And Now a Last Ha-rah...

And so it was that we came to the last class assigned blog posting in which I am to give "Words of Wisdom" as well as to whether or not this class would be beneficial to someone in the Library Certificate program. With all I've learned in this class I have to give it a thumbs up. While the class may not deal directly with working a library, librarians themselves deal with information 24-7. In short his class had us not only learning to find, examine, and dissect vessels of information, but it taught us the vehicles for that information. In a day and age when there are so many ways to gain information be it true or not, it gives you a leg up on where and how to look online. We were introduced to blogs (an online journals of sorts), Wiki Space (in which you can have a chat), and many other forms of communication. Ah, you say, but what do those have to do with getting a Library Certificate? Almost every day I get a question that I can't answer with the books I have in my branch, therefore I turn to the net with all its twists and turns and hop to extract an answer. It greatly helps to understand how these sites work, what information is probably going to be there, and whether or not you can expect it to be skewed to support an add. Understanding how information is presented and why is also a key element of searching through information. This class basically tells you how to do all of it, and has you work and explore those areas or at the least gives you the basics.

This is the class I wish I had taken before I ever took an online course, because I know so much more now about what to expect of an online course teacher as well as the class itself. As for the Words of Wisdom aspect, I'm honestly not sure what to say, except to relax and have fun with all the new things you'll do! :) And keep in mind that if you ARE going for the Library Tech Certificate really pay attention, but the knowledge you gain in here is going to help you in information searches. Its also going to teach you how to present knowledge you have gained in whatever specialty you have to the public. Everything I learned had practical uses which is a huge plus in my book. Okay, I think I've gone on and on enough. ;) I'll stop.

Hah! You thought I'd gone! Well, you're half right. Dinner is ready, and I'm hungry, so while I'd like to stay and blab more at everyone I'm going to get food and try and watch a movie with Dad. I managed to get myself a copy of Wild Hogs from the library, and I figured Dad would like it. So, I'll talk later. Hopefully I wasn't too annoying with the post. Night. :)

The Foggy Road Home...

Several days ago, I found myself lamenting my days in Sydney, and figured I'd never be around anything from there again. Well, I was wrong. Yesterday evening about 15 minutes to closing I had a woman with a little boy come in and along with them came a little taste of Australia. Apparently the little boy was visiting from down under, so I got a little smidge of the politeness I remember so well. Trust me when I say that boys from the states don't tend to say thank you unless prompted, or ask if you need help putting something away, or offering to carry a stack of books for you. They also don't tend to be as quick witted. So, I feel safe in saying that I got a rather nice unexpected Christmas present. It made me a little homesick. ;)

Then there was the road home. What a joy that was. Anyone who's tried going across a very high bridge in the dark with visibility ranging from 2 to 4 feet in front of the car raise their hand. Yes, I'm raising my hand too. Let me tell you now that its not fun doing that, especially on a windy road surrounded by two types of idiots. The first is the type that likes speeding no matter what, and will try and kill themselves and you trying to around you do they can speed up to 75 mph in the wrong lane. Idiot number two, are the ones that are freaked out by not being able to see, and cling to your bumper like a limpet with a tube of super glue. Thereby totally blinding the lead driver with their high beams making that lead driver (in this case myself) slow down to a dangerous crawl. Then idiot type two honks at you for going too slow. Personally, I'd rather not go that slow because idiot type one could come roaring out of the fog behind my Bunny Hop line and cause quite the pile-up. I've never been fond of pile ups. I'm also not fond of tail gaiters, so I pulled over.... and they pulled over with me. *sighs* Eventually they figured out that I wasn't going to be the leader. Yes, I refused to play a Peter Pan game. Obviously I got home safe and sound.

And last but not least, I was sent a link in an email to a YouTube clip. Its called the 12 Days of Christmas. Except its not what we all remember with fond memories. I'll see if I can't put it up on my blog somewhere. If you're easily offended by things don't watch it. Personally I thought it was cute and funny. Anyway, its been a quiet week, except for trying to get my final project emailed into my teacher. Its a little big, so I'll have to figure out how to turn it in. Maybe load it on a thumb drive and take it down there so she can view it. That's all for now! Night. :)

Another Month Stares Me in the Face...

This time last year I was in Australia contemplating a plane ride home, and the fact that I was going to miss my new home more than I thought. Being able to run down to the market for anything I wanted, or stopping in at the local corner restaurants was something I really enjoyed being able to do on foot. You could get anywhere on foot without ever having to own a car. If I needed a book, I could just jump on the train or ferry if the local bookstore didn't have what I was looking for. Libraries, doctors, shopping and anything else right at your fingertips, but you could also get away from it. Nothing was cluttered. No one was standing all over each other. Everyone for the most part was polite, kind and I never felt out of place.

And then I was home where driving is a means to an end. I suppose I could move nearer to a city, but here, things are different. Everything seems a little tainted here. Even if you find a peaceful spot to rest your weary head, others also see it as a peaceful spot and suddenly that peace is gone. Instead you're surrounded with people who are loud, unpleasant and don't really care about you or what you were looking for. I guess I miss the respect for peace and quiet that everyone seemed to have in Australia. Perhaps I was misreading it, but I never felt pushed, or disapproved of.... then again everyone thought I was from Canada. Conversations were generally interspersed with, "So, what part of Canada are you from?" and I had to tell them that I was from the States. A brief surprised look would cross their face, and then they'd apologize immediately, but even then they wouldn't try verbally scraping me off like some sort of mold. Its a courtesy I don't often run across here.

I guess as another December stares me in the face I find myself missing that time I had in Sydney. Perhaps it was because for the first time in a long time I didn't have so much weight on me. It was nice to be able to have not a care in the world for a while and from time to time I wish I where back there. I guess December makes me melancholy. But don't worry. I'll be on the rebound pretty quick. Hope everyone has a good time this month. Night.