Saturday Video Update

Labels: family, friends, reading, school, spiritual seeking

posted by Miss Rachel 5/10/2008 07:54:00 PM

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Crunch Time

Labels: anxiety, family, school

posted by Miss Rachel 4/25/2008 05:19:00 PM

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A Big Ol' General Update

Well, I have somewhat successfully done the website host switchover. The "somewhat" means the blog archives are not showing up, and I haven't figured out how to make them do so at this point. Also, I imagine a lot of the photos in these archived posts are no longer there since they were "ftp-d" to the old host. But since the archives aren't there then this detail is kind of moot for now. I'm hopeful that I will eventually be able to fix the archive situation. As far at the photos are concerned, I don't think I'll be sifting through past posts and trying to figure what needs to move over. I mean, you can just go to Flickr if you want to see photographs, right?

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In other news I worked a hell of a schedule last week because I planned to do 4 10-hour days, and then take Friday off, but I ended up having to work Friday since my coworker was out due to a death in her family. Note that I don't blame her for my tough work week, but it was tough nonetheless. And of course, I put my homework off till the end of the week because it seems that's just what I do these days.

So too much time at work, too much worry about schoolwork made me ready to just collapse after class on Saturday. And collapse I did. All the way through Sunday. I couldn't get myself to do much but read (not for school) online and off. I finally did some stuff today (I had today off as compensation for having to work Friday) - grocery shopping, errands, cleaning the microwave, loads and load of laundry, that kind of stuff. But I continue to fret over schoolwork and not do it. So I'm officially calling off the fretting for tonight at least. I mean, if I'm not gonna do it, I'm not gonna do it. Why fret? (Easier said than done.)

Truth be told, I've been a bit depressed. And I've never been the sort to just throw myself into work to get over it. I'm more of the lie around and wait for the feelings to pass type. I'm pretty sure these blues are from anxiety about schoolwork. I don't know why it's such a big deal for me. I mean, how many times have I posted about this kind of thing? I just suck at self motivation and I also suck at dealing with stress. I mean, the way I feel about getting my final project done is the way most people probably feel about... well, I don't know... but I'm sure having to write a paper for school is one of those "problems" to be glad you have. I know this, but I still suck at dealing with this kind of thing and end up working myself into something of a "state" over it. Blah!

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On to something completely different...

I got an iTunes gift card from my brother for my birthday, and today I used some of it to buy the following songs: Dancing in the Moonlight by King Harvest, Fool (If You Think It's Over) by Chris Rea, In a Broken Dream by Rod Stewart with Python Lee Jackson, Just Dropped in (To See What Condition My Condition Was In) by Kenny Rogers and the First Edition, Music Box Dancer by Frank Mills, She's a Rainbow by The Rolling Stones, and Tighten Up, Part 1 by Archie Bell and the Drells. Musically, I'm stuck in the last century pretty much, pre-1980, and I think that's how it's going to stay.

One thing I did on Sunday is that I finished reading The Magnificent Ambersons. I had bought the book a year or two ago, started it, and then stopped because I just hated George Amberson Minafer so much. But I picked it up again recently, persevered and found it to be quite a good story, and well written too. Now I think I will have to see the movie which seems to be more critically acclaimed than the book.

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Reading: The Magnificent Ambersons by Booth Tarkington.

Labels: anxiety, listening, reading, school, technology, the blues

posted by Miss Rachel 4/14/2008 09:30:00 PM

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Labels: school, work

posted by Miss Rachel 4/08/2008 09:18:00 PM

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Thursday Night Update

Labels: friends, school, work

posted by Miss Rachel 3/07/2008 06:25:00 AM

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Labels: anxiety, school, winter, work

posted by Miss Rachel 2/22/2008 10:12:00 PM

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Me and School and a Dog Named Blue

Labels: Blue, friends, library science, school

posted by Miss Rachel 2/17/2008 11:11:00 PM

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Update

Labels: physical fitness, politics, school, skating

posted by Miss Rachel 1/26/2008 08:05:00 PM

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Long Overdue Update

Labels: blogging, family, friends, school, watching

posted by Miss Rachel 1/22/2008 08:41:00 PM

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Video Update

Labels: library science, listening, make-up, school, watching, winter

posted by Miss Rachel 1/14/2008 08:14:00 PM

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Labels: physical fitness, politics, school, work

posted by Miss Rachel 1/07/2008 09:46:00 PM

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Another Video Post!

Labels: blogging, physical fitness, school, technology, winter

posted by Miss Rachel 1/02/2008 10:16:00 PM

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I finished my memo!!! Now I just have to go up to school, print it out, go to class and hand it in, and I'm one quarter of the way to my Masters degree! We're having an end of semester LIS get together in the office at 4:30. I know I will want to go home and crash, but I think I will attend this for a while to celebrate a bit.

I have all kinds of plans for things I want to do now that I'm done with schoolwork. This list should keep me busy for-like-ever:
dust and vacuum the downstairs
dust and vacuum the upstairs
organize my desk
clean out the cupboards and the refrigerator
scrub the bathtub, sink and toilet
wash the bathmats
get a Christmas tree and decorate it
read for fun (!!!)
catch up on blogs and journals
upload more photos to Flickr
work out like a demon
go back to healthy eating
watch Christmas movies
finish Christmas shopping
get my hair trimmed
get my nails done (I hope I can convince myself to make time for this)

I'm sure I'll think of even more. Happy Saturday everybody!

Labels: busy life, lists, school

posted by Miss Rachel 12/15/2007 08:53:00 AM

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I have hunkered down into a schoolwork-related trance. Yesterday I took a half day and came home to work on my memo, stopping at a convenience store to buy a box of Oreos. I ate them all, and I don't even feel worried about it (re: fat). Anything to get me through this. I got up my courage and Skyped the Ohio University library and ended up having an online chat about Skype with Char of the blog Informational! Isn't the internet just great? She was really nice (and helpful), and I thought it was neat to be talking to someone whose Skype presentation I'd read about here.

Labels: library science, school, technology

posted by Miss Rachel 12/13/2007 06:27:00 AM

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Driving up to school today, I was about to pass a truck, and I started reading its bumper stickers: Question Authority. Anyone but Joe. Heavily Armed Liberal Democrat. And on the side of it: I don't suffer from mental illness. I enjoy every minute of it. As I passed the truck, I caught the driver's eye, smiled and gave him the thumbs up signal and he did the same.

I feel as if I've been really busy, but I have not been working on school. Now I am faced with the memo project due next Saturday. It's not started yet. Nope. I had all week to work on it, but I didn't. Oh well. I got my tutorial back today. The teacher gives a page back with your paper all about how he came up with your grade. I believe it's called a "rubric." I thought his comments and criticism were valid. I got a B+, and I'm satisfied with that.

I go up and down with how I feel about school. Sometimes I feel disappointed in myself for not working harder and doing better. Other times I feel overjoyed that I am doing this. Today as I was heading to the library to get some coffee and meet with "my girls" before class two of my other classmates passed me and said, "Hey, where are you going? Aren't you a little early?" (They were heading away from campus.) And I said, "I'm going to the library to get some caw-fee." And they were smiling so warmly and I just felt so glad to be a part of this program and to get to meet these cool, interesting people. Don't ever let anyone tell you that librarians are boring.

Labels: friends, school, the world around us

posted by Miss Rachel 12/08/2007 10:04:00 PM

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I am home today using yet another vacation day to work on and FINISH my tutorial which is due tomorrow. If any of my commenters or people on my blog list is on Skype and wants to try it, send me an e-mail at rachel [at] missrachel [dot] com and let me know. I will give you my Skype name and we can arrange a call. It's free so give it a shot.

I have been continuing my cardio workouts in the last month. a little less often than is ideal, but I am somewhat pleased because at least I haven't stopped. I hadn't done weights in almost three weeks, and it felt great to do them again this week. I did my whole strength training program on Monday and Thursday. My current program is this:

squat with blue body bar (BB)
2 phase hip extension
wall sit / wall sit with leg flex
1 arm bent over row on ball
seated row with resistance band (RB)
dumbbell reverse flies
speed chops
Bradford press with pink BB
shoulder press 21s
angled biceps curl
triceps wall push ups
blue BB & RB chest press/pulse/press
dead bugs
oblique crunches on ball
crunches on ball with dumbbell
cat / dog stretches
(alternating) swimmers

Labels: physical fitness, school, technology

posted by Miss Rachel 11/30/2007 10:27:00 AM

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As you may have guessed, I've been working a lot my Skype tutorial which is due this Saturday. I even took off yesterday (Tuesday) to work on it, and I'm also taking off Friday. I've typed up a good chunk of it, Tonight with my teacher's help, I finally figured out the chat function. I think it will work out all right.

Then I have another project which is called a memo, but is really more of a proposal. We have to write a memo convincing (an imaginary) library to adopt some sort of technology. I didn't have a topic for that so I asked my teacher what he thought and he suggested offering Skype at the library. I'm not sure I'll be able to get five pages out of that, but I'll try. There is some controversy around Skype so I'm sure I can dig some of that up to make it interesting.

I can't believe I haven't even posted about Thanksgiving. Me who loves holidays! The meal was completely vegan and Sweetie did most of it:we got the Tofurky kit, but he roasted the Tofurky in the this yummy caramelized onion and sour cherry relish type stuff that he made. He also made Mama Stamberg's Cranberry Relish, which is getting to be his annual tradition. I cooked up some green beans (fresh) and mashed pumpkin (from a can), and I also made an apple crumble pie (completely from scratch of course). His mom brought a fruit salad and an orzo pilaf of sorts.

It was just Sweetie and I and his parents. After we ate, I brought out some old photographs I have from my mom's side of the family and everyone seemed to enjoy poring over those with me. The ones from my grandmother's wedding in 1926 are always quite the hit. She was beautiful. I also got to hear some stories about my mother-in-law's family that I had never heard before. Fascinating stuff. I love family history. I am really blessed to have such nice in-laws. My mother-in-law even called later Thanksgiving weekend to say what a nice time they had had.

Labels: family, food, holidays, school

posted by Miss Rachel 11/28/2007 09:36:00 PM

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I have to admit that I lied, unwittingly, about failing the technology test. The only way I can figure out what happened is that my teacher graded me with consideration for my lack of experience with the subject matter. Because he gave me a B-. Yup. I was totally shocked. I didn't even look at the grade until I had left the classroom, and when I saw the B- I checked to make sure it was my test I was looking at. So, I have to apologize for insisting I failed the test because I didn't. I really really thought I did though. So Savy; you were right; I'm sorry I insisted otherwise. And thanks.

Last week was a difficult one for me. I was worried about the test, there's a negative vibe at work, and then I read various blog posts about the dearth of librarian jobs available. That last bit of news nearly killed me. My supposed ticket out, the thousands of dollars I'm spending, the anxiety and hard work all for naught. I was in a bad place emotionally. I ended up posting about the blogs on our class's Curr3nt Aw@reness forum. I got some good responses. One guy said we're always hearing messages about one job shortage or another, and it always changes so the best thing to do is focus on what you like to do and by doing that, you'll do your best work. Another said that it might be true that actual librarian jobs aren't so plentiful, but that the degree can be used in other ways. He also encouraged me to stay away from those blogs and their negativity. Good stuff.

So I'm feeling better so far this week. The negative vibe didn't seem to be there at work today. Of course, I didn't get into any long conversations with BB today. I like him, but he sure can bring the clouds, even though he says he just wants me to be aware of stuff. I don't know though; we'll see. And yes, I still am going for that other job, but the posting doesn't close till November 30 so it's going to be a while.

One final thing, the next technology assignment is a tutorial, and mine is on Skype. Anyone out there tried it? If so, what do you think? I've tried it a few times on Sweetie's Macbook (which I'm using right now as a matter of fact), and I think it's pretty cool. I would be love to hear others' opinions of it.

Labels: library science, school, technology, the blues, work

posted by Miss Rachel 11/19/2007 09:12:00 PM

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I talked to my old boss (let's call him BB for his initials from now on) again on Friday and after telling him I was mad at him, he said he just wanted me to know what was going on so I wouldn't be blindsided by my new boss. And I think he means it. And if what he's saying is true, and I have no reason to believe it isn't, she's dangerous.

And then I suggested meeting with the department manager (essentially my boss's boss), who took over a few months ago. BB thought meeting with her was a good idea. He proofread the e-mail I wrote her about discussing my career plans and goals. And now I have an appoinment with her on Wednesday. For all I know, my new boss could be giving her a negative perspective on me so I'm going to meet with her and show her how fabulous I am. I know I make a good impression in interviews and one-on-ones so I'm confident about this.

I also took another step to save myself and met with an upper level bus!n3ss An@Iyst who I know at work and asked her if she would be a reference for me on the new job I applied for. She was there when I gave a demonstration to a bunch of IT people about the mechanics of my job. And since communicating and working with IT is some of what the position entails, and she thought the demonstration went really well, I thought she'd be a good person to speak up for me. And she was really enthusiastic and said she would.

So had all this shit on my mind, but I continued to study, and ended up actually feeling pretty decent going into the technology test. Which I'm pretty sure I failed. Seriously. I will be relieved to get a D, but an F is pretty likely. If the test just required identifying stuff and giving some explanations of how things worked, it would have been all right. But the main part of the test were questions which required you to apply knowledge and "be" technical, not just know what stuff is and how it works. And I'm just not there yet, and more studying would not have gotten me there. Well, maybe on a couple of questions it would have, but not most of them.

After the test was over, one of the people I'm friendly with said, "I think I failed it" and I said I thought I failed it too. After class, she and the others who I consider "my girls" walked back to our cars together. Unfortunately, our professor ended up walking with us so we couldn't really talk. Me and the other person who said she failed walked ahead a bit, and talked. She said there was something she couldn't really say right then (because our professor was right behind us talking with the other two girls) and I asked her to e-mail me. Then she said sometimes she thought of dropping out of the program. And I said things at work really sucked right now and I feel that this program is my ticket out. And then I even cried a little. She apologized for "making me cry" but I said it wasn't her fault. She said she'd send me an e-mail.

Labels: school, the blues, work

posted by Miss Rachel 11/11/2007 08:20:00 AM

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My week is pretty much about preparing for Saturday's exam. I keep thinking about it, and worrying about it, and then at night finally getting around to study for it. Somehow I managed to put off my study start till 8 PM last night. It's amazing how easy the WWW makes it to find diversions to keep you from doing what you're supposed to be doing.

The night before last I had a bad dream about the test. I couldn't answer more than half the questions. And the test was weird; it had pictures of some rock bands and Victoria Beckham and you had to write what they had to do with cataloging and technology. Now there are some people we have to know about for this class, but I assure the Victoria Beckham is not one of them, and this class is not about cataloging, although it is about technology. Well, no sense looking for sense in my dreams. They are usually weird and disturbing, and I'm always glad to know they were "just a dream."

Anyway, tonight I'm coming home and getting right to the studying. I can do this. Yes, I should have started studying and trying to understand these concepts way earlier, but that doesn't mean I can't learn stuff now. I just have to keep trying. And I have to stop imagining test disasters: like picturing myself looking at the test and then running out of the classroom in tears. I need to keep going over stuff, getting more confident and imagining positive outcomes.

Labels: school

posted by Miss Rachel 11/07/2007 06:54:00 AM

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Webopedia you rock! You're going to save my ass on the Exam Concepts assignment. Folks, the exam got postponed to next Saturday because my professor hadn't gotten to everything that's going to be on it. In preparation for it, everyone in the class has to type up definitions / explanations of different concepts on our class wiki. Kind of like the Word of the Day assignment, except you don't have to do an oral presentation. My concepts are "login / POST / boot" and "protocols." Now, I don't know about you, but I don't remember hearing anything about POST. It does not mean post as in I'm posting to my blog right now. But I found a definition on the aforementioned Webopedia, praise the lord!

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I am thinking about getting a pair of plaid Chuck Taylors. I just discoverd a blog, Cardiogirl, and she's really into low top Chuck Taylors, and it kind of got me thinking about them. I had a pair of pink high tops in my early 20s and they were cool, but I'd prefer low tops now. Just this morning, I looked on the Converse website and found some pink plaid low tops, and I'm thinking of getting them. I'll ruminate on it a bit first.

See I'm kind of on a little shopping spree. I went shopping online last night because I need some good supportive sports bras for my treadmill running. I don't know who ever thought those stretchy bag o' boobs bras were the answer for working out. Fortunately, there are people seem to get it that wires and cups and hooks are more supportive. So I got three "four barbell" rated (in other words, very supportive) bras from Title 9 Sports. I also ordered a skirt. I hope everything fits well.

Then I went to Spanx and got some tights (one pair solid black and one pair with chevrons), some footless hose (great for wearing under pants), and a camisole for wearing under a dress I bought from Gap that's way too low cut for work. I'm hoping the cami will make it work appropriate. Then I can wear it with my new tights and the boots I got when my mom visited, and I'll look totally hot. But still appropriate.

Labels: school, shopping

posted by Miss Rachel 11/03/2007 09:31:00 AM

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We got our Systems Librarian Interview papers back last Saturday, and we (my research partner and I) got an A-. Psych! I also did my "Word" of the Day (digital vs. analog) presentation, and it went pretty well. Even though it was shorter than the paper presentation (5 minutes as opposed to 15), I was more nervous because I felt less comfortable with my subject material. Also, for the Systems Librarian Interview presentation, I knew my research partner was really nervous, and I felt I had to be strong for her. Sometimes, in situations like that, one can just rise to the occasion and do a good job. In fact, I did a great job, and she ended up doing great too.

I am woefully, though not hopelessly behind on the reading, and I plan to have read-a-thon and study-thon week starting tomorrow in preparation for the exam next week. I know I've said (or thought) I need to get focused on studying for a while now, but I still have yet to do it. So I hereby commit, in front of all blogland, that I'm going to study my ass off this coming week and do a great job on the exam.

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I didn't work out once during my four day mini-vac, but I went back to the gym on Wednesday and put in 20 minutes of intervals on the treadmill. Work is really busy and on Thursday I let things get away from me and skipped working out. Yesterday, I went back and did weights for the first time in 11 days. I did: squats holding a weighted ball between my knees and a body bar in my hands, hip extensions with my feet on a ball, wall squats, one arm bent-over rows leaning on a ball, seated rows with a resistance band, speed chops, bradford presses, shoulder press 21s, angled biceps curls, triceps wall push-ups, chest presses with a body bar and a resistance band, dead bugs, oblique crunches on a ball, regular crunches on a ball, cat and dog stretches and swimmers.

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Now I'm going to get ready to go to school. I need to do something about my iPod / car situation. My Roadtrip has never worked very well - poor volume and too much static - and now I'm having trouble getting it to work at all. This is frustrating because I like catch up on podcasts when I drive. Maybe I'll be able to get it to work today, but I need to find an alternative. At least on the way to school I can usually catch Wait Wait Don't Tell Me, which is good fun.

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And I couldn't sign off without saying this: GO RED SOX!!!

Labels: listening, physical fitness, school

posted by Miss Rachel 10/27/2007 10:40:00 AM

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Today I'm presenting my "word of the day" in tech class. My "word" or words, more accurately, are digital / analog. I know a lot of people already understand what they mean, but not me, so that's why I picked them. Let me tell you, I had a hard time getting my head around the definition, but I think I've got it now. I had researched using Wikipedia and this other site, "HowStuffWorks," but I think what helped the most was talking with Sweetie. He kept explaining it to me in different ways, and finally, it just clicked. He's such a good teacher.

Speaking of Sweetie... poor Sweetie. On Thursday someone from the station called asked if he could fill in on the Friday night / Saturday morning 12 - 3 AM show at WWUH, and he said he'd do it. No big deal. He slept for a couple hours last night, and then figured he'd come home after 3 and go back to bed. However, I woke up at 4:30 this morning and realized he still wasn't home. So I turned on the radio, and after a song finished playing, there was Sweetie's voice. I guess the person doing the 3 - 6 AM shift didn't show.

I figured he must feel kind of stranded so I decided to call him. I wasn't sure of the phone number and we only had a yellow pages upstairs so I crept downstairs to the look up the number in the white pages. We have like 50 million phone books that companies keep stupidly sending us and not being fully awake, it was difficult for me to find the right one - oy. But I found it, found the number, and then went back upstairs and called it. He answered sounding kind of tense, and I said, "Hi Sweetie." He told me he was so glad it was me and that he'd been hearing from "freaks, drunk people and maniacs" all night. Evidently, the 3-6 AM person didn't show, but what could he do? The show must go on.

After we talked, I put the radio on "sleep" and went back to bed. Sweetie was playing Gram Parsons' music from when he was in a group called the International Submarine Band and when he was in the Byrds. I didn't know he was in the Byrds. In fact, I didn't even know who Gram Parsons was until I got to know Sweetie and he read Hickory Wind: The Life and Times of Gram Parsons. As I said, Sweetie is a good teacher.

He's upstairs sleeping now, and I'm drinking coffee and getting ready to face the day.

Labels: busy life, family, listening, school

posted by Miss Rachel 10/20/2007 09:04:00 AM

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Today my research partner and I are handing in the paper and presenting it to the class. I really should be heading up to school now so I can try to do do at least some of the assigned reading, but here I am reading blogs and having my second cup of coffee.

Fitness update:

I have been working out! The week before this one just past, my back was hurting. I think the pain was as a result of some core exercises the previous week so I only did cardio then. I went three times. This week my back was better, but I got together with the trainer again to find some core exercises that wouldn't harm my back. Instead of crunches and the like on an incline, I'm doing them on a stability ball. I love stability balls (that almost sounds dirty - hee!). I also told her the curtsy lunges she gave me weren't really doing much for me. They're fun to do, but I didn't think they were giving me a good workout. So she gave me lunges on a step. I hope these won't hurt my knees; we'll have to see. They definitely worked my quads though. Wow - I did those on Thursday, and I can still feel them today.

I had an overeating problem a couple weeks ago, which I think was due to not dealing well with the stress of the paper. As a result, my weight is up about 2 pounds to 151.5. Nothing major, but I want to see thoses 140s again! And I want to get to my next mini goal of 147. I'm not really worried about my weight. I'm know I'm doing the right thing which is eating healthy food for the most part, but still having at least one treat a day if I feel like. And I usually feel like it. :-) The thing is, as much as I want to be thinner, I don't want to go without treats either. I like to eat and enjoy "the yummies," and I think there is nothing wrong with that. It just means I will not lose weight fast.

Labels: fat, physical fitness, school

posted by Miss Rachel 10/13/2007 09:45:00 AM

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The paper is basically done; maybe it just needs a few minor edits. Now I need to just edit the PowerPoints my research partner slapped together (that girl is amazing!) and figure out what we'll say in our presentation. In other words, I'm on easy street! Papers make me crazy and grouchy and this one also made me overeat (too much candy and ice cream last week), but now that's it done, I'm back to being well, still crazy (but in good way) and relatively cheery, and I'm eating well.

Oh yeah, in addition to preparing for the presentation, I still have a bunch of reading to do and posting on the Curr3nt Aw@reness forum, but now that the paper's done, I'm not worried. Super glad that I don't have to do a Masters thesis in this program.

Labels: school

posted by Miss Rachel 10/09/2007 06:38:00 AM

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Paper paralysis continues, but yesterday my research partner and I talked on the phone and she e-mailed me what she called a REALLY rough draft, and I feel better. I am actually thrilled with the rough draft because it gives me something to work with. Tonight and tomorrow I'm going to edit and organize and add to it, and hopefully, get something decent out of it. We're also presenting our findings to the class and since she has clearly done the bulk of the work on the paper so far, I want to do the bulk of the work on the presentation, and create some Power Points. Also, do most of the talking since she hates talking in front of groups, and I don't mind so much.

Work has been very hyper because our department is reorganizing and we're all moving to different desks (this will be desk number 13 for me in the nine and a half years I've been at this workplace!). People started packing a few days ago. Not me. I don't have much stuff. I started at about 1:30 or 2 today. Our department was closing at 3, and then there was a happy hour which our boss hoped Everyone Would Go To. I went to the gym around 2:30, then headed back up to my cubicle, picked up my bags and headed home, happily listening to Jonathan Edwards all the way.

Labels: school, work

posted by Miss Rachel 10/05/2007 07:12:00 AM

. . .

I took a half day today to go to a plastic surgeon about some moles. My primary care doctor referred me and said one might need to be biopsied, but the plastic surgeon said there was no way it was cancerous. Of course, that's good news, but the whole appointment turned out to be a waste of time and $25 (copay) because insurance won't cover mole removal for cosmetic reasons. The doctor was nice, but he said the rules had changed in the last few years and since I didn't want to spend $300+, we parted ways. I did make a point of telling him how nice his office receptionist was, because as I've said before, it's my experience that so often doctor's office staff is rude.

Then I came home and instead of working on my paper, I wasted time on the internet and then got some things done: I folded towels, vacuumed the downstairs, washed dishes, went over my bank statement and balanced my checkbook. After Sweetie got home, I made us dinner of whole wheat shells with mushrooms, spinach and garlic cooked in olive oil. Good stuff to do, but still no schoolwork which continues to hang over me.

The systems librarian interview was interesting and fun, but we didn't really talk about that much technical stuff. For one thing, they don't have a systems librarian (they're trying to hire one). We talked to the library director and another librarian who is somewhat "tech-ie." My research partner doesn't seem worried about how we'll write the paper and she seems like a really dedicated student so hopefully, it will work out. You know me, I always obsess about these things while not doing any work on them. So, goal for tonight: read over my notes and goal for tomorrow night: attempt to write a paragraph or two. [EDIT: Well, it's late. Maybe I'll wait till tomorrow to go over the notes too.]

Watching: We've been on a video hiatus for a while, but the last two Saturdays, we rented movies, both of which I really liked:

Scoop (2006) starring Scarlett Johannson, Hugh Jackman, Woody Allen and Ian McShane. I really enjoy Woody Allen movies except for hostile phase ("Deconstructing Harry" really depressed me. And Sweetie and I skipped "Celebrity.") and this one was great fun.

Kissing Jessica Stein (2001) starring Jessica Westfeldt and Heather Juergensen. This was a real Miss Rachel movie: women, homosexuality, New York City, a Jewish family, sex and even a conversation about lipstick - what's not to love?

Labels: library science, life at home, school, watching

posted by Miss Rachel 10/02/2007 07:41:00 PM

. . .

My friend Writer came over for a little visit last night. I asked her what she had been doing and then told her that I had been working and sleeping. I said, "It's a lot more interesting than it sounds." I actually have been doing more than that, and not sleeping enough. It was a really busy week.

On Tuesday night I met with my research partner to discuss our impending interview. We ended up not really have much to say about it, but I guess it made us feel more prepared to meet beforehand. On Wednesday I worked a half day and then got caught in traffic (there was a REALLY BAD accident) on the way to the interview. I was so scared I was going to be late, and I was, but thanks to my cell phone I had been able to call my partner and she was able to call the librarian and explain. I was really panicking there for a while, and afraid I was going to burst into tears. The good thing is that I wasn't that late and the better thing was that no one died in the accident. Man that thing was bad.

That's all for now because I have to get ready to go to school early so I can beat all the Big E traffic that I didn't beat last Saturday!

Labels: busy life, school

posted by Miss Rachel 9/29/2007 08:20:00 AM

. . .

Beautiful School Days

Labels: school

posted by Miss Rachel 9/24/2007 06:32:00 PM

. . .

My Busy Life

School has been going all right. I still like the class, and I am still not too anxious. Our first biggish project involves interviewing a systems librarian and then writing a paper - with a partner. The professor has us work in pairs because he says the tech world involves collaborating with others. He was going to assign us partners, but some people wanted to choose their own so he decided to wait a week before making assignments. As it happened, we all managed to pair up on our own without his help. I of course, did nothing (not really knowing anyone else), but a fellow student e-mailed me and suggested we work together since we both live in Connecticut. Since then we have been e-mailing a lot, and we are conducting our interview (at Wesleyan) next week.

I like my research partner. I ordered the textbook online and it hadn't arrived by last Saturday so she let me borrow hers. I met her before her Saturday morning class and then read all morning in the library. Afterward she and some other students and I met up at the cafe in the library and talked and had lunch together before the afternoon class.

Fortunately, my textbook arrived this week. I got a real deal on it - about $18 after shipping and handling. My research partner said she paid like $70 (!!!) for hers at the bookstore. I know $70 is not a lot for a textbook, but I was pleased that I was able to get mine so cheaply. Come to think of it, all of the other copies at half.com were a lot more than the one I bought. Also, it is easily the best textbook I've read in grad school so far. The one from the first semester wasn't bad, but it was not really necessary. The one from last spring was useless. I am really learning a lot from this one (it's calledSucceeding with Technology in case you're interested).

In addition to the systems librarian project and reading, there is also something called Curr3nt Aw@reness. We have been given a long list of online news sites, blogs, wikis, etc. pertaining to technology that we are supposed to peruse. Then we post our observations on one or more of them or comment on other student's observations on a forum. If you're going to post an observation you have to do it by 6 PM on Thursday and if you're going to post a comment, you have to do it by 6 PM on Friday. You have to do one or the other. The forum is a good idea and I enjoy participating, but it's yet another assignment in this class.

So you can see I have my work cut out for me.

I have been working out and eating decently, and the scale is down another half pound. (Wow, huh?) I have not worked out as much as I have wanted to in the last two weeks, but I've still gone at least three times a week which is acceptable, if not ideal. My lack of working out has nothing to do with school either. It's mostly due to being busy at work and letting the day get away from me. And then feeling as if I just want to go home and not go through the "trouble" of working out.

I solved that problem today by working out in the morning. I had a meeting at 3 PM, and a lot of submissions to quote, and I thought it best to get my workout done in the morning before time got away from me. So at 10:35, I picked up my gym bag and went and did 30 minutes of cardio, including 4 minutes of running. Running still "kills" me, and I realize it's not going to get better for me unless I do it consistently, which certainly hasn't been the case the past two weeks.

After some prodding from the staff, I signed up for one of the gym's incentive plans which starts on Monday. My gym frequently runs these gimmicks, and I generally avoid them because I find they usually have an inverse effect on my workouts. It seems when I'm signed up for some "dumb" game, I end up working out less. And frequently, the challenge is not something I'm good at or want to do. I know some people go for this sort of thing, but not me.  But this one I decided I could do: Fitn3ss Scr@bble. You get a letter each time you work out and then at the end of the week, you play Scr@bble with your letters. That's it. No points for shooting baskets or doing as many push-ups as you can or what have you. Just 1 workout=1 Scr@bble letter.

Labels: physical fitness, school

posted by Miss Rachel 9/21/2007 06:58:00 AM

. . .

Class was good! Interesting, and not nearly as scary as I had feared. The intersecting of technology and library science is a really big deal right now. There's SO MUCH information out there available via technology, and of course technology is constantly developing and changing. I am getting back some enthusiasm for my chosen field. (I had feared I was losing interest and motivation after the summer school debacle.)

********************

I got a new workout program on Monday. I tried various exercises with the trainer. Some I didn't like, some I couldn't do and some hurt my knee so she would find something else to replace those and we eventually came up with a good total body workout. Tomorrow we're going over the revised workout because honestly, after all the exercises we tried on Monday, I can't exactly remember exactly which ones we picked, nor how to do them all.

Today I did cardio: my usual 10 minutes on the bike and 20 on the treadmill. My legs felt kind of crappy when I ran on the treadmill, and so I only ran for two minutes and walked the rest, some of that on an incline. I couldn't figure out why my legs were bothering me, but I think it might have been that I didn't get enough rest last night. I went to bed too late and then I woke up and couldn't fall back to sleep for a while around 3 or 4 AM. I made sure to stretch today, and hopefully it will go better next time.

SupaFreak (who does a fab video blog) suggested I try to refuel with protein when I told her about feeling totally exhausted after a workout. Being a vegetarian, it is sometimes difficult for me to get enough protein, but I have been having more lately, and I seem to be feeling better. Thanks SupaFreak!

********************

Watching: A Cry in the Dark (1988) starring Meryl Streep and Sam Neill. Good movie about a real life very sad miscarriage of justice. (FYI, on imdb this movie is listed as "Evil Angels" which was evidently its Australian title.

The Office, Season One (US). Still watching this and still squirming as we do. ;-)

Labels: library science, physical fitness, school, watching

posted by Miss Rachel 9/11/2007 09:19:00 PM

. . .

First Day of School

I have my first class day today: Technology for Information Professionals at 1:15 PM. I've heard it's a tough class, but what else is new? There's a "welcome back" pizza lunch at the Library Science office today, which I either will or will not attend. I haven't decided yet. I am feeling much stronger and more positive than I was when I was last at school (during the ill-fated summer session nightmare) so I feel better about being there and joining in a little socially. Also, the Complainer goes to the Boston campus so I won't have to worry about seeing that bitch again.

********************

One of the funniest things I've seen in a long time: How to Untangle Headphones Using a Cat.

Labels: cats, school, watching

posted by Miss Rachel 9/08/2007 09:41:00 AM

. . .

Summer School - Argh!

Last Saturday I went to the first class meeting of the summer session. Everything went all right on the way up. I got there in just barely enough time and was able to find the classroom with a minimum of trouble. The campus was pretty much deserted, and it looked so different from the previous times I was there. Still beautiful though.

Some of my classmates from previous semesters were there, but I decided to make a fresh start and sit next to someone new. The woman who I referred to as "the Complainer" from the tech workshop the previous Saturday was sitting by an empty seat so I sat next to her. I was determined not to prejudge her too much, and even though she seemed really negative at the workshop, she seemed friendlier this time and returned my smile.

The teacher told us to speak with another classmate and then introduce each other, and I asked this woman if she would like us to introduce each other, and she said yes. We had to ask each other a few "getting to know you" type of questions including what we are doing for employment now. When I told this woman what I did for a living ("I'm an insurance underwriter"), her response, was "Oh that sounds awful!" Now I'm the first person to admit that my job is boring and uninspiring, but man, I thought that was a really insulting and inappropriate thing to say. I was so offended all I could say was "gee, thanks" sarcastically, and I guess she could tell I was offended because she started trying to back pedal saying how she never understood her insurance statements and all. And I said I dealt with a different kind of insurance and got to learn about a lot of different nonprofit organizations, even various library associations. It was just weird to feel as if I had to defend what I do. I don't feel it's anyone else's place to insult me about how I make my living, especially within the first few minutes of meeting me.

At lunch I ended up tagging along with people that I knew from previous semesters. One of them asked me what I had done with my break, and I said it didn't seem like much of a break having to work full time. I guess that wasn't a very good answer; it was kind of a conversation ender. I mean, in one sense it was an understandable answer, but in another, it is a different thing to not to have to worry about schoolwork when you come home from work. A number of classmates seem a lot closer to one another because they have taken several classes together, and some even see each other outside of school. I don't feel part of the crowd.

The class itself went pretty well. It did seem a bit rushed and disorganized - remember we were originally supposed to start on June 23, but the teacher had to go to a conference and the start date got postponed to the 30th. The teacher is a good speaker. However, the class content (research types and methods and studies and the publishing of the results) was all very new to me, and somewhat intimidating. We had to pair up in discussion groups at one point, the other people in my group seemed so much more knowledgeable and confident than me.

Anyway, I got through the first class. It was a long freakin' day - from 8:30 to 4:30. There was no "it's summer let's finish up early" mentality at all. Not that I expected it. In fact, nothing I have mentioned about the class or my fellow students was unexpected, but some time during the day on Monday, I started to panic. My mom was having her second cancer surgery on Tuesday, and I had volunteered to go up and keep her company this time. (My sister had been with her for the first one.)

I planned to read while in the waiting room and study at night, but there was so much more to the class than just that. There are actually three written assignments and an oral presentation. And since the class is about research, the assignments involve reading and analyzing research. I started to feel that I was locked into a prison of my own making. I was worried about my mom and worried about schoolwork, and I started to feel overwhelmed, that I was in over my head. It suddenly occurred to me that I could try to drop the class. At first it sounded like a crazy idea, and then it started to sound like a great idea.

I decided to call the registrar's office and find out if I could drop the class and still get at least some of my money back. I made a deal with myself that if I could get at least 75% back, I'd go through with the drop. There were numerous calls to the registrar's office and the financial services offices and it was determined that if I dropped the class that day (Monday), I could 70% of my tuition back. The relief I felt on hearing this was immense and I decided that 70% was enough for me. Really. I mean it is $800 worth of relief. A few more phone calls and one fax later, and I was assured the drop would go through on time. And I want to say that the people I talked to were all unfailingly polite and kind.

That night I went home, still feeling immensely relieved, packed up my car, took Blue and headed up to Rockport. I made the trip in 2 hours and 11 minutes, a new record. When I arrived I went inside the condo and said, "I just have to do something" and I laid down on the floor and said, "I dropped my class" and both mom and Andrea exclaimed, "Good!!!"

Labels: family, school

posted by Miss Rachel 7/06/2007 07:23:00 PM

. . .

I took yesterday off to read for school. The reading was slow going. Some of it was very dry and estoteric, featuring words like "empirical" and "paragdigm" numerous times - ugh. I didn't finish it all, and I don't think I retained what I did read very well so I hope the teacher doesn't ask me a question about something I didn't read / don't remember. I'm a bit anxious about this class, and I didn't sleep well last night. I had a lot of dreams about class last night, including one in which I left my house 20 minutes before class began. Since school is about 45 miles away, this would have been a problem. Anyway, it was just a bad dream.

In addition to reading for school, I went out to lunch with my old Work Friend who I haven't seen in like a year or two years. We went to Tapas and had a nice time catching up. Even though she and I haven't worked together for a few years, we still have a connection so it seems I've found a friend, and not just a "work friend." I even told her about being on antidepressants.

After lunch, I went to get a much-needed pedicure (!). I went to this spa / salon I've gone to before. I'm not crazy about all the foot filing and massaging (I'm ticklish) in most pedicures so I made an appointment for what they call a "mini pedicure." It focuses only on getting your nails in shape and then polishing them. The color I picked was an OPI one - I love their polish and the names for it. The color I picked is called "Don't Wine - Yukon Do It." It must have been from some Canadian collection they did. As you may, expect it's a purply, reddish wine color. I also thought the name was a good "mantra" for myself regarding my attitude about this class, "Don't whine; you can do it."

I better get going or else that bad dream I had last night will become a reality. Happy Saturday everyone.

Labels: friends, pedicure, school

posted by Miss Rachel 6/30/2007 06:40:00 AM

. . .

There were a few students from my previous classes at the tech workshops on Saturday, and two others who I didn't know. The facilitator was this woman who is a bit flighty and disorganized, but I was able to get something out of the workshop anyway. One of the students who I didn't know seemed annoyed about this feature in databases called "Article Now." What you think that would mean is that you'd click it and the article would come up, but it doesn't work that way. You either have to click through a few other links or sometimes you are just given a message that the article is not available. Now you can see how this lack of functionality would be frustrating, but she seemed actually angry about it and kept mentioning it.

She struck me as a Complainer. You know the type. I do spend a fair amount of time here on my blog complaining, but I don't consider myself a Complainer. A Complainer is the type of person who is always focusing on whatever is wrong around her or in her life. There is someone at work with whom I'm friendly, and I used to go out to lunch with her occasionally, but after a while, it occurred to me that our lunch dates were bringing me down because all she did was complain, even if I tried to change the subject. Since I was always the person to suggest our lunch dates, I simply stopped, and we haven't gone out in a long time. Now we just chat occasionally in the office, and that seems to work better because I can usually get her to laugh about something. She does appreciate my sense of humor.

Labels: friends, school

posted by Miss Rachel 6/26/2007 07:16:00 PM

. . .

My first class of summer session was supposed to be today, but the teacher e-mailed us a week and a half ago saying it wouldn't actually be starting until the 30th. Then she encouraged us to go to the two technical workshops that are being given today which are specifically geared toward our class. One is on RefWorks and the other is on "Finding Articles." Now I know what RefWorks is, but I've never used it, and I already took a class in reference so I know something about finding articles online, but it's still difficult so I'm going to both workshops.

The teacher's e-mail said we should read a bunch of assigned articles before the first class. I looked at the syllabus and well, let's just say it's a good thing I'm planning on taking Thursday and Friday of the last three weeks of July off. She also said we should buy the textbook(s). Argh - although I have been very impressed with my teachers in this program, I have not been impressed with the textbooks at all. I could have gotten along fine last semester without wasting the $50+ on the textbook. Oh well, some of the assigned readings are from the textbook so I better go ahead and buy it. Visa - it's everyone I'm going to be...

Labels: school

posted by Miss Rachel 6/23/2007 07:51:00 AM

. . .

I forgot to mention that school's over, and I got an A on my paper and I think I will get an A in the class and that's happy. The teacher said our class's papers were "the best she had read" and that in addition to our topics' being interesting that we were "elegant writers." Wow. I don't seriously think mine was that great, but I would have been upset if I hadn't at least gotten a B on it.

Of course, interviewing the person at the library consortium is what made my paper two ways: one, the bulk of the paper was about her and what she said and two, what she said was interesting. And yes, I write decently. Certainly better than what I read about on Miss Kitty's blog, but then, that's the least I could do. I bought a thank you card to send to the interviewee. I did give her credit on my Works Cited page: "this paper would not have been possible without the generous contribution of [librarian's name], [her title], at [consortium name]," but of course she didn't see that. So I need to send that card.

********************

I get to thinking sometimes... today, I heard that Jerry Falwell had died. Here's an article in Slate that gives a rundown of some of the worst things he's said: Jerry Falwell's Hit Parade. They're all awful, but I'd love to speak to the one on feminists: believing that women are of equal value to men means you hate men, how? Of course, if all men were like Jerry Falwell (shudder) then I probably would hate them all.

But that's not what I was going to talk about. I was going to talk about Tammy Faye Messner more popularly known as Tammy Faye Bakker. I remember a friend of mine in college saying at the dinner table, during the time when the Bakkers were being lambasted in the media, that Tammy Faye Bakker wasn't "that bad," and I had to agree with her. I do think she spent lavishly and had some shady financial dealings. But that doesn't really affect me and is not my business. What's to get all upset about?

A few years ago, I heard there was a documentary movie about her called The Eyes of Tammy Faye. I love documentaries and was intrigued by the topic of this one, and it was playing at Real Art Ways, so Sweetie and I went to see it. See, the thing about Jim and Tammy Faye is that they were Evangelical Christians who actually had gay AIDS sufferers as guests on their show. In Wikipedia it says that Tammy Faye "[urged] her viewers to follow Christ and show sympathy and pray for the sick." The movie shows one of these clips and it also shows how the Bakkers were viciously betrayed by Jerry Falwell.

I urge you to see the movie (I checked and it's available on Netflix). It has sympathy for its subject matter while still showing the possibility of the financial wrongdoing and the camp value of her highly made-up persona. It's also just a good documentary. Sadly, Tammy Faye is now gravely ill with cancer; most likely she will not live much longer. I truly admire this woman and think she is a kind person who was treated unfairly by the media. I hope she has found peace.

Labels: school, the world around us, watching

posted by Miss Rachel 5/16/2007 08:03:00 PM

. . .

As I said last night, I'm getting my hair trimmed. I'm going to the salon up at school. It's in a little group of shops, restaurants and offices (including the Library Science office) across from the school called the Village Commons. The Village Commons is so great. It's one of the few things called that where it's not a euphemism for "a strip mall of chain stores." There are walkways and little nooks and crannies and benches to sit on, and none of the stores are chains.

My hair appointment is before class. I also have to pick up the course evaluation forms at the office before my class. The school needs a student volunteer to distribute and collect the evaluations, and I volunteered to do it for my class. It's such a little thing, but I feel so proud of myself for volunteering to do it, like I'm being a good citizen. So I'm heading up to school a bit earlier than usual to make sure I have adequate time. I don't mind going up there early. It's so pretty, and we are having some lovely spring weather now anyway. The lilacs are coming into bloom. Maybe I will see some up at school. :-)

Labels: school, spring, the world around us

posted by Miss Rachel 5/12/2007 07:43:00 AM

. . .

I don't feel like posting, but I want to get back into it so here are some random bits:

I finished my paper, presented it to my class and handed it in. There is one more class (with other students' presentations), but my work is done until the summer session starts.

My workout plan for the week: weights today and Thursday, plus three cardio workouts.

Spring is beautiful, but I'm already mourning the ephemeral quality of some of the blooms. Forsythia and magnolia are almost gone by. Lilacs will be out soon.

I started reading Pride and Prejudice yesterday, but mostly all I want to do is watch videos.

I have been watching tons of vidoes, especially Poirot. I also caught up on some Ugly Betty yesterday. I got hooked on The Amazing Race, but now it's over.

Watching: Battlestar Galactica, Season 2.5.
Six Feet Under, Season 5.
Ugly Betty
Rocky and Bullwinkle, Season 1.
Poirot: The Veiled Lady, The Lost Mine, The Cornish Mystery, The Disappearance of Mr. Davenheim, Double Sin, The Adventure of the Cheap Flat, The Kidnapped Prime Minister, The Adventure of the Western Star, How Does Your Garden Grow? The Tragedy at Marsdon Manor, The Double Clue, The Mystery of the Spanish Chest.

Labels: physical fitness, reading, school, spring, watching

posted by Miss Rachel 5/07/2007 08:02:00 PM

. . .

I did pose for the Library Science photo at school on Saturday. I wore my pink Red Sox cap in the picture. I was standing behind someone else wearing a Red Sox cap, but his wasn't pink.

I always have my final paper for Cataloging class in the back of my mind, but I'm still avoiding working on it. I have a feeling that it's done, and I certainly hope I'm right (!), but I need to proofread it, and edit it. It's up to about 7 pages. I chatted with this girl who took the Cataloging class last semester and she said that her paper was only 5 pages long (the paper is supposed to be 8 to 10 pages). She said the teacher said it was a little short, but still gave her a B+. Hearing something like this increases my confidence.

I mentioned smoking last week, and yes, I have taken it up again. For now. Parameters are the same as they were in December: none before noon, none at work, no more than one per sitting and no more than four per day. It's been going fine and often I have fewer than four. It took me 8 days to get through one pack. And yes, I know it's bad for me and all that, but I'm trying to keep my head together, and somehow, smoking helps me deal.

I am still working out regularly and tracking my food in Fitday. The trainer at the gym said I looked like I'd lost weight. I have lost 2.5 pounds off my highest recent weight, which was actually a pound more than I told my doctor so I'm sort of seeing it as a 1.5 pound loss, if that makes sense. At any rate, it's a move in the right direction. Just a very small one, but I'm trying to stay positive here.

The weather is mild and everything is turning lush and green.

Labels: fat, fitness, school, spring

posted by Miss Rachel 5/01/2007 07:14:00 PM

. . .

The Impostor Syndrome

Members of my program at school are supposed to convene at the library after the morning class (it ends at 12:15) today for a photograph. I usually go to the library before my class (which is in the afternoon) to buy a cafe au lait so today, I'll just go earlier so I can be in the photograph. I'm going, but I feel a little weird about posing for the photograph. Am I really part of the program? I've only completed one class, and I'll only have completed two by the end of this semester. I don't feel part of the group. Am I an impostor?

Labels: school

posted by Miss Rachel 4/28/2007 10:32:00 AM

. . .

I am taking yet another day off from work to do schoolwork, but I haven't done any of it yet today. Yesterday, I conducted my interview with the librarian and took tons of notes. Afterward, she gave me a tour of the office (she is a librarian, but she works in an office for a library consortium), and introduced me around (there were about 6 other people who worked there). Everyone was very nice, and they expressed instant groans of recognition when they were told my paper topic was quality control in cataloging. The manager said that it was good to see a "young person" interested in that sort of thing. Hee! I'm betting he didn't realize that I'm 40.

In the afternoon, I spent a couple hours typing up my paper from my notes before I could forget what they meant. I have about 5 pages now which, after editing, will probably pare down to more like 4, but I think it's a good chunk. I e-mailed it to my work address so in case I have some kind of computer crash, it will be available. I know I can also save it on disc, but honestly, I still haven't quite mastered how to do that without Sweetie's guidance (burn folder - whaaa?). Yeah, I'm sure I can do it by myself, but I just haven't bothered to remember it exactly. I think one more disc burning review session, and I'll have it down. Another thing I usually like to do with paper drafts is print them, but my printer isn't working right. As Sweetie says, my printer is worth every cent I paid for it. (It was a free printer.)

********************

Sometimes I've heard people say that the weather in New England is so severe nowadays that the seasons go from winter to summer with no spring. But I don't really think that's true. We have spring; it's just not very long. Yesterday, however, would be a point in favor of the "no spring" argument because it was like a summer day - sunny with temperatures in the 80s. As Mike Landin said, "Yesterday was like a day out of midsummer, minus the high humidity. In other words, it was spectacular."

After working on my paper, I spent some time hanging outside with Blue listening to my iPod (and uh... um, smoking a few cigarettes...). I was sitting on the steps of the deck with Blue lying behind me, and I decided to see how he would work out as a back and head rest. Turns out, he does a great job. A few times he put his snout in my face, but mostly we just hung out peacefully communing with one another and the summery breeze.

Labels: Blue, library science, life at home, school, spring

posted by Miss Rachel 4/24/2007 09:35:00 AM

. . .

I'm taking today off from work to do research for my paper. I am thankful that it's not just reading kind of research, but interviewing someone! My paper is on cataloging errors, and when I was at a party a few weeks ago, I met this woman who turned out to be a librarian. I told her I was taking a course in cataloging, and somehow she got to mentioning that the OCLC (Online Computer Library Catalog) was not a clean database. I had read about this very issue for my paper so I suddenly got this brilliant idea: if she was amenable, I could interview her for my paper! Turns out, she was quite willing to do this so I'm meeting her today.

Then, yesterday Sweetie and I went to the hospital to see his sister who had just had a baby. So we got there, and she and the baby were there (they're both doing well) with her best friend. Sweetie's sister had told her friend about my going to library school and she was asking me about it, and then she started telling me about the research she had to do for a book she is writing about her grandfather, who was a pilot in World War II. She told me about her trip to the National Archives, and how cool it was, but that she had some difficulty accessing the information she was looking for. I mentioned my topic and then she started telling me all this stuff about the problems she had had, and did I want to talk to / e-mail her about it. She said she could easily give me 10 pages (the length my paper needs to be) just from her experiences researching this book.

Wow! It's amazing how I went to two purely social events and ended up finding fabulous resources for research. Both people were totally willing to talk to me about it, and Sweetie's sister's friend actually volunteered to give me information. Another thing I've noticed from talking to people "out in the world" is that some of them realize how the field ofLibrary Scienceis really very cool and interesting today. Although I still seem to meet people who don't get it, it's great when I meet people who do.

Labels: library science, school

posted by Miss Rachel 4/23/2007 07:40:00 AM

. . .

Yea, I made it through a week alone! Yes, I've done it before, but I was feeling pretty low about it last Sunday (Easter) after I took Sweetie to the airport that morning. Had almost a whole day alone and of course, I didn't use it productively to study. At first I was wondering while I was feeling so low since Sweetie had just left, but I realized it was the prospect of his being gone for over a week (he returns Sunday night - tomorrow! yea!) that really was making me miss him.

So Sunday was sucky, but having to go to work the rest of the week actually helped me keep it together and not get bogged down in loneliness. I worked out every day too, which may have helped my mood. So anyway, here I am having made it through to Saturday and expecting a visit from my mom and my sister! I have class this afternoon, but they will be here when I get back. Their visit will be brief (they're leaving early tomorrow to avoid driving in a predicted storm), but it will be good to see them as I haven't seen them since Christmas - that's almost 4 months! ("Up to 4 months!" TV commercial reference... 2 points if you can get it.)

********************

I had a little freak-out on Wednesday night working on the homework that's due today. I felt as if I had forgotten everything I learned or just totally missed something I should have learned. I was starting to panic so in desperation, I e-mailed this girl in my class who very kindly e-mailed me back (she wrote "don't panic!") and cleared things up for me. Turns out, I was doing it right, but I thought it had to be harder than that.

********************

On the fitness front, I am still totally kicking butt. I worked out 5 times this week, and lost another pound. Yesterday this girl at work said I looked thinner so that was nice to hear. I think it will be good to have a day (or two) off from working out because my treadmill workout yesterday was really tough on my feet. I walked at 4 mph for 17 minutes, interspered with 3 one-minute 5 mph running intervals, all at a 2% incline. This was after 20 minutes on the elliptical trainer. I know 3 minutes of running doesn't sound like much, but it does wear me out. I made sure I took the time to stretch afterward even though I just wanted to get home, but my feet still feel a little sore, or maybe not sore exactly, but tired.

********************

Off to school now!

Watching: Poirot: Murder on the Links starring David Suchet.

Labels: family, life at home, physical fitness, school

posted by Miss Rachel 4/14/2007 08:58:00 AM

. . .

I did my new workout, and it was really really tough. Sweat pouring down kind of tough. It also took kind of a long time (over an hour), but I'm hoping that now that I know what to do (yesterday I was learning it for the first time), it will not take as long. I recorded it as a 45 minute workout because there are rests between the exercises. I'm feeling sore now, but in a good way. Today I was rewarded for my efforts with another half pound down from my low weight of last week.

I am still struggling to get myself to work on my paper and other schoolwork. Last night I read another article and then made myself type up a few sentences about it. I thought if I just put something down maybe it would help get me doing some more. I saved what I had typed and e-mailed it to myself at my work address. Work has been really slow lately, and I'm thinking I should use the slowness as an opportunity to do schoolwork.

Around 9:30 last night, I turned on the TV and started watching this American Experience about the People's Temple Church. Of course, it's a very creepy story and the show had many clips and tapes of the church, including a tape of what was said during the famous mass "suicide." Creeee-py, but I was drawn in and kept watching. There were also a number of survivors talking about their experience which was very sad. All in all, I don't regret watching it, but it wasn't the positive stuff I should be watching. This from a girl who watches Six Feet Under. And, let's face it, the other stuff I watch (Battlestar Galactica and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, for example) is not exactly positive either.

Labels: fitness, school, watching

posted by Miss Rachel 4/10/2007 06:43:00 AM

. . .

The Underminer

Yesterday I realized I had forgotten my yogurt so when GG and another coworker, K asked if I wanted to go to the cafeteria with them I said yes. We talked about various things, and on the way back I got to talking about school and mentioned that I was taking a class this summer, and K asked me what it was. I said I didn't know much about it, but it was about the role of research in the field. As we got off the elevator, GG, who had been silent up to this point, said, "Well it sounds as if you've got a really boring summer ahead of you." I was stunned and hurt so I just didn't look at him or say anything and headed back to my desk. He started to say something to the effect that he meant that to him it sounded boring and that a course about something-or-other would be interesting, but I just kept walking away.

So I sat down at my desk feeling kind of bad, and I started to doubt myself. Maybe I had talked too much? But, no K has often asked me about school, and she had actually asked me about the course. Then I started to feel as if I wanted to defend librarianship and explain how it was a really interesting profession and that GG and other people just don't understand it because they are jumping to conclusions from some outdated, negative stereotypes about librarians. Then I stopped myself, and just realized that I had had an encounter with The Underminer.*

No, he's not nearly as bad as the person in the story, but what he said was just plain mean. Later there was a quick department meeting when our new department manager was announced. GG sat down next to me, and after the meeting he said, "Three more weeks; just three more weeks till my vacation. I have to go shopping for some things for my trip..." Then I realized that he probably had wanted to talk about his vacation when we went to the cafeteria, but instead we talked about my school which wasn't of interest to him. So, he tried to undermine me.

So yeah, what he said hurt my feelings. I think he realized that what he said bothered me, but he's not the type of person to acknowledge that and say he's sorry, and I don't want to make myself vulnerable by saying anything so I'm just going to let it go, and realize that he's not always a Friend. When I talked to the psychic counselor a few weeks ago, she said I seemed to isolate myself at work. I knew this was true, and I thought I might have to defend my stance, but she said that there were a lot of negative people around me so it wasn't bad that I isolated myself.

*see Act 3

Labels: friends, library science, school

posted by Miss Rachel 4/03/2007 06:53:00 PM

. . .

Miss Rachel Approximately

Doing better. So far this week... I met a librarian at a party on Sunday and she agreed that I could interview her for my catatloging paper; I've worked out three times and have been eating less; I read a chapter in my textbook (this may not seem like much, but for this textbook, it is); I gave a presentation of sorts to some visitors from the home office at work today and handled questions as if I actually knew what I was talking about; I got them all to laugh a fair amount too and one of the people said that the presentation was both informative and enjoyable. Boy, that was a great feeling. And I bought Highway 61 Revisited on Sunday and have been listening to it a bit. Some of you might have guessed that from the title of this post.

Labels: fitness, listening, school, work

posted by Miss Rachel 3/28/2007 08:29:00 PM

. . .

I still haven't done my homework, but the dinner was good. For the variables in the recipe, I used the following: olive oil, canned diced tomatoes, Yukon Gold potatoes, Imagine brand vegetable broth and chopped fresh kale with the stems removed. I have whole mustard seeds so I added those as was suggested. I forgot about serving it with lime juice, and I should have used more curry powder than I did, but the dish still tasted good. I'm thinking it might even be good left over.

Re my homework: I said to Sweetie, "I wonder if the person who wrote this book knows how boring it is." I was referring to the textbook for the class. I don't think the book is necessarily badly written; it's just on very dull subject matter. I'm hoping it will help me with my homework assignment, but I'm not sure if it even discusses what we have to do in the homework assignment. And trying to read it started to put me to sleep today... oy.

Labels: food, school

posted by Miss Rachel 3/18/2007 07:23:00 PM

. . .

I'm planning a trip to Rockport on Friday and this is the forecast: "The potential exists for 6 or more inches of snow and sleet accumulation late Thursday night into Friday... with the highest confidence north of the Massachusetts Turnpike." Yes, the storm is scheduled for exactly when and where I'm driving. And yesterday and today I drove home with my sun roof open. Such is New England weather...

I have been being a total slacker as far as schoolwork is concerned. There is a homework assignment due next class, and I haven't done it yet, but the main thing I should really be doing is gathering and reading material for my paper. And I haven't been doing that either. I have no idea how I'm going to write a 10 page paper on errors in cataloging. Of course, it would help if I started reading up on it, right? Well, maybe if the weather really turns out to be bad, I'll stay home and study this weekend.

One thing I haven't been slacking on is working out. I did weights on Monday, 30 minutes of cardio Tuesday, 40 minutes of cardio today, and tomorrow it's weights again. I haven't gotten on the scale because I don't want the potential number to discourage me. I was really being a chunky monkey, bingeing a lot in the previous weeks, but my eating has been good this week. Still, there's always the possibility that it won't show on the scale, plus I may still have some of the previous "chunky monkey-ness" to work off.

Watching: The Simpsons, Season Two.
Listening: Joni Mitchell - Court and Spark.

Labels: fitness, listening, school, watching, winter

posted by Miss Rachel 3/14/2007 08:48:00 PM

. . .

One of the things about my new job is that "they" like someone to work until 7 PM to answer requests that come in from the west coast. Since I started a couple of weeks ago, I haven't stayed late once and no one seemed to notice. My boss hadn't said anything, but I suggested that I would try doing the later (10:30 to 7) schedule on Monday and Wednesday this week and he said all right. I made it clear I don't want to do it more than that. The schedule was part of the bullsh** deal that was never discussed when the job was offered to me and just assumed I would do.

********************

School is going all right. I'm not that crazy about my class this semester. The subject matter is very dry, and I don't feel engaged with it, but I'm hoping to I will eventually. I took Friday afternoon off to do my homework, some very technical catalonging coding stuff called MARC. No homework was assigned for this coming week, except for reading so I'm feeling pretty relaxed for now. I do like the teacher and she does a good job of getting us involved in class, but the some of the stuff is just pretty dry, and there's not much that can be done about it.

Week after next is spring break, and dude, I'm gonna get so wasted, and it's gonna be totally awesome!!! Yeah, right. I never even did "spring break" when I was in undergrad in the 80s. I am going to take an extra day or two off though, and take Blue and go up and visit my mom and sister that weekend. I hate shopping alone, but I do like shopping with them, and I need some shoes so a shopping trip is on the agenda for the weekend. How girly, huh?

********************

I went to yoga class yesterday morning. I know that being critical of and comparing onself to others is totally not a yogic way of thinking, but... do you ever do this? I feel bad about it, but I do find myself my doing it anyway. I especially get annoyed with the people who do the hardest form of a pose, when the teacher doesn't suggest it. I feel like they're showing off, and it bothers me. I mentioned this to my sister, and she said that once she was in a class and everyone was struggling to learn how to do a split and no one could really do it, except this one woman, and she was sitting there looking all bored while the rest of them struggled.

I never had this feeling in the kundalini classes I used to take in a church basement, but now that I am going to an actual "yoga studio" I find myself getting irritated with some of the "glam" people who go there. Like sometimes there's this woman who wears really sexy clothes and sets up in the middle of the room and not only does the most advanced form of poses, but does completley different poses from the ones that are being taught. Huh? I just feel that's showing off. I mean if you're not going to follow the class AND you plunk yourself right in the middle of it, you must be showing off. I know my response has to do with my insecurity, but I can't help feeling really annoyed with this woman. Fortunately, she wasn't in class yesterday.

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Watching: Fight Club (1999) starring Edward Norton, Brad Pitt and Helena Bonham Carter. I wasn't too keen on seeing this, but after I found out it was based on more of a "therapy" idea, as opposed to just fighting, I watched some of it with Sweetie. I did find the violence a little too much, and I covered my eyes during parts of it, and even left the room sometimes, but it was kind of interesting. Sweetie said he felt it was getting to be one of those movies he "had" to see because he was always reading references to it. I'm guessing especially on those geeky Mac message boards he visits.

Labels: family, school, watching, work, yoga

posted by Miss Rachel 3/05/2007 08:22:00 AM

. . .

What Has Been Going On

I never seem to have enough time, and this wee