2012 - Recap and Resolutions

There is only one more day left of this year which is a perfect opportunity to do a small recap of this last year and maybe mention some plans for 2013.

This year was the first time World Book Night happened in the U.S. and I was able to hand out 20 copies of Ender's Game to unsuspecting students at my community college. I hosted Script Frenzy at my library. I went to LOEX of the West in California and also traveled to Cancun with my family. My brother was married in November. Despite much procrastination I've managed to make it to the 3/4 mark in my story during NaNoWriMo and I've broken back into the music scene and have been playing timpani for a great wind ensemble. I've also started taking classes to get a certificate in Music Technology.

Best:

Movie - The Avengers

Books

I managed to read 44 books, only one away from my goal of 45. Of those books there are two that have stuck with me: Margaret Atwood's Oryx and Crake and Katherine Boo's Behind the Beautiful Forevers. I would recommend both to almost anybody. 

Oryx and Crake is written with an amazing narrative voice. I slipped right into the story and it left me wanting more. Luckily, it's a series and I plan on reading the next hopefully after I read Atwood's well-known and highly recommended A Handmaid's Tale. 

 

Behind the Beautiful Forevers was written by a journalist and is a non-fiction story about people who live in the slums of Mumbai outside of an airport. Boo tells the story with great clarity yet it didn't feel like non-fiction. It was interesting to see how each of the characters viewed their world and how they tried to survive in such a bleak environment.

Music

I have to say my favorite finds for this year were:

Gotye and Jalan Crossland

Plans or Resolutions

Someone told me that my "resolutions" for the new year were not creative enough so here is my tentative list of hopeful goals for this next year:

• Actually finish my first story
• Read 35 novels - I know this is 10 less from 2012 but part of this goal is to read more classic novels which will take me a bit longer and I want to make sure I actually have the time to enjoy them.
• Work on researching and then outlining a libretto or musical
• Research grad schools (possible apply for grad school)
• Write more
• Research and possibly publish an article
• Finish a self-designed quilt
• Design and start a steampunk &/or Renaissance costume(s)

...and so on

Anyways, it's been a great year and I look forward to all the possibilities that 2013 can bring!

Happy New Year!

Holiday Reading

Drawn from my library's popular reading collection, here are some titles our users have checked out for the holiday break:

• Sacre Bleu/Christopher Moore
• The Twelve/Justin Cronin (Sequel to The Passage)
• Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy/John le Carré
• The Paris Wife/Paula McLain
• Tigerheart/ Peter David
• The Shoemaker's Wife/Adriana Trigiani

What will I be reading over the holiday break? Hopefully two Wheel of Time novels, a novella by one of my all time favorite authors, Deanna Raybourn, and quick mystery by Lisa Jackson.
 

What are you reading this winter?

Review - Daughter of Smoke and Bone

 

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

 

I’m one of those people who picks up a book based on the cover, and the blue masquerade mask on this one is what caught my attention. When I read the description about angels verses demons and the girl caught in between I was intrigued enough to look into it further and purchase this YA fantasy book for my library. So far the people I know who’ve read it have really enjoyed it.

 

Karou is a unique student with naturally growing blue hair and plenty of tattoos who attends a special school in Prague and has a best friend who comes from a long line of puppeteers. If you don’t think that’s fun and interesting enough, let’s throw in her demon-based family who live in a room that has a front door which opens to anywhere in the world. And teeth, don’t forget the teeth.

 

The first third of this book I really did enjoy: strong female character, wonderful cities, cool demon-like characters, neat artistic ideas. This only changes when black hand marks begin showing up on doors and dark angels appear. Then you shoved into the love story. If you are a fan of romance, great. You’ll really enjoy this. I like small bits that support plot and don’t get too cumbersome. I found the romance to be a bit too intense, too fast and too…much. But after we got through the initial part of it (the second third of the book) the story continues on with plot, which I love.

 

If you like this, pick up the second in the series, Days of Blood and Starlight.

 

 

 

Read-alikes: Brian K. Vaughn’s Saga – this is a new graphic novel series. I just happened to pick this up at the same time and I was impressed with how they complemented each other. Highly recommended.

 

Nanowrimo 2012, pt. 2

We’re well almost done with Nanowrimo. How am I doing you might ask? Choose one of the following replies:

                A snort

                A weak or nervous laugh

                “Nano-whose-a-what’s-it?”

                Crying

This is my third attempt and as always I have fallen behind almost beyond recovery. Almost, I say. I had high hopes for making some headway this week during Thanksgiving Break while my family is happily making delicious foods and playing super fun video games or yelling at my dog to stop playing with their dog while I move from room to room to find the perfect quiet and nondistracting spot to catch up. No such luck. BUT, on the bright side, this year I have had more people excited about trying Nanowrimo at the library and a large part of that seemed to be because I gave them the option of choosing their own word goal. On another bright-side, (because there are multiple), after two library events of Nanowrimo and one event of Script Frenzy I feel that I might have material to write a paper. Yay for papers! Wait, what now? Yeah, yeah, yeah, guess I should actually do some real professional-ish type stuff.

But until then, back to my story! With maybe some fun reading on the side.

Stay tuned for a review of Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

NaNoWriMo 2012

Oh my gosh! It’s happening again!

Yeah, that’s write, we turned our heads, looked the other way and when we turned back it was November staring us in the face which means back again is NaNoWriMo! Attempt three for me and attempt two for Brenna. I hope we’re both excited to start this crazy writing-fest with tons of other obligations on our plates. 

 This year at my library I have advertised that participants can choose their own word goal which may have brought a few frowns from past participants but darn-it, I’ll do anything to get my Wrimo’s! And I also don’t think I can make the 50,000 word goal. Instead I’ve made a few goals of my own. I’ll be continuing my fantasy story that I’ve wanted to finish for ages and I’ll be aiming for a word goal of 30,000 which is about 10,000 more than what I usually write.

So batton down the hatches, double-charge that computer and get the ol’ portable hard drive ready – it’s NaNoWrimo time!

Library Support Staff Certification

I have recently engaged in the American Library Association's Library Support Staff Certification process. To gain certification, support staff must successfully complete 6 courses (or turn in 6 qualified portfolios) proving their knowledge in specified areas of library science. Each course is approximately 6 weeks long (6 seems to be the magic number!) and aims to impart formal library training and education on employees who have not completed a Master's in Library Science.

While tuition and fees can be costly (essentially the $$$ of an online undergraduate class), scholarships are available (Wyomingites, refer to the Carol McMurry Library Endowment) to alleviate the expense. My impressions thus far boil down this: these classes help me take a step back and view my position, my department, and my library with fresh eyes. And that in turn makes me better at my job.

End of Spring Semester

This is the last week of Spring semester at my school. Classes ended Monday and now we're sitting back and watching as students dash like mad to finish papers and study for exams. To celebrate the end of the semester and an extremely long year, I'm going to Cancun. Until then, here is a recaper of the events at my library for the last month

Script Frenzy - 2 participants were amazing and actually able to write 100 pages of a script within the 30-day time frame. I'm so proud of them! We're having a celebration party this week.

World Book Night - my library was a drop site for 12 Givers and on April 23rd we all went out and gave away 20 books each to some very excited people. My book was Ender's Game and I was more than happy to share it. I definitely recommend this to all for next year. It was so much fun. So sign up for a newsletter to keep track of developments - http://www.us.worldbooknight.org/

Book Madness - Bracket style war of classic titles. We started out with 24 books and ended with Fellowship of the Rings winning Best in Show.

Project Return Your Books - we have 100 bags of puppy chow to give away to students if they clear they're library accounts. So far only a few people have taken us up on the treats. Otherwise we have some pleasantly surprised students who are just returning their books and lots of happy basketball players.

And lastly, it didn't really happen in the library but it was entertaining non-the-less. Humans vs. Zombies took place for the second time on our campus. I'd say this round wasn't nearly as active as the round in October but I was still able to see a few human students and zombie students sneaking around campus with their Nerf swords and guns. I even saw a Captain America joining the fight to save humanity.

So as the semester draws to an end and all our amazing students clear out for the summer, I still find myself getting very excited for the summer activities that will be happening around Sheridan as well as being able to finish some other projects.

The Crazy Within

Working in a library may seem stodgy and boring, and at times it can be. However, at times it can be anything but. Odd patrons and situations afford a certain humor and eccentricity to the job, which keep it from being dull, to say the least. Some incidents are disgusting, some are funny, but all illustrate what I like to call the crazy within.

Here are just a few of situations I’ve encountered in my short career.

Snakes in the Library: Last week, one of my student employees told me there was a man with a snake. I had her clarify that she indeed meant there was a man in the library with a snake (a python, no less) around his neck. Channeling Britney Spears circa 2001, he walked around the building proudly displaying his living boa. Fortunately, he did not stay long and departed the building before the police could arrive.

The Dog Whisperer…or Not: I am in charge of billing patrons for damages to library materials. About a year ago, a girl borrowed The Dog Whisperer season one and a Cesar Millan dog training book. Both items were returned having been chewed by the girl’s puppy. I had a wee bit of a giggle over that one.

The Odd Duck: We have several regular patrons who are, for lack of a better word, odd. One in particular seems to feed off of attention, both positive and negative. One day, this fellow arrived at the library in short, (SHORT!), spandex shorts and a fedora, with an unlit cigar hanging out of his mouth. He proceeded to waltz through the lobby, then through his Interlibrary Loan transaction before waltzing back out of the building. I guess some days just call for cigars and dancing.

The Bodily Fluid Conundrum: I recently billed a patron for “bodily fluid” damage to several library books. Bodily fluid is a category that encompasses many substances, but in the case referred to the obvious animal urine that was both on and wafting from his books. When the patron came to the library to contest his bill, he informed me that the books were minimally damaged and most definitely NOT with “bodily fluids” of any kind. He told me he could clean them on the spot and then proceeded to spit on one of the books. A little elbow (or finger) grease, and bada bing! The book was clean! I don’t think he realized the irony of what he was doing, but in any case we billed him for bodily fluid damage.

Sexploitations: I couldn’t just pick one.

The Bathroom Trist: A student employee found a couple having sex in the men’s bathroom on the fourth floor. Do I need to point out that public bathrooms are disgusting?

Playboy Misadventures: A damaged book was found in the stacks and given to me. It was a 50th Anniversary Playboy picture book and (drum roll please) several of the pages were stuck together. With what, you might ask? I shall leave it to your imagination. The truly disturbing aspect of this incident was that the book had never been checked out, so it had been “used” in the library.

Too Much To Do

It’s been one of those busy crazy semesters. You know the type. It starts out crazy way back in January and at the end of week one you say it will be less busy next week, but it just seems to keep going without leveling out. Then eventually it gets to the point where you decide you must quit something to make room for everything else, but even though you do drop one project or work task another one or three pop up.

                I’ve gotten to that place at work and at home. At work we decided, for many reasons, we would not going to be able to participate in Library week so that we can perform better in all the other activities going on in the next couple weeks - like World Book Night, poetry month, Book Madness, helping with paper competitions (in my boss’ case), Script Frenzy… It’s crazy but I do enjoy the hub bub.

                On the home front, I’ve been trying to decide whether or not I should drop Script Frenzy and just work on my story that I’ve been trying to finish for ages. On the one hand, Script Frenzy is an event I’m spearheading at work, and I feel like I should participate so that our other participants don’t feel abandoned. On the other hand, I’ve put my faery story aside so many times for other projects like grad school and Nanowrimo that I feel like I am just making it worse by pushing it aside again. So I think it has come to the point where I really do need to finish something.

                My boss suggested we become Script Frenzy rebels and work on whatever we want. I think the only thing we need to do now is decide how we will count our progress. Pages, words? I’ve been thinking about starting a new program for the summer along these lines. Perhaps Rough Draft Mania.

And now for some inspirations from one of my favorites: Neil Gaiman on writing.

What I Do that Keeps Me from Writing…and Doing Things Like Script Frenzy

I have always considered myself to be more of a bibliophile than a telephile, but the truth is I watch A LOT of TV. I love a good television program for the same reason I love a good written series; the characters are my friends. I find comfort in returning to them, seeing their quirks, their highs, even experiencing their lows. That said, I am economical with my love. If a show is wasting my time, I cut ties with it. That said, I try not to part ways unnecessarily.

I have found that the success or failure of many a relationship depends on timing; relationships with books , movies or TV shows are no different. Case and point - Downton Abbey. I fell instantly in love with Downton. I watched season 1 in two days and was thrilled to discover season 2 was already released on Blue-Ray/DVD. I immediately dove in to the second season.

Now, if you are not familiar with this BBC masterpiece, what you need to know is that two seasons, (fifteen episodes, plus a Christmas special) covers EIGHT years of Edwardian era history. I didn’t realize this going in and struggled with the swift passing of time as I watched season 2. I found myself left behind by the inhabitants of Downton on more than one occasion; their motives and decisions thusly baffled me. And…I took my frustration out on one character in particular. Lord Robert Crawley, the Earl of Grantham.

The Earl, after playing the part of a reasonably forward-thinking, morally-upstanding nobleman in the first season, SUDDENLY departed from these ways and began doing some questionable things in the second. In but a few short episodes he became an unrecognizable and unlikable fool. I found it hard to muster any amount of sympathy for him. I shook my fist in rage and seriously considered whether I wanted to watch the forthcoming third season of Downton Abbey.

Then I realized. His transformation wasn’t really sudden. It was the culmination of YEARS of harassment and oppression (as he perceived it). It was only from the comfort of my couch in the midst of a Downton marathon that he seemed to devolve shamefully rapidly. (Eight years is truly meaningless when it boils down to a bag of popcorn and a quiet afternoon at home). Perhaps if I had watched the season as it aired on television I would have better felt the passing of time. Who knows?

So, what has all this to do with me not being a writer?

When I find myself berating another person's characters, I often wonder why I don’t write my story. – THE story that is always circling around in my brain. I’ve created the world; I’ve created the characters. I can make them do whatever I want, evolve or devolve as I choose. So why don’t I do it? I don’t know the answer. Until my good friend and co-contributor, Abby, invited me to do NaNoWriMo, I was perfectly content to sit on my couch happily judging other people’s creations while letting mine float about in grey matter unfulfilled. Perhaps it’s time to trade in the fist-shaking (especially at truly excellent shows like Downton Abbey) for pen and paper.

Script Frenzy

This weekend marks the beginning of Script Frenzy and a very hectic month. I’ve never done Script Frenzy before and never really thought of trying it until a drama instructor and my brother-in-law showed an interest after I finished the Nanowrimo program at my library. If you’ve never heard of Nanowrimo I’ll tell you this much for sure; it can be intense. 50,000 words in one month. I don’t know how some people can manage to pull it off. Amongst work, family, exercise, cooking, cleaning, puppies and a sometimes critical writing mind it can be an incredible challenge. I’ve attempted it the last two years and made it to about 19,000-21,000 words before throwing my arms up in the air and deciding to sit back and watch others work continuously through the rest of the month. Why did I try it again? It’s a challenge and I’m a sucker for challenges especially if there is some friendly competition involved.

Script Frenzy will be a whole new challenge. Aside from attempting to get students, faculty and staff interested in it at the end of the semester when all is chaos and spring-starved insanity, this type of story writing is completely foreign to me and will add a whole new adventure of its own. I’ve never written a script before and now I am charged with writing 100 pages by the end of the month. One cool rule for the frenzy is that you can participate with a partner for the same end total of pages. Now I say, “Phaw! That’s cheating! Where’s the fun in that?”

Just kidding. For this month I’ll be attempting the 100 pages in the form of a graphic novel with very little planning and research and maybe quite a bit of drinking. I know what you might be saying. “You’re a librarian. That’s just crazy.”

And…you’re right. Cheers!
-A

Pledge Your Allegiance - Game of Thrones

We are both very excited for the Game of Thrones tv series to start up again. And in celebration...

Meet the Team!

Abby

Introductions, introductions. Hmm, probably the hardest bit of starting a blog. That and actually keeping the blog going. I guess I'll start with the obvious that those reading this from the beginning will most likely know. I've worked in college libraries since I was 18 and have worked in Inter Library Loan, Circulation, Cataloging, Shelving and Reference. I have a B.S. in Biology, minors in Zoology and Music and an MLIS. I also write and quilt. Those are my creds, aside from that I'm interested in a wide variety of subjects that would be more interesting discovered in future posts than listed here now. So stay tuned!

Brenna

A good friend of mine suggested that I blog under the name “The Raven,” and that I end every blog by “quothing” the esteemed Edgar Allen Poe. My real name, Brenna, is Gaelic and means “raven-maiden” or “raven-haired maiden,” and thusly I have always been interested in blackbirds and blackbird lore. That said, while I would love being The Raven (like having a writing alter ego!), I feel more comfortable just being me, which is a library paraprofessional working at a university. Important things to know, which may will influence my blog entries: I have Celiac’s Disease; I love dogs; I am more of an editor than I am a writer; I frequently do beadwork, sometimes knit, sometimes cook and every once in a while quilt.

A&B

The future subjects of posts are really at our whim. We have planned ahead about a month but we'll see how that goes. There will definitely be a lot of "ad libing" but be assured, we basically know what we are doing. We are library professionals.