Just Inside the New Year...

Alright. I'm back. I got a little side tracked with a couple of nasty storms, the death of another cat, and a chicken. Then there was the running around necessary to make sure all my grades were right, and logs of my internship was turned in on time. Oh yes, then there was the signing up for a class and coming to the conclusion that I really have no idea what to get a BA in. I'm very tempted to go for Anthropology since I really like the field. I.E. I enjoy learning about the field. Actually working in it is another story. After all of that I was exhausted, and just didn't have the energy to work on the blog... which is going to keep going although probably less frequently. Honestly I'm sort of shocked that I'm still working on it. But I've got a couple of people who like to check in and see what I've got going. And thank you to those who made comments. :)

So, first up, Happy New Year! Thank god '07 is behind me considering it was the year from hell. Thank you for days yet unused. To kick off the new year, mother nature gave us a doozy of a storm, and then watched in glee as most of us lost power, trees and other things. Quite frankly I don't blame her. I don't have pictures of the actual storm, because I was one of those fools who went to work instead of staying home where it was if not safe, at least warm and dry and the percentages on my death were greatly lowered. After the storm? Another storm came in and snowed on us. Now that I do have pictures of and I'll stick them on here in no particular order. Also have pictures of the sky the day before the storm. Not the best picture quality, but you can still see some of the cloud formation that looks like canyon walls along parts of the Grand Canyon. The camera doesn't do them justice.

Lastly we have chickens in the snow. My were they confused. They didn't get to go out on the storm day, but I let them out the next day. I've got pictures of them before the storm standing on our picnic table, and then after... standing in snow looking for interesting things to eat. I can say that nearly a week later with the sun out they're very happy, running up and down the driveway flapping their wings and clucking loudly. Freaks out Brutus something fierce when they do that. He always thinks there's something chasing them. Poor Brutus. Nicest, friendliest rooster I've ever met, with the added bonus of a goofy nature. If you pick him up and walk, he bobs his head as if he's the one walking. *laughs* Cracks me up every time.

So, enjoy the pictures and have a good day. I'll post again at some point. I'm aiming at twice a week, but we'll see what happens. Maybe more, maybe less... I'm taking a statistics class. We'll see if I survive it. Ugh. I'll write later. :)

PS. The orange colored hens are called Buff Orpingtons, and the black hen is an Austrolorpe.
I figured there might be some chicken buffs out there who'd like to know. The buffs are great for kids and anyone who wants a friendly group of little ladies. ;)

Post Class Jitters...

Granted I lied a little. My internship doesn't end until this Friday, but my other classes are done, and I'm already signed up for a class in the spring. The least favorite classes are yet to come. Speech has never been a favorite, but that's one I will have to take, and a bunch of English courses if I decide to do a BA in English. Although I'm not entirely sure I want to do that. I'm also looking at a BA in Liberal Arts, which is generally taken for teachers and librarians. Who knows. This will take some looking into I suspect, and there is still time as I need to take pre-reqs for any college I want to get into ... assuming that is that they'll have me. I'm starting to wonder if I didn't miss out in waiting this long before going after a BA and a Masters.

Somewhere I missed out on the college experience. Being able to just concentrate on the classes and not worry about anything else would've been nice. Looking back on that area of time when that could've happened though, I wasn't ready for that. Now though, I think I would be. At the root of this is the fact that I'm slow to do anything. Everyone else went racing through this period in their life already and I'm just now thinking about it. Heh. ;) Typical me. I like to think all these things through before I do something. Maybe its too late to do it now. I'm already buried in a job and other responsibilities. Not that I couldn't just walk away from it all. I could, but I don't want to.

Here it is 6 days before Christmas... and I'm starting to get tired of the entire season already. Heh. Christmas carols were dropping from my mouth at work while I wasn't paying much attention. So, maybe I'm not totally out of the loop yet. Its been a totally crappy year so far, but what I'm hoping for is a better new year. Just two more weeks or so and then things will get better. Please.... get better. I wonder if that's a possible new years resolution... Anyway, I'm just babbling at this point. If I don't get around to posting before Christmas, *crosses fingers*Merry Christmas to everyone who bothers looking at this. Night. :)

Pre-Christmas Parking Lot Fights...

When I was little I used to love the feel of Christmas. Everything was warm, and bright and everything smelled so good. As I got older I guess I got more jaded and some of the magic left the holiday. No longer do I wonder what I'm getting for Christmas, because a list is extracted from me every year which basically ensures that I know what I'm getting. That's good and bad at the same time in that there are generally no mad rushes to a certain store so I can exchange or return things, but there's also no ... How do I put this without sounding like one the poutey children who isn't happy unless they're the one opening the presents, and throwing a fit when what they open isn't what they wanted. That's not it at all. When someone gets you something for Christmas that you didn't ask for, but absolutely love it sort of shows that there is at least one person out there who goes through the trouble to know what you like and dislike. What you'll love and what you'll hate. I miss that. It doesn't really happen anymore and that makes it sad.

And then of course there's the other side of it. I love getting to know someone well enough to walk through a mall and see something that I know they'll like. There's not wondering what to get, no stress about that at all. Biggest reward is seeing them light up when they open the box and I know I guessed right. However, I've become one of those people who hates going out around the most wonderful time of the year. Why? Take the parking lot outside Gottschalks where two drivers got into a screaming, shrieking, hate filled altercation over a parking space. Inside I got elbowed by little old ladies with the gleam of greed in their eyes and glared at by people who nearly mowed me down because I was in their way. Shopping really sucks to begin with, but when its compounded by frustrated, angry, hell-bent, irrational individuals, it's difficult to tell the difference between an anchor store and the 7th ring of a fiery pit we all know and love. Where exactly did this become about grab the best gift or they won't love you anymore?

So, I guess I still like the holiday, but I certainly don't appreciate the reception I get when out and about. Therefore I make good use of the internet and shop a lot more online that I used to. Its quieter and more peaceful and sometimes I can feel what it used to be like when I was little. Sure, I still have to venture into the thick of the shopping mosh pit, but tend to retreat straight back to my humble abode. Its nice here.

This concludes my thoughts on Christmas and its ability to bring forth everyone's inner green-eyed creature. So, I'm not all that fond of the human species during certain times of the year. Yes, there are generous individuals out there, unless you're in a shopping mall... Just be prepared to do battle. I'm off to watch tv, and enjoy the fact that I have no more homework to do for a while. YAY!! Night. :)

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.

Hiding at Home...

There have been some years when I get up at the crack of morning the day after Thanksgiving to go see if I could find anything down at the stores worth damaging my credit over. Looking back on that foolhardy activity there was nothing worth losing precious sleep to acquire. This Thanksgiving, I ventured from my hovel but once to visit family and to help them eat a lot of food, since half the people who said they were coming canceled because they'd gotten the flu, or colds, or whatever the latest rhinovirus out there is. So, I basically stuffed myself until I was nearly sick, and even three days later I still think I've got stuffing in the nooks and crannies of my head. Too much food is bad. Even if it is turkey with cranberry sauce. I have a weakness for cranberries. I like the juice too. Anyway, I managed to scarf up most of the left overs on my own, while the dog looked on in hopeful anticipation. Sorry dog. None for you. Where is my sharing nature? I don't feed my dog human food. There's too many things that can hurt her. Onions, grapes and other innocuous seeming food substances can hurt of kill a dog. Yes, I'm justifying my selfishness.

For the rest of the weekend, I pretty much spent my time hiding, doing homework and watching my newly coveted Smallville seasons. Once again my obsession with superheroes is shining through. Hopefully no one forgot to wear their sunglasses. Its nice to have some down time, although not enough downtime to get to read anything from the pile of books next to my bed. Maybe during winter break? I guess time shall tell. Or, its just going to hoard its information and keep me guessing. What else have I been doing? Well, eating way too many See's Molasses Chips, which I love. I don't get a chance to have them very often. Aside from that I've been remarkably lazy. There was the fight with the laptop, and the realization that's probably about time to reformat the hard drive again... Ugh. Never a fun project. I'll have to do that over winter break. Periodically I do that to keep things from getting too cluttered. Its just really... involved. At least for me.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! At the moment, I'm off to sit in front of the TV and watch Smallville. Yes, its on DVD, but I'm on a roll. Plus there's also the fact that there's ice cream and bananas with my name on it. Yum. Banana split, here I come. Possibly. Unless it... splits. *sighs* Apologies. Bad joke on my part. Night! :)