Three Year Anniversary

I missed it again, yesterday was my blog anniversary. I started this venture on April 17, 2006 without any goal or purpose. I simply wanted to play with new technology. After attending an ALA session on writing, I used the format as a way to write every day with hope that it would make me more comfortable when the time came to try and make the challenge of publishing articles in my field a reality. It helped! I have had several articles published in peer reviewed journals and even two chapters in a book.

More blogging? I started a collaborative library blog with friends and we work together on discussing library related topics at our leisure. I have two work blogs for my resource center and also started a library news blog to go with the new library web site. Continued opportunity to teach technology as an adjunct incorporates blogs into one course as an announcement board and another class where students are writing their own reflection blogs. All in all, blogging and reading blogs has become a very commonplace part of my daily professional development and pleasure reading.

The most commented upon post? Without a doubt the post that garners the most comments has been Who's Who? Who am I, What? - discussing my naiveté, trials, and tribulations with the publisher.

With a new computer and better internet connection pending, as well as the end of an academic school year that included a new library web site during the fall and back to back presentations along side teaching two classes , I hope to get back to discussing children's books in the near future. There are CARTS of books in technical services just waiting.

Irony, computer style

Joyous email news on Thursday alerted me my laptop had shipped and would arrive in five to seven days (choose free shipping = longer wait).Yipee! I received my printer and extended warranty package earlier this week ; a bit odd, but not without merit.

This morning I turned on the reliable dinosaur to pay bills and back up a few files (photos, etc.) and discovered my monitor was toast. Just in case, I turned everything off, walked away for an hour, and tried again. Zip, zilch,nada , just an unblinking black screen that appeared to be metaphorically sticking out it's tongue. Fine. Too annoyed to go on an extended shopping spree, I went to the local devil store and located an HP monitor for my budget analysis price of $150.

It's really lovely, a well designed 20 inch flat screen that takes up significantly less room on my desktop than the previous monitor. It set up easily and is compatible with the dinosaur, but as is the case with mixing new with ten year old technology the end result is not perfect. The old computer does not have available settings for the recommended 1600 x 900 display; everything is stretched oddly across the screen. I can live with it and will be able to back up the desktop on CD. In fact, I planned on keeping the desktop anyway.

Now it's time to begin researching a new Internet service provider.

Stanley Cup Playoffs

It hasn't really been a blog holiday, it just seems like one. Computer issues (my 10-year old dinosaur with win 98 and dial-up), life, and work (teaching 2 classes, preparing 2 presentations, and general craziness) have interfered with time to read let alone post reviews. The end of the term looms, a new computer is being built ... and ... it's time for the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Beware the Penguins

I won't get to see the Pens vs. Flyers tonight, but predict I will become a Columbus Blue Jacket fan as they plan the Redwings in the first round.