Wednesday Morning

The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it.
--George Bernard Shaw


It's been a fairly busy day. I've worked on a couple of different projects. I need to head off to lunch pretty soon.

I'm listening to the eAudiobook version of The Sportswriter. I like. I like a lot, actually. There have been a few times when I've stopped the Windows Media Player and have re-played passages.

Here are some links to some sites I thought were interesting:

The first two are from Mental Floss. Here's a Bob Ross quiz, and with Barry Zito being 0-6, the magazine has a list of people who've suffered from Steve Blass Disease.

And two links from the Sun-Herald. Truckers steal 400 gallons of Diesel and the SS Hurricane Camille may be demolished.

And those of you who are interested in social networking might be interested in Ping.fm. Thanks go to the Librarian in Black for the heads-up.

Monday Night

I'm at the library for about another hour. It's been a pretty busy day.

I've not had much of a chance to clean the office. Other things have occurred. As far as I know, my office computer hasn't spouted 1,000 calculators.¹

My day has been a day of scheduling and rescheduling. What with it being near the end of the semester, colleagues want to go places as soon as the semester ends.

One person has already arranged for coverage while she's off on a trip. I have as well-- not only for someone to cover for me because I might be away for jury duty, but also for another trip three weeks later.

And now I'd better get back to work. I've got to begin closing procedures soon.

________
¹The computer is still on though, and I've not seen it in a little over three hours, so there very well could be well over 1,000 calculators that have popped up at random.

Sunday Afternoon Rain

I'm at Cups in Clinton, drinking a latte and relaxing. It's been a lazy day.

I slept in again. Sleep is wonderful.

I didn't do much at the house. What with it raining off and on today, I didn't feel like doing too much.

It's good to get out and do something-- even if it is to drink a latte and socialize with fellow customers at Cups.

Having been drained for a goodly portion of the past couple weeks, I needed to be out with people. I had thought that I was going to be in Hattiesburg today, but the tasks that I was going to work on with my stepfather were things that were to be done outdoors. Since rain was expected, my mother told me that I didn't have to head down to Hattiesburg, and so I didn't.

Being drained tends to make me stir crazy. There are things I want to do. People I'd like to visit with. Places I want to go. I was so drained and so adverse to travel that I had not been in the city of Jackson for a week. I live less than a mile from the capital city's corporate limits.

And so the other night, I called a few friends. None answered immediately. I did get a text message response from TD, and FP called back later. We chatted for awhile. It was great to hear from her.

I was with friends at Martin's Friday night. It was good to see them; good to socialize with them.

There was a bachelorette party at a nearby table. They were playing a game to earn points for the night.

I helped the bride-to-be earn 100 points by giving her a piggyback ride. They promised to email me photos.

I've got to be back at work tomorrow afternoon. Maybe I can get some things accomplished.

For one thing, I'll be troubleshooting the previously mentioned calculator issue some more. And maybe, just maybe, I can work on getting my office in a decent condition before I have to show up at the courthouse for jury duty.

Fridaze

I've been having problems with my new work computer today. All of a sudden I would have 100, 200, 500 calculator windows pop up. A pain in the neck, as well as the head, it was, and I've been dealing with it for most of the day.

I contacted the college's IT department, and they did some troubleshooting. There are two things it could be. Fortunately, the problem doesn't appear to be with the computer itself or with any of the software that was installed. They're thinking it's either the docking station or external drive.

I finished listening to Madame Bovary today. It's a good listen, but I would have rather read it since it is a book club selection.

I received a jury duty summons from Barbara Dunn. I'm supposed to go to the courthouse while final exams are going on at the college.

And saving the best news for last, welcome to the world Spike Nordan Ferrari.

Santo Gold

I got chains, I got charms

(Santo Gold Santo Gold)

I got bracelets for your arms

(Santo Gold Santo Gold)

Money back guarantee!

Five Year Warranty!

Santo Gold Santo Gold

(We know you're going to like it)

Santo Gold Santo Gold

(We know you're going to like it)

24 karat Santo Gold!

I was looking at a friend's Facebook page earlier this evening and noticed that he was a fan of Santogold. I'd not heard of her before, and to be frank, the first thing that came to mind was the classic cheesy infomercial for Santo Gold.

Here's a youtube video snippet:



And another (this one is significantly longer):



I remember seeing these informercials when I was an undergraduate at MSU. Too bad the Blood Circus film reels have been lost. I almost want to see what by some accounts is perhaps the worst movie of all time.

UPDATE: How did I miss this Cracked.com article on Santo Gold? And it was posted last month!

Wednesday Morning Minutiae

Some things I ran across this morning...

Ryan Secrest, Emmy winner?

Reality show hosts are now eligible for Emmy awards. Judges such as Simon Cowell are still ineligible.

Jaye P. Morgan is still weeping. She would have been a multiple Emmy winner for her appearances on The Gong Show.

Just what we need at the library: Flashing Lights. It's the topic of some discussion at The Chronicle.

Sweet Magnolia Blues

When I was living in Laurel, a song often played on one of the local radi o stations was "Sweet Magnolia Blues" by Paul Davis, who died yesterday. He was perhaps better known for other songs, but I always smiled at the thought of dilated cuticles.

When I was an undergraduate at Mississippi State University, I was a classmate of Greg Davis, who is running for Roger Wicker's old congressional seat. I didn't know Greg while at MSU (or now for that matter)¹. It's good to see someone from the college trying to make a difference. He's going to have a tough time in the runoff election. Childers is an impressive candidate.

It looks like there will be a new biography of V.S. Naipaul coming out later this year. It's already out in the UK, and Paul Theroux has already reacted. The amazing thing is that it's an authorized biography considering the responses of reviewers. I'm looking forward to reading it when it's published. In the meantime, it looks like I have to content myself with Sir Vidia's Shadow-- at least when I get a chance to read it.

_________
¹I did, however, campaign for Greg's opponent in the 1988 MSU student body president election.

Two Library Job Postings of Note

It's been about two weeks since I last posted some interesting job openings. Here are two of note:

Blizzard Entertainment is looking for a librarian.

So if you like to play World of Warcraft, you're in luck.

The Pentagon needs a librarian.

I like this sentence in the job description: Librarian will support the Librarian of the Army in planning, managing, implementing and coordinating Army-wide ALP initiatives to meet the information needs of the Army.

I did not know that Librarian of the Army was an actual job title; however, if there's a Librarian of Congress, then why not?

Drained & Ambivalent

I've been at work for what seems to be all afternoon and am here for three more hours. I previously wrote that I felt like I was drained, and, well, I still am.

It's not like I've done anything physically challenging today. It's just that being under the weather last week knocked out more from me than I had expected.

I had emailed a couple people-- seeing if they happened to be interested in getting a bite to eat sometime this week. One couldn't make it; I've not heard from the other.

And now with the way I'm feeling, I confess to a certain ambivalence. I don't know if I'm in the mood for dining out considering how I feel. On the other hand, I've been so busy this semester it'd be nice if I could have a nice, quiet night out with friends and recharge my batteries.

Sunday Night

I've not been outside the house today. I've been a bit bored, a bit tired.

There were a couple of things I suppose I could have done. But I didn't.

I could have even gone to the new Cups in Clinton. But I didn't.

I heard the other day that an older friend of mine had died a little over a week ago. He was in his 70s, had health issues, and used to go to Cups in Fondren. I'd played bridge with and against him on quite a few occasions.

I wish I knew he died. I would have at least been able to make it to the visitation.

I've got to go to work tomorrow. I'm working late again.

One of my co-workers wasn't at work this past week, and she's not expected to be at work for the next couple days. She had been in the hospital, was released, and is expected to return for more tests. Hopefully, she'll get good results.

While it's good that my life's hectic and I'm not getting into too much trouble, I miss being able to go out for the occasional quiet dinner with friends. I like Martin's and Hal & Mal's, but sometimes both places can be a bit too loud for me-- especially on the weekends.

I sometimes feel like I miss out when I go out to places and it's loud. And I don't like it one bit.

Lazy Saturday

After having been under the weather earlier this week and then returning to work, I feel like I'm drained. I was planning on going to Hattiesburg today, but decided against it. I don't want to go anywhere, and at the same time I'd like to be with friends.

Although I live by myself, I hate being lonely. I went to a couple places last night long enough to stick my head in to see if I recognized people.

Other than employees, I might have recognized a couple people at one place; however, I usually don't socialize with one person. And he was talking to the second person I knew, but everytime I see that person there's usually a scowl-- giving me the impression of that person being very unfriendly.

I don't know what I'll do for the rest of this weekend. Probably nothing-- if I'm really as drained as I feel.

Another Friday Afternoon...

...another tornado warning with sirens wailing.

Friday Morning

I'm tired. Being sick during the week took a bit out of me. Working last night also sapped some more energy.

I brought doughnuts to the library. I don't know if I needed to eat them. Considering that I'm not really in the mood to drink coffee yet, I wanted to be awake somehow. I figured the sugar rush would help.

I called my aunt this morning. She's one of my family members who lives some fifty miles from the epicenter of the earthquake that struck this morning. She reported that they're doing well, and that's very good.

The earthquake lasted about thirty seconds. The pictures that are hanging on the wall are crooked, and their chimney had a chip fall off onto the roof.

I should be reading Madame Bovary. I've not been able to get into the book.

I've decided to cheat-- at least a little. I downloaded the audiobook version and am currently listening to it in my office. So far, I think The Road is better.

Baseball Virus: Catch It?

I'm still recovering from a stomach virus that knocked me down yesterday. I felt terrible and didn't come in to work at all that day.

I'm feeling better today. That being said, I'm not all here. Today's lunch was the first substantial meal I've had since Tuesday night when I was at the baseball game.

The baseball game was nice. I spent most of the game in the press box-- trying to stay out of the way of the guys who had deadlines.

I talked to some media folks I know. One person had formerly been with the newspaper I still contribute freelance articles. Greg Byrne, MSU's incoming athletics director, was kind enough to introduce himself to me, and we talked very briefly.

Fortunately for me, my story was scheduled to appear in today's newspaper-- meaning that I had more time to work on the story. I had interviewed two baseball players with ties to the newspaper's coverage area before the game.

I spent a good portion of the game working on the story-- getting a rough draft before typing and emailing it. The Braves' press section is small. There are only two permanent rows of desks for press personnel. A third temporary row was created by adding a platform.

I had put some stuff on a table on that row, but had removed them from there well before the game started. And it was a good thing too because a reporter who took the seat that I once had fell backward.

While the platform had enough room for a table and chairs, there wasn't really enough room for people to stretch and relax. Fortunately the reporter who had fallen was able to get up with only a slightly injured dignity.

Since the press section was small, I watched a lot of the game from the home radio booth. I was sitting next to another reporter, and we were behind Bart Gregory, who had radio duties for MSU since Jim Ellis was calling the game on cable, and Everett Kennard.

I stepped out of the press box once to walk around. It was cooler than I thought it would be. I saw one of my colleagues from the college, and we talked for a little while before I headed back upstairs.

I'm working at the library tonight. Another of my co-workers is under the weather and I'd previously said that I work the night. While I'm not 100 percent, things should be well.

Oh, the article I thought that would be in today's newspaper will instead be appearing in a weekend edition. We'll see how it turns out.

Tuesday Morning

Now that I've almost finished my first cup of coffee, I'm beginning to feel human. Since I've got to be at a meeting later this morning, being human is good.

It was pretty cool day yesterday. It felt nice.

I don't particularly care for the temperature to get too hot too fast, so I welcome nights like last night. I didn't turn on the heater-- even if the temperature in the house went down to 57 degrees.

Today is tax day. Post offices in the area are extending hours.

I don't know why people don't e-file their returns. I e-filed two weeks ago and received my federal and state refunds last week.

Now I wonder if the number of post offices that have extended hours has decreased over the past few years with the advent of e-filing. I know the IRS has encouraged e-filing returns.

Anyway, I've got the meeting. After that, I've got to head back here to work the reference desk.

Then there's the baseball game. I've got a couple interviews and need to write a piece for the newspaper. Hopefully I can maintain my humanity throughout the day.

My Blog as a Webcomic

Heh. I got an email from Jay earlier today. He created the above strip based on this blog entry. I think the comic came out very well. You can also see a larger version of the comic here.

National Library Week is this week. We've got a few functions going on at the library. I'm teaching a continuing education class. I've also got to be at a meeting tomorrow morning.

I received confirmation earlier today that I do indeed have a media credential for tomorrow night's Governor's Cup baseball game between Mississippi State and Ole Miss. I'm not doing a game story. Instead, I'm interviewing two players from the newspaper's coverage area.

I'll won't be doing too much work during the game. The interviews will take place before the game. It looks like I'll also be covering a high school baseball playoff game later this week.

Some links of note...

1. Thomas is in Dubai.

Great photo of the Dubai skyline.

2. Neil Gaiman might look like a panda when he's in New York.

Remember. Be careful of pipe-wielding dogs...

3. People finally love Windows XP.

I'll be a contrarian. I'm liking Vista Business more and more. Of course, it might help that my new work computer has 3 GB of RAM.

4. Botox injections might just be required before going to a job interview.

Interesting statistic here: 30 percent of men and 14 percent of women "who had cosmetic surgery in 2001 say the decision was work-related."

Lonely, But Not Alone

After seeing the Braves defeat Mobile last night, I went to Martin's to be with friends. A couple of local bands played.

They were good, but the area where they were playing was too crowded and loud. I didn't feel all that comfortable, so I went to another portion of the bar that was less crowded and loud.

I relaxed. I wasn't really in the mood for being out too late but needed to socialize.

I've not seen many of my friends in quite a while, and I wanted to at least visit with them-- even if I was getting pretty tired. The only reason I was able to stay up that late was because I had a beverage with a shot of espresso earlier that evening.

With my life being extremely busy this semester, I've not been able to socialize with my friends. I've been a stranger to them, and I don't like that.

I believe I do good work at the college. That being said, one of the things I don't like about the college where I work is that a lot of the people who are employed there are older and married, and the college does absolutely nothing to make single people such as myself feel welcome.

Even though I've worked at the college for several years, I still get the sense that I don't belong. I think it's because I've had no other associations with the college other than my employment.

In the several years I've been here in the Jackson area, I've become disappointed that I've not found someone with whom I could share my life with. Rare is the woman in Jackson who interests me, who is interested in me, and is available.

People have said I'm picky, and I will admit that to be the truth. I'd rather be picky than not.

While friends have met their significant others online, I've found the sites in question to be worthless. And so, I'm 40 years old and lonely, but not alone.

I know what my friends will say-- and they've said it before-- don't be so picky. And I usually respond by saying: Okay then, where are the women in the Jackson area who are interested in a non-churchgoing male librarian?

The Road

I'm in my office. I've been working on projects while listening to The Road. I'm not normally a fan of audiobooks but since I've got the new work computer, I thought I'd download the eAudiobook from NetLibrary.

I'm still rearranging my office. I thought I would have gotten more accomplished, but this semester has been very busy. I hope to get everything I want done by the end of the month. Considering that next week is National Library Week, my hopes may just be wishful thinking.

I saw a play a couple nights ago. It was fantastic. I thought about going to Art Eats & Beats last night but didn't. I thought the weather wouldn't be too great last night.

And now the area is under a tornado watch until later this afternoon. Joy. I'd been thinking about going to Trustmark Park to see the Braves play this evening.

More Job Postings

As previously noted, I like to see what library jobs are available. I'm not looking to leave, but it's always good to see what's out there.

The University of St. Martin is looking for a librarian. Here's something from wikipedia: Sint Maarten, the Dutch side, is known for its festive nightlife, beaches, jewelry, exotic drinks made with native rum-based guavaberry liquors, and plentiful casinos, while Saint-Martin, the French side, is known more for its nude beaches, clothes, shopping, and rich French and Indian Caribbean cuisine.

Hmm... sun, fun, and librarianship. Oh, tropical storms too...

The Folger Shakespeare Library is looking for a librarian. To be or not to be, that is the question.

The University of Nevada Reno has several library job openings. Reno's not far from Truckee, where my sister has a vacation rental house.

The U.S. government wants a librarian in Alaska. And here's an interesting statement: In addition to the base salary stated above, you will receive a 24% cost of living allowance (COLA) that is not subject to Federal income tax. This allowance is subject to annual review, adjustment and gradual decrease.

Very interesting indeed...

Ask, and Ye Shall Receive

It looks like I've got a media credential to the Governor's Cup game between MSU and Ole Miss at Trustmark Park next week.

While I was willing to do a game story, it's not necessary.

Considering the newspaper's deadline, I'll gladly accept the alternative that was offered to me.

Dilated Eyes

I woke up early this morning. I had an appointment this morning with my optometrist.

It's been quite a while since my eyes have been dilated. I had another appointment scheduled, but it looks like the bad weather Friday might have messed up scheduling. I called twice to check on the status of the other appointment, but no one was answering except for the voicemail.

Now I'm here at work. I think my eyes feel better.

I'll miss the first half of the Kansas-Memphis basketball game tonight since I've got to be at work. Hopefully, I won't miss the second half.

April Ambivalence

Well, Friday was interesting. High winds. Tornado warnings. Sirens wailing. Students being moved from one part of the library to another section.

The college offices closed earlier than normal that day. Fortunately, I didn't lose power at the house.

I had thought about going to Crossroads that evening, but I didn't. I had read that there were a lot of places without power, and I really didn't want to travel. I considered going out to Crossroads functions Saturday evening, but I didn't.

Lately, the first week of April has become a time where my feelings can be ambivalent. When I feel this way, I don't need to be near bars.

The last time I felt this way during this time of the year was three years ago, and I had way too much to drink. I didn't want to risk repeating that performance, so I didn't go out Saturday.

I did go out today to Crossroads at Parkway. I saw some movies-- mostly short films and documentaries. I renewed my film society membership. I also purchased a t-shirt.

I had a good time. Because of that, there's a part of me who wishes I did go out to see and be with friends Saturday.

That being said, I don't like to make a fool out of myself though. I don't like to lose control.

Search Engine Answer Guy #8

Again, more search queries from actual people who've found their way to my blog.

1. winston 'the wolf' wolfe

He solves problems. I do too, just not the same ones.

2. moehringer delta librarian wise

J.R. Moehringer did write an excellent article about former Bolivar County librarian Ronnie Wise. I blogged about it a year and a half ago. Moehringer also wrote this memoir. It's a fantastic read.

3. makita cup chelsea napoli arsenal

And Atletico Madrid. I saw the Makita Cup preseason friendlies at Highbury back in 1994. It was a great experience amd the main reason why I'm still an Arsenal fan to this day.

4. foglesong msu.

Quite a few people have found my blog because of Doc's announcement that he's leaving. I am a bit surprised that a google search for that query brings up this blog entry as the number one result. I suppose I have to work to become the number one Vance Watson MSU result according to Google. Maybe if I type Vance Watson and MSU one more time that would help.

5. nanih waiya what language root

Okay. Now that's interesting, and that person who found my site due to that search query was in Guatemala.

6. general foglesong ole miss

Now that's just wrong.

7. earl faggert heidelberg

My former school headmaster and a good guy who's gotten some flak from new flag proponents because of his highly visible role in the referendum that maintained the current Mississippi state flag. He's considered a moderate when it comes to heritage issues.

This snippet from an article appearing in the October 2, 2005 Atlanta Constitution illustrates this:

Earl Faggert, of Heidelberg, Miss., a past SCV commander, said he is leaving the group after 35 years. He said he has been attacked by activists as elitist, but he said that charge is a screen to obscure his opponent's plans to funnel SCV money to groups opposed to the U.S. government.

"The neo-secessionists, anarcho-extremists, whatever you want to call them, they put the elitist label on anyone who disagrees with them," Faggert said. "If being a loyal American means being an elitist, then go ahead and label me one."

83, etc.

At least that's how old my father would be today if he were still living. It's been almost five years since he died.

Now that I've got the new work computer set up, I've got to get accustomed to its nuances. For example, I need to figure what not to do so that I'll have like 30 different calculator windows show up... It's happened a couple times in the past 24 hours.

I've got a meeting to attend off-campus this afternoon, and after that I'd like to see if I can see one of the Crossroads Film Festival movies. Hmmm... the movies I'm most interested in are playing Saturday and Sunday.

I ran across this fascinating blog entry yesterday. I went to MSU with the blogger and graduated from there a year before he did.

I like his hook-- comparing party primary politics and sabermetrics. He believes Clinton will withdraw from the race by the end of the month.

Wednesday

It's been busy. We were shorthanded this morning. A couple people had appointments and couldn't come in until later in the day.

A person from IT came by the office earlier today and installed the needed programs so that my new work computer can access the network. So far, it appears to be working well, and the email archive looks to be successfully transferred from my old computer.

The email archive is the one thing I've been really worried about losing. I've taught classes in the past, and I wanted to maintain access to emails just in case. There've been a couple times in the past few years when I've needed to access old test modules and email messages.

I finally submitted that proposal for that conference I've blogged about recently. We'll see what happens with that.

I like the way the blog looks with the cosmetic changes that I've made. There are maybe two more minor changes I'll likely make. Other than that, I think the blog will have this look for a while.

Changes

All six of my regular blog readers may have noticed some changes. Barack Obama is now in the Soapbox section of the Sidebar.

I also decided to change the look of the blog. Who knows how long this cosmetic change will last?

Thoughts while waiting for the IT folks to put my new work computer on the network...

This time of the semester is the time when composition students are usually at work on their major papers. With that in mind, I hope they don't fall into the trap that snared people at the University of Texas at San Antonio.

Also in the news, Barack Obama earns one more delegate from Mississippi than projected. It also looks like Obama has won the most delegates from Texas.

I plan to attend at least some of theCrossroads Film Festival. I don't know when I'll be attending.

We've been having some database issues the past few days. Fortunately, it's nothing terribly headache-inducing.

I've not paid attention to the congressional runoff elections. Of course when Bennie Thompson is your congressman, there's not much need to do that.

I did go to Mississippi State University at the same time as this candidate. I don't know how he'll do in the runoff though.

I finally updated my sidebar. I'm reading Madame Bovary for book club. Lonely Werewolf Girl is a book I'm reading for pleasure. I love Millar's works.

I'm also reading Schulz and Peanuts. At least I'm trying to read it when I have the time.