I thought "librarian" implied gender...

I guess some people still haven't heard of the word MANBRARIAN!

Penny Arcade comic

Happy New Year's Eve, everyone!

I love me some Charles Bronson

Movies that were (suprisingly) books first

My triumphant return to Madison

Sorry I've been incommunicado, I've been having to fight my sister for the use of our mother's extremely slow dial-up Internet connection (it's taken me nearly nine minutes just to get to the blog, log in, and start a new post). I also had to wait 'til my mom knew her schedule for tomorrow so I'd know if I could borrow her car.

All this leads me to wonder: HAVE I TRAVELED BACK IN TIME TO THE YEAR 1997?

And if I have, can we still be friends even though we won't meet at SLIS for another eight years or so? I promise not to make fun of you about the whole "MMMBop" thing.

If so, and if you are in Madison tomorrow (Thursday, 12/27), please meet me downtown, where we can enjoy delicious foods and refreshing beverages.

How about the Orpheum at 4 pm for their happy hour?

Monday Boredom Relief

Personally, I'm a big fan of The Team Captain.

I'll be back...just like the Terminator

I'll be back in town for the holidays on December 22, and staying until (early) the 28th. I hope some of you will still be around then...I misses my bitches!

Find your celebrity look-alike

My big timewaster of the day is this site, which will compare an uploaded photo to a database of celebrity pictures and tell you which stars you most resemble. Some of you have probably seen this on Facebook already, but you can use it through the MyHeritage website too.

As the program ignores hair color, race, and even sex, there can be some pretty weird matches. (Any of you think I look like Martin Lawrence?) Using a large, forward-facing head shot eliminates most but not all of the weird matches. The program also seems to get caught up on hairstyles -- it returned almost all men's photos as matches for me if I uploaded a picture where I had short or pulled-back hair.

My most common celebrity matches included Meryl Streep, Janeane Garafolo, Christina Ricci, Jodie Foster, Angelina Jolie (no, really), and, oddly enough, Frankie Munoz of Malcolm in the Middle fame.

Oh yeah, I also kept getting matched with a photo of young Shirley Temple, which just seemed wrong. And by "wrong" I don't mean "inaccurate" so much as "immoral". I'm having disturbing thoughts of some creep in a bar offering to buy me a Shirley Temple because I "look just like her". Then he'd probably follow me outside, hit me over the head, lock me in his basement, and force me to sing "On the Good Ship Lollipop" until Detectives Benson and Stabler burst in and rescue me.

But I digress.

A nice thing about this program is that their celebrity photo database includes non-US stars, as well as famous people who aren't popular entertainers -- there are politicians, authors, and news anchors too.

"Won't you blog about this song?"

This video had a high slot on The Onion AV Club's "Videocracy" site. It's undoubtedly the funniest Web 2.0 themed Billy Joel parody I've ever seen.

"Here Comes Another Bubble"

Covertastic!

So, I'm completely obsessed with cover songs (Me First and the Gimme Gimmes are one of my favorite acts), and these amateur offerings are just too good not to share.

Enjoy--or at least try not to become violently ill :)

56 pictures about 56 geeks

What, no knitting geek? Sewing geek? Retro geek? Art geek? MARC geek (ok, so maybe that one's a little obscure, but isn't that the point?)

Something must be done to get all geeks their proper recognition....

They Also Love Librarians

While looking for inspiring holiday sweaters for an upcoming Christmas Sweater Party, I found a site that might just be a librarians dream website:

We Hate Sheep. We Love Holiday Sweaters.

Have fun but don't let it get out of hand.

Also, are any of you public librarians thinking about going to the PLA conference in Minneapolis? I really don't want to brave the holiday sweater-ed masses by myself....

I'll see you in hell, Pachabel

A friend of mine who's doing her Master's in music passed this along to me. It's a rant by Rob Paravonian, former cellist turned comedian/musician about why he hates Pachabel's Canon in D. And Pachabel's Canon must hate him too, because it follows him wherever he goes, trying to drive him mad...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdxkVQy7QLM

Mr. Picassohead

A fun way to spend/waste a minute or two - here's my effort:

http://www.mrpicassohead.com/canvas.html?id=40da1e1&skin=original

I am thankful for...shushing

I wrote this song a while back, and have been saving it for a special occasion like THANKSGIVING! It was inspired by my first experience shushing a patron, a girl who was yakking away very loudly on her cellphone in the middle of the main floor of the library. I had to banish her to the foyer.

I used this "The Office" music video to help me write new lyrics for the song. Please imagine me dancing just like Michael Scott as you read.

Shushin' Back

I'm bringing shushin' back.
These little patrons don't know how to act.
I heard a ringtone, what's behind your back?
And none of that now while you're in the stacks.

Take it to the foyer.

[Bridge]
Chatty babe,
You see these glasses?
Baby, act your age.
You better watch it if you misbehave.
Library's not where you act this way.

Take it to the foyer.

[Chorus]
Come here, girl.
(Go ahead, get shushin' it.)
Come to the stacks.
(Go ahead, get shushin' it.)
VIP.
(Go ahead, get shushin' it.)
Just like Dewey.
(Go ahead, get shushin' it.)
Let me see what you're shushin' with.
(Go ahead, get shushin' it.)
Look at those lips.
(Go ahead, get shushin' it.)
Don't crack a smile.
(Go ahead, get shushin' it.)
Go ahead, child.
(Go ahead, get shushin' it.)
And get your shushin' on.
(Go ahead, get shushin' it.)

Get your shushin' on.
(Go ahead, get shushin' it.)
[6X]

Get your shushin' on.

I'm bringing shushin' back.
These little patrons don't know how to act.
Some peace and quiet are the things we lack.
Cause you're acting up, you better shut it fast.

Take it to the foyer.

[Bridge]

[Chorus]

Get ready! [3X]

I'm bringing shushin' back.
Hey little patrons, watch while I attack.
If that's your cell, you better watch your back.
Cause you'll get a shush from me, and that's a fact.

Take it to the foyer.

[Chorus]

Get ready!

{record scratch, music stops}

SHHHHHHHHHHH!

Get ready!

{record scratch, music back for end of song}

I knew we were good

I hope this comes to the US!

Aussie TV show, The Librarians (Especially because the TV library is apparently in a town called Middleton....)

BE sure to check out the "Literary genius quiz--I got a 6/10. The movie ones and The Very Hungry Caterpillar got me.

Why is this not being publicized?!?!?

Public Service Loan Forgiveness

Details

Loan Forgiveness Calculator

More Details

And some more

The legalese

The first decent thing that this monkey-run presidency has done for young peeps, and no trumpeting of horns? Wha...? Or is there fear that students will actually take the offer, and the lenders will scream bloody murder?

regime dress...wtf?

Don't even ask me how I got to this web catalog. Anyway, they are advertising a pretty ugly wool dress for $248 and the catalog copy reads: "What do you get when you cross a sexy librarian with disciplinarian?" And that copy, it made me mad.

Also, the website is running a ton of annoying flash. So, screw your sustainable design philosphy, Nau, you obviously hate librarians and, fyi, each of your pages takes about five billion seconds to load because of all that crappy flash.

Also, welcome back, blog!

Men of Mortuaries

Inspired, I suspect, by the daring librarians of Waupaca, a bunch of morticians have put together a "Men of Mortuaries" beefcake calendar to benefit breast cancer patients.

http://www.menofmortuaries.com/

I was kind of hoping they'd all be wearing top hats and leaning on the hoods of hearses, but the calendar appears to depict these hunky shirtless morticians engaged in their favorite non-death related pursuits.

The whole thing is actually far less creepy than that Italian coffin-maker's site that uses Eurotrash bikini models to advertise its products. You may remember this as being a well-known "weird thing on the Web" site a couple of years back. I see the (probably not safe for work) page is still up at:

http://www.cofanifunebri.com/product.htm

It seems only the "Fashion line coffins" get to have bikini models in their photos. I see from the page that this site now also offers a calendar of its coffin girls. I have to say, I think the Waupaca librarians were more appealing. Miss October here looks suspiciously like Ozzy Osbourne.

PS: The rejection counter moved up from 55 to 56 because of me. The University of Illinois at Chicago has apparently decided to close their search without hiring anyone. And it only took them five months to let me know!

Can't get enough of remixed movie trailers

Here are a few of my recent favorites, courtesy of YouTube.

Citizen Kane: Tha Remix -- I don't know if this will be as funny to people who haven't actually seen Citizen Kane, but I was literally LOL over this one. I rarely laugh over things I see on the Internet, even if they're really funny, but the scene with the dancing girls cracked me up. Thank you, film class!

Alex DeLarge's Day Off - A Clockwork Orange as an Eighties teen comedy.

Blood Labyrinth shows us how recent drama Blood Diamond would look if it had starred young Jennifer Connelly and a bunch of Muppets.

And speaking of the Muppets, House of 1000 Muppets shows us what it would look like if Rob Zombie directed a Muppet movie. I always knew there was something "off" about that Dr. Teeth...

The Nicholas Cage remake of cult horror favorite The Wicker Man wasn't too successful in theaters. Maybe it would have done better if they'd made it a comedy about beekeeping among the Amish.

Librarians r in ur resort, havin der confurinces

Check out where I get to be today for the VLA conference:

The Homestead

I went outside to look around and there was some yuppie on his cellphone telling a friend how he just finished his spa treatment and was waiting for his newly wedded wife (they were on their honeymoon) to finish hers.

Other than the vacationing yuppies and rich old people, the place is full of women wearing sensible shoes and bearded men in bow-ties.

J.K. Rowling outs Dumbledore

I don't think I've ever seen a piece of news circulate the Internet so quickly. In case any of you managed to miss the big news, at a Q&A session in New York J.K. Rowling revealed that she always thought of Dumbledore as gay.

Story from The Observer

Story from Time

I can't say I'm totally surprised by this information, but I'm quite surprised Rowling actually said so!

Although to be honest, if I'd ever made a list of "Potentially gay Harry Potter characters", Dumbledore would have been at best #3.

More podcasts

Sound opinions
ReSound
Filmspotting
The Story (haven't actually listened to this one much, but the program descriptions sound interesting)
Radio Lab (new season starts in 2008, but the archived shows are great)

(Can you tell it's been a long, boring day?)

Blog CPR

So here's a few things that I'm sharing mostly to see if anyone's still reading:

Play a game and help the world

My favorite Friday addiction

What Perez Hilton strives to do, but doesn't quite manage (aka my favorite nasty blogger)

I'm 11

I'm going to make it after all...

The Office parodies

In honor of the new season of "The Office", and the fact that my office has been getting on my nerves recently, here's a selection of the best "Office" vids I've seen on YouTube recently:

It's Getting Hot in Here: Scranton Style -- I was really impressed by the editing on this one, and the way the creator managed to match the lyrics with such fitting clips

The Office 300 -- Dwight rallies Dunder-Mifflin Sparta against the Persians. "Tonight, we dine in hell!"

For some reason the idea of Jim being murdered has inspired several clips. Poor Jim. See The Office re-cut (crime film) and The Death of Jim Halpert.

Happy Hour This Week

Is anyone up for Happy Hour this week? I suggest Wednesday 5:00pm at the Library but would be happy to go elsewhere.

D'yer Mak'er (The Acronym Song)

People often ask me where I get my ideas.

Well, okay, people ask me why I get my ideas, and if there's any way I could stop.

But if people did ask me where I get my ideas, I'd have to say that I got this particular one when I heard Led Zepplin's "D'yer Mak'er" on the radio yesterday morning. It struck me that the lyrics consist largely of the word "Oh", and that other letters could easily be substituted in.

Since this isn't one of Led Zepplin's biggest hits, I've found somebody's homemade YouTube video for the song so you can hear it. (I don't know what cartoon the video is based on, but out of many "D'yer Mak'er" videos on YouTube, this seemed to be the only one where the images had anything to do with the lyrics.)

ANYWAY, I began work on this song intending for it to be about a generic librarian showing off her knowledge of industry jargon. It soon transformed into the tale of a cataloger, and a romance threatened by acronyms.

D'yer Mak'er (The Acronym Song)

Oh, oh, oh, oh, OPAC?
You don't have to know, oh, oh, 'bout that.
You don't have to know, oh, O-C-L-C,
You leave that to me.
I, I, I, I-L-L?
You just leave, uh, that one to me as well.
Acronyms won't come between you and I,
Baby, please don't cry.

When you heard the letters that we talk with,
It made you mad, mad, mad.
When you forgot the words that they stood for,
It made you sad, sad, sad.
But I still love you so,
More than I-S-O.
I love you,
Oh, baby I love you!

Oh, oh, oh, O-S-I,
You know I wouldn't lie, ay, ay, ay, ay,
MARC's not another guy...hey hey.
Oh baby, believe in what I say...

I, I, I-S-B-N,
Our love will never end, oh, oh, oh, oh,
Dewey's just my friend, oh, oh, oh, oh,
Darling, please don't go.

When you heard the letters that we talk with,
It made you mad, mad, mad.
When you forgot the words that they stood for,
It made you sad, sad, sad.
But I still love you so,
More than I-S-O.
I love you,
Oh, baby I love you!

{bridge}

Oh, oh, oh, oh, OPAC?
You don't have to know, oh, oh, 'bout that.
You don't have to know, oh, oh, oh, oh.
No baby...L...C, D...D...C!
A-A-C-R Second, baby,
Ah ah, I really love you, baby.
A-A-C-R Second, darlin',
Oooohhhh, oh...
Oh baby, I still love you so.
Oh baby, I still love you so...ohohoh, ooo...
Oh, oh, oh, oh, OPAC,
Yeah...
(SLIS!)
A-A-C-R Second,
Ooooooh...
(SLIS!)
A-A-C-R Second,
Oooooooooooooo...
(SLIS!)
Yeah...oooh baby....

For Future Happy Hours...

If you haven't seen this yet, check out this amazing link from Sconnie Nation listing all the drink specials (by day!) around our great city of Madison. Great for all the broke, tightwad librarians, manbrarians and archivists still here.

Podcasts?

I'm a gal in need of podcasts - anyone have any favs to recommend?

Happy Hour Wednesday

@ your library.

Actually at the Library, on University, in the old Luther's Blues building.

Best Onion Article Ever

14 American Apparel Models Freed in Daring Midnight Raid

Happy HOUR

Sorry for being out of the loop the last couple of weeks, but I haven't seen anything about a Happy Hour! Amazing! Therefore, I'm calling Happy Hour for tonight, Thurs., Sept. 20, 2007!

Time: 6:00 pm
Place: Vintage (becase I want to eat).

Be there or be square!

Will entertain alternatives.

Pictures of Walls

Today I am pulling a double shift at the reference desk.

I'm also looking at pictures of walls with stuff written on them.

Bollywood Thriller

We've already had a Lego "Thriller", but this one may be even stranger.

Indian zombies!

I'm Bored

Anyone going to Willy st fest this weekend? is it worth going to? Aargh, I'm so bored I'm losing it!

blog maintenance

As we are about to reach our 700th post, I have decided that it is time for a little blog maintenance. I would like to clean up the links and condense the tag cloud. If you use any of the links heavily, let me know so I keep them, or if you have any new ones to add, suggest away.

Also, there was talk a few weeks ago about a name change. Do we still want to do that? Please discuss!

grape lady falls

"I can't breathe!"

Neil Gaiman on alphabetizing books

While looking at this and that on YouTube, I found this clip of author Neil Gaiman at a convention answering the old "Where do you get your ideas?" question.

The interesting thing to me is that about a minute in he starts talking about alphabetizing his books as a kid, and how by the time he was seven he was agonizing over such issues as whether books by Roger Lancelyn Green should go under "L" or "G".

Sound familiar, anyone? Does it in fact sound EXACTLY LIKE YOUR OWN CHILDHOOD? Because it sure sounds like mine!

This makes me think that either Neil Gaiman has missed his true calling as a manbrarian, or that I should have become a bestselling author adored by 17 year old girls who wear black all the time. (Sound familiar, anyone? Does it in fact sound EXACTLY LIKE YOUR JUNIOR YEAR IN HIGH SCHOOL? Because it sure sounds like mine!)

Speaking of librarians and wearing black all the time, I've got another YouTube clip as a sort of lagniappe for this post:

Ninja Librarian!

DIY stats

Check it out archivists, librarians totally kicked your ass this time around.

This is dead on!

I never have read a more apt description of a librarian:

"Librarians can often be seen reading for recreation. Some enjoy sniffing book spines to ascertain the age of books in a competition known as "Guess how old this is." Master librarians can even smell a book's ISBN. (This skill prevents librarians from enjoying the delicate art of kitten huffing.) They also frequently knit, play scrabble, and do crossword puzzles when they're not out rampaging with their motorcycle gangs and getting awesome tattoos."

Woo-hoo!

My stuff is on Skull-a-day!

Read a Book - Git Crunk bout readin'

Check out this ultra-cool "Read a Book" video! Caution: Headphones recommended as there are some naughty words.

Speaking of shoes....

Have you ever wanted to wear those sexy pumps on a cold day, but were afraid of freezing your ankles?

Problem sovled!

Is this still the SLIS Procrastination Blog? Or, the Blog Formerly Known as the SLIS Procrastination Blog?

Just to start a discussion, the title of this blog is a bit misleading as all of the posters are now practicing procrastination at some other location. I don't have a good title to offer up at this time, but perhaps a new title is in order. Also, the Rejection Letter count is a bit outdated. Just some thoughts.

The Manolo, he loves the librarians!

Ayy! Spot on analysis of librarian stereotypes through the years!? And a Thomas Dolby reference!? And cute kiddie librarian friendly shoes!? The Manolo, he is indeed superfantastic!

I Heart Madison

Detox is also getting ready for football season.

Can we get porn here?

That's what a student asked me today!

She was checking out some DVDs, and she said "Hey, is it true we can get porn here?"

I honestly misheard this as "popcorn", and thought she was asking about the free movie nights on campus where free popcorn is indeed served. But I didn't know why she'd be asking the librarian about that (although I was fielding all kinds of non-library questions today, the first day of class), so I said "I'm sorry, can you get what?"

"Porn. I mean, not for me, someone just said we can get like some French porn movies from the library."

"Uh, not that I know of...I mean, we do have some French movies, and we've got R-rated movies, but I don't think we have any actual porn."

"Oh, okay. Well, that's just what I heard."

I just barely managed to keep myself from saying "No, that's why we have INTERNET, silly!"

Doesn't this guy know about Drunken Librarians?

So more in the White Rabbits news:

"White Rabbits were up next and were a bit of a let down, pretty much phoning it in for the first 3/4 of their set. After someone in the house bought the band a round of shots they played the last few songs like they really mattered."

Read a book America

"Democrats, liberals read slightly more books than GOP, conservatives"

Happy Hour

Thursday. 5:00ish. Orpheum. Free cheese.

The Back Dorm Boys are back (but not in the dorm anymore)

I was afraid we'd seen the last of Chinese-based YouTube sensation the Back Dorm Boys when they graduated from college last summer. But they have released a couple more videos. Judging from the first one, they also seem to have discovered drugs.

"We Will Rock You" -- not the original Queen version, but some weird cover. This isn't the BDB's best work in terms of lip synching, but must take the prize for sheer weirdness. (Watch all the way to the end for an especially bizarre epilogue.)

"O Yi O Yi A" -- since their graduation the BDB have landed a real recording contract, and released a new single of an original song that they actually sing rather than lip sync to. This is the official video for the song. (Sorry for the poor quality, it's the only copy I could find.) The director seems to have been inspired by the opening credits to The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

O Yi O Yi A" again -- yes, they've used their Webcam to make a lip synched version of their own song! That's postmodernism, that is.

Sadly, they still don't kiss in any of these videos. I keep hoping that one day they will, but they never do. It's rather pathetic, really.

LOL Cats Take Over Vogue

First Librarian LOL Cats, then LOL Cats from 1912, now LOL Vogue?

Don't tell Anna Wintour.

50

Yippee, I got rejection number 50 today!

Natural Beauties?

Here's something to disturb your dreams.

These are from the website of a woman who digitally retouches photographs, mostly "glamor" photos of child beauty pageant contestants. Just the idea that there are children not only being entered in beauty pageants, but whose parents deem it necessary to have their glamor photos digitally enhanced is bad enough. But the actual results of this process are truly soul-chilling.

If the parents had commissioned a ventriloquist's dummy to be made in their daughter's likeness, I'd be impressed by the results. But this is supposed to be her photo.

Good little girls must smile all the time,
OR THEY'LL HAVE THEIR MOUTHS REPLACED!

Note that in addition to sticking a digital wig on your child, the "artist" can also REMOVE HER EYES AND REPLACE THEM WITH THOSE OF A DOLL!

Rather than take a new photo of your child, simply spend $40+ to have one of her old photos digitally aged...AND TURNED INTO A LIFELESS MANNEQUIN!

The Future is NOW!

Remember the cool reading pad Capt. Picard was always reading? Well, the cell phone is slowly starting to catch up. Oh, the day when smut can be read while standing in line, without the embarssement.

Happy Hour on Wednesday

Back at the Orpheum this week. Sooner or later they will figure out that they are losing money on us but until then, free cheese here we come. If you get there first, try to find a table in the nice waitress's section, the dude kinda sucks.

The Laugh Out Loud Cats of 1912

There's a lolcatz inspired comic!

Or is it that lolcatz was inspired by this comic?

I suspect an eddy in the space-time continuum.

Diapered monkey bites woman outside downtown bar

I've had some rough nights at brats, but never anything like this!

"he likens himself to a Little League father whose kid is having a rough game"

How about more like a Little League father whose kid is a freaking mass murderer? Honestly, nytimes, we need another fluffy, pop-psych piece about America's most notorious first family? Really?

Remixed movie trailers

Now that I've finally (FINALLY!) got Internet access in my new apartment, I'd like to share a few more examples of my favorite form of YouTube humor, remixed movie trailers.

Scary Mary (Poppins) - she's coming for your children!

Taxi Driver - romantic comedy about a big city cabbie.

Big - the story of a man with a BIG secret involving his relationship with a young boy.

Silence of the Lambs - a chick flick about a woman who develops a special relationship with her mentor.

librarianing can be funny

Today I answered a telephone reference question and the patron called Google "Googl-ey." As in, "just type it into that Googl-ey for me and it should pop right up."

Happy Hour

Rumor has it that we are back to Wednesday for Happy Hour this week. Does that sound good to all?

Another one!?

Once again, our favorite family has grown!
17. I am speechless.

now i really wish i had landed that prison library job

Fug girls blogging for New York Magazine. Best line: "prison is the new black." Girl, you know I live at that address.

Wastin' away again

Happy Hour tomorrow will be east side style- $2 frozen margaritas at Tex Tubb's Taco Palace! Annie and I will be there around 6... hope to see the rest of you bitches too.

I am now officially employed

I just wanted to let you all know that I've moved into my new apartment and started my new job today. I have my computer log-in and ID card and all that official stuff. Everything is going well, but I miss Happy Hour already. I'll buy a ginger ale for myself tomorrow evening, but it just won't be the same!

bunny hop

Is anybody going to the White Rabbits at the High Noon tonight? Does anyone look at this farkakte blog anymore?

Yellow Fever

Yes, I know it's just a shameless plug for the movie, but I had to see what I would look like as a Simpson. Try it, it's fun!

edit - never mind, the link doesn't work anymore

Best Music Video...

Ever!

I heart the internet

Just in case you haven't been following, Perez Hilton has the play by play of the latest Lindsay Lohan scandal here.

Happy Hour on Wednesday

Come celebrate theshortkatie and kelly's last happy hour this Wednesday night. Is the Orpheum good with you two, or is there somewhere else you'd like to spend your last night?

Shameless plug

Are any of you lovely librarians still searching for a place to live in Chicago? My brother-in-law runs this website where you can find super awesome apartments and houses and condos.

Live somewhere fab so the rest of us can come and visit you!

Chicago Rentals

My favorite time of year

This weekend is Maxwell Street Days. If you can put up with the crowds and the heat, there are some good deals to be had on out of season apparel.

i wish i had a cameraphone

So in my new office (no, not all to myself, I share it with a manbrarian) at my new job, the decor consists of an elephant tusk that I can only assume came from the library's founder's safari tour of Africa, or obtained via some other kind of colonialist exploitation. But who cares about illegal ivory and endangered species? It's bigger than my arm span and effing cool.

Just thought I'd share. I wish I could go to happy hour on Wednesday! This 8 to 5 deal makes me crave a Librarian at the end of each day

Move happy hour this week?

For completely selfish reasons, I am wondering if anyone would be up for Happy Hour on Wednesday this week?

Happy hour!

It seems like the Orpheum is the people's choice for tonight, and I think today will be a great day to sit outside. So the Orpheum it is!

If I don't fill up on free cheese, I'll probably have to make a run over to Ian's to get some pizza. May be my last chance before I move!

Is anyone familiar with "cat macros?"

Sorry, I know, two posts in under 20 minutes, I should be doing something productive, blah blah blah....

So, anyway, I think some of us know about cat macros with their particular brand of "catois." But with us librarians being so cool and all, I was thrilled to see lolbrarians!

Recycled underwear=more library jobs!

Here's a bit on the relationship between underwear and literacy, which of course translates into a link between underwear and librarians. Why didn't the NYT report that in the coolness article?

Potter Mania - Not so Manic

WARNING: Profession related content

NY Times article, "Potter has limited effect on reading habits" discusses the roll that the Harry Potter books may or may not have had in bringing kids to reading. All I can say is that I have never read Harry Potter. I'm a good person who neither needs to be corrupted by that demonic tale, nor needs to be corrupted by reading in general.

Long live TV, X-box, and GameBoy!

Dreaming of Thursday

I realize it is only Tuesday morning, but I'm already excited for happy hour. What's the plan this week? I do believe several of us owe Kelly a belated cheers! I thought The Orpheum was pretty fun a few weeks ago... come on, free cheese.

A hipper Crowd of Shushers

Everyone reads the NY Times, but I thought I'd post the link, just in case anyone had missed it. Now that we are all cool, and everything, I guess I'm going to have to spend more money on clothes now. -Doug

Babysitters Club

A blog dedicated to Claudia's clothes. How great is that!

After reading Logan Likes Mary Anne I wanted this exact outfit.

"In the junior department I tried on a green sweater dress that made me look like a mermaid, and a yellow sweater dress that made me look as big as a house. Then Claudia handed me a full white skirt with the words Paris, Rome, and London, and sketchy pink and blue pictures of the Eiffel Tower, the Tower Bridge, and other stuff scrawled all over it. She matched it up with a pink shirt and a baggy pink sweater. I would never, ever have tried on that skirt, but with the shirt and sweater it looked really cool.

In the shoe department we found white slip-ons with pink and blue edging that matched the pink and blue in the skirt. I'd never have looked twice at those shoes, either, but with the rest of the outfit they were perfect."

More on our fave manbrarian-turned-rocker!

Sadly, no mention of any SLIS or Wisconsinfluence (like that puntastic action there?)

And I found this out b/c they were mentioned on VH1's Best Week Ever Blog!

I haven't brushed this close to fame since I sat next to John Frusciante's dad at a RHCP concert! (True story, BTW--and how'd you like that name dropping action--I'm on a roll!)

Tonight, tonight

So, are we going out tonight?

I think we should.

I mean, I REALLY think we should.

As you may have noticed, the job counter has gone up by one.

PG-13?

Since when has our blog been rated?

Brain pain

Snow White rejection

I wish some of my rejection letters would have come on pretty Disney stationary!

Super Hella Cool!

If you get bored, fast forward to 7:12.

Thursday night

What are the plans for Happy Hour this week?

More breaking news...

that perhaps only Shawn will be interested in....

If it's on BBC News, it must be true!

The Today Show - Covering the HARD news!

Over heard this quote from Meredith Vieira on the Today Show this morning.

"There's no other way to say it. The long national nightmare is over...Paris Hilton was released from jail this morning."

Thnk G!

Funniest diet pill post EVER

Ok, so if you don't like poo jokes, you should probably skip this. But if you do, and you want to hear one more reason that the pharmaceutical industry is evil, enjoy!

Non-early Birds Still Get Worms

Although my application process started much later than it should have, I'm happy to report that my attendance at the ALA conference appears to have paid off! (See job #8.5 above!!)

With two interviews (only one that I really wanted... but it's sure nice to be sought after), I just received my own happy job offer from my first choice library! While it's all contingent on my final transcript, it was a pretty great interview (despite being slightly flustered by one literature-specific question), and I am feeling majorly relieved that this is going to work out, even though it will take a little while to actually get into a library branch.

Now the Registrar's Office had better be prepared to talk to me on a daily basis. I'm going to stalk that office until they get fed up and hand over the transcripts they are holding hostage (a.k.a. haven't deigned to print yet).

Off to watch the Book Cart Drill Team Championships! See you later this week, bitches.

Thursday music?

I know some of y'all need to go home to wake up bright and early for work on Friday, but Locksley is playing at the Annex on Thursday night. Anyone interested in a little post-happy hour music?

this one's for you, theshortkatie

Sorry, this is Times Select. But in her column today, Maureen Dowd declares "Archivists are the new macho heroes of Washington." She couldn't be more right. I love me some archivist machismo.

the mcsweeney's version of my job search

Total applications submitted: 41
Rejection letters, phone calls, and emails received: 16
Percentage of libraries or information agencies that never deigned to confirm the receipt of my application (Not included in total number of rejections received): 25%
Letters received stating that position openings had been withdrawn after I spent several hours compiling elaborate application packages (See also: dollars spent on official transcripts): 2
In-person interviews: 6
Phone interviews: 2
Applications withdrawn due to the weird cataloging questions asked by the library director in an interview: 1
Times I was offered the privilege of checking out library books, in response to a question I asked about professional development opportunities (See also: withdrawn applications, creepy library directors): 1
Hours spent in prison (Not jail ala Paris Hilton, but prison. There is a difference): 2
Metal detector searches: 1
Level of embarrassment in discovering that my underwire bra set off the detector wand alarm, scale 1-10: 6
Body cavity searches: Just kidding. Or am I?
Pee tests: 0
Unsolicited phone calls Gabe made to the Library of Congress Human Resources Department on my behalf (Guess I can forget about working there. Ever.): 2
Score, scale 1-100, received on an application for a Librarian 1 position in a public library system: 45
Score, scale 1-100, received on an application for a Temporary Librarian 1 position in the same public library system: 15 (For serious, WTF ________ County? That bad?)
Dollars spent ordering official transcripts: $15
Miles driven between the Badger and North Star states in pursuit of library work: 2216
Hours spent crying on the phone to my mom: 4
Hours spent crying on the phone to my fiancé: 1
Library directors I met: 4
Percentage of library directors that creeped me out: 50%
Times I was asked to identify my personal weaknesses: 4
Times I almost shouted, “Cripes, my number one weakness is my total deficiency for mathematics. I can’t even fucking add without using my fingers. I can’t calculate an accurate gratuity on a ten dollar restaurant bill. Why the fuck do you think I went to library school?”: 1
Thank you notes sent: 17
Job offers: 1

If you want to know more about the offer, come to happy hour on Thursday and I'll tell all. Bitches better be there, it's probs going to be my last happy hour before I move.

what's next for Dubs? birkenstocks and black knee-highs? uggs? skinny jeans?

Honestly. The leader of the free world.

From the WaPo today: "...all those adults walking around in Crocs, going on about how comfortable they are, look like overgrown children. They are like the workday Peter Pans who carry backpacks in the city. Not grown-up leather backpacks, but the kind made of nylon with water bottles stuck inside a web of bungee cords and a canister of Bear Be Gone hanging off the side. They have mistaken their walk to the office for a climb to the summit of the Grand Tetons. Why, oh why, must people assimilate perfectly reasonable, functional and cheeky sports attire into street clothes?"

Happy Thursday

Could any of you bitches be persuaded to commence happy hour at an earlier than usual hour this week? Employment is not all it's cracked up to be: I need to be tucked in bed and sleeping before 11, and I probably shouldn't be more hungover than the undergrads who I boss around. So drinking at 5PM is my only option. Join me.

Should we try the Orpheum? Or go back to the good ol' Terrace?

I went to New York, and I got a job interview

Note: The two events in the title line share no causal relationship.

I am finally back from my almost absolutely fabulous trip to New York. I say "almost" because everything went swimmingly until I attempted to LEAVE the city yesterday afternoon. I think the only thing that needs to be said about this is that 24 hours passed between the time I arrived at La Guardia and the time I touched down in Madison today.

This was a very trying ordeal, and I am currently engaging in some serious M&M therapy to help me get over it.

List of famous people I saw in Times Square:

1. Paul Schaffer (crossing the street outside the Ed Sullivan Theater)
2. Eddie Vedder (probably not really him, but "a guy who looked like kind of like Eddie Vedder" isn't very exciting)
3. THE NAKED COWBOY!

Then about 30 minutes after I finally, finally, FINALLY got back to my apartment, I got a phone call to inform me that one of the places I applied at wants to interview me...as soon as possible! So I'll be getting back on a plane again in a couple of weeks.

I should probably stock up on M&Ms.

PS: I missed you, bitches.

Book Cart Drill Team in the News

Mo Willems linked a YouTube video of last year's ALA drill team performance on his blog, and Fuse #8 Production (my favorite kidlit blogger, now featured on School Library Journal online) picked it up! You are famous, bitches! :-) Now make them hire you.

cause the unemployed don't get no respect

and spend way too much time on the internets...

Ask...and God may answer

Last night this topic was discussed by those in attendence. And, I was accused of being too professional. Please note that Nelson Mandela will be pleased at the rumor. More SPICE would sure be nice! Maybe they can start the trend of neverending farewell tours!!

Iced Storm

By popular demand, here's the recipe for New Orleans Cold Drip Coffee from the NYT:

1 pound dark roast coffee and chicory, medium ground (I just used regular coffee - eds)
10 cups cold water
Ice
Milk

1. Put coffee in a nonreactive container, like a stainless-steel stock-pot. Add two cups water, stirring gently to wet the grounds, then add 8 remaining cups water, agitating the grounds as little as possible. Cover and let steep at room temperature for 12 hours.

2. Strain Coffee Concentrate through a medium sieve, then again though a fine mesh sieve. (I used a sieve, and then strained it thought a paper coffee filter which worked fine - eds)

3. To make iced coffee, fill a glass with ice, add 1/4 cup of coffee concentrate and 3/4 to 1 cup milk, then stir. To make cafe au lait, warm 3/4 to 1 cup milk and add 1/4 cup coffee concentrate.

Makes 8 cups coffee concentrate
Concentrate will keep in fridge for up to two weeks.

For those who want to be all authentic, I believe they have coffee w/ chicory at Whole Foods, or you can order it @ www.frenchmarketcoffee.com or www.bluebottle.com

Happy caffeinating!

And...

Who else just got a job?!?!?

Happy Hour Thursday

What time do festivities at the Vintage kick off tomorrow?

Our future in pictures

Unemployment Things To Do - Part II

Get a really cool article in the Capital Times!

Unemployed stuff to do

Does this photo looks familiar to anyone else?

Bocci in the park

There was talk of bocci ball in Wingra park, is anyone still interested playing this week?

How to Enjoy Sushi -- The RIGHT Way!

Andi recently asked me a question about sushi etiquette. I am embarassed to admit that I was badly mistaken in the information that I gave her, viz., that you can eat sushi pretty much any way that you like and there's no formal ritual associated with it.

Then I found this fine educational video and discovered how wrong I was! I am filled with shame at the thought of my barbaric past behavior. I'm amazed that no one ever openly laughed at my improper use of soy sauce. I don't even want to talk about the salt dish, it's too disgraceful for words. I only hope that by sharing this video, I can help others avoid such humiliation and dishonor.

Placement Specialist

My co-workers were at SLA this week. One of them got a card from a placement specialist who works mainly in the New York area, but elsewhere as well.

Donna Conti, Placement Specialist
DC On-Line Inc.
Career Resources
305 Madison, Ave. Suite 1166
New York, NY 10165
212-557-1152
donnaconti@earthlink.net

Saddest thing I've seen in months

Yep, Bruce Campbell singing Duran Duran to hawk Old Spice. The end is nigh....

how much do I hate the Bush twins? let me count the ways.

Did I already blog about this? I might have. Apologies. It's just that every time I see those stupid, privileged, misbehaving, all-noblesse-and-no-oblige First Twins in the news for their antics or for their "accomplishments," my blood pressure heats up and the words on my computer screen get all blurry and red. So I'm sharing my rage with you, friends. Check out the dumb cover of the stupid book that Jenna Bush "wrote" based on her "work" with UNICEF. And here's the description on Amazon. There's no link to submit a review yet, but when the book comes out this fall, I'm going to write a doozy.

Can we all agree, as new librarians (employed or not), that none of us will waste a collection development dime on this drivel? I'm not talking about censorship--I may even read this piece of crap book just to make myself miserable for an afternoon--I'm just saying that asshole First Twins with trust funds financed by torture, minority subjugation, and environmental annihilation (to name just a few offenses) shouldn't be allowed to exploit the narratives of people victimized by their father and grandfather in order to make a buck (I don't care if she's going to donate the profits; it's blood money) or to improve their reputations. Thanks, yo.

just like buying a new car:

The minute you drive the car off the lot (or the degree off campus) it starts to depreciate. Check out this story (on CNN!) about the faculty exodus from our alma mater.

We'll Say We Knew Him When...

I don't know what has possessed me to post so many reviews lately. Lack of comments should tell me you aren't interested. Still, you should be thrilled to know that Pitchfork Media (yes, that once magical barometer of all things musically cool that has since morphed into a mainstay for a certain part of society's consciousness...enough to be name-dropped on Veronica Mars) loved The White Rabbits' debut album, Fort Nightly. Go ahead, read the review, check out their myspace page (http://www.myspace.com/whiterabbits) and recall your fond memories of everyone's favorite former librarian turned rockstar drummer.

Knocked Up gets a rave in the Times!

The headline pretty much says it all. The article is glowing, despite the fact that it emphasizes "social commentary" over good old fashioned laughs.

Roman frescoes at Chazen Museum

I keep meaning to see this exhibit at the Chazen Museum of Art on campus, and now there are only a few days left until it closes!

Does anyone want to go admire the Roman frescoes with me on Tuesday or Wednesday? I'm free anytime after noon. The museum closes at 5 pm. There's a docent tour of the exhibit on Tuesday at 4 pm.

Anyone who's interested, let me know!

Zombie-American

I've been talking up the merits of a good zombie flick to some of you lately. Since I've been unable to make it to the theatre to see 28 Weeks Later, I'm contenting myself with this short, starring my favorite Dunder Mifflin-ite, Ed Helms. Please consider this a nice distraction from your regularly scheduled Memorial Day festivities.

Anyone else in town?

Any other librarians/archivists in town this weekend? Or is everyone gone and/or busy with family stuff? -Doug

Overheard on State Street

Just moments ago, as I shuffled down State Street on my way home from an exhausting 15-hour day of work, I overheard a 30-something guy say this to his buddy:

"Man! That guy's had the kind of life that people write about... in fiction novels!"

...as opposed to all those non-fiction novels out there??



Sigh.

I suppose this is why we do what we do (or will do once we get jobs!).

Librarians are hiding something

So, Steven Colbert just had Jimmy Wales, the founder of Wikipedia, on as a guest. Colbert made several jokes about democratizing information, etc. He then put a secret message up on the screen for viewers to go and add to Wikipedia: "Librarians are hiding something". Hooray for bashing Wikipedia! I just went and checked the Wikipedia entry for librarians, and they have it locked down already . . .

Do we have a rain plan for tonight?

Are we still going to the vintage if we can't sit outside?

fyi*

I'd just like to note that number 35 in the rejection count is a rejection from prison.

*My dreams of publishing a best-selling memoir and having a young Michelle Pfeiffer look-alike play me in a Lifetime Movies for Women special have just been crushed. But, hey, now I don't have to buy a clear plastic purse for security checks.

it's official

We're the cutest new librarians around!

(photo from Katie K)

Ob-la-di ob-la-da life goes on

I know those of us still in town may be suffering from sore livers as a result of last week's constant festivities, but I would like to humbly suggest the establishment of Thursday night as this summer's designated happy hour night. The Vintage anyone?

And to those of you who have moved on to bigger and better things...I'LL MISS YOU, BITCHES!

Congratulations Bloggers

I hope your first official day as Librarians and Archivist turns out to be grand! You have entered a profession that is honored, mysterious, and essential to the continued existence of human society. As professionals you are now responsible for all knowledge that has been and will ever be created. Thus, you must treat all knowledge with respect and care. If you do not you will receive punishments beyond your wildest imagination...pain...lots of pain.

I hope they showed you the secret handshake!!!

Three Cheers for Kelly!

(And the rest of us, of course!)
But especially for the most creative and courageous librarian chanteuse of the day, Kelly!

Who has this taped? We totally need to MP3 that shizznit!

Gilbert and Sullivan Got Back

I have previously (like just last night) made the assertation that anything involving Sir Mix-A-Lot's hit "Baby Got Back" is automatically funny. A quick look at YouTube today proved that I was mistaken. Many people have managed to produce videos so inept and uninteresting that even the presence of "Baby Got Back" fails to make them at all amusing.

However, this is not the case with the video that I have linked to, which is a most entertaining reworking of a scene from The Pirates of Penzance. Enjoy!

Alumni e-mail

I wanted to make sure everyone graduating this year knew about the alumni e-mail. Just follow the link to sign up for your account. You can access your alumni e-mail account through the Web, or you can set it up to forward to another of your e-mail accounts (like Hotmail).

It looks like our current Wiscmail accounts will not be deleted until the end of the Add period next fall, but those of us still sending out resumes should probably start using our permanent alumni addresses for our contact info.

Saturday Events?

I know you all are probably tired from parties, dinners, picnics and such, but like many women before me work and marriage are ruining my social life!

I was just wondering if there were any Mom-approved events going on tomorrow?

If not, see you all bright and early Sunday!

CUNA Jobs

Here are some jobs at CUNA. Nothing really spectular in the field, but if your back ground fits maybe it's an opportunity. Just in case.

David Blaine Does it Again!

As promised to Lia V. after she mentioned her interest in David Blaine. This is the second video, but I think it even better than the first. You may watch the first as well, if it pleases you. I give my permission.

An alternative for tonight?

Not to disparage Annie's fabulous suggestion, but if anyone wants to go somewhere more in the downtown neighborhood, may I suggest Hawks at 9? Any takers?

A goal for senior week

If we drink enough champagne, we could make all kinds of cool shit!

if the other prison job doesn't work out...

Perhaps I could land this plum position at Gitmo.

Did George Dubya write this position description himself? Some highlights:
Able to work in a face [sic] paced environment
Familiarization [huh?] with Microsoft Office
Position also has a competative [sic] salary with benefit
Degreed in librarian Science [what the hell kind of scientists study librarians? I'm guessing the same kind who Studied A Broad in college]

I also like how "understanding of cultural awareness" is "not required."

Heck of a job!

Librarians: Too Sexy for Our Jobs?

In light of our collective job seeking (with a few instances of gainful employment) and interest in fashion--and other aspects of pop culture--this article seemed apropos, especially considering the librarian connection (also check out this page... need to click "next" twice to get to the librarian)

The shoe and hair suggestions at the end of the article do seem to require us to conform to old stereotypes though. Booooring!

But are the boring clothes better than getting sued? (Actually, the librarian in question seems to lack self-awareness, but it was an interesting chain of events.)

Tuesday at Le Tigre

I propose Tuesday night at Le Tigre Lounge as I won't be able to host a party at my house. For those of you that have not been to Le Tigre, this photo says it all.

See you bitches there around 8:00pm.

School's out for summer - School's out FOREVER!

Come one come all to the Senior Week kickoff event at my place!

What: Librarian Movie Nite
When: Monday May 14th 8:00pm
Where: 2821 Monroe St. 3W

It's probably easiest to come up the back stairs because the doorbell is still broken - my door is top floor on the left.

I'll provide the movies and snacks, you all should bring some drinkies.

Interesting fact learned today - searching Google images using the term "Party Girl" will yeild a picture of a girl sticking her finger up her own butt! Yikes! It ain't gonna be that kind of party.

OK, not really all that fun, but interesting . . .

So, I was reading this NYT article about the new director of the Brooklyn library system,
and she says that when she was in library school, very few of her classmates were in their 20's, and the article acts like that is normal for library school. That certainly wasn't the case at SLIS. Is this really a national trend? If so, any ideas why SLIS is different? She also mentions the lack of minorities in library schools, which certainly does apply to SLIS, though . . .

Our Favorite Family

In case you've been missing the Duggar clan...

ring ring

A brilliant fundraising idea from our librarian friends in Austria!

Someone thinks I've got skillz

I got a job! It's only for 6 months so I only get .5 in the banner, but .5 > 0 which makes me a happy librarian or archivist as my new title says.

The Zimmers - "My Generation"

This is the greatest thing I've seen on YouTube in a long time.

Be sure to watch all the way to the end of this great cover of "My Generation" by The Zimmers. Trust me, you don't have to be a Who fan (even though I am) to appreciate this.

Bird Brains...I'm just not that smart!

Bill owns a company that manufactures and installs car wash systems. Bill's company installed a car wash system in Frederick, Md. Now, understand that these are complete systems, including the money changer and money taking machines. The problem started when the new owner complained to Bill that he was losing significant amounts of money from his coin machines each week. He went as far as to accuse Bill's employees of having a key to the boxes and ripping him off. Bill just couldn't believe that his people would do that, so they setup a camera to catch the thief in action. Well, they did catch him on film!

That's a bird sitting on the change slot of the machine.

The bird had to go down into the machine, and back up inside to get to the money! That's three quarters he has in his beak! Another amazing thing is that it was not just one bird -- there were several working together. Once they identified the thieves, they found over $4000 in quarters on the roof of the car wash and more under a nearby tree. And you thought you had heard of everything by now!! !! To think the phrase "bird brain" is associated with being dumb. Not these birds!

So it falls to me to arrange our outing

I will be on the Terrace at 8 pm. People who are not stuck in class or at work at that time should feel free to join me.

At 9 pm, when the class and work people are finally released, they can come meet us on the Terrace and we can see if we want to go someplace else.

Sound good?

Librarian Affirmation Generator

So in my search for dirty sayings for our pub crawl t-shirts, I cam across this librarian affirmation generator. It says pretty wacky things like:

You're a patent searching raving werewolf with an impressive collection of tweed. You are found delightful by foppish journalists asking unanswerable reference questions. Be proud of what you are...You are a Librarian!

You're a researching master astronaut with a glowing object in your trunk. You are transubstantiated by web-footed toddlers who want to borrow a dissertation from New Zealand. Be proud of what you are...You are a Librarian!

I don't know about you guys, but I often think of myself as a researching master astronaut.

Goodreads for Good Librarians!

Perhaps some of you already know about this site, but I just learned about it.

According to their "about us" page, "On Goodreads, when a person adds a book to the site, all their friends can see what they thought of it. It’s common sense. People are more likely to get excited about a book their friend recommends than a suggestion from a stranger." It sounds like a good way to keep in touch and get suggestions for new (or not-so-new) books to read.

For those of us who are still unemployed, here's one more thing we can do to keep busy... or procrastinate when we should be working on job applications!

One problem: They mention they have a "Chief Librarian," but she doesn't have her MLS. Tsk, tsk.

Let me know if you're signed up so we can share lists!

a very special job posting

Do you think a LIS degree from the UW would make one especially qualified for this position?

A little TV Therapy

So, last night, in order to celebrate turning in my final paper for appraisal class, I watched a little boob tube. I watched Gray's Anatomy, and while Addison Sheperd decided whether or not she wants to forsake Seattle Grace in order to allow us to gaze weekly on Taye Diggs' perfect face and blindingly white teeth without having to put How Stella Got Her Groove Back on a loop, there were a few commercials that (and maybe I'm a little ashamed to say this) really made my night.

One was for Slow Churned ice cream...yum. And the other was for....brace yourself, a pregnancy test. I'm not sure if its intentionally ridiculous or...no, I have to believe that the ridiculosity is purely intentional.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=DqX7VxW3wL0

CINCO de MAYO

It time for that most important of holidays...Cinco de Mayo! Is anyone interested in meeting at the Terrace on Saturday night at about 8 pm? Or, are all of you worried about doing your homework?

FYI - I never did mine and still got a job!

Uh oh

This is hilarious and alarming... hopefully our charming little blog will not produce similar results!

We Are Librarians

I've been struggling with a showtune parody for some time, which may or may not eventually come together. But I wanted to get at least one more song in before graduation, and decided that it would be nice to write something that was actually in honor of graduation. The following came together pretty quickly...which is good, since I wrote it when I was supposed to be working.

We Are Librarians
(apologies to Queen)

I've paid my dues,
Time after time.
I've paid tuition,
Yes, every last dime.
Exam mistakes,
I've made a few.
I've had my share of late nights and headaches,
But I've come through.

(And we mean to go on and on and on and on…)

We are librarians, my friends.
And we'll promote reading 'til the end.
We are librarians,
We are librarians,
No time for losers,
'Cause we are the librarians…of Madison.

I've taken my classes,
In spring and in fall.
You've taught me cataloging and everything that goes with it,
I thank you all.

Now I’ve put on my glasses,
And sensible shoes,
I’m gonna work providing information services,
And I ain't gonna lose!

(And we mean to go on and on and on and on…)

We are librarians, my friends.
And we'll promote reading 'til the end.
We are librarians,
We are librarians,
No time for losers,
'Cause we are the librarians…of Madison.

I bagged one!

The count is up to 5! I'm trying to remain professionally un-Googleable so I won't say exactly what my gainful employment situation is. But you all know I've only had one interview since February... so... uh... I got that one :)

Happy Hour Tonight II

Happy Hour tonight will be at Hawks. A happy compromise between campus and the capital. See you bitches around 9:00pm.

Happy Hour Tonight

Is anyone going out tonight? If so, where do you want to go?

Fessing up

So I'm job no. 4--if I'm actually doing the tasks of job, it must be official, right?

I've been hired to take over for my supervisor, who left for CA, lucky stiff!

So I'm gainfully employed!

His mother was a jack- !

So, apparently I'm the only one who procrastinates anymore.

This one's for you future children's librarians. Maybe those of you who loved Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy already know that there's a Golden Compass movie coming out this winter. And I know that the movie is always always worse than the book when it comes to beloved children's classics. Still, the website is worth checking out because (and I know you won't judge me for this), you can take a quiz and meet your daemon!

Mine is jackal, which apparently means that I am solitary, spontaneous, clever and shy. Also a scavenger who, according to Wikipedia, marks its territory with urine and feces. Go figure. Alright, enjoy procrastinators.

p.s. If the title of this post makes no sense to you, you should know that in the movie The Omen, a jackal gives birth to the Anti-Christ.

Lukewarm Fuzz

So, you can probably tell that I'm doing absolutely everything in my power NOT to revise my paper right now, but I have to tell everyone that Annie and I saw Hot Fuzz last night (a movie I was totally jazzed about) and I was, sadly, disappointed. I mean, that scene in Sean of the Dead when they are beating zombies with pool cues to the tune of Killer Queen, well, that ranks among my top 10 comedy screen moments of all time, so I was expecting good things from Simon Pegg.

So I had to reassure myself after that only-slightly-funny debacle that I still found him funny and charming. I decided to revisit his gem of a show Spaced...which I think was from 2000. Anyway, it's totally funny and I recommend investing the necessary time to YouTube at least a couple episodes. So check it out if you're bored and indulging in procrastination (for which I applaud you).

Three?

Come on now, SLIS bloggers. Two of you have bumped up the official job count without letting us know who you are or what the job is. YOU MUST GIVE US DETAILS! HOW ELSE CAN WE HAVE HOPE?

Time to "out" yourselves, #2 and #3!

Who's #2?

Fess up, bitches. Whom can we congratulate for landing the second job? I think y'all should post announcements for these glorious victories.
Oh, and as a consolation to the unemployed come summer: my husband, who also looks to be jobless soon, says anyone who wants to go sailing on Lake Mendota is welcome to join him. Just bring beer.

Happy Hour Tonight

ALA-SC and Hoofers are co-sponsoring the GSC happy hour tonight at the terrace (or inside if it starts to rain). Come out and have beers and meet sailors.

this sounds disgusting

Check out this recipe for a Kamikazini. Grapefruit vodka and olives. Ish.

(Yes, this is a completely gratuitous post. I want to see the "grapefruit vodka" label in our cloud grow and I can't do homework no mo'.)

Tuesday Tuesday Tuesday...at the Cellar!

Since it's rainy and gross outside and may continue to be for the duration of the evening, I propose drinks tonight at the Cellar. It's underneath Porta Bella on Frances St. There are drink specials, they serve food 'til 10pm, the bar staff seemed friendly (the one time I went), and its cute!

Spice Up Date

Since theShortKatie can impose her will on the blog...so shall I. Here is your Spice Update! It's a GIRL...Angel Iris Murphy Brown.

Secret Public Journal

So those of you who have talked to me in, I don't know, the past month or so know that I have morphed into a crazy fan-geek for comedian Mike Birbiglia. Well, now I will force my love for him on all of you by posting a link to his secret public journal. He writes about funny things that inspire further wacko feelings of devotion on my part.

A favorite recent bit of mine? So glad you asked.

I was at the gym. Now I know you'll have to suspend disbelief that I was at the gym, because while I’m not overweight I am the guy who could really put the brakes on an orgy. Everyone would be like, “Was he invited? Why is he eating a stuffed crust pizza?"

Things someone else bought that I love

I hate most shorts (see April 23 post in link below), but I love this blog:

Things I've Bought That I Love

Mindy Kaling (writer/actor/producer on The Office among other fabulous things) makes me laugh! And want to shop!

If I don't get a job soon...

I'll seriously consider becoming some coddled celebrity's slave.

if I don't get a job soon...

The president seemed to advise out-of-work Americans to seek out opportunities in the chicken-plucking industry.

So if I don't get a job soon....

Maybe I'll start a business selling t-shirts that advertise one's sexual preferences--it's kind of like cataloging, right?

Oh, crap, nevermind.

It's Art, Bitches!

Please join Mike and me for the opening of his MFA show "Baseline Information or the Dis-Advantages of Time Travel" At the 734 Gallery, 734 University Ave, Saturday April 21st. It will start at 7:00pm and end at 9:00pm.

Hope to see you all there!

Terrace tonight?

Hey, bitches. I propose drinks on the Terrace tonight. I'm not going to be at work, but I plan on moseying over there at 8:40ish. Any takers?

Not as good as audiologists...

According to this article on promising career options, librarians are pretty cool. However, we ARE number seven (out of seven) on the list... obviously because we make nowhere near a $200K salary! Plus, we don't have the cool Bill Clinton connection that audiologists do.

(Cynically, I wonder how much the article author was offered--bribes, kickbacks, what have you--by these professions' professional organizations in return for saying that they're cool?)

my only friend, the end

I swear I was really working when I stumbled across this link and then this link today.

I was trying to figure out a good way to describe how to subscribe to a feed in 3 seconds, which is hard with IE (stupid microsoft!), and I guess I clicked one too many times.

RIP Kilgore Trout

I was absolutely bummed to hear of Kurt Vonnegut's death today. I always feel a little melancholy when an author dies, but Vonnegut is one of my favorites. Seems especially sad that someone who made his career from his creativity and intelligence would pass away as a result of brain injuries. Time to reread my favorite: Welcome to the Monkey House. Maybe that will cheer me up a little.

I'm here for the graduate student, part 2,674

For those of you who aren't going to the Decemberists show on Friday, April 20th, may I suggest an alternative evening of musical entertainment? The choir I'm singing in this semester is performing at 8:00pm in Mills Concert Hall (in the Humanities Building). Now I know that some of you may be thinking:

a) Whatever, I fulfilled my friendshp-with-Katie requirement when I went to hear her choir sing last semester.
b) Choir? That's lame.

Let me answer both of these objections with the following enticements:

1) There is a totally cute Trivial Pursuit theme which is fun for the whole family! Lucky audience members will get to spin the wheel to see which song we sing (each song corresponds to a category from the original Trivial Pursuit game, e.g. Science and Nature, Sports and Leisure, Arts and Entertainment). Corny, but so fun!
2) I believe that anyone who was there last semester can vouch for the incredible fun that can be had by simply mocking the undergraduates' choice of concert-wear. Backless with sequins? Sounds about right!
3) It's free!
4) We can drink afterwards.

So come support TheShortKatie cuz I'd love to see you there!

My kind of kitty

I can appreciate a cat who appreciates public transportation AND a good fish fry. Meow!

Some graduation info

I did some recon today at the "Countdown to Commencement" thing in the Union.

The cost to rent full graduation regalia is about $45. You'd get to keep the tassel afterwards, but nothing else (not even the cap).

The cost to rent just the hood is $26. Our trim color is white.

As for me, I'm not willing to shell out the $$$ to rent the hood. I'm either going to wear regular clothes or my undergrad gown and hood (which has white trim anyway).

Oh, and you can order personalized announcements online at http://www.CBgrad.com.

Another graduation question

Is anyone sending graduation announcements? I know it is pretty much an invitation for your loved ones to send you money, but let's face it, there is still only one job posted up on the banner.

Wardrobe question

What are you bitches wearing to the SLIS graduation ceremony? This morning Annie reminded me that it was cold out last year on graduation day, and Meridith informed me that we have to order caps & gowns by this Friday. Am I the only moron who did not know this?

Breakfast Helper

I was making breakfast today, and Skinny thought she'd help set the table...

Yeah, I know, more cat pics, but what are you gonna do?

Young Frankenstein

The Wisconsin Film Festival begins next Thursday. And as part of the festival, next Friday (4/13) at 7:00 pm there will be a revival screening of Young Frankenstein at the Capitol Theater (which is the theater...in the Capitol).

Who's going to be there? That's right, LIBRARIANS!

Or at least A librarian, namely me. But it's more fun if I'm not the only one. :)

You can purchase tickets in advance (I got mine today) on the second floor of Memorial Union, at the window where they have bus passes at the beginning of the semester. Only $4 for students!

Rejection #20

As of today, the rejection count is officially at 20.

Thanks a lot for the rejection E-MAIL, Texas A&M University Libraries! Guess you didn't want to waste a stamp on me!

The best part was that the subject was "E- elimination 1st screening.doc", and the e-mail consisted solely of an attachment with that name. So I had to open the attachment just to be sure that I was actually being rejected.

Spring Break

So, who else is in town for spring break?

I've got to work, do my practicum, and work some more, but I should have time to meet up with other hardworking librarians who want to go out, watch a movie, play a game, etc.

unsolicited rejection

Here's a a story in keeping with my current employment status (I think I'm the only one updating the rejection count in our banner): a funny post from Siva Vaidhyanathan's (NYU professor; used to teach at SLIS) blog. He got a rejection letter for a job he didn't even apply for!

I see your Federsearch, and raise you....

Meatloaf!

(And I totally won a sweepstakes entry....)

And in case the Beer Belly isn't a covert enough booze smuggling tool, I present: the DRAM!

Contribute to the SLIS Silent Auction

Hi Friends!

So forgive me for using this as a forum to plug work-related events, but I wanted to encourage all of you (well, those of you in the area at least) to donate to the SLIS Silent Auction this year. It's a great way that you can help out the library! I know from being in management class with some of you this fall that there are plenty of things that bug you about this library, but most of those things can't be fixed if we can't raise the funds to address them!

I know we're a crafty bunch, and the silent auction is a good chance to show off your skills. Show your library some support and drop off crafts, slightly used items, or promises of services at the library circ desk. (I've already been promised a lucrative bid if I put cello lessons on the table!)

Not in a giving mood? Bidding begins Friday April 13th and continues through Thursday April 19th, so you can bid on the quality goods your fellow librarians contribute!

Okay, no more work promotion for me; I've done my part!

Yea, Pictures!

fast like a ninja

Move over dictionary.com, there's a new kid in town (new to me, in any case). I'd like to point out my new favorite website: Ninjawords. It's a really cool program, so pretty and simple; however, the definitions come from a "wiktionary" so don't go citing this shit anywhere important.

Vote Bitches, Part II

It's election time again and here is your friendly reminder to get out there and do your thang. The April election falls over Spring Break so if you are going out of town be sure to vote early. All you have to do is walk into the city clerk's office and vote away. Here is the link to the city clerk's office for more information on where to vote or how to vote absentee.

InterCultural Night -- tonight!

This is last-minute, but I wanted to let everyone know that the big InterCultural Night show will be tonight, 7-9 pm, in the Memorial Union Theater.

This is a free event that features a variety of music and dance from around the world. I went last year, and it was pretty awesome.

Since this is a free show, it's best to come a bit early to get a good seat. If anyone wants to meet up with me and find a seat together, just reply here.

Web datingis scary....

And here's the proof:

"From my pic you can tell I'm an "outdoor" gal. Right! I'm no candyass, that's for sure! Hobbies are riding my Yamaha (no Harley, motorcycles are the only thing I like about the Japanese). I'm also a member of a survival type group. We all know how to fire guns, live off the land. You'd be amazed about all the things you can do with mashed potato buds. was gonna go down to Texas with my former boyfriend, VERY former, if you know what I mean :) but he got former by being just too much of a white supremisist. I mean, wow, there are limits."--2/21/07

PoPoZao bitches!

K-Fed has his own search engine! Ms. Dewey has some serious competition...

best headline this week

Court hears 'Bong Hits 4 Jesus' case.

Happy Hour Tuesday...

is back at Genna's this week because they actually have thier tables outside. And they serve vodka.

Job Well Done

Thank you all for coming to our party! It was super fun! And as any good party should, it caused the neighbors to complain. Our downstairs neighbor banged on the door at 11:00am today; to inform me we were so loud he had to sleep at his brother’s last night. I say he was just jealous because he saw all the cute librarians, and he was sad he wasn’t invited. It’s not our fault we’re so awesome.

Btw - whoever has the next party, we have a lot of plastic cups left over – they are yours for the taking.