Apropos of Nothing

2008 High School Playoff Predictions, Week Five

2008-12-05T09:12:00.000-06:00

MHSAA Class 5A
South Panola

Intriguing matchup. The Wildcats may just be the toughest team South Panola's played this year. The Tigers have had some close escapes (Tupelo, Madison Central), but should earn their 90th consecutive win tonight over Meridian.

MHSAA Class 4A
Noxubee County

Good matchup of unbeatens, and probably the best championship contest on paper. I think the Tigers will beat D'Iberville.

MHSAA Class 3A
Louisville

What with Dandy Dozen QB Clayton Moore being dismissed from the team, a lot of people might think that Tylertown has a very good shot at winning, and they do. I'm thinking though that Bill Simmons' Ewing Theory might come into play-- giving the Wildcats the victory.

MHSAA Class 2A
Forest

Forest has been impressive all season long. Baldwyn beat defending state champion West Bolivar on the road. However, I think that the Bearcats from Scott County will win.

MHSAA Class 1A
Puckett

The Wolves are playing Calhoun City, which surprisingly won the North half by beating the top two 1A teams in the state (East Webster and Ray Brooks). Look for Puckett to win.

2008 High School Playoff Predictions, Week Four

2008-11-28T18:18:00.000-06:00

MHSAA Class 5A
South Panola and Meridian

MHSAA Class 4A
Noxubee County and D'Iberville

MHSAA Class 3A
Louisville and Franklin County

MHSAA Class 2A
Eupora and Forest

MHSAA Class 1A
Ray Brooks and Puckett

MPSA Class AA
Centreville

MPSA Class A
Glenbrook

2008 High School Playoff Predictions, Week Three

2008-11-21T17:30:00.000-06:00

MHSAA Class 5A
Olive Branch, South Panola, Meridian, and Oak Grove

MHSAA Class 4A
Shannon, Noxubee County, Wayne County, and d'Iberville

MHSAA Class 3A
Winona, Corinth, Franklin County, and Newton County

MHSAA Class 2A
Eupora, West Bolivar, Taylorsville, and Bassfield

MHSAA Class 1A
Ray Brooks, Calhoun City, Mount Olive, and Puckett

MPSA Class AA
Kirk and Centreville

MPSA Class A
DeSoto and Glenbrook

Glengarry Glen Girl Scout

2008-11-14T18:07:00.000-06:00

2008 High School Playoff Predictions, Week Two

2008-11-14T16:54:00.001-06:00

I'm posting these after one game has been played, but I don't know who won yet, so I suppose that counts.

Predicted winners:

MHSAA Class 5A
Madison Central, Meridian, Tupelo, Oak Grove, Ocean Springs, Olive Branch, Petal, and South Panola

MHSAA Class 4A
Quitman, Vicksburg, NE Jones, Noxubee County, Lafayette County, West Lauderdale, Wayne County, and West Jones

MHSAA Class 3A
Ripley, Amory, Newton County, Franklin County, Senatobia, Columbia, Magee, and Winona

MHSAA Class 2A
Ackerman, Philadelphia, Taylorsville, Eupora, Forest, West Bolivar, Leland, and Scott Central

MHSAA Class 1A
Ray Brooks, Durant, East Webster, Calhoun City, Mount Olive, Puckett, Vardaman, and Weir

MPSA Class AAA
Magnolia Heights and Jackson Prep are predicted to win the Division II and I titles.

MPSA Class AA
Centreville, Trinity, Kirk, and Winston

MPSA Class A
Glenbrook, Porters Chapel, DeSoto, and Marvell

A Consequence of Being Stir Crazy

2008-11-12T19:32:00.000-06:00

The sinus crud I've had has given me the appearance of being anti-social. I'm not, but since I've not gone out much over the past couple weeks, I am more than a bit stir crazy.

I've even gotten to the point of looking at the personal ads on Yahoo and Match.com for the first time in several months. I noticed that a couple of colleagues from the college have profiles; however, I'm no fan of workcest.

In general, the profiles were the usual dreck: Christian female ISO Christian male only. Dating prospects online and in real life are still negligible.

Speaking of real life, I've not been doing much. I am, after all, stir crazy. I need to get out and socialize, but not at the risk of relapsing or catching something else while I'm still not quite 100 percent.

Sinus Crud Hate

2008-11-10T11:21:00.000-06:00

I've battled this sinus crud for about two weeks, and I when I think I'm over it-- like I thought I was Friday-- the following day, I feel terrible. And I wanted to go to Hattiesburg.

I'm disappointed. I've not felt like doing anything because I've been under the weather, and when I do something-- going to the Cherokee and then Hal & Mal's on Friday-- I feel terrible the next day.

I feel better now, but what with the wet and cold weather forecast to arrive later this week, I can't help but think that things will be dreary. I hate dreariness.

2008 High School Playoff Predictions, Week One

2008-11-07T16:46:00.000-06:00

I used to have time to make my prognostications, but I don't, so here are the teams I think will win in the first round of the playoffs:

MHSAA Class 4A
Lawrence County, West Lauderdale, Picayune, Wayne County, Noxubee County, D’Iberville, Cleveland, Moss Point, Vicksburg, Brookhaven, Quitman, Pearl, West Jones, West Point, Itawamba, and Shannon

MHSAA Class 3A
Charleston, Velma Jackson, Booneville, Perry Central, Columbia, Winona, Magee, Corinth, Newton County, Louisville, North Pontotoc, Hazlehurst, Tylertown, Franklin County, South Pike, and Ripley

MHSAA Class 2A
Ackerman, Forest, West Bolivar, Baldwyn, East Marion, Hamilton, Bruce, Bassfield, Philadelphia, Taylorsville, St. Andrew’s, Eupora, Enterprise Clarke, Leland, St. Patrick, and Walnut

MPSA Class AAA, Division I
Pillow and Jackson Prep

MPSA Class AAA, Division II
Magnolia Heights and Lamar

MPSA Class AA
Winston, Lee, Kirk, Leake, Central Private, Simpson, Brookhaven, and Centreville

MPSA Class A
Briarfield, DeSoto, Marvell, West Memphis, Glenbrook, Sylva-Bay, Porters Chapel, and Huntington

Election Day

2008-11-04T17:14:00.000-06:00

I voted this morning. I arrived at my precinct at 7:15 this morning and waited some 20 minutes before casting my ballot.

I voted for:

President: Barack Obama
No surprise. I've been a fan for several months. I like John McCain, but thought his selection of Sarah Palin was ill-advised.

Senator: Thad Cochran
Again, no surprise. I've been a fan for many years. His opponent, Erik Fleming, was my former state representative and is a likable guy; however, I make it a point not to vote for people who've openly supported Lyndon LaRouche.

Senator: Ronnie Musgrove
I'm not a fan of the former governor, and had said for weeks that I was likely voting for Roger Wicker; however, Wicker failed to close the deal as far as I'm concerned. Wicker never convinced me he was the best choice.

I would have liked to know why Wicker is good and voter-friendly, and he didn't demonstrate to me that he was. When Wicker's incessant negative ads turned me off, I was forced to go to Musgrove. I don't like Musgrove, but at least I know what I get.

Congressman: Bennie Thompson
A courtesy vote for the incumbent since I didn't see any Republican advertising for his opponent.

Supreme Court Justice: Jim Smith
Perhaps he's a bit too conservative for my taste, but I wasn't too impressed with his opponents.

Hello Again

2008-10-21T18:14:00.000-05:00

Yeah, I've not posted in a while. I'm sure y'all are disappointed.

Life continues to be hectic. Consequently, I neglected to mention a few things that happened-- namely a fantastic wedding (not mine), visiting friends, and having fun. I had thought about inviting a friend to the ceremony with me, but decided against it because most of them were either busy, not inclined to go, or didn't know the bride and groom.¹

Mr. & Mrs. Flavorflanks returned from their honeymoon yesterday. At least that's what their Facebook statuses indicate. I've no idea if they brought the cannibalistic peacock back with them. I doubt it.

I've been busy working. I've been doing a lot of the same things I've been doing, so there's no need for me to go into great detail.

I've also been asked to do more things as well. Yes, more responsibility.² It remains to be seen how it'll affect my job. There shouldn't be much impact. There have been additional changes which could influence things though.

I'm going to Natchez tomorrow to attend the state library conference. It'll be good to see friends again and reconnect with colleagues.

I've also been making plans to attend Midwinter. I've registered and reserved a hotel room. I just need to arrange transportation. I've not been to a national conference in a couple years.³ It should be fun, educational, and be a brief respite.

_________
¹I've always felt a bit uncomfortable inviting friends when they don't know who's getting married mostly because I have sometimes felt like I'm superfluous when at events where I don't know the people being honored.

²But no pay raise to go with this increased responsibility. Alas, Babylon.

³See The Adventures of Sir Cockatrice and Princess Coppertop.

Wake Me Up When September Ends

2008-10-01T18:07:00.000-05:00

summer has come and passed
the innocent can never last
wake me up when september ends

I've not posted in awhile. I've not had much to write about.

Except work. And who's interested in work?

I'd rather go out, and I haven't. At least not that much.

I've had no life. But now it's October.

The Marine Corps are looking for a few good librarians...

2008-09-10T13:39:00.000-05:00

Really.

Hey there. Remember Me?

2008-09-07T23:15:00.001-05:00

I've been busy; busy doing the same things I've been doing for the past three weeks, and they're not deserving of detailed descriptions.

A week ago, I was helping my mother and stepfather move plants, furniture, and other assorted items in from porches and courtyards. Things weren't too bad in Hattiesburg last week, and hopefully Ike won't be headed towards Mississippi.

Other than work and helping family, I've not gone out much. My social life is close to nonexistent because of stuff going on in my life. Also, rowdy friends are settling down-- something about people wanting to get married and have children.¹

I've not considered settling down, and I don't believe I need to go into details again.²
That being said, I need a vacation.³ Fortunately, it's my turn in the rotation to go to an ALA conference. I'm thinking about Midwinter in Denver.
_________
¹Imagine that.

²I didn't mention that I wouldn't link to it though. Oh, and here's another post that can work.

³Yes, I had one last month, but I need another, and Gustav made a mess of Labor Day Weekend.

Rainy Weekend

2008-08-24T17:51:00.000-05:00

I wanted to do some things this weekend, but wound up not doing much. I did go out some Friday night, but didn't see many people I knew so I headed back to the house a couple hours earlier than I had anticipated.

I thought about going to meet some friends at 2-3 different places this weekend, but what with Fay being here I decided to stay in Clinton.

Too bad. I would loved to gone out, but when it rains, I don't like to go out. I'm not a fan of bad weather travel.

The rain seems to have settled down some now, and now I'm at Cups in Clinton relaxing, checking my email, and taking care of an interlibrary loan request for an instructor. Yeah, I'm off duty, but I still do some work even when I'm not at work.

I don't know why but it feels like that this semester is going to be a long one. I've looked at my calendar, and there are a lot of things I've got scheduled. It looks like I'll continue to lack having a life away from work while school's in session.

End of the Week

2008-08-22T09:00:00.000-05:00

I'm tired. I'm sore. It's been a hectic week.

But it's Friday. I hope the start of the semester becomes less crazy, and it should.

One thing that's interesting is that faculty and staff at the college now have access to sites that we weren't able to access before-- like facebook, myspace, and youtube. I wonder how long that will last.

The Fall Semester Has Started...

2008-08-18T18:44:00.000-05:00

I'm at the library. There are quite a few deaf students in the building, and they've been too loud only two times. Maybe the total number of times that they'll be loud this evening will be no higher than four.

Ten Favorite Songs

2008-08-17T22:29:00.001-05:00

B Squared commented about Barack Obama and John McCain's favorite songs and then made a list of his ten favorite songs. I thought I'd follow up with mine.

And now for my ten songs in no particular order:

One. Unlike B², I'm including The Star Spangled Banner in the list. And instead of Whitney, I'm choosing Marvin Gaye.

Two, U2. One:

Three, Leonard Cohen. Everybody Knows:

Four, Johnny Cash. Folsom Prison Blues:

Five, Frank Sinatra. It Was a Very Good Year:

Six, Bruce Springsteen. Darkness on the Edge of Town:

Seven, Metallica. The Unforgiven:

Eight, Liverpool Fans. You'll Never Walk Alone:

Nine, John Lee Hooker. Boom Boom:

Ten, Hank Williams. Lovesick Blues:

The Mark of the Beast

2008-08-15T17:28:00.000-05:00

It's blog entry #666. I wanted to write about something special, but nothing out of the ordinary's come up.

It's been a busy week. Faculty convocation. Registration. Preparing for the fall semester.

There's a part of me who wishes I was still on vacation. There's also a part of me who's glad the semester is about to start.

Here's something I thought was pretty interesting. I saw this on EDSBS-- a youtube video of the Soviet Union anthem. Nice use of propaganda posters:

I was reading Neil Gaiman's journal feed and noticed that Pauline Baynes died. Baynes illustrated a lot of J.R.R. Tolkien's work. Here's a link to a map of his world she made. I also read that Michael Chabon's Yiddish Policemen's Union won the Hugo for Best Science Fiction Novel. I need to read it sometime.

I'm thinking about going to see Blue Mountain perform tonight. I'll get a chance to have a little fun before I head down to Hattiesburg to visit my mother and stepfather.

Maybe I can get some sleep. I've been staying up late watching the Olympics.

I also need to remember to bring something to wear to a funeral home. A family friend died recently. I can't make the service on Monday what with it being the first day of school-- and I scheduled a dental appointment for that morning.

Back to be Ground

2008-08-10T22:46:00.000-05:00

Or is it back to the grind? Either way, I'm at home and will be at the library tomorrow morning. This coming week is going to be busy. Meetings. Registration. Students paying fines.

I've been away from work for a little over a week. I had a nice, hectic time away from Mississippi, and apparently, I cashed in my frequent flier miles at the right time.

I didn't get much sleep while I was out of state thanks to having to wake up before 4:30 a.m. twice. So when I returned to Mississippi, I've tried to relax, try not to aggravate a blistered foot and a sore back, as well as, of course, sleep.

It's been raining off and on today, and rain is in the forecast for the next few days. Fortunately, it was raining too hard while I was driving from Hattiesburg.

While driving back, I called several friends. Most didn't answer, so I left messages on their voicemail; however, I did have good conversations with those who answered.

Tomorrow, I still want to think that I'm on vacation even though I'll be working. I'm considering wearing one of the t-shirts or the Yankees replica jersey I purchased.¹

Well, maybe not the t-shirt. I believe I could get away with wearing the Yankees jersey though.
_________
¹Not this exact replica, but something similar and a lot cheaper. And, yes, it is a Don Mattingly replica. I've kept up with his career since my aunt told me about him being drafted by the Yankees. She was a teacher at Reitz Memorial in Evansville at the same time he was a student there.

Cliffs Notes: My Vacation

2008-08-07T16:10:00.000-05:00

Friday - August 1, 2008

Leave Jackson at 1:50 p.m. for Boston by way of Chicago O'Hare. Arrive at O'Hare around 3 p.m. Had an alleged Chicago-style hot dog without the trimmings because the trimmings include not only tomato (which I can tolerate), but also cucumber (which is rarely tolerated-- exceptions being some sushi rolls).

Committed a minor sin for putting ketchup on the hot dog, which is apparently a no-no in Chicago. Made it to the hotel in Boston shortly before 11 p.m. eastern time. Noticed there were several people in the hotel's airport shuttle speaking different languages. The Euro must go a really long way here. Finally fell asleep sometime after midnight.

Saturday - August 2, 2008

Woke up sometime around 8 a.m. Had some Continental Breakfast at the hotel. Got ready to head out to do some touring of Boston. Having no plan, I decide to wander aimlessly. Thanks to taking the wrong subway line, I find myself at Boston Common where I decide to take part in a Freedom Trail guided tour, which was grand fun.

After the tour, I wander around Quincy Market and then the Long Wharf where I decide to eat a late lunch. By the time I'm finished, it's almost 3 p.m., and so I decide to go to Fenway. I arrive early to do some looking around. I go to a Red Sox souvenir store where I notice that Manny Ramirez jerseys and shirts are 50 percent off. It begins to rain really hard, but fortunately it stops. The game is played; the Red Sox win; and things are nice.

Going back to the hotel took longer than expected. I had to walk to another subway stop because of a long wait at the stop nearest to Fenway, but I make it back to the hotel sometime around 11 p.m. and fall asleep at around 1:30 a.m.

Sunday - August 3, 2008

I wake up at 4:30 a.m. Yes. Three hours of sleep. Why only three hours of sleep? Well, I had to be at South Station to catch a 6:40 a.m. train bound for New York City. Yes, a 6:40 a.m. train. I made it on time and caught maybe another hour and a half of sleep on the way down.

I make to Penn Station at 11:15 a.m.-- 20 minutes later than Amtrak anticipated. I follow OJ's directions to his apartment taking different subway routes and walking some and arrive at his place shortly before noon. After eating a part of a scone, we head over to Yankee Stadium and see the Yankees play a better half-game than the Angels played their half-game.

Afterwards, we head back to OJ's place where I meet some of his friends and am properly awed by the view from his rooftop. I decide there and then not to go to the Empire State Building the following day. OJ also advises me to consider taking a Chinatown bus to Philadelphia.

Monday - August 4, 2008

I wake up shortly before OJ leaves. I exit his apartment sometime around 9:30 a.m. after calling him and getting directions to his workplace. I arrive at his workplace sometime around 10:15 a.m. and hand him his apartment keys and my luggage. While he works, I do some touring.

I go to Times Square, have my picture taken with Marilyn, and wander over to Central Park for a very brief moment-- maybe five minutes-- before heading back to OJ's place of employment. OJ shows me around his workplace, and I am suitably impressed. He looks up the Chinatown bus information for me, and I notice that where the bus stops in Philadelphia is within walking distance of where I'm staying. So I decide to take the Chinatown bus. OJ gives me directions to the buses, and then we part. I make it to the Chinatown bus company in time to take the bus to Philadelphia.

I arrive in Philadelphia and am able to check in and do some touring before some places close. I see the Liberty Bell, wander around the old city, and see a hotel where I had considered staying, and now that I see it, am glad that I didn't stay there.

I make my way to Penn's Landing. By this time, I notice that my left foot is getting a blister. I wander back to the old city-- getting hungrier. I consider eating at this place, but decide when I don't see a food menu on the premises that it might be better advised to go someplace else, and so I eat here before heading back to the hotel.

Tuesday - August 5, 2008

I wake up, go downstairs, and have a cheese steak omelet before I head out to finish up my historical tour of Philadelphia. After getting my ticket at the Visitors Center, I tour Independence Hall. I next go to Christ Church Burial Ground before heading back to the hotel to check out.

After checking out, I walk to the nearest subway stop to go to Philadelphia's train station. From there, I take the train to Boston and then make my way back to the hotel where I spent Friday and Saturday nights. I take advantage of the hotel's business center to do an early check-in and print out my boarding passes. I go to bed shortly after midnight.

Wednesday - August 6, 2008

I wake up at 3:30 a.m. My flight for Chicago leaves at 6:05, which means boarding begins at 5:35. It also means I need to check out of the hotel by 4:30. I actually make good time. I check out at 4:10 and make it to Logan at 4:15.

I'm soon glad I printed out the boarding passes. There are queues at those stations as well as lines to check in luggage. My body is sore, and I am tired, but I don't want to be miserable, so I carry my bags (clothes and computer) to go through the gate where there is no wait. I make it through with no problems and head over to the food court. I eat and drink. I relax for a few moments before heading to the gate. Shortly before 5 a.m., I walk to the gate. Twenty minutes later, I am aboard the plane.

I arrive in Chicago at 7:40 a.m. It's now central time. I walk to the gate where the plane for Jackson is supposed to leave. After finding it, I look for the nearest place to eat. Yes, I ate three hours previously, but I want to sit down and relax. Also, the bags are heavy. I sit and eat. I relax.

After eating, I head over to the gate. I've read four books during this trip. Two were books I owned. The third was a book I checked out of the library. The fourth was a book OJ recommended to me, a vampire horror story-- the ending to which is not what I had thought it would be, and that's very cool.

I make it to Jackson at 1:30 p.m. I see one person get ticketed by the police for parking her truck and going inside the terminal. Two other groups of people are warned for taking way too much time to load up. I think taking loads and loads of photos was a bit too much. The other person is taking her time waiting on someone, and when she drives, she drives very, very slowly. Quite irritating, and all of this happened in a 15-minute period because soon afterwards, the long term parking shuttle arrives and takes me to my car at 1:50.

I head to my house, check my mail, and see if the Clarion-Ledger's local neighborhood newspaper delivery person (or perhaps the Clarion-Ledger delivery person) left a newspaper, or several newspapers on my driveway. Fortunately, there are no newspapers. I'm a little surprised and somewhat relieved.

Sometimes the Clarion-Ledger delivery person likes to leave a free newspaper at the driveway. Fortunately, that's not happened in a while, but I know that free newspapers are becoming more and more common. While in New York, I saw several vendors giving away copies of the New York Post, and with newspapers such as the Clarion-Ledger letting people go, one wonders what will happen to newspapers.

After checking out the house, I get back in the car and head for Hattiesburg. I arrive at my mother and stepfather's house at 4:15 p.m. When I arrive, their Tibetan Terrier barks and continues to barks. Not exactly normal behavior for the dog. He normally barks once, maybe twice, because that's the nature of the breed: they bark to notify people that someone has arrived. I walk up the stairs and scratch the dog's head, which satisfies him.

I take a nap for about 90 minutes and then go have dinner with my mother, stepfather, and uncle, who is in town. I then go to Javawerks and meet up with a couple people I knew when I was a grad student at USM. We chat for about an hour and a half and then we go our separate ways.

Thursday - August 7, 2008

I get out of bed a little after 10 a.m. As busy as my past few days have been, I welcome the chance to be a bit lazy. After eating breakfast, I get ready to go to the dentist's office. I drop by to see my uncle before going to the dentist.

It looks like that Hattiesburg is doing a lot of road construction/fixing up. A lane of Hardy Street is closed, and traffic is slow. I take a couple of detours, am stuck behind a couple of vehicles, and finally make it to the dentist's office at 2 p.m.

I have a cavity that needs to be filled, but otherwise I'm fine. I make an appointment to take care of that problem and then head back to Hattiesburg.

I'm now in Javawerks. I've had a Diet Coke and a slice of Peanut Butter Pie. It's thundering outside and may rain soon. I'm going to be here for a while longer before heading back to my mother and stepfather's place.

Vacation Time

2008-08-01T12:55:00.000-05:00

I'm at Jackson-Evers checking email about a half-hour before I board my flight. I debated bringing along the computer, but I'm glad I did.

I had one email come through that I'm glad I read. Pretty soon, I'll be heading off to Chicago, and from there I'll take a plane to Boston.

Work... and Play?

2008-07-29T14:33:00.000-05:00

I'm at work trying to work, but can't work because a vendor's catalog is headache inducing. Argh. Increasing the text size doesn't help, and the vendor in question gets a plurality of the reference budget money each fiscal year. I don't really want to deal with this catalog.

Several minutes later...

Okay, I've talked a customer service representative. I'll get an email later today regarding some items. Maybe that will help. Maybe my headache will go away. Maybe I'll go see The Dark Knight.

Monday Evening Meanderings

2008-07-28T18:42:00.000-05:00

It's a Monday evening, and not much is going on at the moment. I've not done too much the past few days.

TD finally announced the demise of the book club. People moved. Other things were going on, and well, it's understandable that the PBCS is gone. Mayhaps we'll have a last toast to the club sometime.

Also, the old pub quiz team got together again Saturday night. We came in second place, and we're good with that. The team that won (two of whom incidentally being former classmates of mine at MSU) knew who this person was, so they definitely know their trivia.

I went to Hattiesburg yesterday to visit my mother and stepfather and drove back today before starting work. The next three days shouldn't be too bad; final exams should end tomorrow.

I've still not seen The Dark Knight. I think I'll see it either tomorrow or Wednesday since I'll be doing some errands Thursday, and I'm starting my vacation Friday.

Juillet Vingt-Trois

2008-07-23T19:46:00.000-05:00

It's been a while since I've posted. It's almost the end of the summer semester, and I'm ready to relax. Life's been hectic, and in a summer in which I think I've been really, really productive-- accomplishing tasks and getting ready for the fall semester, I've been wanting to get away.

And now I've got my vacation pretty much finalized. I've gone back and forth in what I want to do and where I want to go, but it's going to be a northeastern trip-- specfically Boston, New York, and Philadelphia by way of Chicago with additional assistance from Amtrak.

I think it'll be fun. I'll get to visit with OJ, watch a couple of baseball games, and do some touring. When I return, I have this to look forward to before the fall semester begins. But before I leave, I'll be attending a gallery opening and the birthday pub quiz.

Sunday Evening

2008-07-13T19:45:00.000-05:00

I'm at Cups in Clinton. I just had dinner and then some coffee with Pezgirl. We talked about various things-- work, some projects that are going on, and non-work stuff.

I did some yardwork early this afternoon. I trimmed some branches from trees and shrubs and took them to the neighborhood dumpster.

I got pretty hot from doing all that work. I must have taken a cold shower for about a half hour.

This weekend was pretty quiet. I thought about going out Friday night, but was too tired. I would have loved to have seen friends.

I was supposed to meet a friend from the college at Barnes and Noble yesterday, but she didn't show up-- didn't even call to say she was cancelling too. I did see a couple people from the college as well as a couple of other friends of mine. It wasn't a complete loss, but more socializing would have been nice.

Only solitary men know the full joys of friendship. Others have their family; but to a solitary and an exile his friends are everything.

Wednesday Evening Ponderings

2008-07-09T19:13:00.000-05:00

I got off work a couple hours ago. I worked on one project, and I think I'm almost finished with it.

Tomorrow I work in earnest on the other major project. It shouldn't take too much time I hope. I've already conducted a lot of research. Decisions just need to be made what approaches to take.

I heard yesterday that one of my stepfather's Tibetan Terriers died. Unfortunately, it was expected. She had cancer, and the treatment didn't work.

Today I had lunch with one of my cousins from my hometown. He had an appointment at the V.A. center, and since it's the summer, I could get away a little bit easier than I could have normally.

And as hectic as things have been, it was good for me to get away. We chowed down on some good food at La Cazuela. He's not all that familiar with the Jackson, so ease of finding the location was definitely something to consider.

We chatted for awhile. I've not seen him in several months-- it might even be more than a year. It was good to visit with him.

I've been pondering a place where I could relax-- basically get away from things for a week. I've considered going to baseball games whether they're at Fenway, Yankee Stadium, Busch, or Wrigley. All have a certain appeal since I've not attended a game at any of the stadiums-- Yankee Stadium especially since this year is its last year.

I've considered Lollapalooza. There are even some bands I like that are performing, and I could combine it with some games at Wrigley.

I've even considered Chautauqua for the sake of doing something different. If I want to recharge my batteries that looks to be an interesting option, but the remaining weeks cover topics that either don't really hold my interest or are after the fall semester begins at the college.

Consolation Prize

2008-07-08T13:55:00.000-05:00

I love hotels that offer frequent flier mileage credit. A consolation prize for not being offered the position at the other library: I earned enough frequent flier mileage to qualify for a free roundtrip flight in the continental United States. Now if I knew where I wanted to go.

Lethargy

2008-07-07T14:09:00.000-05:00

I'm tired, and while it may be because I showed up at work this morning rather than in the afternoon, I feel like I need to recharge my batteries. While I took some time off last month, it wasn't as nearly as relaxing as I would have hoped.

Now I'm wondering what to do and perhaps where to go. The spring semester was hectic, and the summer thus far has been very busy.

Independence Day

2008-07-04T13:20:00.000-05:00

I'm at my mother and stepfather's place at Canebrake. My aunt and uncle are coming in from Indiana and should be here this evening.

It's been relatively quiet. I helped move plants and pots from the courtyard this morning.

I don't know what else I'll do today. Not much, I suppose.

My job interview has been a topic of conversation at the college, which is not a surprise. I know that my dean showed her supervisor the job posting and expected salary for the position, and I also wouldn't be surprised if she mentioned it to others.

Anyway, a colleague at another department had heard I was leaving. I had to tell her that I was second choice and would have been offered the position if the first choice selection declined it. (I did mention that earlier, right? Hmmm... Apparently not.)

Another colleague who'd not seen me in a little over two weeks told me I needed to update my Facebook photo and wondered why I shaved. I told him, and he instantly understood since he has some connections to the place I interviewed.

He is right though. I do need to update my Facebook photo.

Next week, I need to continue work on some projects. It's hard to believe that the fall semester begins next month.

I've got so much I've got to accomplish before the craziness of the fall comes. I've gotten a lot of work done this summer, and there's more to do.

Heavy Metal Islam

2008-06-30T14:54:00.000-05:00

I was reading The Chronicle's web site and noticed an article on heavy metal bands in predominantly Muslim countries. It mentioned this book. I saw who the publisher was and emailed OJ, who-- as it turns out-- is working on the book.

It looks intriguing. I've recommended the book's purchase for the library.

Otherwise, it's been a quiet day. I'm trying to work on some projects, but I'm not all here.

Since I have no adrenaline, I'm close to crashing. Some days off to just rest would be nice.

Yes, I've had time off. Still, I've been traveling and working. June's been a pretty hectic month.

I've got to continue working today as well as the following three days. Maybe the Independence Day weekend will be quiet.

Independence Week

2008-06-30T00:45:00.000-05:00

Independence Day is this week. Many of my co-workers will be at the library. Some won't.

I'll be working through Thursday and will head to Hattiesburg after work that afternoon.

I didn't go to Hattiesburg this past weekend. I had thought about it, but decided against it.

My mother mentioned that she was pretty tired from getting the house ready for company. My aunt and uncle from Indiana are heading down this way.

The weekend was pretty peaceful. I was with friends Friday night, and I enjoyed being with them.

I didn't do much Saturday except for sleep. I slept from 2 a.m. Saturday morning to 1 p.m. that afternoon. I traveled a lot the past few days and needed to recover.

If I had gotten that job, I think I would have had a lot of adrenaline in my system to keep me going for the next month. Since I wasn't, the adrenaline isn't there.

Sunday, I got out a little bit. I had some coffee at Cups in Clinton and relaxed. I spoke to some people I know.

The next few days shouldn't be too bad. It'll be quiet. I don't know if students want to think about classes what with the holiday approaching.

The Last Friday Afternoon in June

2008-06-27T13:40:00.000-05:00

It's quiet here at the library. A lot of the students are gone. There aren't many people here.

A lot of my co-workers aren't here either. They're either on vacation, taking the day off, or attending ALA.

I've worked on a few things today. I need to work on another project, but can't since my supervisor isn't here.

I've not blogged much in the past couple weeks for reasons given in my previous entry. That being said, here are a few links I thought were worth noting.

This Filial Piety post made me laugh just because of the imagery. He's also a great photographer as shown by this cool pic of the Pearl River.

Supermom posted a series of photos about her cat's bath. Poor cat.

Finally, here's a special link for those of you planning weddings. This bride sold a bridesmaid's spot on eBay to Dr Pepper.

I don't really know what I'll be doing this weekend. If I had received the job offer, my pla C was going to show me possible places to live in his hometown (which is where the position was located).

I'll be in the Jackson area today and a good portion of tomorrow before heading down to Hattiesburg to visit my mother and stepfather.

I'll be working next week. I've got Independence Day off, but have to work July 3.

Playing the Game

2008-06-25T19:13:00.002-05:00

I've been busy the past couple weeks. I had some projects that kept me busy.

Conferences. Presentations. Planning. Job Applying. Interviewing.

I gave a presentation for a conference last week. I thought I did well, and in the roundup at the end of the conference, it got good marks, which is way cool.

While I was preparing for that presentation, I noticed a post related to a job opening. It was a very good opportunity. Taking into consideration what I wrote in this previous entry, the position is located at a nice place, a nice job, and I know I would enjoy life.

The decision to apply for this position was an absolute no brainer. So I did.

I came in for an interview, and I did well. I wasn't offered the job, but was told that I impressed the committee.

My supervisor and dean are glad that I wasn't offered the job if only because that means that they don't have to train someone new. On the other hand, one colleague wanted me to get the job if only because she has designs on my office.

I understand. I also like my office.

Since I don't have to give any more presentations or prepare for a move, I've got to work more on my main summer project for the library. Maybe I can relax some too while keeping an eye open for another no brainer opportunity. After all, you can't win if you don't play.

Absolute Tuesday

2008-06-10T12:23:00.005-05:00

The party was this morning. It was nice. Cheesecake is always nice to eat.

I'll likely be heading over to Barnes & Noble to make a purchase. Or I might make one online. I've got a couple things in mind-- Absolute Sandman, v. 1 is one. The Final Reflection, a classic Star Trek^TM novel, is another possibility.

Hmmm... Let's see... I've got a 15 percent discount coupon that was emailed to me as well as the gift card and my Barnes & Noble membership...

I think I'll buy both of them online.

***

And speaking of buying online, Jubilee Jam tickets are available at Ticketmaster. Pezgirl and I will likely go to Friday's performances.

I'm seriously considering going to the Saturday shows. I'd love to see Robert Randolph perform. I wonder if I'll be up to traveling to Hattiesburg on Sunday though.

***

I've got to think of something to get my stepfather for this weekend. I've no idea what. I just spoke to my mother, and she said she'd think of something.

She also mentioned to me that a cousin of mine died yesterday, a first cousin once removed to be precise. I'm thinking that he might have been the youngest person in his generation in the family-- not even 70 years old. I'd not seen him in several years, and he'd been in poor health. There's a part of me who wishes I could at least make it to the wake this evening, but by the time I make it over there, I don't think I'd see anyone I knew well.

A Monday Afternoon in June

2008-06-09T18:04:00.000-05:00

At least it looks like it's an afternoon, but it's just after 6 p.m. I ran some errands today before going to work.

I'll have a workplace birthday party tomorrow morning. It should be fun. I need to remember though to take some ibuprofen that morning since really loud noises in smaller rooms give me headaches.

I had a fun weekend. Pezgirl and I went to the Pizza Shack Friday evening. We broke bread with several friends of mine.

I had fun. She had fun.

She paid for the pizza and the beer. Next time, it'll be my turn to pick up the tab.

While Pezgirl and I work together and get along very well, we tend not to socialize after work. We have somewhat different interests, and she isn't as interested in the bar scene as I am.¹

That being said, she's become generally disappointed of late with some of the people that she's previously been acquainted with and expressed an interest in going out as friends only because she knows I don't associate with the people in question. Pezgirl also mentioned that she'd like to meet some of my friends, which she did-- some of them for the first time Friday night.

She had fun, and that's good. When I mentioned Puggy's profession, she mentioned that she wished she had talked to him some since she has an anthropology degree.

I didn't do much Saturday. I worked on a project and then went out to Ridgeland and then Jackson.

I met friends at Martin's, but was pretty tired. I didn't get much sleep and needed to get back to the house, and apparently I did need the sleep since I snoozed for about 13 hours. Sunday was a lazy day.

And now, I've got to get a project ready. I also need to finish up work on a presentation I'm giving.

This summer looks to be fairly hectic for me. I'm glad I've had some time away from work in the meantime.

_________
¹And it isn't that I'm really interested in the Jackson bar scene. It's just that a lot of the friends I've made in Jackson I've met at bars, and I like to be with my friends.

Master of his Domains

2008-06-06T10:41:00.001-05:00

I was reading The Chronicle of Higher Education this morning which led me to this article about this guy. He has eleven advanced degrees-- that's more than The Professor, including his recently earned Ph.D.

Back at Work

2008-06-04T18:31:00.000-05:00

I'm at the library. I arrived earlier this afternoon.

My mother and I made it to Hattiesburg late Sunday night, and I pretty much slept for what seems to be most of Monday. I ran some errands Tuesday.

I'm tired of travel now. I had thought about attending Blues Bash, but I decided against it. I'd rather not rush. I want to relax.

Or at least try to relax. I've got more than a few things going on in June. I've got to get ready for some things that are due this month.

And tomorrow is my birthday. Since I don't like to work on my birthday, I'm not.

***

I previously mentioned that I had a nice conversation with my sister's father-in-law this past weekend. I've not seen him in a few years. I think it was either Christmas 2000 or perhaps early 2002-- back when his wife was still living.

He asked me why I've not gotten married, and I told him it's because I don't attend church. He mentioned the need to become more involved in things, and that's something he's had to do since his wife died. He used the example of ballroom dancing, which is something he and his wife both enjoyed.

I mentioned that I understood the need to be involved, and I do get involved in my own way. After he talked about serving in the military and mentioning that the only way he could meet women was to go to activities that were in some way church related, I told him that I consider myself unwelcome in church.

And so, I don't attend church. But I do other things.

***

Friday evening, Pezgirl and I are going out to eat. We've not broken bread in quite a while. She's been busy, and so have I. We both have had different projects happening.

And maybe after dinner, we'll go someplace. Maybe Martin's. Maybe Hal & Mal's.

Who knows? I'll probably call or text someone to see if there's anything going on or if people are going to meet up Friday night. It'll be nice to be with friends. I've not been with them since this night.

***

Here are some additions to my websites of interest, many of which are several months overdue.

Patrick Magee is the local Gannett writer who covers USM sports. I don't know whether to call him a Clarion-Ledger writer or a Hattiesburg American writer. Either way, he's a Gannettoid.

As previously mentioned, I went to school with this blogger. Consequently, I've gotten interested in reading The Hill's Pundits Blog. Fascinating stuff.

I've also been paying more attention to Bulldawg Junction, a MSU sports site. I'm acquainted with one of the contributors. I believe Michael Wardlaw and company have been doing very good work, and as such are deserving of at least some recognition.

Georgia on My Mind

2008-05-31T21:02:00.000-05:00

I've been in Augusta the past two days. My oldest nephew's high school graduation is tomorrow afternoon.

My mother and I arrived yesterday evening an hour before an awards presentation. We made it to the presentation on time.

My nephew's graduation class is small (about 40 students). It's a close-knit group; all are by and large very bright people. My nephew's planning to attend Duke. Three of his classmates will be at Washington University in St. Louis. Others will be at Vanderbilt, NYU, Sewanee, Emory-- just to name some colleges.

This evening we went to a steakhouse-- an extended family gathering of people from both sides of the family. I got to speak with my sister's father-in-law. It's been a few years since I'd seen them. It was really nice to talk to him. I rarely see anyone from my brother-in-law's side of the family. They live in New Jersey and Illinois for the most part.

Search Engine Answer Guy #9

2008-05-27T19:55:00.001-05:00

Number 9 in an ongoing series about search terms that bring people to this blog...

My blog entry mentioning the late Paul Davis and his song Sweet Magnolia Blues attracted a lot of people. Search queries on this subject were easily the #1 query that brought people here. Someone even asked me how to find a recording of the song. Apparently the album is out of print because I see that it's going for around $80 on one site. However, an old (and used) album is apparently available here for $20.

The post about Brian Grazer's Cultural Attaché also got some attention as did the one on Santo Gold.

Anyway, it's nice to see that there are a lot of fans of Paul Davis who still appreciate him and his music.

Tuesday Evening

2008-05-27T17:00:00.000-05:00

I left Hattiesburg this morning, and now I'm at the library. It was good to be away for a few days, and I'll be away again for a few more days later this week to attend my oldest nephew's high school graduation.

It's quiet. When I arrived, I had some projects I needed to work on, and I did.

And now I'm on call. Waiting.

Waiting for phone calls from other departments with regard to students who have fines, restrictions, and/or overdue books. Waiting until I can leave.

Staying in Hattiesburg

2008-05-25T20:01:00.000-05:00

I'm not going to work tomorrow. I got permission.

I didn't feel like driving back to Clinton. I didn't feel like working on Memorial Day.

Friday Afternoon

2008-05-23T14:59:00.000-05:00

One hour until the library closes. It looks like the college will be open for business Monday.

Sometimes the college is open for business on Memorial Day. Sometimes it isn't. Most of the time when we know that the college will be closed for Memorial Day, employees won't know until the Thursday or Friday beforehand.

We've not received any notices yet, so it looks like I've got to be here at 8 a.m. Monday morning.

In about fifty-five minutes, I'll be heading down to Hattiesburg to visit my mother and stepfather. I should have some fun this weekend. Well, at least I should get some sleep.

Fifty minutes to go.

Thursday Rain

2008-05-22T18:00:00.000-05:00

Today was a frustrating day at work. I didn't get much accomplished thanks to a three-hour power outage. I did maybe one-quarter of what I needed to do.

I've got to get some more things accomplished tomorrow. I want to finish whatever housekeeping duties I've got left before next Thursday.

Next Thursday I'm heading off to Hattiesburg and then Georgia to attend my oldest nephew's high school graduation. My mother is also going. My stepfather isn't. He had already made a commitment before we knew when graduation was occurring.

So my mother and I will be on a road trip, and I've not driven their C 240. They bought it a month ago, and I'll probably take it for a spin sometime this weekend just to get used to the feel. I've seen the key-- looks weird, but then I'm old school.

So that's what's up with me. Not a heck of a lot going on now, but I'll be seeing all sorts of relations next week.

Hopefully it'll be fun even though I'm dreading the long road trip-- and driving through Atlanta.

Wednesday Evening

2008-05-21T18:27:00.001-05:00

I've been a good boy and have been doing whatever housekeeping duties I can do between semesters. As I've mentioned many times this year, the spring semester was hectic.

I put off organizing my office because of that. Even though the semester is over, I'm still busy.

Because I've been busy for several months, I'm drained. I need some time away from work. Away from Jackson. Away from it all.

Fortunately, I will have some time away in the next few days. I just hope I will have fun. I hope I will relax.

Opportunities, Etc.

2008-05-20T09:18:00.000-05:00

I heard from a former student of mine yesterday. She's going to graduate school in this program. She mentioned that if a city has more than 60 percent of its residents possessing at least bachelors degrees, then it has to be a good place if they're remaining there.

That being said, I'm sometimes asked why don't I apply for any of the job openings I've mentioned here from time to time. Mostly it's because of the salaries offered and the cost of living.

It's more difficult for a single person to move to places with higher costs of living, so I rarely consider them. And sometimes it's because they're positions I don't believe I possess the qualifications needed.

For example, Key West might be a nice place to live. That being said, housing costs are significantly more and the income is less.

The Wildlife Conservation Society is looking for a Director of Information Resources. That sounds like it would be an interesting position. I don't have the grant writing experience though, and New York is a more expensive place to live.

So I see the jobs and think Oh, that'd be nice. But then I re-examine them and think Yeah, sure, it's a nice place, a nice job, but I wouldn't enjoy life.

Monday Afternoon

2008-05-19T17:03:00.000-05:00

It's been a pretty busy day. I worked on some housekeeping stuff as well as interlibrary loan requests. I downloaded an unabridged audiobook version of Dracula, and listened to it while working in my office.

I'm not fond of coming in early on Mondays. I'm so not a morning person, and I enjoyed being able to sleep in before arriving at work every Monday afternoon.

Currently, I'm at Cups in Clinton. I don't know what I'll be doing this evening, but not too much.

Good Weekend

2008-05-18T22:00:00.001-05:00

In the past few days some friends who live out of town returned to Jackson to visit family and friends. Coppertop's already headed back to Texas, and is probably home. However, FP and OJ who came from Colorado and New York, respectively, are still here.

It was fantastic seeing Coppertop. I've not seen her since she got married last year.

I've not seen FP since winter break. I've not seen OJ in over a month.

I love being with friends, and since I've been pretty close to leading the monastic life this past school year-- not seeing friends as often as I would hope-- being able to visit with them recharges my batteries even though I'm the most introverted person of the group.

My main task at the library this coming week is for me to continue work on organizing my office. I think I'm going to remove a couple of tables-- try to open it up as much as possible-- even if it is a very small room.

I've also got to find another audiobook to download. I finished The Sportswriter Friday.

I need to organize my conference proposal when I get a chance. It'll be nice to see colleagues from other libraries at the conference. I don't know if I'll get much of a chance to have some fun since I'm a presenter.

Another cool thing about the conference: my stay at a motel means that I'll earn enough points to get a free roundtrip flight anywhere in the continental United States. Hopefully American Airlines won't be changing the rules this summer now that I'll have 25,000 miles.

The Last Time...

2008-05-15T17:23:00.000-05:00

...May 15 fell on a Thursday, my father died.

Not On Call

2008-05-13T19:35:00.000-05:00

I was excused from jury duty earlier this evening. It looks like there aren't going to be any jury trials in Jackson this week.

On Call

2008-05-13T08:52:00.000-05:00

I had to go to the courthouse yesterday-- I received a jury duty summons. I'm a member of a panel, and if my panel is needed, I'll have to go to court. I wasn't needed today.

I'm at the library today. I'm going to try to get what I can done because my panel number is low enough that if there a trial this week it's very likely I'll have to go to the courthouse again.

I just wish I was allowed to drink some coffee in the courtroom. I am so not a morning person, and I normally start work on Mondays after noon.

Brian Grazer's Cultural Attaché

2008-05-05T17:55:00.000-05:00

I wish I had heard of this job opportunity.

This person would be responsible for keeping Brian abreast of everything that’s going on in the world; politically, culturally, musically. . . . They’re also responsible for finding an interesting person for Brian to meet with every week . . . an astronaut, a journalist, a philosopher, a buddhist monk. . . . There is LOTS of reading for this position! Grazer may ask you to read any book he’s interested in. You’ll probably get to read about 4 or 5 books a week and you may be required to travel with him on his private plane to Hawaii, New York, Europe—teaching him anything he asks you about along the way. . . . You will also be provided with an assistant. . . . Salary is around $150,000 a year. . . . You will be to Grazer what Karl Rove was to Bush.

From the article:
Rovian undertones aside, it’s actually an old concept: according to Anthony Grafton, a history professor at Princeton, Renaissance and Enlightenment princes often had such a minion, known as a “reader.” Frederick the Great, of Prussia, cribbed much of his expertise from a reader named Dantal; Sir Philip Sidney relied on a Livy scholar named Gabriel Harvey to brief him before a meeting with the Holy Roman Emperor.

This position sounds like it'd be a very cool gig.

Monday Afternoon

2008-05-05T16:17:00.001-05:00

I made it back from Hattiesburg early this afternoon. I was visiting my mother and stepfather. I'd not seen them in a few weeks.

Final exams begin this week. I've been at work for the past few hours and will be here at the library this evening.

I received word a few days ago that my conference presentation proposal was accepted. I pretty much know how I want to present it. I just need to get it ready.

At least I have a month. That should be plenty of time taking into account a jury duty summons and a trip to Georgia for a nephew's graduation.

I think I'll get to sleep in some tomorrow. I'm covering for a colleague by working the evening shift tomorrow night. At least that's the plan.

And then sometime later this week, I'll head over to Lemuria and pick up a Mother's Day present.

May Day

2008-05-01T09:33:00.000-05:00

May 1.

I remember seeing footage of May Day ceremonies in the Soviet Union when I was a child. It almost seemed festive, if not for the lines of military weaponry and equipment.

Final exams begin next week. The semester is winding down-- thank goodness. I almost feel like there should be a parade to celebrate the end of classes.

_________
Thanks, Life for the photo!

Wednesday Morning

2008-04-30T10:43:00.000-05:00

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

2008-04-28T20:07:00.000-05:00

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

2008-04-27T17:22:00.000-05:00

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

2008-04-25T16:30:00.000-05:00

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

2008-04-24T21:45:00.001-05:00

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

2008-04-23T09:46:00.000-05:00

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

2008-04-23T08:33:00.000-05:00

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

2008-04-21T22:35:00.000-05:00

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

2008-04-21T18:02:00.000-05:00

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

2008-04-20T22:36:00.000-05:00

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

2008-04-19T14:14:00.001-05:00

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...

2008-04-18T16:28:00.000-05:00

...another tornado warning with sirens wailing.

Friday Morning

2008-04-18T09:30:00.001-05:00

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?

2008-04-17T15:51:00.000-05:00

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

2008-04-15T08:31:00.001-05:00

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

2008-04-14T18:18:00.001-05:00

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

2008-04-12T19:52:00.000-05:00

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

2008-04-11T10:32:00.001-05:00

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.

Ask, and Ye Shall Receive

2008-04-07T19:05:00.002-05:00

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

2008-04-07T14:59:00.000-05:00

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

2008-04-06T23:16:00.001-05:00

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

2008-04-03T18:48:00.000-05:00

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.

2008-04-03T09:36:00.000-05:00

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

2008-04-02T16:31:00.002-05:00

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

2008-04-01T21:23:00.000-05:00

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...

2008-04-01T18:10:00.001-05:00

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.

God Bless You

2008-03-31T23:56:00.000-05:00

It was quiet at the library tonight. I had to prompt someone to get off the computer since we were closing.

I thought he had been doing research. Instead he was trying to apply for a job online.

He was a bit upset. He should have started the process earlier in the evening. I wouldn't make an exception in his case.

He kept telling me God bless you. Of course, what he meant was something completely different.

End of the Month Update

2008-03-30T21:03:00.002-05:00

I've not posted lately. I was very busy at work last week.

I've been catching up on tasks needed to do since I'd been away from work for a week. I've had bibliographic instruction sessions, a meeting with a customer service representative for one of our vendors, as well as other types of library work.

I'm ready for the computer folks here at the college to put my new computer on the network. I've transferred all the files I need to transfer from my old computer to my network folder.

It's just as well that I'm no longer able to access a favorite messageboard at work anymore since I've been staying busy. It's done a more-than-decent job of keeping me relatively stress-free at work though. I might have to drink more coffee.

I've had a good weekend. I was with friends who I've not seen in weeks or months, and it was great seeing and visiting with them. I also went to the roller derby Saturday night and had fun. I know two of the Rollergirls well, and I wanted to support them.

Right now, I'm in Hattiesburg. I stopped by Heidelberg and visited with a family friend who's done my taxes for many years. We chatted while he e-filed my tax forms. I'll be getting a refund this year, which is always good. I can think of a few things I can do with the money.

I've got a dental appointment tomorrow morning. It's very likely that I'll have to attend a memorial service when I get to the college.

I've got to remember to take another shirt with me to the dentist's office. I had been planning on dressing down at work, which I can get away with some since I work nights on Mondays. It looks like that won't happen.

I think I might also finish work on a conference presentation proposal tomorrow. I've already gotten feedback from one colleague. I'll see what another says before I submit it in a few days.

Friday Afternoon

2008-03-21T15:43:00.000-05:00

I've been pretty busy today.

I've had some stuff I needed to get accomplished, and I've done a bit of what I wanted to get done. There's still so much left to do though.

I've got to pick up some Crossroads posters. I promised to put a few up around the college.

I still have errands to run, but right now, I'm sort of satisified with what I've accomplished. There's still so much left to do though.

I've got to watch the MSU-Oregon game this evening. Hopefully, the Bulldogs will win.

600

2008-03-17T17:47:00.000-05:00

Apparently this entry is blog post #600. If I'd known I would have this many entries in my blog, I would have titled them according to Dewey Decimal Classification. This entry title would have been Technology (Applied sciences).

I've been in Hattiesburg the past couple days. I've been doing some errands for my mother and stepfather.

And resting. I needed to get away for a few days-- even if only to Hattiesburg. I'll probably head back to Clinton either tomorrow afternoon or Wednesday morning.

I've got some things I'd like to do around my house, and since I do have a little over a week off, I thought I might take advantage of that time and do things other than sleep-- not that there's anything wrong with sleep.

I went to the St. Paddy's Day parade Saturday. Photos were taken.¹ Everyone had fun.

I didn't participate in the parade this year. I had thought about it, but didn't.

After the parade, I went to Fenian's for a little while. I met up with more friends. It was great.

***
I've gotten my office cleared up pretty good. I removed all the computer supplies that had been there. I'm converting cabinet space to bookshelves. I don't think I'll remove the cabinet doors though. I think it'd be too much trouble finding a place to put them than to just keep them.

I've got to do some more clearing, but most of the work has been accomplished. Sometime next week I hope to get the other file cabinet in the office, and I'll have needed storage space.

I've also got to work on a couple other things. Maybe I can get the organizational stuff done while I'm away from work.

_________
¹I'm not the cow.

Looking Forward

2008-03-13T20:19:00.000-05:00

Another hectic week is almost over. I've had quite a bit on my plate at work.

I've been rearranging my office space. As previously mentioned, I'm getting a new work computer.

Since the computer is a laptop, I've no need for a computer desk. I moved it out of the office yesterday.

I'm in the process of going through my shelves and removing everything having to do with desktop computers. My office had been an alternative storage space for such things as external speakers for computers, but it won't be any more.

I've been putting these types of accessories on book carts. Before I leave work tomorrow afternoon I'll move the carts outside the office.

I need to create room for books and other materials. The problem with my office is that I don't have a good spot to put bookshelves.

My office has windows on three sides, and what shelves my office has are associated with cabinets and a counter.

I'm thinking about removing the cabinet doors because I'm going to use the cabinet space as bookshelves. First, though, I might keep the doors and see how they work.

I'm working on projects when I can. I've also got to work on a proposal regarding a conference presentation.

There are other things. There always are.

I won't be at work next week. I need a break.

I still have responsibilities though. My mother and stepfather are going on a trip and want me to drive them to where their group is meeting.

This next week, I'll be in Hattiesburg, Clinton, or somewhere between the two cities. I'll still be at the parade Saturday though. What I don't know is if I'll be watching or participating.

I hope I can remember that I have a bibliographic instruction session to give to a class at 8 a.m. the first day I'm back at work.

Life Imitates Art Imitates Life

2008-03-12T16:07:00.000-05:00

Here's a Slate video feature comparing the campaigns of Barack Obama and West Wing's Matt Santos:

Thanks to B² for the heads-up.

Election Day

2008-03-11T09:12:00.000-05:00

I voted. In the alderman's race, I decided to give Peace a chance.

Next I drove over to the public library and voted in the Democratic primary for President. I'd been undecided for so long that I did what I normally do when faced with a tough choice: I voted for the candidate I thought had the best chance to win in November.

There were two other contests. I decided not to reselect Dorothy Benford and once again chose Bennie Thompson to be congressman.

As far as the Senate race is concerned, I didn't want to vote for either Erik Fleming or Shawn O'Hara, so I abstained. Thad Cochran will be getting my vote in November.

Meanderings

2008-03-06T19:55:00.000-06:00

I'm wondering who to vote for in the elections. I've no idea who to vote for in the presidential primary-- my inner comic book geek loves the user-generated Obama advertisement in my previous entry.

I've also got to vote in a special election. It's going to be a bit of pain.

I vote here for municipal elections. I vote here for federal and state elections.

So who for president? And who for alderman? I don't know.

*
If I lived in the third district, I would be voting in the Republican primary for sure. What with Chip Pickering leaving Congress, I would of course be interested in voting in that contest.

I've been keeping up with the campaign for that seat. I can't help but pay attention since my family has been friends of the Pickerings for years.

I've met only one of the candidates, John Rounsaville, and then only once. So, I don't know him, but we have mutual friends and acquaintances. We chatted for several minutes at an event several months ago. He seems to be a good guy. I wish him well, and I wish I could vote for him. I think he'd do a good job.

**
I'm disappointed my Bulldogs lost to Vanderbilt last night. I wish they could have won. MSU was just on the wrong side of from all accounts was a classic game.

I'm planning on going to Starkville Saturday to see MSU play LSU in the final regular season game. It'll be Senior Day, and the 1963 conference championship team will be honored at halftime.

***
Work is, well, work. It's been hectic, but with people not being as sick as they were last month, it's not quite as crazy this month.

I'm thinking about taking a few days off during spring break. It depends somewhat on what I get accomplished as far as my office is concerned.

I've had my office computer for six years, and it's very slow. It's my turn in the rotation for a new computer, and I'm exercising the option.

Since it's a laptop, I'm getting rid of the computer desk. It'll go to storage¹, and from there I'll get another file cabinet since I'll now have the space. Yes, I have a small office.²

**
I blogged about some interesting job openings earlier in the week. Since then, I've found two more of note.

The Navajo Nation is looking for a librarian. My one concern is what is there to do. I was out there as a tourist back in 1980. It looked pretty bare to me.

The American School of São Paulo wants a librarian. I wonder if I would get Carnaval off?

*
Jackson's Carnaval, the St. Paddy's Day Parade, is a week from Saturday. It's the most fun time of the year.

Last year I was a Spud Stud for a Queens group from my hometown. I don't think I'll be helping them out this year. I may just be watching this year. And having fun.

_________
¹Where computer desks go to die.

²But the office has windows.

Being a Comic Book Geek...

2008-03-06T19:27:00.001-06:00

...I couldn't help but chuckle when I first saw the below image while reading Neil Gaiman's blog:

Some Job Openings of Note

2008-03-04T19:33:00.000-06:00

It's been awhile since I've posted some interesting job openings. Here are a few I've noticed in the past few weeks:

The White House needs a media specialist.

Intriguing.

Le Cordon Bleu wants a librarian.

Their cafeteria food had better be good!

Guantanamo wants another librarian.

This position is for the base personnel, not the detainees.

The California Maritime Academy is looking for a library assistant.

Occasionally, this college has posted vacancies for librarian positions that involve being out on a ship on the open sea for several weeks. This, however, is not one of those positions.

Rabun Gap is looking for a librarian.

Working at a boarding school in what looks to be a very scenic part of the country.

The American Numismatic Society wants a librarian.

And this librarian will certainly be in the money... B² might be interested in this post.

Some Little Things

2008-03-04T18:30:00.000-06:00

A message board I frequent has changed formats. It used to be an ezboard format, but now is Yuku. NAFOOM is the same way.

The Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum is having an exhibit of Peanuts comic strips beginning this weekend. I think that's quite cool. I'd like to go to that exhibit when I get a chance.

Most of the people at the library have gotten over their sicknesses. There are still a couple who are a little under the weather, but they're working. There is one co-worker who should take tomorrow off. Especially since the alternative means that Friday's going to be a very tough day.

Leap Day

2008-02-29T10:05:00.000-06:00

It's been a busy week at the library. I've been catching up on some duties as well as working on a couple of projects when I can.

I mentioned earlier this week that I was going to cover a state tournament game. It turned out to be similar to my Quote Boy duties at the football championship games-- so no byline.

And that's fine by me. I got to enjoy seeing a couple of basketball games. Unfortunately, the school in the newspaper's coverage area lost.

I did see people I knew at the game. Even though I'm only a freelance part-time writer, many of the full-time sportspeople know who I am, or at the very least recognize me. I chatted with some of them.

I also got to visit with two coaches I knew.¹ I wish I had more time. I'd not seen them in quite a while.

I also voted earlier that day. I voted for the nonagenarian candidate based on his Clinton News profile.

I thought Carter to be the best of the bunch. Now I've got to decide who to vote for in the runoff-- as well as the presidential primary. Unfortunately, Bill the Cat is not a viable option.

After work, I'm off to Hattiesburg. My mother's asked me to come down and help out with a garage sale tomorrow morning.

I hope there's plenty of coffee.

_________
¹For what it's worth, my friend is again an assistant to my cousin.

Derrida & Garfield

2008-02-27T10:14:00.001-06:00

So what does the Father of Deconstruction have to do with Garfield? This week, I've noticed that Otherjay and Bill at Unshelved have highlighted Garfield Minus Garfield, a most awesome blog.

It's not the first time I've seen Garfield changed. I've seen it and other comic strips being altered in other blogs as well as, of course, parodies. As far as alterations of the comic strip feline are concerned, The Comic Strip Doctor has some good examples (you'll need to scroll down, and as the heading on that site notes, some of the content is not "family-friendly") and provides a link to a lengthy thread at Truth and Beauty Bombs.

Enjoy.

It's been awhile...

2008-02-25T19:07:00.000-06:00

The library has been busy-- not necessarily because we've got a lot of events happening. It's more like things have been hectic with the flu going around.

I think most everyone has had the flu except me, and I've had sinus headaches and am still battling a sore throat I picked up from being out in a downpour Thursday morning.

I've been a bit remiss with blogging. I've been working on some projects, and when I've not worked on projects I've been covering for people who've been away due to sickness or other reasons.

I took it easy this past weekend, and I feel better, which is good. Tomorrow, I've got to give a bibliographic instruction session to a class.

After work, I'm off to the Mississippi Coliseum. I'll be covering a state basketball tournament game for a newspaper.

Search Engine Answer Guy #7

2008-02-14T16:48:00.000-06:00

More search queries from actual people.

1. florida prison softball

Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds might be in some trouble, but I doubt very seriously they'd get put in the big house.

2. the breakfast club mr vernon quotes

Why is that door closed? WHY IS THAT DOOR CLOSED?

3. sex pub quiz

A lot of queries regarding pub quiz and sex, but not as many as florida prison softball. I would be very scared if there was a florida prison softball sex pub quiz search.

4. national gorilla suit day

I was so busy that I forgot to put up my banner. I suppose that means the terrorists have won.

5. lord buckley

Must be by people who are interested in The Nazz. Here's a link to an mp3 of Lord Buckley talking about The Nazz.

Soggy Tuesday Afternoon Links

2008-02-12T14:53:00.000-06:00

I like to read the Mental Floss blog. A lot of the links come from or are linked from the Mental Floss site.

First, a hilarious Best Venn Diagram Ever.

Next, the retro fun and games house.

The last Mental Floss link, nine little-known facts about Abraham Lincoln. I like this one:

In 1842, Lincoln accepted a challenge to a duel from James Shields, the Democratic State auditor. Shields was furious over a satiric letter in a local paper. Actually, the letter had been written by Lincoln’s fiancee, Mary Todd, but Lincoln willingly took responsibility. Since he was given the choice of weapons, Lincoln, with typical cunning, selected broadswords–with his 6′4″ frame and his enormous arms, Lincoln had an insurmountable advantage over his disminutive opponent when it came to dueling with swords. Shields wisely decided to make up his differences with Lincoln and the scheduled duel failed to take place.

Finally... found via Neil Gaiman's blog, an upcoming children's book.

The horror, the horror...

2008-02-11T17:14:00.000-06:00

I'm going through withdrawal, or at least I will after work. My iBook isn't working properly. I've taken it to a place I hope will provide good service.

An Evening in Jackson; Or, It's Difficult to Type When There's a Bandage on an Index Finger

2008-02-08T19:10:00.000-06:00

I took the day off yesterday. I was a bit under the weather.

I think I could have worked, but wanted to make sure that what I had wasn't contagious. And it isn't.

Book club was fun. We discussed American Gods. Most of the book club enjoyed reading and discussing it.

We had to keep it short though. People were tired, and I think some wanted to watch Lost. TC has the next choice, and she's chosen Madame Bovary.

It was another hectic day at work. I had some projects I needed to complete, and I did finish most of what I needed to have done.

I got sidetracked though. I was asked to attend a meeting, and so I did. I suppose it was beneficial. I think though what came up in the meeting simply confirmed my suspicions.

After work, I went to Lemuria to purchase a copy of Madame Bovary and a birthday present for my mother. Her birthday is tomorrow.

I'll be heading to Hattiesburg tomorrow. I think I'll be spending most of the weekend there.

Damn the torpedoes...

2008-02-06T11:14:00.000-06:00

It was interesting to see the returns from last night's primaries and caucuses. While I'm currently undecided who to vote for, three candidates I like did well last night.

I voted for John McCain in the Mississippi party primary in 2000. I've always liked him because he's a pragmatist who isn't afraid to challenge the conventional wisdom in his party and has an aura of trustworthiness in spite of whatever differences exist between him and voters such as myself.

I like Hillary Clinton because I have the feeling that she's also a pragmatist. Also, she knows how government works.

Barack Obama is intriguing. He's running as a candidate of change, and, well, while he's gotten plenty of endorsements, I still have the impression that his campaign is more about style than substance.

So, three good candidates and a decision to make sometime in the future, and as far as the others are concerned...

Mike Huckabee. Yes, he's likable, but his amiable campaign style reminds me a lot of our current president's initial campaign in 2000. So, no.

Mitt Romney. Bleh. My impression of him is that his stands are not concrete-- he looks at what way the wind is blowing before he decides what to do.

Ron Paul and Mike Gravel. No.

I just hope the candidate who I eventually decide to support doesn't have his or her campaign torpedoed.

...

Before I saw the returns, I had dinner last night at Hamil's. It was put on by an investment outfit that gets a little bit of my money each month.

While the Dow Jones may have gone down some 370 points yesterday, at least I had some outstanding barbecue, vegetables, and fish. Oh, and sweet tea. Mustn't forget that.

I was probably their youngest client present. The overwhelming majority of the others who were there were retirees. Part of the reason why I showed up was that I was wondering about a letter I received in the mail from the company advising investors to move into bonds.

I'm in a different situation than the retirees, and I figured that I should still maintain my investment strategy, and one of the financial folks I talked to agreed. So for me, it's still "Damn the recession! Full speed ahead!"

...

Otherwise, the past few days have been uneventful. I was in Hattiesburg for a day. I visited my mother and stepfather.

I also spent a day in Starkville. Unfortunately MSU lost to Tennessee. I also watched the Super Bowl there.

I was for the Patriots simply because I wanted to see a perfect season-- not to mention that there are times I like to go against the conventional wisdom and root for the team cast in the role of the bad guy. It was an outstanding game, and for those of you who care more about the commercials, here's my favorite:

...

Oh, and in response to Jay, here are some selected anagrams of my full name:

Bandana Demur Geese Jerky
Banana Jeered Greedy Musk
Anagram Beer Seeded Junky
Abraded Enema Geyser Junk
Barraged Jay Demesne Nuke

Super Weekend Plans

2008-02-01T12:15:00.000-06:00

This semester has been hectic. I welcome the chance to relax, and I will.

A little, anyway.

I'm heading off to Hattiesburg after work to help my mother and stepfather. Apparently, they've got a problem with their wireless router.

I'm thinking that the router might have to be replaced. It's located at a place where items have to be moved and such to get to it (or, to get it out of the way). I think it's been banged around a bit too much.

But I'll find out. Maybe.

Tomorrow, I'm leaving Hattiesburg to go to Starkville. I'll be visiting my pla C and watching MSU play Tennessee in basketball. I hope the Bulldogs win.

I don't know what I'll be doing Sunday. I know I'll be watching the Super Bowl. The question is where.

Apropos of Nothing

2008 High School Playoff Predictions, Week Five

2008 High School Playoff Predictions, Week Four

2008 High School Playoff Predictions, Week Three

Glengarry Glen Girl Scout

2008 High School Playoff Predictions, Week Two

A Consequence of Being Stir Crazy

Sinus Crud Hate

2008 High School Playoff Predictions, Week One

Election Day

Hello Again

Wake Me Up When September Ends

The Marine Corps are looking for a few good librarians...

Hey there. Remember Me?

Rainy Weekend

End of the Week

The Fall Semester Has Started...

Ten Favorite Songs

The Mark of the Beast

Back to be Ground

Cliffs Notes: My Vacation

Vacation Time

Work... and Play?

Monday Evening Meanderings

Juillet Vingt-Trois

Sunday Evening

Wednesday Evening Ponderings

Consolation Prize

Lethargy

Independence Day

Heavy Metal Islam

Independence Week

The Last Friday Afternoon in June

Playing the Game

Absolute Tuesday

A Monday Afternoon in June

Master of his Domains

Back at Work

Georgia on My Mind

Search Engine Answer Guy #9

Tuesday Evening

Staying in Hattiesburg

Friday Afternoon

Thursday Rain

Wednesday Evening

Opportunities, Etc.

Monday Afternoon

Good Weekend

The Last Time...

Not On Call

On Call

Brian Grazer's Cultural Attaché

Monday Afternoon

May Day

Wednesday Morning

Monday Night

Sunday Afternoon Rain

Fridaze

Santo Gold

Wednesday Morning Minutiae

Sweet Magnolia Blues

Two Library Job Postings of Note

Drained & Ambivalent

Sunday Night

Lazy Saturday

Another Friday Afternoon...

Friday Morning

Baseball Virus: Catch It?

Tuesday Morning

My Blog as a Webcomic

Lonely, But Not Alone

The Road

More Job Postings

Ask, and Ye Shall Receive

Dilated Eyes

April Ambivalence

Search Engine Answer Guy #8

83, etc.

Wednesday

Changes