Twilight - an experiment

I have just started to read the Twilight quadrilogy, from curiosity as much as anything; so far not bad, no worse than Harry Potter and they are ok. Only up to Chapter four so it is early days yet. E-books are a puzzle, you have to have an e-book reader, or I guess I-pods will take them, but without the reader they aren't that accessible. How many folk have an e-book? There is a woman who gets on the bus, she has one, and I've seen someone else with one, but they aren't exactly everywhere. It doesn't seem right, you pay at least a ton and a half (just found a webpage with money slang) then you have to pay for each book, and they aren't cheap, I mean, it isn't going to pay for itself or anything, is it? I suppose it is eco-friendly, as a tree didn't die to make it, but I just think you should get one free with your first e-book. Is that unreasonable? Is it? Maybe it is. Just had a book recommendation, The Book of Lost books, I will add that to my list to hunt down in Waterstones at lunchtime...

another world

Just back from Marco school, in sunny Northumberland, two days of bonsai and very little else. Great. It's much easier to concentrate on something interesting, the time flies by too fast. Things are starting to drop into place a bit more quickly, I really need to practice my wiring! The group is starting to gel too, we have a selection of characters, that is for sure. There is a lot to think about with each tree, small details that make all the difference. Watching Marco style a shohin juniper is fascinating, his fingers seem to work on their own. Once it is done it looks wonderful, it started out as a nice tree. I suppose the point of hobbies is to engage our attention, as a way of moving in another medium, to use different muscles, either external or internal, ie grey matter. Bonsai is beginning to feel like a strand of life, as my trees start to occupy brain space more often. Hopefully this is a good thing.

BIALL conference

Just back from the 2010 BIALL conference in Brighton. Our session (me, Lesley and Mike) went well, I think, although Mike caused some confusion - it's his way. Now I have to write it up for LIM, that will be fun. I wonder if I can include a flashdrive, or whatever they are called these days. Why isn't there an emoticon for old codger? I could really use one. I'll have to put some thought into that. This year's conference was good fun, we invented a new alphabet kind of based on last year's WEM theme. Hopefully we will be interpreting David's speech next year... hard to describe it, but it puts YMCA in the shaaaaade. Finally watched the Uni of Washington's ca-ca-ca-ca-ca-ca-ca-catalogue vid on Youtube, I plan to use it for the trainees' induction this year. Suggested this to HR, no reply. Ooops. The conference experience also included a very late night, old buses, the naked bike ride (from a distance, phew) and some really good meals out. Plus, I finally printed up that T shirt, I have to get a photo!

Froggy

It is foggy today. It started off just wet but the mist has been rolling in all day, so it is cold and damp. Luckily, as it is Spring, the trees (including the tiny ones) are either thinking about coming into leaf or are actually doing it, and they LOVE damp drippy weather. I'm glad something is enjoying it. Hard to believe that it's April next week, and Easter too. The chocolate easter bunnies have been gathered, so there will be something to indulge in. Just discovered that the Orkney archive has a blog, http://orkneyarchive.blogspot.com/ , a lot of it seems to centre around food....I can understand that. That reminds me I've promised to look up a recipe for a friend, I wish I could remember what it's called. I could try google, that might help. It's pearl barley, mushrooms and cheese, and it's very good. Found it, it's baked kasha with mushrooms. Very good with meatloaf, nut roast or sausages. All this talk of food is making me hungry....

Library roots

A friend sent me a link to a wiki for collecting Library stories, specifically your route into librarianship, and where that sprang from, so I thought I would try to catalogue (did you see what I did there?) my roots and route, although it feels like archaeology it was so long ago.
The wiki is here: http://libraryroutesproject.wikkii.com/wiki/Main_Page
I wanted to be a fighter pilot when I was about 10 or 11, but my Dad - he was a Chief Tech in the RAF - informed me that I couldn't because I was a girl. Somewhat taken aback, I shelved any plans for a career until secondary school, when I planned to be a Medical Technician as I liked science, particularly biology and chemistry. Just as I was starting the Sixth form, to do English, French and Biology A levels, we moved house as Dad had been posted to another RAF base. I had to go to a girls' school (that is another story!!) and we had to fight to keep my A level choices because one didn't mix arts and sciences, apparently. This meant I had to do my English exams separate from everyone else as they clashed with Biology. During this time I was helping out in the school library with my friend Siobhan and Mrs Calverley the English teacher. I really liked it; I was a timid child, you know, I wanted to run away and join the Library. I decided on this basis to try for a Librarianship degree rather than doing an HND in Medical Lab Technology or whatever. I didn't get great grades, as I hated the school, but I got interviews and offers from Newcastle and Brighton, and the grades were enough for Brighton. It wasn't a bad degree, not too many lectures ;-) and it was 40% French as the degree was Librarianship with Modern Languages. I managed to pass, and the rest is history, more or less. I worked for a firm of management consultants in St James' in London for 3 years, then went and worked in the voluntary sector - not as a librarian - for a while, including doing community theatre. I came back to librarianship when I got tired of not having any money, luckily at the time it still paid better than the voluntary sector. I think it still does, if you're lucky. I've been involved in both the British and Scottish law librarians' membership organisations, which I would recommend, whatever field you work in, as it's a great way to gain committee experience - you aren't supposed to enjoy it! It's been fascinating to see how the profession and our professional environment has changed, and it is still changing, which is what keeps me going.

Connections

One of things I like about the interWeb is the random connections that can be made from websites and blogs. One of my favourites is Dave Snowden's blog. He founded Cognitive Edge, which is interesting in itself, professionally speaking, as it grew from the storytelling side of knowledge management - what they do is on their website www.cognitive-edge.com - but his blog often takes me to places I might never find. Yesterday, it led, via http://gapingvoid.com/ , to the Wooster Group's website, http://www.thewoostergroup.org/, good to know they are still going, and a Bristol artist Mr Jago, whose work I really like http://www.mrjago.com/ so that was a good discovery along the by ways of the Web.
His blog is listed (actually so far it's the only one) in my linkyloos

Fridays

It feels as though this has been a long week, and to crown it I have taken the plunge and started a blog. This may be the only entry, as I am bad enough at loooking at personal e-mails, but hey, it's got to be worth a try.

As a law librarian, I often ponder the weirdness of legal publishers, but nothing can convince me that the law is updated once a quarter. I ponder it more at the end of each quarter, when I am inundated with them. I must have had about 20 in the last three days. Why, then, do updates for looseleaf works (big folders with pages you can take out and put in to update, to the uninitiated) always come out at the end of a financial quarter? Could it be to give the publishers a regular income - sharp intake of breath - or is that just me being cynical? Surely not??

The season of mists (if not mellow fruitfulness - I do like a bit of Keats) is upon us up here in Scotland, so tidying the garden at the weekend may not be an option, darn it. I need a machete to get to the shed. I will have to reorganise the bonsai for their winter quarters though, whether it is wet or dry, so that the more tender amongst them are protected from the frost. Bonsai are an easy way of keeping in touch with the seasons, as you have to plan ahead if you live in a temperate climate.
It's nearly the weekend - hurray!