Date:	2011-02-18 11:20
Subject:	I really need to more more often!
Security:	Public
Mood:	contemplative

I will be having a busy next six weeks:

My Annual Review is due a week form Monday which means I need to update my CV, Position Description, write the review and my goals for next year.

I am presenting at two conferences in March and I really need to get started on getting those together.

I promised to organise a presentation for someone (which will benefit me in the long run).

I need to revise all of my subject guides (eight or nine or ten, I cannot remember).

I will be conducting a survey (well me and one other person). We just had research funds approved and I need to get started on that.

I am probably going to apply for sabbatical for FY2013.

I will also attend Niece #1's June high school commencement, attend a conference one week later and visit my brother sometime this fall.

I guess I have a lot to look forward to.

I now have all of my regularly used PCs on some version of Windows 7 (Work=Enterprise, Home=Home Premium, and Mini=Starter). I think the change from XP will be fine, there are some things I do like about 7 a lot. I never had to deal with Vista.

The end of the Spring term is within my sight; tomorrow is the last day of instruction and finals start Thursday! That means there will be more time for "fun" things like creating and updating instructional materials.

Apartment rentals are really depressed here in the desert southwest. My apartment complex offered me a smokin' deal to keep me here, $200 under-market for a first-floor, 950 square-feet, two-bedroom, one-bath, all utilities included! I will be saving a chunk of $$$ and I don't have to move to get a great deal.

I have caught the bug and have been doing some genealogical research on my family tree. Unfortunately, I likely won't be able to go past my great-great grandparents (most of whom were born into slavery and did not like to talk about it much). My mom's side is a little better documented than my father's. I have all but two of the great-greats on her side. I am only back to my grandparents on my father's side. I have never been that close with those family members. I will check into what records I can find online and see if I want to go back further.

I have really been bad about writing in my journal. I need to do better.

Of course a lot has gone on since October, when I made my last entry. I visited my brother and his family for Thanksgiving (taking niece #2 with me) we had fun. Christmas was awesome. I spent less money than the year before which was good. I went to Boston for ALA Midwinter and got snowed on briefly. Mostly, I have just been working and having fun where I can. Went to various casinos and came home with over $900! That was exciting I suppose. Filed my income tax returns, one was deposited right away. The other had a problem, which netted me another $400! I guess many working people are forgetting about this tax credit ($400 for singles, $800 for couples). My bank rejected the deposit so I will be getting a check next week! Hurray!

I am sitting in a conference room waiting for a meeting to start. I am way early, 45 minutes or so, but that is just the way it is sometimes.

Classes have started at Ginormous State U. I have been busy with a lot. Training, teaching, helping, looking things up, meetings, meetings, meetings.

I joined the dark side and purchased a BlackBerry Curve 8330. I really do like it a bunch. Though my cell bill went up significantly, I do love it a lot.

I really should post more often....

Let's see...

Boy, it really has been a while since I last posted anything.

1. I had to replace my old Outlook Express with Windows Live, something to do with Outlook 2007, directories and French dictionaries. Everything is fine now.
2. Still loving my netbook. I need to get my nephew (#2) another laptop (his was stolen the last day of class), I don't think he would appreciate a netbook though. We shall have to see what he wants.

3. I am preparing for my trip to Chicago/Ann Arbor for ALA/Vacation next month. Not exactly looking forward to ALA, however, I am looking forward to seeing my baby brother, my SIL and Niece #3 and nephew #3. I hope they still like me just a little. I am moderating a program on Collection Development Sunday morning of the conference.

4. I have seen Star Trek XI three times, I loved it so much.

5. I have the next two days of for furlough. I think I would rather be working.

6. I have other things to do this summer for work, mostly preparing for the Fall semester. It will also mean learning new database interfaces. This ought to be real fun.

more later!

1. I finally sat down and configured Outlook 2007 for my home notebook and my cute little netbook. No more crappy Web version of Outlook for dealing with my work email away from the office!

2. Tomorrow Mom and I (and perhaps my sister) will have a barbecue since Mom will be in Ann Arbor with my brother and family memorial day. Spareribs and hot dogs cooked over lovely charcoal, yum. I will cook enough to last until July 4 when we usually have another barbecue.

3. Classes at Ginormous State U are winding down. The students are  in the library droves with their last minute foolishness. I know you have had these assignments for months, why do you wait until the last minute every time, huh? I have no sympathy at all.

4. Lots of work foolishness, clueless upper management is at it again; making sweeping changes that affect users in a big way and none of them has ever worked at a public service point in a library. They embarrass themselves constantly.

5. I now have to get ready for two hours of chat reference, the most useless way of doing reference ever!

I went to Ikea on Saturday and spent nearly $40 on things I really needed.

Actually, I really did not "need" most of the things I bought, it's just... When you walk into an Ikea, and spy these things you think you must have them.

I did need a couple of oven-proof pans/dishes which would fit into my toaster oven. I rarely use the range oven, only when I need to cook a large roast or something.

I really did not need the candles (a real steal at $.99 a dozen marked down from $3.99!). I did not need the wooden utensils (although I don't think there is such a thing as too many wooden spoons).

I did not need the food storage bags (although they come in nice in-between sizes that are larger than the one-quart Ziploc and smaller then the one-gallon Ziploc).

I then went to lunch with Mom, Sis, and Niece #2. I had a great burger which I did not finish (why do restaurants in this country serve such large portions? I am overweight as it is and 1/2 pound burgers do not help! Whatever happened to 4-6 ounce burgers?)

We then went to one grocery so that my sister could get electricity on her card (I really do not understand this system). She and talkative niece went home. Mom and I then went to the grocery where I got chicken, cereal, bread, soda (a treat) and cold cuts.

Sunday I lazed about all day!

I am now looking forward to Furlough Wednesday!

I just got myself an ASUS Eee PC 900HD with a 160GB Hard Drive. It is shiny and black and cost me nothing since I used gift cards for the purchase. It is just so cute and I love it! I will play with it more tomorrow at work where I have a wireless connection. This means I can leave my Toshiba (home machine) and my Dell (work machine) and take my ASUS on the road for both business and pleasure. I will take it with me all of the time in it's cute, little carrying case.

I probably don't need such a large hard drive, but, it was under $300! I will have more to say about it in a few days.

Where to begin? The state has done major cutbacks on K-12 and Higher Education, thus, I am having to take furlough days. One per pay period. It could be worse, between 25-30 individuals were laid off from the libraries, three in my library alone. This has caused some stress as you might imagine. We anticipate that 4-6 librarians will go at the end of the fiscal year. This means more work for the rest of us. We are also anticipating that the furloughs will not end in June as promised. Since we are forbidden from doing any work at all on furlough days, everything has to get done. I can see that the next two-three years are going to be a blast.

One of my colleagues is looking for another job. Good luck with that. I hope she can find something stable, with cutbacks everywhere, libraries are seen as expendable.

Mom and I are going to pick up Nephew #2 from school tomorrow, he waited until the last minute to hook up a ride. Hopefully, we will not have to take him back! It is not that far, it is just a fairly boring drive once you are out of the mountains.

I am doing no more shopping for a while. I have been packing a lunch a couple of days a week. I stopped Netflix and cut out the premium cable channels. I am staying away from Amazon. I just feel I should cut back on spending for a while. My tax refunds will stay parked for a while. I am thinking of buying a house at some point and I want to be ready.

Things are fairly ok for the time being. I have a roof over my head, I have a pretty stable job (thank goodness for tenure) and I am not really struggling.

A lot has been going on lately.

I did go to ALA Midwinter. The conference was fine and many things were accomplished. I am now moderating a panel discussion, whoopee! Since I am nearly 20 years removed from Michigan winters, I found it to be too cold and there was icky-yucky snow. I was so glad to get back to my Arizona desert!

RIFs - at least 25 people in the libraries were laid-off, some with over 30 years! The very next day it was announced that the rest of us would be taking 10-15 unpaid furlough days before the end of June. (I have to take twelve, lucky me!) I am willing to bet that we will be taking at least that many in the next fiscal year as well!

I will be here late tonight and very early tomorrow morning, I have three BIs to do, Social Work Research Methods (2) and Human Sexuality. I guess I should get back to work.

So I did a little Winter clearance shopping yesterday. 70% off! A suit (Nygard), grey wool slacks (Anne Klein), sweaters and tops galore! I still want a few more things for my Denver trip next week. I really do not want to be cold!

My brother and family are in their new Ann Arbor home, I can now send their Christmas presents. Niece #3 wants to go back to Chicago, I am sure she will get to like Ann Arbor eventually.

Back to work I guess...

I really meant to update before now, oh well.

Christmas was nice this year. My sister was with her family, nephew #2 was home from his first semester at college and did well, the roast beast was perfectly cooked and there was plenty of beer.

I got some very nice perfume from Mom, along with a new telephone for my land line! I love it. I also got some really nice jewelry, and a couple of books I have been meaning to read (Hope on a Tightrope: Words and Wisdom by Cornel West and another whose title I just cannot remember right now). My aunt sent a lovely check and that was Christmas.

I also got to meet my sister's brother-in-law. A really nice guy who is nothing like his lousy brother, I liked him and his wife a lot.

Things at work are somewhat depressing. RIFs are coming and we don't have a clue about who is safe. Tenured librarians probably don't have to worry, but almost everyone else is fair game. We should know something soon though.

I am also preparing for ALA Midwinter in balmy Denver January 22-26. I really hope there is not much snow and that it is not too cold. Thank goodness I will be in the Hyatt Regency which is connected to the convention center, I may not have to step outside much...

My brother is moving back to Ann Arbor after several years in Chicago. He and his family will be renting (with option to buy) a really nice house ( 4 bed, 2 bath, three-season porch and finished basement). I will miss them being in Chicago, but, I know they would rather be in Michigan.

I guess that is enough of an update for now.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone!

I have had a very pleasant Christmas so far!

More on Friday....

Gifts are all acquired and wrapped. I still have to pack for my stay with Mom Christmas Eve through the day after Christmas. I also need to thaw the pork loin for Christmas Eve dinner. My apartment is having its quarterly filter change, pest control and smoke detector check on the 24th, so I need to do some de-cluttering and general straightening up. After tomorrow I won't be back to work until January 5! I am planning to relax and hang out for a few days. Some reading is in order and maybe a visit to the new casino (I am very responsible when it comes to gambling), maybe a can win a few bucks.
 

Went to IKEA and only spent thirty dollars. Everyone and their grandmother was there getting easels ($9.99 instead of $24.99). Some of course did not read the fine print about the limit of two at that price and got a nice surprise at check out.

I got two rugs, a kitchen can, flatware, and wrapping paper. Mom and sis got a bunch of stuff as well, including one of those lovely easels. Niece #2 now has one at Granny's and one at home.

I came home and roasted my turkey, after search high and low for my roasting pan. Turns out I looked at it several times without seeing the darn thing. The Turkey is now broken down into large portions. I will use the carcass and wing tips to make stock for soup. Yummo!

Yesterday was a very nice day. Dinner was served with only a minimum delay, the turkey was mostly consumed. Mom has a carcass for soup, white meat for sandwiches, and leftover dressing. I should have grabbed some of the leftover green beans for my soup.  

I purchased a bird which I will cook tomorrow or Sunday. I will then package it up for roast turkey throughout the winter and spring. It is free range/organic/natural which means I will need to brine (none of those Butterballs for us!). We don't do turkey for Christmas, prime rib and ham is our tradition.

We took Niece #1 to the airport this morning for her trip back to Virginia and then we hit some stores. It really was rather sad, there were not many people out at all. Of course, we did not reach any stores until after 9:00 AM. People were not buying much, I spent less than $50 myself. I did manage to finish the gifts for my younger nieces and nephew. We will hit IKEA tomorrow where I will spend a little more. We may tackle the mall as well, we shall see.

The next week or so should be lots of fun...

Niece #1 will be visiting for Thanksgiving. though I saw her in July, she has not been here since she was four (she will be sixteen December 27). She is arriving on Sunday and Mom is really looking forward to having her here.

Nephew #2 is coming to see his alma mater (high school) play their arch rivals this evening. He will be going back on Sunday only to come back for Thanksgiving on Wednesday. He is looking forward to seeing his cousin, he has not seen her since her father (my brother) died almost seven years ago. Nephew #1 will show his face as well. He is bringing a dessert of some kind. Niece #2 will be meeting her cousin for the first time since she was six weeks old. Niece #3 and Nephew #3 will be in Chicago with their parents.

I will just be the greatest aunt ever (I am their only aunt, both of my SILs have only younger brothers and I am my sister's only sister). I get to spoil them and be beloved, it is so great.

Mom and I will go shopping on Friday after taking Niece #2 to the airport for her 9:50 AM flight back to Dulles. I would really like to finish my shopping this week if possible. Online shopping is the order of the day to the out of town folks (Detroit, Chicago, and Reston). I still have no idea what to get people, I usually just start browsing until inspiration strikes.

I have begun my Christmas shopping. I am done with the little kids (7-and-under) for the most part. I am also mostly done with my sister. I got her a set of pots and pans which she desperately needed; I gave them to her early. I also got her a lovely outfit which she will get Christmas day. I still need to decide what to get Mom (she wants a new light fixture), brother and SIL #2, niece and SIL #1, Aunt (Mom's sister), Nephews #1-2, and office mates.

Work has been going along, lots of cutbacks and budget woes are making things difficult. We can barely buy books, the state is in a severe financial mess, RIFs may be pending.

I bought myself a comforter set (JC Penney Outlet $199 down to $29.99), an enameled cast-iron grill pan ($79.99 down to $29.99) and some magnet clips for the fridge (and other uses).

I will try to do some online shopping and regular shopping this weekend. I also need to make a trip to COSTCO. IKEA may also be in the cards, we shall see.

I am still somewhat numb. An African-American man was elected President of the United States of America, in MY lifetime. My mother, who grew up in segregated Alabama, was amazed. We were looking at various news programs last night, trying to see that latest slant on things when we stopped on Indescision 2008. Jon Stewart announced that Barack Obama had just reached the magic number of electoral votes and for a while we did not quite believe it and then every news outlet was reporting the same thing!

Even with all of the polls, analyses, talking heads, experts and whatnot predicting an Obama win, I still was unsure of what the outcome of this election would be.  I spoke to my brother in Chicago (who was not at Grant Park, I would so have been there if I lived in Chicago) and he was so emotional. His almost three-year-old daughter adores Barack Obama and he was looking forward to telling her the election results this morning. 

I am looking forward to see what happens with the Obama presidency. Election results aside this is still a racist country. There will be obstacles and naysayers, but I cannot help but feel that this election is a turning point for our country. This was the ninth presidential election where I was allowed to vote and only the fourth time that my preferred candidate won. I am cautiously optimistic that good change is coming.