"Things are different now," I said. "Kids grow up faster."
My mom shook her head. "No, they don't. You're just exposed to things at an earlier age. That doesn't mean you can handle them.
Denise Vega, Access Denied
30.3.09
Notable Quotes
29.3.09
How do you communicate?
In one of those confluences, I've been reading about how we use the new communication and networking tools at our disposal. More specifically, I've been reading about people that are unhappy with one or the other.
For example, are you really friends with your Facebook friends? Can you really maintain friendships with many people? Some say no.
Over on Twitter, Neil Gaiman is closing in (if he hasn't already passed) 100,000 followers. Some use Twitterank to see how high they are in the Twittersphere. Many have their tweets feed directly to their FriendFeed or Facebook status.
So clearly, there are divided opinions on all this. The Unclutterer thinks that e-mail is flawed and is proposing to go all-Twitter. In my comments, I said
Then I read LizOpp and Suburban Hen and Still Life. As you know, I've been pondering what this all means... even more food for thought.
How much is too much? How exposed is too exposed? Which tool is the best for what I want to accomplish? Any? All?
For example, are you really friends with your Facebook friends? Can you really maintain friendships with many people? Some say no.
Over on Twitter, Neil Gaiman is closing in (if he hasn't already passed) 100,000 followers. Some use Twitterank to see how high they are in the Twittersphere. Many have their tweets feed directly to their FriendFeed or Facebook status.
So clearly, there are divided opinions on all this. The Unclutterer thinks that e-mail is flawed and is proposing to go all-Twitter. In my comments, I said
I think the vast majority of Twitter users are twits - I honestly DO NOT care if you’re going to sleep, if there’s a great movie down the road from you, if you’re waiting on the tarmac to take off! Get a life and stop cluttering mine!I've started using to TwitterSnooze to slow down what I'm getting from the people that feel an obsessive need to let me know every detail about their lives. After a few Twitter-based conversations with friends (and after watching some conversations between friends), I've decided to limit my responses (updates) to those that will be of interest to more than one person.
It really is more about how you use the tool, and using the right tool for the right reason. If I want to announce to a bunch of my friends/followers/colleagues that I’m at a specific location during a conference, I’ll use Twitter. If I want a documented conversation with a colleague/vendor, I’ll use e-mail. If I want to talk with a good friend having a difficult time, it’s either face-to-face or phone.
Then I read LizOpp and Suburban Hen and Still Life. As you know, I've been pondering what this all means... even more food for thought.
How much is too much? How exposed is too exposed? Which tool is the best for what I want to accomplish? Any? All?
Serial Questions
This post follows a discussion I had with some students at MPOW - I'd read Fire, the follow-up to Graceling and asked them about the idea of sequels, series and follow-ups.
Here's where the confusion started: Fire takes place in the same world as Graceling, but with a completely different set of characters. Does that make it a sequel? The argument could go both ways. What about a book like Leaven of Malice. It's part of a trilogy. Does sequel apply to the second book of two, or do we use "series"?
Mystery and science fiction authors often write entire series, and we don't talk about the "sequel" to the first book, we usually talk about the "follow-up". And what about books like Wide Sargasso Sea. Is that a sequel toJane Eyre? A follow-up?
How do we break down the differences when we talk to students about books? Does it matter?
Here's where the confusion started: Fire takes place in the same world as Graceling, but with a completely different set of characters. Does that make it a sequel? The argument could go both ways. What about a book like Leaven of Malice. It's part of a trilogy. Does sequel apply to the second book of two, or do we use "series"?
Mystery and science fiction authors often write entire series, and we don't talk about the "sequel" to the first book, we usually talk about the "follow-up". And what about books like Wide Sargasso Sea. Is that a sequel toJane Eyre? A follow-up?
How do we break down the differences when we talk to students about books? Does it matter?
27.3.09
Decluttering lite
Today I moved the majority of my bookmarks to Delicious, keeping only those that I use frequently. What does a Lazygal bookmark?
26.3.09
25.3.09
New Blog Alert
In Three Words - sort of a meme, dedicated to "paring down our thoughts and experiences."
24.3.09
Well, DUH
| What Kind of Reader Are You? Your Result: Obsessive-Compulsive Bookworm You're probably in the final stages of a Ph.D. or otherwise finding a way to make your living out of reading. You are one of the literati. Other people's grammatical mistakes make you insane. | |
| Dedicated Reader | |
| Literate Good Citizen | |
| Book Snob | |
| Fad Reader | |
| Non-Reader | |
| What Kind of Reader Are You? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz | |
18.3.09
Day in... day out...
3:00am - The Boys start to stir
3:45am - The Boys are in full "stir" mode
4:15am - giving up, Lazygal stumbles downstairs to feed the ravenous beasts
4:16am - loud purring and eating sounds
4:16:30am - peace reigns among the felines; the human either stumbles back to bed (weekends/vacations) or starts her day
Welcome to my life.
3:45am - The Boys are in full "stir" mode
4:15am - giving up, Lazygal stumbles downstairs to feed the ravenous beasts
4:16am - loud purring and eating sounds
4:16:30am - peace reigns among the felines; the human either stumbles back to bed (weekends/vacations) or starts her day
Welcome to my life.
16.3.09
Imponderables
I've been reading that SciFi (the TV station, not the literary genre) will be changing its name to SyFy. Among the reasons? "The name Sci Fi has been associated with geeks and dysfunctional, antisocial boys in their basements with video games and stuff like that, as opposed to the general public and the female audience in particular."
Because, of course, it's all about the name of the channel, not in any way about the actual programming, right?
And why Syfy? It'll make them "cooler" and "more relevant".
I could be wrong here, but my guess is that some new interns in the head office couldn't figure out how to spell SciFi when they tweeted about the cool new job they have, and the higher-ups got all "oh, no! we'll lose our core audience if they don't know how to find us on Tivo". Besides, you can keep your thumbs on the Y key! Trez kewl!!
(And as for their erstwhile name's demographic? As Thing One so eloquently ranted: I DON'T HAVE A BASEMENT AND AM NOT GEEKY)
Because, of course, it's all about the name of the channel, not in any way about the actual programming, right?
And why Syfy? It'll make them "cooler" and "more relevant".
I could be wrong here, but my guess is that some new interns in the head office couldn't figure out how to spell SciFi when they tweeted about the cool new job they have, and the higher-ups got all "oh, no! we'll lose our core audience if they don't know how to find us on Tivo". Besides, you can keep your thumbs on the Y key! Trez kewl!!
(And as for their erstwhile name's demographic? As Thing One so eloquently ranted: I DON'T HAVE A BASEMENT AND AM NOT GEEKY)
Notable Quotes
When the soy farmers need to protect their crops from the harsh sun, they use veils of white plastic cloth with string woven through it; despite being lightweight and almost transparent, it is indestructible. Entire fields are swathed in this material, which resembles enormous sails. The white fluttering sails do not stop the sun from entering and making the crops grow; the clarity and intensity of the sun is dulled, however. This is true of regret. It is a veil, and like all human emotions it serves to soften the impact of reality. It is a failed belief that we cannot experience the true brilliance of the light, but it is through fear that we veil ourselves from that brilliance.
The Blue Notebook, James A. Levine
13.3.09
Links Galore
- Perfect gift for movie goers: a spoiler T (þ: Neilhimself)
- Stuck in travel-hell? Let Flight Wait help (þ: Alice)
12.3.09
Self-identification
I've been pondering these two posts by the Restaurant Refugee. In the second, he says,
How do I identify myself? Is it by my sexuality? My gender? My religion? My ethnicity? My job? My pets? The teams I root for? (you get the picture) And what would make me react when people say/suggest/accuse me of being other than what I am?
I've worked with people who so identify with their job and TPOW that they have little left outside that. I'd be the first say "I'm a full-fledged bunhead" but MPOW isn't that important to my identity. I know people that get upset because people assume they belong to one religion, when they aren't... people that live in one area and yet root for other teams... women who dye their hair and refuse to identify as being Of a Certain Age.
What gets me angry is when people refuse to accept my self-identifiers. I'm Quaker, although I was raised in a Jewish household. When my family or friends insist I'm still Jewish, I get irritated. When someone that knew me Back When assumes I'm the same now as I was then, that I've stayed in some sort of stasis, I get irritated> And, ok, my mother's insisting that I'm lactose intolerant, when I'm not any more, irritates me.
None of this is to imply that what happened to RR isn't far different. But in a way, it is all of a piece: if someone places you in a group that isn't "yours", you may react with the anger that RR did.
My declaration about anger was written lazily and failed to explain fully my sentiment. The truth of the matter is not that I hated being accused of being gay. I hated that I wanted to respond to the claim. (Look at the language I just used: accused – is someone ever accused of being straight? That rings to the core of the cognitive dissonance, the hypocrisy.)My comment was
part of your response was you trying to correct a misidentification (be it gay, Jewish, cold or a reader of Dan Brown). And that’s ok. The fact that it caused you the question to root of your anger? Part of me wants to say “even better”, and part of me wants to say “overreaction”. Your choice.As I've thought further, I've also thought about what identification means.
How do I identify myself? Is it by my sexuality? My gender? My religion? My ethnicity? My job? My pets? The teams I root for? (you get the picture) And what would make me react when people say/suggest/accuse me of being other than what I am?
I've worked with people who so identify with their job and TPOW that they have little left outside that. I'd be the first say "I'm a full-fledged bunhead" but MPOW isn't that important to my identity. I know people that get upset because people assume they belong to one religion, when they aren't... people that live in one area and yet root for other teams... women who dye their hair and refuse to identify as being Of a Certain Age.
What gets me angry is when people refuse to accept my self-identifiers. I'm Quaker, although I was raised in a Jewish household. When my family or friends insist I'm still Jewish, I get irritated. When someone that knew me Back When assumes I'm the same now as I was then, that I've stayed in some sort of stasis, I get irritated> And, ok, my mother's insisting that I'm lactose intolerant, when I'm not any more, irritates me.
None of this is to imply that what happened to RR isn't far different. But in a way, it is all of a piece: if someone places you in a group that isn't "yours", you may react with the anger that RR did.
11.3.09
Couldn't resist...
From left to right: Francis, Bogie, Mallory and Greta
When in doubt, groom (þ: Thing Two)
I'm Francis, I'm cute, get used to it.
Do you think they'll miss each other?
9.3.09
Notable Quotes
[A] friendship's like a garden.
You have to water it and tend it and care about it.
Stephen Sondheim, Franklin Shepard Inc.
8.3.09
Meeting Musings
The Meeting I attend is very small (almost laid down last year!) but there is strength in those numbers - some of the most gathered Meetings I've been in have been with only a few people Waiting.
Today, with the sun shining, we decided to have worship outside on folding chairs rather than inside on the benches. As I sat there, centering, waiting for (and listening to) the Light, my mind would sometimes wander. Each time it did, a breeze sprang up, as if to sweep away those thoughts and recenter me.
Truly, Someone was tending to my condition.
Today, with the sun shining, we decided to have worship outside on folding chairs rather than inside on the benches. As I sat there, centering, waiting for (and listening to) the Light, my mind would sometimes wander. Each time it did, a breeze sprang up, as if to sweep away those thoughts and recenter me.
Truly, Someone was tending to my condition.
6.3.09
Names and Numbers
One of the less pleasant chores I have at MPOW is sending out letters to parents of students who have seriously overdue books - oddly enough, these presumed lost items magically reappear once an invoice goes home. The only thing that makes this chore bearable is that I get to see who lives where.
I'm not talking about the snobby sense of "oh, wow: they live there???" about a particularly affluent area, I'm talking about the fun of names.
Yes, i admit it, I'm a street name snob. When I first moved to Brooklyn, I lived in a cul-de-sac, but it was a numbered street. Yawn. Then Thing One and I moved to a one-block Place. Much nicer. I love quaint street names... literary place names... nature-based names. Parsonage Point, for example, or Deer Run or Beechwood. Streets are fine. Roads, better. Courts? Closes? Yes, please. Avenues and boulevards? Thanks, but no.
It's not just the name, though. The number has to work. Again, not in the superstitious "can't be 666 or 13" way. My street address is a nicely named Court. BUT - and it's a big BUT - my number is in the high hundreds. Better than in the thousands, but really! Courts should never go higher than 20. And any "street" that has a number in the thousands is, well, Not Quite Right. (Take that 1040 Park Avenue!)
City/town names are also one of my "things". Crozet VA, for example - a name to conjure with.
And then there was my best friend in college. He was going to be a minister, a Presbytarian minister. I have no theological arguments for or against Presbytarianism, but I did urge him to convert to Anglicanism. Why? Because Anglican vicars live in vicarages (duh) and then I could live with him and be his housekeeper (while working in a bookshop part time). Lucky for the both of us, his wife and his current congregation, he never did take me up on the suggestion.
Still... anyone know a nice vicarage in a quaintly named town that needs a librarian with a few cats?
I'm not talking about the snobby sense of "oh, wow: they live there???" about a particularly affluent area, I'm talking about the fun of names.
Yes, i admit it, I'm a street name snob. When I first moved to Brooklyn, I lived in a cul-de-sac, but it was a numbered street. Yawn. Then Thing One and I moved to a one-block Place. Much nicer. I love quaint street names... literary place names... nature-based names. Parsonage Point, for example, or Deer Run or Beechwood. Streets are fine. Roads, better. Courts? Closes? Yes, please. Avenues and boulevards? Thanks, but no.
It's not just the name, though. The number has to work. Again, not in the superstitious "can't be 666 or 13" way. My street address is a nicely named Court. BUT - and it's a big BUT - my number is in the high hundreds. Better than in the thousands, but really! Courts should never go higher than 20. And any "street" that has a number in the thousands is, well, Not Quite Right. (Take that 1040 Park Avenue!)
City/town names are also one of my "things". Crozet VA, for example - a name to conjure with.
And then there was my best friend in college. He was going to be a minister, a Presbytarian minister. I have no theological arguments for or against Presbytarianism, but I did urge him to convert to Anglicanism. Why? Because Anglican vicars live in vicarages (duh) and then I could live with him and be his housekeeper (while working in a bookshop part time). Lucky for the both of us, his wife and his current congregation, he never did take me up on the suggestion.
Still... anyone know a nice vicarage in a quaintly named town that needs a librarian with a few cats?
5.3.09
Six Things Meme...
Elizabeth at the new, incredible Archipelago blog tagged me...in a meme called Six Things That Make Me Happy:
1. Cuddling with The Gang of Four (yeah, I know - duh!)
2. Feeling warm and safe during a rainstorm or blizzard
3. Yet another duh: New Books
4. Spending time with good friends
5. Thing One's sense of humor
6. The first day of vacation (all that possibility)
Here are the rules for this meme:
Alice
Diane
Sophie/Liz
Nancy
Aravis
you?
1. Cuddling with The Gang of Four (yeah, I know - duh!)
2. Feeling warm and safe during a rainstorm or blizzard
3. Yet another duh: New Books
4. Spending time with good friends
5. Thing One's sense of humor
6. The first day of vacation (all that possibility)
Here are the rules for this meme:
- Link to the person who tagged you.
- Post six things that make you happy along with these rules.
- Then tag six others.
- Let the person who tagged you know when your entry is complete.
Alice
Diane
Sophie/Liz
Nancy
Aravis
you?
3.3.09
Imponderables
Goya = Smuckers?
I've been seeing new ads on tv for Goya products, all with the tag line "If it's Goya, it has to be good"
Call me too Anglo-centric, but isn't that Smucker's motto? (ok, there's also Fluckers... and Nose Hair)
I've been seeing new ads on tv for Goya products, all with the tag line "If it's Goya, it has to be good"
Call me too Anglo-centric, but isn't that Smucker's motto? (ok, there's also Fluckers... and Nose Hair)
2.3.09
Sometimes, you just have to do it yourself
Jandys asked "Does anyone know of a database source that lists books by the location of their settings?"
After some poking around, I came up with We Tell Stories and Place Studies. Shree left a comment that suggested The Hieroglyphic Streets and Bookpaths
But the consensus seems to be a resounding "No". Which got me thinking that perhaps this is something I'll have to do myself. Something like a Google Maps Mash-up meets IMDB (IBDB and IBookDB are already taken, btw). Who wants to help?
After some poking around, I came up with We Tell Stories and Place Studies. Shree left a comment that suggested The Hieroglyphic Streets and Bookpaths
But the consensus seems to be a resounding "No". Which got me thinking that perhaps this is something I'll have to do myself. Something like a Google Maps Mash-up meets IMDB (IBDB and IBookDB are already taken, btw). Who wants to help?
In lieu of warm puppy...
Happiness is taking a nap with a bunch of warm purrballs. Four, to be precise.
1.3.09
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