I made it back to Alabama. It was an exciting trip. Exciting in a bad way.
Thursday morning, my roomie, Maya, and I get in her car to make our way up to Salt Lake. We had plenty of time, or we would have had plenty of time if it hadn't started snowing like nobody's business! So instead, we slowly inch up to the Salt Lake airport. I make it about 45 minutes before my flight left. Still would have been fine if it hadn't been for the computers crashing in the check in line! And I was the person at the front of the line when they crashed! I was so close! So, I stood there for about 15 minutes. Now it's 30 minutes until my flight leaves. I get up to the counter and one of my bags is overweight! Argh!!! I quickly rearrange some stuff between my bags. Finally, I get my bags checked. However, I am still not checked in. They gave me a stupid little paper that informs me I have to check in at the gate. Great. Next is going through security. By this time, I'm feeling panicky. I know I'm going to have to run to my gate like a scene from a Home Alone movie. I rush through security as fast as I can, forgo putting my belt back on, cram my feet into my shoes, almost knock over an old lady in a wheelchair, hope that I haven't dropped anything or left anything behind and make a running start for my gate. Of course, my gate is at the very end of the terminal. When I get there, I'm completely out of breath. 5 minutes until my flight leaves. I made it, right? Wrong. I go up to the gate and the somewhat unhelpful man there tells me that since I'm not checked in, I have to go talk to the person at the desk. I turn around and looked hopelessly at the desk, which has a line of at least 20 people. No possible way I can make it through that line in 5 minutes! I was totally going to miss my flight. Completely panicked at this point, I call Dad and tell him that I'm afraid I'm not going to make it. And I really was afraid I wasn't going to make it. Nevertheless, I get in the line. Some of the nice people around me in the line (whose flights weren't leaving in 4 minutes) tell me to just go up to the front and see if I can cut. Desperate, I do so and a girl informs me that one of the people at the side of the desk is helping a group of people on my flight. So I just hand my paper to that person and she tells me to go ahead and board. Really? It was that simple? Why didn't the guy at the gate tell me that? Dad, of course, is still on the other end of my phone, so he's heard the whole thing. As I walk up the walkway thingy (what are those things called?) into the plane, I tell him that I got on the plane, it's ok, I'm gonna make it after all, etc.
So you'd think all my problems were over, right? Well, they were mostly over. Since I was like, the last person boarding the plane, I had to find a place in the overhead compartment for my carry-on. After much searching, and much whacking people in the head with my ginormous backpack every time I turned around, I find some room for it. Then I find a seat (I was flying Southwest) and promptly give a concussion to the poor guy in the aisle seat while crawling over him.
Needless to say, that was probably my worst airport travelling experience ever.
The rest of the journey was fairly uneventful and calm compared to the first part. I made it to Las Vegas, had a 3 hour layover, got a boarding pass for my connecting flight, then flew to Nashville. Surprisingly, my luggage made it to Nashville even though I checked in late. My brother-in-law, Peter, picked me up and I spent the night at my sister and brother-in-law's. The following day, I got to spend some time with my adorable niece and that evening, my dad and brothers came up and drove me down to Huntsville.
Wow, I've had quite the week!
Monday, December 22
Tuesday, December 16
Last Day
Today was my last day working at my beloved Harold B. Lee Library. My job, first as a desk clerk, then as a Holds/Recalls secretary, was such an incredible blessing. I met amazing people and did work that I absolutely loved. I can hardly believe it's over.
The last 3 and a half years have been great. I always felt so incredibly welcome in the Circulation department, from the very beginning. I remember being trained, feeling completely overwhelmed by all the information that I had to learn, then eventually getting a handle on everything. Working at the front desk was always so fun, especially with Sondra. She used to randomly survey random patrons. The only question I remember, though, had something to do with guys wearing pink shirts. I remember when Alexis got a promotion to TL and we had a running joke where I would show her the reserve book I was about to shelve. (This comes from when we were supposed to have another person check books we were about to shelve so as to cut down on non-reserve books being shelved in Reserve.) I remember when I worked with Tim one late night and he essentially gave me a home teaching message. I remember being sick and having someone send me home and cover my shift for me. I remember root beer float Saturdays with Lilia and Jennica. I remember many many deep conversations at the front desk when JoAnn overhear us in her office and join in the discussion. I remember the first day Camille left me alone in Holds/Recalls to do the work by myself. I remember teaching Austin about stealing Blackboard and encouraging him to write the best ever Blackboard theft post. I remember doing Book Processing with Parker when he read me Italian poetry. I remember really hating to call people about Reserve Recalls. I remember decorating the ginormous Christmas tree last year with everyone. I remember the day nothing printed out for Holds and Recalls and we had to do everything manually. There are so many good memories.
Today, Kristina (my dear former fellow Holds/Recalls secretary) commented that now that I'm leaving all the knowledge and information I learned at the library will be useless. Yes, some of it will be. But I hope that I've learned something more important than procedures and policies. Like learning how to be patient with people, learning to put myself in someone else's shoes, learning to respect other's beliefs and opinions. I hope that I'm a better person now than I was when I walked through the Reserve Door for my job interview over three years ago. I feel like I've grown up so much. And now it's time to do even more growing up.
The last 3 and a half years have been great. I always felt so incredibly welcome in the Circulation department, from the very beginning. I remember being trained, feeling completely overwhelmed by all the information that I had to learn, then eventually getting a handle on everything. Working at the front desk was always so fun, especially with Sondra. She used to randomly survey random patrons. The only question I remember, though, had something to do with guys wearing pink shirts. I remember when Alexis got a promotion to TL and we had a running joke where I would show her the reserve book I was about to shelve. (This comes from when we were supposed to have another person check books we were about to shelve so as to cut down on non-reserve books being shelved in Reserve.) I remember when I worked with Tim one late night and he essentially gave me a home teaching message. I remember being sick and having someone send me home and cover my shift for me. I remember root beer float Saturdays with Lilia and Jennica. I remember many many deep conversations at the front desk when JoAnn overhear us in her office and join in the discussion. I remember the first day Camille left me alone in Holds/Recalls to do the work by myself. I remember teaching Austin about stealing Blackboard and encouraging him to write the best ever Blackboard theft post. I remember doing Book Processing with Parker when he read me Italian poetry. I remember really hating to call people about Reserve Recalls. I remember decorating the ginormous Christmas tree last year with everyone. I remember the day nothing printed out for Holds and Recalls and we had to do everything manually. There are so many good memories.
Today, Kristina (my dear former fellow Holds/Recalls secretary) commented that now that I'm leaving all the knowledge and information I learned at the library will be useless. Yes, some of it will be. But I hope that I've learned something more important than procedures and policies. Like learning how to be patient with people, learning to put myself in someone else's shoes, learning to respect other's beliefs and opinions. I hope that I'm a better person now than I was when I walked through the Reserve Door for my job interview over three years ago. I feel like I've grown up so much. And now it's time to do even more growing up.
Wednesday, December 10
Tidbits
Well, it's certainly been a while since my last post. I really have no excuse. I've been working and going to school, but I haven't been super busy.
I have two days of college class left. It's amazing. I can hardly believe it. I think I'm in denial. Next semester won't even be a semester. No more thinking like that.
So, I should probably share what's going on in my life. My roommate Suzie got engaged. She's getting married this March in California. I'm going to the wedding. I've never been to California before and Suzie asked me to be a bridesmaid. And maybe while I'm in California, I might just have to go to Disneyland. Yup.
I have no job as of yet. Maybe I'll hear from the library back home. Meanwhile, I'll just have to start the job hunt when I get back.
The Friday of Thanksgiving break I got set up on a date. With my roommate's brother's roommate. We watched Wall-E and played Carcassonne (and a little bit of Rock Band! I love that game so much!). I had a good time.
There is no snow here! I desperately want some before I move back to snow-less Alabama for the rest of the winter.
I have one paper left to write, three finals to take, several bags of clothes and stuff to take to DI, loads of stuff to pack in boxes, many boxes to ship, eight Christmas presents to buy, too many goodbyes to say, and one plane trip to take before I get home.
I have two days of college class left. It's amazing. I can hardly believe it. I think I'm in denial. Next semester won't even be a semester. No more thinking like that.
So, I should probably share what's going on in my life. My roommate Suzie got engaged. She's getting married this March in California. I'm going to the wedding. I've never been to California before and Suzie asked me to be a bridesmaid. And maybe while I'm in California, I might just have to go to Disneyland. Yup.
I have no job as of yet. Maybe I'll hear from the library back home. Meanwhile, I'll just have to start the job hunt when I get back.
The Friday of Thanksgiving break I got set up on a date. With my roommate's brother's roommate. We watched Wall-E and played Carcassonne (and a little bit of Rock Band! I love that game so much!). I had a good time.
There is no snow here! I desperately want some before I move back to snow-less Alabama for the rest of the winter.
I have one paper left to write, three finals to take, several bags of clothes and stuff to take to DI, loads of stuff to pack in boxes, many boxes to ship, eight Christmas presents to buy, too many goodbyes to say, and one plane trip to take before I get home.
Sunday, October 12
Halloween Costume Shopping
The girls decided that we are going to throw a Halloween party. So, we went shopping last night to get costumes. I decided to go simple and be a librarian. I bought cheap granny glasses and a chain to attach to them. I'm going to wear my nametag from work and my new plaid skirt. It will be great!
Here's me, Suzie and Jenny trying on hats at the costume shop (AKA Party City).
Here's me, Suzie and Jenny trying on hats at the costume shop (AKA Party City).Sunday, October 5
Cornbelly's Fall Fun
Friday night, me and the roomies went up to Thanksgiving Point to the Cornbelly's corn maze. Dang, was it ever fun! I even went through the haunted corn maze and the giant blow-up haunted beast. I guess I'm less of a wuss than I think I am. It did help that Maya was more freaked out than me, cause I'd just laugh when she would scream. We also went through the big unhaunted corn maze, which was shaped like David Archuleta. That was fun. And the best part of the evening was the corn box, a room filled with corn, kinda like a ball pit. Our group consisted of Maya, Suzie, Jenny, Eve, Jordan (Eve's boyfriend), Taft (the guy Jenny's dating) and me.
Moving on to the pictures...
Here's me and Maya on a giant rocking chair.
Here's me buried in the corn in the corn box.
I'm hiding in this picture. Like an ostrich.
Here we're starting to bury Jordan. He's the one lying in the middle. Suzie's in the bottom right and Taft is behind me. Some random dude is off to the upper right. We buried everyone in our group. It was so fun and highly unsanitary! We spent so much time in there.
Here's Maya, Suzie and me wandering through the David Archuleta maze. Not the haunted maze.
We raced little plastic ducks by pumping water. Maya's duck won, but I got second place!
Me kissing a life-sized plastic horse.
Suzie and me enjoying our apple blossom. Basically, apple blossoms are a caramel apple sliced up and dribbled with chocolate and whipped cream with a cherry on top.
One of the kiddy areas was the Pumpkin Princess Patch. They had princess tiaras and wigs that you were supposed to use to dress up scarecrows, but we liked putting them on us instead. Then we got into the Cinderella pumpkin carriage. The horse "pulling" the carriage is the one I "kissed."
I got the idea for kissing the horse from Suzie who kissed a big plastic cow earlier.
From left to right: Jenny, Taft, Me, Jordan, Eve
This is the giant blow-up haunted beast that I conquered! Go me!
Here's Suzie preparing to defend us in the haunted corn maze. Can you see the dude hiding in the corn to the right of her? He jumped out right after the picture got taken and scared Suzie.
And finally, here's the roomies, minus Eve, sitting on the big plastic cow bench. Eve and Jordan were off on their own.
Moving on to the pictures...
Here's me and Maya on a giant rocking chair.
Here's me buried in the corn in the corn box.
I'm hiding in this picture. Like an ostrich.
Here we're starting to bury Jordan. He's the one lying in the middle. Suzie's in the bottom right and Taft is behind me. Some random dude is off to the upper right. We buried everyone in our group. It was so fun and highly unsanitary! We spent so much time in there.
Here's Maya, Suzie and me wandering through the David Archuleta maze. Not the haunted maze.
We raced little plastic ducks by pumping water. Maya's duck won, but I got second place!
Me kissing a life-sized plastic horse.
Suzie and me enjoying our apple blossom. Basically, apple blossoms are a caramel apple sliced up and dribbled with chocolate and whipped cream with a cherry on top.
One of the kiddy areas was the Pumpkin Princess Patch. They had princess tiaras and wigs that you were supposed to use to dress up scarecrows, but we liked putting them on us instead. Then we got into the Cinderella pumpkin carriage. The horse "pulling" the carriage is the one I "kissed."
I got the idea for kissing the horse from Suzie who kissed a big plastic cow earlier.
From left to right: Jenny, Taft, Me, Jordan, Eve
This is the giant blow-up haunted beast that I conquered! Go me!
Here's Suzie preparing to defend us in the haunted corn maze. Can you see the dude hiding in the corn to the right of her? He jumped out right after the picture got taken and scared Suzie.
And finally, here's the roomies, minus Eve, sitting on the big plastic cow bench. Eve and Jordan were off on their own.
Tuesday, September 16
O Internet, How I Love You!
We finally got the internet for real at our house. The cable guy came the other day and put in the cable for our TV, and also a cable for internet, but we had to get a router so more than just one person could connect. So tonight Maya, Jenny and I headed over to Best Buy and got a wireless router. Then we came home and Jenny set it up all by herself. Go Jenny! And now we have real internet, not mooched off of random wireless networks around the neighborhood. Yay!
Saturday, September 13
My House
Well, my last semester of school is underway. I'm two weeks in and mostly disenchanted. There's a point where you just get tired of going to school. That is where I am. And I have been there for at least 2 years.
Moving on.
I really like my new roommates. We get along quite swimmingly. Our favorite things to do together are watch 24 and play Rock Band. We have done one of those two things every day for the past two weeks (not counting Sunday).
Let me introduce you to them.
First, we have Jenny. She's 24 and is currently going to UVU (Utah Valley University) to get her teaching certificate. She plays the drums in real life in addition to being really awesome at them in Rock Band. Jenny gets lots of free stuff from boys that she dates. I don't know why, but I like it. Because we, the roommates, get perks from that. Here's some of the free stuff she's gotten: caramel nut brownies, Papa John's pizza, a lovesack, and Rock Band.
Next is Susie. Susie is the baby of the bunch. She's only 19, but she definitely meshes well with the rest of us. She's taking classes at the LDS Business College to get a degree in medical assisting or some such thing. I forget the details. Susie owns Jeremiah, who is a cat. Yes, we have a cat. I love it. Jeremiah is white with light brown tips and blue-eyed. He's adorable. Also, Susie's brother's roommate has pretty blue eyes. Just wanted to throw that in there.
Maya is in her last semester at BYU (Just like me! Yay!). She's 23, from Virginia, and half Filipino. Maya's taking a puppetry class right now, so she brings home her creations to show us. Fun! Her bedroom is kinda odd. It's all this dark wood, so it looks like she lives inside a ship.
Finally, we have Evelyn. She's only a temporary roommate, because she's going on a mission in November. She has red hair (at the moment) and plays the guitar.
And then there's me. Apparently, the girls have recently had a rather horrible roommate and are glad that I'm not strange. I'm glad we are bonding so quickly. Last year, it took awhile for me to really connect with my roommates. This year is much better.
Moving on.
I really like my new roommates. We get along quite swimmingly. Our favorite things to do together are watch 24 and play Rock Band. We have done one of those two things every day for the past two weeks (not counting Sunday).
Let me introduce you to them.
First, we have Jenny. She's 24 and is currently going to UVU (Utah Valley University) to get her teaching certificate. She plays the drums in real life in addition to being really awesome at them in Rock Band. Jenny gets lots of free stuff from boys that she dates. I don't know why, but I like it. Because we, the roommates, get perks from that. Here's some of the free stuff she's gotten: caramel nut brownies, Papa John's pizza, a lovesack, and Rock Band.
Next is Susie. Susie is the baby of the bunch. She's only 19, but she definitely meshes well with the rest of us. She's taking classes at the LDS Business College to get a degree in medical assisting or some such thing. I forget the details. Susie owns Jeremiah, who is a cat. Yes, we have a cat. I love it. Jeremiah is white with light brown tips and blue-eyed. He's adorable. Also, Susie's brother's roommate has pretty blue eyes. Just wanted to throw that in there.
Maya is in her last semester at BYU (Just like me! Yay!). She's 23, from Virginia, and half Filipino. Maya's taking a puppetry class right now, so she brings home her creations to show us. Fun! Her bedroom is kinda odd. It's all this dark wood, so it looks like she lives inside a ship.
Finally, we have Evelyn. She's only a temporary roommate, because she's going on a mission in November. She has red hair (at the moment) and plays the guitar.
And then there's me. Apparently, the girls have recently had a rather horrible roommate and are glad that I'm not strange. I'm glad we are bonding so quickly. Last year, it took awhile for me to really connect with my roommates. This year is much better.
Sunday, August 31
Fun Things I've Found on the Internet
Yes, I'm not posting one word titles for my blog entries anymore. It's hard to do and I end up starting to use the same ones over and over. So, that's over.
Anyhoo, this post is all about fun things I've found on the Internet. As the title states. Let's begin.
SurLaLune Fairytales.com
Perhaps you can surmise from the title that this site focuses on fairytales. You are right! I've always been a sucker for fairytales. They have all sorts of fun stuff on this site to support that suckerness. Here they have the original fairy tale, annotated, the history of the tale, a list of modern adaptations (my favorite), and other things. If you loved reading Grimm's Fairy tales or anything similar as a kid, check this site out.
Anke Eissmann
Ok, this is a person, but it's her website. She's an artist from Germany and I love her stuff. Granted, that's probably because she does a bunch of Lord of the Rings art, but it's so pretty! She is also working on illustrations for the Temeraire series (an alternate historical fiction series which takes place during the Napoleonic wars, but with dragons!) which are so beautiful.
You Suck at Photoshop
Most hilarious Photoshop tutorial ever. This guy takes you through all the basics, like merging pictures, cutting out images and sticking them in new pictures, etc., but the examples he uses are quite funny and sometimes irreverent. I like the one where he photoshops the picture of his girlfriend's cat. He adds some extras, like a stain on the carpet, and the cat suffocating in a plastic bag.
They didn't Study
Ok, you may have seen a bunch of these before, but check out the essay on El Nino. (Yes, there should a squiggly over the second n, but I haven't bothered to figure out how to do that on Blogger. Peter, maybe you could enlighten me?)
How I Got a Word in the Oxford English Dictionary
Read it. It's a cool story. And it makes me want to get a word in the OED.
Phonetics
I know. It sounds like a horribly boring website. But there are cool animations and sounds! It's quite interesting to see how your throat opens and your tongue moves when you say certain sounds. I'm a nerd.
The Language Accent Game
I got a less than desirable score the first time I played it. But some accents I got dead on. I really am a nerd.
Allen Smith Quotes
He's a LIS professor. His quotes make me half scared to be going into the profession.
And that's why libraries will never go away. I really think librarians could take over the world. If they wanted to.
If Real Life Were a Musical
You may have seen this, too, but I think it's the best. So creative and awesome.
Well, I hope that someone gets some amount of amusement out of these. I certainly did. But then, as I've said, I'm a nerd.
Anyhoo, this post is all about fun things I've found on the Internet. As the title states. Let's begin.
SurLaLune Fairytales.com
Perhaps you can surmise from the title that this site focuses on fairytales. You are right! I've always been a sucker for fairytales. They have all sorts of fun stuff on this site to support that suckerness. Here they have the original fairy tale, annotated, the history of the tale, a list of modern adaptations (my favorite), and other things. If you loved reading Grimm's Fairy tales or anything similar as a kid, check this site out.
Anke Eissmann
Ok, this is a person, but it's her website. She's an artist from Germany and I love her stuff. Granted, that's probably because she does a bunch of Lord of the Rings art, but it's so pretty! She is also working on illustrations for the Temeraire series (an alternate historical fiction series which takes place during the Napoleonic wars, but with dragons!) which are so beautiful.
You Suck at Photoshop
Most hilarious Photoshop tutorial ever. This guy takes you through all the basics, like merging pictures, cutting out images and sticking them in new pictures, etc., but the examples he uses are quite funny and sometimes irreverent. I like the one where he photoshops the picture of his girlfriend's cat. He adds some extras, like a stain on the carpet, and the cat suffocating in a plastic bag.
They didn't Study
Ok, you may have seen a bunch of these before, but check out the essay on El Nino. (Yes, there should a squiggly over the second n, but I haven't bothered to figure out how to do that on Blogger. Peter, maybe you could enlighten me?)
How I Got a Word in the Oxford English Dictionary
Read it. It's a cool story. And it makes me want to get a word in the OED.
Phonetics
I know. It sounds like a horribly boring website. But there are cool animations and sounds! It's quite interesting to see how your throat opens and your tongue moves when you say certain sounds. I'm a nerd.
The Language Accent Game
I got a less than desirable score the first time I played it. But some accents I got dead on. I really am a nerd.
Allen Smith Quotes
He's a LIS professor. His quotes make me half scared to be going into the profession.
10 Reasons Why the Internet Is No Substitute for a Library
And that's why libraries will never go away. I really think librarians could take over the world. If they wanted to.
If Real Life Were a Musical
You may have seen this, too, but I think it's the best. So creative and awesome.
Well, I hope that someone gets some amount of amusement out of these. I certainly did. But then, as I've said, I'm a nerd.
Monday, August 25
Customer Service
I love my job at the library. I really do. But sometimes there are things that just bother me. Plus, they're really annoying. (Mom, get Bryan to read those last two sentences. They were especially for him.)
Peeve #1
Patrons who never pick up the books they put on hold
Seriously, people. Why did you put the book on hold if you don't want it? Just click on the link in the email we send you to cancel it! So simple!
Peeve #2
Patrons who get furious about a recalled book
It's called sharing. You should have learned that lesson in preschool. We let you have it for 3 weeks, then it's someone else's turn.
Peeve #3
Patrons who expect me to cater to their every need
I'm happy to help. Really I am. But you expect me to call your professor to ask them why they can't find the book on course reserve? I don't think so.
Peeve #4
Patrons who mutilate dozens of books, then lie about it
Didn't you sign BYU's Honor Code? Disappointing. Maybe if you 'fessed up to it, we'd be more understanding.
Peeve #5
Patrons who don't read the whole email we send, then accuse us of being trained in our communications skills by the Gestapo
Ok, this really happened. And actually, his reply to our email was hilarious. The Gestapo part made me bust up laughing. But he claimed we didn't say "please" in the recall email. It's right there, buster. Look again. And turn in the book. Please.
Peeve #6
Patrons who leave the state for extended periods of time and take their library books with them
It's not a good idea to do this. Your books will inevitably be recalled by some poor soul and then you will send the poor Holds/Recalls secretaries angry emails demanding to know why we didn't realize you were out of town.
Now, to bring happy feelings back, there are some things that make me very happy about my job, too.
I love it when patrons have positive attitudes. It makes them so much easier to work with. Not to mention, it makes me want to show them mercy.
I love recalling books from people I know. Mostly because I get to heavily modify our standard recall email into something much funnier and way more amusing to read.
I love it when I check all the recalled books from the week before and discover that everyone turned their books in!
I love it when I track down a book that we haven't been able to find.
I love it when a patron leaves the desk happy and satisfied. Because I feel happy and satisfied, too, when I can get them all the customer service they need.
Peeve #1
Patrons who never pick up the books they put on hold
Seriously, people. Why did you put the book on hold if you don't want it? Just click on the link in the email we send you to cancel it! So simple!
Peeve #2
Patrons who get furious about a recalled book
It's called sharing. You should have learned that lesson in preschool. We let you have it for 3 weeks, then it's someone else's turn.
Peeve #3
Patrons who expect me to cater to their every need
I'm happy to help. Really I am. But you expect me to call your professor to ask them why they can't find the book on course reserve? I don't think so.
Peeve #4
Patrons who mutilate dozens of books, then lie about it
Didn't you sign BYU's Honor Code? Disappointing. Maybe if you 'fessed up to it, we'd be more understanding.
Peeve #5
Patrons who don't read the whole email we send, then accuse us of being trained in our communications skills by the Gestapo
Ok, this really happened. And actually, his reply to our email was hilarious. The Gestapo part made me bust up laughing. But he claimed we didn't say "please" in the recall email. It's right there, buster. Look again. And turn in the book. Please.
Peeve #6
Patrons who leave the state for extended periods of time and take their library books with them
It's not a good idea to do this. Your books will inevitably be recalled by some poor soul and then you will send the poor Holds/Recalls secretaries angry emails demanding to know why we didn't realize you were out of town.
Now, to bring happy feelings back, there are some things that make me very happy about my job, too.
I love it when patrons have positive attitudes. It makes them so much easier to work with. Not to mention, it makes me want to show them mercy.
I love recalling books from people I know. Mostly because I get to heavily modify our standard recall email into something much funnier and way more amusing to read.
I love it when I check all the recalled books from the week before and discover that everyone turned their books in!
I love it when I track down a book that we haven't been able to find.
I love it when a patron leaves the desk happy and satisfied. Because I feel happy and satisfied, too, when I can get them all the customer service they need.
Saturday, August 23
Taste
In an effort to update my blog more frequently and because I'm super bored today, here is a post.
One of my hobbies is reading books. However, whenever people ask what kind of books I like to read, I'm always at a loss of what to say. I never really thought that I had a favorite genre.
Lately, I've been into historical fiction. I've just started this book about an ex-gladiator who becomes king of the Scots in 2nd century Britain. It's called The Mark of the Horse Lord. Just a random book I picked off the shelf, really, but I love historical fiction about any part of Britain. Probably due partly to my heritage and due partly to my educational background.
I also quite enjoy adaptations of classics. Mostly classic fairy tales, but I'm reading an alternate version of Alice in Wonderland book series right now, called The Looking Glass Wars. In this retelling, Alyss is the princess of Wonderland, but is exiled to our world when her aunt Redd stages a coup and murders Alyss' parents. Wonderland is more of a techno-culture, but all the familiar characters are there: the Mad Hatter, the White Rabbit, and the Cheshire cat. Of course, their alter-egos are a bit different. The Mad Hatter, or Hatter Madigan, heads up the elite security Millinery organization, the White Rabbit, Bibwit Harte, is Alyss' faithful tutor, and the Cheshire cat is Redd's deadly assassin. What's fun is to pick out all the references from the original story: decks of card soldiers, a walrus butler, and a spinning teacup ride at Wonderland's local amusement park. It's a good read.
One of my hobbies is reading books. However, whenever people ask what kind of books I like to read, I'm always at a loss of what to say. I never really thought that I had a favorite genre.
Lately, I've been into historical fiction. I've just started this book about an ex-gladiator who becomes king of the Scots in 2nd century Britain. It's called The Mark of the Horse Lord. Just a random book I picked off the shelf, really, but I love historical fiction about any part of Britain. Probably due partly to my heritage and due partly to my educational background.
I also quite enjoy adaptations of classics. Mostly classic fairy tales, but I'm reading an alternate version of Alice in Wonderland book series right now, called The Looking Glass Wars. In this retelling, Alyss is the princess of Wonderland, but is exiled to our world when her aunt Redd stages a coup and murders Alyss' parents. Wonderland is more of a techno-culture, but all the familiar characters are there: the Mad Hatter, the White Rabbit, and the Cheshire cat. Of course, their alter-egos are a bit different. The Mad Hatter, or Hatter Madigan, heads up the elite security Millinery organization, the White Rabbit, Bibwit Harte, is Alyss' faithful tutor, and the Cheshire cat is Redd's deadly assassin. What's fun is to pick out all the references from the original story: decks of card soldiers, a walrus butler, and a spinning teacup ride at Wonderland's local amusement park. It's a good read.
Tuesday, August 19
Skills
Moving day draws near. Very near. It's tomorrow, in fact.
My stuff is packed. I have a lot of stuff. Less stuff than my roommate, but more than I started this whole college deal with. Too bad I don't have a car to transport all this stuff. It's gonna be a pain.
I hope I have learned from all these moving experiences. I hope I have learned to not be a pack rat. I'd like to think that I can go through a box of junk that I've collected and get rid of stuff pretty painlessly. That would be a good skill to have.
And at least I would have learned one thing from college.
Okay, I've learned more than just that. Thank goodness.
My stuff is packed. I have a lot of stuff. Less stuff than my roommate, but more than I started this whole college deal with. Too bad I don't have a car to transport all this stuff. It's gonna be a pain.
I hope I have learned from all these moving experiences. I hope I have learned to not be a pack rat. I'd like to think that I can go through a box of junk that I've collected and get rid of stuff pretty painlessly. That would be a good skill to have.
And at least I would have learned one thing from college.
Okay, I've learned more than just that. Thank goodness.
Tuesday, July 29
Heat
I have found that summer is much more unbearable when I have to live in the heat. I've been spoiled with nicely air-conditioned apartments at college, but this summer I'm not so lucky. The house where I live is un-air-conditioned. It's not hard to get my room fairly cool at night, because I have a window unit, but when I get back from work, after a day with the unit turned off, my room is stifling.
Thank goodness for Otter Pops. I just grab one from the freezer when I get home, trudge upstairs, turn the window unit on and suck on my Otter Pop until it gets to a bearable temperature in my room.
I wish I could have Otter Pops on my way home from work, though, because I hate walking around in Utah heat. 5 minutes after I get outside, I'm covered in a thin sheen of sweat. I don't understand how people can love summertime. I hate it. It's the most uncomfortable time of the year.
Thank goodness for Otter Pops. I just grab one from the freezer when I get home, trudge upstairs, turn the window unit on and suck on my Otter Pop until it gets to a bearable temperature in my room.
I wish I could have Otter Pops on my way home from work, though, because I hate walking around in Utah heat. 5 minutes after I get outside, I'm covered in a thin sheen of sweat. I don't understand how people can love summertime. I hate it. It's the most uncomfortable time of the year.
Monday, June 16
Home
Well, it's that time of year. The time of year when I get on a plane and fly to Alabama. Maybe for the last time. Because next time I go home, it will be a more permanent move.
I'm pretty excited about this trip, though. Our family reunion is next week in the Smoky Mountains. The house where we will be staying looks to be awesome. And then I will have a few weeks of no school and no work! I've been doing both for the past 6 months. It's time for a vacation.
Today was my last day of spring term classes. I have 2 finals on Wednesday, Biology 100 and Latin 201. Finals are a pain, but once I get through them, it's a straight shot to going home!
I found a place to live for Fall semester and I'm signing a contract tomorrow. It's a cute little house and I went to look at it today, all by myself. I did feel weird asking the girl who was home if I could take a look around, but I'm proud of myself for taking such initiative. Go me! The house isn't perfect, of course, (no washer and dryer, you have to go to the neighboring apartment complex, but hey, I've been in similar situations.) and I won't know any of the girls I'm moving in with (there's nothing like playing roommate roulette), but I'll only be there for a few months, so I can certainly suck up any difficulties (which I don't anticipate, but it doesn't hurt to mentally prepared yourself). Also, since I'm buying a year contract, I will have to sell the contract when I graduate, but that shouldn't be too hard (rent is $299 a month for a private room, and it's less than a 10 minutes walk to campus). Also, I think there's a clause somewhere in the BYU off-campus housing contracts that say something about getting out of a contract if you're graduating. So there's an option, too.
In any case, I'm so glad to be going home!
I'm pretty excited about this trip, though. Our family reunion is next week in the Smoky Mountains. The house where we will be staying looks to be awesome. And then I will have a few weeks of no school and no work! I've been doing both for the past 6 months. It's time for a vacation.
Today was my last day of spring term classes. I have 2 finals on Wednesday, Biology 100 and Latin 201. Finals are a pain, but once I get through them, it's a straight shot to going home!
I found a place to live for Fall semester and I'm signing a contract tomorrow. It's a cute little house and I went to look at it today, all by myself. I did feel weird asking the girl who was home if I could take a look around, but I'm proud of myself for taking such initiative. Go me! The house isn't perfect, of course, (no washer and dryer, you have to go to the neighboring apartment complex, but hey, I've been in similar situations.) and I won't know any of the girls I'm moving in with (there's nothing like playing roommate roulette), but I'll only be there for a few months, so I can certainly suck up any difficulties (which I don't anticipate, but it doesn't hurt to mentally prepared yourself). Also, since I'm buying a year contract, I will have to sell the contract when I graduate, but that shouldn't be too hard (rent is $299 a month for a private room, and it's less than a 10 minutes walk to campus). Also, I think there's a clause somewhere in the BYU off-campus housing contracts that say something about getting out of a contract if you're graduating. So there's an option, too.
In any case, I'm so glad to be going home!
Tuesday, May 20
Saturday, May 17
Springtime
Well, in about a week, I'll be halfway done with spring term. That means in a little over a month, I'll be heading home! Yes! And after spring term, I'll have 3 classes left to take in my college career! Only one more semester! I'm excited!
Course, I got lots to do. I have to find housing for fall semester. I have to actually pass my classes. Don't worry, I will; I'm not gonna trip before I get to the finish line. I get to go home for a month at the end of June! I have to do all the traditional graduation stuff in August. And after I'm done with school, I gotta find a job, move back to Alabama, and hopefully get a car.
Anyways, the weather has been nice here. I like springtime in Utah. The only negative thing about it is that my nose has been running for the past month. Allergies. All the trees are green here now, and the snow on the mountains is melting. It's a good time of year. And it'll be my last spring in Utah. I hope. I'm really looking forward to moving back to Alabama, though. It's not so dry there. And in Alabama, I don't feel the sun searing into my skin. I was talking to some girls at work about how I don't like when it gets hot, and they felt the exact opposite. They love the sun! Well, I'm not from California and my skin is as white as it comes. The sun is my enemy. I turn pink after 5 minutes outside. Hence, I do not like the scorching dry heat here. I feel like I'm in an oven sometimes. Granted, Alabama can be pretty miserable too, but at least there's moisture in the air and a person can breath.
I'm just enjoying Utah now, before the sun fries everything up. It'll happen soon.
Course, I got lots to do. I have to find housing for fall semester. I have to actually pass my classes. Don't worry, I will; I'm not gonna trip before I get to the finish line. I get to go home for a month at the end of June! I have to do all the traditional graduation stuff in August. And after I'm done with school, I gotta find a job, move back to Alabama, and hopefully get a car.
Anyways, the weather has been nice here. I like springtime in Utah. The only negative thing about it is that my nose has been running for the past month. Allergies. All the trees are green here now, and the snow on the mountains is melting. It's a good time of year. And it'll be my last spring in Utah. I hope. I'm really looking forward to moving back to Alabama, though. It's not so dry there. And in Alabama, I don't feel the sun searing into my skin. I was talking to some girls at work about how I don't like when it gets hot, and they felt the exact opposite. They love the sun! Well, I'm not from California and my skin is as white as it comes. The sun is my enemy. I turn pink after 5 minutes outside. Hence, I do not like the scorching dry heat here. I feel like I'm in an oven sometimes. Granted, Alabama can be pretty miserable too, but at least there's moisture in the air and a person can breath.
I'm just enjoying Utah now, before the sun fries everything up. It'll happen soon.
Friday, May 2
Trip
I just got back from a short roadtrip. It was quite fun. Dorthy, my roommate came up with the idea of going down to Manti to go to the temple there. So we did. There were supposed to be four of us going, but our friend Beth couldn't make it. So it was just Dorthy, Joe and me. Dorthy and Joe did an endowment session and I went and did baptisms. The people in the baptistry were so nice and made such a fuss over me. It was different going all by myself, but it was such a good experience that I'm really glad I went. One of the old men was telling me that President Hinckley called the Manti temple the "jewel of temples" and he told a story about how President Hinckley's wife's father or grandfather worked on building the temple, got injured, and died from the hernia that he got. Interesting.
Anyway, after I was done doing baptisms, I wandered around the temple grounds, enjoying the nice weather and the pretty trees. I sat on a rock and contemplated some stuff for awhile. It was very nice and I felt peaceful and comforted.
After Joe and Dorthy came out from their session, we got back in the car and drove a bit further south to the tiny town of Salina, Utah (pronounce the "i" like "eye"). Why Salina, you ask? Well, Joe used to live there and he gave us a brief tour of the town. We saw the bank, Joe's old house, Lotsa Motsa Pizza, the Five and Dime store, Joe's old elementary, middle and high schools, and other key places of interest. It didn't take that long. After that we headed back up to Provo. And that was the trip.
Did I mention the wraps I made for our dinner? Ham and turkey with Provolone cheese and Roma tomatoes, along with some spinach leaves and ranch dressing. They were so fantastic! Mmmmm, wraps.
Anyway, after I was done doing baptisms, I wandered around the temple grounds, enjoying the nice weather and the pretty trees. I sat on a rock and contemplated some stuff for awhile. It was very nice and I felt peaceful and comforted.
After Joe and Dorthy came out from their session, we got back in the car and drove a bit further south to the tiny town of Salina, Utah (pronounce the "i" like "eye"). Why Salina, you ask? Well, Joe used to live there and he gave us a brief tour of the town. We saw the bank, Joe's old house, Lotsa Motsa Pizza, the Five and Dime store, Joe's old elementary, middle and high schools, and other key places of interest. It didn't take that long. After that we headed back up to Provo. And that was the trip.
Did I mention the wraps I made for our dinner? Ham and turkey with Provolone cheese and Roma tomatoes, along with some spinach leaves and ranch dressing. They were so fantastic! Mmmmm, wraps.
Tuesday, April 29
Title
So, I came up with new title ideas for my blog:
Lays of a Librarian
Kristen Howell the Third
Verbally Dyslexic
I kinda like that last one. I was thinking of some other ones, but I don't think they would make sense to people other than me (My Hair is on Fire, Smiling Lessons, Happy Story). Anyway, I still got a bit of homework to do. We have to translate one sentence for Latin. Just one. I wish it would stay like that all semester.
Lays of a Librarian
Kristen Howell the Third
Verbally Dyslexic
I kinda like that last one. I was thinking of some other ones, but I don't think they would make sense to people other than me (My Hair is on Fire, Smiling Lessons, Happy Story). Anyway, I still got a bit of homework to do. We have to translate one sentence for Latin. Just one. I wish it would stay like that all semester.
School
Today was the first day of class for spring term. I had Biology at 9 and Latin at 10. Biology was typically boring and unlikeable, despite our poor TA trying so hard to make it sound interesting. I did, however, get a kick out of the email the TAs sent later today. Most especially this line:
Maybe tomorrow we will also begin learning how to spell.
"Tomorrow we will begin learning BIOIOGY!!"
Maybe tomorrow we will also begin learning how to spell.
Wednesday, April 23
Moving
I'm in the process of moving right now. All my finals are done; most of my stuff is packed. All that's left is to do some heavy duty transporting of my stuff to the new place and some equally heavy duty cleaning to the old place. At the moment, my crap is sitting in the living room, taking up massive amounts of space. It's taking up more space than usual because I have to move kitchen supplies and books. Haven't done that for two years. Hopefully, when I make a permanent move back to Huntsville, I won't have the dishes. Well, maybe I'll keep some of them. Like the set of glasses I inherited from old roommates. And my beautiful green can opener. And my set of matching plates, bowls and mugs.
There will be no getting rid of any books.
There will be no getting rid of any books.
Saturday, April 19
Finals
I'm mostly finished with finals. I just have my Othello performance on Wednesday. My two test finals I took today. I decided to opt out of taking my New Testament final because I already have a B+ in the class and we can drop our lowest test score, including the final. Based on previous test scores, I'd probably make about a B if I were to take the final, so I don't think taking it would really improve my grade at all. Well, now I gotta worry about this play and moving all my stuff. That's it for the semester.
Tuesday, April 15
Changes
Ok, so I've changed my layout. Now I'm thinking I need to change my title. I'm open to suggestions. Maybe something to do with libraries or the English language. Or books. Maybe all three. Like I said, I'm open to suggestions.
Wednesday, April 2
Tag
My brother-in-law just did this on his blog and it was fairly interesting. So here goes.
The nearest book to me is The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini.
The fifth sentence on page 123:
- Pick up the nearest book (at least 123 pages).
- Turn to page 123.
- Find the 5th sentence
- Post the 5th sentence on your blog.
- Tag 5 people.
The nearest book to me is The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini.
The fifth sentence on page 123:
"I only knew the memory lived in me, a perfectly encapsulated morsel of a good past, a brushstroke of color on the gray, barren canvas thatour lives had become."Oddly enough, I bought this book for my brother-in-law for Christmas last year. And I'm just now reading it for the first time myself.
Tuesday, April 1
Time
I have decided that it is time.
Time for a new blog layout.
So, today I checked out my friend, Lindsay's, new blog. I decided that I really liked the layout she had and so I visited the site that she got it from: Pyzam.com. They have about a million layouts, but I narrowed my search down by looking at green ones. I looked at a bunch of those and found 7 that I really like. Here are links to the 7, in no particular order:
(P.S. The titles of the layouts are pretty lame.)
Time for Love
In the Green
Greenie
Green Vine
Nifty Pattern
Love Bus
You Give Me
Let me know what you guys think. I am kinda leaning towards either Nifty Pattern or one of the stripy ones (Time for Love, Love Bus, or You Give Me).
And seriously, who came up with those names?
Time for a new blog layout.
So, today I checked out my friend, Lindsay's, new blog. I decided that I really liked the layout she had and so I visited the site that she got it from: Pyzam.com. They have about a million layouts, but I narrowed my search down by looking at green ones. I looked at a bunch of those and found 7 that I really like. Here are links to the 7, in no particular order:
(P.S. The titles of the layouts are pretty lame.)
Time for Love
In the Green
Greenie
Green Vine
Nifty Pattern
Love Bus
You Give Me
Let me know what you guys think. I am kinda leaning towards either Nifty Pattern or one of the stripy ones (Time for Love, Love Bus, or You Give Me).
And seriously, who came up with those names?
Saturday, March 29
Campfire
I've had a way fun weekend. This is what I've done so far:
- Took Lindsay out for a birthday dinner at The Bombay House
- Tried Indian food for the first time
- Loved it
- Went to see Be Kind Rewind at the movie theater
- Thought it was really strange and boring at first, but loved it by the end
- Played DDR at Jamie's house
- Walked up to campus and bought supplies for a cookout up the canyon
- Helped build a fire
- Discovered that in Provo Canyon, you never need to bring wire coat hangers for roasting sticks because people leave oodles of them behind
- Roasted 2 hot dogs and 2 marshmallows on a stick
- Put out the fire
- Smelled like campfire
- Took a shower
Saturday, March 22
Mama
I got a treat today. Sister Roberts from the home ward is in town with her daughter. She gave me a call last night and invited me out to lunch today. So I got to go to Brick Oven and have their amazing homemade root beer. I love Sister Roberts! She's like a second mom to me and it was nice to be mothered a little this weekend. Thank goodness for the small things.
Friday, March 21
Movie
I just watched such a feel-good movie. No Reservations. I recommend it. Mom, you especially would love it. That's all.
Sunday, March 16
Funny
Here's a hilarious story that my good friend, Nancy, shared with me last week.
How I Met My Wife
Anyone who really knows me will understand why I got such a kick out of that.
How I Met My Wife
Anyone who really knows me will understand why I got such a kick out of that.
Tuesday, March 11
Books
So, continuing from my previous post, here's more books that influenced me as a child.
My Side of the Mountain
by Jean Craighead George
This book introduced me to what I like to call the survival genre. You know, those books like The Cay or the Swiss Family Robinson. I think I secretly always wanted to do something similar to what Sam does in this book, but I don't know nearly enough about living in the wild.
Little Women
by Louisa May Alcott
I just had to include this one. I read it for the first time in about the 4th grade. I still love it.
101 Dalmations
by Dodie Smith
I think I first read this book after my sister did a video book report on it. The book is so much cooler than any of the movie adaptations. I think I read it every year when I was in middle school. I really should go back and read it again and see if it's as good as I remember.
The Indian in the Cupboard
by Lynne Reid Banks
My third grade teacher, Ms. Bevel, read this to our class. I really like the rest of the series, too. Definitely one I want to read to my own kids.
The Secret Garden
by Frances Hodges Burnett
Another one read to me by a school teacher, this time Ms. Mitchell in the second grade. I remember getting a copy of this at the book fair, I think. Then when I turned 8, I got a nice hardback edition from my Uncle Scott and Aunt Diane. I'm pretty sure this was one of my first experiences with accents/dialects. All those characters with Yorkshire dialects.
A Little Princess
by Frances Hodges Burnett
My Grandma Howell gave me this book around age 8, I think. I think I like this book better than The Secret Garden, actually. I really wanted to be like Sara and I desperately wanted a doll like Emily. Maybe that's why I really like that name, too.
Anne of Green Gables
by L. M. Montgomery
And pretty much anything else she wrote.
I read her books in middle school. My friend Abby had like, all of them, and I would borrow them from her. All the Anne books and all the Emily books. And a few others. Anne and Gil and Emily and Teddy forever!
Matilda
by Roald Dahl
My sister had this book, and I'd steal pretty much any reading material she had, so that's how I read this one. Amazing book. My favorite one of his. I want mental powers like Matilda.
Harriet the Spy
by Louise Fitzhugh
Now I actually only read this book once, so it's not as beloved as some of the others. It did, however, make a big impression on me. I love Harriet's style of writing; she was so observant of the way people did things.
Johnny Tremain
by Esther Forbes
Probably my most favorite Revolutionary War book. Like I have a lot of those. No really, it's a great book and I do like historical fiction. And I just have these mental pictures of what it's like to be scalded and maimed by boiling silver. Very unpleasant.
Watership Down
by Richard Adams
We read this in the 8th grade for my English class. I had read it before, because my sister had it from when she had to read it for her 8th grade English class. Again, stealing books from Becca. That's ok, cause she steals books from me now. Well, in any case, I fell in love with the book. Who knew bunnies could be so fascinating?
Misty of Chincoteague
by Marguerite Henry
And all her other horse books, too.
My elementary school librarian introduced these sometime around the third or fourth grade, I think. Like many young girls, I did go through a horse-loving stage. These books certainly didn't help me get out of that, but I do remember liking them a lot.
The Little House on the Prairie series
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Wow, I don't even remember the first time I read these. Maybe second grade. I think Ms. Mitchell read The Long Winter to us. Well, my favorite is Farmer Boy, though I do really like By the Shores of Silver Lake, too. I learned many things from these books, like how people used to play with pig's bladders and that malaria/yellow fever is a crappy disease to have. I don't think any traditional American family library is complete without them.
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
by E. L. Konigsburg
Yet another one I stole from my sister to read. Oh my goodness, I want to live in a museum. It'd be almost as cool as playing hide-and-go-seek in the library in the dark.
A Wrinkle in Time
by Madeleine L'Engle
Possibly my most favorite science fiction book ever. Every time I read this book or any of her books, I get lost in that world. It's so great. So thought-provoking.
The Giver
by Lois Lowry
Another phenomenal science fiction book. There's reasons why many of these books have won awards. They're just good. Like this one. Read it in middle school, probably when I was going through the Newbery Medal books. I read a bunch of those.
Ella Enchanted
by Gail Carson Levine
I read this very shortly after it was actually published. I was quite enchanted with it, in fact. I'm a sucker for fairytales and I still adore reading adaptations of them. And the book is worlds better than that dumb movie.
The Hero and the Crown
by Robin McKinley
I read The Blue Sword first, which this book is the prequel to. I don't remember being all that impressed by The Blue Sword, but this one I love! Aerin is so cool! I love that she fights dragons and stuff. And it was this book that brought me and my friends the euphemism of "dropping the spoon." I'll let you guys read the book to find out what that means.
Sabriel
by Garth Nix
I've just realized that a great deal of these books have female protagonists. That's probably telling something about me. This book does follow that trend. A great fantasy adventure that eventually led me to the sequel, Lirael. And that book really impacted my life. Can we say librarians, people?
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh
by Robert C. O'Brien
I do like those books about animals that act like humans. I really like the plot of this one. It's most intriguing. Read it.
Island of the Blue Dolphins
by Scott O'Dell
Another book in the survivor genre. I loved this one. All these great adventure and action scenes and yet, it's deceptively educational, too.
Tom's Midnight Garden
by Philippa Pearce
This book captured me with the time travelling and stuff about the Victorian period. I only read it once, but that story just stays with me. I really ought to go read it again.
Sideways Stories from Wayside School
by Louis Sachar
I like his books. They're quirky and funny. I first read this one after my friend, Kristin, introduced it to me. I like that all the Wayside School books end like this: Everybody booed, Everybody mooed, Everybody ooohed.
Holes
by Louis Sachar
Another one by Mr. Sachar. Really good storyteller, that man. I remember reading this one in middle school and not being able to put it down. I just had to know what happened next, as cliche as that sounds.
The Cricket in Times Square
by George Selden
This book helped me fall in love with New York City. It's another one of those animals acting like people books, but in the subways of NYC. How could you go wrong with a book like that?
Where the Sidewalk Ends
by Shel Silverstein
Granted, this isn't a novel, but a book of poetry, so I'm not sure if I can put it in this list. However, it's my list and I can do whatever I darn well please with it. My favorite poem of his is that one that begins: "I cannot go to school today..." So fun.
The Egypt Game
by Zipha Keatley Snyder
Another of my sister's books. I completely loved it, though. The mystery and intrigue and Egyptology and stuffed octopi. Good stuff.
Mary Poppins
by P. L. Travers
Yes, that movie is in fact adapted from a book. The book is much more elaborate, with at least 3 more children in the Banks family. I first learned the word "perambulator" reading this. And Mary Poppins really is an amazing character.
The Hobbit
by J. R. R. Tolkien
Being a Lord of the Rings buff, I simply had to put this one on the list. How do you think I got into Lord of the Rings in the first place?
Charlotte's Web
by E. B. White
I'm pretty sure I saw the cartoon movie long before I read the book, but I do like the book better. It's just so classic.
The Trumpet of the Swan
by E. B. White
Can I tell you how much I adore this book? We read it in the second grade (I'm beginning to realize that I really should thank my elementary school teachers for exposing me to such great children's literature) and I fell in love. Louis's adventures are just so fun to read about.
Black Beauty
by Anna Sewell
Definitely a children's classic. I first read it during my horse-loving stage. And I'm firmly against using those awful bits with horses. (I don't think people really use them anymore anyways)
White Fang
by Jack London
This falls into both the animals as people and the survival story genre. I have very distinct memories of the first part of this book, where the men are trying to escape the pack of wolves. I only vaguely remember much of the rest of it. Another one I should go back and reread.
Well, that's the end of my list. There are probably quite a few that I've missed, but it's time for my dinner group and I'm hungry. So goodnight.
My Side of the Mountain
by Jean Craighead George
This book introduced me to what I like to call the survival genre. You know, those books like The Cay or the Swiss Family Robinson. I think I secretly always wanted to do something similar to what Sam does in this book, but I don't know nearly enough about living in the wild.
Little Women
by Louisa May Alcott
I just had to include this one. I read it for the first time in about the 4th grade. I still love it.
101 Dalmations
by Dodie Smith
I think I first read this book after my sister did a video book report on it. The book is so much cooler than any of the movie adaptations. I think I read it every year when I was in middle school. I really should go back and read it again and see if it's as good as I remember.
The Indian in the Cupboard
by Lynne Reid Banks
My third grade teacher, Ms. Bevel, read this to our class. I really like the rest of the series, too. Definitely one I want to read to my own kids.
The Secret Garden
by Frances Hodges Burnett
Another one read to me by a school teacher, this time Ms. Mitchell in the second grade. I remember getting a copy of this at the book fair, I think. Then when I turned 8, I got a nice hardback edition from my Uncle Scott and Aunt Diane. I'm pretty sure this was one of my first experiences with accents/dialects. All those characters with Yorkshire dialects.
A Little Princess
by Frances Hodges Burnett
My Grandma Howell gave me this book around age 8, I think. I think I like this book better than The Secret Garden, actually. I really wanted to be like Sara and I desperately wanted a doll like Emily. Maybe that's why I really like that name, too.
Anne of Green Gables
by L. M. Montgomery
And pretty much anything else she wrote.
I read her books in middle school. My friend Abby had like, all of them, and I would borrow them from her. All the Anne books and all the Emily books. And a few others. Anne and Gil and Emily and Teddy forever!
Matilda
by Roald Dahl
My sister had this book, and I'd steal pretty much any reading material she had, so that's how I read this one. Amazing book. My favorite one of his. I want mental powers like Matilda.
Harriet the Spy
by Louise Fitzhugh
Now I actually only read this book once, so it's not as beloved as some of the others. It did, however, make a big impression on me. I love Harriet's style of writing; she was so observant of the way people did things.
Johnny Tremain
by Esther Forbes
Probably my most favorite Revolutionary War book. Like I have a lot of those. No really, it's a great book and I do like historical fiction. And I just have these mental pictures of what it's like to be scalded and maimed by boiling silver. Very unpleasant.
Watership Down
by Richard Adams
We read this in the 8th grade for my English class. I had read it before, because my sister had it from when she had to read it for her 8th grade English class. Again, stealing books from Becca. That's ok, cause she steals books from me now. Well, in any case, I fell in love with the book. Who knew bunnies could be so fascinating?
Misty of Chincoteague
by Marguerite Henry
And all her other horse books, too.
My elementary school librarian introduced these sometime around the third or fourth grade, I think. Like many young girls, I did go through a horse-loving stage. These books certainly didn't help me get out of that, but I do remember liking them a lot.
The Little House on the Prairie series
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Wow, I don't even remember the first time I read these. Maybe second grade. I think Ms. Mitchell read The Long Winter to us. Well, my favorite is Farmer Boy, though I do really like By the Shores of Silver Lake, too. I learned many things from these books, like how people used to play with pig's bladders and that malaria/yellow fever is a crappy disease to have. I don't think any traditional American family library is complete without them.
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
by E. L. Konigsburg
Yet another one I stole from my sister to read. Oh my goodness, I want to live in a museum. It'd be almost as cool as playing hide-and-go-seek in the library in the dark.
A Wrinkle in Time
by Madeleine L'Engle
Possibly my most favorite science fiction book ever. Every time I read this book or any of her books, I get lost in that world. It's so great. So thought-provoking.
The Giver
by Lois Lowry
Another phenomenal science fiction book. There's reasons why many of these books have won awards. They're just good. Like this one. Read it in middle school, probably when I was going through the Newbery Medal books. I read a bunch of those.
Ella Enchanted
by Gail Carson Levine
I read this very shortly after it was actually published. I was quite enchanted with it, in fact. I'm a sucker for fairytales and I still adore reading adaptations of them. And the book is worlds better than that dumb movie.
The Hero and the Crown
by Robin McKinley
I read The Blue Sword first, which this book is the prequel to. I don't remember being all that impressed by The Blue Sword, but this one I love! Aerin is so cool! I love that she fights dragons and stuff. And it was this book that brought me and my friends the euphemism of "dropping the spoon." I'll let you guys read the book to find out what that means.
Sabriel
by Garth Nix
I've just realized that a great deal of these books have female protagonists. That's probably telling something about me. This book does follow that trend. A great fantasy adventure that eventually led me to the sequel, Lirael. And that book really impacted my life. Can we say librarians, people?
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh
by Robert C. O'Brien
I do like those books about animals that act like humans. I really like the plot of this one. It's most intriguing. Read it.
Island of the Blue Dolphins
by Scott O'Dell
Another book in the survivor genre. I loved this one. All these great adventure and action scenes and yet, it's deceptively educational, too.
Tom's Midnight Garden
by Philippa Pearce
This book captured me with the time travelling and stuff about the Victorian period. I only read it once, but that story just stays with me. I really ought to go read it again.
Sideways Stories from Wayside School
by Louis Sachar
I like his books. They're quirky and funny. I first read this one after my friend, Kristin, introduced it to me. I like that all the Wayside School books end like this: Everybody booed, Everybody mooed, Everybody ooohed.
Holes
by Louis Sachar
Another one by Mr. Sachar. Really good storyteller, that man. I remember reading this one in middle school and not being able to put it down. I just had to know what happened next, as cliche as that sounds.
The Cricket in Times Square
by George Selden
This book helped me fall in love with New York City. It's another one of those animals acting like people books, but in the subways of NYC. How could you go wrong with a book like that?
Where the Sidewalk Ends
by Shel Silverstein
Granted, this isn't a novel, but a book of poetry, so I'm not sure if I can put it in this list. However, it's my list and I can do whatever I darn well please with it. My favorite poem of his is that one that begins: "I cannot go to school today..." So fun.
The Egypt Game
by Zipha Keatley Snyder
Another of my sister's books. I completely loved it, though. The mystery and intrigue and Egyptology and stuffed octopi. Good stuff.
Mary Poppins
by P. L. Travers
Yes, that movie is in fact adapted from a book. The book is much more elaborate, with at least 3 more children in the Banks family. I first learned the word "perambulator" reading this. And Mary Poppins really is an amazing character.
The Hobbit
by J. R. R. Tolkien
Being a Lord of the Rings buff, I simply had to put this one on the list. How do you think I got into Lord of the Rings in the first place?
Charlotte's Web
by E. B. White
I'm pretty sure I saw the cartoon movie long before I read the book, but I do like the book better. It's just so classic.
The Trumpet of the Swan
by E. B. White
Can I tell you how much I adore this book? We read it in the second grade (I'm beginning to realize that I really should thank my elementary school teachers for exposing me to such great children's literature) and I fell in love. Louis's adventures are just so fun to read about.
Black Beauty
by Anna Sewell
Definitely a children's classic. I first read it during my horse-loving stage. And I'm firmly against using those awful bits with horses. (I don't think people really use them anymore anyways)
White Fang
by Jack London
This falls into both the animals as people and the survival story genre. I have very distinct memories of the first part of this book, where the men are trying to escape the pack of wolves. I only vaguely remember much of the rest of it. Another one I should go back and reread.
Well, that's the end of my list. There are probably quite a few that I've missed, but it's time for my dinner group and I'm hungry. So goodnight.
Thursday, March 6
Books
So on our message board at work, we got to talking about children's books and I ended up making a big long list of Juvenile/YA fiction that has impacted my life. I thought I'd share, seeing as how my sister does book reports on her blog. We'll start with the picture books. Note that these are all books that I first read (or had read to me) as a child.
Caps for Sale
by Esphyr Slobodkina
First read this in my kindergarten class, or rather, had it read to me. I think I could only read it by myself afterward because I had mostly memorized the whole thing.
The Little House
by Virginia Lee Burton
We had this one at home and I remember just loving the story because of the way the scenes changed all around the little house, signifying the passage of time. Wow. That book was way deep.
Corduroy
by Don Freeman
I think this was originally read in about kindergarten or first grade. I especially liked the sequel, A Pocket for Corduroy, because I bought that one at the school book fair.
Make Way for Ducklings
by Robert McCloskey
This is another one I was introduced to at school. Did you know it's the official children's book of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts?
Where the Wild Things Are
by Maurice Sendak
What list of favorite children's books would be complete without this classic. I'm pretty we owned it. I seem to remember Mom buying it for one child in particular . . .
Blueberries for Sal
by Robert McCloskey
Same author as Make Way for Ducklings. I like blueberries and I think this book made me think of going blueberry-picking with my own family when it was first read to me.
The Story of Babar
by Jean de Brunhoff
Of course, I was not reading this in the original French as a child. Come to think of it, I wouldn't read it in French now. But it's a fun book that I will always remember reading. Especially the squiggly elephant part.
The Velveteen Rabbit
by Margery Williams
Now for the question on everyone's mind: What exactly is velveteen? Is it a corrupt spelling of velvety? Or perhaps a fabric similar, but not up to par with, velvet? Velvet that hasn't reached adulthood? Anyways, I love the book. Classic.
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs
by Judi Barrett
How can you not love this book? It is simply enchanting to a child. I mean, didn't you always wish that a giant pancake would fall on your school so school would be cancelled? Heck, I wish that sometimes now!
The Tale of Benjamin Bunny
by Beatrix Potter
Now, I'm a fan of Beatrix Potter, but I think this one is my favorite. We've all heard of Peter Rabbit and his adventures in Mr. McGregor's garden, but what happens afterward? Does Peter ever get his lost clothes back? Will Mr. McGregor get his revenge for the stolen vegetables? Whatever happened to the cat? You'll love this exciting tale of adventure, intrigue and tam-o'-shanters! But you don't have to take my word for it!
Well, that's it for the picture books. Though I'm sure that couldn't be possibly all of them, just the ones I remember and could think of. Ok, well, next time I'll list the non-picture books. There's quite a few of those.
Caps for Saleby Esphyr Slobodkina
First read this in my kindergarten class, or rather, had it read to me. I think I could only read it by myself afterward because I had mostly memorized the whole thing.
The Little Houseby Virginia Lee Burton
We had this one at home and I remember just loving the story because of the way the scenes changed all around the little house, signifying the passage of time. Wow. That book was way deep.
Corduroyby Don Freeman
I think this was originally read in about kindergarten or first grade. I especially liked the sequel, A Pocket for Corduroy, because I bought that one at the school book fair.
Make Way for Ducklingsby Robert McCloskey
This is another one I was introduced to at school. Did you know it's the official children's book of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts?
Where the Wild Things Areby Maurice Sendak
What list of favorite children's books would be complete without this classic. I'm pretty we owned it. I seem to remember Mom buying it for one child in particular . . .
Blueberries for Salby Robert McCloskey
Same author as Make Way for Ducklings. I like blueberries and I think this book made me think of going blueberry-picking with my own family when it was first read to me.
The Story of Babarby Jean de Brunhoff
Of course, I was not reading this in the original French as a child. Come to think of it, I wouldn't read it in French now. But it's a fun book that I will always remember reading. Especially the squiggly elephant part.
The Velveteen Rabbitby Margery Williams
Now for the question on everyone's mind: What exactly is velveteen? Is it a corrupt spelling of velvety? Or perhaps a fabric similar, but not up to par with, velvet? Velvet that hasn't reached adulthood? Anyways, I love the book. Classic.
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballsby Judi Barrett
How can you not love this book? It is simply enchanting to a child. I mean, didn't you always wish that a giant pancake would fall on your school so school would be cancelled? Heck, I wish that sometimes now!
The Tale of Benjamin Bunnyby Beatrix Potter
Now, I'm a fan of Beatrix Potter, but I think this one is my favorite. We've all heard of Peter Rabbit and his adventures in Mr. McGregor's garden, but what happens afterward? Does Peter ever get his lost clothes back? Will Mr. McGregor get his revenge for the stolen vegetables? Whatever happened to the cat? You'll love this exciting tale of adventure, intrigue and tam-o'-shanters! But you don't have to take my word for it!
Well, that's it for the picture books. Though I'm sure that couldn't be possibly all of them, just the ones I remember and could think of. Ok, well, next time I'll list the non-picture books. There's quite a few of those.
Monday, March 3
Holds/Recalls
I had a good weekend. I saw some movies, did some shopping, read some books. Pretty good.
So, today at work this girl called about a recalled book. She couldn't turn it in on the recall due date because she was having a baby at the time. Needless to say, I waived her fine. Or I would have, if the computer had shown that she had one. Cause it didn't. So it all turned out ok in the end.
We have these new plastic book dividers for our holds shelf. I hate them. Not only are they made of plastic, so they provide no support whatsoever, they are also way too thick and take up too much space on the shelf. Of course, they are nice BYU colors. I do like that about them.
One of the perks about working in Circulation is that I don't have to wait in line to check out books. Today after work, I picked up a book and went to check it out, but there were about 50 people in line. So, I just went in the back and checked it out on one of the back computers for myself. Nice.
So, today at work this girl called about a recalled book. She couldn't turn it in on the recall due date because she was having a baby at the time. Needless to say, I waived her fine. Or I would have, if the computer had shown that she had one. Cause it didn't. So it all turned out ok in the end.
We have these new plastic book dividers for our holds shelf. I hate them. Not only are they made of plastic, so they provide no support whatsoever, they are also way too thick and take up too much space on the shelf. Of course, they are nice BYU colors. I do like that about them.
One of the perks about working in Circulation is that I don't have to wait in line to check out books. Today after work, I picked up a book and went to check it out, but there were about 50 people in line. So, I just went in the back and checked it out on one of the back computers for myself. Nice.
Monday, February 25
Tuesday, February 19
Grajumacation
So, the big moment is finally in sight. I'm finally graduating from college in December. I haven't actually officially applied yet so nothing is permanently set in stone. But what looks like is gonna happen is I will take a few classes in the fall but do the walking/ceremony type stuff in August. I got all motivated and went to a meeting with an academic adviser and figured it all out today.
Wow, I really wish it were August now. Not only would I be doing graduation, but it would be warm outside. Actually today is pretty nice for February. The sun is shining, the snow is melting and I'm gonna be out of college in less than a year! How could things not be good!
Wow, I really wish it were August now. Not only would I be doing graduation, but it would be warm outside. Actually today is pretty nice for February. The sun is shining, the snow is melting and I'm gonna be out of college in less than a year! How could things not be good!
Saturday, February 9
Moving
I have to move in the spring. My beautiful, gorgeous apartment is turning into, *gasp*, a guy apartment. I'm being forced to move out of an apartment I love so some stupid messy boys can come trash the place. No offense to boys, but they will ruin the place. There is a ray of hope, though. I've talked to some girls in my ward and I have a housing option. There's a little house called "The Hobbit House" that is nice and I know some of the girls who live there. And how can I pass up the opportunity to live in "The Hobbit House"? Amelia, one of the girls there is gonna show me around sometime, so I can see if it would work.
Upsides: I'd have a single room, which would be sooooo nice. I'm really not a fan of sharing a room anymore.
There is a washer and dryer, so no more coin laundry! Yay!
I wouldn't have to live with people who I don't really know anymore. I have determined that my current roommates and I are very different people.
Downsides: No dishwasher. That could be a difficulty, but shouldn't be, since Mom taught us to wash our dishes before we put them in the dishwasher anyway.
The house isn't as nice as my current apartment. I'd miss it.
I'd have to move all my stuff again. Well, at least I'd have a chance to do some culling of my possessions. And I'm gonna have to do that no matter where I move. At least with this house, I'd only have to move my stuff about a block.
I'd have to walk another whole block more up to campus than I currently do. Why is it that the longer I go to school, the further away from campus I live? Dang, it's times like this I wish I had a car. However, during the spring at least, the walk up to campus should be pleasant. I'm not looking forward to long walks in the heat of summer though. Oh well, what's one measly block anyhoo?
So, what I need to do now, I guess, is actually go check out the place. I have been there lots before, but I've only seen one bedroom. Okey-dokey.
In other news, I bought a Playstation 2. Yes, I'm a big nerd. I got a good deal on Ebay. Now I just need to find a good deal on DDR and then I'm set!
Upsides: I'd have a single room, which would be sooooo nice. I'm really not a fan of sharing a room anymore.
There is a washer and dryer, so no more coin laundry! Yay!
I wouldn't have to live with people who I don't really know anymore. I have determined that my current roommates and I are very different people.
Downsides: No dishwasher. That could be a difficulty, but shouldn't be, since Mom taught us to wash our dishes before we put them in the dishwasher anyway.
The house isn't as nice as my current apartment. I'd miss it.
I'd have to move all my stuff again. Well, at least I'd have a chance to do some culling of my possessions. And I'm gonna have to do that no matter where I move. At least with this house, I'd only have to move my stuff about a block.
I'd have to walk another whole block more up to campus than I currently do. Why is it that the longer I go to school, the further away from campus I live? Dang, it's times like this I wish I had a car. However, during the spring at least, the walk up to campus should be pleasant. I'm not looking forward to long walks in the heat of summer though. Oh well, what's one measly block anyhoo?
So, what I need to do now, I guess, is actually go check out the place. I have been there lots before, but I've only seen one bedroom. Okey-dokey.
In other news, I bought a Playstation 2. Yes, I'm a big nerd. I got a good deal on Ebay. Now I just need to find a good deal on DDR and then I'm set!
Monday, February 4
Incredible
So, while I was on Facebook a little while ago, I was just looking at random stuff on there and I found a post that my youngest brother made. It was while reading that post that I realized that my little brother is incredible. I thought, When did that happen? How did I miss it? Have I really missed that much being out here in Utah instead of Alabama? I have such strong memories of him being this little kid, kinda incomplete in a way. And I read that post and found that he is so much more grown up than I give him credit for. That in some ways, he is stronger than I am. And I was just so struck by that.
In other news, I watched the press conference today when President Monson was announced as the new prophet. There was a moment when I was metaphorically laid flat by the spiritual confirmation that he really is the prophet. That God directed that calling and President Monson is, in fact, now the voice of the Lord for His church. It was wonderful to get that confirmation. I don't even remember what President Monson was saying at the time, but I remember that feeling I got. A light bulb came on, something just clicked, the puzzle piece snapped into place, my heart burned within me, whatever metaphor you want to use, I knew then and know now that President Monson is called of God. Incredible.
In other news, I watched the press conference today when President Monson was announced as the new prophet. There was a moment when I was metaphorically laid flat by the spiritual confirmation that he really is the prophet. That God directed that calling and President Monson is, in fact, now the voice of the Lord for His church. It was wonderful to get that confirmation. I don't even remember what President Monson was saying at the time, but I remember that feeling I got. A light bulb came on, something just clicked, the puzzle piece snapped into place, my heart burned within me, whatever metaphor you want to use, I knew then and know now that President Monson is called of God. Incredible.
Sunday, January 27
Prophet
I'm sitting at my desk, listening to pretty songs and feeling melancholy.
I just heard that Gordon B. Hinckley, president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and prophet, seer and revelator, has passed away. My heart hurt to hear the news.
He was a truly great man, who loved serving the Lord and loved serving His children. He was old and had lived a good life, so it's not a bad thing for him to go. I will miss him, though.
I know that he was a prophet of the Lord. Though I never personally met him (but I had seen him in real life), he affected my life in a wonderful, positive way. I remember seeing him after the Birmingham temple was dedicated and we sang the hymn, "We Thank Thee, O God, For a Prophet." I remember seeing him at my freshman orientation at BYU. I remember seeing him at a devotional the Halloween before last. He was wearing a tie with pumpkins on it and joked about it. Every one of those times I saw him, I received a testimony in my heart that he truly was a prophet. That he received revelation from the Lord to guide us. I am so grateful that I could know that and I am so grateful that I was alive while he was the prophet.
I just heard that Gordon B. Hinckley, president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and prophet, seer and revelator, has passed away. My heart hurt to hear the news.
He was a truly great man, who loved serving the Lord and loved serving His children. He was old and had lived a good life, so it's not a bad thing for him to go. I will miss him, though.
I know that he was a prophet of the Lord. Though I never personally met him (but I had seen him in real life), he affected my life in a wonderful, positive way. I remember seeing him after the Birmingham temple was dedicated and we sang the hymn, "We Thank Thee, O God, For a Prophet." I remember seeing him at my freshman orientation at BYU. I remember seeing him at a devotional the Halloween before last. He was wearing a tie with pumpkins on it and joked about it. Every one of those times I saw him, I received a testimony in my heart that he truly was a prophet. That he received revelation from the Lord to guide us. I am so grateful that I could know that and I am so grateful that I was alive while he was the prophet.
Analysis
Not much has been going on lately with me. I haven't posted in awhile because I'm lazy, not because I've been so incredibly busy.
Classes are going pretty okay. I feel slightly overwhelmed in my Early Modern English class; most of the people in there know so much more than me. We've had to do these stylistic analyses of Othello and mine are so bare bones. I'm just not good at analyzing things. Especially compared to these incredible things other people in my class come up with. Whenever I sit down to look at the scenes, my mind goes blank. Then there are the study questions for the chapters in the book. I hate those. Again, more analyzing. Seriously, can't anything in that class be multiple choice or something? That's what I'm good at.
Argh. I wish school were over and done with.
Classes are going pretty okay. I feel slightly overwhelmed in my Early Modern English class; most of the people in there know so much more than me. We've had to do these stylistic analyses of Othello and mine are so bare bones. I'm just not good at analyzing things. Especially compared to these incredible things other people in my class come up with. Whenever I sit down to look at the scenes, my mind goes blank. Then there are the study questions for the chapters in the book. I hate those. Again, more analyzing. Seriously, can't anything in that class be multiple choice or something? That's what I'm good at.
Argh. I wish school were over and done with.
Saturday, January 26
Saturday, January 12
My sister recently did something fun on her blog. I tried it and it turned out quite funny the first time, but the second time wasn't as interesting unless I modified the rules a little.
Go to
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random
The first article on the page will be your band name.
Then
http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3
The last four words of the last quote on the page will be the name of your album.
And lastly
http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days/?
The third picture is your album cover.
Now put them together!
So I did. I present to you Wagah's debut album, One is to Remain Alive. Note that I used the last five words for the album name. Just makes it work better.
Go to
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random
The first article on the page will be your band name.
Then
http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3
The last four words of the last quote on the page will be the name of your album.
And lastly
http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days/?
The third picture is your album cover.
Now put them together!
So I did. I present to you Wagah's debut album, One is to Remain Alive. Note that I used the last five words for the album name. Just makes it work better.
Monday, January 7
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