Home on the Range

Well here I am at home for the weekend. I come from a farm, near a small town. One of the things that is both annoying and wonderful about living in a small town is how everybody knows everyone else. This is bad if you don't want everyone knowing your business. Good luck keeping your affair with the Postman a secret. Even if neither of you tell anyone, Phyllis from next door will see him leaving by the back door at an odd hour and will inform everyone on Coffee Row the next day.

The good thing about everyone knowing you, is that in addition to taking a personal interest in your business, they take a personal interest in your welfare. If your neighbours find out you need help, then they pitch in, no questions asked.

Today, we had a fire in one of our fields. We do not know how it started, but suspect it may have been caused by a build-up of static charge on the sprayer. In any case, a fire started, and we immediately had several neighbours show up. It was one of those crazy "Get your torch and pitchfork" moments, except of course that torches wouldn't have helped much with a fire, so I guess it was more like, "Get your buckets and pitchfork". Anyway, we got the fire out, didn't even have to call 911.

So even though I sometimes think that living in a small town sucks, that is one aspect that is great. Finding that kind of altruism in the city is tough.

Spring has Sprung...

Today I walked out of my cave of an office out into the blinding sunlight just in time to witness a mass migration of Canada Geese. On my way home, I saw the first motorcycle of the season. I looked out my window when I got home just in time to witness another group of geese heading north as fast as they could flap their wings.

All of a sudden, it's spring.

And it's about time, dammit.

Paris, here I come!

Well, as they say, I'm blowing this popsicle stand!

My sister and I have decided to go on vacation to France and the UK. We're going in June and July. So, I'm wondering, does anyone have any good ideas about places to go, things to do, things to see, tours, good places to stay, eat, dance, drink, etc...

I've never been to Europe before, so I really don't have a clue what I'm doing.

So how about it? Any worldly travellers out there willing to share their knowledge??

It's just one controversy after another...

Well, my old Alma Mater has done it. The University of Saskatchewan's student newspaper, The Sheaf is now up to its ass in alligators. Why? Did they publish those ol' Muhammad cartoons? No, no no. That's old news. They've done one better and published a wonderfully new offensive cartoon entitled "Capitalist Piglet". The cartoon depicts a pig getting a blow job from Jesus. You can view the cartoon on this person's blog.

So anyway, they published this cartoon in The Sheaf and surprise, surprise, people were offended. The president of the University, Peter MacKinnon, sent an e-mail to everyone in the university saying that the cartoon had little value other than to shock or offend, and suggested that The Sheaf owed an apology to everyone.

Several people have gone one further and demanded that the newspaper be dismantled, that everyone on the Sheaf staff should be made to resign, and then John Gormley parks his ass on CTV news and suggests that the Sheaf owes monetary damages to all of the poor Christians it offended. (My loathing for John Gormley and every idiotic sentence that has ever fallen out of his big mouth knows no bounds.)

Obviously, I don't agree with the people calling for the resignation/termination/suing of the Sheaf staff. I can't believe how stupid people are. FREEDOM OF SPEECH people FREEDOM OF SPEECH. Without the Freedom to offend, Freedom of speech doesn't exist. You know what? I really hate listening to a lot of things out in the world right now. As I've said before, I think John Gormley would be improved 100% with a big fat piece of duct tape over that mouth of his. BUT no matter how much I don't like what I'm hearing, I will defend to the death the right of people to say it. So everyone who was offended by that cartoon, please get a life. You absolutely have the right to write in to the Sheaf and say what a horrible cartoon it was. And Peter MacKinnon absolutely had a right to send that e-mail out to everyone (although I will disrespect him forever now for doing it, the old prude.) But you don't have the right to sue people for it, and you don't have the right to censor people.

However, having said that, let us not forget the context in which the cartoon was published. The Sheaf, not so long ago, published an article explaining why they were not going to publish the Muhammad cartoons. The Sheaf says that republication of the cartoons merely detracts "from the serious and necessary debate that needs to take place around a myriad of issues that this clash uncovers". Fine. But then why publish this cartoon so shortly afterward? A lot of people are calling The Sheaf staff hypocrites, by refusing to publish one set of cartoons offensive to Muslims, and then going ahead and publishing another cartoon offensive to some Christians (and let's admit it, "Capitalist Piglet" is way worse than any of those Muhammad cartoons).

Under fire from all sides, The Sheaf is now saying that the cartoon was not meant to be included and was an editorial oversight. Ummmmmmm... I'm not buying it. Even if they did decide not to publish it at the last minute, the fact that it "accidently" made it into the final cut suggests that they were at least seriously considering it.

Here's what I think happened: The Sheaf decided not to print the Muhammad cartoons. Sure, the reasons they cite have merit, but let's be honest: they were really afraid that if they published them, someone would burn down the Sheaf office, or they'd get their butts kicked by the University Administration. Judging from Peter MacKinnon's reaction to the Capitalist Piglet cartoon, they were probably right about that last one. But, after that, they were feeling a bit ashamed (and damn straight they should be... should've published the Muhammad cartoons you spineless twits) and so said, "Hey look at this cartoon. It's really offensive and gross, but it's about Christians, so we won't get into trouble, but we'll look real macho and controversial." Except that they did get into trouble. Hence the backtracking, profuse apologies, and claims of editorial incompetence.

Another reason that I believe the Sheaf really was just thinking about shock value when they published the cartoon is the absolute lack of context for it. I don't believe that the cartoon is just totally gross with no point. I think it has something to say about Christianity compromising some of their principles to pander to a capitalist society. However, most people can't get past the offensive image to even see the point. That is a poorly thought out cartoon, because what's the point if people don't get it? You should have the right to be offensive, but for goodness sake, use the power wisely.

So although I think the people who are raising such a stink about the cartoon definitely need to relax, I do agree that the Sheaf has conducted itself poorly. 1) You should have been honest about your reasons for not publishing the Muhammad cartoons; 2) The Capitalist Piglet cartoon, while it did contain some authentic social commentary, was published without context or frame of reference, and nobody got the point.

So was it really worth it? Do you feel all rebellious and defiant now?

*Sigh*

Abortion rant

Some days I look at the world around me, and I am honestly frightened. Where are we going? Where will we be in a few years? Sometimes I feel like we're moving backwards. All those civil liberties that we fought for over the last century seem to be disappearing one by one. It's enough to make you cry.

Mississippi is about to pass a law banning abortions. "The measure would prohibit all abortions except in very rare cases when the life of the mother is in jeopardy. It does not allow exceptions for abortions in cases of rape or incest."

Oh. My. God. And don't think we're safe up here in Canada. South Dakota just passed a similar law. This trend seems to be creeping northward. Don't forget we just elected a conservative government with a socially conservative agenda.

Personally, if I had an unplanned pregnancy, I would not have an abortion. I'm done school, I have a job, and even if the guy didn't stick around, I have a really supportive family who would help me out. Unfortunately, there are many women out there who just don't have this option.



Often people will say they are for/against abortion based on when they think the fetus becomes a person. Is it the point where the egg is fertilized by the sperm? Is it when the baby starts to look like a baby? Or is it only after the baby is born? I personally believe that all of this theorizing is beside the point.

Let's say that the baby becomes a person as soon as the egg and sperm become one. Therefore, when you have an abortion, a person dies.

Theoretical scenario: Let's say that one day you get a phone call. A relative of yours, who you have never met or heard of, is dying in the hospital. The only way they can be saved is if you go to the hospital and become hooked up to them for nine months. They need to use your body for that time until they can get an organ transplant. You are their only hope. Without you they will surely die.

So, do you go? You might say that you have a moral obligation to go and help them out. After all, even though you have never met them before and have no feelings toward them, they are another human being.

But a legal obligation? I don't think so.

The point is that one person's rights shouldn't supercede the rights of another person. I am a person, and I have the right to do with my body as I wish. And if I do not wish to be a life support system for another person for nine months, than I should not have to be.

Women should not have the rights of their person violated simply because we are in the unique position of being the sex that gives birth. And do not give me the bullshit of, "You had sex. You took the risk, now face the consequences." Yes, you should be using birth control, but nothing's fool proof. Women should be able to have a sex life and not have to worry about "What if I get pregnant?"

Men do not have to worry about this. They never get pregnant, so they can have consequence-free sex (although I do realize that responsible guys don't look at it this way). They never have to be pregnant for nine months, throw up every morning, get stretch marks on their tummies and then go through the pain of giving birth.

Gee, I wonder how many women were consulted on that decision in Mississippi?

Help!

Well, I have just finished the staff workshop. I had to do FOUR presentations on searching online databases for the librarians. The past week has been exhausting. First of all, the workshop was moved up two weeks due to a grant deadline. Then I was sick all of last week. So I was scrambling to get my presentations ready. I worked on Friday, which was supposed to be a holiday. I worked twelve hours on Tuesday, and then on Wednesday, the first day of the workshop, I had to go back to work in between presentations to work on stuff for today.

And now I have an interview to go to on Monday.

Here is what I have to do for it: "A short presentation (approximately 10 to 15 minutes) on the development of possible children’s programs."

I am too tired to think of anything. Can any of my smart library friends help me out?

Aaaahh... Finally someone with some backbone

The Strand, a student newspaper from the University of Toronto, has jumped into the whole "Muhammad Cartoon" debate. However, they have not attempted to re-publish the original cartoons (which the student newspaper at the University of PEI already tried, only to have their newspapers yanked from the stands before they could be distributed), but have published a new cartoon featuring Jesus and Muhammad kissing in the "Tunnel of Tolerance". Awwwww. Isn't that sweet? And what nobler sentiment could we choose to portray than that of love and tolerance despite our differences? In a Yahoo News Article, The Strand's managing editor Nick Ragaz is quoted as saying "the cartoon was intended to provoke debate, dialogue, and thought, and should not be understood to promote violence or hate". Thank you. Exactly.

To view the cartoon and the accompanying editorial, you can visit The Strand online. Select the Editorial, "To print or not to print?". Definitely some food for thought.

meme

I've been tagged by librarychik!

Four jobs I've had in my life:

• Mapping a cemetery and transferring the records to computer (actually one of my favourite jobs ever... cemeteries are really nice places to spend a summer afternoon)
• Pumping gas and manning the till at a gas station/hardware store (my least favorite job ever)
• harvesting cut flowers for export in New Zealand
• library assistant at a medical research foundation

Four places I've lived:

• Sherbrooke, Quebec (on a three-month exchange; my twin and her family were really nice)
• Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
• Tauranga, New Zealand (this was only for three months, but I had a job, so it wasn't just a vacation)
• Edmonton, Alberta

Four websites I visit daily:

• Hotmail
• For Better or For Worse
• The Dilbert Blog
• Homestar Runner (I actually only go about once a week, since that's how often it's updated, but it's too good not to mention)

Four places I have been on vacation:

• Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos Islands
• The Cook Islands
• Vancouver, Whistler, Victoria, Vancouver Island (that was a marathon week, and I took the bus there from Saskatchewan. Longest car ride ever)
• Rivière-du-Loup, Quebec (this was for a 1.5 month French Immersion program, so technically I was supposed to be going to school and doing work, but considering the amount of goofing off that was accomplished, I think this counts as a vacation)

Four of my favorite foods:

• PIZZA PIZZA PIZZA
• Thai Food, yum!
• Calamari at Alexander's in Saskabush
• Lemon Meringue Pie

Four places I'd rather be:

• France
• The UK comes a close second to France
• Australia
• New Zealand

Four albums/artists I can't live without:
This is a tough one for me since I listen to such a wide range of music. I also tend to have a "flavour of the month", but these are the albums/artists that stick out in my mind as being the most influential over the years.

• The Mamas and the Papas, Greatest Hits (Dream a little Dream of Me)
• Classical Music (Beethoven (love Moonlight Sonata), Gustav Holst (The Planets Suite: Jupiter), Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite, and various others too numerous to mention)
• Aerosmith (I really like Pink, Jaded, Amazing, and Blind Man)
• New Kids on the Block (Yes, yes I know. But they were really important to me when I was eleven. My friends and I were kind of obsessed with them. I had all of their albums, my bedroom walls were papered in posters of them, I had t-shirts, books, videos, keychains, earrings, slippers, and the pièce de résistance: a Joe doll. Joe and Barbie actually made a very nice couple. Besides, whether you admit it or not, I think some of their songs were kind of catchy.)

Four Vehicles I've Owned:

• La bête bleue: The beast himself, a 1991 sky blue GMC Tracker
• A Honda Prelude, sun roof and CD player, it was Sooooo nice (it's what I drove in New Zealand, so the steering wheel was on the right and everything, and it handled so nicely on those curvy Kiwi roads...)
• That's it! I've never owned any other cars. Though I do enjoy driving my mom's Dodge Ram 2500 when I'm at home. That thing is a tank.

Four people I'm tagging:

• I'm only tagging one person: Puddleglum. Maybe she'll get off her ass and write something. But I suppose she is writing her thesis. I am minorly sympathetic.

Religious fundamentalists have no sense of humour...

Well, I'm sure everybody has heard by now about the cartoons of Muhammad published in a Danish newspaper that has caused Muslims to freak around the world. Normally, I'm not one to wade into these sorts of issues, and I know that others who are probably much more knowledgeable than me have already blogged about it here and here. However, I think this is getting out of hand, and as a librarian - who by definition should stand up for the rights of freedom of speech and freedom of the press - I feel I must have my say.

First of all, I know that the outrageous actions (i.e. burning of buildings) of a few Muslims do not represent the majority. But for those few I have these words: Get a sense of humour people!!! No one should take themselves or their religion that seriously. I understand that Muhammad is sacred and that it is against Muslim law to depict him at all, much less depict him as the cartoons did. However, if we want to continue to live in a free and democratic society, we must open ourselves to criticism, including any religious beliefs we might hold. And I'm not just talking about Muslims. Christians and Hindus and other religions must also be willing have open discussion about their religions take place. Sometimes, these discussions may be in questionable taste, sometimes people will get offended. But political correctness should never take precedence over freedom of speech. We must not let ourselves be intimidated. If we start tip-toeing around because we're afraid that we might OFFEND some psychopath who will subsequently blow us up, then what are we left with? Where do we draw the line? The truth is, we will always be offending someone.

Having said that, it is perfectly okay to be offended. But instead of trying to shut down discussion and dialogue through intimidation, a better thing to do would be to provide more information. Provide an alternate viewpoint, explain why these images offend you, draw a cartoon of Jesus, anything, but keep the dialogue going. Trying to stifle opposition through violence is totally wrong.

A University Professor (I believe he is from St. Mary's University in Newfoundland, but I can't really remember for sure) had the cartoons up on his office door. The university made him take them down. This to me says that the university was intimidated by the actions taken by some Muslims and simply caved in because they wanted to avoid the issue. I understand their caution, but I personally think they were being chicken shits. A University should set an example to us all as an open forum for the discussion of ideas: ALL ideas no matter who it offends or how politically incorrect it is. If we refuse to examine something because it is going to be a little uncomfortable, then maybe we should just give up. Let a dictator take over, we'll all move back into caves and cease thinking critically at all. Seriously that is how discouraged this whole thing has made me.

Personally, I support that Danish newspaper, and every other newspaper and blogger who have continued to publish those cartoons in the face of such violent opposition.

To those Muslims out there who thought it would be a good idea to burn down an embassy, and to all nuts, regardless of faith, who take their religion too seriously:
You're offended by something I say? Fine. Be offended. Tell me all about it. Tell the whole world about it. But don't try and tell me what I can and can't say.

Save the Octopus!

I support the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus!

Complete and Utter Exhaustion

Wow! And I thought after university, I would never have another week like this one has been. Do you remember those weeks? The ones where you had work, and like, four assignments due, and you worked 18 hours a day and collapsed into bed, only to wake up with the realization that you had to do it all over again the next day?

Well, that has been what the last week has been like. My Tracker is STILL broken. It has taken Canadian Tire over a week to order in a part that is supposedly coming from Regina. Geez! How long could that take? Shall I drive to Regina myself and get it?? So, I have been getting rides in with one of my co-workers. Lucky for me, four of the people I work with live in this neighbourhood, and the one lives only about a block away. So I ride in with her to work. But she gets there an hour earlier than I usually do. So I'm used to leaving for work at 8:45 (or later, I've been bad for that lately) and now I leave for work at 7:45. I have never been a morning person, so this has been hard on me. Plus, I have been doing a lot of workshops, where I have to drive out to various towns (using the library vehicle), and some of them are at night. So I get to work at 8:00 am, and get home at 11:30 pm. How's that for a work day? And I didn't go into law school because I didn't want to work 14-hour days. HA!

I am banking some over-time, which I will get to take off later...that is if I didn't have so much work to do. We have just discovered that a grant we didn't think had to be used up until the end of March, has to be used up by the end of February, so we had to move our staff workshop (which is being paid for by this grant) up two weeks to the end of February. I am in charge of most of the sessions. I was counting on having those two extra weeks to work on my sessions, so now I have to fit that in right now with all of the public workshops I'm doing out at the branches.

Needless to say, I am right now so exhausted, I'm not even sure what my name is. And the next few weeks are just going to be more of the same. But I do have the night off tonight, so I will relax and think happy thoughts.

La bête bleue, part deux

AAAUUUGGGHHH! AAUUUGGGGHHH!! AAAAUUUUGGGGHHHH!!!

Apparently, when my fuel pump went, it also fried the computer in my car. Computers are even more expensive than fuel pumps. In total, I see this whole thing costing me close to $1400. I'm not even sure my car is worth much more than that. Even worse was finding out the reason that both my computer and fuel pump got fried was because the fuel filter got clogged. Why was it clogged? Apparently it just builds up over time, and most people (according to the Canadian Tire guy) get theirs changed every year or so. To change a fuel filter would cost about $60. Sixty Dollars. Sixty Dollars a year, versus $1400 dollars PLUS the fact that I do not have a vehicle and likely will not until MONDAY or TUESDAY. WHY don't people tell you these things??? I check the pressure in my tires, check the oil, the coolant, the windshield washer fluid. I get oil changes twice a year. I even check the air filter once in a while. WHY in GOD's name did no one tell me to change the fuel filter???

I guess there's no one to blame really but myself, but I have honestly never heard that fuel filters are one of the things that need to be changed on a regular basis. Does everyone else get their fuel filters changed and am I really out to lunch on this one???

In other news, I think they must be really desperate for librarians in this province. I went to a meeting today, and then on a tour of provincial library, and I was STRONGLY encouraged to apply for jobs both at provincial, and at another regional library. At provincial, they even went so far as to show me "my office" where I would work if I got the job.

The thing is, I am just not sure right now if I am ready for that kind of job. You know the kind of job I mean: you work in an office, your duties are administrative and managerial. Sure, you get paid more, but I'm just not ready for that. I'm not done playing around with web sites, and making up funny newsletters, and doing fun workshops and programs. For the time being, I am quite happy to leave the supervising and strategic planning for someone else. Perhaps I should add this to my cover letters from now on:

P.S. I just really want to play with puppets, okay?

La bête bleue

My car just died on me. Driving down the street, it suddenly stalled and would not start again. I had it towed. Turns out it is the fuel pump, a very expensive part to replace. Very upsetting for me. Which brings me to one of the biggest disadvantages of living in a rural area: you need your car to get around. The public transit system sucks.

If I was living in Edmonton and this happened, I'd be like "Meh." I either walked or took the bus or the LRT to pretty much everywhere I needed to go. Here, it feels like my right arm has been cut off. I am not within walking distance of work, or a grocery store. There is bus service here, but it would probably be at least a 45-minute bus ride to get across town to work, where it is normally a 10-minute drive, max. Very frightening. But at least they know what's wrong now. And though I will be very poor afterwards, I hope to have my car back soon.

Don't Forget...

Life, it's ever so strange
It's so full of change
Think that you've worked it out
then BANG
Right out of the blue
Something happens to you
To throw you off course
and then you

Breakdown
Yeah you breakdown
Well don't you breakdown
Listen to me
Because

It's just a ride, it's just a ride
no need to run, no need to hide
It'll take you round and round
Sometimes you're up
sometimes you're down
It's just a ride, it's just a ride
don't be scared
don't hide your eyes
It may feel so real inside
but don't forget it's just a ride

Truth, we don't wanna hear
It's too much to take
Don't like to feel out of control
So we make our plans
Ten times a day
And when they don't go
our way we

Breakdown
Yeah we breakdown
Well don't you breakdown
Listen to me
Because

It's just a ride, it's just a ride
no need to run, no need to hide
It'll take you round and round
Sometimes you're up
sometimes you're down
It's just a ride, it's just a ride
don't be scared
don't hide your eyes
It may feel so real inside
but don't forget it's just a ride

Slowly, oh so very slowly
except that
there's no getting off
So live it, just gotta go with it
coz this ride's never gonna stop

Breakdown
Don't you breakdown
No need to breakdown
No need at all
Because

It's just a ride, it's just a ride
no need to run, no need to hide
It'll take you all around
Sometimes you're up
sometimes you're down
It's just a ride, it's just a ride
don't be scared now
dry your eyes
It may feel so real inside
but don't forget...

enjoy the ride

jem - "just a ride"

Star Wars and the end of a relationship

I have just broken up with EJ. I am extremely upset about it. Why is it that people always assume that the only good reason for a break-up is because the other person cheated or did something equally deplorable? The truth is that EJ is a great guy. And he did not do anything wrong. Call it what you will: mistaken identity, bad timing... I am myself a little uncertain as to the precise reasons. I know relationships are not easy, and that you have to work at them... but I don't believe they should be an everyday struggle. I had to ask myself if I was settling... and I realized that if you have to ask yourself that question, then you've probably already answered it.

I would also like to defend all of the dumpers out there. Why is it that people assume that when the dumpee has not done anything wrong, that the dumper must be some sort of sadistic, horrible person? (Okay, there are some sadistic, horrible dumpers out there, I do not defend them). However, I do not get my kicks from causing other people pain. And truthfully, I find that dumping someone is harder than getting dumped. I know that the relationship where I got dumped was short-lived (and the guy never really did stop dating his former girlfriend, so can we really call that a relationship?), but it still stung when he ditched me. But it's nowhere near how horrible I felt, feel, and will feel for a long time about telling my best friend that I didn't love him the way he needed to be loved. Being a dumper is about taking responsibility for your life and your relationship and saying, "This isn't working, and as painful as it will be, it will be better to be apart than it will be to stay together." Being a dumper is making a decision, a horrible painful decision that you know you may regret, and you know will certainly cause you and someone you care about pain...

But enough about possibly the worst New Year's Eve in history. I would now like to direct all of you to a site where you can download the latest installment in the Star Wars Saga:
Revelations, Episode 3.5(?) (It takes place after Revenge of the Sith, and before A New Hope)

This may be old news to some as it's been out since spring of this year, but for those of you who haven't yet indulged, I suggest you have a taste. What do I think of it? Well, it's hard to say. It was a very low budget production, all of the people involved were volunteers and no one got paid, so you obviously can't compare it to the original six. Still, I'd say the visuals are impressive for an amateur crew and the plot line definitely has potential, although I'd say that they didn't (or more accurately couldn't) explore either the characters or the plot to their fullest depth in the approximately 40-minute film. I don't want to give it away, but they find out that there was a secret sect of jedi within the jedi that hunted down failed paduans. Hello! Big news! But they don't really get to dwell on the magnitude of their discovery. The action scenes (after seeing the amazing antics of the Jedi in Episodes 2 and 3) are, how shall I say it... lacking, but I imagine they couldn't afford stunt doubles. :o)

In conclusion, see it and tell me what you all think.

Désastre!

So I had to work yesterday (Saturday). I had to go to a Craft Fair in a very tiny town. The Library there was having a table display, so they had me out to do a display with my laptop and digital projector, to be able to show people how to use our OPAC and Online databases. I had done this once before, about a month ago in another small town that is only about 20 km away from this small town. The difference being that a month ago, M. went with me to provide technical support, that being the first time I was out. This time, I was on my own.

I was late. I thought I had left myself plenty of time to get there, but first of all, I realized I'd forgotten our screen. Can't have a digital display without a screen. So back I went. I was only a block away when I realized, but it still takes time to unlock the doors and disarm the security system and then do it all over again. But, I still thought I had plenty of time. Then I got on to some of those secondary highways, which never get plowed, and they were covered with snow and ice. Plus I had to drive through a provincial park, which is always infested with deer. So, by the time I get there, it is after 10 am. I was supposed to be there at 9:30 to set up, and then the fair started at 10. Ooops.

Then, I start getting everything set up. I get the projector, laptop and screen all set up. Turn it on, and ... nothing. The computer is not displaying with the digital projector. No problem. M. and I ran into this problem before, and we figured it out. I do all of the things that I think I'm supposed to do. Still nothing. I fiddle for half and hour and it still DOES NOT WORK. I am looking more incompetent by the minute. The librarian who has come with her fancy computer stuff and is supposed to be promoting E-Library Services cannot make the computer screen display with the digital projector. I finally give up. I take down the screen and projector and just have the laptop there.

Honestly, all is not lost. I still brought lots of display items, I have several people come up and say that they didn't know the library had DVDs. I have two door prize books, and that goes over well. I even have a couple of people come up and ask me to look for books online for them. I give away lots of bookmarks and fridge magnets. So not horrible, but I still can't help thinking that I have made a mess of the day. Then, a woman comes up who looks vaguely familiar. She starts asking me about Gateway. "Can I check the status of a loan through Gateway?" she asks. "No," I reply, "that's not an option right now. You'd have to do it through the InterLibrary Loan system. You should ask your librarian." As soon as the words are out of my mouth, I realize that her questions have been very knowledgeable. Much more knowledgeable than a member of the public. Could she be a librarian? I quickly try to cover my faux pas: "You know, you'd have to talk to M. at Headquarters". She nods, understanding. Oh God, if she knows what I mean by "M. at Headquarters", then she must be a librarian. I have just told a librarian to go ask a librarian. Brilliant. I feel terrible, although I only met all of the branch librarians at a workshop day two months ago and have not seen most of them since, but still I feel bad. When I leave I still do not remember who she is or which branch she works at. "Bye Violette [well, not Violette, but my real name]", she says. I smile and wave feeling like an idiot.

So that was my day. Can we say incompetence!?

Does anyone else have days like that?

Eldest

I have just finished reading the second book in the Inheritance Series, Eldest by Christopher Paolini. I had read the first book, Eragon, over the summer. I did actually enjoy it, though I found it a bit hard to get into at first for some reason.

The book is definitely worth reading, but it still has some rough edges. This is understandable since Christopher Paolini is only 22 years old, and started writing the trilogy when he was 15. He has definitely accomplished an amazing feat considering his age and the fact that this trilogy was his first major undertaking. I am actually quite jealous, since I am also a huge fantasy fan and have considered writing my own epic. Alas, due to laziness, or maybe because I've just been too busy with other things, I have only ever written about 3 chapters of my novel.

In any case, although I enjoyed Eldest, I could definitely tell that the writer was a little inexperienced. The story didn't flow as well as it should sometimes. Also, I think he tends to overexplain himself a little bit, like going into exhaustive detail about how the magic works. He needs to understand that, unless a technical point is important to the story, most readers will simply accept the magic. Unless there are glaring inconsistancies, it won't matter to them, because it's the story that matters. In addition, the way he goes about explaining technical details slows the story down a bit. He tends to have characters explain, rather than having the characters do something which will make the explanation obvious to the reader. I don't know how much sense I'm making here, but you're supposed to show them, not tell them, right?

This also brings me to the point that, in writing, less is more (usually). Basically, you need to create an atmosphere, and do some character development, but unless a point becomes critical to the plot later on, there's no sense including it just for the sake of including it. I think J.K. Rowling is a master at this. She tends to have incidents happen, or characters do things which appear incidental and unimportant in one book, and then become huge deals in another book. For example, in the first book, Harry talks to a snake at the zoo and lets it out of its cage. Just an example of his natural abilities as a wizard coming through you think. Then in the second book, it becomes a HUGE deal that he can talk to snakes. In fact the whole plot hinges on it. Another example: It is suddenly discovered that Ron's stupid rat Scabbers, who has been around since book one, is actually the wizard responsible for Harry's parents' deaths. Like, I really wonder how much J.K. Rowling had things all planned in advance, because it seems that nothing that happens in the earlier books is insignificant, no character is introduced simply for the sake of it. It seems to me that the best plots are like this: they do not meander (although they may appear to meander, these are the sneakiest plots) but every step, every action, every comment, is planned out to perfection. Now I know this definition of a good plot practically eliminates all 19th century literature, but I guess it depends on what kind of story you want to read. Fantasy, for the most part, relies upon magic, exciting adventure, discoveries, etc. and I think it needs to have fast-paced plot.

But, back to my review. Really, beyond my few criticisms, I was impressed. Yes, it's a traditional fantasy epic, fairly formulaic as we all know, and yet the book managed to surprise me a few times. So keep writing Mr. Paolini, and I'll look forward to the third book. 3.5 purple horsies out of five.

In other news, and speaking of J.K. Rowling, I will finally get to see the movie this weekend. To prepare for this momentous occasion, EJ and I have planned a little Harry Potter movie marathon. We're going to watch all three earlier movies before we see number four. That way we can compare directors, etc. and see if Daniel Radcliffe has learned to act yet. Although, I actually rewatched part of the first one, and he wasn't as bad as I remembered. Maybe it was only the second one... In any case, I am making some traditional British recipes in honour of the occasion: Treacle Tart and Toad in the Hole. I considered Spotted Dick, but it sounded icky. (What in God's name is shredded suet??)

Potter Mania

That's right folks. Tomorrow night it happens: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is finally here. Rejoice!

Okay, I've always been a big fan of the books, but not so much the movies. I thought the first couple of movies were only pale imitations of the books. The third one, however, was a big improvement in my mind, and I have been looking forward to seeing the fourth one for a while. Especially after my summer read of Book #6 got me into it all over again. Despite my growing excitement, I thought I was past all of that pre-adolescent swooning that goes on over Daniel Radcliffe. I mean really, the kid (and kid he is by my reckoning) is 9 years younger than me! And to be quite honest, he's not my favorite actor. Personally, I've found him to be a little stiff and awkward, especially in the first two movies, although he is improving. It only makes it worse when he plays so often opposite Rupert Grint, who is a really fluid actor with great comic timing. However, that's not to say Dan won't get better and someday become a great actor. Besides the Harry Potter films, he isn't that experienced.

Ahh yes, but on to the point of my post. I had a Harry Potter dream last night. I was in the movie, and I was playing the part of Ron and Ginny's older sister. It was really funny, because for the life of me I couldn't remember my character's name (I of course didn't remember that it's because there is no such character). So there we were, me, Dan, Emma, Rupert, and whoever it is that plays Ginny, dashing around the set. And I couldn't remember the script. I was never where I was supposed to be, and I got all of my lines wrong. I remember thinking that I had better re-read the book since I couldn't seem to remember anything of what was supposed to happen! This made such a strong impression on my mind that when I woke up, I was all set to phone my sister and tell her to lend me her copy of the Goblet of Fire so I could re-read it. I then recalled that I had just re-read the entire thing this summer, and I could recall most of the details just fine.

But here's where it gets weird. We were all taking a break between takes, or whatever, (despite my dream I honestly have no clue what goes on during the filming of a movie). Emma was sympathetic and trying to explain to me where I was supposed to be. Then Dan came and sat down very close beside me, and then we started kissing!!!

Okay, this guy is only a year older than my cousin whose diapers I used to change. I have no excuse, except that Potter Mania has finally really gotten to me. The only cure I guess is to go and see the movie.

Despite my rather embarrassing dream, I'm still really excited. Yay Harry Potter!!!

Sick as a Dog

Hmmm. I wonder where that expression came from? Are dogs really sick that often?

Anyway, I am quite ill. Some sort of flu I think. I took yesterday off work, but I was supposed to give a 5-minute presentation to the Regional Board today, so I hauled myself in to work at noon. I endured the 3-hour meeting where such lively subjects were discussed as whether the board should meet five times a year instead of four. Believe it or not, this was a fairly contentious issue. The good news is I got to take home the fruit plate leftovers. The bad news is that I now feel like I've been run over by a truck. I haven't thrown up since yesterday, but my chest hurts when I breathe in deeply. That's not a good sign, is it?

Well, enough of my misery. If you are looking for something to do at work (besides actual work I mean) and you are sick of solitaire, try one of these puzzles:

http://www.websudoku.com

It's like a crossword puzzle with numbers.

Evil Thought for the Day

Some people are like slinkies:
They don't really have a use,
But they can still make you smile
When you push them down the stairs.