Not read but noteworthy
Sword and Sorceress, vol. IV, VII, VIII, and X. Ed. by Marion Zimmer Bradley.
Suburban Public Library recently weeded most of the volumes of this anthology from its young-adult collection. I note that it's been recommended on Fiction-L as a source of fantasy stories for female readers, and a quick scan of the tables of contents suggest that a good many current Big Names in female-oriented fantasy published early stories here. Mercedes Lackey, Diane Paxson, Vera Nazarian, and Laurell K. Hamilton are all represented. There's even a story from Charles de Lint. Perhaps one day I will have time to read them.
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Recent listens
The Pale Horseman, by Bernard Cornwell. This is the second installment in the tale that began in The Last Kingdom. Both are set in the tumultuous and war-torn medieval kingdom of Wessex at the height of the Danish invasions which, historically, almost obliterated the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms that later became England.
The narrator and protagonist, Uhtred, is even more of an antihero here than he was in the previous volume. He frequently states that he feels more admiration for the warlike Danes than for the annoyingly pious Alfred of Wessex, in whose service he finds himself. Uhtred, a hotheaded, thuggish pagan from the lost northern kingdom of Northumbria, is decidedly out of place among the monks and priests with whom Alfred has surrounded himself, and feels contempt for them as well as his Christian wife, Mildreth. (To be fair, the match was a purely political one foisted off on him by Alfred.)
Temperamentally, Uhtred seems more kin to the Vikings than to his Anglo-Saxon countrymen. He describes his own acts of piracy, theft, treachery and murder with a kind of amorally bloodthirsty cheerfulness and a rather unsettling attention to gory details. He always feels justified in his own actions, and speaks longingly of the battle-lust that comes over him in the thick of a desperate fight. His most redeeming characteristic is a kind of rough pagan loyalty based entirely on personal relationships and oaths given.
He's a fearsome warrior and a clever tactician. In a fight, he's quick, vicious, and effective. Politically, though, he gets mixed results. He's capable of canny calculation, but all too frequently lets pride and resentment goad him into potentially disastrous missteps. His quick wits frequently keep him from suffering all of the consequences of his rashness, but as he remarks, "Wyrd bith ful araed". Fate is inexorable. And Uhtred will, eventually, learn that his actions have consequences.
Historically, most English-speaking readers know that the Danes were eventually driven back. And yet seeing exactly how Cornwell reconstructs that epic struggle is fascinating. The strategies and tactics employed are described in great and plausible detail, as is the everyday world of medieval Wessex. The climactic battle in the book generates genuine suspense in the mind of the reader. Although we know the English will eventually win, the fate of the Uhtred's various companions, people whom the reader has come to like by seeing them through Uhtred's eyes, hangs in the balance, and the omens and prophetic dreams in which Uhtred fervently believes have been ambiguous at best.
The reader, Tom Sellwood, speaks in a rolling, thuggish brogue when speaking for Uhtred, and the character comes across as a convincingly dangerous man. Other characters' accents are, perhaps, less realistic, but the discernible difference between the voices of Saxons, Danes, and others helps the listener keep the different speakers clearly distinguished. One of the most gripping audiobooks I've listened to.
The Pale Horseman, by Bernard Cornwell. This is the second installment in the tale that began in The Last Kingdom. Both are set in the tumultuous and war-torn medieval kingdom of Wessex at the height of the Danish invasions which, historically, almost obliterated the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms that later became England.
The narrator and protagonist, Uhtred, is even more of an antihero here than he was in the previous volume. He frequently states that he feels more admiration for the warlike Danes than for the annoyingly pious Alfred of Wessex, in whose service he finds himself. Uhtred, a hotheaded, thuggish pagan from the lost northern kingdom of Northumbria, is decidedly out of place among the monks and priests with whom Alfred has surrounded himself, and feels contempt for them as well as his Christian wife, Mildreth. (To be fair, the match was a purely political one foisted off on him by Alfred.)
Temperamentally, Uhtred seems more kin to the Vikings than to his Anglo-Saxon countrymen. He describes his own acts of piracy, theft, treachery and murder with a kind of amorally bloodthirsty cheerfulness and a rather unsettling attention to gory details. He always feels justified in his own actions, and speaks longingly of the battle-lust that comes over him in the thick of a desperate fight. His most redeeming characteristic is a kind of rough pagan loyalty based entirely on personal relationships and oaths given.
He's a fearsome warrior and a clever tactician. In a fight, he's quick, vicious, and effective. Politically, though, he gets mixed results. He's capable of canny calculation, but all too frequently lets pride and resentment goad him into potentially disastrous missteps. His quick wits frequently keep him from suffering all of the consequences of his rashness, but as he remarks, "Wyrd bith ful araed". Fate is inexorable. And Uhtred will, eventually, learn that his actions have consequences.
Historically, most English-speaking readers know that the Danes were eventually driven back. And yet seeing exactly how Cornwell reconstructs that epic struggle is fascinating. The strategies and tactics employed are described in great and plausible detail, as is the everyday world of medieval Wessex. The climactic battle in the book generates genuine suspense in the mind of the reader. Although we know the English will eventually win, the fate of the Uhtred's various companions, people whom the reader has come to like by seeing them through Uhtred's eyes, hangs in the balance, and the omens and prophetic dreams in which Uhtred fervently believes have been ambiguous at best.
The reader, Tom Sellwood, speaks in a rolling, thuggish brogue when speaking for Uhtred, and the character comes across as a convincingly dangerous man. Other characters' accents are, perhaps, less realistic, but the discernible difference between the voices of Saxons, Danes, and others helps the listener keep the different speakers clearly distinguished. One of the most gripping audiobooks I've listened to.
Recent reads
Legend, by David Gemmell. Better than average military fantasy. No orcs here. No goblins, no dragons, no elves with pointy ears (at least none that I noticed). Just a collection of men and women who have come to the fortress of Dros Delnoch to make a hopeless last stand, defending their homeland against an unstoppable invading tribal horde. Some, like Druss the Axe, are aging legends. Some are career soldiers, some are outlaws or aristocrats or rootless wanderers.
According to rumor, the author began this, his first published novel, after finding out that he had cancer, and had in mind a symbolic link between the fortress and his own body. If he survived a certain length of time, the fortress would stand. If not, the fortress would fall. David Gemmell died earlier this year, many long years after first being diagnosed.
Legend, by David Gemmell. Better than average military fantasy. No orcs here. No goblins, no dragons, no elves with pointy ears (at least none that I noticed). Just a collection of men and women who have come to the fortress of Dros Delnoch to make a hopeless last stand, defending their homeland against an unstoppable invading tribal horde. Some, like Druss the Axe, are aging legends. Some are career soldiers, some are outlaws or aristocrats or rootless wanderers.
According to rumor, the author began this, his first published novel, after finding out that he had cancer, and had in mind a symbolic link between the fortress and his own body. If he survived a certain length of time, the fortress would stand. If not, the fortress would fall. David Gemmell died earlier this year, many long years after first being diagnosed.
Recent not-quite-reads
Dreams of the Compass Rose, by Vera Nazarian. A collection of short stories, some of them linked, mostly set in a fantastical, mystical desert reminiscent of certain of Dunsany's short stories. Unfortunately, they did not prove to be captivating enough to pull me away from the other 100+ books waiting to be read.
Dreams of the Compass Rose, by Vera Nazarian. A collection of short stories, some of them linked, mostly set in a fantastical, mystical desert reminiscent of certain of Dunsany's short stories. Unfortunately, they did not prove to be captivating enough to pull me away from the other 100+ books waiting to be read.
Recent viewings
Blue Velvet (1985) David Lynch's Oscar-nominated 1985 festival of the bizarre can only be seen, in hindsight, as a precursor to Twin Peaks, where he further explored his love of baroque complexity, shockingly surreal imagery in hypersaturated color, and the seedy underside of the human psyche.
The movie stars Kyle McLachlan as a stereotypically clean-cut college boy, Jeffrey, who becomes involved in a tangled web of crime and pathology after discovering a severed human ear laying in a field near his improbably-idyllic hometown. The plot thickens as he encounters a lovely cocktail singer, played by Isabella Rossellini, who has very troubling secrets, both sexual and otherwise. Dennis Hopper chews the scenery frantically, almost comically, as "Crazy Frank", a maniacal sadist who is victimizing her, but toward whom she also seems to feel a kind of perverse desire. (Lynch's villains are always weirdly over-the-top, apparently.)
Laura Dern, looking both angelically blonde and oddly masculine, lurks in the background as the somewhat reluctant female sidekick who shares secrets and provides a wholesome alternative to the yawning psychic abysses that confront Our Hero. "You're just like me," Frank snarls at Jeffrey at one point, and a tense sexual encounter with Rossellini's character suggests that there's some truth to that, just as the repeated motif of hideous bugs lurking under the illusory perfection of glowing green lawns suggests the way that depravity can lurk under the appearance of idyllic bliss.
Sadly, I am probably the last person who will get a chance to view this influential, Oscar-nominated film through Suburban Public Library. A local busybody took it upon herself to complain that it was "pornography". The film subsequently was discarded. The official story is that the DVD was damaged.
Blue Velvet (1985) David Lynch's Oscar-nominated 1985 festival of the bizarre can only be seen, in hindsight, as a precursor to Twin Peaks, where he further explored his love of baroque complexity, shockingly surreal imagery in hypersaturated color, and the seedy underside of the human psyche.
The movie stars Kyle McLachlan as a stereotypically clean-cut college boy, Jeffrey, who becomes involved in a tangled web of crime and pathology after discovering a severed human ear laying in a field near his improbably-idyllic hometown. The plot thickens as he encounters a lovely cocktail singer, played by Isabella Rossellini, who has very troubling secrets, both sexual and otherwise. Dennis Hopper chews the scenery frantically, almost comically, as "Crazy Frank", a maniacal sadist who is victimizing her, but toward whom she also seems to feel a kind of perverse desire. (Lynch's villains are always weirdly over-the-top, apparently.)
Laura Dern, looking both angelically blonde and oddly masculine, lurks in the background as the somewhat reluctant female sidekick who shares secrets and provides a wholesome alternative to the yawning psychic abysses that confront Our Hero. "You're just like me," Frank snarls at Jeffrey at one point, and a tense sexual encounter with Rossellini's character suggests that there's some truth to that, just as the repeated motif of hideous bugs lurking under the illusory perfection of glowing green lawns suggests the way that depravity can lurk under the appearance of idyllic bliss.
Sadly, I am probably the last person who will get a chance to view this influential, Oscar-nominated film through Suburban Public Library. A local busybody took it upon herself to complain that it was "pornography". The film subsequently was discarded. The official story is that the DVD was damaged.
Electoral thoughts, part II
Carlos inquired, by e'mail, whether I'm pleased with the election results. I have to say I am, although I'm not so naive as to believe that the legislative ascendancy of the one political party over another will usher in a Millennium of Bliss. There will still be stupid laws and stupid politicians, no matter which party prevails. But at least now the Bush administration will be countered by a legislature that will, one hopes, counter its worst excesses and question its dubious assertions.
It's interesting to note that, in Michigan at least, the popular vote was not a straight-line ringing endorsement of stereotypically "liberal" or Democratic positions. Voters endorsed Democratic candidates for the governorship and both state and federal legislatures, but also strongly favored a couple of ballot referendums associated with the kind of limited government that at one time was considered politically conservative. By a large margin, Michiganders & Michigeese voted to ban governmental affirmative action based on race, gender, ethnicity, national origin, etc. (Proposition 2). And by an overwhelming 80-20 margin, they voted to restrict governmental use of eminent domain. (Prop. 4)
It sounds to me like Lou Dobbs is right when he argues that the vote in this election was simply a vote of "no confidence" in the arrogant and increasingly tone-deaf Republican political establishment. I am gratified to note that reports of vote-counting shenanigans seem to be scattered and, if any such efforts took place, they were ineffective against the overwhelming electoral tide of disaffection with one-party Republican rule.
It's now up to the Democrats to organize themselves into something resembling an effective legislative majority. We'll see how that goes, and where they decide to go. If the Democrats fail to note the fundamental distrust of overreaching big government that seems to have driven both the voters' revolt against the Republicans and their rejection of affirmative action and inappropriate use of eminent domain, then their reign in Congress may prove shortlived once voters' disgust with the war in Iraq is no longer focused exclusively on the Republicans.
Carlos inquired, by e'mail, whether I'm pleased with the election results. I have to say I am, although I'm not so naive as to believe that the legislative ascendancy of the one political party over another will usher in a Millennium of Bliss. There will still be stupid laws and stupid politicians, no matter which party prevails. But at least now the Bush administration will be countered by a legislature that will, one hopes, counter its worst excesses and question its dubious assertions.
It's interesting to note that, in Michigan at least, the popular vote was not a straight-line ringing endorsement of stereotypically "liberal" or Democratic positions. Voters endorsed Democratic candidates for the governorship and both state and federal legislatures, but also strongly favored a couple of ballot referendums associated with the kind of limited government that at one time was considered politically conservative. By a large margin, Michiganders & Michigeese voted to ban governmental affirmative action based on race, gender, ethnicity, national origin, etc. (Proposition 2). And by an overwhelming 80-20 margin, they voted to restrict governmental use of eminent domain. (Prop. 4)
It sounds to me like Lou Dobbs is right when he argues that the vote in this election was simply a vote of "no confidence" in the arrogant and increasingly tone-deaf Republican political establishment. I am gratified to note that reports of vote-counting shenanigans seem to be scattered and, if any such efforts took place, they were ineffective against the overwhelming electoral tide of disaffection with one-party Republican rule.
It's now up to the Democrats to organize themselves into something resembling an effective legislative majority. We'll see how that goes, and where they decide to go. If the Democrats fail to note the fundamental distrust of overreaching big government that seems to have driven both the voters' revolt against the Republicans and their rejection of affirmative action and inappropriate use of eminent domain, then their reign in Congress may prove shortlived once voters' disgust with the war in Iraq is no longer focused exclusively on the Republicans.
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
The other costs of Bush's war
It took a persistent reporter and a slew of Freedom-of-Information requests to pry the story loose, but it turns out that a Alyssa Peterson, a US Arabic-language interrogator who died in Iraq in September of 2003, didn't just die of a routine and vaguely-described "non-hostile weapon discharge." She committed suicide after objecting to the "interrogation" techniques being used in her presence. From Flagstaff radio station KNAU, as reported by Editor & Publisher:
It took a persistent reporter and a slew of Freedom-of-Information requests to pry the story loose, but it turns out that a Alyssa Peterson, a US Arabic-language interrogator who died in Iraq in September of 2003, didn't just die of a routine and vaguely-described "non-hostile weapon discharge." She committed suicide after objecting to the "interrogation" techniques being used in her presence. From Flagstaff radio station KNAU, as reported by Editor & Publisher:
“Peterson objected to the interrogation techniques used on prisoners. She refused to participate after only two nights working in the unit known as the cage. Army spokespersons for her unit have refused to describe the interrogation techniques Alyssa objected to. They say all records of those techniques have now been destroyed."Unfortunately for her, Peterson, described as a devout Mormon, apparently had personal principles of right and wrong. Unlike those who gave her the orders that drove her to suicide.
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Electoral thoughts
A few brief comments for the benefit of future candidates:
Try to spell words correctly and write in complete and coherent sentences in your responses to the League of Women Voters' questionnaire. It's not very impressive when a candidate for the board of regents of a major flagship university states that "Having an educated populous helps the economy," as one candidate does here.
Also, try to avoid going into irrelevant rants about E-Gold and the evils of the Federal Reserve System when asked about policy recommendations for the state's educational system.
Breaking the taboo
As for me, I avoided voting straight-ticket Democrat in major state and federal offices only because the Republican Secretary of State here in Michigan seems to have performed her role with rather bland competence, avoiding the blatant partisanship of her counterpart in Ohio. Nothing that DeVos's campaign came up with convinced me that Jennifer Granholm was personally responsible for Michigan's economic woes, and however bland she may be, at least she's not from Amway. I dutifully voted for a couple of Dems for state legislative districts even though I strongly suspect that the local suburban counties will go solidly Republican even in the middle of a surging tide running the other direction.
As for the US Senate race, I figured that Democratic incumbent Stabenow was not any more blatantly horrible than her opponent, and it was necessary to throw the maximum possible weight on the opposite side of the scale from Bush and the rubber-stamp Republican congress that has aided and abetted his dangerously arrogant administration.
I think I may have voted for one or two Republicans for university regents boards. As much as I could, I relied on the scant information I was able to find out by way of electronic newspaper archives about regents candidates' individual attitudes and track records, rather than party affiliations. I voted for one U. of Mich. regent, without knowing her party affiliation, solely because I found a news article that reported that she had voted against the University's grandiose expansion of its football stadium.
Voting Democratic was a strange and unfamiliar sensation to me in 2004, and the strangeness still hasn't quite worn off. It seems, from the polls, that a good many other people have decided it's time to clean house of the current bunch of (mainly Republican) incumbents. We'll see how that works out.
A few brief comments for the benefit of future candidates:
Try to spell words correctly and write in complete and coherent sentences in your responses to the League of Women Voters' questionnaire. It's not very impressive when a candidate for the board of regents of a major flagship university states that "Having an educated populous helps the economy," as one candidate does here.
Also, try to avoid going into irrelevant rants about E-Gold and the evils of the Federal Reserve System when asked about policy recommendations for the state's educational system.
Breaking the taboo
As for me, I avoided voting straight-ticket Democrat in major state and federal offices only because the Republican Secretary of State here in Michigan seems to have performed her role with rather bland competence, avoiding the blatant partisanship of her counterpart in Ohio. Nothing that DeVos's campaign came up with convinced me that Jennifer Granholm was personally responsible for Michigan's economic woes, and however bland she may be, at least she's not from Amway. I dutifully voted for a couple of Dems for state legislative districts even though I strongly suspect that the local suburban counties will go solidly Republican even in the middle of a surging tide running the other direction.
As for the US Senate race, I figured that Democratic incumbent Stabenow was not any more blatantly horrible than her opponent, and it was necessary to throw the maximum possible weight on the opposite side of the scale from Bush and the rubber-stamp Republican congress that has aided and abetted his dangerously arrogant administration.
I think I may have voted for one or two Republicans for university regents boards. As much as I could, I relied on the scant information I was able to find out by way of electronic newspaper archives about regents candidates' individual attitudes and track records, rather than party affiliations. I voted for one U. of Mich. regent, without knowing her party affiliation, solely because I found a news article that reported that she had voted against the University's grandiose expansion of its football stadium.
Voting Democratic was a strange and unfamiliar sensation to me in 2004, and the strangeness still hasn't quite worn off. It seems, from the polls, that a good many other people have decided it's time to clean house of the current bunch of (mainly Republican) incumbents. We'll see how that works out.
Monday, November 06, 2006
Scary science?
In a controversial study, researchers have resurrected a retrovirus that infected our ancestors millions of years ago and now sits frozen in the human genome. Published online by Genome Research this week, the study may shed new light on the history of these genomic intruders, as well as their role in tumors. Although this particular virus, dubbed Phoenix, is a wimpy one, some argue that resuscitating any ancient virus is inherently risky and that the study should have undergone stricter reviews....(From ScienceNow.)
Don't believe everything you hear
Folks over at DailyKos are reporting that Republican dirty-tricks operatives are once again trying to suppress the Democratic vote using automated robo-calls to intimidate voters, threatening that they will be arrested if they show up at the polls, or directing them to incorrect polling locations.
For accurate election information, look online for your state government's elections website. In Michigan, www.publius.org will let you verify your voter registration and identify the correct polling location and the candidates running in your district.
The League of Women Voters publishes nonpartisan election guides for each state, online as well as in print. This includes candidates' responses to a small number of policy questions as well as names and party affiliations. Check their "Election 411" webpage for links to local guides.
For more indepth information about whose agenda may lurk behind the freindly face in the television ads, check the Federal Elections Commissions's Campaign Finance Disclosure webpage. Your state government may have something similar. In Michigan, the Department of State hosts an online databases of campaign contributions.
Folks over at DailyKos are reporting that Republican dirty-tricks operatives are once again trying to suppress the Democratic vote using automated robo-calls to intimidate voters, threatening that they will be arrested if they show up at the polls, or directing them to incorrect polling locations.
For accurate election information, look online for your state government's elections website. In Michigan, www.publius.org will let you verify your voter registration and identify the correct polling location and the candidates running in your district.
The League of Women Voters publishes nonpartisan election guides for each state, online as well as in print. This includes candidates' responses to a small number of policy questions as well as names and party affiliations. Check their "Election 411" webpage for links to local guides.
For more indepth information about whose agenda may lurk behind the freindly face in the television ads, check the Federal Elections Commissions's Campaign Finance Disclosure webpage. Your state government may have something similar. In Michigan, the Department of State hosts an online databases of campaign contributions.
Sunday, November 05, 2006
Law'norder
Well known creationist Dr. Dino, whose theme park in Florida purports to show how dinosaurs and people lived together "just like in the Bible", is reportedly on his way to prison for tax fraud.
And of course, good ole Pastor Ted is facing some tough times after it was revealed that he bought crystal meth as well as a having in gay sex while making a career out of denouncing both drug addicts and homosexuals from the pulpit of his giant suburban "New Life" megachurch, as the President of the 30-million member National Association of Evangelicals, and as a key advisor to George W. Bush.
Don't forget. Republicans are the party of Gawd's Trooth, the party of law'norder, etc. etc. Aren't they?
Well known creationist Dr. Dino, whose theme park in Florida purports to show how dinosaurs and people lived together "just like in the Bible", is reportedly on his way to prison for tax fraud.
And of course, good ole Pastor Ted is facing some tough times after it was revealed that he bought crystal meth as well as a having in gay sex while making a career out of denouncing both drug addicts and homosexuals from the pulpit of his giant suburban "New Life" megachurch, as the President of the 30-million member National Association of Evangelicals, and as a key advisor to George W. Bush.
Don't forget. Republicans are the party of Gawd's Trooth, the party of law'norder, etc. etc. Aren't they?
Parents, rest easy
You can now blissfully abandon Baby Snookums to the care of the television set without any fear that his mind will be irretrievably corrupted by seeing Tom the Cat light up a cigarette. Tom and Jerry are to be censored by the current rightsholder, Turner Broadcasting, in the same way that blues musician Robert Johnson's cigarette was airbrushed out of existence in the Post Office's commemorative stamp.
This way, the positive behavioral messages of bashing small rodents over the head and tricking those larger than yourself into making fools of themselves can be transmitted without any harmful exposure to the sight of Evil Cigarettes. (Just as, presumably, the buyers of Robert Johnson stamps can absorb all kinds of healthy lifestyle messages from his de-tobbaconized portrait.)
Go on now, enjoy watching your oral sex on Desperate Housewives, your glamorous sexpots, your admirably, superhumanly clever serial torture-murderers on the detective show of your choice. Enjoy your talkshows about incest and casual sex. Go on and watch people be blown to smithereens on prime time.
The Children Are Safe from the scourge of cartoon cigarettes.
You can now blissfully abandon Baby Snookums to the care of the television set without any fear that his mind will be irretrievably corrupted by seeing Tom the Cat light up a cigarette. Tom and Jerry are to be censored by the current rightsholder, Turner Broadcasting, in the same way that blues musician Robert Johnson's cigarette was airbrushed out of existence in the Post Office's commemorative stamp.
This way, the positive behavioral messages of bashing small rodents over the head and tricking those larger than yourself into making fools of themselves can be transmitted without any harmful exposure to the sight of Evil Cigarettes. (Just as, presumably, the buyers of Robert Johnson stamps can absorb all kinds of healthy lifestyle messages from his de-tobbaconized portrait.)
Go on now, enjoy watching your oral sex on Desperate Housewives, your glamorous sexpots, your admirably, superhumanly clever serial torture-murderers on the detective show of your choice. Enjoy your talkshows about incest and casual sex. Go on and watch people be blown to smithereens on prime time.
The Children Are Safe from the scourge of cartoon cigarettes.
RefGrunt for an hour.
2:00 Why is there a box of creamed corn on the library's doorstep? (Beats me.)
2:01. Where are the ___ school Accellerated Reader Lists? (On the shelf behind you.)
2:05. Audiobook of "Fathers of our Flags, or something". (You mean, Flags of Our Fathers?)
2:07 Newtype anime magazine is returned to desk.
2:10 "I sat down at the visitor terminal and didn't sign up and I typed up a paper and then it kicked me out and I need to print it out and what do I do now?"
2:13 "I've been waiting for an internet terminal and they're all full and the signup terminal shows that those computers are supposed to be available and there are still people using them."
2:14 Polk's Directory.
2:15 "Have you figured out what's going on with the creamed corn yet?"
2:20 Try to ask Circ. staff about creamed corn. They have a line stretching across the lobby and no time to take other questions. Leave message with shelver to ask them when they have more time.
2:25 "Where is the Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature? I need articles on Pierre L'Enfant."
2:27 Internet pass.
2:28 Internet pass.
2:30 "I need to use a DVD player."
2:31 "No, I meant I need a computer with a DVD burner. That one or that one. (Points to two computers in use by other patrons.)"
2:33 Internet pass.
2:34 Internet pass.
2:35 "We need video biographies of Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and Thomas Paine that are suitable for showing to a high school class."
2:40 Receive third-hand relayed message that I am supposed to know about library's food-donation drive. "It's on the library's web page." Upon further inquiry, circ. staff still have no knowledge of box of creamed corn. Go outside to collect creamed corn and place it in food-drive canister before it freezes and explodes.
2:45 "All the public terminals are full. I need to type my resume."
2:47 Patron using express internet terminal refuses to end cell phone call when repeatedly reminded to do so. Eventually gets off terminal and wanders toward lobby still yakking after I stand over his shoulder for several minutes.
2:50 "The computer you put me on crashed so I went to another computer and now it says the DVD burner program needs to be reinstalled." Computer techie person is amazingly in office.
2:55 Return phone call to patron who wants Dorothy Garlock's Wild Sweet Wilderness. Telephone number supplied connects to a business office which is closed.
2:57 Internet pass. Internet pass.
2:58 Check work e'mail and review supervisor's message criticizing me for not getting more collection development work done during my "non-busy time at the reference desk."
2:00 Why is there a box of creamed corn on the library's doorstep? (Beats me.)
2:01. Where are the ___ school Accellerated Reader Lists? (On the shelf behind you.)
2:05. Audiobook of "Fathers of our Flags, or something". (You mean, Flags of Our Fathers?)
2:07 Newtype anime magazine is returned to desk.
2:10 "I sat down at the visitor terminal and didn't sign up and I typed up a paper and then it kicked me out and I need to print it out and what do I do now?"
2:13 "I've been waiting for an internet terminal and they're all full and the signup terminal shows that those computers are supposed to be available and there are still people using them."
2:14 Polk's Directory.
2:15 "Have you figured out what's going on with the creamed corn yet?"
2:20 Try to ask Circ. staff about creamed corn. They have a line stretching across the lobby and no time to take other questions. Leave message with shelver to ask them when they have more time.
2:25 "Where is the Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature? I need articles on Pierre L'Enfant."
2:27 Internet pass.
2:28 Internet pass.
2:30 "I need to use a DVD player."
2:31 "No, I meant I need a computer with a DVD burner. That one or that one. (Points to two computers in use by other patrons.)"
2:33 Internet pass.
2:34 Internet pass.
2:35 "We need video biographies of Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and Thomas Paine that are suitable for showing to a high school class."
2:40 Receive third-hand relayed message that I am supposed to know about library's food-donation drive. "It's on the library's web page." Upon further inquiry, circ. staff still have no knowledge of box of creamed corn. Go outside to collect creamed corn and place it in food-drive canister before it freezes and explodes.
2:45 "All the public terminals are full. I need to type my resume."
2:47 Patron using express internet terminal refuses to end cell phone call when repeatedly reminded to do so. Eventually gets off terminal and wanders toward lobby still yakking after I stand over his shoulder for several minutes.
2:50 "The computer you put me on crashed so I went to another computer and now it says the DVD burner program needs to be reinstalled." Computer techie person is amazingly in office.
2:55 Return phone call to patron who wants Dorothy Garlock's Wild Sweet Wilderness. Telephone number supplied connects to a business office which is closed.
2:57 Internet pass. Internet pass.
2:58 Check work e'mail and review supervisor's message criticizing me for not getting more collection development work done during my "non-busy time at the reference desk."
Be very afraid
A Dailykos diarist exposes the fearsome power of the dreaded Gay Agenda. It involves Barry Manilow songs. Eek!
A Dailykos diarist exposes the fearsome power of the dreaded Gay Agenda. It involves Barry Manilow songs. Eek!
Got grip?
"Get a Grip", a short story by Paul Parks, was recently mentioned on one of the listservs to which I subscribe. Its central premise (which I will not reveal here -- go read the story!) is quite similar to that of a movie which was produced shortly after the book was published, and no doubt has been used by other writers as well.
I find myself wondering how universal that particular feeling/suspicion is. Anybody else ever wondered whether their life was like that of Parks' protagonist?
"Get a Grip", a short story by Paul Parks, was recently mentioned on one of the listservs to which I subscribe. Its central premise (which I will not reveal here -- go read the story!) is quite similar to that of a movie which was produced shortly after the book was published, and no doubt has been used by other writers as well.
I find myself wondering how universal that particular feeling/suspicion is. Anybody else ever wondered whether their life was like that of Parks' protagonist?
Saturday, November 04, 2006
The value of an MLS
The Ann Arbor District Library is hiring a public services supervisor. MLS not required. So if you have a two-year associate's degree, go ahead and apply! People with masters' degrees need your supervision.
The Ann Arbor District Library is hiring a public services supervisor. MLS not required. So if you have a two-year associate's degree, go ahead and apply! People with masters' degrees need your supervision.
Thursday, November 02, 2006
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
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