The Librarian Song

I'm definitely in the peeing one's pants camp on this one.

MADLIbrarian

Happy birthday, little bro

Today is my youngest brother's birthday.



Have a good one Neil.

MADLibrarian

Bahamian video

As promised-- the video I shot of Peter and Ginny launching the rowing shell.



My little video camera did pretty good.

Peter did 6K that morning. He's now looking for a suitable roof rack so he can take the shells to Lake Cunningham.

That morning was one of the two times I got my feet wet during my week in The Bahamas. On the Monday I walked along the beach on my way to Traveller's Rest where I spent the afternoon on the patio reading and drinking strawberry daiquiris (ok I only had one).

I did one day of touristy things. On the Tuesday Ginny dropped me off at The College of The Bahamas and I got to see almost everyone I wanted to. I then took the 10A (blast from the past!!) downtown and then the ferry across to Paradise Island. Very little shade there and I got a little too much sun. Lunch was back on Bay Street and after a quick wander I spent the rest of the day in the garden at the British Colonial Hilton-- sitting in the shade and reading.

On Thursday I drove in The Bahamas for the first time in 5 1/2 years-- and it was a right-hand drive car to boot! Every time I wanted to use the turn signal I turned on the windshield wipers.

My trip home was worrisome-- nothing went wrong!! I managed to make it home early enough on Saturday to pick up some breakfast, get home to feed the cats and be at work for 9:00am.

MADLibrarian

Voter conundrum

Today was election day in Alberta and like for so many elections that came before, my choice was slim. The incumbent, who is most likely going to win, is from a party I won't vote for and the other candidates weren't even from the constituency!!

I did vote. I believe that if you want to have the right to complain about government the very least you can do is vote.

MADLibrarian

What I read on my winter vacation

Just One Look by Harlan Coben

Matilda by Roald Dahl

The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Fowler

Arms and the Women by Reginald Hill

Children of men by P.D. James

A Grave Talent by Laurie R. King

The Darwin Awards 3 : Survival of the Fittest by Wendy Northcutt

The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy

The Tribune (newspaper in Nassau)

Up! Magazine (Westjet's inflight magazine)

Vanity Fair (February 2008 issue)

MADLIbrarian

A (Near) Perfect Day in Paradise

I'm taking a little winter vacation right now. On Friday I flew to The Bahamas for a week. I'm staying with friends, Virginia and Peter-- and their two labs Chippie and Berry.

Travel day was long. My flight from Edmonton to Calgary left over an hour late and the flight to Nassau left three hours late. I read two novels and 1/2 a Vanity Fair magazine. It was 9pm local time when I arrived at Virginia's.

Saturday was full. I went out to the Farmer's Market with Virginia (new!); witnessed the launching of Peter's latest interest, a sculling shell (video to follow when I get home); accompanied Virginia to her Saturday violin lessons (she teaches beginners); took in a quilt show; hit the straw market for about 30 seconds to pick up a tote bag (I left mine at home); swung by The College of The Bahamas (saw 5 people who remembered me from my time there); checked out the new campus bookstore and Starbucks; and played endless games of fetch with Berry. I also got a blister.

Today (Sunday) I started with tea by the pool and we're off to quintet rehearsal this afternoon. Blister not so bad today.

The weather is glorious-- sunny, warm with a nice breeze.

MADLibrarian

Baby, it's cold outside

Today was Day 4 of the deep freeze-- meaning the 4th day in a row that I wore the snow pants to work. Yep, I'm walking in -30C (with a wind chill in the -40s). It's not so bad provided you don't mind putting on so many layers you can barely move.

I'm not driving for 2 reasons. Number 1 is that cars really don't like to operate in frigid weather. Number 2 is that the extension cord I use to plug in the block heater is still in the shed-- the shed with the lock that's frozen. I have not been prepared to tromp through snowdrifts and mess with de-icer in this weather. Alas, I need my car this weekend so I'll be out tomorrow morning risking frostbite.

MADLibrarian

An interesting social experiment

CBC started a program tonight that shows another take of the battle of the sexes. Called The Week the Women Went, this reality program shows what happens to a small town in Alberta when most of the women-- wives, mothers-- go away for a week leaving the men responsible for the care and feeding of their family. It was filmed in Hardisty, just under 2 hours southwest of Lloydminster.

The women are convinced that the men will be totally unable to cope. The men think it will be a piece of cake-- they're even planning a little town beautification project for that week. The town's teenagers are planning a week-long bush party.

I can't wait for next week's segment.

You can check out the show' website here

Christmas Greetings

Click here for a little Christmas treat (good until Jan 1)

Thanks to Jeff and Tanya for the link.

MADLibrarian

Pre-holiday update

Only a few more days until Christmas and the weather outside is not frightful. We have snow, not a huge amount but enough to look festive. The weather this week is lovely, seasonal with clear blue skies.

I've put up one tree and Banzai is mostly steering clear. I tried putting the Santa hat on Moe but he's figured out how to remove it. I'm not prepared to give blood so Banzai has been spared. I guess I'm the only one who'll dress seasonally.

I do, however, have a picture of Moe wearing the Santa hat that I took the first Christmas I had him. He looks thoroughly disgusted...




MADLibrarian

Saskatchewan 23 - Winnipeg 19

Yay Riders!!!!




MADLibrarian

Let's declare a Luddite Day!

Every once in a while technology gets the better of me and I wish to declare myself a Luddite and smash a computer or two (sometimes my job gets the better of me and I have a "florist" moment-- when I think it would be so nice to be a florist instead of a librarian). Tonight was definitely a Luddite moment-- I just spent most of my evening reconfiguring my wireless router.

On a happier note: Rider Pride is alive and well and on Sunday me and mine will be gathered around the TV to watch the Green and White battle their arch rivals the Winnipeg Blue Bombers for the Grey Cup.

To get in the mood check out this little ditty by Jason Plumb and the Willing:



GO RIDERS!!!

MADLibrarian

Giller got it right

Last night the 2007 Scotiabank Giller Prize, Canada's richest literary award, was presented to Elizabeth Hay for her novel Late Nights on Air. I just finished this book last week and I loved it. It's set in Yellowknife during the early seventies and paints an evocative picture of the time and the spirit that still exists to some extent in the Yellowknife of today. It was the time of the Berger Pipeline Inquiry and just before a television station was built in Yellowknife, bringing the rest of the world closer to the remote communities of the North. The novel is peopled with all sorts of misfits and runaways, each with his or her own reason for choosing to come North. There is romance, humour and tragedy-- just like life.

Hey, don't take my word for it. Read it for yourself.

It was the only one of the shortlisted nominees that I did read although they all sounded interesting. Maybe I'll get to them someday (after the last Harry Potter, books 2 through 5 of Anthony Bidulka's Russell Quant mysteries, James Ellroy's L.A. Confidential, and other books I have bought but not yet read, not to mention all the interesting books that seem to arrive on a daily basis at the library).

MADLibrarian

Don't try this at home

I've been gradually doing all those things that one needs to do to prepare for winter. Summer clothes go into the downstairs closet and sweaters come up. My lawn mower has been put away as have the garden tools. The snow shovel should have been out this past weekend when it snowed-- quite a lot. It's all gone now.

This morning I underwent another ritual-- the flu shot. I'm feeling a little out of it, tired and achy. Word of advice: DO NOT attempt following a recipe when you're feeling out of it. I was going to make bread and discovered that I had screwed up ingredients and proportions. I guess the Jalapeno Shortbread will have to wait.

I think it's best if I just scrap it all, make myself a big mug of creamy hot chocolate (maybe Irish Creamy??) and check out the CBC's Tuesday night comedy lineup-- Just for Laughs, The Mercer Report and This Hour Has 22 Minutes

MADLibrarian

P.S. The hot chocolate is really good.

Recent reads

This week I finished reading The Mislaid Magician or Ten Years After: Being the Private Correspondence Between Two Prominent Families Regarding a Scandal Touching the Highest Levels of Government and the Security of the Realm by Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stervermer. If the title seems like something from the 18th century, it's entirely intentional. This is the third book in a series that began as a letter game between the two writers. The other books are: Sorcery and Cecelia or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot: Being the Correspondence of Two Young Ladies of Quality Regarding Various Magical Scandals in London and the Country and The Grand Tour or The Purloined Coronation Regalia: Being a Revelation of Matters of High Confidentiality and Greatest Importance, Including Extracts from the Intimate Diary of a Noblewoman and the Sworn Testimony of a Lady of Quality.

Think Harry Potter meets Jane Austen and you have some idea of what these books are like. Since I like both Harry Potter and Jane Austen I like this series very much. This third book adds another element by including the correspondence of the spouses of Kate and Cecy. Their adventures this time include a royal imposter, modern technology vs. ancient magic, and a trap for magicians that strikes a little too close to home.

I'm now reading Spanish fly by Will Ferguson. More on that when I've finished.

MADLibrarian

Why we call it Fall

Today I glanced out the window and thought we were in the middle of a snowstorm. It wasn't snow-- it was leaves blowing off the trees and swirling in the gusts.

Lawn mowing season is over. It's now leaf raking season.

It was actually a nice day, sunny at times, dark and stormy at other times. More sun predicted for tomorrow.

MADLibrarian

I am handywoman, redux

Yesterday my new refrigerator and (gas!) stove were delivered. Even though I had measured, the fridge was just a bit too tall. Out came the toolbox. I moved the cupboard doors up an inch and trimmed the centre support. I love my cordless drill!

The stove isn't hooked up yet. I have a call in to the guys who hooked up my gas barbecue a couple of years ago and maybe by the weekend I'll be ready to go.

Today is yard work day-- if it doesn't rain.

MADLibrarian

Not using their heads

This past week I saw two stunning examples of why kids don't wear bicycle helmets.

On Thursday evening I was getting into my car to go home when a father and son rode by on a tandem bicycle. The son was wearing a helmet but the dad wasn't. What kind of example is that? As soon as the kid is old enough to assert his own way he won't wear a helmet either.

On Saturday I was at the Lloyd Folkfest in Bud Miller Park when I saw a dad with two kids. The older one had her own bike and she had a helmet. The younger child was safely strapped into a bike seat on dad's bike, complete with his own little helmet. Dad, of course, was bareheaded.

I rarely see an adult on a bicycle wearing a helmet. Little kids almost always wear them and older kids hardly ever.

My brother and I used to watch families cycle by our house, the kids all with helmets, the parents without. "Oh look," we'd say. "Orphans."

I once stopped a Mountie on the street who was riding his bike to work to ask him where his helmet was (I knew him and he usually wore a helmet)-- I think I'm a bit of a zealot on this issue.

I don't care if it messes your hairstyle. I don't care if you think it makes you look goofy. A helmet can save your life.

MADLibrarian

P.S. An excellent book that deals with this subject is Mick Harte was here by Barbara Park.

A portrait in black

I took this picture hours after Banzai had his little "operation". He spent the evening dozing and plotting revenge.



MADLibrarian

I am handywoman, hear me roar

Spent most of Sunday installing a new ceiling fan in my back bedroom. The old fan needed to go because:

a. It was really ugly
b. The light in the fan was no longer working

I looked all over town for a ceiling fan with a light that wasn't hideous (as most of them are). I finally got one at Home Depot in Edmonton when I was up there last week for a conference. It's kind of funky.



It came with four blade colour options (black, silver, two shades of fake wood) and two light cover options (white and this dark orangey thing with black speckles).



Aside from a phone consult with my dad and a friend about wiring-- I didn't want to set my house on fire-- I did the whole thing myself (just to prove that I could). I got to use my new stepladder in the process.

Now that I have a ladder (and light in the room) maybe I'll finally get around to putting up the curtains I bought months ago.

MADLibrarian

P.S. I did make cherry jelly-- 18 little jars of plain and 10 jars of Jalapeno pepper.