new toys

After work today, I'm stopping at BestBuy to pick up the new toy I bought Saturday night online:

We are in a bit of an eletronic toy frenzy -- at least a shopping one, if not always buying. We also looked at this:

And -- this:

This last item we need more than the middle one. It takes a full 5 minutes for our screen to pop in every time we turn on our (very old) projection television. We've been expecting it to die for about two years. In that time, the prices on big screens have really come down, so that's good. Maybe soon we will make a purchase.

winding down, gearing up

The intersession class ended tonight. It was a fast, but thoroughly enjoyable course. We focused on "social software" and its use and applications in library services. I almost wish there were an "Advanced Internet Resource & Applications" class.

Now it is time to gear up for the spring semster. Classes generally begin on Monday, however, it is also time for the mid-winter ALA meeting, and many of the SLIS faculty (along with some of our university libraries staff) are in attendance.

The only class for which I registered that I'm (fairly) sure will not change is the children't literature class. This one includes involvement with the annual children's book festival held on campus in April. After offering assistance to the professor, she asked if I would prepare a bibliography of recent work by the feature authors coming to this years festival.

I had already done a title search in our OPAC for my personal use (requirements for the course involve reading a good many children's books), so it should be a no-brainer... it's helping her by using my time to do it.

Until I hear from my advisor, I won't know about my other course(s).

After work, DH and I stopped by BestBuy to look at digital cameras. The one which was most tempting was out of stock and backordered. But I didn't really want to buy one tonight. Tomorrow I'll pull up the specifications for the three we liked best, and look them over. DH know about the film end of things, I know more about the computer stuff. I really need something better to take good digital photos. I want a skinny one, and I want one that takes SD cards, as I already have several 1Gb cards. That eliminates the Sony models -- and one of them we really liked. Memory Duo isn't that expensive, I guess... just wanted to make use of what I already have.

Time for bed, Bonzo -- sorry I'm too lazy to include links tonight. But at least I posted!

when [dryers] eat socks

The post title is taken from a children's book title I came across while working today, "When shoes eat socks" (written by Barbar Klimowicz, illustrated by Gloria Kamen), which reminded me of an incident about socks which occurred last month.

One morning, all dressed for work, I dug through my pile of socks searching for a matching pair. You know how it is: you try to keep socks together, but they keep drifting apart so no matter how many you grab they are never mates.

See?



That morning I managed to find five different purple socks (that one is pale lavender, not white) but only one pair that matched!

Isn't it sort of like winning the lottery when all the socks in the basket of clean clothes mate up?? Okay, not quite. But, but, it is like when you are working kloster blocks in a piece of hardanger, and you get all the way around and your stitches line up perfectly, though! (That previous link will take you to a tutorial for hardanger, if you are interested.)

I still haven't found all those missing socks . . . or my missing key . . . and this morning my black wool hat was hiding.

So, it was back to work today, after 12 days off. Morning whizzed by, but I sure ran out of energy in the afternoon and I thought "quittin' time" would never arrive. It is quite cold here, for southern Mississippi. The building was warmer than I expected, but then, I probably dressed warmer than usual.

Should have done so many things this evening, but DH warmed up some supper for me, we watched "Stardust" and I didn't get any laundry (or knitting or stitching or beading) done at all. I have a strange backache, and now I am sleepy, sleepy, sleepy, and looking forward to another sound night's rest. That is, without the neighbor's dogs barking -- it is cold enough that the dogs should be inside.