Off the Mark

got a garden of songs
where i grow all my thoughts
wish i could harvest one or two
for some small talk
seems like i’m starving for words
whenever you’re around
nothing on my tongue
and so much in the ground
nothing on my tongue
and so much in the ground

Ani DiFranco. “this bouquet.” Not A Pretty Girl.

Looking back at the last dozen (or more) posts, I see that I have said very little about any LIS-related topic. At best, I’ve commented on some of the many articles I’ve read, but rarely in any depth.

Let me assure you that I have plenty on my mind! I have one blog post in draft, and many things in draft in various text files. Some of the topics I’m thinking about and working on are: the current state of “cataloging,” in many of its facets; several of Hope Olson’s writings; several topics within and around FRBR; CIDOC CRM; Terminology Services; and so on.

I want to do some research and considered writing on all of these topics.

The biggest problem, though, is that my semester is, in a sense, finally starting. My first set of products are finally coming due. To date I’ve only had to be prepared for and to show up to class. Now I need to produce; and school production gets in the way of other efforts. In fact, my first “graded” product was a presentation/leading of discussion in Representation and Organization this morning.

Last night when I was supposed to be sleeping, and perhaps I was and was dreaming, I spent most of the night thinking in, with, and about FRBR and CIDOC CRM, with a bit of Terminology Services mixed in for good effect. I just wish there was a good way to recall large portions of those self-”discussions” after-the-fact. I can only hope that some of all that mental processing finds its way into retrievable memory.

Thus, Ani’s metaphor is quite apropros.

got a garden of songs
where i grow all my thoughts
wish i could harvest one or two
for some small talk

I really hope that everything on my mind doesn’t end up tabled until after the semester. I’d really like to do some harvesting for both some “small talk” here on the blog, and for some more formal “talk,” that is, publication.

nothing on my tongue
and so much in the ground