BEWARE OF NINJA CATS

If books are bombs, I'm working in a war zone.

2010-07-08T20:44:00.000-07:00

Hurray! Time for another meandering post about what's been on my mind.

Summers have been a little strange for me for the past three years. I'm still not used to working during summer. What makes it even harder is Summer Reading Program summers are terrible. As a shelver, it quickly becomes disheartening when it never seems like your work is good enough to make a dent in the mess. I'm not going to start complaining about my job(s)....but about looking for more.

It's been frustrating. I clearly love being a shelver. If I was paid just $1 more, I'd be good for another couple of years. But this is not the case. Being a clerk at Caltech is great experience too. I was fortunate to get bumped up from occasional to part-time. But either way, it's temporary work and I'm gone by December.

I'm starting grad school in August. I don't know how excited I am about it anymore. It's a lot of money. And I was never one for structured learning anyway. But what else can I do? Work is hard to find when you don't have experience. Work is hard to find period. Especially full time library work for those without advanced degrees.

I was forwarded an opening for a full-time library job at an a m a z i n g institution. What are they looking for? Me. Library experience, accounting-type knowledge, art/culture related degree, ability to read 1-2 western European languages. I've applied. I want it so bad. I will be heartbroken if I don't get a call. Just the call will do. This is special. It hurts, this anxiety. I keep going over all the ways my resume and cover letter could have been better. I may not have the most experience, but I make up for it in other ways.

I feel like I have so much to give. I have the potential to do great things. I do great work because I work with my heart. I still firmly believe that if you do what you love, you'll be fine. But I feel like I'm not getting the chances I need, to show people how good I am. I'm not a networker. Nor am I very showy. I work quietly, unassumingly in the shadows. Efficiently and silently. And always overlooked.

I'm not bitter. There are many people like this. We share the same everyday struggles. Quiet disappointments. I'm just wondering how we are supposed to shine...

Sometime soon, I may post my resume - in doodle form. Stay tuned, but don't get your hopes up.

Adventures in Closing - Children's Room

2010-03-13T16:37:00.000-08:00

I've started a new blog, a collaborative one, filled with everyday doodles, found objects, and misc. art-type "things." When it starts living up to its name, I'll add a link to it here. Until then, look at this little guy! He's so nice, I post him twice.

sometimes i'm not a nice person to talk to

2010-01-22T22:44:00.000-08:00

when you show me your diamond ring,

and i respond with, "oh wow, is this a conflict diamond?"

and you give me a blank stare and uneasy smile,

and i just look off to the side and mumble, "i wonder how old the kid who dug this diamond up was when he was stolen from his family and sold into slavery..."

and you don't know how to take it because i'm kind of smiling too...

just walk away.

leave me in my mental fortress of solitude.

i am in a mood. can i blame the weather again?

Cats at Work (WARNING: This post is image heavy)

2010-01-08T22:43:00.000-08:00

It all began with a simple cat doodle at the bottom of a whiteboard. I had some extra time on my break. And who can resist so much empty space on a whiteboard? Not me.

Within the next few days, I noticed more cats keeping mine company. Like this cat with chicken feet, later dubbed "Chicken Cat"

And this one, with front legs that are attached to its neck.

I knew who drew this one right away. It was the "mew~" that did it.

This cat is a testament to the saying, "everything is a self portrait."

The first one with no body. But it's got extra hair on its head!

Best use of color (and accessories).

I think this one is part dinosaur. See how it's about to attack the other one?

Of course, Hello Kitty had to make an appearance.

By the end of December, we had a row of cats at the bottom of the board.

And I received an email with this cat drawing attached:

The best part is how each cat reflects the person who drew it. Sadly, they were all erased the week of Christmas. Fortunately, it's a new month...with a new animal. Stay tuned for...SQUIRRELS!

Busy

2009-12-14T09:00:00.000-08:00

Hi! I have two jobs and I still work/volunteer at the Armory (at least for this month). I try my best to use my free time wisely, but mostly just end up playing Cafe World on Facebook and accumulating library books that I don't end up reading.

So that this doesn't get too boring, here's a drawing I did in high school:

Here's a picture of a hamster I drew three weeks ago:

Now, would you call the difference in the drawings "regression in skills" or "progression in character?"

Also, I've been looking into g r a d u a t e school..... . . . .just one actually. And mostly because I want to be an Archives intern at the Art Center College of Design. Can't I just have that internship without being in grad school? Please? I'm already used to working for free anyway.

Learning to Cherish my Free Time Like a Normal Person

2009-11-09T09:19:00.000-08:00

I had a chance to go to the Walt Disney Concert Hall last year, but got sick at the last minute. That better not happen again. I'm excited about this.

I have two fun Saturdays coming up. First Paquiao vs. Cotto (this is gonna be a tough fight), then the opening of West Coast Left Coast (probably followed by a thousand taco trucks).

...I like living in L.A. :)

Oh, and speaking of Walt Disney Concert Hall, Gustavo Dudamel's got some righteous curls!

Quickly !

2009-11-01T17:56:00.000-08:00

Book:
I'm finally reading The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Childhood Among Ghosts. It's haunting and beautiful. I wish I could write the way Maxine Hong Kingston does.

Question:
Does the bird of paradise plant really contain arsenic in the red parts?

Two of the best last names:
1. Youngblood
2. Mankiller

Work:
I like my other job, despite the fact that the Library of Congress Classification system is a HUGE JERK. I'll warm up to it eventually. Also, since starting, I think I've become slightly more efficient at APL, especially during closing. Yay?

Things I like:
Power naps
Eating fruits grown in our yard
Waking up early (surprisingly)
Stairs over elevators - because you never have to wait for them.

goodbye

A Funny Thing Happened (On the Way to This Post)

2009-10-25T10:26:00.001-07:00

So. In my last update I said I would try to post an "Adventures in Shelving" every week. Two weeks later, I have a new post, not about shelving or closing, but about how I managed to get hired by a very prestigious scientific research university.

This is a big deal for me. I am more than humbled by this, regardless of how little I may be doing in the grand scheme of things. Although, helping to nourish the minds of potential Nobel laureates is kind of important I guess.

I start tomorrow morning. I am nervous. Mostly because I've never had to work a full time day in my life. And I don't like starting new things. Also, I have to wake up early. Please don't make fun of me.

This is the building I will be inside of most of the time.

It looks intimidating, but the then-interviewers/now-supervisors were surprisingly laid-back. It didn't even feel like an interview. There were none of the typical interview questions, like the dreaded what are your three greatest weaknesses? (they probably are: cats, trivia games, and my lack of front desk experience in that order), It was more like a meeting that I, a well dressed stranger with purple shoes, an over sized man's watch, and a random assortment of rubber bands on one wrist, just happened to sit in on. 1.25 hours later, they gave me a tour of the working spaces and said, "See ya later!" It was fun and inviting.

Now comes the hard part - the first day.

More to come...if I survive.

Other People's Cats/ Adventures in Shelving: Closing

2009-10-07T23:57:00.000-07:00

As I've said (and proven) in the past, oftentimes I'd rather hang out with the feline species even more than with my own. Who can resist their smug little grumpy faces? Not me. Did you know that dogs can sniff out cancer in people? Maybe cats can too, but they probably don't care enough to tell anyone. They just want to sleep and purr things. Anyway, I hung out with some cats in Eagle Rock this week. Or, I tried to...

She was friendly.

One of her kittens, on the other hand, was not. This is as close as he would let me get.

On a side note, I want to live in Eagle Rock.

I'm going to try to write a closing edition of "Adventures in Shelving" at least once a week. This is why -> I tend to find the best things while closing up the library. Lots of patrons leave stuff for library workers to clean up. The important things go to the lost and found. The little random bits go to one of two places: 1) the trash can or 2) MEEEE!!!!

Zum beispiel:

See that green cat up there? You know, the one being attacked by flowers at night? While his balloon friends try to pull him encouragingly by the ear to the safety of his house with no windows? He belongs to me now.

And this guy...

is literally flying.....on drugs. Look at his red, dilated pupil...chasing a hallucinated butterfly while the flower does some strange wiggly dance, and the apple tree king with his beady apple eyes and rosy apple cheeks watches intently with his crown made of cumulonimbi.

Gems like these drawings make it so much easier to get through that last hour of closing. It's a tie between unwanted scribbles and the announcement at 8:30/5:30 (depending on the day).

mehr kommt mehr kommt...

Richard Neutra, Architect: Sketches and Drawings

2009-09-19T15:50:00.000-07:00

I went to the LA Central Library for the first time a few weeks ago and saw the Richard Neutra exhibit. I liked everything - his straightstraight lines, the lettering, the colors, the textures, but I liked his portraits most of all. I think I could have stood in front of his self portrait for hours and hours, retracing each and every charcoal stroke with my eyes.

I'd like to see it again. Oh, and the library was a m a z i n g too! How do I apply?

This is water.

2009-08-27T01:15:00.000-07:00

It's been emotional. I feel like I've aged five years in the past month. My bones ache. Most of these days I spend alone, with these things keeping me afloat:

- My two black cats, my ninjas of domesticated felines, I don't know what I would do without them in this silent, empty house.

- Clint Eastwood. Respect.

- Django Reinhardt Radio Station.

- This "book"

This contains the commencement speech that David Foster Wallace delivered at Kenyon College in 2005. I first read it transcribed online for a class. When I found this in the New Books at work, at first I felt a bit upset that they would publish this 1) as a book (really, it's just a speech spread out to last 130+ pages), and 2) po$t mortem, but at least this way his words reach more people. I've been reading this as daily meditation in the morning and then again at night, sometimes before work, sometimes after work.

- ghosts (I think.)

and,

- lizards, bumblebees, regular bees, wasps, grasshoppers, ants, and crickets (the last three of which have been on my feet/crawling up my leg at least once each, today).

Have you ever laid down and stared up at the night sky and pretended that you were actually looking down? That you were somehow suspended above the night? That's what snorkeling was like for me. Except I was suspended above a watery universe. Just a thought. Good night and good morning.

Adventures in Shelving - Reflecting on the Adult Summer Reading Program

2009-08-11T05:55:00.000-07:00

I guess on a lighter note...

I'm extremely jealous of the Children's Summer Reading Program that our library put on. Why? Because they had awesome prizes (my definition of awesome should be considered questionable to most people). I want a harmonica. I want one of those colorful weeeewwooooop! whistles. But most of all, I want a pair of disguise glasses with the nose attachment and little mustache and eyebrows!

I read ten books for the Adult Reading Program. I didn't get anything. It honestly didn't even feel like I was participating in a program. We don't even get together and share how awesome our books were (I read some pretty awesome books). Okay, so I work for the library. Maybe the prizes are better off going to patrons. But I'd settle for a mechanical pencil as a prize. An eraser. A feather tied to a piece of string - anything! I'm not hard to please! This is someone whose second job could no longer pay her, but she still did the work voluntarily and then agreed to get paid with sticker paper. STICKER PAPER. Oh, and then one time, I asked to be "paid" with a sheet of brown felt. This is all true.

I'm usually good at winning drawings too. When I was younger I would always enter those coloring contests at grocery stores, and then one time I won this Chester Cheetos Bike (these are the only pictures I could find of it). I don't know where mine went, but it was a big deal at the time.

Anyway, now that I got that out of my system, I have to find a store that sells those disguise glasses. And then join a book club. And wear the glasses to each meeting. Where is this going? Is this even funny?

Life is happening. I've been losing track of time.

2009-08-11T02:22:00.000-07:00

Dead is a word of such finality. Dead is a limit. An End.

Gone is a word with mystery. Who knows what lies ahead but those who have gone?

things coming together like fractal geometry

2009-07-17T07:43:00.000-07:00

book: The Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat

web: Stroke of Genius: 10 Artists with Abilities Borne of Brain Damage

movie(s): The Machinist (kind of), and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

and I guess, while on the subject of brains: Zombie hunting apparel

thirsty for blood, hungry for tacos,
bb

Disillusionment

2009-07-09T23:19:00.000-07:00

The long story is this:
I thought maybe I should add some more practical components to my repertoire of employable skills, but finally realized bookkeeping is as far as I would like to go in the finance department.

The short story is this:
Accounting sucks!

I'm pretty sure I can't finish this accounting program in time. I'm trying my best, but I just don't care anymore. The fact that it's all online doesn't help. At least I already have an accounting certification. For what it's worth.

So yes, I've come running back to my comfort zone of Humanities and Arts. Maybe I'll just learn five more languages and fulfill my dreams of working abroad. I'll be an au pair in Spain. Au pairs actually get pretty good benefits, depending on where they work.

Did you know there are au pair agencies in Europe that only hire Filipina/o au pairs specifically? Why is this? Are we easier to exploit because of our preternaturally friendly dispositions? Because I wouldn't take any sass from some seven year old European kid if I were an au pair.

I'd be like, "Hey kid, did you just throw nutella at my face? Are you cussing me out in some language I don't know? Well guess what? I get paid to take care of you. Do you know how much your mom pays me to hang out with you just so she doesn't have to? How do you say 'make me a sandwich' in your language? Geil, now geh y make me ein bocadillo. merci."

Actually sounds like fun. I'll look into it.

about books and rating them with arbitrary amounts of shapes

2009-06-28T13:46:00.000-07:00

I moved from Librarything to Goodreads. It's for the best, really. I just found out that if you add more than 200 books on Librarything you have to pay. I don't want to pay to add books to a virtual library. Goodreads lets you add an unlimited number of books, and you have the option of dividing books into categories (read, currently reading, to-read and more you can customize yourself). Also, they have a never ending book quiz which is dangerous for me. Because, well, it's never ending. Infinitely answering questions about an infinite number of books? I am addicted. And I never realized how much I knew about Shakespeare....did I even read The Tempest? *shrugs* Do I remember Mr. Darcy's first name? I guess so. Can I name the three Deathly Hallows? Yes. Can I make educated guesses on books I've never read? Yup.

I've already finished two books for the Summer Reading Program. I think it's time to start a non-fiction streak for a change. History of Los Angeles or...Michael Pollan's books.
The hard part for me is writing reviews. I don't feel like my opinion is doing the book any good (or bad): "This book was good," or "I liked the story but the writing was just normal," or "The author used a lot of pretty words and phrases," or "I liked his run-on sentences that go on for pages and his thousands of footnotes." My reviews say more about me than they do about the book I read. Or is that the point..? I want to make huge sweeping statements like the ones you read on the inside covers. "With this book the author has made a singular and permanent impact upon modern literature that is sure to reverberate through multiple dimensions of space and time!!"

It's the same with rating books with stars. Even on Goodreads I keep changing the amount of stars for the books I've read because my view of them changes whenever my perspective changes. If I give a children's book five stars and a study on post colonial psychology four stars will people think I liked the children's book better? Because that's not what I necessarily mean!
Well, the story wasn't that interesting, but it's a picture book and the pictures were adorable so a million stars for effort....This book is a classic but it made me want to stab my eyes with pins and run through the streets a bloody horrifying mess....one or two less stars? This book was so beautifully written that I suffered from Stendhal syndrome that lasted five days and six hours, so I give it 5.25 stars, one star for each day spent hallucinating from sheer literary beauty. How about I give this book one star but two circles? Maybe I'm over-thinking again.

Anyway, add me on Goodreads, so I can bug you with silly messages and book suggestions that you'll probably just ignore.

To come: a rant on those liquid soap dispensers that turn your liquid soap into foam when you pump them!

Can't Blog

2009-06-17T01:45:00.000-07:00

...I'm too busy watching Deadwood. I don't know why I never watched this when it was still airing on HBO. It's exactly the kind of show and time in U.S. history that I'm into.

In the same vain, I've rediscovered a love for early Americana music. All the cross-culturalization (haven't used such an embarrassingly semi-academic phrase since college ibarelyrememberwhatitmeansanymore what was the topic of this post? oh yes) of the musical styles from the immigrants who came to the new world...what stories they told...and how they told them...how can you not love that?

Lastly, and not in the same vain at all, Samurai movies galore! Thank you, my DVD-lending library, hugs n tugs cheers n jeers pedal to the metal rat a tat boom and all those noises.

To come: my very interesting dreams

Adventures in Shelving - I Am Watching You.

2009-06-09T17:02:00.000-07:00

Dear Ten Year Old Boy who blazes through the magazines aisles minutes before the library is set to close, quickly flipping through pages of Shape/Esquire/Women's Health/Gentlemen's Quarterly/Rolling Stone to catch fleeting glimpses of oiled up cleavage/barely concealed nipples/curvy hips/shapely thighs before someone passes by and figures out what you are doing,

I know what you are doing. I'm watching you with a half smile on my face not because I think you are a good son who is looking for healthy exercise tips for your mom, or the perfect Father's day present for your dad, but because I don't blame you for having a natural tendency to be curious and, by many people's standards at least, slightly perverted. I'd feel even more uncomfortable if I saw you flipping through O, the Oprah Magazine (I have a special post dedicated to Oprah coming up).

Don't hate the playa, hate the game,
bianca

I was going to link those magazines to pictorial examples but...you can look it up yourself.

Oh, the Onion....

2009-06-03T23:52:00.000-07:00

New Wearable Feedbags Let Americans Eat More, Move Less

Does this make you want to watch Idiocracy? Or go to KFC? Both?

....ME TOO!

turning and turning in the widening gyre...

2009-05-31T20:54:00.000-07:00

sometime this week, i woke up too early and with eyes closed, reached for pencil and paper, scribbled something down, then went back to sleep.

when i woke up for the day i read what i'd written and it said:

joan didion has undertones similar to that of a nuclear bomb

i have since started reading Slouching Towards Bethlehem.

afterwards i watch cartoons,
b

Adventures in Shelving - Ways To Upset Patrons #1

2009-05-28T06:38:00.000-07:00

Sooo when a patron comes up and uncomfortably asks you to help him find a book on the subject of, let's say, HOW TO DATE, he might get offended if you hand him a copy of Dating for Dummies, and forget to explain that he shouldn't take the title so literally.

If said patron then proceeds to walk huffily away with an off the shoulder dirty look back at you and no "thank you" in sight, BUT with the book totally in his hands, you can blame it on his lack of social skills, thus the reason for him to need a book on dating. I guess.

Maybe I shouldn't have been smiling while handing him the book? That might have confused him. I was just happy for the guy, like, "Way to go, man...good luck! I hope you learn how to smile. Maybe that's lesson number one in the book. Don't leave me hangin' here with no facial reciprocation or eye contact! I'd high-five you, but it'd be too loud....am I smelling the pheromones of fear and barely suppressed embarrassment in your perspiration right now...? Not gonna lie, I kind of like it. Haha, I'm just kidding...or am I?"

LESSON LEARNED: I need to read and react to people better. Do they have a Complete Idiot's Guide to Dealing with People Just as Awkward as You Are and Other Normal People Too book available at the library? Place a hold on it for me.

awake

2009-05-25T05:34:00.000-07:00

i was awakened by the sound of a cat gargling another cat outside my window. my cat and i then decided simultaneously, "oh man, we gotta check this out, yo!" now we both can't go back to sleep....

The Fall

I think you either love or hate this movie, along with its director. But I'm a very visual person, and it is a feast for the eyes. This is the opening sequence with Beethoven's Symphony No. 7 in A major, 2nd Movement (it's kind of quiet so you might need to turn up the volume a little).

Diary

2009-05-22T21:37:00.000-07:00

"When they were in school, Peter used to say that everything you do is a self-potrait. It might look like Saint George and the Dragon or The Rape of the Sabine Women, but the angle you use, the lighting, the composition, the technique, they're all you. Even the reason why you chose this scene, it's you. You are every color and brushstroke.
Peter used to say, 'The only thing an artist can do is describe his own face.'
You're doomed to being you.
This, he says, leaves us free to draw anything, since we're only drawing ourselves.
Your handwriting. The way you walk. Which china pattern you choose. It's all giving you away. Everything you do shows your hand.
Everything is a self-portrait."

-Chuck Palahniuk

Dateup

2009-05-19T01:25:00.000-07:00

Everything Is Illuminated was on a shelving truck and I decided to give it a shot. I took it home and read the first page and thought, "Wow, this guy's writing is really pretentious." I decided I didn't want to read it.

Instead, I decided to watch the movie and afterwards thought, "...ohhhhh I get it now." I decided I'd give the book another shot. But I'm still reading Midnight's Children, which really good, but dense. It's taking me the equivalent of checking it out twice, renewing twice, plus overdue time.

Rosetta Stone is awesome. I'm learning Spanish, French, and Mandarin. Mandarin is intimidating. I've wanted to learn Portuguese and Farsi too, but I'll stick to the more practical languages first.

I'm addicted to a Facebook application called GEO CHALLENGE!! As a result, I see the shapes of countries in the smallest of things. My half-eaten sandwich is the shape of Romania, a used up ketchup packet on the street is Tunisia, a misshapen mustache is Nepal, Austria in a piece of uncooked pork, etc. etc. etc.

I've been going out more this month than I have been in about three years. It's exhausting. Especially for someone who gets anxious in big crowds...and smaller, more intimate ones. It's all worth it though.

I've decided that if I go back to school for a Master's it will probably be for Library and Information Science. That, or Clown School.

Das ist alles!

Can't Help But Dwell

2009-05-10T22:46:00.000-07:00

I found this piece I did eight years ago.

Tomato, 40 m.p.h.

It triggered a lot of old, bittersweet memories.

But even worse, lots of newer ones.

Anyway, things are happening and I'm trying not to complain or beat myself up about it,
bianca, apparently "just a shelver"

P.S. DO YOUR JOB, LAKERS!

Teachers, Instructors, Professors and Other Innocent Bystanders

2009-05-07T18:41:00.000-07:00

I. High School

[Junior year: Trigonometry, German, U.S. History, English, Physics, and Art]

[U.S. History teacher, holding a balloon of his own head]

[A.P. Government]

[Caricature exercise, didn't know them]

II. College
[Ceramics teacher from high school. Learned to appreciate classic rock in his class, quote has nothing to do with him. Drawn at PCC]

[Los Angeles literature instructor - don't know why I darkened her face, but all I really remember is her hair anyway]

[Probably a creepy bus guy]

[Afro-American music instructor - not what he looks like, but it represents him perfectly]

[German language instructor - she told good stories from her youth]

[Humanities in Film - he made us watch the Ring over and over and over...]

[Intro to Philosophy - weirdest class ever! He claimed he could see through walls, and that there are people in the world who have been alive for hundreds of years, among other things]

III. University
[R.A.]

[Specialized in colonialism and South African/world history. I didn't really go to her class...]

[T.A. for the professor above. Made a point of remembering my name a year later, even if she rarely saw me in her discussion classes...]

[Specialized in the history of modern China :)]

[Shared world history class with the professor above, specialized in the history of coffee]

[Sexuality in Asian American Film - catchphrase: Mmhm, mmhm, youcansay that, youcansay that, youcansay that...]

[Fellow student/Charlyne Yi look-alike]

[Intro to Moral Philosophy professor. I audited for a day. Called him Carey Elwes]

[British literature professor, funny guy with an English accent who grew up in Africa, shook and slurred through classes due to some sort of disorder]

[Director of German language program, taught German Cuisine as Culture = food = one of my favorite classes]

IV. PCC again

[Guitar instructor. His eyes are always half closed]

under the knife: the art of cutting

2009-05-03T13:35:00.000-07:00

At my other job at the Armory Center for the Arts in Pasadena, they have a really amazing exhibit about the art of paper cutting, which is something I'm really into. It's only up for another week (Saturday the 9th is the last day), so if you want to go, you should go. And if you want to go with me, I'll let you. Then we can go to the King Taco around the corner afterward. My treat.

Drawing From Memory!

2009-05-03T11:43:00.000-07:00

I've been clearing out my room so that I can have space for a mini music "studio." While sifting through papers I found these loose sheets from last year. I thought up this exercise where you try to draw cartoon characters strictly from memory. H and I tried our best with interesting results, to say the least...

First I tried Bender from Futurama. This is what he really looks like:

And here's my Bender:

All I could visually remember was that he had an open mouth with teeth, and that he was made of cylinders.

Here is Peter Griffin from Family Guy:

And here is H's version:

Chins took precedence.

Lastly, we tried Coach McGuirk and Mr. Lynch from Home Movies. Here's a clip from the show:

These are our monstrosities:
Mr. Lynch

The slicked hair and mustache are there, but a bow tie would have helped.

Coach McGuirk

Hahaha! He looks like a toad with stripes! The bottom head was drawn after looking at a real picture.

The best part is after drawing your version, when you look at the real thing and realize how far off you were. I had a good laugh.

Adventures in Shelving - The Curse of Looking Young

2009-04-26T15:49:00.000-07:00

Dear...my security blanket,

I can tolerate a lot of questions regarding my age. I have to, especially at work.

Examples:

While standing in front of an empty truck near the New Books, staring blankly at the AV section

Patron: Hey, I really gotta use the computer, do you work here?
Me: Yeah, but the Computer Tech at the Information desk can help you. [Points]
Patron: [Looks confused] You sure...? [Starts walking off, mumbling, still looking at me]
Me: I'm sorry? Yes, I'm sure she can help you better tha-
Patron: -don't even look old enough to work...[Walks away in a hurry]

While shelving Children's DVDs

Lady: Excuse me, do you work here?
Me: [Looks down at collared shirt with an "Arcadia Public Library" patch on the front of it] Um, yes?
Lady: ...You're not a volunteer?
Me: ...no. [Friendly smile. Keep it together]
Lady: Really? How old are you? [Looks confused]
Me: [Smiling because I've heard this before] Well, I'm over 18.
Lady: Oh my God. You look so young!
Me: Heh heh, yeah. I know...
Lady: Wow...you look like you're still in high school. You can be my daughter's age... [Keeps mumbling surprised cries of disbelief, looking me up and down]
Me: [Beginning to realize the lady doesn't have a real question] Did you need any help, or...?
Me, again: [Beginning to realize I could be her daughter's teacher. Scary]
Lady: [Doesn't hear the question, still too preoccupied with my dumb face and dirty shoes]
Me: [Smiles, nervous laugh, goes back to shelving]

But this is where I draw the line:

Children's Room, Fiction Section, After school

High school boy: ...soo what grade are you in?

Not cool. Can't you at least be creative? What about, "Excuse me, I was wondering if I needed my library card to CHECK YOU OUT!"

On second thought, no thank you.

I guess it doesn't help that I mostly dress like a prepubescent boy. And I still don't have my driver's license...and I don't have a "grown up" job. But that's another post altogether.

Live every week like it's shark week,
Biancaaa, almost 25

Adventures in Shelving - Things the Library Doesn't Need

2009-04-14T22:47:00.000-07:00

Dear Whoever is in charge of these things;

With all due respect, it is my humble (very humble!), lowly, bottom (very bottom - as in "you probably don't even know my name" level of rock bottom) of-the-barrel-scraping-library-shelver opinion that we do not need three (3!) copies of Night at the Museum starring Ben Stiller. Two widescreen copies and one fullscreen copy? There is a slight possibility that there are many other, and possibly more important (or at least more entertaining) things we could get instead of two extra copies of the same movie. I don't know who made this decision, but I deeply (but POLITELY!!) disagree.

Please do not get me fired for having an opinion, I really love my job, I just didn't like shelving two of these at the same time,
[name intentionally withheld]

"There is no love sincerer than the love of food."

2009-04-12T19:21:00.000-07:00

- George Bernard Shaw

Japanese food-themed birthday card

[edamame, lotus root, umeboshi]

[tonkatsu]

[onigiri]

[tamagoyaki, tuna and salmon sashimi, ginger, wasabi, lemon slice, soy sauce]

[Strawberries, watermelon, orange slices]

If I wasn't so lazy, I would make construction paper food everyday. :)

Sometimes I Make Things

2009-04-06T17:31:00.000-07:00

...like personalized birthday cards!

In this case, a birthday card featuring Onigiri. And of course, they must be making faces.

I'll show more of the card when it's actually received by the birthday girl, so as not to spoil the fun. :)

Neglect

2009-03-25T16:47:00.000-07:00

The weather (my focus?) has been a little unpredictable lately. So it's no surprise that my succulents have been suffering due to my forgetting about them (I partly blame the weather).

This is my Hen and Chicks pot which is too crowded now. I found the little gnome buried deep in the middle. Only his hand and one eye were visible as he shouted up at me, "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN???"

Sorry, little guy. I haven't been having the best of weeks either.

Books

2009-03-25T00:06:00.000-07:00

Reading:
The Metamorphosis - Franz Kafka
Diary - Chuck Palahniuk
Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie

And after:

Fiction
Ulysses - James Joyce
The Tin Drum - Guenter Grass
Infinite Jest - David Foster Wallace
Year of Wonders - Geraldine Brooks
Everything is Illuminated or Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close - Jonathan Safran Foer (one or the other, both if I like the first one)

Picture books
Anything with Shaun Tan illustrations. (The Arrival was amazing.)
Maira Kalman's books

why art school was never a serious consideration

2009-03-23T02:00:00.000-07:00

dear art school,

you're welcome.

there is always another way to draw a whale,
bianca

Deep Stuff...Why I Miss and Don't Miss College

2009-03-17T23:57:00.000-07:00

My dear RSS feeders,

I found a lot of scraps of paper from when I was at Irvine. I wrote a lot of stream of consciousness junk. Was I going through an existential crisis? Yes and no - just trying to survive my Humanities curriculum.

Of Seeing Things In a Different Light
The everyday is magnified by the misuse of an everyday object - glasses with lenses too strong or dark or deep. Is this the only way to see the brilliance of life's details? Often I sit and wonder wo [where] this man is going, why and with whom. Why this woman chooses to wear shoes uncomfortable. Why do we do these things? What is the underlying meaning of life? How do we find the answers? By taking different perspectives. This way we can acquire new meanings.

Here's one I wrote in German (Probably an exercise where I had to use prepositions)

irgendwann sonntags
Ich wache auf, und schaue durch das Fenster.
Eine Frau ohne einen Gesicht weint allein.
Aber der Himmel weint mit ihr.
Ich laufe gegen den Regen.
Meinen Katzen laufen fuer die Voegeln.

{translation: I wake up and look through the window. A woman without a face cries alone. But the sky cries with her. I run against the rain. My cats run for the birds.}

Then I have some short funnier ones:

I really want to go home. This place makes my back hurt. And my left ear squishy.

And more positive, but still confusing, lines like:

I don't know what I dislike anymore
But if life is everchanging
I'll find myself again soon
Fresh and new

Solid gold, eh? Let's all take a moment and expound on Bianca's deep thoughts...

I guess you can tell from the writing...I never gained my Freshman 15 because I ate my feelings instead. ZIIING!

[...?]

Rub a dub dub, thanks for the grub,
Bianca

Adventures in Shelving - 020.92 (The One About Libraries)

2009-03-03T00:17:00.000-08:00

Dear....nobody who reads this,

I've been reading library-related memoirs recently. Actually, only one is worth mentioning. It's called Quiet, Please: Dispatches from a Public Librarian by Scott Douglas (he also writes about his job on the McSweeney's site, which is also good). It's insightful, funny, tragic, frustrating and totally worthwhile, exactly how it is working with the public. I loved it from the first page (and not just because it includes a description of my position):

"Chapter 372.6
-LIBR- Librarians Can't Read:
Being the Chapter in Which Our Hero Discovers He Wants to Be a Librarian

'You catch a guy on a computer jacking off, just get a librarian - don't try and handle it yourself.' That was the first thing Faren, the library manager, said to me on my first day of work.
I was a library page.
Library page is the lowest place you can be on the library totem pole. Besides putting books back on the shelf, the library page is also responsible for doing the jobs that nobody else feels like doing, which include, but are not limited to, cleaning up vomit, washing windows, scraping gum off the tables, moving furniture, and keeping a watchful eye out for male patrons who are jacking off on the computer. Being a library page also means you are stupid until you can prove otherwise."

Each chapter's number is actually the call number that correlates to the main subject of that chapter. For example, in Chapter 808.543, he talks about storytime with kids. In Chapter 641.5, he writes about food in the library (particularly popcorn). My inside-library-joke-loving self was tickled at the beginning of each chapter.

It was pretty inspiring to read about all the good things that libraries do for their specific communities. When I'm in one of those moods of self-pity, hating myself for having to clean up after people everyday without getting the appreciation I think is deserved of pages (usually occurs during the Summer Reading Program), I'll pick up this book to remind myself of the amazing things that can happen here too.

And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make,
bianca

This week, last year

2009-02-11T12:31:00.000-08:00

Dear Hawaii,

i miss you.

Sorry To Get All "Lilith Fair" Right Now But.

2009-01-26T22:15:00.000-08:00

Luna Guitars are beautiful.

Just...FYI. Too bad I don't have $200 - $1000 extra to spend.

The Henna and Gypsy Neo series are my favorites, but the bluegrass one is intriguing too...

Send it to my home address with a big red bow. Please.

Accounting Classes, Sans Rival, and Bone Marrow

2009-01-17T20:41:00.001-08:00

I'm totally behind on my online accounting program. I should have been on pace to finish one class per month, but ended up spending four months on the first class alone! Why? BECAUSE INTRO TO BUSINESS IS BORING.
Now that I'm onto a topic I'm actually excited about (yes, I get excited about financial accounting, wanna fight?), I get a letter saying my textbook is on backorder and they don't know when it will arrive. Good thing I already have accounting knowledge in my head, because re-learning about financial statements and general ledgers without a visual guide and workbook is like having to make Sans Rival without knowing the recipe.

...mmm Sans Rival...

For those who do not know the supreme happiness that is Sans Rival, it's a crispy meringue cake with alternating layers of butter-butter-buttercream and covered in crushed cashews. I like eating it frozen. Like I'm doing right now. (!!!)

ANWYAY. I have eight months to complete 11 more classes, which is doable, but I've gotta buckle down. Because in those eight months I'd like to get in a trip to the Philippines, work, basketball games, a lot of eating, a lot of sleep, Disneyland, live music, cats, good movies, NOT accounting, and other junk that comes up along the way.

So if anyone needs me, I will probably be in front of a computer or at the library or both. With a 10-key calculator attached to my right hand and a finely sharpened Ticonderoga in my left.

Speaking of buttercream, my next post should be about how much cholesterol I've been ingesting in the form of BONE MARROW. Bone marrow is actually a GOOD cholesterol food! I AM SUPER HAPPY TO LEARN THIS.

twenty two inches lighter

2009-01-13T15:41:00.000-08:00

After three years of growth...

A few hidden locks...

And one Hawaiian (and not hidden at all) lock...

It's all over.

Things I will miss:
Using it to go unrecognized by people who knew me with short hair (meaning anyone who knew me past three years ago)
Doing the old "hair mustache" and "hair beard" tricks when bored
Putting my hair up in a bun then taking it down to find long soft waves formed
Smelling my hair after it's been washed

Things I will not miss:
Feeling more feminine than I ever had ever in my life ever ever ever
The heat it retained at the base of the neck in summer
The "beaver tail" that formed at the base of the neck when I didn't brush it
My cat throwing up hairballs made partially from my own hair
The pulling at the roots that comes with dread formation (and the red scalp too)
Using gallons of shampoo to clean it
Finding myself with a mouthful of hair that's still attached to my head while eating other things like spaghetti or a hot bowl of pho
My parents hinting ever so nicely that they hate my long hair
Tripping over/stepping on/accidentally pulling/getting my bracelets and watch stuck in my hair (which was basically every day)
The thought of serial rapists targeting ladies with long hair more than ladies with short hair

As romantic as it looked, it wasn't me. I'm glad it's going to people who want it more. So here's to looking like a twelve year old boy again!

Fun with Food!

2009-01-11T23:47:00.000-08:00

Onion 'stache mann

Mr. and Mr. Vero Rebanaditas (Edit: The sound isn't coming in right...but I'll figure it out later........)

Recession, Libraries, and Jigsaw Puzzles

2009-01-05T17:32:00.000-08:00

On the plus side, library use is increasing. Yay job security!

I'd also like to point out product service systems. Because I would personally love to see a jigsaw puzzle lending library. Patrons can check out one puzzle per month (750 pieces and over), more for those kids puzzles with like 20 huge pieces that form the shape of Dora the Explorer. You pay $.50 for each missing piece. There are few things I hate more than missing puzzle pieces.

SPEAKING OF PUZZLES!
I got this one for Christmas. It's pretty Amazing.

I miss going to the Monrovia Public Library mostly because they always have a puzzle in the adult section that I attempt unsuccessfully to finish by myself in one day.

If APL ever decides to display a puzzle somewhere for patrons to put together...it's the end of me and the aforementioned job security.

This is all!

2008

2008-12-31T18:19:00.000-08:00

My first hours of 2008 were spent alone at my house, hoping the drunk, possibly drug fueled shirtless man would not break through the dead bolt or sliding glass door. I called 911 as he literally shook the foundations of the house trying his hardest to get in. The next morning, I found bloodstains on the front door and the "Beware of Ninja Cats" sign crumpled up on our front lawn.

Hopefully I'll have a better start to 2009.

Adventures in Shelving - Open Letter To a Patron

2008-12-21T18:57:00.000-08:00

To the lady who dropped her daughter off in the Children's section with instructions to find a good book for a book report, who came back 15 minutes later and was told by her kid that she couldn't find a book she liked, to which this lady replied aloud that our library is horrible because they don't have a good selection of educational books, then left all in a huff:

Hey LADY. Right after you left your daughter, I saw her go straight to the Berenstain Bears books, pick the one about eating too much junk food and read it while absentmindedly picking her boogers and eating them. She didn't even look for a book report book. If she did, she would have found plenty. So not only is your kid a liar, she's a booger eater too. Byyyyye.

Hah, eating too much junk food....she should have read one about eating too many boogers and learned a thing or two.

SAD CONCLUSION: ...I touch boogers by proxy. :C

Sixteen Things - via Facebook trends. Now with LINKS!

2008-12-17T10:14:00.000-08:00

One of those "name some goals, habits, facts, secrets about yourself and make your friends do it" type chain things. It was actually pretty fun to write up. But I refuse to tag people.

1. I'm named after Bianca Jagger, known for marrying a Rolling Stone. But more importantly, she's a Human Rights Advocate.

2. One of my dream jobs is to keep stats for basketball games.

3. I watch MMA. That is, cage fighting.

4. I'm pretty sure photographic memory got me through school with better grades than I deserved.

5. I like hugs and high fives, but I'm too shy to give them out as much as I would like.

6. "Pee pee" jokes and immature, silly humor in general always make me laugh.

7. Sometimes I wish my name were something simpler, like Anna.

8. I want to work on the kids show Yo Gabba Gabba! I love DJ Lance Rock.

9. I used to play guitar in a band. It really wasn't my style, so I've been wanting to start one of my own.

10. I love watching people eat. Particularly Guy Fieri. Or dudes with beards.

11. I've cried while reading exactly three books: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Nectar in a Sieve, and one from the Harry Potter series.

12. I love my two jobs, even though I don't use my B.A. for either, and I barely make any money.

13. The song "Sleep Walk" by Santo and Johnny, featured in the movie La Bamba, is a favorite.

14. Through an adult literacy program, I tutored a high school kid named Bianner, but he really didn't need help. He just needed a buddy. We read comic books and manga together.

15. When I play Sudoku and I'm doing really well, I tell myself that I'm "in the Matrix."

16. The scar across my right eyebrow doesn't mean I was in a gang. I ran into the corner of a stove when I was six.

NBA Look Alikes

2008-12-15T12:33:00.000-08:00

And it all started with a Kanye West - Baron Davis comparison. . .
If you've ever watched a game and thought, "wow, that guy looks like _____."

...you should check out this message board thread!

There are eight pages and they get better as you go on. I could NOT stop laughing when my sister sent me this link.

Some favorites: Reggie Miller, the Greg Popovich's, Avery Johnson, the Sam Cassells, Mr. Peepers, Jermaine O'Neal, Sheldon Williams, the Garnetts

Slumdog Millionaire

2008-12-15T12:02:00.000-08:00

This is a really good movie! Didn't end the way I thought it would, but it worked out.

You know what's weird? Assigned seating in a movie theater. Not for me.

Handguns, Hippy Parties, and Hacky Sack

2008-12-02T13:03:00.000-08:00

This weekend my dad asked if I wanted a handgun. Honestly, I've wanted my own gun for a while, as in registered in my name and everything, so I was interested. He handed it to me and it looked way better than the revolver he showed me a picture of on a Turner's ad a few weeks ago.

Anyway, we went out the kitchen door and I took aim at the piece of sky above the apartments behind our house, pulled the trigger and was surprised when the gun went off. I put the safety on right away hoping no one heard it. My dad and I directed our attention to the pulley-style clothes line that was running above the backyard all the way to the freeway in front of the house. Because it just so happened that that day the clothes line was strung with chickens, as in poultry. I took a play aim at one of the moving targets, but was distracted by this oldish guy who walked up our driveway into our yard, looking at the chicken line with purpose. I hid the gun awkwardly by my side, even though the guy already saw it and the rifle my dad had. The guy didn't seem afraid though.

He walked up to the chicken line and started taking a few down. Meanwhile a couple of other strangers came up and started setting up a barbecue pit right in our backyard. Then more people came with blankets and other picnic accessories. My dad suggested we leave them to their party, so we went inside and closed the door.

I was really fascinated by these hippy strangers just walking in off the street to have a barbecue in our yard and peered out the den window just watching them til it was dark outside. It was a mixed crowd. Old and young, neatly and sloppily dressed, clean cut and shaggy, talking to each other, sitting on blankets and eating.

I saw a few guys who looked like they probably knew how to hack, so I went to the living room and told Henry he should try to get a hack circle going. I gave him a footbag and he went out the front door and started hacking on the lawn. There were younger people on our front lawn just standing around with their beanies and plaid shirts.

As I was peeking out the front door I noticed two girls about my age sitting on the porch floor. They asked if we had any chairs they could borrow. I pointed out the disassembled chair next to them and tried putting it together, but it was taking too long and they looked cold so I went inside to grab a blanket for them. I helped drape it over their shoulders then went back inside because it was getting really cold by that time. I forgot to check if Henry was able to get a circle going, but I was really hungry watching people eat barbecue chicken all day, so I was kind of preoccupied. Also, the fact that a hippy party was going on in our yard seemingly without any form of consent was weighing heavily on my mind.

Anyway, I had a strange Thanksgiving.

Neil Gaiman and Other Good Things

2008-11-26T00:33:00.000-08:00

As a Neil Gaiman fan, I'm looking forward to this:

But even more, as a fan of Neil Gaiman + Dave Mckean/the Sandman series/Alice in Wonderland/1980s nightmare-inducing children's movies/Cirque du Soleil/Julie Taymor - though I wasn't thrilled with Across the Universe....have you seeeeeen this???

I'm going to watch Die Unendliche Geschichte to bed now goodnight goodnight.

L.A. Times Article About Felt Club!

2008-11-22T20:09:00.000-08:00

I'm so happy that the L.A. Times covered Felt Club!
(Like Fight Club, but with crafts instead of fists)
There were so many people there last Sunday and lots of one of a kind things to buy, all handmade by really cool people. I bought a taco from this lady for Tinah before she left for Australia, but I really wanted to buy the bacon and egg breakfast or toast. Maybe by next year's Felt Club, I'll have my own stuff to sell. I really need to stop hopping from hobby to hobby and settle on two or three mediums.

The article didn't mention the Swap that was happening upstairs though. The upper right corner in the picture of the Shrine was devoted to the Swap-O-Rama Rama, where people bring bags of their unwanted clothes, and all the clothes go into piles and everyone grabs as many items as they want from the piles to take home. You definitely have an advantage if you volunteer - first dibs on the goods. And it helps to have a strategy, as my sis wrote about. It's nice to get "new" clothes and not spend money...and personally, it's a better alternative than regular shopping. Like at a mall. Because malls scare me.

Anyway, people who make stuff to sell are my heroes.

discovering her roots

2008-11-21T20:03:00.000-08:00

If You Want To Know What We Are

Carlos Bulosan

If you want to know what we are who inhabit

forest mountain rivershore, who harness

beast, living steel, martial music (that classless

language of the heart), who celebrate labour,

wisdom of the mind, peace of the blood;

If you want to know what we are who become

animate at the rain's metallic ring, the stone's

accumulated strength, who tremble in the wind's

blossoming (that enervates earth's potentialities),

who stir just as flowers unfold to the sun;

If you want to know what we are who grow

powerful and deathless in countless counterparts,

each part pregnant with hope, each hope supreme,

each supremacy classless, each classlessness

nourished by unlimited splendor of comradeship;

We are multitudes the world over, millions everywhere;

in violent factories, sordid tenements, crowded cities;

in skies and seas and rivers, in lands everywhere;

our number increase as the wide world revolves

and increases arrogance, hunger disease and death.

We are the men and women reading books, searching

in the pages of history for the lost word, the key

to the mystery of living peace, imperishable joy;

we are factory hands field hands mill hand everywhere,

molding creating building structures, forging ahead,

Reaching for the future, nourished in the heart;

we are doctors scientists chemists discovering,

eliminating disease and hunger and antagonisms;

we are soldiers navy-men citizens guarding

the imperishable will of man to live in grandeur,

We are the living dream of dead men everywhere,

the unquenchable truth that class-memories create

to stagger the infamous world with prophecies

of unlimited happiness_a deathless humanity;

we are the living and the dead men everywhere....

If you want to know what we are, observe

the bloody club smashing heads, the bayonet

penetrating hallowed breasts, giving no mercy; watch the

bullet crashing upon armorless citizens;

look at the tear-gas choking the weakened lung.

If you want to know what we are, see the lynch

trees blossoming, the hysterical mob rioting;

remember the prisoner beaten by detectives to confess

a crime he did not commit because he was honest,

and who stood alone before a rabid jury of ten men,

And who was sentenced to hang by a judge

whose bourgeois arrogance betrayed the office

he claimed his own; name the marked man,

the violator of secrets; observe the banker,

the gangster, the mobsters who kill and go free;

We are the sufferers who suffer for natural love

of man for man, who commemorate the humanities

of every man; we are the toilers who toil

to make the starved earth a place of abundance

who transform abundance into deathless fragrance.

We are the desires of anonymous men everywhere,

who impregnate the wide earth's lustrous wealth

with a gleaming fluorescence; we are the new thoughts

and the new foundations, the new verdure of the mind;

we are the new hope new joy life everywhere.

We are the vision and the star, the quietus of pain;

we are the terminals of inquisition, the hiatuses

of a new crusade; we are the subterranean subways

of suffering; we are the will of dignities;

we are the living testament of a flowering race.

If you want to know what we are

WE ARE REVOLUTION!

Ad Adventurum

2008-11-13T22:50:00.000-08:00

If you like adventures, and if you like blogs, and if you like adventures about blogging...or, switched around...

AD ADVENTURUM

Extended Facebook Status Update Re: Music Terms

2008-11-11T02:10:00.000-08:00

Bianca: needs to brush up on her music theory.

Also, loves the term "progressive pop,"

doesn't understand the term "indie,"

and hates when people write/say, "I like all music except country,"

as if all country music is really so horrible.

(It's not. I promise!)

Work in Progress - Hurry Up Missouri and North Carolina!

2008-11-05T19:06:00.000-08:00

Last night's Electoral College coloring project is just two states away from final!

I wanted to do it while the results were coming in, but i had work til nine, by which time things were already decided.

I was, however, tipped off of the outcome from a patron who was on her cellphone (tsktsk) in the Children's Room. This is what i overheard:

Lady: Yeah, i'm at the library...WHAT? ...yeah. Are you home now? ....HUH? You are? ....oh. Did you vote yet? [Voting had been over for about 15 minutes by this time] Oh. Well it doesn't matter because [This is the best part..] i heard that guy already won. That black guy.

So yeah, i'm a little concerned about the American public if some still refer to one of the presidential candidates (and by that time, president-elect) as "that black guy."

I'm still waiting though. Blue or red blue or red my colored pencils are sharpened and ready.

In other news, i'm working on some exciting projects. (!!!) Mehr kommt...

Built To Spill

2008-11-03T13:06:00.000-08:00

Before becoming a productive member of society, one must first become a productive member of humanity.

A Picture Is Worth A Thousand...Whoa.

2008-10-27T11:27:00.000-07:00

My mom just came back from a trip to the Baltic Sea area. While perusing her BILLIONS of pictures, I came upon these images that struck me most, which were taken somewhere on the way to Latvia..

They're all crosses and crucifixes. And look how far it goes..

I'm not really the religious type, and this may just reflect something about me, but this place is strikingly beautiful in the creepiest of sacred ways. How haunting would it have felt to have been there myself, I just can't imagine.

Verterra - I love smart design.

2008-10-25T20:47:00.000-07:00

Verterra

All natural, chemical and bleach free
Non-toxic
No plastics or waxes
100% compostable
Made of 100% renewable plant material
Biodegrades naturally in 2 months
Microwave, oven and refrigerator-safe
No trees are cut down–made from only fallen leaves
Reusable

"VerTerra products are made in South Asia, where our employees receive fair wages in safe working conditions and are provided access to healthcare. Our production process is simple and transparent: after collecting fallen leaves, we apply steam, heat and pressure to transform the leaves into durable products that will naturally biodegrade in 2 months."

If only they made cups so I could move to Hawaii and set up my own sugarcane and coconut juice shack by the side of the road. My only real question is what kind of leaves are they using?

Daniel Merriam

2008-10-13T12:05:00.000-07:00

Sketchbooking again. I found this hidden away between blank pages, but it only had the snail at the bottom and the feathery wings along the right side finished. I've been adding more shades to it, bit by bit. Maybe I can actually finish it someday - that would be new and exciting. If I do, I can already tell the proportions won't come out right, and it won't do Daniel Merriam justice.

It's still fun to try.

Banned Book Week

2008-10-08T17:25:00.000-07:00

I'm a little late, but for Banned Book Week I decided to read The Catcher in the Rye which I'd never read before, even though I own two copies of it. Glad I did though. It was very truthful. I like when it used the phrase "crumb bum" haha...twice!
If I had read it in high school, it would have made a big impact on my life in some way. Not that I didn't read any books in high school that changed my life...but I still have Jansson's reading list and plan to read them all sooner or later. Seriously probably the best teacher I've ever had.

Now to continue with the banned book theme, maybe I'll go read the obscene adventures of Captain Underpants.

Also!

Here's a list of other commonly challenged books. Enjoy!

Digital Short!

2008-10-06T13:03:00.001-07:00

Soo we've got this toilet...

2008-10-06T12:43:00.000-07:00

and it's slowly sinking into the tile and wood underneath it.

On the plus side, we've been watching awesome samurai movies.

Mermaid Avenue

2008-10-02T11:14:00.000-07:00

Billy Bragg and Wilco doing never recorded Woody Guthrie?

yes.

also,

Calexico.

The End!

i'm in the mood for a barter or two.

2008-09-15T09:52:00.000-07:00

sah:

wird sehen:

und so weiter und so weiter

David Foster Wallace (1962 - 2008) and a little bit of why I hate the Whiskey a Go Go

2008-09-14T17:50:00.000-07:00

“The dreads and dangers of abstract thinking are a big reason why we now all like to stay so busy and bombarded with stimuli all the time. Abstract thinking tends most often to strike during moments of quiet repose.” -DFW

She’d been anticipating this moment: the inevitable occasion in which she would write down her own story, so depressingly authentic, filled with inexhaustible instances of pathetic social encounters, failed conversations that end in awkward silences which seem to hang in the air for hours, until the discomforted other-person would ultimately give her a sort of slight nod and half-smile, and just get up and leave her sitting there without even saying anything, unable even, to make eye contact with the girl, since she always resorted to keeping her eyes on the floor to give the illusion that she was in deep thought when in reality she just couldn’t bear to literally face the truth that she guessed she’d be able to make out from the other person’s sympathetic but bewildered expression if she ever did decide to look up and watch him leave, even though as she stared at the floor, she (the socially challenged one) would involuntarily end up imagining how the other person’s face looked as he silently left her sitting there, alone, while everyone around her would all be engaged in advanced techniques of social fluency. There would be no doubt in her mind of what she would write about – those uncomfortable silences that seemed to accompany her to every social gathering of any kind, the type of social discomfort that led her to cherish moments like this, where she required no external interchange and could just write down all that was wrong with her (and she knew it was a problem that stemmed from her own inability to cope with others and not from their inability to cope with her) to the point (she would hope) where the person reading of her heartbreakingly embarrassing handicap would scribble in red ink in the margins at the side of her assignment, “NEEDS HELP DEVELOPING SPEECH/RHETORICAL SKILLS…OR SOMETHING MORE…?” and would contact her through a non-threatening medium such as e-mail (which she likes better than face-to-face interaction since she doesn’t have to worry about when to smile or laugh or how many ums she needs to throw in to sound unrehearsed), and reassure her, console her, sympathize and grieve with her, and ask her the type of questions that would finally release her in a sort of cathartic way from her self-made psychological dungeon of unmodifiability, the kind that developed as a shy child, labeled “cute” by adults who unknowingly influenced the girl (as a child) to act “cute” until well after individuals should have enough self-confidence and integrity to stop acting “cute” and start acting like grown ups do (and since she was now 22, this would seem to include her), and when the word “cute” would be replaced by the phrase socially underdeveloped or even worse, disturbingly boring. That was it. She no longer wanted to be boring, and in some strange way she believed with all her internally insufficient might, that with this assignment (and, more importantly, with the reader of said assignment*), all of her social misgivings, anxieties, doubts, annoyances, punishments, misfortunes, afflictions . . . would be decisively and permanently resolved. . . .

I thought I was being very clever when I wrote it. Now I know I was just being honest...

--
Also, hanging around on Sunset reminded me of the time when Pre-Garden Face (real band name intentionally withheld) played at the Whiskey and I had $40 stolen backstage during a security check. Honestly, who steals from the backpack of a 15-year-old(-looking) girl?

Also, performance-wise, the Whiskey show ranks up there with the AlterKnit lounge on the list of worst unpronounceablebandname moments.

*But who’s to know if this assignment will have a reader at all? The assignment was going to be canceled, after all, and was only necessary to meet some sort of ambiguous writing class requirement, even though the strain that ultimately comes from 5-week summer courses would usually force such a class to cut certain assignments out of the schedule out of the goodness of some Head of the Writing Department’s heart.

Adventures in Shelving - The Magazine Edition

2008-09-08T19:39:00.000-07:00

This post is dedicated to Michael Phelps.

The only dude in the world who is able to wear eight gold medals (appearing to form half of a halter top) round his neck, and still look like a man.

Give that guy five gold stars and a million calories for breakfast. You go, girl.

In other related news:
My dad advised me to stop being so sarcastic. I thought that was a little like the pot calling the kettle black, so I'm not sure how seriously I'll be taking his advice. Besides, isn't that part of my charm...?

Animated shorts - Oktopodi and Al Dente

2008-09-05T12:43:00.000-07:00

The little street urchin totally kills that Ogre...

Re: Bibimbap - Recipe, please!

2008-09-04T22:46:00.000-07:00

Sooo...I've attempted Bibimbap twice. My sis asked for the recipe, and I typed this up...added some suggestions. Excuse the not capitalizing and punctuating correctly...

sorry i don't have any proportions...i just kind of eyeballed everything.

for the meat:
meat, thinly sliced (freeze it a little bit before cutting so it's
stiff and easier to slice) and I dunno what kind...maybe with some fat
on it..you can look up what kind of meat bulgogi is. it's the same
meat

meat marinade:
soy sauce
sesame oil
scallions, chopped (green and white parts)
black pepper
garlic finely chopped (a lot. i used a whole head for one marinade)
sugar (i used honey too)...other recipes i've seen people use asian
pear juice or 7up...whatever sweetener you want
chili pepper flakes (i like the smaller shakey kind with no seeds)
sesame seeds (i didn't put any in mine though)

the marinade should be more sweet than salty, and should smell
awesome. like sesame and garlic and scallion with sweet soy sauce
awesome. mix it all up, and put the sliced meat in and mix and
refrigerate while you chop up...

the veggies:
carrots julienned (really thin. if you've eaten bibimbop, you'd know)
spinach (you can chop it if you want...)
shitaki mushrooms, thinly sliced (cut the stem off so the cap can lie
flat and cut stem and cap separately)
japanese cucumber - the small kind - thinly sliced into circles (totally forgot about cucumbers)
bean sprouts

boil each veg separately and cook until soft or however cooked you
want them. boil in this order: cucumber, bean sprouts, spinach, carrot, mushroom. after taking out the stuff, i would run them under cold
water for a little bit to stop them from cooking more. and i reused
the boiling water. at the end you can make it into a soup. add some
seaweed and seasoning and maybe tofu...mmm

while the vegetables are boiling, scramble an egg or two, but cook it flat
like a crepe then cut into thin strips. or just cook a fried egg. or both
whatevs.

oh yeah. you should cook rice. maybe before everything. like first
thing. nice fluffy rice...or use leftover rice

cook the marinaded beef in sesame oil (big
skillet? a wok maybe? you use it again) set aside the cooked meat

in the same skillet, throw some rice in and give it a little fry until
it's all warm and huggable. turn the burner to low (or off) and add
everything on top to make a bibimbop color wheel. you can sprinkle
sesame seeds on and tiny seaweed strips too.

take a picture and send it to everyone and set the tummies agrumbling.

then!
drizzle some sesame oil on there, and sriracha, and mix mix! if you
make it too hot, have that soup, or add rice.
that's basically it. bibimbop should have a sticky consistency. some
people add that broth directly into the bibimbop like moms and pops
who learned to eat it on korean airlines. i'm so hungry now. goodbye.

First attempt: very successful. Only problem (not a big one) was the meat was a little too soy saucy and not sweet enough.

Second attempt: GROSS. No egg, too much rice, too much carrot, not enough of everything else. Solution? HOT SAUCE TIMES INFINITE. But I fixed the marinade problem at least.

Next time, I'll make a smaller batch. The prep time was craaazy long. But oh so worth it....

Life, the Universe, and Everything

2008-08-24T11:56:00.000-07:00

cover part of the night sky with your thumb and imagine the billions and billions of galaxies behind your thumb nail alone. we are tiny indeed.

Aromrak's Etsy shop

2008-08-24T11:34:00.000-07:00

Equal parts fairytale whimsy and romantic interpretations of the natural world.

www.treasuresofantiquity.etsy.com

beeteedub: she's able to do custom pieces too.

2008-08-24T11:28:00.000-07:00

I know this isn't the smartest design (the whole swinging of the legs to and fro right at the curb of busy streets and all), but the idea is so much fun!

But yes, I can imagine many people missing their bus while having fun swinging, or not being able to see their bus coming, or not being able to stop the swing fast enough to flag a bus down. Or all of the above.

In a dream sequence, I'd be swinging and swinging and the bus would stop with its door right in front of me and I could just jump! from the swing right onto the bus's platform $1 in quarters hello miss bus driver excuse me smelly guy in the wheelchair ahh how i miss public transportation...

Adventures in Shelving - Part Letter T

2008-08-16T12:56:00.000-07:00

Mustachioed Patron: Excuse me, do you work here?
Bianca: [nods]
Mustachioed Patron: Well, I haven't been here in a while, and I was looking for the card catalog - so that I can look up a book. Can you tell me where the card catalog is?
Bianca: __________________________________________

Guess my answer:

A) Hmm...actually, I don't think we have one anymore. I think it's all electronic now.
B) Um yeah, I think they call it a computer?
C) Card catalog? [laughs] What's that?
D) Card catalog?! Go back to the Stone Age!

...now guess which one I wanted to say.

From My[confined]Space

2008-07-30T08:49:00.000-07:00

sudoku, mustaches, and astrology

2008-07-28T09:34:00.000-07:00

is what i usually pick up the l.a. times "calendar" section for. after finishing sudoku, the pen unconsciously starts drawing mustaches on any of the comic characters that will allow for them. bored of that, i read all the good advice the astrology forecast gives. here's a tip: no matter your sign, just read all the signs for some life lessons and practical ideas.

other things i've been doing/learning:

- tedious tuning and playing of double course stringed instruments. what calluses!
- holding incredibly deep conversations regarding pokemon, webkinz, fruit smoothies, and anything disney with two very sweet and articulate texas nephews.
- $2 movies in pasadena? hahaaaaaa
- discovering the magical world of extended learning courses.
- ASL. which is keeping me from quitting my job these past few saturdays (not really). but really learning asl. slowly.
- reading (and loooving!) a book i should have read in high school and then watching the bbc series online.
- gardeny/composting junk
- just gettting fed up with life in general. not really.
- realizing how much time i spend online....g'bye!

Adventures in Shelving - Part 02

2008-06-24T12:15:00.000-07:00

Okay. School's out. Summer's here. We get it, kids. Stop unshelving every single book on dinosaurs and dropping them in the picture books section. Don't rub your faces into those puppets unless you want pink eye. Please don't reshelve Clifford the Big Red Dog books where Eric Carle books should go. Please don't reshelve period.

During this year's summer reading program, I've found a new way to humor myself and thus not go completely insane. When choosing picture and easy reader books to display, I go by certain criteria...

1) Interesting title/cover art
2) Theme
3) Subjects that "don't belong."

Example 1: I love Leo Lionni picture books because of the construction paper-like quality to his work. Good cover art, I display it.
Example 2: Sometimes I'll display more popular books, or all the ones on my cart about cats, or going to the beach, or spaghetti parties. Themes.
Example 3: Displaying books that don't belong is my personal favorite. It's usually by coincidence, but every so often I'll put up books about Christmas, Hanukkah, Easter, or other holidays that have nothing to do with summer. Last week I put up some books about school. It's educational. Summer won't last forever. I'm displaying valuable lessons in perspective. For the kids as much as for myself.

It's all in good fun. Sometimes the weird books even get checked out. You never know what kids want to read...

ein post fuer meine schwester (a post for my sis)

2008-06-16T12:24:00.001-07:00

I've been listening to a lot of Weezer. Yes. even worse, I've also been dabbling in more Ozma. Which I strangely find better than Weezer. I don't know what's come over me. I think I may be sick. Or crazy. I find their vocal and guitar harmonizing wonderful. And their Casio-sounding melodies enchanting.
It's embarrassing enough that on my Last.fm Ozma is on there as one of my top weekly bands. But now I'm telling you. And I don't exactly know why. Maybe some sort of validation...? Like when you come home and tell me that you ate two pieces of broccoli and a shrimp.

I like "Light Years Will Burn" a lot. I think it's because it reminds me of Phantom of the Opera, but I'm not sure why that would make me like it more. Maybe it's the drama factor. The thing I can't get used to is the Brummel's voice, which I'm not a fan of.

ANYWAY. I'm thisclose to wanting to start an Arlo cover band. But then what would our name be? Mia? This is all.

Adventures in Shelving - Part 01 In a series of however many times weird things happen in the library....the Infinite Series.

2008-06-07T10:57:00.000-07:00

As a lowly shelver, I witness some pretty interesting things. Strange people who stare, others who sleep. Numerical transpositions, books shelved upside down or spines in. Late parent pickups, unfound books desperately needed for finals, temporarily lost children. Bird books mislabeled as bat books, children's' books whose titles seem innocent enough, but read from the wrong perspective...a little too graphic for the young ones?

I take my job rather seriously, for good and bad. I'm obsessed with numbers and order as well as with people watching, which makes my job harrowing and easy. Fascinating and horrifying. Maybe it's good that I only work 15 hours a week, yes?

One time as I was shelving in the yoga section, I found a book shelved incorrectly. Not only was it incorrectly shelved, but it's real home was far from the yoga books. I decided to put it away since it probably felt uncomfortable around so many pictures of smiling ladies stretching away in unitards.

The book seemed to get lighter as I approached its correct shelf. Ah, yes, here is my rightful place, it seemed to say. My eyes scanned the call numbers to find the correct resting place of the book in my hand when I found ...another incorrectly shelved book exactly where my book should be. Coincidence? Maybe. I decided to investigate.

I replaced the books. I took this new one, for which I already felt less sympathy, one aisle away to its real home.

And guess what I found. Another misplaced book. Exactly. Exactly where this other one was supposed to go. Someone was playing a game with me. Someone was wasting my time. I looked around to make sure no one was watching me. This was slightly embarrassing. Scavenger hunts are fun, but not while you're working, and especially when you seem to be the only one playing.

I put the correct one away. I took this new joker out (it was laughing at me). Read its call number and found that it belonged one shelf above where it had been incorrectly placed, almost directly above where it had been.

I'd had enough. Thankfully, I found no wrong book where the other should have been. If I HAD found one, I wouldn't have shelved it. I was getting annoyed. And just a little paranoid.

I still don't know if that was all coincidence. I do find books all the time that are shelved incorrectly, whether by shelver's or patron's mistake (or mischief), but never to that extent. That was just during the first month of working at the library. That was just one not-so-strange story. And one without library patrons in it. You know there's more. Many, many more....

Well that was an ordeal...

2008-05-26T12:45:00.000-07:00

I finally figured out how to switch email addresses for this blog. It's not as easy as pressing a "Change Email" button for sure.

More to come...but for now:

Week Twelve: Reflections and the End of Everything!

2008-04-14T11:16:00.000-07:00

What was the most important thing that you learned? Why?
As far as what tools are available on the web, I learned a lot. I knew these things existed, but learning how they work and using them in an everyday context was really helpful. I've been using some of them regularly since I discovered their capabilities.

What was the most challenging exercise? Why?
I thought Flickr was pretty involved. It took me a while to find my way around it, only because there was so much to look through and so many options. I also thought Podcasts were tough because sometimes the sound clips didn't work or took a long time to load, or were basically a waste of time. I also didn't find a lot of podcasts for things I was interested in. Or maybe I just like reading articles more than listening to them.

What were your favorite discoveries or exercises?
My favorite discovery was definitely the RSS feeds! They've changed the way I get news and other information. I've been sharing articles with friends and family, and they've also picked up on RSS feeds and love it. I especially find it useful because I used to look at a lot of different eco/art/gardening/silly cat pictures/design/music/diy sites and had to go to each page individually. Now I get all the feeds in one convenient place. Also, I think I'm going to be keeping this blog going...

How can the Arcadia Public Library use these technologies to deliver or improve library services?
I've made a lot of suggestions about letting the public know about these web tools. I think it would be great if the library could create a program to teach patrons about Web 2.0. Every two weeks or so during the summer maybe, we could hold seminars regarding each tool. As far as getting younger patrons more involved, YouTube or Flickr contests would be a safe bet (and also something fun to do during the summer?).

How successful was the “self-directed” learning model? Is this a useful way of encouraging staff development?
I loved being able to go home and do this on my own time and learning as I go along, and then going to work and talking about the tools with coworkers and learning even more. No pressure, all...pleasure? Yes.

What could we do differently to improve upon this program’s format or concept?
I would separate the YouTube and Podcast experiments into two different weeks. Also, I think review sites like Yelp should be incorporated. I think Yelp is useful for finding suggestions of local restaurants, shops, museums, etc. as well as for making your own suggestions. Patrons could benefit from it too.

If we offered another discovery program like this in the future, would you again choose to participate?
I would, and not only in the hopes of winning something! I really enjoyed this 2.0 thing and I love giving feedback on what could be different or what could be added to improve the library. This was a lot of fun! Let's do this again soon, okay? I miss it already! *sniff* Thanks to everyone involved in this challenge!

Week Eleven: LibraryThing

2008-04-14T11:03:00.000-07:00

Hi. I originally wanted to do a review of Yelp but I'm kind of running out of time. So here we go...my library thing is posted to the side...

What are some of the features you particularly liked?

I liked the book suggesting tool a lot. I typed in a title and received a lot of different suggestions, sorted by popularity, by what other people have in their library, by obscurity...etc. It was pretty helpful. I wish there was a place on LibraryThing where I could list books I WANT or would like to read next...

Did you find it difficult to use?

I just thought it was a little time consuming to type in book titles. Granted, it's helpful if you want to keep a record of your books, but what if someone has a huge collection? Crazyy. Also, some of the books I typed in didn't show up on their list. But that's okay.

What LibraryThing features would work well in the library's catalog?

I think the Book Suggester would be a useful tool in the library and for patrons too. Also reviews and tags.

Are there other ways the library could use LibraryThing?

The LibraryThing Local feature helps find events around your area related to books. The library could use that feature to suggest events to patrons and post those events on the blog or something.

Week Nine and Ten - YouTube and Podcasts

2008-03-23T15:06:00.000-07:00

YOUTUBE

Here's the Youtube account I created for the challenge.

I really like YouTube. I've found it really useful both for getting information and being entertained. When I want visual instruction on how to play a song on guitar, I can search for someone (anyone) who posted themselves playing on YouTube and figure it out form there. A lot of people also post TV performances and interviews I can watch if I missed them when they originally aired. YouTube is probably popular because it's so user-friendly.

I favorite'd a couple of videos. This one is a Japanese game show set in a library. I found a few library-related videos, but this was my favorite. I hope this isn't a real library though...

Speaking of Japanese game shows, try searching for the "Can't Laugh" ones. Also, the most amazingly silly "game show" I've ever witnessed.

I tried Google videos too and that was helpful in searching for videos on the web as a whole, but I found that most of the videos that showed up in the Google videos search were linked to YouTube anyway.

Most interesting thing for me to learn was that NBC and YouTube aren't friends. I tried searching for clips of NBC shows and all of them were removed from YouTube.

I think the library can use YouTube to reach the younger crowd. Maybe there could be a contest during the summer with Middle to High Schoolers making videos about the library or doing book reviews or book reenactments and we could post them on the library website and people can rate them and the best one could get a prize.

PODCASTS

I found three podcasts that interested me. First, was KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic podcast. This is a music show that airs on KCRW and features a lot of fresh music and live in-studio performances and interviews. I added this podcast to my Google Reader account because I don't listen to the radio anymore. I also listened to a "learn Spanish" podcast because I've been trying to learn. Lastly, I had a good time listening to MuggleCast which is almost obsolete now that the series is over (the Harry Potter series, that is). But they still talk about specific chapters and they have a couple of J.K. Rowling interviews.

I found libraries using podcasts for how to do better research in the library and updating on news and events. I think our library can use podcasts to make event announcements or talk about book reviews. Also, I think it would be cute to have a podcast every Sunday (recorded in advance...or Saturday evening) posted on the site that acts like a Story time for kids so parents can listen to them with their kids at home. You can include sound effects and different people doing the voices, etc. Maybe this would be good with fairytales.

That's my two cents. Or, seeing how long this week took, my fifty cents (in dimes).

2008-03-19T16:19:00.000-07:00

FOUND

Mia
6 year old female, 12-14 lbs
Black fur, no collar
Last seen Tuesday 3/18/08
Near Mayflower and Central in Monrovia

Early Thursday morning (2:30am) Mia came home skinny, dusty, and hungry. She's now recovering from her adventures by sleeping. A lot.

Bartering

2008-03-17T19:57:00.000-07:00

I once heard of someone who bartered their way from a paperclip to a house.
I also heard about a restaurant whose owner doesn't accept money in exchange for food, but services, like mowing her lawn, or fixing her car.

This weekend, I successfully bartered a skinny black tie for a new iPod Shuffle. Granted, the circumstances were heavily in my favor. But it was awesome nonetheless.

I think I'd like to barter for goods. A book for a jacket, a fruit tree for an old 8-track recorder. It would be interesting to see how people value certain things. I'd elaborate, but I'm pretty tuckered out from all the myspace partying I've been doing. If there are websites out there for bartering, please let me know. =)

This is all.

EDIT: I found a good site to start off with. BarterBee.com. Swap movies, music, and games. I'm sure there are book swapping sites out there too....yup! Bookmooch.com.

Week Eight - Oh, Myspace, how you torture and teach...

2008-03-17T18:24:00.000-07:00

I AM my Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/briosapl
Basically everything on there is true.

The pros of Myspace:
- You're able to keep in touch with friends and relatives whom you can't see regularly otherwise.
- You can stay connected with musicians, stores, authors, and specific groups and get the latest news about them (Upcoming concerts, sales, books talks, art exhibits).
- You can reach out to others who have similar interests as you and make new friends.
- It's fun to spy on people through Myspace. I'm only half kidding.

The cons of Myspace:
- Strangers attempt to add you.
- You lose real, physical contact with friends by depending on Myspace too much.
- It's incredibly addicting. You can be on Myspace forever, grow pale from lack of sun, lose all human interaction skills, increase eye size and become near sighted, your lower limbs will shrivel from disuse...and so on.
- It can get annoying and creepy.
- It's not fun when people spy on you through Myspace. haha.

Social networking sites are popular because it's easy to keep in touch with people, it's easy to reach out to people, and it's easy to meet new people on the internet than it is in person sometimes. There are a lot of "serial adders" who add people just to accumulate names on their friends lists. Sad.
I've recently stopped using Myspace. It just got a little too much. What's the point of adding people when you don't even talk to them ever? You get too comfortable with the fact that since you are friends with these people on Myspace, you don't have to contact them personally. When I do check my account, it's to find news about bands I like and if they have up coming shows. And look at pictures too.

I think the library could use Myspace to reach out to the younger patrons. It's another way to advertise our services and programs and recruit volunteers. Other than that, I'm not sure how useful Myspace could be.

Week Seven - Google Docs will rule the Milky Way galaxy one day.

2008-03-08T21:11:00.000-08:00

Mmmm Milky Way....

Here's what I published:
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=ddqcgwsb_0f6wvr7c5

It was very easy to set up and use Google Docs. It's pretty much the same thing as opening a Word document and typing away.
I would use this regularly if I had a definite need for it. I could see potential in using it for work (spreadsheets, meetings), school (group research projects), games (cheating and tip trading), and hobbies (friends starting and circulating their own "zine").

My favorite feature was probably the "share it with others" option. But I also like that it is user-friendly and it gives you the option of republishing whenever changes are made to the document. Having documents connected to email and given such choices as being able to share and publish it on the internet opens up a lot of possibilities for what you can use it for. Google Docs can take the place of Word, Excel, and wikis, and adds group editing, easy internet publishing and sharing. And the fact that it's all connected to an email account (or a few) makes it really easily accessible.

I think the worst part of Google Docs and I guess Gmail as a whole is that they open up too many windows. If I use Firefox it's okay, but I usually use Explorer. When I log in to Gmail to check mail, let's say, that's one window. Clicking on Google Docs opens up another window, then another if I open a specific document. Visually messy, but maybe necessary? Who knows.

Google Docs can work the same way as a Wiki can, but I think Google Docs would be a better tool for Internal Library Junk (I think that's an official term :P) than a Wiki would only because it's more streamlined and simple. The public could learn about Google Docs through the library and learn how to incorporate it into their own lives accordingly. Like I said before, the variety of options it gives you allows for many usage possibilities.

Week Six

2008-03-03T23:13:00.000-08:00

What was your favorite feature on Flickr?
I liked the tags. I clicked on a tag for "succulents" and found out about photo clusters and ended up joining a group where people post really cool pictures of plants. Shooting in macro is amazing...

You have uploaded a photo from Flickr to your blog. Why did you choose that photo?
I uploaded a picture of one of my echeverias (it's off to the side) from my flickr account. I added it because I like it, but it doesn't look as good when it's shrunken down. The other pictures on my blog I uploaded straight from my computer. I think it's easier that way.

Why is tagging so important?
Tagging is important because it makes it easier to browse photos on flickr.

Did you explore any Flickr mashups? If so, which, and how did it work?
I tried the badge maker. You basically are able to make a personalized badge using a picture you choose and adding some information about yourself. It was fun. Maybe I'll put mine up on the blog. The color pickr was interesting, but I didn't get the hang of it.

What was the most interesting thing you learned?
Well, I thought you had to pay to join flickr, but I guess it's free. That was good to know. I really like the fact that flickr has a community feel to it. It's not just about saving your photos, you can join groups with common pictures and interests, and connect with others around the world. So it also acts as a social networking site but through photos.

What are some of the ways in which the Arcadia Public Library might use Flickr?
I think the library is doing a good job using flickr already. They can look at other libraries' photos and maybe get ideas from each them and vice versa. I noticed a comment or two on a couple of Arcadia's pictures from another library. It's nice to be able to share ideas visually.

EDIT: Though I laugh at lolcats, I think the concept is sort of degrading for the feline species. So...down with making cats use bad grammar in silly captioned pictures! Grammatical justice for kitties! *fisted paw of solidarity in the air*

feline friends

2008-03-01T00:39:00.000-08:00

I tend to bond quicker with cats than I do with humans.
No need to speak, you see.
This was no exception on vacation.

Also, it seems I didn't bring my eyes with me on this trip.

Wiki-Wiki Week Fiiiiive

2008-02-24T16:02:00.000-08:00

I've used wikipedia, and I've used a wiki. The wiki I used was for this online game called Urban Dead which is about a zombie apocalypse. Yes.

I think wikis are reliable and valuable. It depends on the situation. For school, wikis wouldn't be the best choice for getting information - general information is okay, but I wouldn't use wikis or wikipedia to write a paper about heteronormativity in American culture. Or whatever.

But for games, wikis are great. The Urban Dead wiki I used was helpful for players because any player could update the status of a given suburb (this one's full of zombies and therefore dangerous for humans, etc.) People can also add where to get help, post where to find support and revive points if you get turned into a zombie, zombie meeting points, maps....you get the idea. I also noticed that wikis are good for keeping up with TV shows, books, bands, movies and other entertainment.

I added to the favorite foods (green tea and oreos), movies (Amelie, Royal Tenenbaums, the Harry Potter movies), music (Beatles, Radiohead, blues), restaurants (GIn Sushi, Hurry Curry, In-N-Out, Sam Woo, SOuplantation, Zankou Chicken), and TV shows (Project Runway, Arrested Development, Freaks and Geeks). It was pretty easy. Just click and type.

For the library, wikis could be useful for keeping employees updated on certain regulations maybe. Since we all don't work at the same time, a wiki would be a good place to "get things straight". For example, as a shelver, sometimes I see fiction titles that start with numbers shelved two different ways - a book called "23rd Precinct" could go before the A titles as a numeral or under the T for twenty-third. A wiki could be a place where everyone can check to see they're doing things the same way. It could also help supervisors to not have to reiterate changes in the library with part time staff as they come in every few hours.
For the public, library wikis can be set up for reading groups, especially during the summer for adults and kids.

Week Four - Del.icio.us

2008-02-23T22:59:00.000-08:00

If I knew of something like Del.icio.us when I was still in school, I would've used it. When I worked on projects and was using a school computer, I would copy and paste each URL I needed onto an email and send it to myself. It was a huge hassle and it got confusing. With social bookmarking, you can search directly from the site for relevent articles, tag them, make notes on it, put a label on it, and organize it all. It's so efficient. So it's definitely a great tool to use for research, especially when you're working on multiple projects at once.

Since I'm not in school anymore, yes, it's still useful as a bookmarking site. I pretty much go to the same websites all the time and memorize their URLs, but through tagging I can "favorite" specific pages or articles that are important. It makes your favorite sites easily accessible from everywhere and I like the convenience factor.

Public tags can be useful but it can also be time-consuming going through other people's tags and you never know when you'll find something useful. It might help when doing research. I'll try it again and see later.

I'll keep my del.icio.us account to keep random pages I want to remember. But I'm so used to just copy/pasting URLs onto emails and sending them to myself. Those buttons I installed onto the tool bar are pretty helpful though...

As for the library, I think it could use bookmarking sites somehow. I'm always thinking about how these tools can help connect the library with patrons...in this case, I'm not sure del.icio.us would be of much use for that. But I think the library should at least let patrons know about social bookmarking and its capabilities, especially students. Flyers would be good, or even better, there could be a little auditorium event to teach people about it. Or make a series of events that go through each Web 2.0 thing. I don't know if that's realistic or not though.

I'm back...

2008-02-18T18:42:00.000-08:00

Hello again. My break was nice. But I got sick halfway through. So along with my equilibrium being racked by sea AND air motion, it also has to deal with heavy heavy congestion. I feel like a zombie. Which is both gross and awesome at the same time.

Anyway, I didn't tell most people where I went because I wanted to make a game of it - post pictures on this blog and make everyone guess where I was. But plans fell through, and I couldn't find a steady internet source.

I'll still post pictures. And...I still won't say where I went. (But if you ask me at work, I'll probably tell you, so it doesn't really matter ;)

Thanks to Garo for telling me we didn't have work today. And no, I didn't miss the harassment class (I wish I did...) - I went in January. Hope you guys had as much fun as I did though haha...

I'm leaving the library. Goodbye.

2008-02-08T20:26:00.000-08:00

It's been a fun 7 months. I'll miss the shelves very much. Oh, and all of you guys too, of course. But it's time for me to go...

..on vacation, that is.

I'll post pictures during the trip.

See you next weeeeeek.....(do we have work on Monday??)

Week Three - RSS feeds

2008-01-30T23:40:00.000-08:00

Which five blogs did I subscribe to?

Ektopia
KPCC's Southern California News
LA Times Lakers News
NOTCOT.org
Economist
National Geographic

Which method of finding feeds did I find easiest to use?

I think Google Reader was the easiest. I like how they show how active each feed is, and how many other people subscribe to it.
Going through the LA Times site was really cool because you're able to subscribe to certain sections of the paper.
Technorati and Syndic8.com were...weird. I thought I could find really specific feeds through these sites, but most of the results were barely active blogs...not worth subscribing to.

Do I think that I'll continue to use my Google Reader account to stay up to date with information or news?

I mentioned in the Week 1 post that maybe I'll find another internet thing to get addicted to, and I found it. Sooo that's a YES. I love RSS feeds now. I've subscribed to a million feeds and read each one. I can barely manage to leave the computer. . .

How could the library make use of RSS feeds?

I think the library should create its own feed so that patrons could subscribe to it and keep up to date on library events/news/planning. I don't know how the feeds work, but if there's a way to make the APL blog into a feed, that would get more people to read it more frequently. Also, the APL blog should put links up to RSS feeds that might interest readers, like book reviews. And then the library itself can subscribe to relevent library/book/magazine related feeds....
But the library should definitely post a blog about how to sign up for RSS feeds.

Blog Editing/Grumbling...

2008-01-27T13:14:00.000-08:00

I'm slowly getting the hang of this whole blog thing. I've had a Livejournal for years, but I think Blogger is more user-friendly, and much easier to personalize, of which I've done a bit...

The top picture is an Andy Goldsworthy creation. He uses natural objects to create (usually) temporary pieces within their found environment. Here's a video of some of his pieces from the documentary "Rivers and Tides."

My side bar has some new additions...I wanted to link each book suggestion to the library's online catalog, just in case someone was interested in borrowing it, but once in place, the links wouldn't work.

Oh well, I linked them to google books instead.

I also added a few of my RSS feeds! Oooh foreshadowing of Week 3 tasks....

Weeks One and Two

2008-01-21T14:45:00.000-08:00

So. In all honesty, I initially wanted to participate because of the so-called "incentives."

BUT.

I do think that this challenge would be a good experience. It would be nice to share ideas with each other, especially concerning how to utilize internet capabilities within the library. I'd like to learn more about what the internet has to offer. I can peruse wikipedia and youtube endlessly...maybe I'm looking for the next big webthing to get addicted to.

Setting up the blog wasn't that hard, but I'd like to fiddle around with it more and make it look interesting. I see myself becoming a regular blogger only if I find something consistently worthwhile to blog about. Cats. Cactus. The history of my hair. You know. The important stuff. =)

I think the library can use its blog to keep the community updated with local news and events. Maybe suggest places to go during the weekends like museums or exhibits...there could be weekly book suggestions and reviews written by staff members (personally, I'm very curious about what other library employees read).

After this challenge is over, if some of our blogs remain active, they should be linked to the main APL blog. That would encourage people to get more involved with the library maybe.