I have a job! I was offered the position at the public library and I accepted it. It is mainly a "page" position, which involves mainly shelving and revising, but it will also include a bit of supervising and training new pages. I'm really excited, but I am also nervous about balancing the amount of work with schoolwork and a life. It will be a lot of hours, but I am willing and eager to do my best. This will be my first public library experience, and I'm looking forward to it.
I went to Auto Zone the other day and bought new windshield wipers. They were very helpful, and even offered to put the new ones on for me, which I accepted. The guy who helped me struggled with them, so I know I would not have been able to remove the old ones and put on the new ones. I was very impressed. I didn't expect them to offer to help me, as they were really busy, but they did. :-)
I have a ton of packing to do. :-( Only a few more days left. My co-workers threw me a farewell potluck. It was delicious. Then one of the librarians did a presentation of her travels this summer. Very interesting.
Moving on soon to the new. Wow.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Blips on the Radar
'ello ello. It has just started to sink in, starting yesterday, that I only have a week and a half and then I am leaving. As in, not coming back. It's been hard at work because I realize I may not have time to do certain things, wait for incoming books, start new projects. It's been a good year and a hard year in some respects, but I am attached to this place (I knew I would be), a little more and a little less than I thought I would be. I am looking forward to being in the same city as friends again. I have missed that.
I am applying for jobs--any that I am possibly qualified for. Trying to learn the art of cover letters. I'm getting a little nervous about it, but I know it will all work out.
I enquired about a cool voluntee opportunity with the Red Cross when I move. They have a huge book fair fundraiser, and they would like people interested in rare books to research books they get and write up descriptions for them. This is essentially what I've been doing all this past year, but with books. Research is like opening a present. You can kind of guess what is in the package, but you don't know how cool (or uncool) the item is inside until you tear off the wrapping paper. Same with a book or coin. You can guess at the history behind it, but you don't know until you search.
Ok, I promised an update about the field trips last Thursday. We visited two libraries, one of which was new and "green" and the other, which had an automatic retrieval system. The automatic retrieval system was really interesting. It was a crane that ran on a track and located and pulled out a bin corresponding to the book or periodical requested. It was really cool, but I'm not a big fan, as it eliminates browsing. It would be good for back issues of periodicals and other materials that most people don't browse through anyway.
Blessings.
I am applying for jobs--any that I am possibly qualified for. Trying to learn the art of cover letters. I'm getting a little nervous about it, but I know it will all work out.
I enquired about a cool voluntee opportunity with the Red Cross when I move. They have a huge book fair fundraiser, and they would like people interested in rare books to research books they get and write up descriptions for them. This is essentially what I've been doing all this past year, but with books. Research is like opening a present. You can kind of guess what is in the package, but you don't know how cool (or uncool) the item is inside until you tear off the wrapping paper. Same with a book or coin. You can guess at the history behind it, but you don't know until you search.
Ok, I promised an update about the field trips last Thursday. We visited two libraries, one of which was new and "green" and the other, which had an automatic retrieval system. The automatic retrieval system was really interesting. It was a crane that ran on a track and located and pulled out a bin corresponding to the book or periodical requested. It was really cool, but I'm not a big fan, as it eliminates browsing. It would be good for back issues of periodicals and other materials that most people don't browse through anyway.
Blessings.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
The World is Filled With the Grandeur of God
Gerard Manley Hopkins (quote above, I highly recommend reading the whole poem)
I visited A squared this weekend with two friends, one of whom lives there. Her house is so cute! It is an older house with a lot of character. Those are the best houses. :-) The Art Fair is in town, so we looked at the different artists' wares. It is just blocks and blocks of paintings, pictures, pottery, glass work, sculptures, jewelry, etc. I was in raptures. To be surrounded by all the beauty and creativity. I wished that I had the money to spend and a house to put it in. It was all beautiful, but two booths really stuck out to me. One had large glass daffodil type flowers that could either be displayed on the wall or stand up as a sculpture. I have a picture of me smelling the flower, but am unable to post it, as internet is still down at the house. :-( The artists were really nice too. They were younger and more energetic, and they didn't mind that we took a picture. Some of the artists were kind of grumpy or curmudgeonly, which seemed weird. Aren't people artists because it is their passion and they love beauty and want to share this passion and beauty with others? It should not be a commercial matter, though I understand that to make a living one must sell pieces. The other booth I liked almost brought me to tears. I had to leave so I didn't embarrass myself in front of the artist. He had 3 photographs with views looking out from a dock with the water and the sun gleaming through the clouds. It looked like God's grandeur. It touched me beyond words. I think that's what good art, truly good art does.
We also went to a sleepover last night, and it was a lot of fun. The hostess was very gracious to allow us to come, even though we had never met before. We talked and watched Confessions of a Shopaholic, which is very cute. I also realized, though not necessarily for the first time, that I am a baseball nerd. I hope I didn't bore the other girls. :-)
I am playing during the offering at church tomorrow. So I need to remember and not sleep through the first service. :-)
Also, I would like to give a word of warning in regards to laundry. I found out the hard way that if you leave your wet clothes in the washer too long, they will get bright purple mildew stains on them. At least mine did. Not all the clothes got them, but some of my favorite pieces did. Of course. I was on the phone with my brother when I discovered this and started freaking out. Poor guy.
A lot has happened this week, but this is already a long post. I think I'll postpone the stories from the Thursday field trip. Stay tuned. :-)
I visited A squared this weekend with two friends, one of whom lives there. Her house is so cute! It is an older house with a lot of character. Those are the best houses. :-) The Art Fair is in town, so we looked at the different artists' wares. It is just blocks and blocks of paintings, pictures, pottery, glass work, sculptures, jewelry, etc. I was in raptures. To be surrounded by all the beauty and creativity. I wished that I had the money to spend and a house to put it in. It was all beautiful, but two booths really stuck out to me. One had large glass daffodil type flowers that could either be displayed on the wall or stand up as a sculpture. I have a picture of me smelling the flower, but am unable to post it, as internet is still down at the house. :-( The artists were really nice too. They were younger and more energetic, and they didn't mind that we took a picture. Some of the artists were kind of grumpy or curmudgeonly, which seemed weird. Aren't people artists because it is their passion and they love beauty and want to share this passion and beauty with others? It should not be a commercial matter, though I understand that to make a living one must sell pieces. The other booth I liked almost brought me to tears. I had to leave so I didn't embarrass myself in front of the artist. He had 3 photographs with views looking out from a dock with the water and the sun gleaming through the clouds. It looked like God's grandeur. It touched me beyond words. I think that's what good art, truly good art does.
We also went to a sleepover last night, and it was a lot of fun. The hostess was very gracious to allow us to come, even though we had never met before. We talked and watched Confessions of a Shopaholic, which is very cute. I also realized, though not necessarily for the first time, that I am a baseball nerd. I hope I didn't bore the other girls. :-)
I am playing during the offering at church tomorrow. So I need to remember and not sleep through the first service. :-)
Also, I would like to give a word of warning in regards to laundry. I found out the hard way that if you leave your wet clothes in the washer too long, they will get bright purple mildew stains on them. At least mine did. Not all the clothes got them, but some of my favorite pieces did. Of course. I was on the phone with my brother when I discovered this and started freaking out. Poor guy.
A lot has happened this week, but this is already a long post. I think I'll postpone the stories from the Thursday field trip. Stay tuned. :-)
Sunday, July 12, 2009
How Great the Father's Love For Us
There is a bike race going on today, and it runs on the road outside my house, so I have to be careful not to run over bikers or spectators.
I cannot sing How Great the Father's Love For Us without crying. It is what I consider to be a contemporary hymn. The theology and lyrics are really good, and the tune is similar to hymn melodies. I realized this morning that it is difficult for me to sing it without emotion because it emphasizes Jesus' sacrifice for my sins. I benefited from someone else's pain. My sin kept Him on that cross. My unbelief. My scoffing. Christian humility comes from that: we are saved and forgiven because Jesus was willing to be hurt and suffer and die for us. We benefited from His pain, and it is most certainly by nothing good we have done that we can glory. It is all to the glory of God, the great three in one. He did it all, and everything we can do, everything we can give is the very least He deserves.
I cannot sing How Great the Father's Love For Us without crying. It is what I consider to be a contemporary hymn. The theology and lyrics are really good, and the tune is similar to hymn melodies. I realized this morning that it is difficult for me to sing it without emotion because it emphasizes Jesus' sacrifice for my sins. I benefited from someone else's pain. My sin kept Him on that cross. My unbelief. My scoffing. Christian humility comes from that: we are saved and forgiven because Jesus was willing to be hurt and suffer and die for us. We benefited from His pain, and it is most certainly by nothing good we have done that we can glory. It is all to the glory of God, the great three in one. He did it all, and everything we can do, everything we can give is the very least He deserves.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Audio Visual Update
I ordered Robin of Sherwood on MelCat. It's a BBC TV series from the 80s. I liked the characters and setting, even though the battles were very staged, and I even liked Robin's hair (80s shag, almost mullet. :-) However, I do not recommend the series and I could not watch it myself because it was so New Age and "spiritual." One character was overtly demonic (he was the bad guy). I wanted to keep watching, hoping it would get better, but I was starting to crawl in my skin, so I stopped and returned it today. I'm waiting for some other series through MelCat, and I know they'll be better, as I've seen them before and know what I'm getting into. :-)
Over the 4th of July holiday, I watched Gran Torino, which is an amazing movie. It is less violent than I thought it would be, and it has a redeeming message. It is very gritty, but it is also good. I have been impressed with the idea this year that everything in this world is mixed and nothing is pure. Nothing is perfectly good, and nothing is so bad that it cannot be redeemed. I am not rationalizing filth, but merely stating what I find to be true. Every good moment will have a bit of negative, and every negative will have some good, even if we do not realize the good on this earth. Thus, some good messages and some good things in life will be tinged with bad. So, we should weigh our choices and make our own personal decisions in regards to this balance.
I also watched Defiance over the weekend with my family. I had seen it once before, by myself, as my mom gave it to me for my birthday. It also is an excellent movie about Jews resisting and surviving in the forests of Belarus in World War II. It raises the question of humanity and the response to evil and injustice. Retribution? Fighting? Surviving? It is very realistic, and I like that. It is a resistance movie, and even though they are the "good" side, the "right" side, they still had to do "bad" things. Steal. Murder. How do you endure injustice? How do you react? How do you keep your humanity in the face of inhumanity? War is both extremely human and inhuman, and it will always be a part of this life until Jesus defeats Satan for good in the final battle. I am glad that they made a movie that shows the struggles and survival of Jews who resisted, both physically and merely by surviving, and what they endured, both physically and emotionally. Also, it is nice to see a movie that does not idealize living in the forest.
Also, I really like the new series on USA called Royal Pains, and I do not generally like medical TV series. Mark Feuerstein plays the main character, Hank Lawson, and he is also in Defiance as the socialist intellectual. It made me happy, but I didn't notice until the credits rolled the first time I watched Defiance.
The End. (For now.)
Over the 4th of July holiday, I watched Gran Torino, which is an amazing movie. It is less violent than I thought it would be, and it has a redeeming message. It is very gritty, but it is also good. I have been impressed with the idea this year that everything in this world is mixed and nothing is pure. Nothing is perfectly good, and nothing is so bad that it cannot be redeemed. I am not rationalizing filth, but merely stating what I find to be true. Every good moment will have a bit of negative, and every negative will have some good, even if we do not realize the good on this earth. Thus, some good messages and some good things in life will be tinged with bad. So, we should weigh our choices and make our own personal decisions in regards to this balance.
I also watched Defiance over the weekend with my family. I had seen it once before, by myself, as my mom gave it to me for my birthday. It also is an excellent movie about Jews resisting and surviving in the forests of Belarus in World War II. It raises the question of humanity and the response to evil and injustice. Retribution? Fighting? Surviving? It is very realistic, and I like that. It is a resistance movie, and even though they are the "good" side, the "right" side, they still had to do "bad" things. Steal. Murder. How do you endure injustice? How do you react? How do you keep your humanity in the face of inhumanity? War is both extremely human and inhuman, and it will always be a part of this life until Jesus defeats Satan for good in the final battle. I am glad that they made a movie that shows the struggles and survival of Jews who resisted, both physically and merely by surviving, and what they endured, both physically and emotionally. Also, it is nice to see a movie that does not idealize living in the forest.
Also, I really like the new series on USA called Royal Pains, and I do not generally like medical TV series. Mark Feuerstein plays the main character, Hank Lawson, and he is also in Defiance as the socialist intellectual. It made me happy, but I didn't notice until the credits rolled the first time I watched Defiance.
The End. (For now.)
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Fricaseed Frogs and Eel Pie
I have a job interview at the public library in Bloomington. I'm really excited about it, especially as I was getting a little nervous about finding a job. It will be my first phone interview; I hope it goes well. It doesn't mean I'll get the job, but interviews and feedback are promising.
I had a good 4th of July with my family. It rained the entire day of the 4th, however, so we didn't get to see fireworks. It has been cooler too, which is nice. It doesn't feel like July, but I'm not complaining. :-) We played a trivia game, and I realized how many extra facts and trivia I have crammed into my head in this past year. So many things relate back to the coins and the history behind them. I am going to miss my job. I can't believe I only have about 3 weeks left. I'm done when the month is done.
This will be the first Wednesday that I haven't had Bible quiz practice in a long time. I had a lot of fun with the quizzers. I was the quotes coach, and I think those verses are going to stick with me. I hope. :-)
Well, I'm going to head home. TTFN
I had a good 4th of July with my family. It rained the entire day of the 4th, however, so we didn't get to see fireworks. It has been cooler too, which is nice. It doesn't feel like July, but I'm not complaining. :-) We played a trivia game, and I realized how many extra facts and trivia I have crammed into my head in this past year. So many things relate back to the coins and the history behind them. I am going to miss my job. I can't believe I only have about 3 weeks left. I'm done when the month is done.
This will be the first Wednesday that I haven't had Bible quiz practice in a long time. I had a lot of fun with the quizzers. I was the quotes coach, and I think those verses are going to stick with me. I hope. :-)
Well, I'm going to head home. TTFN
Friday, July 3, 2009
My brother got me a BB gun for my birthday. I'm in my mid-20s and received my first BB gun. It's rather hilarious. :-)
I am not feeling particularly inspired. I was going to post pictures since I'm home and have Internet access, but I think I left my camera cord at home. If I find it, I'll try to post pics.
I am not feeling particularly inspired. I was going to post pictures since I'm home and have Internet access, but I think I left my camera cord at home. If I find it, I'll try to post pics.
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