Monthly Archives: August 2006

So what is Corn Pops or Frosted Flakes in German?

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I hope that I’m not jinxing myself as I only have email confirmation at the moment, but congrats are in order.

I am now the newest Serials Cataloging GA at the UIUC University Library! Yippee! I am so excited.

We have a big backlog of Western European journals, especially in German and French. I’ll be working on those, in particular, with a fair amount of original cataloging, and we are also ensuring we have complete bib records for all of the journal runs being moved to remote storage. Those will be my primary tasks as I understand it from the interview.

Did I mention how excited I am? Training starts on Monday. It’s a 25% GA-ship so I’ll work there 10 hours/week. I’ll also keep working for ITD in GSLIS for 10 hours/week. I have to let them know on Monday whether I prefer an assistantship or hourly and for how many months. I am excited that I don’t have to abandon such a great patron base (distance ed LIS students and instructors) cold; they have been wonderful to work with the past 2 years. I look forward to getting to know the newest crop; some of whom I met at Bootcamp over the summer, of course.

Some days, life is sweet!

Information Transfer and Collaboration in Science

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Yesterday, in the quest to narrow down my fall classes, I caught up with Dr. Carole Palmer. She was my MS advisor and is the prof for the above class this fall.

The syllabus isn’t posted yet, but she was able to show me a draft syllabus that we went through. It looks extremely exciting!

There are currently 7 students enrolled in this class; just about a perfect number IMHO. Four are PhD students of very diverse backgrounds and interests, one is a well-qualified MS student who has been in several previous classes with me, one is a complete unknown as she doesn’t show up in the “complete” class rosters, and me.

The projects are completely open and we’ll be able to craft our work to our own interests. The main requirement is that we will share our interests, thinking and direction, and our work with the rest of the class as we go along.

I really hope I can fit this class in. That, though, means that Ontologies in the Natural Sciences with Allen Renear will have to go. Oh well. I do have Info Modeling with Allen, and I heard a rumor that he has an Ontologies in the Humanities class drafted up. I need to verify that with him.  It would be nice to get an ontologies class in.
My previous public comments on these classes: here here

Something I said earlier about Carole’s class:

Then there’s Carole’s new class on info transfer in the sciences. Yes, it is peripheral to my main focus. But it is a huge interest of mine: Inter-, trans-, and multidiscplinarity, scholarly communication, info transfer, knowledge construction, and so on. I really enjoyed 590CD2 Current Topics in Collection Development with her, and this, this is her specialty.

You know what? Carole’s class isn’t the slightest bit peripheral. I just have to think of it as part of the user-based portion of my education. I have read enough of her work to be worried that all of the info organizing we’re doing might not actually be helping scholarly users. If they find and use information in ways different, or at least orthogonal, from how we are organizing and classifying it then we are doing them a serious disservice and even hampering “progress.”

Exactly. As of now, I hope to investigate issues in cataloging and classification (or knowledge org. more broadly) that directly impact the accessibility and use, or non-use, of our resources by scientists, particularly the inter-, trans-, and multidiscplinary scientist.

We’ll just have to see how it works out.  If I get the new assistantship there’ll be a learning curve involved, including brushing up on my admitted limited abilities in W. European languages.

All in the service of friendship

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Tonight I accompanied Jenny in visiting one of the places in CU that she wanted to visit before heading off to the big city (literally; NYC).

We went to the Wienerschnitzel on Springfield (corporate vs. Wikipedia). When I was a kid in the north St. Louis suburbs we had a Wienerschnitzel so I thought it’d be nice to check it out.

This place was simply too funny! And the food was actually edible. I am going back, but next time I’m taking my camera. It is just too freakin’ odd not to document the extreme weirdness that is Wienerschnitzel. There are at least 20 perfect documentary-style photos that could be taken in there. I am not kidding.

I do have to wonder why the extreme and ridiculous level of choice didn’t freak me out as much as say Cold Stone Creamery. Maybe I just take my ice cream far more seriously than my hot dogs? Well, duh, Mark!

Then again, the company could contribute to the experience. Going in to Cold Stone Creamery all alone was just sort of overwhelming, and led to a serious rejection of consumer choice (normal for me). Doing most anything new with Jenny is an experience on a much different (and fun) level. I do think Wienerschnitzel is just a bit over-the-top, but it was in a fun way. We’ll just have to see how I react if I go back alone.

But going back I am (with camera), and in the name of culinary science I’m going to get me a chili cheese dog with pastrami on a pretzel bun. The only other choice is do I go with the all beef dog or the turkey dog? Hmm…? That’s a tough one.

No kidding, but a serious understatement too

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You’ve Changed 60% in 10 Years
You’ve done a good job changing with the times, but deep down, you’re still the same person.
You’re clothes, job, and friends may have changed some – but it hasn’t changed you.

They asked if I lived in a different city and if in a different state. But what about the completely different country on a completely different continent?

And what is up with asking the same exact question about music preference twice? All in all, some silly, if not simply stupid, questions. Could have been much better constructed, even for a fluffy internet quiz.

But, yes, my life is vastly different than it was in 1996; moreso than this quiz hints at. Thankfully!
Found at LibraryTavern.

Just call me Hermione…

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Thanks to some wonderful folks at GSLIS, UIUC I will be able to take both the Seminar in Classification Systems and Information Modeling this fall. So that part of my fall course conundrum is resolved. Yay me! What to do about the other two courses is still up in the air; my decision somewhat hinges on my job situation.

Jobs, though, are still somewhat up in the air. I talked to some folks on Monday about some full-time professional jobs, but it’s not really what I want to do, particularly at this moment. I may hear back from them, though.

This afternoon I have an interview for an assistantship at the Library. That’s all I want to say at the moment, but please wish me well. It would be some much needed experience; one of the reasons I stayed for the 2nd degree.

Cross your fingers, rub a lucky stone, say a prayer if you’re so inclined.

Thanks in advance!

Update on the interview:

It went quite well, I feel.  They still have a few more people to interview, but will let us know by tomorrow afternoon.  I’d really like to have this job, am probably at least as qualified as any other student they will find for this position (and more than most), and am fairly well known to all involved in the decision-making.  So keep those fingers crossed or prayers coming for another day.

My shiny new library card

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My shiny new library card Yesterday evening I went and got myself a library card from my new public library, Champaign Public Library, which is a short 3-block walk away from me. I’m lucky it is so close because just as I was walking into the parking lot I realized I had left the piece of mail with my new address on it at home. Doh!

So I turned around, came back home, got it and then went back. After getting my card I wandered around the library kind of getting the feel of the place. I looked at pretty much everything, but I mostly checked out the CDs and DVDs. In fact, I did check out 7 CDs. Up to 20 CDs for 2 weeks at a time. Nice!

What’s not nice is the building. It is not only an ugly library, it is simply an ugly building! Luckily, they are working on a new building. I filled out a pledge card and dropped it in the “bucket.” It is hard to tell from the artist’s drawings how much of an improvement the new building will be, but almost anything will be better.

The inside isn’t so bad actually, but the outside is taken straight from some architect’s nightmares. And don’t let that little picture on the website fool you—that is a well chosen angle that I have yet to see. Maybe we are using the back side now with construction going on and it really was better looking from the other side. Whatever. It is ugly.

But I will do the right thing and judge it based on the services provided to the community and not on its dismal exterior aesthetic. And considering I had my shiny new card in about 2.5 minutes, I’m pretty happy so far.

Mmmm, tasty!

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I generally don’t do product endorsements. [I consider marketeers and marketing "science" to be the spawn of the devil and the prime engine of corporate capitalism.] I certainly don’t do them for potato chips, which I generally don’t care for. That being said…

A few weeks back, I picked up some chips for our trip to the drive-in. Everyone loved them, including me. A couple days ago, I bought them again just to be sure. Mmmm, tasty they are.

“Mike-sell’s” D. W. Mikesell Kettle Cooked Sweet & Cheesy Chipotle potato chips.

Crunchy hard, mildy sweet, mildy cheesy and just a hint of chipotle. They may well be the finest potato chips I have ever had. I ate half the bag in one sitting. I ate the remainder with my sandwiches for lunch over the next 3 days.

Next time you’re looking for a tasty chip, give these a try unless you have peanut allergies. They are cooked in 100% peanut oil.

Let slip the rains of summer…

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[Note: I thought this got posted, but clearly it didn't. It was written Friday.]

Well, we didn’t exactly get rained out.

It started a good steady drizzle right before “curtain time, [8 PM]” which only got stronger and stronger. With most of the audience trying to hid under the slight cover at the back, they decided to hold the start until 8:15. By 8:15 it was pouring. They decided to hold until 8:30 because the cell over us was small and moving quickly.

It did finally taper off and they were able to get the stage squeeged and somewhat dried off, with the play finally starting around 8:45. Most of the audience was rather soaked; many had left. It was warm enough that I had shorts on so my legs dried quickly. But my shoes and socks were soaked. It was great fun sitting with soaking wet feet for 3 hours and then an hour drive home. :) The outsides of my shoes were actually dry when I got home, but the insides were still soaked thanks to my socks.

Julius Caesar was excellent, as the plays always are. Jenna and I agreed that the we enjoyed Pericles and Comedy of Errors more, though. Odd for her, since she generally prefers the tragedies. Myself, I prefer the comedies because, as I told her, there is enough tragedy in the world today, and the fact that the same 400-year old lessons (which are, in fact, a few thousand years old) still have such currency in today’s “civilized” world just depresses me more. They are always excellent, though, and they are timeless lessons and, as such, do need to be experienced.

It seems kind of funny that last night was the 1st time that I had a major rain event all the years I’ve been going to the Illinois Shakespeare Festival now. I’m really glad it didn’t get cancelled as I didn’t want to drive back on Saturday night, which is the last performance for this year of JC. It is a half a tank of gas to go to and from Bloomington for me.

[Sunday, 13 Aug 06. As it is I went back to Normal yesterday anyway. My daughter visited some friends in Chicago on Friday and drove down to Normal Saturday morning to pick up as many of her belongings as would fit in her car. So I went over and got a few things out of my storage area there, and then spent the day with my daughter and my ex and her boyfriend. I had a nice time and lots of good home-cooked food.]

Looking for work

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Yesterday I found out that I did not get the job I really wanted. Seems they changed some of the criteria (and they needed to) but now I don’t “qualify.”

I would say “Oh well,” but this was exactly what I want to do.

So now I have to get back to looking for another job. I am able to keep the one I currently have as agreed to a while ago. But that still means a 50% cut in pay as I’ll be going from a 50% GA position to 10 hrs/wk hourly position. Or, my boss said they’d be happy to keep me for 20 hours/wk, which is great. Great as in helps with the $$ situation, and great as in it is nice to feel needed and wanted.

But. I really need to find something related to cataloging/classification/metadata. Part of the reason to stay in school is to get more hands-on education, not just formal classroom education. Matter-of-fact, that is probably the primary reason, but barely.

The folks I had hoped to work for have been shopping my name around with other metadata folks on campus, which is nice. I actually need to go talk to someone about some possible opportunities. But I’m already fairly sure that they are at the extreme tech end that I’m not all that interested in. I am interested in what they do, but in how it impacts the practice of applying metadata. But I won’t know if I don’t go find out for myself.

The easiest thing to do would be to stay where I am now. I love working with, and serving, the distance ed faculty and students, and Team Awesome is, in fact, awesome. Even though the team is undergoing some serious change come fall, I have no doubt that it’ll continue to be great. I already know 3 of the new Tech GAs so I’m pretty confident we will remain team-awesome.png

I’m not exactly known for taking the easy road, though. And in this case it might not be the best thing for me. I sure wish I could see just a few weeks into the future on this one.

Ah well, that’s enough grumbling for now. Back to unpacking stuff. A couple members of Team Awesome are coming over to get some of my empty boxes in a half hour for their upcoming move. Then it’s lunch, shower, and off to Bloomington for Julius Caesar. Sure hope the rain holds off. We almost got rained out after intermission on Tuesday; that would have really sucked. But they went on and it finally quit. Tonight looks a little shadier though.