2011 Support Your Local Library Challenge

Oh, I am SO on this:

...But, for right now, I am exhausted and I need to go lie down.

xo

Detroit in ruins

Found via FlaxenTawney, this is a breathtaking collection of gorgeous images of the ruins of Detroit.  What I love most is the speculation about why things - buildings, dental equipment, a grand piano, an entire beautiful train station - would simply be abandoned.  It looks in some cases as if one day everyone just walked out (or fled), leaving everything just as it had been during everyday use.  I love imagining the stories behind some of the photographs...although I am sure they're not nearly as glamorous as I'd like to think.  I'll bet it's more got to do with finance and politics and all that way-less-exciting stuff that is often beyond me - but that would be the frustrating cause behind stunning ruins like the ones pictured.

(I wanted to include a copy of one of the images, but I'm not sure about fun copyright laws, and since the Guardian is kind of a Big Deal, I figured I'll leave it as a link...hah.)

my own set of intentions

 I'm currently participating in a Mystery Sock Knit-Along using this gorgeous yarn I purchased several years ago at the MA Sheep & Woolcraft Festival.  (It's Damselfly Yarns in Tequila Sunrise.)

Although I'm not usually big on New Year's resolutions (or really even all that into the holiday - it just feels like another day, to me), I've been reading a lot of others' blog posts on the topic and been inspired, so I figured I'd join in on the fun. :) Besides, it'll be nice to be able to look back at this list at the end of the year & see how far I've come (or not) on my list of intended changes (which, I suppose, is after all the point of resolutions! heh).

In any case, here are some of my thoughts (I'll add to this over the next few days as I think of things) -

• write more snail mail (I've already started to do that)
• knit from my stash ONLY unless I have presents which require a certain yarn
• walk the dog for at least 20 minutes a day
• read at least 50 books (I hit 46 this past year while swamped with school, so this should be feasible)
• get back into watching more movies! (Netflix at least one movie or TV show a week)
• create a budget & actually adhere to it
• GET A JOB!!! (hopefully a library one, but anything will do at this point...sigh)
• start school projects earlier
• cull & improve my wardrobe (I need to stop dressing like I'm 16...) 
• stay on top of emails! (try to keep <100 in my inbox...)
• clean a lot more STUFF out of my life...not sure how to measure this yet - I just am certainly noticing it as I'm moving my stuff and wondering why I think I need to have so many things!!
• blog more? - I want to, for sure, but I feel as if I don't have much to write about!

Like I said, I'll edit this a bit as ideas occur to me...just trying to get my bearings here, for now. :)
xoxo

long overdue

So I'm in the process of redesigning my blog, so that it doesn't look like it belongs in 2005 (which I believe was the last time I touched the design). It's amazing all the options that are out there these days! (Haha - I sound like an old fogy.)

Speaking of design, I am particularly proud of my new librarianship site: librarianna. Okay, so I didn't do all the design myself, but I LOVE the background (it came with) and I am pround of my cool banner. Haha, I'm such a dork.

Okay, REALLY, going to go do work now. Like, actual productive work.
xo

mid-December already?!

Found this solid lotion snowflake on etsy & thought it was neat! Check it out here
Phew, where DOES the time go?? And I just found out yesterday that I get no Christmas break whatsoever, UGH. Basically, I just finished up my work on the 15th, and I thought that my winter/intersession course didn't start until January 2...officially, it doesn't. But my professor is starting YESTERDAY. And from what I can see of her still somewhat spotty syllabus (I keep hoping she's going to reschedule things, because it currently still looks like a draft), I have assignments due on December 20th and 27th. Whoo - merry Christmas to ME.

Anyway. I also just read this story on Fringe, and I have to say, I really enjoyed it. Not a big short story person, but something struck a chord, and I thought it was really well written. Since I myself have successfully avoided getting back into writing for years now (grr), I figure the least I can do to support the art is to share a good story. :)

I have to get back to other stuff...I am trying to get some Christmas knitting done, and I WAS working on finishing up my textbooks from this past semester, but it looks like those will have to be put on hold so I can get started on my super intensive winter class. Blah.

This weekend, I'm going to go see It's a Wonderful Life with my godmother; it's her all-time favorite movie, and she knows it by heart. When I saw it was playing here on the big screen, I just couldn't resist calling her & inviting her out for a movie!

Also this weekend is my friend Jenn's big winter craft/art/music event, the Snowball, at which I will be volunteering on Sunday. And Saturday night brings my "wifey" Tanya's holiday party, which is conveniently right down the hall from my apartment in Bristol!

Whew, sounds like a busy weekend now that I put it all down on paper. Tonight? A new knitting group at the Enfield Public Library (yay, I get to see another library) and then my friend's band plays at the Hessian Lion.

I did not mean to make this post so long! Oy. Anyway, I hope YOU all have a wonderful weekend! xo

the home stretch

This semester has been so overwhelming. I cannot believe it's coming to a close. I've learned SO much, and while it's been stressful at times, it's been so worth it. I just hope I did all right! But, for now, there's nothing I can do. Assignments have been turned in, and I'm just now catching up on some of the readings I didn't get around to when I was super swamped. Luckily, there isn't actually that much - this may be the first time EVER that I have finished an entire textbook before the conclusion of a semester! But I've still got 2 others that I need to read a few more chapters in. I wanna do that before I lose my momentum, and get all caught up in actually getting to do leisure activities, such as reading a novel (!), watching some Netflix Instant Watch, and playing WoW. :)

This is all about next week, though - I still have one more class to finish up! Luckily, even though the library science school ends it semester extremely early (most people I know were done with their classwork last week), this one class isn't officially over until the 15th, so it was nice that I got to knock off my other classwork and now have a "leisurely" week in which to finish up the materials I'll be submitting for review. This was one of my favorite library science classes: Digital Archiving. We are working on creating museum-style archival exhibits for the amazing project that is VOICES of September 11, which made for a very emotional but really fulfilling course. Additionally, I got to use some of my mad computer skillz (yes, with a "z") in the class; I hadn't realized how much I'd missed tinkering around with database code!

Anyway...I oughta get back to the work, now - just wanted to check in & say hi. Perhaps more soon...when I'm DONE!

xoxo

holiday baking

The sisters, mother, and grandmother all got together yesterday to bake a boatload of Christmas cookies:

From Xmas Cookie Baking 2010

(Click the album link below the photo for a few more images, if you're interested.)

Looks delicious, no? :)

xo

so pretty

Troy bought me a new computer today, as a kind of early Christmas present/thank you for some of the things I've done for him. It's beautiful. I have been using XP for ages now, as both my laptop (an Asus eee) & desktop (the one I built in 2003...yes, it was time for an upgrade, but it IS still running really well!) run it. So running Windows 7 on a machine which can actually handle speed & graphics is sooo amazing. I connected it to his TV (we're keeping it at his place because oh yeah, did I mention we're also playing World of Warcraft on it together? - we're so going to disappear/hibernate this winter...) using a DVI-to-HDMI converter, and after a bit of tweaking, managed to get it to look gorgeous on the "monitor". I'm very pleased. He's totally made my day. Of course, it's making getting my schoolwork done *very* difficult, although we are waiting to play WoW until after my semester is over, because we're not stupid. ;) However, I still just want to play around on my new toy!

At least reading for school (using Blackboard on the computer) is sooo much nicer now! Yay. :)

Okay...gotta force myself to get back to work....

xo