What I learned in School Today

Think of the most ridiculous item that might exist and have a patent. Like, cat boots, and do a search for this term on Google patents. And see what it comes up with! You can look at the images and drawings that go along with the patent.
Here's a suggestion: search "nose pick". Have fun!

Standard Response

Because I get a lot of questions about being in school, along the lines of "How's school?", I've decided to develop a "standard response". This, of course, will only work on a semester-to-semester basis since courses and situations change. I'm secretly hoping that if I overwhelm the inquiring minds, they'll stop asking...
Here's some questions and answers:

How long is the program? a year?
If anyone has completed the program in a year they are a legend and no doubt their personal relationships have completely failed. They're now single or divorced. Most sane people take 2 years to complete the program. It's 36 credits. Each class is 3 credits. 36/3= 12 classes. Most people take 2, maybe 3 classes each semester. It's a part-time program.

How's the semester going?

This is my 2nd semester at Simmons GSLIS West. At the end of this semester I will be 1/3 of the way towards my degree (36 total credits). This semester I'm taking 2 classes: LIS 404, Principles of Management (required) and LIS 484, Literature of the Sciences and Technology. My classes meet on Saturdays on the Mount Holyoke College campus. If all goes well, I will never have to take a class in Boston. LIS 404 is blended, which meets half the time face-to-face and half on-line. LIS 484 meets in person.

Here are the course descpriptions:
LIS 404 Principles of Management: Designed to acquaint students with the basic management functions of planning, organizing, staffing, directing, and controlling. The course is intended to help provide understanding of human interactions in the workplace and develop the practical problem-solving skills needed to handle managerial problems professionally. Approaches to managing, from authoritarian to participative to laissez-faire, are examined. Work for the course includes readings, case studies, critical incidents, simulations, and discussions.
LIS 484 Literature of Science and Technology: teaches the structure and properties of the literature of science and technology as they relate to information generation, dissemination, and use. Students are introduced to major reference sources and bibliographic tools encountered in scientific information work in all formats. Collection development, scientific communication patterns, bibliographic instruction, and other topics related to sci-tech librarianship and information handling are covered. Practical assignments in scientific and technical reference, and individual projects are provided. Prerequisite: LIS 407.

Although LIS 484 meets face-to-face every Saturday afternoon, a portion of the class is taught on-line via Blackboard (aka "e-learning"). It's conventient since I can do my course work in the comfort of my home in my pajamas. You may laugh, but this is true.

In addition to my 2 courses I'm a volunteer at two libraries. I've been volunteering one afternoon at the Springfield City Library in Springfield, MA for almost a year. My responsibilities include:

• Gathering library materials for "Library-in-Your-Mailbox" clients.
• Providing Reader's Advisory service to "Library-in-Your-Mailbox" clients.
  
• Maintaining records for "Library-in-Your-Mailbox" clients using MS Access.
• Assistant instructor for computer literacy courses.
• Creating fiction and non-fiction book displays.
• Searching the stacks for missing books
• Searching microfilm for obit and/or death notices per patron requests.

Beginning next week, I'll start a volunteer internship at Bay Path College Hatch Library in Longmeadow, MA. I'll be doing a variety of tasks, including Reference, Inter-library loan, cataloging (tech services), and bibliographic instruction.

In general, I try to have two solid days off a week- Sunday and Monday. Tuesday is my "in the field day". And Wednesday - Friday are study days. Saturday is school day.

I hope you've enjoyed my "standard response". Please let me know if I haven't answered any of your questions about school.

Trip in Town

OK, so my title "Trip in Town" is because that's the way you talk about going to Boston when you're from there. "I'm going to Town." etc... And since I'm from out that way and spent a good 10+ years working in Town I learned to talk like that. "The City" is New York, "Town" or "In Town" is Boston. (by the way... I "borrowed" this photo.)


So, the country mice (that's us), left Hatfield at about 9:30, made a couple of stops Downtown (that's Northampton for us), and got on the road at about 9:50. We got to Simmons at about 12 noon and, naturally, couldn't find parking! I had to retrieve my 3 photos that were hanging in the tech lab since January. Trevor found a sort-of place to park while I went into the building to get the photos. Once we were done there we drove over to Jamaica Plain, or JP as the locals call it, and went to Arnold Arboretum and had a lovely picnic lunch. The Arboretum is an amazing oasis of 265 beautiful acres of trees, shrubs, and manicured lawns in the city of Boston. It's owned by the city of Boston but is leased to Harvard University for 1,000 years. I think that arrangement might have started 100 years ago so Harvard may only have 900 years left on their lease.
We spent about 2 hours ambling around and only saw 1/4 of the place, at the most! What we saw was fabulous and we're already planning a return trip.

This is one of several cork trees at the Arboretum. The cork from this tree is not kind that's used for wine bottles or whatever else people use cork for (can't think of anything... one track mind...) The most famous cork tree was cut down about 12 years ago. Too many people sat on one of its branches and the branch broke. I think I may be guilty of once sitting on that branch!

This is one of several HUGE Poplar trees. We ate lunch beneath this tree. While Trevor napped I snapped a few photos.

This is the tallest tree in the Arboretum, a silver maple. That's Trevor way on the left. According to the brochure, it survived the hurricane of 1938. It's one of the 600 trees at the Arboretum that is over 100 years old.

A dawn redwood that is native to Japan. It's pretty cool. Trevor likes it. Trevor hasn't met a tree he doesn't like. If he has, I don't know about it.

Sapphire berries. Very pretty. Also on the tour of trees and shrubs over 100 years old.

My First Commissioned Piece

My friend, Bob Perry, is one of the owners of the Elephant Walk restaurants in the Boston area. He's also treasurer of the Fryeburg New Church Assembly . This summer at camp he asked me to crochet a scarf for his wife, Geraldine. The scarf that he wanted was the Curly Scarf in the Chicks with Sticks Guide to Crochet. I donated a scarf to the sales table auction at camp this summer but he thought the yarn was going to be too itchy for Geraldine who has very sensitive skin (I could relate). I happened to have a ball of Plymouth Baby Alpaca Brush Paint in my bag. It's 80% baby alpaca and 20% nylon. He really liked the colors (none of the ones on the Web's page) and so we decided that I'd make the scarf with that yarn. He also told me he'd pay me for my time.

While we were in the NEK for our long weekend, made extra long when I realized we didn't need to go home on Monday, I worked on the scarf. I spent about 2 hours working on it. Pretty much the entire time was spent sitting on the deck in the sun crocheting. It doesn't get much better for me. Sitting in the sun on the beach crocheting is how it gets better.

When I was done, I took several pictures, as you may guessed. I emailed Bob when I got home to tell him the scarf was done. I sent him several photos. He said, "I love the scarf - and I L O V E the photo presentation! Very creative; very cool!" We agreed on a price ($40) and I mailed the scarf today.

Now I'm thinking about how I can do more of that...