The Life and Times of a Librarian

I don't like to run...

2011-04-13T10:25:00.000-07:00

I had the fabulous New Year's Resolution this year to lose weight... again. Very pathetic. At least my motivation is higher this year as I realized that I have put on 50 pounds since I finished my undergraduate degree in 2002. Yeah, it is that scary. I tried at first just to watch what I was eating, but wasn't having much success. My sister talked me into try a website call My Fitness Pal (that has a very handy iPhone app). The first day I tracked how much I had eaten that day and realized that I had consumed around 2500 calories, so much for watching what I was eating... The app suggested that I should eat around 1650 calories to lose a pound a week. After the first week of really watching what I was eating, I lost 3 pounds. It is amazing what a little self control can do! After I got over the hump of being hungry all the time, it has been pretty easy. I have managed to stick with it and have lost 13 pounds so far. I feel fabulous! Part of that is because I have started working out as well, which moves on to the next point of insanity in my life. I am going to compete in a triathlon.

I know... I'm nuts because I hate to run! As I started working out I realized needed a reason to keep going. I love to swim, but there isn't really a marathon for swimmers. So I looked up the types of triathlons and found out that there is one called a sprint where on average you swim 500 meters, bike 13 miles, and run 3 miles. So armed with a new inhaler, I started running. I still suck at it, but I am getting where I can run for longer. The swimming will be really easy as I typical swim about 1000 meters during my morning workouts. So far the longest distance I have bicycled has been 6 miles, but that is how far I can go in my half-hour workouts. I need to start working on my distance. I have a goal next week to increase the distance (even if it takes longer the 30 minutes!) But the running will be the hard part. So far I have only been able to run a mile... I know. I can totally walk 3 miles though! I try to run twice a week and each day I increase the distance I run. My stamina is getting better, so maybe in 6 months I can run 3 miles. To make me feel even more pathetic, my sister (who is insane and loves to run) is working on running a half-marathon and can run 10 miles, last time a I checked. It makes it even more pathetic that I can't run a lousy 3 miles. Oh well, I will still keep trying. Now I just have decide on a which triathlon I will compete in...

Enabling instant gratification since 2010

2011-03-07T10:40:00.000-08:00

As one of my New Year's resolutions, I decided to actually start budgeting. I know, it is quite shocking. As a strange side note I realized that I am not spending money on "real" books anymore. I I haven't bought a "real" book since last year. But that doesn't mean that I'm not buying books anymore... I've just switched to ebooks. Sadly, last month I spent over $40 on ebooks. I have decided that my e-reader has enabled my instant gratification needs. With it if I want a book at 1:30 am I can get it. And I can have it with me wherever I go. I'm frustrated when there isn't an ebook available and I have to actually read the "real" book. Part of me whines the whole time... the book is heavy, it won't stay open and I can't carry 30 books around with me at once. I know, I'm such a baby. I really want to buy the Harry Potter books, but they just aren't available. Come on publishers, get with the times! As an attempt to be better about my book spending habits, I will check to see if the library has the ebook available first. It helps that I can check out a book from the library at ridiculous hours as well. No need for waiting in my life. I am lucky to live in an area where the public library is actually spending a bit of money on ebooks. I have noticed that their collection is continuing to grow and I am able to get more of the books that I want to read from the library. With that I can have me ebook and keep my budget too!

the rise of e-books

2010-08-03T09:15:00.001-07:00

I love books. I love the weight and smell of books. I love owning books, as anyone who has been to my apartment will attest... But recently I have been tempted by the notion of e-books. While I have tried reading an e-book before, it wasn't that much of a success, and I thought I would never do it again but times have changed. The other day I was running errands before going to work. One of the errands was suppose to be to stop by the library and pick up a book that I had waiting for me, so I didn't bring a book with me. Life conspired against me and I wasn't able to get to the library. I really don't like be stuck at work without anything to read, as it can be a bit slow at times. While others might point out that I do work in a library, so I could just read one of the books available there, it is full non-fiction library. It is a small collection that mostly focuses on business, a topic that I am not really interested in. Then I remembered overdrive, which allows me to check out e-books from the library. It was really nice to be able to pick a book to read have it available instantly. While reading a book on my computer wasn't all that convenient, it was much better than having nothing to read. Of course, I got into the book, so when I got home I had to pull out my laptop and tried to curl up in bed with it to finish the book. Again, I did it, but it wasn't that enjoyable. I then thought how much better it would be if I had an e-book reader. My brother-in-law has a nook, which is compatible with overdrive, and the thought of getting one of my own became very tempting. It would allow me to check out books from the library, whenever I wanted. I liked the idea of not having to go to the library to get a new book, because sometimes it isn't always possible. By no means would getting a nook stop me from buying "dead tree" books (as my sister calls it) but it would make taking multiple books on trips much easier. So not is just a case of saving up my money so that I can get a nook of my very own! Then I will never get stuck at work without a book to read. ;)

Escape from Alcatraz!

2010-06-17T10:32:00.000-07:00

Okay, so it really isn't that hard to leave Alcatraz these days, but it was fun to go there. While I lived in the Bay Area, I always planned to go and visit Alcatraz. Somehow I never got around to going... Anyway on a recent trip to Cali I finally got around to going there. It was a beautiful day to go as it was sunny and there wasn't even a hint of fog. While it was gorgeous it was still really windy, so I was still grateful that I had a hoodie, or else I would have frozen! It was enjoyable to walk around and learn more about the history of Alcatraz. Recently it has become more of a wildlife sanctuary, so parts of the island where closed off to all for nesting birds. There is also a lot of plants and gardens, which make the island very beautiful. The prison block also has an interesting self guided tour, which I enjoyed as I could go at my own pace. Being the geek I am, I was surprised that they had a small library on Alcatraz. That is one job that I would never want to have. I know even today there are libraries is many of the prisons across the US and I am grateful to all who are willing to work in them. I am sure they can be a wonderful job, but I don't think I could handle it! Overall I had a great trip and was glad I had such beautiful weather while I was there.

It is finished!

2010-05-25T10:23:00.000-07:00

Years and years ago, I started this cross-stitch for my sister. For the most part I enjoyed doing it, but if you look closely all the snowmen are stitched in white. That is the part that took me the longest because it was quite boring to do. I think that if I ever did this pattern again, I would make sure to do it on a darker colored canvas, so that the white would pop a bit more. I am quite pleased with how it turned out. I am even happier that I could find a ready made frame in which it would fit. I am always surprised at the cost of custom framing... While I didn't finish it in time for this past Christmas, I look forward to seeing up this coming Christmas!

A Job!!

2010-04-16T10:03:00.000-07:00

In some very exciting news, I am no longer unemployed! I recently got a job working in a small university library. While it isn't ideal, as I never really wanted to be an academic librarian, I am thrilled to have a job. It is great to be able to use my degree, something that doesn't always happen. It is a really nice place to work as all the staff and instructors are great and I already feel very welcome. The downsides are that I have to dress professionally... something that I haven't had to do for years! It did give me the excuse to go on a shopping spree... and I do like to shop. :) Anyway, right now it is still pretty novel to dress nice and wear all my new clothes. Give me about a month and I will be dieing to wear jeans and a t-shirt to work. One thing that I am sure that I won't miss is the job hunt. After months of feeling guilty if I didn't check the job listings at least once a week, I don't have to do it at all! While eventually I would like to get a different job, something more in the field I specialized in, I am quite content to learn my new job and enjoy having benefits again.

A shock to the system.

2010-03-03T10:17:00.000-08:00

After months of being unemployed, I finally landed a temp job. While it isn't the most exciting job in the world, it at least is a paycheck. In a truly novel fashion, it also pays me every other Friday. For the last several years I have been working for the state, which pays you once a month. Let me tell you, it sucks having to budget of one paycheck a month, but I did it! Anyway, on another side note I have been doing freelance graphic design work for the several years, but as it is freelance the work comes and goes. Last year it mostly went as the economic problems had affected many of the publishing companies. Well, with the new year, I was contacted and asked about my availability for the upcoming year. At that point I still didn't have a job, so I gave them the green light, but didn't really expect anything to come from it. As fate would have it a week before I started my temp job, they contacted me and had 3 projects that they wanted me to do. I was happy for the work, but felt that the timing really sucked. As it goes, to finish all the projects on time and still work my temp job I have gone from not doing anything to working 10 to 12 hours a day. Let me tell you it has not made for a happy Tawnie... I finish the last of these projects this week and am looking forward to having some time just working one job. It looks like I won't get much of a break as it does look like things are picking up for the freelance work. I just have to remind myself that is money, which I do desperately need...

A brand new me!

2009-09-25T12:57:00.000-07:00

While I have complained about my weight gain since I turned about 28, I haven't really done anything about it. I make vague efforts, which I why I bought wii fit a while ago. While I used it for a bit, I got tired of always having to select the next workout. It felt like it took 45 minuets to do a 30 minute workout. It also didn't help that I didn't feel like I was getting a serious workout. It is fun and enjoyable, but it seemed to focus more on balance and coordination, not a good calorie burning exercise. So in the spring when I heard about Active, I decided to give it a try. I bought the game, which sat on my shelf for longer than it should. I did pull it out and play it once, but then got caught up in the bussle of finishing my last semester of graduate school. But even when I finished school, and lost my job, I still didn't work out more. For months I have lazed around with no job and just the occasional freelance projects.

Well, back to the orignal focus of this post, I have decided to turn over a new leaf and exercise more often. As it stands now, I have worked out for the last 3 days. I have been using the Active game I bought all those months ago. Overall, I am enjoying it. I have been using the 30 day challage, and I like how it creates preset workouts for me so I don't have to worry about what I am doing next. Each workout is just under 30 minutes, and I like the variety of strength training and cardio. By the end of the workout I am breathing hard and a bit sweaty. I think these are signs of a great workout! I also like that when you move from on exercise to the next they have a cut screen where it pauses while you get what ever equipment you need or grab a quick drink.

One of the things that I can't stand about it is the cheesy pep talks by the personal trainer. They just get annoying after a while. When I think about how they could be given by a 50 pound overweight voice actor sitting in a recording studio, they are even more annoying. Might least favorite is "what you are my friend, is poetry in motion!" Really, who thought anyone would be encouraged by this? Because of this, I have taken to muting the tv and just playing my own music while I work out. I find it easy to just follow the on screen prompts, and I don't miss the games bad music or cheesy dialog. Now I just have to keep it up!

Temptation...

2009-08-17T10:55:00.000-07:00

For a while now, I have wanted a new iPod. I don't really need one, as I have a perfectly good 30 gb iPod... but I really want a 120 gb. I have quite the extensive music collection and with a 120 gb iPod I would be able to fit all of my collection on it. Then I would always have access to whatever song I wanted to listen to, even if my computer was off. So, I gave into temptation the other day and bought one at Costco. I know, as I am jobless I should be more practical with my money, but I wanted it! Anyway, I brought it home and hooked it up to my computer and had it sync my complete collection. Imagine my suprise when it barely fit all of my music. I only have 100 gb of music, but with album art and other silliness, it used the extra space. This made me reaize that my collection has indeed gotten out of control. After this I started to go through my music and removed some of the stuff that I never really listen too. I now have the goal to not let my music collection grow too large that I cannot fit it on my iPod. See, I can have some self control! (maybe...)

Seattle!

2009-08-17T10:42:00.000-07:00

In a recent attempt to end my unemployed status, I went to Seattle for a job interview. I drove up there with my fabulous roommate. As the interview process spanned over two days, we decided to do a bit of sightseeing while we where there. I had a great time at Pike Place market and walking around the downtown area. Being the complete library geeks that we are, we did go to the Seattle Public Library while we where there. Overall, I wasn't that impressed by the library, it seemed to be a bit weird. I also didn't like how the escalators wouldn't take you to the next floor up, and would skip floors, which made finding the bathroom a bit adventurous. We also took a hike through Heritage park, which has some fabulous views of Puget Sound. Overall it was a great trip and I would love it if I could live there.

Beware of documentaries...

2009-07-24T13:06:00.000-07:00

I have found that I am highly susceptible to documentaries. I can't seem to stop watching one once I start. As a case and point yesterday I decided to watch some tv while eating my lunch. I really meant to just watch it for a few minuetes while eating, but got sucked in. I ended up learning more than I ever expected about the storm water and sewaged systems in the US. Apparentely our infirstructure is really old and lots of people are having problems maintaining the sewage systems so that they don't contanimate our ground water supply. It was facinating, but this always happens to me. At least I learn something!

Hiking!

2009-07-23T18:32:00.000-07:00

Now that I have some free time, I have started doing some of the things that I enjoy again. For instance, some friends and I went hiking in Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park the other day. It was a long hike (around 6 miles) where with a lot of elevation shifts. It was lots of fun, but I was really glad that I was wearing my water friendly Keens that day, as the trial took us across the river that runs through the park twice. At the first crossing there wasn't even a bridge, so I had to ford the river. It was a lot easier for me, since my shoes were made for water. My friends all had to take off their shoes for the first crossing. Luckily on the second crossing there was a narrow log that they could use to get across. I didn't bother with the log and just walked across the river. It was quite a beautiful hike, even though I was really tired by the end of it. I hope to get some more hiking done while I am still jobless.

Graduation

2009-07-23T18:17:00.000-07:00

So this is a bit late, but I have finished! I actually had a good time at my graduation as my brother and my parents came to see me walk across the stage. It was nice to see them and to show them around the city I have been living in. It is nice to be done with school and I have no desire to go back for a second master's degree anytime soon. Sadly, I didn't pick the best time to graduate as the economy is starting to affect may public services, and many libraries are cutting their budgets, which means they are not hiring new librarians.... I haven't had much success with the job hunt so far, but I am hopeful that things will turn around eventually. Anyway, it was a fun day and my parents took me out for a really nice dinner afterwords. They only thing that would have made it better was for it not to be so hot! Of all the weekends for a heat wave, why the one when I am stuck in a polyester robe! At least my graduation was indoors, so it had a/c!

Yoga

2009-02-05T19:13:00.001-08:00

I was introduced to yoga years ago by a friend who was a fanatic believer. While I have never felt the same level of addiction that she had, I do really enjoy it. One of the perks that the university offers students is unlimited fitness classes for $10 a semester. For the last few semesters I have have been attending yoga classes at the university. At the first of the semester, I am excited and go to every class, but will admit that by the end of the semester my attendance does become a bit spotty. As this is the first part of the semester, I am shinny and new in my enthusiasm for yoga. I just got back from my class this evening and am enjoying the sense of accomplishment that I get from participating. It is a workout that I enjoy and if I am going to make any attempt at losing some of the weight that I have put on over the last few years, it is a good start. Now I just need to find the time to work out a bit more often and stop eating as much and I will be set!

Almost freaked me out!

2008-12-20T18:08:00.000-08:00

While the trip home to visit my family has been quite enjoyable, there has been a slight hiccup. The other day I was puttering around the house listening to my iPod when suddenly the music stopped. I was fairly sure the battery wasn't low, but went to check out what had happened. When I picked it up from the desk, the screen was a bit wonky. I tried restarting it and got a battery warning. I tried to plug it in to charge it up and check to make sure a low battery was the only problem. The little apple logo would come up and I could hear the drive start to spin up, but then it would suddenly stop. The screen would go blank again and then the apple logo would reappear. It did this a couple time before I decided that the drive must have crashed. I am a bit sad about it. I loved my 30 gb iPod. It is the one that I listen to the most as I putter around my apartment as well. I still have my nano, but it has stopped working with my docking speakers, so now I am left with quite the dilemma. How will I cope without the music it would provide me...? In a last ditch effort to save my iPod I plugged into my computer to see what iTunes would do with it. By some miracle it found my iPod and I was able to reformat it to factory settings. It seems to be doing well now, but I was really annoyed for a while there. I am still contimplating getting a larger iPod, as the 30 gb isn't quite enough to hold all my music.

An Early Birthday

2008-11-11T12:57:00.000-08:00

My roommate's birthday is the day before mine, so for the last two years we have had a joint birthday party. Due to various schedule issues, we had the party last night. Our friends took us out for sushi, which both of us love, and then we came back to the apartment for chocolate cake. I did have to make the cake myself, but such is life. I had to make sure it was the perfect chocolate cake. We had a lot of fun and my friends got me Guitar Hero World Tour for my wii. I know, I will be wasting my life playing games, but it was a fun day!

Halloween!

2008-11-01T13:24:00.000-07:00

I had to work at my internship site this Halloween, which really wasn't that bad because the library closed at 6 pm. I did discover a week or so before Halloween that all of the youth services librarians were going to dress up on Halloween. I decided that I would as well and as I had made a Slytherin scarf not that long ago, I went about making a Hogwarts costume. Most of the clothing was stuff that I already had around, but I knew that it would look better if I had a tie and wand. The wand was easy, I picked it up at a local costume shop. The tie not so easy. I knew you could buy Hogwarts ties online, but didn't have the time, or money, to buy one. I decided to make my own tie decorating a store bought tie. First I thought I would just buy ribbon to create the stripe pattern, but while I could find a gray tie that was the right color, I couldn't find dark green ribbion. Instead of using ribbion, I decided to paint the stripes on, as I could find some cheap acrylic paint that was the right color. So using a $10 tie and $1.50 paint, I made a Slytherin tie. While it isn't perfect, it was good enjoy for the job. For the most part people recognized me, but there was one kid who asked me if I was going to dress up later that day.... not realizing that I was wearing a costume. Ah well.... it was a teenage boy. I doubt he has even seen a Harry Potter movie.

City Hall or Alien Space Ship?

2008-10-26T14:49:00.000-07:00

I live near city hall. It is a weird building, but the weirdest part would be the dome, something my roommate and I call R2D2. Really, it is that odd. It is a nice day, so I decided to go out and take some photos of it. Felt the need to document the weirdness. Enjoy! (And yes, it is in the 80s today...)

At the coast

2008-10-20T13:57:00.000-07:00

I will admit that I do enjoy living in California. Not only does it not snow, or at least not where I live, I have always loved the beach. Yesterday afternoon my roommate and I decided to drive out to the coast north of Santa Cruz and go for a walk. It seemed like the perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon. It was a little cool, so I was glad that I had brought a jacket but overall I had a great time. It is nice to spend time enjoying this beautiful world that we have! I will admit that I don't get out of my apartment nearly as much as I would like. All that homework tends to eat up a lot of my time. This was the perfect way to take a break and just enjoy where I live. If you want to see more of the pictures that I took, just use my new flickr page.

Grace in action

2008-10-18T15:42:00.000-07:00

I have been playing netball up in San Francisco for about a year now. I was introduced to the sport while I lived in England. As some of you might know, I twisted my ankle quite badly playing netball in England. Anyway, I don't hold the sport responsible for my uncoordinated ways.... and started to play again here. I have really enjoyed playing with the San Francisco Stars and it is probably one of the only reasons I can drag myself out of bed on a Saturday morning. Well, today I proved that I am still quite the klutz. While running for the ball, I was trying to dodge around another player and managed to trip over her instead. I went tumbling and managed to fall face first into the court. I have given myself quite the goose egg on my forehead. Right now it is really quite red, but I wonder what it will look like tomorrow. The most hilarious part about this is that netball is a non-contact sport, but no one would believe it if they saw me today!

Rainy days and clam chowder

2008-10-04T20:41:00.001-07:00

I woke up this morning to the sound of the rain falling. I do love the rain. Today was the first day in a very long time that it has rained. I curled up in bed for a bit this morning reading my book and listening to the rain. It was fabulous. Anyway, the first rain always brings out the desire to eat clam chowder. So this afternoon I went to the grocery store so I could pick up some red potatoes and clams so I could make chowder. I sat in my kitchen eating clam chowder and enjoying the cool weather that the rain brought. It had stopped raining by dinner time, but I am hopeful that this will only be the first of many rainy days. While I enjoy living in California because I don't have to deal with the snow, I do wish it would rain more often. Maybe I should move further up the coast where they get more rain. I do have to finish my Master's degree first though...

The obsessive behavior spreads...

2008-10-04T20:32:00.001-07:00

During the summer I went and spent some time with my younger sister, Mary. She had recently had a baby girl and I came to play with the baby and help out with her older son. I had a good time while with her... but she spread her obsessive compulsive behavior to me. For years I would tease my sister about how she would fold her plastic bags. It just seemed so obsessive to me, but little did I know that I would become a victim. While there, I helped her fold her bags after we went shopping and when I came home I looked at our big pile of plastic bags. They were taking over the bottom shelf of our pantry. I thought, if I folded these it wouldn't take that much space... so I did. They indeed take up less space on the shelf, but I can no longer mock my sister... I do wonder in the end if the loss of dignity is worth the extra shelf space...

The other obsession that my sister shared with me is her love of Izze drinks. I don't mind that one as much as they really are quite tasty. I don't feel guilty drinking an Izze and it satisfies my carbonation urge. Some meals just call for something sparkling and it is nice to have something that isn't loaded with sugar. They have some really fabulous flavors, but I do think that Blackberry is my favorite. Yum!

All things RED!

2008-10-01T21:09:00.000-07:00

So I have discovered that I have an obsession with red kitchen tools. It all started so innocently with the purchase of some cheap red silverware at Target. Next I bought cute red cereal bowls at Wal-Mart. How little did I know that I was sliding down the slippery slope of a red obsession. Before I knew it, I had red mixing bowls, a red cutting board, and a red spatula. The latest purchase is this really cute red colander that I found at Wal-Mart... isn't it just so cute! I couldn't justify buying the big one as my roommate already has a perfectly good white one. But this one is just perfect for draining individual servings of pasta and other such nonsense, so of course I had to buy it. I know, it is quite sad a pathetic... such is my life.

Pietastrophie!

2008-10-01T20:39:00.000-07:00

So the other day I having several of my friends over for dinner. For the fun of it I decided to make pie for dessert. I decided to make apple, cherry, and lemon chiffon pie. So to start with I made the crust for the lemon chiffon. After it was done, I put it on top of the stove to cool while I made the apple and cherry pies. Once I got them done, I put them into the oven and got started on the filling for the lemon chiffon. I was being a bit slow, but mostly because I knew I didn't have to hurry, as I had lots of time to spare before everyone came over. Anyway, the when the apple and cherry pies were done, I pulled them out of the oven and put them on the table to cool. Just as I was setting the cherry pie down on the table and I hear this horrible crash. I turn around a there it is waiting for me...
Is it not just a beautiful sight! After staring at it for a while and cursing my silly klutz gene, I sent my roommate off to Target to buy me another pie pan so I could make a new crust. I had already made the filling and I wasn't going to let it go to waste. I made up more pie dough while she was gone and, of course, I was a bit frazzled while making it and ended up making up enough for two single crusts. In the end, I baked up the extra pie dough as cinnamon twists, which everyone seemed to enjoy. Luckily, the pie was a hit and it ended up to be just fine. I now know the top of my stove is a treacherous place... not to be trusted!