. But soon, very soon, I'm going to have my very own barrel of pickles. :)

Things I learned in Chambana Part 2

2007-10-18T17:19:00.000-05:00

I eat more than 3 servings of Cheerios in one sitting.
The Hampton Inn does not actually offer a shuttle to campus and buses run on limited schedules on Sundays.
The Subway in the train station is closed on Sundays.
I really like Youth Services classes, but I'm nervous about limiting myself to one type of librarianship.
Mozilla does not think that librarianship is a word.
Three days straight of class from 9-5 does not make me happy.
Oreos taste yummy at 10am.
So do M&Ms.
Show librarians to-be some free books, and they're like piranhas.
Everyone should learn how to use computers.
I have a really big laptop. Which is great. Until you walk 3 miles carrying it around.
I like Chicago.
Buses make me nervous.
I like *some* sushi.
There is someone else out there who likes old cookbooks and food history.
I miss my kitty when I am not home.

Things I learned in Chambana

2007-10-13T20:11:00.000-05:00

Database design made me quit computer science. I still don't like it.
Stephen King reads books in between the innings of Red Sox games.
Some people really hate princess books.
Coraline is a pretty freaky book.
Grab a book by its ears, not its head.
Don't ask a question without nudging Syed first. He might be asleep.
Storytelling is a class you should take, even if you can't.
I love children's books.
The Amtrak train is always half an hour late.
I am very dependent on my cell phone.
I am allergic to the Hampton Inn.

I still have one more day, so stay tuned....

Wyoming Libraries

2007-09-26T15:22:00.000-05:00

Ok, even non librarians should be interested in the Wyoming Libraries' new ad campaign. Cowboys riding books, mud flap girls, the space shuttle. You name it. I highly recommend browsing around. I'd also like to hear everyone's comments. Would you want to visit a library that advertises like this? Does it appeal to you? Or would nothing get you into a library?

Watch what you read

2007-09-25T09:52:00.000-05:00

the next time you're on an airplane...
U.S. Airport Screeners are Watching What You Read

Atomic Fireball

2007-09-24T15:25:00.000-05:00

In a previous post or two, I'm sure I've mentioned my love for Ferrara Pan, the candy factory in Forest Park, IL. Since I'm no longer driving by the factory everyday, I have been missing my favorite candies. So when I saw a Ferrara Pan Atomic Fireball in my coworker's candy jar, I had to try it. I remember eating fireballs when I was a kid, but I have no idea whether they were "atomic" from Ferrara Pan. All I have to say is that this fireball was far more fiery than I remember. It actually made me cry! So, unless you are a true fireballer, watch out for the atomic fireballs!

Potty

2007-09-16T18:24:00.000-05:00

I wonder how many times the word "potty" is searched in a library catalog. The reason I wonder is because I searched for it yesterday. Why, you ask? Because I was writing a paper and was curious about books about teaching your kid to go to the bathroom (aka "potty training" which is what I searched). Potty is normally not a word adults use, and yet there I was typing potty into a library catalog. Of course, the technical search term is "toilet training," but isn't "potty" much more fun?

Facebook and the librarian

2007-08-22T15:31:00.000-05:00

Classes start on Monday, and I am already learning that online classes have different syllabi that require me to think about my assignments in new ways. I don't like being given a list of assignments for the next week on the previous week's entry, I don't like the assignments listed on a separate section from the section that describes some of the assignments, etc. I also don't like the fact that I can't search my online syllabi using the "find" feature in Mozilla. I know it's a website, so why can't I do it?

On the other hand, this is very interesting. I'm going to somehow write a paper about undergraduate libraries using Facebook to communicate with their students/represent themselves online, etc. Not sure what it will end up being like, but it is an interesting topic, especially when I hear about Andy and Bryan using Facebook to contact their wrestlers. Email is for old people. At least according to one article I read. I guess I'm staying young? :)

The hills of Pennsylvania

2007-08-14T07:40:00.000-05:00

When I first came to Pennsylvania in 1999, I thought, "It's kind of flat here." After being in Illinois, I'm having to remember how to drive on hills again, and I'm thinking, "It's really hilly here." The first day I drove, I had to remind myself that you have to push harder on the gas pedal when you go up a hill or the car will slow down. What a concept. It's amazing how used to straight, flat roads you can get and how easily you can be taken by surprise when you have to turn your steering wheel. But it's pretty here, and the traffic is non-existent. I just hope they are better about plowing the snow than they used to be.

Avatariffic

2007-07-26T22:07:00.001-05:00

Check this out, dude.

Do your own

Harry Potter and that thing called library school boot camp

2007-07-24T21:41:00.000-05:00

Well, bootcamp is over. Thank goodness. Not that it was especially difficult academically, but it certainly wasn't what I would consider a "vacation" (when I returned to work, 2 people asked me how my vacation was. I corrected them.) On Sunday, I read the first Harry Potter book because I promised my boss that I would. I have to admit that I actually liked it. Not my favorite book by any means, but not nearly as bad as I thought it would be. So if you're like me and have been putting of HP for the last 10 years (yeah, the 1st one came out in '97), give it a try. Or, just watch the movie. The last book is 650 or so pages. One girl in my class bought it on Friday night at midnight and stayed up all night reading. I wonder how her exam went the next day.

Help me out here....

2007-07-19T10:35:00.000-05:00

Will someone please post something on their blog so that I can read it as I attempt to procrastinate my work? It's like I'm back at college and reading away messages on IM, except that I don't even know my IM screen name anymore so I can't read away messages. I probably don't have any IM friends anymore anyway. :)

It's a good thing I'm married

2007-07-17T12:21:00.000-05:00

and not for any of the reasons you're probably thinking.

I know myself, and I'm not naturally inclined to read a lot on the internet. I like books (I'm going to be a librarian for goodness sakes!), so I read books. What this leads to is a deficiency of information about the newest things. Especially technology things. Fortunately, I married someone who loves, and I can't emphasize this enough - LOVES - reading the internet. As a result, when I want to know about anything, he's probably read about it and can tell me about it as well as how to find out more. As a result, I didn't have to be one of the people who asked what RSS was on the 2nd day of class. I also know what a Wiki is. Granted, a lot of what I know goes back to Mrs. Jewett's Computer Technology classes in high school, but you also have to be up on the latest technology. So, in celebration of being married 3 years and 349 days (give or take), I post my thanks to Andy for making sure I'm not a mastodon (sorry, that's a library school joke) and can do my work without tearing out my hair.

I will say this, though, I figured out VPN all by myself. :)

How do you know it's time to stop doing homework and go to bed?

2007-07-16T23:38:00.000-05:00

When you finish all of the songs in your iTunes library. (Granted, I don't have many on this computer yet, and I was just playing a selection, but I think I'll go to bed anyway.)

Oh, and I finally have access to everything (I think), although they still can't get my address straight. Here's my suggestion for attending college: don't ever move, change your name, or change your major. It's just too complicated. At least I didn't change my name mid-way through any programs. I think that would be way too much for them to understand.

Quick edit

2007-07-15T20:03:00.001-05:00

My id card also does not work, so I was unable to access my classroom building today. Fortunately, I was able to knock on the door for someone to let me in. At this point, I'm just waiting for things to work...

How is this possible?

2007-07-15T14:13:00.000-05:00

I have to take a break from the insanity of my class to post, if only to comment about the insanity. So for those of you who are loyal readers, you will know that I had a heck of a time with U of I getting everything set up, but I thought that once I could log in to my accounts my worries were over. No. So far (and it's only been 4 days), I have no print quota, my account has a "glitch" that won't allow me to use the GSLIS Wiki software (which we need for our group project). Fortunately the tech people are nice and helpful, but it's really annoying. RRR. Oh yeah, and the dorms are the size of closets with the scariest showers I've ever seen. Messiah College wins the dorm room contest yet again.

Looking for black currant jam?

2007-07-09T10:59:00.000-05:00

Look no further than Cherry Hill Farm, owned by my best friend's family. I first learned about currants from them, since they're not very common in the US. Of course, they have other products as well as a pick your own berry farm. But you haven't lived until you've had Vicky's muffins with assorted berries inside. I remember the first time I had them. Yummy. So if you're ever in Vermont, I suggest swinging by the farm and having some tasty berries, or jam, or whatever you're in the mood for.

The beauty of the large university

2007-07-07T13:18:00.000-05:00

There are many, many reasons not to attend a large university, but there is one outstanding reason to attend a large university: the large university library. This is especially true of a land-grant university because it probably has a lot of different departments and probably saves a lot of its materials rather than get rid of them when they are old. I am very excited to learn that U of I has one of my absolute favorite library databases, the Readers' Guide Retro, which indexes popular magazines and newspapers from 1890-1982. It is the historian's dream come true. At least popular culture historians. I discovered it at NCSU and have been in love ever since. Unfortunately, few libraries subscribe to it. I'd imagine it's pretty expensive. In any case, in my spare time (haha), I can now continually search for dining room articles. I love the internet.

Whoa

2007-07-05T08:46:00.001-05:00

Now it says my own name when I write a post. Andy is so cool.

Haribo macht Kinder froh und Erwachsene ebenso

2007-07-04T21:19:00.000-05:00

Haribo is a German company that makes some of the best gummy candy around. I especially enjoy the gummy raspberries. Their German slogan, "Haribo macht Kinder froh und Erwachsene ebenso" roughly as "Haribo makes kids happy and adults also." Of course, it rhymes in German. In English, their slogan is "Haribo, kids and adults love it so."

I discovered Haribo in Germany, but you can find them here in certain stores. However, the gummy raspberries are rare, and often really expensive. How excited was I to find them in Walgreen's a few months ago for a somewhat reasonable price? Very excited. But not as excited as when I went to my first Super Target on Monday night and found them for a meager 89 cents. I thought I had died and gone to candy heaven because that candy aisle was the biggest, brightest, most beautiful candy aisle I'd ever seen outside a candy store. There were the bins where you could choose your own Jelly Belly mix, and a whole rack of Haribo candies. If only they had these everywhere... but for now, you can purchase some of the flavors from Amazon. In case you were wondering, my birthday is 1 month and 2 days away. ;)

Vote for Springfield!

2007-07-02T10:11:00.000-05:00

In case you've been living under a rock for the last year, a Simpsons Movie is coming out this summer. In anticipation of this, the movie people created a contest for each Springfield across the country to compete to become "the real Springfield." With the help of USA today, you can vote for my hometown! They've made a pretty good video, and if they win, the movie premiere will be in Springfield, VT. Please vote and help a little town compete with the giant cities. Springfield, VT is much more like the one on the Simpsons than the others. Click to see the videos and vote for Vermont!

But I am excited

2007-06-27T21:43:00.000-05:00

because I finally figured out what my MySpace password was so that I can login from a computer other than our desktop (which had it saved). Phew - a load off my mind right there.

Just in case you were wondering

2007-06-27T21:35:00.000-05:00

I have finally been able to get myself registered for my class that starts 2 weeks. I've even supposedly got email (I can't check until I reset my password, and I can't reset my password because I already tried to do it today, and you can only do it once in a 24 hour period). Now all I have to do is somehow get my login for the "Moodle" (who on earth came up with that) so that I can get to my syllabus and find out what on earth I'm supposed to read. For all of you geniuses out there who are thinking, "why doesn't she just call/email the professor?" Here's the answer: I can't get to the directory without a login, and I tried email, but my email was returned as undeliverable! ARgh. I guess I'll wait until tomorrow.......

What?

2007-06-26T22:26:00.000-05:00

I've started working 40 hours a week, and I'm tired. Andy always says that normal people work 40 hours a week and live through their days, but my job isn't for normal people. Normal people aren't "on" 40 hours a week working with all kinds of people, finding everything, and answering every conceivable question. Working in a children's dept at a library requires a special amount of energy that can really drain you. In any case, I'm working 40 hours a week for 2 reasons. The first is that I will be on "vacation" while I'm at U of I. Of course, I won't actually have much vacation time, since I don't really earn much, so I'm working to make up the hours lost (and there's a lot to do around here with the library under construction and all). Then, because the IT person left, I'm taking up some of the slack - anyone who knows me now would be quite surprised to learn about this, but I used to be a computer science major, so I do know a few things about computers. In any case, that makes 40 hours. We see a lot of kids in a day.

As far as the title of this post goes, though, it has to do with adults. I expect a lot of questions from kids, but it seems that some adults need a lot of handholding. The adult fiction collection has been moved to our floor because of the construction, so we get a lot of really confused adults looking for their books in the "Young Adult" fiction section. It has "Adult" in the title, so I can see where they could get confused. (Young adult is library speak for teenagers, by the way.) Anyway, so I've had my fair share of adults needing extra special attention lately, including one little old lady who handed me a book from the library's booksale shelves and asked me to find it for her. A 5 year old probably doesn't know what a card catalog is, but I'm pretty sure this lady did. Then there was the man who wanted to know where the microfilm was. I showed him. Then he said, "Hinsdale Doings?" (the name of a local newspaper). Just that. No, "Could you please show me the Hinsdale Doings?" Oh well. At least the kids are polite.

aaaaaaahhhhh

2007-06-24T21:40:00.001-05:00

Did you ever feel as if you are unable to keep up with everything? That's how I feel right now... I've been trying to set up all of my stuff for U of I, but I can't register for my class because registration for my class appears to be closed - but I couldn't register earlier because they didn't admit me on time, so I didn't have my login. I also can't login to the online course information because I'm not in the class yet, so the unknown amount of reading I have to do before July 12 when my class starts remains unknown. Panic has definitely set it. RRRRR

Cheese curd and Ferrara Pan

2007-06-10T15:24:00.000-05:00

While eating cheese curd and some Ferrara Pan Orangeheads (not at the same time), I'm reminded of the regional favorites we've come to love in each of the places we've lived. Here are some of my favorites in no particular order:
1. Krispy Kreme - granted, you can get these in a lot of places, but we lived down the road from one of the first stores when we lived in Raleigh - or maybe it's the first? James, my Raleigh history expert, help me out here!
2. Cheese curd - it squeaks - need I say more?
3. Ferrara Pan Orangeheads, Lemonheads, Grapeheads, Cherryheads, Apppleheads, etc. Not only does the factory send heavenly scents of atomic fireballs and bubble gum out into the air, but they make darn good candy. I wish they gave factory tours.
4. Isaac's - hands down, the best sandwich place in the universe and a Central Pennsylvania legend
5. Sheetz - another Pennsylvania discovery that is slowly spreading. Of course, they didn't bring them to Raleigh until about 2 months before we moved away.
6. The Golden Lamb - once you've had one of their tacos, you can never eat another taco without thinking that it's gross because it's not from the Golden Lamb. I think they only have 3 employees, and they aren't open regular hours, but when they are, I'm there.
7. Maple Syrup - no self respecting Vermonter would leave this off her list - and sugar on snow, even if Andy thinks it's a rip off to take the snow inside in a bowl.
8. Doughnuts from the farmer's market - doesn't matter which organization is making them each week, fresh doughnuts are a must have. Why does Mozilla think that I'm spelling doughnut incorrectly, but "donut" is ok - has donut become the accepted spelling?!
9. Chick-fil-a - any restaurant that tries to capture the grease inside its food must taste good. Another Raleigh discovery. My arteries are probably thanking me for moving out of range.
10. Shanghai Garden - the Chinese restaurant near my parents house - quite possibly the best fried rice and won ton soup you will ever eat.

That's 10 - I'm sure there are more. Know this, though - if you live by one of these places, I'll want to eat there if I ever come to visit :)

Khloe?

2007-06-09T15:54:00.000-05:00

Andy and I like to make fun of all the weird names kids are getting these days, so whenever we come across a particularly odd one, we share it with each other. Working at a library, I come in contact with a lot of odd names. Khloe is just one example. Want to know how you know you gave your kid a weird name? He or she immediately starts spelling it after telling you what it is. When they have to do this, you should know that you have screwed up your child for life. I should know - I had to spell my maiden name, and now I have to spell my married name - that's bad enough, and not really any parent's fault, since last names aren't really chosen. But imagine having to spell both. ALL THE TIME, whenever you do ANYTHING. Now there are some obvious examples, like Catherine, Kathryn, etc. that are traditional, but could probably be avoided. However, if you are contemplating naming your child a "traditional" name, but spelling it strangely, such as, well, I can't think of one right now, but in any case, that's just mean. People are going to start spelling it one way, then have to change it all around, and sometimes they won't even believe that it's spelled the nontraditional way. Save your child years of annoyance and give them a name that actually exists, can be spelled without too much difficulty, and doesn't make everyone look at them funny. And thanks, mom, for following the rules - most people can spell my name.

Want a Smart car?

2007-06-09T14:01:00.000-05:00

No, not one with a brain, or one resembling KITT from Knight Rider, but a Smart Car... Andy just called me and said, "I just saw a Smart car driving on the Eisenhower." For those of you who haven't been to Europe since before 1998 (or ever), here's a Smart car:

They're smaller than a MINI (our 2004 MINI is 11.9 feet long, 5.54 feet wide, and 4.66 feet tall, whereas the Smart car is 8.8 feet long, 5.1 feet wide, and 5.1 feet tall).

One of the dealers here in Chicagoland lists them for $27,900, which is far more than I'm willing to pay, even for a cute little car that gets about 50mpg city. However, the cars available now are just modified versions of the ones sold in Europe. Eventually, according to this 2004 MSNBC article, they are going to sell them in the US. I won't hold my breath, but if gas prices go higher, maybe we'll see them.

Welcome to a new blogger

2007-06-06T09:08:00.000-05:00

My friend Heather from LUC has a blog. She's been added to the list, in case you're interested :)

If you have a yappy dog

2007-06-03T19:04:00.000-05:00

Please keep your windows closed so the rest of us don't have to listen to it 24/7. I like dogs and all, but this is getting ridiculous. Thank you.

A special welcome from Vermont

2007-06-02T20:25:00.001-05:00

I'm In!

2007-06-01T21:54:00.000-05:00

After a month of wringing my hands trying to figure out what the deal is, I finally got notification from U of I that they will let me in to their program. I just have to say that the registrar at Messiah was a big help in this whole ordeal. If she hadn't been kind enough to send out another copy of my transcript ASAP, the decision might have been delayed further. So, a happy ending to a very complicated story. What a relief.

Things Change

2007-05-30T22:50:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, I changed my Facebook status to "I'm a terrible penpal." Now, I knew that this was true, but I didn't realize how true until I clicked on James (remember, James is James Sutton and Jimmy is the Captain) and Katie's blog only to discover that Matt & Lisa have a blog, which led me to Robin's new blog that's been up for like a year. Ok, people, I'm sorry. I'm a terrible penpal. But boy do I feel really awful when people I was pretty good friends with restart their blog and I don't know about it. Well, now I have some summer reading to do. :) Oh yeah, and people got married and some had babies, what is this world coming to with all this change? I'm not good with change. Well, Robin's back on the right hand side, James and Katie's blog has a funny picture of Lee & Amy, and I have had a little tiny window into the lives of people we once saw at least once a week. I miss you guys!

When darkness turns to light

2007-05-29T11:41:00.000-05:00

You know when you do something in the somewhat darkness, or at least not bright light, and then you see it in the daytime and you go, "oops".... I hate when that happens. Fortunately this time it was just lint rollering the lampshade. Helps keep the kitty fur off. Unfortunately, I did a terrible job. The good thing is that it's something that is easily corrected. Painting your house or something, not easily corrected. Good thing I didn't try that.

Graduation Pictures

2007-05-21T18:58:00.000-05:00

Me, Deb, and Dr. Mooney-Melvin, a very influential person in the field of public history. Andy likes to say that she invented public history, but that's not really true, although she was president of the National Council on Public History.

I think you know who we are.

The fam.

Me, Deb, Katie, and Dr. Karamanski. Thanks to him, I know more about historic preservation than I thought possible. Take me into the woods to evaluate some historic ruins - go ahead, I'm up for it.

The last time I'll probably ever set foot on the Lakeshore Campus of Loyola University Chicago. (I'll have to at least go to the Watertower Campus to return a library book.) I love what the graduation cap did to my hair.

What are the odds?

2007-05-21T18:54:00.000-05:00

What are the odds that the University of Illinois would not receive my transcripts from Messiah and that I would not receive their notification that they did not receive my transcripts? Apparently good enough that it actually happened. I am very disappointed - I think that is actually an understatement. I was so sure I would get in (getting one Master's Degree and having 2 professors tell you that they are sorry to see you leaving the field has a tendency to make you sure about your academic ability), and now I really don't know what to do. Yes, there is the possibility of an appeal, as in, they may consider considering my appeal. I have no idea how long that will take. By now, I'm sure some of you are thinking, "No big deal, there's always next semester." Unfortunately, that's not how this works. I'll have to wait until Summer 2008 to get in because you can only enter this program once a year. By that time, many things will have changed, and I'm not sure the job I was hoping to get will be an option, since I won't be almost done. The joy of graduating has definitely been tempered. But I'll post some pictures anyway.

Graduation

2007-05-09T08:54:00.000-05:00

Well, I graduate tomorrow. It will be the last time I see some people from my classes, possibly forever. Sad but true. But at least I get to wear a nifty gown with long, pointy sleeves. Hopefully we'll remember the camera and will have some great pictures. :)

I'm pretty sure Scott Blasey went to the post office for me

2007-05-07T15:48:00.000-05:00

You can compare the writing on the envelope and the autographed CD and let me know what you think.

Personally, I am imagining Scott himself writing out our address, sticking the stamps.com stamp on it and walking it to the mailbox. It's possible that someone else dropped it in the box, but there's no denying the fact that Scott Blasey, lead singer of one of the best bands in the universe, signed a CD jacket for me and then proceeded to put it in an envelope, address it, put a stamp on it, and continue with his famous life. That's the beauty of liking a band that isn't as big as say, Justin Timberlake. I bet Scott Blasey is way nicer than Justin Timberlake.

What to do, what to do

2007-05-07T15:43:00.000-05:00

What do you do when all of your classes are over and you are about to start working only 3 days a week? Go to a party until 1:30am (ok, that's a novelty item that will probably not happen again for another year - I have determined that I like sleep too much, even though I used to be a night owl), read a bunch of children's books, and attempt to clean the apartment. I know, it's boring in comparison to spending every waking moment reading or writing, but, as Andy says, I'm decompressing. Not sure what I'll do without the stress. So far, it's ok because I have to catch up on some work-related reading (which is why I just read The Clue of the Linoleum Lederhosen this morning). What's next, you ask? Well, I have a 3 month backlog of Martha Stewart Living and a few random issues of Real Simple I never got around to reading before I canceled my subscription a year ago. In other words, I'm doing all those little things that normal people do more than once a year. I'm not sure I'm an adult yet, but I guess I'm getting closer. Now I'm just waiting for the fat envelope from U of I. What's the deal yo?

Stealth Blogger

2007-05-03T17:39:00.000-05:00

A stealth blogger has posted for me (ok, it's just Andy) on the day that I finally had a chance to sit down and post for myself. Yes, indeed, I will graduate in one week. I have worked harder in this last semester than the previous 3 combined. Ok, probably not, but this semester was very hard. I had to take 2 (one half, one whole) days off from work to get it all done. In the end, my wonderful friends at work gave me a very generous graduation present as well as balloons, cake, and a mini party (it was really just the beginning of our staff meeting, but still very nice). Next stop, DSW and the Gap!

Just In Case

2007-05-03T15:31:00.000-05:00

Janet may never get around to it, so I'll post here that she finished school and has nothing left to do but show up next Thursday and pick up her diploma. I'm proud of her.

Just a few more days

2007-04-21T18:15:00.000-05:00

and the worst will be over. I have 4 papers and 3 presentations. 2 papers are finished, 1 is started, and 1 is not even started. 1 presentation ready (I was supposed to present last week), 2 to go. The papers are due on Monday and Tuesday, and everything will be in by next Monday. I'm relieved to be almost done, but rather sad - I'll never have this experience again where you spend 2 years of your life with the same 10 people talking about something you are all interested in. When they all move away, I'll have to make new friends.

This is not how you want to start your week

2007-04-09T22:13:00.000-05:00

Unfortunately, I was on this train this afternoon. Fortunately, I didn't see anything because I was engrossed in my readings for my archives class. According to bystanders as we waited for the 36 bus (the shuttle was not started when I was still there), the woman jumped in front of the train. All I heard was the driver screaming and then people saying we hit someone. Lots of police and fire trucks came really quickly, but it seems like there isn't a lot of information right now. It wasn't even on the news tonight.

Whew

2007-04-06T21:04:00.000-05:00

So I passed my exam, but now I've got 4 papers and 3 presentations. I'm not really sure how I got into this mess. And I want to go to more school? Crazy girl. I should hear from U of I around the end of the month.

PJ the Cat

2007-03-26T07:42:00.000-05:00

Watch for the somersault at the end.

Scholarships?

2007-03-05T15:09:00.000-05:00

I applied for American Library Association scholarships, which I probably won't get. Illinois, however, gives out big time scholarships to 15 students each year. I didn't think I'd be able to apply for them because U of I doesn't notify its students in time, but apparently they are willing to work with me to get everything together in time. So now I can apply for a scholarship I actually have a chance of getting. Of course, this means one more thing to do before May 1. I have so much to do, I just can't even do any of it. Expect light blogging for the next 2 months.

Boots?

2007-02-22T16:15:00.000-05:00

Well, once again, I am behind in my shopping. I always realize that I need a winter accessory in February when everything is pretty much gone. This time, I need some new winter boots because I noticed that the heel (and now most of the sole) is separated from the boot. Fortunately I've had these boots for about 10 years, and I got them for free from my grandma because they didn't fit her or something. Unfortunately, nice winter boots are rather expensive, and after having nice ones, I don't really want to have un-nice ones. Of course, it's all pretty much a moot point because most stores don't even have boots anymore. Sadness. I hope we don't really get snow this weekend or my little (ok, they're really big) feet will be wet and cold.

Technology and the Librarian

2007-02-17T22:50:00.000-05:00

I don't consider myself particularly technologically literate any more. Maybe when compared to most people, but not compared to a lot of people my age - or at least people younger than I am. I'd say it's partially because I'm not a computer science major, partially because I don't have a lot of time, and partially because whenever anything breaks or I need to know how to do something, I just ask Andy. He's quite handy. In any case, I know that I am more technologically minded than many of the people at work, which I know because they often will yell, "Janet!" to have me come and fix things or show them what to do. I recently attended a workshop about technology in libraries, since I was available, but also because I am in charge of technology for our department. Sadly, many people in attendance had never used a blog and didn't know what RSS is. I think they had all heard of blogs, and fortunately, no one had to explain that it was short for "weblog." While I did get a lot of new ideas for implementing technology in the workplace, I was disappointed to hear a library colleague say that she "hates technology." Really? Hate technology? Well, she doesn't have TV, so maybe she does (I would like to point out at this point that she was definitely under 30). But I felt that this was a bit of a strong statement. Remember the old days of card catalogs? While they were easy for little kids learning about library subjects, I'll never trade the keyword search for anything. I think people just need to learn to utilize technology - it will become their friend. But how to catch them up? I'm just not sure, and this is my problem (and one of my objectives for the year, as I am also in charge of helping people in the department become more familiar with technology). How do you begin? The first step, of course, is to teach people that it's almost impossible to break a computer unless you physically damage it by dropping it out of a building or something. Maybe your home computer could get a virus, but most workplace systems are so tricked out with firewalls, security, and virus scan software that they're annoying - but in any event, clicking on a few things in your document won't hurt you. Just go ahead and see what happens. Maybe I should wear a sign around the office and see what happens...

Refreshingly delicious

2007-02-17T18:41:00.000-05:00

Today it was cold outside, and it had snowed the morning. However, it was not the face falling off cold that we've been having. The day actually felt refreshing in its sunny, mid-20-ness. I should know - according to the CTA website (which is not the most accurate, but I'm going to go with it), I walked nearly 1.5 miles today. Why, you ask? Because I had to go to UIC to help another group with their project. Granted, their project is really hard and time consuming, but that's why I didn't sign on for the project and decided to do my own thing. The rest of the class should not be punished for their independence. In any case, Andy would now comment about the fact that I started this post on a positive note and just ended up whining. Oh well.

Leaf blowers - not just for leaves anymore

2007-02-12T14:17:00.000-05:00

It snowed about an inch today, and while I was driving to work, I saw someone outside using a leaf blower to blow the snow off the sidewalk. It seemed to be working, probably because the snow was fairly light. In any event, this falls into the category of "things I've never seen before."

Clicking Submit

2007-02-07T18:34:00.000-05:00

I am this close to finishing my application for U of I and my ALA scholarship application. Really, I just need to click submit. But I'm nervous. What if I forgot something crucial? How many times can you look something over and then print out 100 copies, only to realize you misspelled a word? (I did this at work last week) eek

Snow?

2007-02-06T15:30:00.000-05:00

I made an observation today as I struggled to return home from work in what appears to be a freak snowstorm that no one was expecting. I work in a rich town. Median home price is $800,000, so I'm not joking about the rich. You would expect such a town to have an excellent supply of salt, salt trucks, plows, the works. Indeed, you would expect that the roads in such town, as well as other "well-to-do" towns would be meticulously maintained so that the residents would not endanger their BMWs, Mercedes (by the way, what's the plural of "Mercedes"? is it Mercedi? Mercedeses? I think I like Mercedi), and Porsche SUVs. On the contrary, the farther east I went (and into the poorer areas - where, we probably could afford to buy a house, but are terrified to), the roads became better and better. Although they seem to have issues with paving the roads, their salting and plowing is exemplary. Even little old Oak Park wasn't quite as good as Forest Park (which seemed to have the best roads, although it has a good mix of safe and unsafe neighborhoods, so it doesn't qualify as "poor". In any case, quite interesting.

25 1/2

2007-02-03T16:35:00.000-05:00

In three days I will be 25 1/2 and Andy will be 26 tomorrow. How is it possible that we are already so old?

Vermont

2007-02-03T14:24:00.000-05:00

You should go there. But don't get confused and go to the wrong one. There might not be a Vermont, Massachusetts as one infamous (only to me) North Carolinian thought, but apparently Illinois can lay claim to one.

Journal This

2007-01-29T14:15:00.000-05:00

I have to do a reading journal for each article I read for one of my classes. What a waste of time. I understand wanting to make sure that we think about these things, but come on. Do I really need to write 2 paragraphs about it? No. We are big kids now, and I think we can BS our way through class without having to do this, too. Since we read between 5 and 10 articles each week, this is at least 3 pages a week (single spaced, might I add). ICK!

LUC on MySpace

2007-01-26T23:10:00.000-05:00

So, I got my weekly email from Loyola telling me about this and that going on around campus. Normally, I skim through to make sure that I'm not missing some big cholera epidemic or important deadline for graduation. Then I stopped when I got to "Visit Loyola's Official MySpace Profile." Lo and behold, LUC is on MySpace in an official capacity. I wonder how many universities are "officially" on MySpace? I've read a lot about this, and technically, you are violating the user agreement by putting an organization/nonperson online, but no one seems to care. This is actually one of the reasons why the library doesn't have a page. In any case, I haven't decided whether or not LUC should be my friend. That seems like a big step. We've really only known each other for a little while, and I'm not sure I'm ready to decide that I like the school that much. Hmm...

Da Bears - part 2

2007-01-25T16:18:00.000-05:00

How do you know that the Bears are going to the Super Bowl? Because NO ONE will stop talking about it. It's all over every radio station, everyone who comes into the library is suddenly wearing Bears apparel, and there are ads for souvenir Super Bowl game coins. (Bears on one side, Colts on the other) In any case, apparently the Bears are a HUGE FREAKING DEAL in Chicago, and the one thing that isn't divided North Side/South Side. What I want to know is why they keep playing "Rexy Back" on the radio. He's not that good, and neither is the song (in case you aren't blessed by hearing the song, it's a parody of Justin Timberlake's "Sexy Back" made into an ode to Rex Grossman. Who is funny looking, by the way.) I'm very torn about who to root for. On the one hand, it's "Da Bears" and if they don't win, we can't sell our services to a new city. On the other hand, Andy convinced me to cheer on Manning and the Colts against my "home team." Of course, I never once cared about football until this year. I'll be accepting votes until 2/4 as to who I should root for.

Da Bears

2007-01-20T19:06:00.000-05:00

How do you know that the Bears are playing on Sunday? The grocery store is so crowded, you can't find a parking space. I went in, saw the line, and turned around. My sale 1.98 strawberries went unpurchased. They had all 8 (or maybe 9) checkouts going with lines back into the aisles. I've never seen anything like it. I guess I should be preparing for my party. Oh, that's right, I have to come up with some sort of historic site to nominate for the national register. And study for my oral exams. Which, by the way, seem kind of scary. Oh well... I'll just watch the game on mute.

By the way, James (Sutton) finally posted on his blog! Yay! By the way, for future reference, "James" will be James Sutton, and "Jimmy" will be James Barley, aka "The Captain". Much easier, right? I'll probably forget tomorrow.

It's not Hershey

2007-01-19T21:12:00.000-05:00

but the Ferrara Pan Candy Factory (famous for its Atomic Fireballs, Lemonheads, and so much more) sure smells good some mornings (and afternoons, and, come to think of it, evenings). Since they make fruity candy, it's always a happy, fruity smell. Sometimes it's lemon, sometimes it's cherry, and sometimes it's indecipherable. You always know when they're making the fireballs, though. Wow! They don't have the greatest website, but if you want to see how candy is made and can't wait for the latest episode of "Unwrapped," this is the place to go. They sell all of the fruity flavored Lemonheads in boxes for 25 cents. I almost didn't believe the price. If you like things that are sour, then sweet, these are the treats for you!

TXT

2007-01-14T21:11:00.000-05:00

To my horror, I am growing older. Andy will be 26 in a few weeks, which means I'll be 26 in a little over 6 months. I know what you're thinking: 26 isn't really that old. But then I realized, again, to my horror, that I have never sent a text message. I tried once, and failed, and I never tried again. This is unlike me. I embrace technology. I am the one who learned to program our VCR long before Andy. I am the one who showed everyone at work how to use the digital camera. Etc. I think of this, and I am reminded of my colleague at work who is more than 40 years my senior who has only sent an email once. She receives email, but never sends. I was just thinking of this fact before I sat down to write, and thought, "How can she go through life without sending emails?" And then I thought, "Oh my gosh! I'm like her, except with texting. If I told one of the teen patrons at the library that I had never texted, they'd probably be horrified." This is an awful feeling. Now, part of my neglect with regard to texting is that it costs money. Ok, it's only like 4 cents, but still. That's 4 cents I don't have to spend if I just send an email. And I grew up in the age of IM. Before everyone had cell phones, there was IM. I remember going to Germany (where, incidentally everyone has a cell phone) and coming back to a world of cell phones. Somehow, between 2001 and 2002, everyone and their brother got a cell phone. So, as a result, I vow that before my 26th birthday, I will send a text message. I just have to get Andy to show me how. :)

One more sign

2007-01-13T22:09:00.000-05:00

That school is starting: It's going to be 22 on Tuesday. It's been 40 degrees or higher for the last month, and now that I have to go back to school and stand in the cold waiting for the El, it's going to be 22. At least I have my new coat :) Hopefully it's actually warm.

In other news, I spent 3 hours today cutting things out and punching out foam stickers for Children's Church. Why do I do this again?

Taking my life into my hands

2007-01-09T18:59:00.000-05:00

I always knew that driving in Chicago was taking a big gamble. I was reminded of that today when I went to change lanes at the same time as another person and we were both headed for the same lane. The craziest thing of all was that when I realized that the other person was going into the lane that I was most of the way in, I beeped my horn, and the car did nothing. No brakes, no swerve, no nothing. It just continued into the lane as if nothing had happened. Fortunately I could return safely to the lane I had been in and no one was hurt, but wow! When I realize someone is about to enter my lane, I usually try to get out of the way if I can. Apparently not this person. Erg.

Winter has arrived

2007-01-08T17:23:00.000-05:00

and it makes me miss North Carolina. The last few weeks have been like a North Carolina winter, and I loved it. So, yes, James Sutton, the Mazda would be a good car to take to NC on a happy road trip, but we'd probably fly anyway. We miss you guys as well, but it's hard to take a vacation when you get 2.1 hours of vacation a month and you have to use that on your family. Now I understand why people live near their families. That way, your vacation isn't used up to visit them, it's used for an actual vacation. Not that I don't want to visit my family - I'd just like to take an alternative vacation sometime. Have I mentioned that I need a vacation?

It's almost time...

2007-01-08T17:14:00.000-05:00

to start school once again. Despite the fact that I get very excited about course descriptions and then totally disappointed when the classes aren't nearly as cool as they sound, this semester will probably live up to my expectations. That is, I didn't really want to take these classes to begin with, so I don't have high expectations. I'll be satisfied if they're not too hard, and I get a little bit of actual hands-on useful knowledge. One of them is an archives class, which I think would be horribly, horribly boring without hands-on experience. The other is historic preservation. Someone in my family (I can't remember who) thought that hands-on experience would be just great for that class. I disagree, as hands-on experience in that class would probably mean trekking to some museum in who-knows-where with too much traffic and no El service. Have I mentioned the LUC student motto? "If you can't get there on the El, it's not worth going." So true. Ok, not really, but it is a good excuse not to go to a few places :)

In any case, I have a lot of things going on right now... I'm working on my application for U of I, trying to figure out my chances of getting one of about a dozen scholarships from ALA, trying to get my paper together to submit it for the LUC grad student conference, trying to figure out where to publish that Jello paper, getting my paper about Scoville Park cut in 1/2 so I can submit it to some journal that I forgot the name of, trying to figure out whether I can submit to the Encyclopedia of Culture Wars, scheduling my oral exams so that I can graduate... I guess I really should be doing that instead of writing in this blog. Eeek. Oh yeah, and I have to go to work and organize a whole new Children's Church plan. I need a vacation.

I got it!

2007-01-04T00:00:00.000-05:00

I am the proud recipient of one of the Community Stewards Fellowship!! They also awarded an extra thousand dollars, so I got a serious scholarship. Yay!!

Update

2006-12-30T00:15:00.000-05:00

The iTunes card came from Jae & Mark (technically my aunt and uncle, but I don't call them that). It didn't show up correctly in Hotmail/IE7 or whatever the problem was. At least now I know it's not a mystery. Now I have to decide which songs I want next :) Yay!!!

I got a response!

2006-12-29T21:27:00.000-05:00

So I had been curious about a section of one of my oft-used food history books. I noticed that the author had a website, so I sent her a note/question last night about it. She wrote me back today! She was really nice and suggested where I might go for further research. I mean, I'm sure she doesn't get requests everyday, but she has written quite a bit. Thanks Laura Schenone, author of A Thousand Years Over A Hot Stove!

Betcha didn't know...

2006-12-28T23:57:00.000-05:00

Remember "Jump Around" from the mid-90s? Remember "What it's Like" (ie "Then you really might know what it's like") from the late 90s? Same guy. Well, kind of. "Jump Around" was a group, House of Pain, while "What it's Like" was just one guy from House of Pain. Everlast. I always thought Everlast was a group, but apparently it's a person. Thanks VH1's countdown of one hit wonders! More incredibly useless trivia to fill my brain. I miss the 90s when I knew the songs on the radio that all the kids were listening to because I was a kid listening to the songs. Now I listen to one of those stations that teens don't listen to, and I am utterly uncool. Except that Green Day and the Red Hot Chili Peppers are still cool, so I guess I've got something... Since I don't remember how to link to previous posts, check out my July 2, 2006 post for more info about how 5th graders love Green Day and the Chili Peppers.

You know you're from Vermont when...

2006-12-28T10:42:00.000-05:00

You know you really want to go to the mall to stock up on winter sales, but you're annoyed by all the people in the parking lot and clogging up the sidewalks. Of course, it didn't help my jolly mood that the closest mall is an outdoor mall (who builds those in Illinois? It gets cold here!) with a layout that is utterly confusing and idiotic. In order to get from one side to the other, you either have to snake around 1/2 a mile of stores or go down 2 sets of stairs, through a parking lot, down a driveway, and up another set of stairs that almost look like stairs you shouldn't really be going up. This is why malls are inside - then you don't have to worry about cars, scary stairs, or weird shapes. A building isn't usually Z-shaped.

By the way, if you sent me a $20 Itunes gift card, thanks. I just got it in my email from [?]. Literally, that's what it says "from [?]" This reminds me of the random Payless gift card that I got for my birthday a year ago that no one ever took responsibility for. How can you thank someone if they don't tell you they sent it?!

Can I teach preschool?

2006-12-24T12:46:00.000-05:00

So I've been doing this Children's Ministries director thing for about 4 months now. The first time through, I had a hard time getting someone to teach the preschool Sunday School. This time, I ran an "ad" in the bulletin for about 6 weeks with no volunteers. Then, over the last week, I've had 4 people volunteer to teach. 4. It's feast or famine, I suppose. Now I just have to convince them that they'd rather teach children's church. :)

Why we don't have 2 MINI Coopers

2006-12-23T13:15:00.000-05:00

Well, James (Sutton) requested to know why we don't have 2 MINIs, and since Andy has been too busy playing with photos, I'll respond.

1. Grandpa Palone didn't work for MINI, he worked for Ford. No discount means a LOT more money goes to the car dealer and a lot less stays in our pocket.

2. A MINI only has 2 doors. Have you ever tried to put your friends (or parents, for that matter) into the back of a MINI? It's not as easy as it sounds.

3. A Mazda 3 has a real trunk that will hold more than groceries. So when my parents come to visit, we won't have to take 2 cars to pick up their luggage. In case you didn't know, my parents have forgotten how to pack light. We used to go camping in a VW Beetle. Not exactly a lot of trunk room in one of those.

4. I liked the Mazda. Now, it's not as sporty as a MINI, and I'm actually surprised that they call the Mazda "sporty," but I guess it has more of a sporty feel than a Corolla. In any case, it has some good features, a bit of a kick, and an input jack for an MP3 player. One benefit of a less sporty car is a slightly softer ride, which does feel nice on a few of the bumpy roads around here.

5. Sometimes you want to blend in. Everyone stares at you in a MINI. We don't always drive in the nicest neighborhoods, and I'd rather that I wasn't quite so noticeable. However, every 3rd car isn't a Mazda, either, so at least I can (sort of) find it in a parking lot.

So I think Andy would probably still love to have 2 MINIs, but sometimes you have to be practical. We got a good car for a great price (thanks Grandpa!), with good gas mileage and enough space to hold 5 adults and a whole lot of luggage (as we discovered when we took a wrestler and his friends to the airport). Oh yeah, and we got it with a manual transmission. That saved us a lot of $, and it's a lot more fun to drive.

Maybe this will inspire Andy to add his comments.

Merry Christmas everyone!

I got an A

2006-12-21T20:46:00.000-05:00

3 A's this semester and a 3.945 GPA. Summa Cum Laude here I come! That GPA will go up even more once my master's essay is figured into the mix. In case you were concerned that I wasn't doing well enough. :)

I'm sitting on my bottom!

2006-12-14T21:58:00.000-05:00

In my Toddler Time storytime, I have a problem with some kids getting so excited about the books that they stand right in front of them, thereby blocking the view for all the other kids. Granted, these are 2 year olds, so you can't expect too much from them. However, we try to teach them the importance of sitting and listening to the story. Call it reading appreciation. In any case, I tell them that they can come close to the books as long as they "sit on their bottoms." This isn't always successful, as you can imagine, but I try. I have one girl who is a total ham and completely adorable. She recently turned 2, but she talks like she is 4. In any case, after I said, "ok everyone, let's sit on our bottoms when we listen to the story!" She replied (very loudly), "I'm sitting on my bottom!" with a big grin on her face. Very cute.

I am the queen of gelatin

2006-12-13T22:07:00.000-05:00

I submitted my jello paper online yesterday, and I got my response today:
"Whatever doubts I might have had about jello as a topic have disappeared. Your essay uses an excellent combination of primary and secondary sources to create a shimmering and colorful concoction of your own. It is also an excellent piece of writing. The argument now stands out a bit more, the ideas flow well, and the rise and fall of Jello is quite clear to the reader. I suggest you submit this to the McCluggage Prize committee in the Spring. Excellent job. I'm giving you an A on the Paper."

How good does that feel?

Would you eat this?

2006-12-10T15:00:00.000-05:00

Cottage cheese and ketchup. Apparently Nixon ate it because he had to eat cottage cheese for "weight control" and added ketchup to make it edible. The bizzare things you learn while reading books about the history of food. Also bizzare is the fact that Mozilla's spell checker doesn't recognize "bizzare." I checked Word to make sure I was spelling it correctly.

90210 anyone?

2006-12-08T17:54:00.000-05:00

Season 1 was recently released on DVD, which I am very happy about. For a recap, check out this Slate article. However, I am a little bummed if some of the music isn't in it, which the article seems to indicate. I was a huge Barenaked Ladies fan long before "One Week" thanks to 90210. They played "Brian Wilson" on some episode somewhere along the line. All they need now is Saved By the Bell, and we can get the ultimate California 80s and 90s experience. 90210 was on for 10 years! I feel so old.

Saying goodbye to the old Saab

2006-12-02T21:28:00.000-05:00

Sadly, the Saab had a problem that even I wasn't ready to try to fix. On Tuesday, I tried to take it to work. I got to the end of the alley and realized that it just wouldn't go into first or second gear. Now, one of them you might be able to live without, but not both. A call to the Saab dealer confirmed that it probably wasn't anything other than the transmission. Something that would cost far, far more than the car is worth. So, I had to say goodbye to the car that I took my driver's test on, drove to my first ever Ben and Jerry's Free Ice Cream Cone Day in Hannover, and just generally spent a good part of my teens and twenties driving. I wonder if I'll get this nostalgic when my parents get rid of the ginormous truck I took to college to haul all my stuff in?

In any event, we decided that we would indeed get a new car. Thanks to Andy's grandpa, who worked for Ford, we were able to get a good deal on a number of cars. Anything that Ford owns, we could get a discount. We've been considering a Focus for more than 3 years now, but I was never quite ready to commit to one. Then, we discovered that Ford owns Mazda. Well, I'd never even been inside a Mazda until Wednesday, but when I drove it, I liked what I saw/felt. So we're now the proud owners of a Mazda 3i. (The cheaper model, but not the cheapest.) I was excited to get a manual transmission, even though I had thought about the conveniences of an automatic in Chicago traffic. Hey, we might not live here forever, right? Getting an automatic also saved us around $800. Never a bad thing. Unfortunately, it snowed on Friday and got insanely cold, so I wasn't excited to take pictures in that weather. I'll get them when it's not 10 degrees outside.

Goodbye Saab :( I'll miss you.

By the way

2006-11-27T22:30:00.000-05:00

the answer is no. God does not have a wife.

Does God have a wife?

2006-11-26T14:12:00.000-05:00

That was the question of the day in Children's Church today. It was then suggested that he might be married to Mother Nature. I suppose it's a logical question...

Happy Thanksgiving...

2006-11-23T22:52:00.000-05:00

With a touch of Christmas... Enjoy the fun filled pictures of the windows at Macy's, bratwurst at the Christkindlmarket and pictures of PJ being a bad kitty and hiding in the cabinet above the counter. By the way, we did not install the wrinkled shelf paper.

Trying to kill the battery

2006-11-21T00:03:00.000-05:00

I'm trying to drain the battery in my laptop cold so that I can give it a good charge for its cord-free excursion tomorrow. I need it to be wireless and outletless, so I thought I'd drain it down. Amazingly, the old girl has a lot of spunk and is holding out on me. It has given the 0% warning, but it's still going strong. I think that was about 15 minutes ago. The battery meter isn't exactly what you'd call accurate (obviously). At some point, I'm going to need a new computer. But it's really hard to say goodbye to my trusty ThinkPad. It's taken me many places (Germany included) and never failed me. Ok, so it does freak out whenever it tries to go to sleep, but I just turn that off and it's fine. What a happy little computer it is.

So anyway, after looking at a bunch of old pictures, playing solitaire, and reading blogs, I decided to post my own. Here goes...

Have you ever transcribed an interview?

2006-11-19T15:16:00.000-05:00

Until this semester, I had not. Let me just say, that everyone just needs to talk much more slowly. Naturally, we got the person who talks as quickly as I do. It was a really fascinating interview of a retired judge, and I'm just happy we had someone who didn't mind talking to us. On the other hand, even at 50% speed, the slowest I can make it, she still seems to talk really quickly. And so do I! No breaks from interviewer or interviewee.

I'm nearly finished with the first run-through, though, which is great. Then I have to listen to it again. And again. And again. Then we'll each listen to each other's parts. Again. And Again. Eeek. Have I mentioned I also have to write a rough draft for my Jello paper by next Tuesday? Yeah, so Thanksgiving is going to be a day of me giving thanks for having a computer to type on. :)