Maybe next month I'll get a day off...

I knew I was going to be busy but not this busy! OK, I confess I took a few hours off on Monday afternoon to go to a movie with Trevor. The Academy of Music was showing "Oliver" and it was a sing-a-long with the Young at Heart Chorus. It was really fun. That's a long movie! Tuesday morning I did my taxes and the FAFSA. Boy that was fun! I'm not feeling bad about the movie, but I would like those 3 hours back that I spent on taxes and FAFSA. This week would be good.

In addition to going to school all day on Saturdays, there have been workshops to attend on every Sunday in February (including today) with the exception of Feb 7th. I'm attending today's workshop on search strategies and databases, and the one next Sunday (which is March 1st), since I have to finish the Technology Orientation Requirement by March 2nd and I don't speak HTML.

I'm observing at the reference desk at the W.E.B. DuBois Library at UMass tomorrow afternoon for as long as it takes to get 5 really good reference transactions. That's when a person comes up to the reference desk and asks the librarian a really good question, not just "where's the bathroom?", or "I need to find this book.", or "can I borrow a stapler?" or "the printer's out of paper". A really good one, a juicy one, a question that makes the patron want to bow down and worship the librarian when they're finished.

This week will also include: an assignment for Reference due Saturday (and if it's like the previous 2, it'll take me most of the week to complete). A paper (5-7 pages), which I haven't even started or read the material, due for Evaluation also on Saturday. Volunteering at the Springfield City Library Wednesday afternoon.

Busy busy.

Discovering Ways to Procrastinate...

I know it's awfully early in the semester for procrastination but... when the reading gets dull, one must take a little break. I've read that a good way to study is to do 50 minutes then take a 10 minute break.

What are you going to do in those ten minutes? There's the usual: make more tea; check e-mail; update your Facebook status; and while you're there poke some friends; read a blog or two; update your own blog.

Today I learned of a new way to spend those ten minutes: librarian dress up! That's right folks, it's the on-line version of Colorforms and this particular librarian has quite the range of costumes to pick from. Have fun! Mix and match! (I did.)

If You Don't Hear from Me for a While...

Like I said, if you don't hear from me for a while it's because I'm completely overwhelmed by the amount of reading and work I'm doing for grad school. I'd probably do just fine if it was one class. I'd do all the reading and do a bang-up, stellar job on the assignments, but, I'm taking two classes and, well, it's a lot of work!
The Reference and Information Services class that I'm in is my equivalent of undergrad Paleontology with Jim Cullen at Salem State College. That may not mean much to most of you but imagine this: learn 233 sources (reference sources: print, on-line, etc) by the end of the semester. It's your final exam: 30% of your final grade. It's pretty much the same as: learn the phylum, class, order, family, genus, species of all of these specimens (fossils) from 2.5 billion years ago to 65 m.y.a. (that's 'million years ago'). Okay, it's maybe not that bad but at this point in the semester it feels like it. Yes, I'm overwhelmed, to say the least...
Did I mention that I'm taking another class? And the other one isn't exactly a walk in the park either. I'm confident I'll survive all of this but there's added stress in my life in the form of an evil housemate (and I don't use the term 'evil' lightly) who refuses to move out. We even offered him cash! If someone offered me cash, I'd find another place to live. He refuses to pay rent, utilities and do house chores. Nice, huh? So we'll likely have to go to housing court to get rid of this giant 47 year-old self-proclaimed Red Neck teenager who's a big bully. OK, I admit I'm ranting.... but I need to.
Nice timing too. I've waited 10+ years to start grad school and now this giant baby is causing a lot of stress in our lives. We're both completely baffled by all of it. I'm a trusting person, perhaps too trusting, some might say. But that's only because I'm wanting my version of Heaven here on Earth right now. I strive for it on a regular basis. When something like this happens all I learn from it is that I can't trust people and I have to protect myself even more from something like happening in the future. Not exactly my idea of Heaven...

Feel free to send me an email, call, chat with me on Facebook...