Christmas eve and an invitation from Terry and Robin to come for a visit and simple dinner. We had a lot of fun, even if I was pretty out of it. Yes, I'm still fighting the sleep causing illness whatever it is called. They fed us fabulous soup and munchies, played games and we were generally merry. Mary Lou was also in attendance which was also delightful. Personally, I had a great deal of fun asking and answering Harry Potter questions with Terry. Nick said it was fun and relaxing and Shanna only played on her game system a little.
Harry Potter trivia question: What was the name of Harry's Aunt's bulldog? What was the Aunt's name?
Jenny
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Friday, December 22, 2006
Holiday party the second...
Or rather, the one that didn't happen. We're postponing it due to snow and sleep. :) We woke up and the world had gone white. Supposedly we were going to Logan to visit Nan and some of my other siblings tonight. Every Christmas Eve, Eve for the past 7 or so years Nan and I have gotten together to celebrate the season and family. The plan was to do it again. The weather had other plans. I think that if I hadn't been so tired because of this stupid virus I might have taken the jeep and risked it...
Still, it means we get another party after later. I think we're going to wait till Melinda gets back from Texas and then try again. So we'll see the official Holiday party the second post after Christmas.
Back to bed
Jenny
Still, it means we get another party after later. I think we're going to wait till Melinda gets back from Texas and then try again. So we'll see the official Holiday party the second post after Christmas.
Back to bed
Jenny
Monday, December 18, 2006
Holiday party the first....
Well, the first Semenza holiday party of the season went off quite well last night. We invited a bunch of friends over for a potluck dinner with an Italian theme. There was so much food. Nick made his famous Carbonara (bacon, butter, cream, pasta). I made a Risotto Primavera (rice w/veggies), Torta (rice, egg and parmesan pie) and Minestrone. Friends made homemade ravioli, lasagna, salad, asparagus, cheese fondue, brownies, Panatone (fruited bread), Panforte from Sienna (chocolate, honey, hazel nuts, almonds and mushed) which was AMAZING, Fuccidati from Sicily (like a filled pastry/cookie) also yummy, salad, antipasta (salami, mozzarella, mushrooms, anchovies, olives etc...) AND sourdough French bread from San Francisco that Nick's dad sent me home with. I'm still full this morning. I can't believe how good all of the food was. Next year, we're going to have to hold this party at a larger location!
Everyone who attended was interesting and fun to be with, I just wish I could have spent more time talking to everyone there. The house was packed with 17 of us, (though you know my Christmas tree really counts as another person or two). We had people eating and talking all over, though it did make a problem to go from living room to kitchen.
The pothos plant I had on my mantle, outgrew it this season. So I took him off and spread a lit garland of greens, gold leaves, white lights and red jingle bells. Then Nick and I took a coupon to Lowes and bought a huge pre-lit wreath also decorated with gold and red and he hung it over the mirror. :) I thought everything looked fine. I also finally figured out what to do with all the bears. I removed most of the normal doodadish decorations and replaced them with bears. SO there were bears on the shelves, and behind the plants, in with the pinecones and stuffed in the endtables, under the tree and at the front door, bears, bears everywhere. This year, for the first time ever, I think they finally looked like they were really part of the theme.
After Later
Jenny
Everyone who attended was interesting and fun to be with, I just wish I could have spent more time talking to everyone there. The house was packed with 17 of us, (though you know my Christmas tree really counts as another person or two). We had people eating and talking all over, though it did make a problem to go from living room to kitchen.
The pothos plant I had on my mantle, outgrew it this season. So I took him off and spread a lit garland of greens, gold leaves, white lights and red jingle bells. Then Nick and I took a coupon to Lowes and bought a huge pre-lit wreath also decorated with gold and red and he hung it over the mirror. :) I thought everything looked fine. I also finally figured out what to do with all the bears. I removed most of the normal doodadish decorations and replaced them with bears. SO there were bears on the shelves, and behind the plants, in with the pinecones and stuffed in the endtables, under the tree and at the front door, bears, bears everywhere. This year, for the first time ever, I think they finally looked like they were really part of the theme.
After Later
Jenny
Saturday, November 18, 2006
Back on the Road Again … Saturday October 28
Up at 5:00 am and gone by 5:30. Ron stuffed the car (or as I would like to call it, the big red traveling suitcase) completely full of stuff. This stuff included: a wall hanging, serving platters, 4th of July decorations, the family ravioli platter, a down filled vest for Nick, salami, and bunches of french, sourdough and grissini bread. Over the mountain and across the plains we drove. For the first time since the trip began, we finally felt, talked out and put in one of the books on tape. We chose Guns Germs and Steel, a book Melinda had to read for a class and that we had talked about off and on through the trip. Listening to it required one to really pay attention. It was interesting, but the guy reading it had the most soporific voice. Melinda got a couple hours of sleep and missed some of the reading and then we switched and I got to doze for a couple hours and miss other parts. Overall though, we got a sense of the book, though it was just a review for Min.
Jenny
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Family… Friday October 27
We did not get to see the ocean today. This picture is from Thursday. There’s a sea otter playing with its food there to the lower right of center. It looks like a piece of driftwood in this version of the photo. Click on the photo and check out the larger version of this picture on my Flickr account.
We both slept in today. I had never been to a Kohl’s before and Elisa and Georgie had been talking about how nifty it was. So today was spent shopping for beads, baubles and baggage. Okay, we didn’t really buy bags, though we did fill our baggage with more loot. Melinda and I found the softest sweaters, jewelry, and oddments. Elisa found Shanna a scarf that Shanna is now wearing pretty much every day. It was a fun to hang out with Georgie and Elisa. For dinner, Ron got out the “Panini sandwich machine” and we all made these big, tasty sandwiches. Check out the Panini machines available here on Amazon.com
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Birds and Beads … Thursday October 26
We slept in. I tried to be vewy, vewy, quiet when I did get up, not because I was hunting wabbits, but so that Min would be able to sleep longer. Eventually, we had to get packed and get going. We started with Pacific Grove Beach then headed towards Moss Landing. I took a fortuitous wrong turn and we saw a White-Tailed Kite up close and personal. He was hanging out on a telephone pole wire near some farmer’s field. Beautiful!
At Moss Landing, we ate at our favorite Mexican Restaurant: The Whole Enchilada. In the parking lot, a humming bird was zipping about. At first we thought it might be a new species, but nope, just another stunning little Anna’s. We got to see a lot of different birds even though we did not do any trudging (reference to a previous adventure where we ended up hiking through sand for several hours). We stopped at Elkhorn Slough, Kirby Park, Pajaro City and drove over hill and dale and around the twisty trail.
- Western Gulls
- American Crows
- Great Egrets
- Brandt's Cormorants
- Snowy Egret
- Brewer's Blackbirds
- Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon race)
- Heerman's Gulls
- Brown Pelicans
- Red-tailed Hawks
- *White-tailed Kites
- Ferruginous Hawks
- Anna's Hummingbirds
- Mallards
- Black-necked Stilts
- Lesser Goldfinches
- Avocets
- Eared Grebes
- Marbled Godwits
- Willets
- Say's Phoebe
- Sanderlings
- Greater Scaups
- Great Blue Heron
- Double Crested Cormorants (chasing eared grebes)
- Golden-crowned sparrows
- Hundreds of Least Sandpipers
- Black Phoebe
- California Gulls
- Western Scrub Jays
- American Robin
- House Finches
- American Kestral
- Peregrine Falcon
- Turkey Vulture
- Ring-billed Gull
- *Glaucous Gull
:)
Jenny
Sunday, November 12, 2006
All work and no play … Wednesday October 25
Unfortunately, Melinda had to stay and do homework without distraction today. She got to see from our balcony the following:
Yellow-rumped (Audubon's Race) Warbler
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
American Crow
Prairie Falcon
I had a very different view from my favorite seat at the conference center. There were librarians as far as the eye could see… I ended up eating lunch at the hotel restaurant. If you love fish and chips Monterey is THE place to get them. I got back to the hotel around 4:00 pm and we headed for the Monterey Bay Aquarium walking to the aquarium we spotted an Anna’s hummingbird. We got there late enough that they gave us tickets good for that evening and the next day. I love this aquarium. I’m constantly surprised by their innovations and displays. Every time is different, and yet there are constants, like the jellyfish displays, the kelp gardens and Melinda’s favorite shorebird habitat and my favorite Sea Otter area.
The birds were pretty fun to watch. Buffleheads are one of my favorite ducks and the juvenile in the exhibit was quite active and entertaining. We were able to see up close (which helps in identification later in the wild).
- Empidonax Flycatcher
- Semipalmated Plover
- Ruddy Ducks
- Bufflehead, juvenile
- Black-necked Stilt
- Sanderlings
- Least Sandpiper
- Semipalmated Sandpiper
- Killdeer
- Avocets
- Black Oystercatcher
- Willet
- Whimbrel
- Snowy Plover
- Short-billed Dowitcher
- Black Bellied plover
- Marbled Godwit
- Ruddy Turnstone
- Black Footed penguins
- Common Murres
- Red phalaropes
- Red-necked Phalaropes
From the decks of the aquarium, overlooking the bay we saw:
- Great Egrets
- Pelagic Cormorants
- Brandt's Cormorants
- Brown Pelicans
- American Crow
- Rock Doves
And Sea Otters
Melinda took a lot of pictures, this is one of the very peaceful looking jellyfish. I however know that not all jellyfish are peaceful. The trip we took to Hawaii in 1978 made it impossibly clear that Man-O-War jellyfish are not to be trifled with. Ow, Ow, Ow!
We made our way to a nearby restaurant by the name of The Fish Hopper. Here, I think we had steak. Ironic, I know.
So we’re sitting at this table near the windows, looking out at the ocean when a Western Gull comes up and lands on the sill near our window. His mouth is packed with this fairly large pink starfish. There’s much laughing and pointing and picture taking from the tables around us, until he flies away. Later as we’re eating, he comes back with his jellyfish walking around, mouth full, showing off. He takes flight again only to return and deposit the starfish near the window. This time he flies away for good. Apparently it is hard to eat a starfish.
Meanwhile, during the first visit by the starfish bearing gull, I struck up a small conversation with an Indian woman at a nearby table. When Melinda got back, I asked her (the woman alone) if she would like to join us. She did. Come to find out she’s a librarian too. She’s from New York City and is a librarian for a commercial real estate office. WOW. That’s a library job I didn’t know existed. Her name was Vandy and she was fascinating. After dinner we dropped her off at her hotel (she had walked over from the conference center and it was quite dark).
As we exited the restaurant, we found (or rather Melinda found) a date palm tree full of birds. Min was able to identify them as noisy roosting starlings.
When we got back to the Hilton, I got online and posted all of my blog entries as Melinda continued with her homework. Later we went over to the Hotel restaurant for dessert. Then back to the hotel for sleep. Okay, I got sleep. Min got homework. She finally got to sleep somewhere between 5 & 6 in the morning, after she emailed her paper to her professor’s assistant. EEEEEE
More later
Jenny
Friday, November 10, 2006
Conference and Wharfs … Tuesday October 24
We got up early so we could go look for birds before the conference started. First was the Commercial Wharf. This was so fish stinky that we had to hold our noses as we rounded the end. We did see a few more birds:
- California Gulls
- Willet
- Heerman's Gulls
- Pacific Loons
- Common Murre
- Brown Pelicans
- Rock Doves
- American Crows
- Pigeon Guillemot
And a Sea Otter
We got breakfast at the bright yellow bistro on the wharf. This bistro was my lifesaver a few years back when I had that keys & bay incident. It was still too early to get to the conference so we headed for the coast guard pier, where we saw more birds and to add to the stink, pikes of really, REALLY, stinky sea lions. One black turnstone was walking along the edge of the pier wall. He was really brave and bold and we got to see him up close.
- Brewer's Blackbirds
- American Crows
- Brandt's Cormorants
- Black Turnstones
- Great Egrets
Finally, we went over to the conference center for homework and workshops. “Back to the Convention Center for a day of classes and homework. Jenny and I decided this day to eat close by to the Convention center because of a short lunch time. We walked much farther than we expected and found a tiny Mediterranean diner serving the best vegetarian lentil soup.” –Melinda.
Much later we had dinner at this amazing Mexican restaurant, then drove to and walked through El Estero Park to see a few more birds. Melinda has a great picture of a goose on the water with a beautiful wake trailing after.
- Double-crested Cormorants
- American Coots
- Canada Geese
- Mallards
- Pied-Billed Grebes
Back at the Hilton for more homework for Melinda: I watched television, played computer
games and basically rested and slept. It was fabulous.
After later
Jenny
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Conference & Ocean ... Monday October 23
I felt a lot better this morning after a solid 12 hours of sleep. Melinda and I headed to the conference center. We parked up on a hill behind the hotel and walked down to the front doors. I picked up my registration tags and loot and headed for my favorite conference room. Min, went out to one of the many tables and comfy areas to work on her paper.
I have finally found a new methodology for choosing a conference session. Every session they offer is interesting to me. So instead of deciding on a session, I choose the comfy room. Most conferences are held in hotel ballrooms with narrow seats all crammed together. This conference center has those kinds of rooms, but it also has this stadium room with comfy kinds of seats and those hinged pop-up desktops. So I only went to sessions that were held in that room.
Over the course of the conference I went to many sessions. I took notes over on my Library Banter blog. Be aware that these can be incredibly boring entries. But I am really greatful for the notes:
- Search Engine Report
- Search Tips
- Searching the New Digital Formats
- Federated Search
- Overview of Podcasting
- Video Podcasting
- Listen Up!: Podcasts...
- Off the Rack: Podcasts...
- Introduction to Video Blogging
- Fun with flickr
- Flickr in Libraries
- My Space
- In Your Facebook
- Introduction to Wikis
- Fostering Collaboration
- An Agreeable Wiki
- Don’t Call it a Wiki!
- Wiki as a Research Guide
- What’s Hot in Social Softwr
- Syndication and Website Content
- Using Blogs for Internal Communication
- Public Libraries & Web Logs
At lunch time, I found Melinda and we walked down the wharf looking for someplace to eat. She had spotted a Mexican restaurant earlier so we ended up there, looking out at the harbor, the sea lions, otter, pelicans and multitude of gulls.
After the conference sessions we trudged up to the car. Melinda was at this conference center with Jessica and they entered from the top floor near where we parked. So tomorrow, we're going to find another way in...
Melinda really wanted to go out to the beach at Pacific Grove. I was tired. After all, I hadn't really slept for 2 or so weeks (excepting last night). On the other hand, I really, really wanted to watch the ocean. It was gorgeous, we even spotted a sea otter eating and cavorting in the waves.
There were a lot of gulls flying about. Melinda had a lot more energy than I did. I was back in the car reading and dozing early and she was still walking and looking.
Birds of the day:
(Melinda saw in the morning from the balcony at the Hilton -- Townsend's Warbler, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Slate-colored Junco and Western Scrub Jay.)
- Brewers Blackbirds
- Starlings
- Rock Doves
- Brandt's Cormorants
- Pelagic Cormorants
- Brown Pelicans
- Pied-billed Grebes
- Willets
- Whimbrel
- Black-bellied Plover
- Heerman's Gulls
- Western Gulls
- California Gulls
- Black Phoebe
- Black Turnstones
- Crows
- Great Eagrets
- Canada Geese
- Domestic Mallards
- American Coots
- Western Meadowlark
We had dinner at the nearest, interesting restaurant advertising steak, seafood and pasta. What we didn’t see from the road was the “Latin” menu, which made Melinda quite happy. When we got back to the hotel, I, of course, fell into that comfy bed early and slept very, very well.
More soon
Jenny
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Birding on the Ocean ... Sunday October 22
Well, I didn't sleep well the Saturday night, so getting up at 6:00 a.m. was a bummer. Still, I LOVE the ocean and the prospect of being out on a boat was exciting. We got dressed and checked out. Following the directions and signs we made it to the parking lot in plenty of time. Unfortunately, the automated ticket taker wasn't giving out any more tickets. Some Yahoo had broken the arm thing. We gave up (after Melinda took pictures as evidence that we tried) and drove on in and parked the car.
Then we walked down the pier to the shop we were supposed to gather at. Apparently we were the first ones to complain about the broken parking station. The guy convinced us that we'd still need to go get a ticket and to try the other entrance. He also assured us that since he was the captain of the boat, he wouldn't leave us. Anyway, we trudged back out to the parking lot. The first parking station we came to, didn't go to the right parking lot. So more trudging ensued, we finally came across another flock of birders and they said, since there were so many of us (who hadn't gotten a stub from the ticket booth) not to bother. So back to the shop. This time when we talked to the guy, he sheepishly allowed that we were fine and he gave us a validation paper thingy to hand in.
Next we congregated at the boat dock. There were a LOT of people waiting for this boat. Normally, Melinda and I have gone out on a weekday, when there aren't that many people free from work. Normally, we also only go out on Whale Watching cruises. Since this was a Birding Cruise things would obviously be different.
After clambering onboard we learned how different. Apparently this very boat had spotted three rare birds on the ocean the previous weekend (Brown Booby, Manx Shearwater, and another one who's species name I don't remember). So there were approx 15 die hard birders, most with really big cameras ready to go look for birds.
This cruise includes a number of guides, who don't get paid, but do get to go out on the ocean for free. One of the guides was this very knowledgeable woman who came up front with us. Although the side of the boat really does show off the birds to great advantage, sitting was more important for us. The female guide, (I think I will call her Superbirder) kept up a running commentary about birds, and her son (who was also there) who studies birds and where he has gone to study. He was also a great guide.
Superbirder was willing to point out each bird species and help us learn to identify it on the wing. I can now probably spot pink footed shearwaters and bullers shearwaters, but the nuances of the black vented shearwaters escapes me still. In any case, I think we were very lucky to have her with us in the front for so long. She finally gave up the front when her knees gave up.
We saw:
Brewers Blackbirds (on land)
Eared Greabes
Western Gulls
Brown Pelicans
Western Grebe
Brandt's Comromrants
Heerman's Gulls
Black Turnstones
Surf Scoters
Great Egrets
Common Murres
+Pigeon Guillemot
Elegant Terns
Common Loons
*Sooty Shearwater
Northern Fulmars
+*Pomerine Jaegers
*Pink-footed Shearwaters
+*Short-tailed Shearwaters
+*Cassin's Auklets
*Rhinocerous Auklets
*Flesh-footed Shearwaters
+*Black-footed Albatrosses
+*Black-vented Shearwaters
+*Bullers SHearwaters
+*South Polar Skuas
+*Manx Shearwater
Bonaparte's Gulls
Rock Doves (on land)
American Crows (on land)
Red-necked Phalarope
OTHER MARINE LIFE
Harbor Seals
California Sea Lions
Sea Otters
Mola Mola (a fish)
Blue Sharks
7 (YES SEVEN) Humpback whales
+*Northern Fur Seal
+*Stellar Sea Lion
(those with an asterisk are new for Melinda, those with a plus sign are new for Jenny)
Yes for all those die hard birders who had joined our cruise we did see a Manx Shearwater, and there was much rejoicing. :) I couldn't believe how nice this was. Usually Melinda and I are trying to identify birds as the boat is moving. This time the boat would try and put the sun in the right spot for us to really see the birds. AND the leader of the expedition made sure we had all seen the Manx before we moved on to another location.
On the boat we were told to "pay no attention to the flashy mammals (meaning the humpbacks -- they were right by the boat) we are here for the birds." I couldn't help watching the whales though. I must say that I really, truely love the whales. I saw seven of them. One I saw as I was walking back to another part of the boat. I was the only one on that side (the birds were on the other as were the people). And this whale came up, not that far from the boat. I yelled Whale, and pointed, but no one cared or came. That was just too weird. I watched him until flukes out he dove into under water. Another one was frolicking and actually came over to check the boat out. What I did like about this was that I never felt like we were harrassing the whales. Very cool.
The blue shark was pretty amazing too.
I ended up attempting to take a nap in the early afternoon. It didn't work very well, but at least I tried. We left the harbor around 7:30. We headed back in around 3:00. I was ready to head back to the harbor around noon. We disembarked and were walking on the wharf around 4:00. Eight+ hours on the ocean is a very long time for people who had just been in a car for 14 hours. A lot of motion. We were tired kittens.
We ate literally at the closest restaurant we could find. And then drove to the grocery store for breakfast and dinner snacks and then to the Hilton to check in.
The Hilton was gorgeous. It had these HUGE pillow top beds with feather beds over that, and down comforters and pillows and I tried to stay up, but at 7:00 (shortly after we got there) I went to sleep and for the first time in a couple of weeks, really and truely slept. Ahhhhhhhhhhhh
More to come...
Jenny
Monday, November 06, 2006
Driving with Melinda... Saturday October 21
On Saturday October 21st Melinda and I headed for Monterey. We left Rebecca's house early in the morning (around 7:30 or 8:00 am) and with the sun rising behind us we headed west. West across the Bonneville Salt Flats, which I had never seen. They are amazing, all white and shiny. It had rained the day before so they weren't blinding (good). The ground sparkled as the sun reflected off those little cubic salt crystals.
Driving through Nevada and the salt flats we saw many curious things.
And thus commenced the California part of the trip. We decided to try a shortcut to Monterey, instead of driving over through San Jose and the cluster of other cities, we drove down I5. For awhile, ... a long while. I'm not altogether certain it's a shortcut, but you never know. So I5 to 156 and 156 to 1 and Monterey. So we continued to drive and drive and drive...
Melinda is trying new things. :) At the quick stop where we gassed the car at the junction of I5 and 156 (it's dark now, approx 7 pm California time) she decided to try these spiced lima bean snacks. :) Sounded good to me too. After all, I love lima beans and spicy ones could be fabulous. The gagging and spitting next to me changed my mind. Apparently they're the worst things imaginable. So Min decided to toss them out the window for the birds. So we're driving down the dark freeway with all this California traffic and she's tossing lima beans out the window, and the wind is whipping them around her and back into the car and smacking me. :) :) TOO Funny. (2 weeks later and I'm still getting lima beans out of the car. *grin*)
We arrived at the Motel 6 in Monterey around 9:00 pm their time. I had to wait a long while to get our room cause everyone was looking for a hotel that night and everything was full. Thank heavens for reservations. Hooray, we made it!
I didn't sleep well that night, a holdover from the stress of the previous week I guess.
Bird list:
Jenny
Driving through Nevada and the salt flats we saw many curious things.
- Ravens on fence posts. Lots of Ravens on fence posts.
- Curious arrangements of old electrical wire insulators.
- One very large sculpture
- Dark rocks in various arrangements, I heart X, words and designs
- An emergency training facility that looked like a prison without a fence
- Fernly (an oasis of trees in the desert)
- Pronghorns
- One white couch on the salt flats
And thus commenced the California part of the trip. We decided to try a shortcut to Monterey, instead of driving over through San Jose and the cluster of other cities, we drove down I5. For awhile, ... a long while. I'm not altogether certain it's a shortcut, but you never know. So I5 to 156 and 156 to 1 and Monterey. So we continued to drive and drive and drive...
Melinda is trying new things. :) At the quick stop where we gassed the car at the junction of I5 and 156 (it's dark now, approx 7 pm California time) she decided to try these spiced lima bean snacks. :) Sounded good to me too. After all, I love lima beans and spicy ones could be fabulous. The gagging and spitting next to me changed my mind. Apparently they're the worst things imaginable. So Min decided to toss them out the window for the birds. So we're driving down the dark freeway with all this California traffic and she's tossing lima beans out the window, and the wind is whipping them around her and back into the car and smacking me. :) :) TOO Funny. (2 weeks later and I'm still getting lima beans out of the car. *grin*)
We arrived at the Motel 6 in Monterey around 9:00 pm their time. I had to wait a long while to get our room cause everyone was looking for a hotel that night and everything was full. Thank heavens for reservations. Hooray, we made it!
I didn't sleep well that night, a holdover from the stress of the previous week I guess.
Bird list:
- Black-billed Magpies
- Mallards
- Western Grebes
- at least a Hundred of Common Ravens across Nevada
- Red-tailed Hawk
- House Sparrows
- Starlings
Jenny
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Monterey and the Internet Librarian's conference
Melinda and I are sitting in the hotel working on our respective computers right now. She's finishing a paper and I'm catching up on my blogs. I have a new one, for library stuff at: http://librarybanter.blogspot.com The conference has been very interesting, if you like internet stuff and social software. Just ask me about wiki's or blogs sometime... :)
We've had a great time eating at fabulous restaurants, watching birds and hanging out. Tomorrow, Melinda will be through with her paper, and I will be through with my conference so VACATION is definitely on the menu. I think there's a good chance we'll go birding. We're staying with Nick's wonderful parents tomorrow (Thursday) and Friday. Early Saturday morning we'll get in the car and head back to Utah.
So what's happened so far? There's so much to cover, it'll have to wait.
:)
After later
Jenny
We've had a great time eating at fabulous restaurants, watching birds and hanging out. Tomorrow, Melinda will be through with her paper, and I will be through with my conference so VACATION is definitely on the menu. I think there's a good chance we'll go birding. We're staying with Nick's wonderful parents tomorrow (Thursday) and Friday. Early Saturday morning we'll get in the car and head back to Utah.
So what's happened so far? There's so much to cover, it'll have to wait.
:)
After later
Jenny
Monday, September 18, 2006
MIA
I've been missing in action for awhile. Just too darn busy to post. So it's time for an update.
Shanna and I have been taking a middle eastern dance class together this fall. So far it's been a great deal of fun. She recently purchased a notebook computer for herself, which is so cool. She's taking philosophy and english this semester also.
Nick has been hiking straight up the hills and mountains near us with his geology classes. He's taking paleontology and spending a lot of time in the lab drawing fossils. The other night he picked up my chambered nautilus and started talking about it. Very interesting. I can't wait to get out my shell collection again. :)
Me? I'm working. A lot. Today was the last of the deluge of subject specific workshops. So far this semester I've taught:
undergraduate education
graduate students in education
phd students in education
undergraduate sports law
graduate sports science
undergraduate business
graduate geology
undergraduate engineering
Most of the time there are 2-4 classes for each of these topics. I've had to learn how to do research in law, business, education, geology and sports science. I think my brain is full.
To further complicate my life they're working on the building. They felt it necessary to attach the brick facade to the building. I think they were worried about killing people with falling brick during an earthquake. Funny how things like that seem important. Don't they know I have ALLERGIES and am suffering immensely because of all the dust, debris and fumes they are causing???
In cool news, work decided I could be the test case. I no longer have a big desktop computer. Instead I have this amazingly fast notebook computer with a docking station. It's waaaaay spiffy.
Barkley has become a mountain dog, happily following Nick up any mountain he wishes to climb. Boo has become a house dog. Apparently this past weekend she could not get into the jeep on her own, and followed Nick back into the house (I think he was getting her a stool). In any case he just left her there. She's got arthritis and is just tired. She's also old at 12 or 14. I can't ever remember which.
This weekend we're working on a float for the homecoming parade with other librarians (my house, Friday evening). Saturday we're going to Logan to party with all the relatives. Mom and Dad are coming up from Texas. I get to meet the new baby Thomas (Dave & Jen's newest addition) . And last but certainly not least, we get to celebrate Jessica's marriage to Doug. They're getting hitched on Thursday, but I have class that night till 7 and teach first thing in the morning on Friday. Theretofore, I can't go to that, but I can make the party. ;)
Wow, I've actually made an entry on my blog. I must be feeling better...
After later
Jenny
Shanna and I have been taking a middle eastern dance class together this fall. So far it's been a great deal of fun. She recently purchased a notebook computer for herself, which is so cool. She's taking philosophy and english this semester also.
Nick has been hiking straight up the hills and mountains near us with his geology classes. He's taking paleontology and spending a lot of time in the lab drawing fossils. The other night he picked up my chambered nautilus and started talking about it. Very interesting. I can't wait to get out my shell collection again. :)
Me? I'm working. A lot. Today was the last of the deluge of subject specific workshops. So far this semester I've taught:
undergraduate education
graduate students in education
phd students in education
undergraduate sports law
graduate sports science
undergraduate business
graduate geology
undergraduate engineering
Most of the time there are 2-4 classes for each of these topics. I've had to learn how to do research in law, business, education, geology and sports science. I think my brain is full.
To further complicate my life they're working on the building. They felt it necessary to attach the brick facade to the building. I think they were worried about killing people with falling brick during an earthquake. Funny how things like that seem important. Don't they know I have ALLERGIES and am suffering immensely because of all the dust, debris and fumes they are causing???
In cool news, work decided I could be the test case. I no longer have a big desktop computer. Instead I have this amazingly fast notebook computer with a docking station. It's waaaaay spiffy.
Barkley has become a mountain dog, happily following Nick up any mountain he wishes to climb. Boo has become a house dog. Apparently this past weekend she could not get into the jeep on her own, and followed Nick back into the house (I think he was getting her a stool). In any case he just left her there. She's got arthritis and is just tired. She's also old at 12 or 14. I can't ever remember which.
This weekend we're working on a float for the homecoming parade with other librarians (my house, Friday evening). Saturday we're going to Logan to party with all the relatives. Mom and Dad are coming up from Texas. I get to meet the new baby Thomas (Dave & Jen's newest addition) . And last but certainly not least, we get to celebrate Jessica's marriage to Doug. They're getting hitched on Thursday, but I have class that night till 7 and teach first thing in the morning on Friday. Theretofore, I can't go to that, but I can make the party. ;)
Wow, I've actually made an entry on my blog. I must be feeling better...
After later
Jenny
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
Quiet but Busy
I've been quietly busy for the past couple of weeks. Over the weekend Nick and I went to Palisades (more on that to come soon, with pictures!). Work is speeding up as we get ready for the impending semester. It kinda feels like the sword of damocles is hanging overhead. We've been re-writing/working the library web page and once it goes online, we'll have to change every one of our instruction handouts, guides, powerpoints and worksheets. EEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!
We miss Sarah and Jamie, they were here for most of three weeks. One entire day was spent with Jamie on the computer and me on the couch, watching middle eastern dance videos. Sarah and I got to spend mornings talking, evenings hanging out and one particular night watching the WORST disaster movie ever. It was so bad I've deleted it from my Librarything account and am giving it to the DI.
Well, more updates soon
Jenny
We miss Sarah and Jamie, they were here for most of three weeks. One entire day was spent with Jamie on the computer and me on the couch, watching middle eastern dance videos. Sarah and I got to spend mornings talking, evenings hanging out and one particular night watching the WORST disaster movie ever. It was so bad I've deleted it from my Librarything account and am giving it to the DI.
Well, more updates soon
Jenny
Friday, July 28, 2006
Townsend's Ground Squirrel
Last weekend was very busy, we packed the equivalent of 8 days into 3. On Friday afternoon we went up to Scout Mountain with one of our friends for an overnight. Nick was off hiking around when this little ground squirrel started moving about the campground. He was way to forward and has obviously been given food. I thought I'd scare him off with a pointy stick (3' hot dog fork with 5" tines) but all he really wanted to do was lick the ends. He's located at the top just left of center on this picture. Slapping the fork on the ground chased him away. Being this unafraid of humans is not good for wildlife. We didn't feed him. And he didn't come back to visit us again.
I also went to Idaho Falls to visit with another friend. Shopped, cleaned house, caught up with my sisters who were/are visiting. ...
This weekend may be just as fun filled. :)
After later
Jenny
I also went to Idaho Falls to visit with another friend. Shopped, cleaned house, caught up with my sisters who were/are visiting. ...
This weekend may be just as fun filled. :)
After later
Jenny
Hot Springs in Palisades Reservoir (July 2006)
A couple of weekends ago (14, 15 & 16 of July) we went back to Palisades. We were out on the lake early enough in the morning to spot this strange phenomenon. Steam rising from the lake. Apparently there's a hot springs that is emptying into the lake. I got out and swam around later in the day and yes indeedy the water near this stream was significantly warmer than elswhere. We took GPS coordinates so we can find our way back. We didn't catch fish, but we had a LOT of fun. Go check out my Flickr account if you want to see more pictures from this trip.
After later
Jenny
After later
Jenny
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Digital Natives Conference
Hi all,
I'm posting on Kris' blog Russet Vixen http://russetvixen.blogspot.com/ about the library conference we're both attending. Go take a look. :)
Jenny
I'm posting on Kris' blog Russet Vixen http://russetvixen.blogspot.com/ about the library conference we're both attending. Go take a look. :)
Jenny
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Scouting Hebgen
On Sunday, Nick and I left the house to go scout out a new campsite. We've taked about camping at Hebgen Lake, but have never done so. We left relatively early (okay, so it was really 9:00 a.m.) and drove on up. I was surprised at how close it really is. 2.5 hours later we were turning onto our first dirt road.
Denney creek road runs through field, over stream, past horses and cows and fabulous houses next to working houses and eventually arrives at the Longhurst campground. The lake is gorgeous from this side, but the boat ramp is too short for our boat. Good thing we we did this scouting trip. Nothing worse than travelling fully loaded with Jeep and Boat to the middle of nowhere only to turn around and go back...
Anyway, we drove through the cute little campground then turn around and headed back to U.S.20. (The main artery from Idaho Falls to West Yellowstone). This time we drove north into West then hooked a North and headed for the next campground site. We found one without a boat ramp at all, and one that's a private site where you too can pay a large amount to camp for the day.
Finally we crossed the Madison River, turned left and followed the dirt road to the Rainbow Point campground and boat ramp. YEAH! It has a great boat ramp and over 84 camping spaces. Yes I know which one is best, but I refuse to share that information unless I know for certain you're not camping on the same weekend I am. :) :)
There are certain criteria we use when scoping out camping sites. Things we've learned through shrewd observation and unfortuante learning experiences.
First, if you are looking for solitude and quiet always look at the outside part of the ring of campsites.
Second, you want shade in the afternoon if it's going to be hot, so look for trees on the west side of the tent/table site.
Third, shade is more important for where the picnic table is than it is for your tent (unless you want to nap then a different set of rules apply). You usually won't go to sleep till after the campfire has burned out and the dark has fallen. So trees to the west of the TABLE is important. Alternately, plan on bringing an awning or sunshade of some sort.
Fourth, sun in the morning is all well and good unless you like to sleep in. Check out the trees to the east before you make your decision.
5. It's great when the bathroom is in walking distance.
Six. It's not great when said bathroom next to your camp. This means all kinds of talking, laughing, giggling and noise at all hours.
Seven. It's okay if the water tap/spigot is nearby, but don't let it happen next to your tent.
8. If you like sleeping to the sound of running water then pitching your tent near the creek is great. If it is going to keep you up all night, it won't matter how picturesque it is, nor how much shade it has.
9. Silence is golden, watch who you're choosing to camp next to if you can. The trailers with the ATV's are guaranteed to be noisy. Although in bear country I don't mind camping near atv's, kids and especially dogs...
Ten. Shrubberies are great. They help screen out the visuals of other people in the area and can give immediate shade.
I have a notebook where I'm keeping a list of all the campgrounds we've scouted and our favorite and acceptable campsites at each. Not that they'll match up with everyone's needs.
So why do I stay in the campgrounds? First, I like to leave as small a footprint in the wilderness as possible. I'm also too old not to have some sort of bathroom facility nearby. I like having drinking water instead of having to pack it all in. AND I don't mind the company. It's kind of fun to watch the activities of the other campers. From kids on bikes zooming through to the groups with horses.
After Later
Jenny
Denney creek road runs through field, over stream, past horses and cows and fabulous houses next to working houses and eventually arrives at the Longhurst campground. The lake is gorgeous from this side, but the boat ramp is too short for our boat. Good thing we we did this scouting trip. Nothing worse than travelling fully loaded with Jeep and Boat to the middle of nowhere only to turn around and go back...
Anyway, we drove through the cute little campground then turn around and headed back to U.S.20. (The main artery from Idaho Falls to West Yellowstone). This time we drove north into West then hooked a North and headed for the next campground site. We found one without a boat ramp at all, and one that's a private site where you too can pay a large amount to camp for the day.
Finally we crossed the Madison River, turned left and followed the dirt road to the Rainbow Point campground and boat ramp. YEAH! It has a great boat ramp and over 84 camping spaces. Yes I know which one is best, but I refuse to share that information unless I know for certain you're not camping on the same weekend I am. :) :)
There are certain criteria we use when scoping out camping sites. Things we've learned through shrewd observation and unfortuante learning experiences.
First, if you are looking for solitude and quiet always look at the outside part of the ring of campsites.
Second, you want shade in the afternoon if it's going to be hot, so look for trees on the west side of the tent/table site.
Third, shade is more important for where the picnic table is than it is for your tent (unless you want to nap then a different set of rules apply). You usually won't go to sleep till after the campfire has burned out and the dark has fallen. So trees to the west of the TABLE is important. Alternately, plan on bringing an awning or sunshade of some sort.
Fourth, sun in the morning is all well and good unless you like to sleep in. Check out the trees to the east before you make your decision.
5. It's great when the bathroom is in walking distance.
Six. It's not great when said bathroom next to your camp. This means all kinds of talking, laughing, giggling and noise at all hours.
Seven. It's okay if the water tap/spigot is nearby, but don't let it happen next to your tent.
8. If you like sleeping to the sound of running water then pitching your tent near the creek is great. If it is going to keep you up all night, it won't matter how picturesque it is, nor how much shade it has.
9. Silence is golden, watch who you're choosing to camp next to if you can. The trailers with the ATV's are guaranteed to be noisy. Although in bear country I don't mind camping near atv's, kids and especially dogs...
Ten. Shrubberies are great. They help screen out the visuals of other people in the area and can give immediate shade.
I have a notebook where I'm keeping a list of all the campgrounds we've scouted and our favorite and acceptable campsites at each. Not that they'll match up with everyone's needs.
So why do I stay in the campgrounds? First, I like to leave as small a footprint in the wilderness as possible. I'm also too old not to have some sort of bathroom facility nearby. I like having drinking water instead of having to pack it all in. AND I don't mind the company. It's kind of fun to watch the activities of the other campers. From kids on bikes zooming through to the groups with horses.
After Later
Jenny
Friday, June 23, 2006
The Kraken pt 1
Once upon a time, two naïve people went fishing. As they skimmed across
the lake they saw a large and interesting creature against a rocky
outcrop.
the lake they saw a large and interesting creature against a rocky
outcrop.
The Kraken pt 2
Moving in closer the fisherman decided (with the nudging of his wife) to catch the large interesting creature. Little did they know what would happen next…
The Kraken pt 3
The man cast his line, over, and over trying to hook the creature without bringing the boat to ruin on the rocky shoal. Eventually his line caught, the creature could be captured.
The Kraken pt 4
Only this too was deceiving, for the creature fought and tugged and as
the man reeled the creature in, the boat was pulled to the creature and
the awaiting rocks.
the man reeled the creature in, the boat was pulled to the creature and
the awaiting rocks.
The Kraken pt 5
With endless patience the man worked both boat and fishing pole and edged the creature out into the lake and near the boat. Only then was the true size of the Kraken revealed.
The Kraken pt 6
It was enormous. It could easily sink the boat if only it had the will. Being shy, it seemed to only want to escape.
Thursday, June 22, 2006
Palisades Weekend
Palisades, Night the First
Last weekend, Nick and I planned on going to Topaz Mountain, we even sent a notice out to Semenza_Adventures. Things have a way of changing and since I couldn't leave work till 4:00 pm, no one else would be going with us, I would really rather not drive 6 hours to the camp site, AND there were no facilities once we got there, we changed our minds.
Instead of heading South to really warm weather, we headed North to the moderately cold region of Palisades Reservoir. The drive was gorgeous and as we pulled through the campground it seemed fairly empty and quiet. Our first choice of campsite was already occupied so we pulled into our second choice and Nick turned off the Jeep. I tried to open the hatch to the jeep, only it wouldn’t open because we were parked at an angle and the boat was in the way. Nick got back in to straighten out the parking situation only to discover that the jeep wasn’t interested in starting again. EEEK.
Nick got intensely quiet. I thought about it and started unloading. After all, if the jeep wouldn’t start now, we could still camp and deal with it in the morning. It was almost 8:30. As I moved through camp it became apparent that we forgot our bug spray and the mosquitoes were definitely out for blood. Lucky for me they don’t really like my blood that much and as long as I kept moving I was okay. Nick continued to try to start the jeep, but it just wasn’t cooperating. I told him that it would be fine. After all, I had a cell phone, we were in a camp with quite a few other folks, we have AAA coverage, AND I have a credit card. All good things. It didn’t help much. So then I started telling him all my fun breakdown stories including the one late at night on the freeway in Portland… Things always work out so why worry, is my philosophy.
I got the tent laid out, but didn’t think I could get it set up by myself so I tried to pry him away from the jeep. When that was unsuccessful I decided to take a walk over to the nearby creek. On my way, the campground host (a garrulous old dude with a mystifying accent and an inability to hear) stopped me in his golf cart. He asked how things were. I said they were going okay. He didn’t hear me so he asked again. I said we were probably only going to stay one night cause our jeep wouldn’t start. He still didn’t hear me so I tried again. Our jeep won’t start, so we’re not going to be staying long.
This time he understood, he asked me if the lights worked, I had to admit that I hadn’t a clue. So I got into the golf cart and off we went, back to the jeep. He got the hood opened and took a look at our battery cables and went to work cleaning them up. The jeep was working not long after that, pheww. Nick even agreed that we didn’t have to leave first thing tomorrow, but really could stay another day.
We got the tent set up and moved all our stuff inside. It was too mosquito –y outside to be pleasant. In the end we both succumbed to an early bedtime. Our adventure was off to a rollicking good start, jeep breakdown, lack of bug spray, what more could we ask for?
Palisades, Day the Second
(There was no day the first.) It was very cold that night and I was incredibly grateful for my new cape. We used it as an additional layer on top of the sleeping bags. We also slept fully clothed, sweatshirts, socks and all. In the wee hours of the morning we got up and got going. We were at the lake by 7:30 am. It was a gorgeous morning. (Check out my flickr account for pictures). We unloaded the boat from the trailer, loaded it up with us and our stuff and Nick turned it on. Or rather, he didn’t. There was definitely something in the air this weekend. Once again, we had a vehicle not starting. Not only did he have a non-functional boat battery, he had TWO non-functional boat batteries. Once again, it was time to load up the boat and just call it quits and go home.
I am not so easily dissuaded from having fun. I suggested that before we quit we should go down to the Dam Store (yes that’s really what it is called) and see if they had a battery. After all, we can always use another one. Sure enough, they had one, only one. We had gotten lucky yet again. Nick made certain he could start the boat before leaving the store’s parking lot. I also picked up some bug spray. I did not want to be mosquito food this night. On our way back to the lake we came across a tree loaded with huge birds. Brown feathers, one with a white head, oh my goodness, 7 bald eagles in a tree??? Some were obviously juveniles. I didn’t really get to take a solid look, but one for certain was and they were all so much alike. I don’t understand what they were doing there but we took it as a sign that things were going to be fine. After all, how many times does one see 7 bald eagles in a tree?
We were back to the lake and on the water by 9:30ish. It was a marvelous day. We spent about 8 hours on the lake. I may not fish, but I nap, read, study the wildlife, learned to identify plants from a boat with binoculars, watch the water and otherwise have a great time.
Over the course of the weekend we saw birds:
Rock doves
House finches
Starlings
Kestrels
Red tailed hawks
Crows
Robins
Magpies
Yellow headed blackbird
Red winged blackbirds
Western kingbirds
American white pelicans
Bald eagles
California gulls
Bank swallows (lots, and lots of these)
Rough wined swallows
Brewer’s blackbirds
Double crested cormorants
Ravens
Great blue herons
Osprey fishing (although it was more of a hunting type activity than what I would consider fishing. He’d literally dive into the water for fish.)
An unidentified tern
Calliope hummingbirds
Broad tailed hummingbirds (my new species for the weekend)
Song sparrows
Barn swallows
Western meadowlarks
From the boat we saw:
Sticky geranium
Wooly mullein
Mountain little sunflower
Yarrow
Quaking aspen
Juniper
Spruce
Silvery lupine
Mules ears
Woods rose
Tweedy’s thistle
Western serviceberry
Chokecherry
Rocky mountain bee plant
Lodgepole pine
And many more species that I didn’t get identified, it’s a little difficult when you can’t actually touch the plant.
While on the boat I realized that we had forgotten one more thing, my serious 40 spf sunscreen. Eek. I used Nick’s milder 7 spf suntan lotion and just kept re-applying. We’re going to buy a bottle of my heavy duty stuff and just leave it on the boat so I don’t forget it.
It was a beautiful way to spend a day.
Palisades, Night the Second
That night, we may have had bug spray but we really didn’t need it. Nick made us dutch oven stew which was deliciously flavored and we had a fire. A big fire, we ended up just burning everything we could find that was dry. Very fun, we’re usually such responsible children, making certain we have fuel for the next day etc… It was another early to bed night, so much sunshine definitely makes me tired.
Palisades, Day the Third
Okay, so I woke up woozy, and stiff. REALLY stiff. It wasn’t until this past Tuesday when I went to the doctor that I found out that I had damaged the tissue that connects the rest of the body to one’s sternum. OW, Ow, ow!!! Nick took down the camp and we left right away. A few Advil later and I was feeling well enough to help unload the jeep, and that was the end of my physical activity. I’m hoping I’ll feel well enough this weekend to bend over. I wonder if this is penance for teasing the man who was frustrated by batteries….
After later
Jenny
Last weekend, Nick and I planned on going to Topaz Mountain, we even sent a notice out to Semenza_Adventures. Things have a way of changing and since I couldn't leave work till 4:00 pm, no one else would be going with us, I would really rather not drive 6 hours to the camp site, AND there were no facilities once we got there, we changed our minds.
Instead of heading South to really warm weather, we headed North to the moderately cold region of Palisades Reservoir. The drive was gorgeous and as we pulled through the campground it seemed fairly empty and quiet. Our first choice of campsite was already occupied so we pulled into our second choice and Nick turned off the Jeep. I tried to open the hatch to the jeep, only it wouldn’t open because we were parked at an angle and the boat was in the way. Nick got back in to straighten out the parking situation only to discover that the jeep wasn’t interested in starting again. EEEK.
Nick got intensely quiet. I thought about it and started unloading. After all, if the jeep wouldn’t start now, we could still camp and deal with it in the morning. It was almost 8:30. As I moved through camp it became apparent that we forgot our bug spray and the mosquitoes were definitely out for blood. Lucky for me they don’t really like my blood that much and as long as I kept moving I was okay. Nick continued to try to start the jeep, but it just wasn’t cooperating. I told him that it would be fine. After all, I had a cell phone, we were in a camp with quite a few other folks, we have AAA coverage, AND I have a credit card. All good things. It didn’t help much. So then I started telling him all my fun breakdown stories including the one late at night on the freeway in Portland… Things always work out so why worry, is my philosophy.
I got the tent laid out, but didn’t think I could get it set up by myself so I tried to pry him away from the jeep. When that was unsuccessful I decided to take a walk over to the nearby creek. On my way, the campground host (a garrulous old dude with a mystifying accent and an inability to hear) stopped me in his golf cart. He asked how things were. I said they were going okay. He didn’t hear me so he asked again. I said we were probably only going to stay one night cause our jeep wouldn’t start. He still didn’t hear me so I tried again. Our jeep won’t start, so we’re not going to be staying long.
This time he understood, he asked me if the lights worked, I had to admit that I hadn’t a clue. So I got into the golf cart and off we went, back to the jeep. He got the hood opened and took a look at our battery cables and went to work cleaning them up. The jeep was working not long after that, pheww. Nick even agreed that we didn’t have to leave first thing tomorrow, but really could stay another day.
We got the tent set up and moved all our stuff inside. It was too mosquito –y outside to be pleasant. In the end we both succumbed to an early bedtime. Our adventure was off to a rollicking good start, jeep breakdown, lack of bug spray, what more could we ask for?
Palisades, Day the Second
(There was no day the first.) It was very cold that night and I was incredibly grateful for my new cape. We used it as an additional layer on top of the sleeping bags. We also slept fully clothed, sweatshirts, socks and all. In the wee hours of the morning we got up and got going. We were at the lake by 7:30 am. It was a gorgeous morning. (Check out my flickr account for pictures). We unloaded the boat from the trailer, loaded it up with us and our stuff and Nick turned it on. Or rather, he didn’t. There was definitely something in the air this weekend. Once again, we had a vehicle not starting. Not only did he have a non-functional boat battery, he had TWO non-functional boat batteries. Once again, it was time to load up the boat and just call it quits and go home.
I am not so easily dissuaded from having fun. I suggested that before we quit we should go down to the Dam Store (yes that’s really what it is called) and see if they had a battery. After all, we can always use another one. Sure enough, they had one, only one. We had gotten lucky yet again. Nick made certain he could start the boat before leaving the store’s parking lot. I also picked up some bug spray. I did not want to be mosquito food this night. On our way back to the lake we came across a tree loaded with huge birds. Brown feathers, one with a white head, oh my goodness, 7 bald eagles in a tree??? Some were obviously juveniles. I didn’t really get to take a solid look, but one for certain was and they were all so much alike. I don’t understand what they were doing there but we took it as a sign that things were going to be fine. After all, how many times does one see 7 bald eagles in a tree?
We were back to the lake and on the water by 9:30ish. It was a marvelous day. We spent about 8 hours on the lake. I may not fish, but I nap, read, study the wildlife, learned to identify plants from a boat with binoculars, watch the water and otherwise have a great time.
Over the course of the weekend we saw birds:
Rock doves
House finches
Starlings
Kestrels
Red tailed hawks
Crows
Robins
Magpies
Yellow headed blackbird
Red winged blackbirds
Western kingbirds
American white pelicans
Bald eagles
California gulls
Bank swallows (lots, and lots of these)
Rough wined swallows
Brewer’s blackbirds
Double crested cormorants
Ravens
Great blue herons
Osprey fishing (although it was more of a hunting type activity than what I would consider fishing. He’d literally dive into the water for fish.)
An unidentified tern
Calliope hummingbirds
Broad tailed hummingbirds (my new species for the weekend)
Song sparrows
Barn swallows
Western meadowlarks
From the boat we saw:
Sticky geranium
Wooly mullein
Mountain little sunflower
Yarrow
Quaking aspen
Juniper
Spruce
Silvery lupine
Mules ears
Woods rose
Tweedy’s thistle
Western serviceberry
Chokecherry
Rocky mountain bee plant
Lodgepole pine
And many more species that I didn’t get identified, it’s a little difficult when you can’t actually touch the plant.
While on the boat I realized that we had forgotten one more thing, my serious 40 spf sunscreen. Eek. I used Nick’s milder 7 spf suntan lotion and just kept re-applying. We’re going to buy a bottle of my heavy duty stuff and just leave it on the boat so I don’t forget it.
It was a beautiful way to spend a day.
Palisades, Night the Second
That night, we may have had bug spray but we really didn’t need it. Nick made us dutch oven stew which was deliciously flavored and we had a fire. A big fire, we ended up just burning everything we could find that was dry. Very fun, we’re usually such responsible children, making certain we have fuel for the next day etc… It was another early to bed night, so much sunshine definitely makes me tired.
Palisades, Day the Third
Okay, so I woke up woozy, and stiff. REALLY stiff. It wasn’t until this past Tuesday when I went to the doctor that I found out that I had damaged the tissue that connects the rest of the body to one’s sternum. OW, Ow, ow!!! Nick took down the camp and we left right away. A few Advil later and I was feeling well enough to help unload the jeep, and that was the end of my physical activity. I’m hoping I’ll feel well enough this weekend to bend over. I wonder if this is penance for teasing the man who was frustrated by batteries….
After later
Jenny
Monday, June 12, 2006
Great Moments in the History of Technical Services
I feel I can post funny things about technical services since I started out in my career as a cataloger. :) I loved this history. I received it as an email from friends a long long time ago. ...
4362 B.C.
First evidence (from Scythia, modern day Crimea) of a four‑wheeled book cart. Within two generations this design was adopted throughout Europe and Asia, replacing the more maneuverable, but much less stable two‑wheeled book cart.
Spring, 3193 B.C.
First serial title attested: "Publications of the Royal Sumerian Academy".
Late Summer, 3193 B.C.
First serial title change attested: to "Royal Sumerian Academy Publications".
537 B.C.
The National Library of Babylon, finally switching to papyrus, ceases maintaining its clay tablet shelflist, but is unable to discard it for nostalgic reasons. Two years later, under siege by the Persians, the city finds a new use for the old tablets and manages to inflict severe losses on the besieging army by pelting them from the ramparts with large quantities of shelflist tablets.
43 B.C.
First attested use of an ISBN (for the special collector's edition of Caesar's Gallic Wars with an Introduction by Marc Antony): IXIVVIIXVIIIVIIIVIVII.
427 A.D.
The Library of Alexandria decides to contract out its annual weeding project. Vandal hordes are the lowest bidder.
June 21, 762 A.D.
Birthdate of St. Minutia, patron saint of cataloging. (Illustration caption: St. Minutia using a sword to split a hair:)
1066 A.D.
William the Conqueror defeats his cousin Harold at the Battle of Hastings and imposes the Anglo‑Norman Cataloging Rules, 2nd ed. (ANCR2) on his new subjects. Ten years later he commissions the first systematic catalog of selected realia (The Domesday Boke).
August 5, 1782.
Birthdate of the Werke brothers, Gesammelte ("Gus"), Samtliche ("Sam"), and Ausgewahlte ("Ossie")
1883‑4
Cattlemen at the Bar and Drum Ranch, outside Lone Stack, South Dakota, develop the "barcode" brand as a way to keep track of individual animals in the herd.
After later
Jenny
Friday, June 09, 2006
Kiwano...
When Melinda was last visiting, Nick and I picked up a strange looking fruit at Fred Meyers. We like trying new and weird fruits and vegetables, and I had never seen anything weirder (except maybe durians). Anyway, it sat in the fruit bowl for a couple of weeks when Nick finally decided the time had come to taste it.
I was in my office minding my own business when he comes in and shows me the cut up fruit . I thought it looked a little slimy, pretty though in all of its bright colors, green interior and orange exterior. I passed on trying it right then. Nick left, taking his fruit with him, only to come back minutes later with the look of a very disappointed man.
Apparently Kiwano is not very tasty. Nick found someone else's blog entry and apparently Nick and obsess.com have the very same opinion. See: http://www.obsess.com/fruit/kiwano for the funniest read ever. I started reading it out loud and Nick confirmed every bit of the blog. :) :) :)
After Later
Jenny
I was in my office minding my own business when he comes in and shows me the cut up fruit . I thought it looked a little slimy, pretty though in all of its bright colors, green interior and orange exterior. I passed on trying it right then. Nick left, taking his fruit with him, only to come back minutes later with the look of a very disappointed man.
Apparently Kiwano is not very tasty. Nick found someone else's blog entry and apparently Nick and obsess.com have the very same opinion. See: http://www.obsess.com/fruit/kiwano for the funniest read ever. I started reading it out loud and Nick confirmed every bit of the blog. :) :) :)
After Later
Jenny
Friday, May 19, 2006
Peter Pan
Erika, has been performing in the Mystique production of Peter Pan here in Pocatello. She's WENDY, and is absolutely fabulous. I've gone two different nights and she has been consistently wonderful in both. I think she has the best female voice in the production and one of the best for the show as a whole. I gotta admit that I really was fond of the voice on Hook.
The first time I went I got this call from Nan asking if I want to about an hour before showtime. She had two extra tickets cause her sons had decided to go do something else. Shanna wasn't around and Nick had homework so Robin and I went. Nanette, Rebecca, Hanna, Brady, and the two of us had a great time. We were sitting off to the side so we were able to see the Wendy Bird hanging from the rafters waiting for her death scene. It's so cool that Erika has been flying through the air.
The second time I went we planned a little further ahead. So Melinda and Shanna and I were able to attend along with Nanette, Sydney (who's seen it a lot) along with Mick and his mom. Mick had graduated that day with his bachelors degree so that was cool. We had a lovely time. Once again the lullaby that Erika sings is the most touching part of the show.
I highly recommend this production and the pasta entry for dinner.
After later
Jenny
The first time I went I got this call from Nan asking if I want to about an hour before showtime. She had two extra tickets cause her sons had decided to go do something else. Shanna wasn't around and Nick had homework so Robin and I went. Nanette, Rebecca, Hanna, Brady, and the two of us had a great time. We were sitting off to the side so we were able to see the Wendy Bird hanging from the rafters waiting for her death scene. It's so cool that Erika has been flying through the air.
The second time I went we planned a little further ahead. So Melinda and Shanna and I were able to attend along with Nanette, Sydney (who's seen it a lot) along with Mick and his mom. Mick had graduated that day with his bachelors degree so that was cool. We had a lovely time. Once again the lullaby that Erika sings is the most touching part of the show.
I highly recommend this production and the pasta entry for dinner.
After later
Jenny
Monday, May 15, 2006
The South Menan Butte
Sunday morning, Melinda and I got up early and hit the road. She was working on a presentation about her home town for one of her classes. Menan is a very small town and we lived she did most of her growing up there. I’m hoping I will be able to add some of the stories and pictures she collected about Menan to my scrapbook. If I’m really lucky I’ll be able to post some of them here. In any case, we hit the road to go to Menan and take some pictures.
We still have relatives in Menan whom we love very much. However, this was a quick hide and seek mission. Hide from the obligations and seek good pictures. Between us we got quite a few. We photographed, the churches, rock houses, main street (site of The Parade), the park (site of The Fireworks), the town hall, the buttes, the Snake River and of course the bank. We even went over to Anis and photographed the church and cemetery there. Menan is 1.5 hours north of my house. We were able to get there by 9:15 a.m. and be back here in time for a nap around 12:30.
Of course we saw a lot of birds too. The red-winged blackbirds were out in full force showing off their bands of red, trying to lure the females. There were also dozens of mourning doves, magpies, kestrels, brewer’s blackbirds, goldfinches, and even a quail. Later we ate lasagne, watched episodes of Remington Steele and talked about life on the Butte.
The scariest part of the adventure was the taking of pictures of the neonazi guy’s house. We only took a few pictures then turned around taking a couple more and were about to drive off when I saw him watching us, hidden by trees. EEEEEEEEEeeeee…. We drove away then. He’ll definitely bring a little local color to her report.
Fun weekend all in all.
Jenny
We still have relatives in Menan whom we love very much. However, this was a quick hide and seek mission. Hide from the obligations and seek good pictures. Between us we got quite a few. We photographed, the churches, rock houses, main street (site of The Parade), the park (site of The Fireworks), the town hall, the buttes, the Snake River and of course the bank. We even went over to Anis and photographed the church and cemetery there. Menan is 1.5 hours north of my house. We were able to get there by 9:15 a.m. and be back here in time for a nap around 12:30.
Of course we saw a lot of birds too. The red-winged blackbirds were out in full force showing off their bands of red, trying to lure the females. There were also dozens of mourning doves, magpies, kestrels, brewer’s blackbirds, goldfinches, and even a quail. Later we ate lasagne, watched episodes of Remington Steele and talked about life on the Butte.
The scariest part of the adventure was the taking of pictures of the neonazi guy’s house. We only took a few pictures then turned around taking a couple more and were about to drive off when I saw him watching us, hidden by trees. EEEEEEEEEeeeee…. We drove away then. He’ll definitely bring a little local color to her report.
Fun weekend all in all.
Jenny
Sunday, May 14, 2006
Snake on the Water
Nick, Melinda and I went birding/fishing on the Snake River at Massacre Rocks on Saturday. There were Grebes, Coots, Ducks of all kinds, Pelicans, a Great Blue Heron, swimming Pronghorns, and even a Mountain Lion. We’re looking out over the water at enjoying the voyage when Nick asks, “Is that a Snake?”
I had no idea what he was looking at. He turned the boat and headed in the direction of his curiosity. Sure enough there was a squiggly line moving in s shapes across the water. It was moving fast and as the boat approached it headed right for us and then lifted out of the water looking like he was trying to get in. Nick moved the boat and we evaded the snake. Why was the snake in the middle of the Snake River? I don’t know. While I wasn’t exactly sure which variety of snake it was, I knew it wasn’t one of the poisonous ones. We really only have rattlers, and this wasn’t one of those. Turns out we found a gopher snake.
We watched the snake. It stopped moving forward in the water and seemed stall out. He stopped and hung in the water. Snakes are cold blooded, the water was very frigid, it looked to us like he was hanging out to be food for birds of prey. I teased Nick about using his fishing net to help the snake out. Next thing we know, Nick is fishing the snake out of the river. Then he has to untangle the snake from the net. Remember, he’s the one driving the boat and now he has his hands full of snake.
I end up driving for a while, the problem is that the river is full of shifting sand bars and Nick has all of these cool gadgets that he monitors to find a clear path. I eventually decided I’d rather hold the snake than continue to drive the boat. It would be faster too. So I ended up holding on to the snake. The snake had a real preference for Nick. He had taken off his shirt and was quite warm. I was wearing a silk shirt and was not quite so warm. Nick said that when he pulled the snake from the river it was very cold. It also didn’t move much. As it warmed up it definitely got a little friskier.
I was very, very happy when Nick beached his boat and let the snake out off the front of the boat. That was one fast moving snake as it slithered it’s way up the rocky beach and out past the brush as fast as it could. It was also one lucky snake. The tally of rescued animals is now 1 kitten, bunches of dogs, and 1 snake.
After later,
Jenny
I had no idea what he was looking at. He turned the boat and headed in the direction of his curiosity. Sure enough there was a squiggly line moving in s shapes across the water. It was moving fast and as the boat approached it headed right for us and then lifted out of the water looking like he was trying to get in. Nick moved the boat and we evaded the snake. Why was the snake in the middle of the Snake River? I don’t know. While I wasn’t exactly sure which variety of snake it was, I knew it wasn’t one of the poisonous ones. We really only have rattlers, and this wasn’t one of those. Turns out we found a gopher snake.
We watched the snake. It stopped moving forward in the water and seemed stall out. He stopped and hung in the water. Snakes are cold blooded, the water was very frigid, it looked to us like he was hanging out to be food for birds of prey. I teased Nick about using his fishing net to help the snake out. Next thing we know, Nick is fishing the snake out of the river. Then he has to untangle the snake from the net. Remember, he’s the one driving the boat and now he has his hands full of snake.
I end up driving for a while, the problem is that the river is full of shifting sand bars and Nick has all of these cool gadgets that he monitors to find a clear path. I eventually decided I’d rather hold the snake than continue to drive the boat. It would be faster too. So I ended up holding on to the snake. The snake had a real preference for Nick. He had taken off his shirt and was quite warm. I was wearing a silk shirt and was not quite so warm. Nick said that when he pulled the snake from the river it was very cold. It also didn’t move much. As it warmed up it definitely got a little friskier.
I was very, very happy when Nick beached his boat and let the snake out off the front of the boat. That was one fast moving snake as it slithered it’s way up the rocky beach and out past the brush as fast as it could. It was also one lucky snake. The tally of rescued animals is now 1 kitten, bunches of dogs, and 1 snake.
After later,
Jenny
Thursday, May 11, 2006
The Strawberry Shortcake and The Stellar's Jay
Melinda and I went down to Big Sur to see all the redwoods. We stopped for lunch at the Big Sur River Inn. This is one of my favorite places in all of the world. The restaurant sits in the middle of the redwoods. We were seated at the outside dining room, gorgeous. Several birds were around, checking for crumbs, hanging out. One beautiful blue stellar's jay was on the lookout for food.
The jay kept flitting around eyeing our food. Our table was right at the railing where the bird was hanging out. We really got to watch him as he was watching our table. Then came our desserts. As you can see, they were ASTOUNDING. I've never seen a strawberry shortcake look like this before. They were also yummy.
Don't forget, the Jay was still winging about. We took our time, talking, eating, listing birds in our notebook. Our desserts were mostly demolished and the Jay just couldn't take it any more.
Suddenly there was a swoop and my plate was full of wings as he attempted to carry off a large chunk of the strawberry shortcake. All of us (stellar's jay included) were quite startled. He flew back to his perch leaving most of his ill almost gotten gains on the table. It was so funny!
Definitely one of the high points of our vacation.
-- Jenny
The jay kept flitting around eyeing our food. Our table was right at the railing where the bird was hanging out. We really got to watch him as he was watching our table. Then came our desserts. As you can see, they were ASTOUNDING. I've never seen a strawberry shortcake look like this before. They were also yummy.
Don't forget, the Jay was still winging about. We took our time, talking, eating, listing birds in our notebook. Our desserts were mostly demolished and the Jay just couldn't take it any more.
Suddenly there was a swoop and my plate was full of wings as he attempted to carry off a large chunk of the strawberry shortcake. All of us (stellar's jay included) were quite startled. He flew back to his perch leaving most of his ill almost gotten gains on the table. It was so funny!
Definitely one of the high points of our vacation.
-- Jenny
Gulls on Rocks
In November of 2004, Melinda and I went to Monterey. We birded all over the area and saw everything from Oystercatchers to Peregrine Falcons. We went to San Jose, Santa Cruz, Pacific Grove, Carmel, and Big Sur. We had the best time. I love this picture. I like how each gull has his own rock. -- Jenny
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
Sydney in Hat
This is another photo from Melinda's camera and visit in May/June 2005. Sydney was (and probably still is) a HUGE fan of The Wizard Oz. She really loved this Dorothy dress. Erika got to be a Munchkin in the local production of The Wizard of Oz. Sydney loved to watch the show, sing the songs, say the lines and meet everyone. She wanted to be Dorothy.
It was soooooo cute.
Jenny
It was soooooo cute.
Jenny
Lilacs
Lilacs are one of my favorite flowers and spring is here again. Right now my lilacs are just beginning to bloom. The buds are masses of dark purple just waiting to spring forth. Melinda came to visit Pocatello last year and our lilacs were in full bloom and she took this picture. Thanks Min!
Jenny
Jenny
Thursday, May 04, 2006
Favorite Library T-Shirts
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
Nick as Captain Jack Sparrow
This is the infamous costume from Halloween 2004, when he still had long hair. We had such fun that weekend. We attended a party at a friends house the first night of Halloween. The second night of Halloween we went to a club where he won "Best Male Costume." The third night of Halloween we stayed home and gave out candy. We were supposed to have still another party, but were too tired.
After later
Jenny
After later
Jenny
Last Weekend
I left Idaho Friday morning and met up with Annie at the parking lot of the State Library. We then spent a very enjoyable afternoon shopping at Sam Weller (books), Asian Market (food stuffs), and The Dancing Crane (imports). For dinner Jessica and I ended up at an upscale restaurant named Pine. The food was very tasty, which was a surprise since it was trendy, complicated and could have been overwrought. That evening I found out that the manager who was to speak to Annie’s class wasn’t going to make it the next day. After talking it over I volunteered to do it, if they wanted me.
The next day dawned with Hannah coming down the stairs saying, “Mom wants you upstairs now.” Not a good moment. Apparently Rebecca is very allergic to mold, specifically the mold from her plants in the garden. After a trip to the urgent care center we grabbed some breakfast and then started shopping for something for me to wear to speak in. Neither of us thought that my tie-dyed, beaded t-shirt was appropriate. I found a lovely blue velveteen jacket that fits like a dream, a white tank top with butterflies and sequins and a pair of high heeled sandals, a’la Candies from the 1970’s.
I looked good, though I regretted the high heels after standing, walking, swaying, and leaning there for an hour and a half. I ended up talking with the co-coordinator of the program for an additional 30 minutes. She’d been having difficulties with job interviews. I explained that the most likely cause of her not being hired had nothing to do with her and could just as easily be about an inside candidate or someone who just moved to the state with 10 years of experience in the same job. You really can’t second-guess why you weren’t hired. If it is a real concern, asking is a possibility. OF course, having someone proof your resume and cover letter along with a short course on interviewing skills is always in order. I highly recommend that librarian use their gift of research to find answers to any kind of hiring, or management problem.
Rebecca, Annie and I went to dinner at the Olive Garden and then Annie and I watched a dvd of Eddie Izzard. He is hysterical. Unfortunately the sugar and caffeine of the day before caught up with me and I slept through a large chunk. I did wake up and watch the end with the very funny big about technology and printing. I accidentally hooked Annie on my Boggle game. I’ll have to keep an eye out for another copy of it in the stores.
Sunday I got up really, really early, packed and was on the road by 7:00 a.m. I had told our friend Kris that she could come over and use my kitchen to make medieval candies. I had a great time talking, smelling and laughing as she cooked and I played/updated/mucked about with my Library Thing database. I’m a librarian, what can I say, I had to get my subject headings corrected.
So that was my fun filled weekend.
After later
Jenny
Friday, April 28, 2006
She's a Star
The Party, Pt 1
Nick spent most of Friday afternoon hunting down awards, prizes, trophies, crowns, medals, diplomas and ribbons. Sunday, morning we started wrapping and attributing who gave her what.
Sunday afternoon around 5:00 p.m. we all converged at Nan’s house. It was so great to see everyone and to meet my nephew Sam. We had 21 people fill the house. The fun had started by the time I got there, everyone was talking and laughing and small children were happily running around.
Rebecca started off the presents, by presenting Nan with a blue garland crown, for being the “communication nexus” of the family. Nan then began on the big bag of presents from us. The bag included:
* #1 Foam Finger (like the ones fan have at football games), from Shanna
* Mug, Worlds Greatest Musician from Keith Richards
* Mug, Worlds Greatest Dancer from Ginger Rogers
* Plastic crown, from Amy
* Statue, Worlds Greatest Golfer from Chi Chi Rodriguez
* Package of paper ribbons with WINNER in the middle from Mister Rogers
By now everyone had realized that we had, not only a theme, but a great deal of silliness. Nick, Shanna, and I just couldn’t resist the urge to call on all of our friends and acquaintances (alive and dead) to help with this….
* Mug, Worlds Greatest Secretary, from Dad
* Banner, Worlds Greatest Mother, from Joan Crawford
* Medal, 1st Place, from Stacy Dragila
* Bib, Baby of the Year, from Sam and Aubrey
* First Place Wrestling Belt, from the WWF
* Gold Stars, from Jenny
Then came the 23 certificates and diplomas (hopefully I'll be able to list them in a "The Party, Pt 2 entry)
And yet there was still more in the endless bag.
* Blue ribbon, First Place, from Seabiscuit
* Blue ribbon, I’m a Winner, from Nanette
* Blue ribbon, #1, from Melinda
* Blue ribbon, 1st Place from Nadia
* Blue ribbon, Greatest Coach, from Igor
* Button, Best Mother, from Sydney
The bag was finally empty. Now for the high point, Jessica’s big present, a large, piñata, shaped and styled in gold, a replica of the Oscar, with Best Actress on the label. After much laughing, and a few pictures. We settled back down. Nanette did receive a couple of real presents.
Next we moved on to cake and ice cream. We had two cakes, thanks to Jen. One was a regular store bought cake and the other was a beautiful, gluten free, dairy free confection that Jen made. We had earlier discovered that Dave’s birthday was only two weeks away, so Nan dug out some candles and they both got serenaded with Happy Birthday. Most startling for me was the single puff Dave uses to blow out his candles. WOW. He wins the award for, hmm don’t know what to call it… In any case, he wins it.
We all talked for awhile longer then left for home. We’ll have to do this again soon.
After later
Jenny
Nick spent most of Friday afternoon hunting down awards, prizes, trophies, crowns, medals, diplomas and ribbons. Sunday, morning we started wrapping and attributing who gave her what.
Sunday afternoon around 5:00 p.m. we all converged at Nan’s house. It was so great to see everyone and to meet my nephew Sam. We had 21 people fill the house. The fun had started by the time I got there, everyone was talking and laughing and small children were happily running around.
Rebecca started off the presents, by presenting Nan with a blue garland crown, for being the “communication nexus” of the family. Nan then began on the big bag of presents from us. The bag included:
* #1 Foam Finger (like the ones fan have at football games), from Shanna
* Mug, Worlds Greatest Musician from Keith Richards
* Mug, Worlds Greatest Dancer from Ginger Rogers
* Plastic crown, from Amy
* Statue, Worlds Greatest Golfer from Chi Chi Rodriguez
* Package of paper ribbons with WINNER in the middle from Mister Rogers
By now everyone had realized that we had, not only a theme, but a great deal of silliness. Nick, Shanna, and I just couldn’t resist the urge to call on all of our friends and acquaintances (alive and dead) to help with this….
* Mug, Worlds Greatest Secretary, from Dad
* Banner, Worlds Greatest Mother, from Joan Crawford
* Medal, 1st Place, from Stacy Dragila
* Bib, Baby of the Year, from Sam and Aubrey
* First Place Wrestling Belt, from the WWF
* Gold Stars, from Jenny
Then came the 23 certificates and diplomas (hopefully I'll be able to list them in a "The Party, Pt 2 entry)
And yet there was still more in the endless bag.
* Blue ribbon, First Place, from Seabiscuit
* Blue ribbon, I’m a Winner, from Nanette
* Blue ribbon, #1, from Melinda
* Blue ribbon, 1st Place from Nadia
* Blue ribbon, Greatest Coach, from Igor
* Button, Best Mother, from Sydney
The bag was finally empty. Now for the high point, Jessica’s big present, a large, piñata, shaped and styled in gold, a replica of the Oscar, with Best Actress on the label. After much laughing, and a few pictures. We settled back down. Nanette did receive a couple of real presents.
Next we moved on to cake and ice cream. We had two cakes, thanks to Jen. One was a regular store bought cake and the other was a beautiful, gluten free, dairy free confection that Jen made. We had earlier discovered that Dave’s birthday was only two weeks away, so Nan dug out some candles and they both got serenaded with Happy Birthday. Most startling for me was the single puff Dave uses to blow out his candles. WOW. He wins the award for, hmm don’t know what to call it… In any case, he wins it.
We all talked for awhile longer then left for home. We’ll have to do this again soon.
After later
Jenny
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
The Sartorialist
Here's a blog for all ofyou fashionista's in the family. I've learned a lot about the cut of a man's suit just by looking at the pictures.
The Sartorialist
:)
Jenny
The Sartorialist
:)
Jenny
Monday, April 24, 2006
We're going to have a party...
Nanette came over a week ago and we’re hanging out chatting when she describes a conversation she had with Uncle Harry and Aunt Susan. The gist of it was ‘that the real reason to participate in beauty pageants was to win a crown and/or get dressed up in fancy clothes’. Since Nanette is a former pageant girl, this is probably very true. Nanette went on to talk about how she’s always been motivated by awards, trophies, and crowns. Recently she has discovered that diplomas also motivate her. I then had an idea, … a wonderful idea, … a wonderful awful idea. The Idaho and Utah siblings were going to Nanette’s house on Sunday the 23rd to celebrate her birthday and to get together. What if, everyone brought her an award, trophy, crown, or diploma as a present?
I ran the idea past Nick. After all they have the exact same sense of humor. If he thought it would be funny, then so would she. For several years I had explained first to Nanette and then to Nick that the other one was trying to be funny. I wasted a lot of energy doing this. Just because I’m somewhat humor impaired, didn’t mean that they didn’t get it. Instead what I have found is that they are on the same wavelength in many areas. I sent out an email to the tribe letting them know that we now had a THEME for the party.
Anticipation grew as we all prepared for the party day…
Friday, April 21, 2006
Cataloging Books
We had a very interesting education hour today. My friend Annie taught us how to use the webpage http://www.librarything.com It's a webpage where you can organize or catalog your books. You create entries by typing in the name or ISBN. The site then searches Amazon, the Library of Congress and a few other sites to match your book to a record. It then imports the cover art (where available) and puts it in your catalog. You can add tags (aka subject headings) either at the time you add the book or later. What's really great is that you're able to access the catalog from anywhere. I've started adding my geology books and I added a marklet to the blog on the left side so you can see what some of my books in the catalog are. Very fun! Annie's brother uses her site to find books to read based on the tags and what he knows he already likes. Eventually, if I felt really dedicated, I could write book reviews and add them to the site. Wheeeeee.... gotta love technology.
After later
Jenny
After later
Jenny
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Faculty Senate
Here's a picture of us at one of our Faculty Senate meetings from last year. I can tell by my braid that this is from 2005. In 2006 I tipped the ends of my hair with bright red. Vitit Kantabutra from the Engineering department took this picture. He is an amazing photographer. More of his photos can be found at: http://www.pbase.com/vkantabu/root
After later
Jenny
After later
Jenny
Meetings
I have no idea how I got this. Actually, I probably received it from one of my friends via email. It’s been in my computer’s funny file for at least 6 years.
---
British Librarianship's finest hour:
Q: I read somewhere that a large group of librarians on their way to a convention had all perished on the Titanic. Is that story true?
A: Sadly, it is. The cream of British Librarianship was wiped out in a single blow. We know the full story because the minutes from their meetings were found floating on the water by rescuers. Just twenty minutes after hitting the iceberg, the librarians had already swung into action. They'd divided into two committees, one discussing "The Sink/Swim Paradigm" and one discussing "Sinking: Is It REALLY Necessary?". The second group spun off a subcommittee to discuss In The Event Sinking Proves Necessary, Should 'Titanic' Be Given Its Own Subject Heading In The Card Catalogue?". One hour later, the groups combined for a seminar: "Lifeboats: Access Or Ownership?" Debate was fractious, and several subcommittees were formed to discuss protocols for further meetings.
One hour later, the entire group drowned, only ten minutes into the "Steaming To Excellence" seminar, and without having once left the meeting room. But it isn't all in vain -- "Titanic" WAS eventually given its own subject heading, in tribute to those who gave their lives in committee.
---
For the last few years I have been on a lot of committees. My current roster looks like this:
1. Faculty Senate
Meets every other week and occasionally more often during times of crisis. This year we had the crises of Administrative Salaries, No Confidence in the President, Early Resignation of said President, announcement of new Interim President (who’s been great), and finally the hiring process for a new President.
2. Academic Standards
Meets once a month. This is a subcommittee of the Faculty Senate.
3. Library Faculty
The Library’s Faculty Senate representative chairs this library committee.
4. Library Administrative Council
Again, I’m on the council as because I’m the Faculty Senate representative for the library.
5. University Bookstore Committee
Meets only once a semester and for various and sundry reasons I was unable to attend at all this year. I had a colleague go in my place.
Four of these committees end in May sometime. WHEEEEE
However, I’ll still be involved with these library committees:
- Public Services Meetings (once a month)
- Instruction Meetings (once a month)
- Reference Meetings (every now and then)
- Education Hour (a learning session 2-3 Fridays per month)
- General Library Staff Meetings (once a month)
- Library Events (as needed, once a week through August)
- Library Web Development (every other week or so)
- Library Space Committee (every other week) I’m chairing this one
- Library and College of Education Development Committee (once a month), I’m facilitating this one, taking minutes, etc…
- Library Electronic Resource (as needed) I’m chairing this one too. We don’t have a budget so we haven’t been meeting this year.
- Law Library Committee (3-4 meetings per year plus one "event")
- Library Travel Committee (meets in the late spring and through the summer)
And then of course there are the impromptu meetings for every other decision. I’m tired just listing all of these. So if you want to know why it is hard to get in touch with me, assume I’m in a meeting.
After later
Jenny
Sunday, April 16, 2006
Geology: Lake Bonneville - Timeline
Nick said I needed to add a timeline to the Bonneville Flood entry, so here it is.
The Timeline Addendum:
Lake Stansbury 24,400 - 20,000
The waters of the surrounding ranges began to collect in the basin. Apparently there was a climate change of some kind that held the level stable for approximately 3000 years.
Lake Bonneville 18,000 - 14,500
The basin began collecting more water. With no outlet it grew and grew until it reached the rim of the Red Rock Pass and began overflowing as a small stream.
Flood 14,500
Catastrophic erosion of the softer layers of rock at Red Rock Pass allowed the waters of Lake Bonneville to flood through Pocatello and on into the Snake River.
Lake Provo 14,500 - 13,500
Outflow through the Red Rock Pass stabilized as erosion came to a screeching almost standstill. Lake Provo was stabilized until the end of the last major ice age. The reduced flow of water into the lake caused the lake to retreat.
Lake Gilbert 11,000 - 10,000
Resurgence in water flowing into the basin created this level, before finally shrinking to the Great Salt Lake level.
Great Salt Lake Present
The Great Salt Lake is still in a basin. It is no longer large enough to flow out through the Red Rock Pass. Water can only escape through evaporation.
See earlier post on Lake Bonneville for Internet Resources
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