a month of sharing

what a fabulous month it has been for sharing.
#blogeverydayforjune

i laughed, i cried and i read till it hurt.

Practicing gratitude for Wednesday.

i am grateful this month for;

1. the marvelous wonderful sharing group librarians and information professionals are
2. the stories
3. the recipes
4. the visuals
5. the learning
6. the links

i am grateful for the most useful tool which was the netvibes page set up by Kate Bunker. (we are not worthy... :-)
here
i am very grateful to @flexnib for getting us all motivated!

The month was a challenge, and i did not achieve the goal of 'every day', however i participated, cleaned up the blog and began writing/sharing again. Thank you all for a wonderful reading/writing month.
@kalgrl

Yesterday was Monday

29 titles
I like books and I like inventive titles, especially SciFi titles, here are a few I enjoyed... (in no order at all :-)

'Repent, Harlequin!' Said the Ticktockman
The Watchers in the dark
I, Robot
Do Androids dream of Electric sheep?
Consider Phlebas
A Sound of Thunder
Fondly Fahrenheit
Scanners Live in Vain
Day Million
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress
A Princess of Mars
Stainless Steel Rat
Mortal Engines
The Ship Who Sang
I have no mouth, and I must scream
Flowers for Algenon
The Forever War
A Touch of Infinity
Nightfall
The Bicentennial Man
Starship Troopers
The Cat who Walks Through Walls
Flatland
The Nine Billion Names of God
The Roads Must Roll
Surface Tension
Time's Arrow
A Canticle for Leibowitz
Make Room! Make Room!


(I ran out of time, so I haven't put the authors, but they are all easily found on the web.)

Sorry about the 'cute little kitty' it cracked me up. Many things in Sci fi are cute until they eat you.. :P

@kalgrl
#blogeverydayforjune

Hi ho Hi ho, its off to a workshop we go....

Working on the practical exercise.

Went to a "Disaster Management" workshop today.
Set up by the Collections Care Co-ordinator for this area. (Thank you Elaine.)
Here are some pictures from the day....

'Non significant' fabric objects drying

Our 'Significant Objects' air drying.

We had a great presentation by Kay Soderlund from Preservation Australia.
The morning was spent on learning how to prepare a plan for your organisation in the event of an 'event', and in the afternoon we did a practical exercise in working with objects and paper that had been damaged by water.

This kind of plan has been in the conversation/planned training of organisations in this area since the 5.2 earthquake earlier in the year, and we all discovered we didn't have one when it was needed. A large number of the groups from the area, largely complacent to the earth moving as we were used to the mine blasts on a daily basis, discovered a renewed interest in disaster planning.
Now all we need to do is write up a plan for our Branch Library and pass along notes to the other branches.

We did this in the Kalgoorlie Town Hall, banquet room with beautiful pressed tin ceiliings and chandeliers, (I forgot to take a photo of) and it was Freezing!!
Had to feel sorry for Kay who had been in Broome last week, where it was hot,(but then, she was in Broome, lucky her!). I do believe hypothermia set in and I began to feel very sleepy from the cold. (It had walmed up to a balmy 12.7C when we broke for lunch.) Lunch was provided and Yummy.

All in all a good, productive day!
@kalgrl
#blogeverydayforjune

Women in Science Fiction

Which of the 117 authors listed on Sandra McDonald's periodic table of women in science fiction have you read?here
So excited to find this list as there are many Authors on it I haven't read, or maybe...?

italicised: Authors whose books I own & Authors I’ve read something from (short stories count in both catagories). Plain font: authors i've never heard of, but will now I have a list to track them down :-)

Andre Norton
C. L. Moore
Evangeline Walton
Leigh Brackett
Judith Merril
Joanna Russ
Margaret St. Clair
Katherine MacLean
Carol Emshwiller
Marion Zimmer Bradley
Zenna Henderson
Madeline L’Engle
Angela Carter
Ursula LeGuin
Anne McCaffrey
Diana Wynne Jones
Kit Reed
James Tiptree, Jr.
Rachel Pollack
Jane Yolen
Marta Randall
Eleanor Arnason
Ellen Asher
Patricia A. McKillip
Suzy McKee Charnas
Lisa Tuttle
Nina Kiriki Hoffman
Tanith Lee
Pamela Sargeant
Jayge Carr
Vonda McIntyre
Octavia E. Butler
Kate Wilhelm
Chelsea Quinn Yarbro
Sheila Finch
Mary Gentle
Jessia Amanda Salmonson
C. J. Cherryh
Joan D. Vinge
Teresa Nielsen Hayden
Ellen Kushner
Ellen Datlow
Nancy Kress
Pat Murphy
Lisa Goldstein
Elizabeth Ann Scarborough
Mary Turzillo
Connie Willis
Barbara Hambly
Nancy Holder
Sheri S. Tepper
Melissa Scott
Margaret Atwood
Lois McMaster Bujold
Jeanne Cavelos
Karen Joy Fowler
Leigh Kennedy
Judith Moffett
Rebecca Ore
Emma Bull
Pat Cadigan
Kathyrn Cramer
Laura Mixon
Eileen Gunn
Elizabeth Hand
Kij Johnson
Delia Sherman
Elizabeth Moon
Michaela Roessner
Terri Windling
Sharon Lee
Sherwood Smith
Katherine Kurtz
Margo Lanagan
Laura Resnick
Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Sheila Williams
Farah Mendlesohn
Gwyneth Jones
Ardath Mayhar
Esther Friesner
Debra Doyle
Nicola Griffith
Amy Thomson
Martha Wells
Catherine Asaro
Kate Elliott
Kathleen Ann Goonan
Shawna McCarthy
Caitlin Kiernan
Maureen McHugh
Cheryl Morgan
Nisi Shawl
Mary Doria Russell
Kage Baker
Kelly Link
Nancy Springer
J. K. Rowling
Nalo Hopkinson
Ellen Klages
Tanarive Due
M. Rickert
Theodora Goss
Mary Anne Mohanraj
S. L. Viehl
Jo Walton
Kristine Smith
Deborah Layne
Cherie Priest
Wen Spencer
K. J. Bishop
Catherynne M. Valente
Elizabeth Bear
Ekaterina Sedia
Naomi Novik
Mary Robinette Kowal
Ann VanderMeer

I do believe I have read a few more than I have stated, but if I couldn't remember I have left it out. Going now to follow the list and see where it leads.
@kalgrl
#blogeverydayinjune

end of the week -Bitz

Max our dog looking quite worried because I was between him and the heater! (or it could be the camera)

Reading - 'Unshelved' picked this up at book sale - Dewey and the gang

Listening to - Triple j hottest 100 Vol 16 (currently COG - Bird of Feather)

Thinking about the play (Sound of Music - Stage Left Theatre Company - pretty good production and we had some musicians from the WAAPA orchestra) we saw today, the cold and if dinner is ready yet and my boy out to an 18th party.

Realising that I am tired with challenging week with staff shortage, one on holiday, contract staff left a week earlier than expected and new staff member starts on Monday. Long hours on desk for team members still on site. Training to organize and I am so ready for a holiday!

Enjoyed this week - Cocktail party at the Mining hall of Fame for launch of the new exhibit. Farewell of staff member going back to Lebanon to live with her family (to clarify - morning tea was nice, florentines and speeches, her leaving wasn't!)and booking a holiday for christmas and my birthday (which is far too close to christmas).

how was your week? hope you enjoyed it.
@kalgrl
#blogeverydayforjune (or sorta)

Two Things Meme

A meme by any other name is still a blog post :-)

Two names you go by:
1) TB
2) kalgrl

Two things you are wearing right now:
1) gold bangle from JB for wedding anniversary
2) staff ID

Two things you would want (or have) in a relationship:
1) trust
2) humour

Two things you like to do:
1) read
2) paint on fabric

Two things you want very badly at the moment:
1) test the sound on the interactive white board with Queen song
2) another truffle (presi from US)

Two things you did last night:
1) looked at Singapore hotels online
2) watched NCIS

Two things you ate today:
1) Apple
2) cheese and tomato sandwich

Two people you last talked to:
1) FeralMB
2) JB

Two things you’re doing tomorrow:
1) work
2) buying 'Sound of Music' tickets

Two Favorite Holidays
1) Melbourne in Autumn
2) Southwest WA in spring

Two favourite beverages:
1) tea
2) brewed ginger beer

Two things about me you may not have known:
1) I was the 'Ghost of Christmas Present' in Scrooge the musical
2) I can throw pots - *on a wheel

Two jobs I have had in my life:
1) research assistant
2) health food shop assistant

Two movies I would watch over and over:
1) Cabaret
2) Stargate

Two places I have lived:
1) Manapori - NZ
2) Mt Beauty - Victoria

Two of my favourite foods:
1) sticky black rice
2) fresh mango

Two places I’d rather be right now:
1) Singapore with family (going soon)
2) France

@kalgrl
#blogeverydayforjune

Sunday Desk....

Items in no order of importance that happened today on Sunday Shift at desk!

1. payment terminal crashed - 10 minutes to work out what was wrong, thanks to casual staff that helped put it back together. :-))

2. lots of very tired students on this the Sunday in the middle of the exam period.

3. the student with the 'winning smile' who tried to con me into letting him have more than his fair share of overnight loans & early. (what didn't he understand about 'Exam week', in demand items and sharing??) Later on before closing I let him have 3 as no one else was standing in line and I would hate it to be on the shelf and not being used! (even then he tried for a 'sleep in' return time.)

4. 'anatomically correct disgusting drawing' found in computer room handed in by, thankfully a mature person, who just suggested I shred it, done!

5. student with many fines trying to borrow 'in demand' loans with another students card, without written permission. (he eventually paid his fines and took the book he needed - I didn't feel bad as he has been doing this for three years.)

6. philosophical discussion about families being the same the world over with casual staff who hails from mainland China. This was over a cup of green tea.

7. Post grad. student from South America, dropping into campus for two weeks, asking about conference papers. Found some!

8. face mask on to flush loos in mens toilet when opening - uggh. (only joking about the mask, not the loos. arhh country livin' gotta love it. - cleaner doesn't come in from friday morning until monday and it can get...) much hand cleanser/sanitizer applied.

9. going home time came and we went out into a little rain, Yay!

@kalgrl
#blogeverydayforjune

What makes you happy?

via @flexnib from creative circ

Family evenings on cold nights, talking, eating and playing Wii sports and MarioKart.
nice walk on cool but sunny day
Queens Park - Perth WA.
Music - I have very eclectic, 'uninformed' taste - from classic on up.
Musicals - with a story such as Dr Horrible's sing along blog and 'Rocky Horror' (gotta love those tunes :-)
New shoes
Animoto
Bread and butter pudding with cream
Tea, hot (wish I had a replicator like C'ptn Picard)
'Classic' Science Fiction short stories - this genre has it all going on with some very fine writing. I love it when I discover a new 'old' Author.
SFX magazine - spoiler alert!
Max our red kelpie - he is always pleased to see me!
Opening things - from Mail to a brand new book! (simple soul me :P)
Big old trees with history, big leaf canopy and root system.
@kalgrl
#blogeverydayinjune (or sorta :-)

“Make room-Make Room”

Personal visual collection 'de-selection'.

This past week in our area we finally have most of the ‘digital TV channels’ and we are enjoying the choice. Many people we know are ‘upgrading’ their hardware, skipping a generation or two in the upgrade. My background music this morning is from Channel 10, a channel new in our area.

I also had a conversation with JB about new DVD’s he has and where should he store them. And this started a discussion again about “purchasing digital” and not having storage concerns, but that is another days post.

We have not ‘deselected’ for a while, actually since we moved last and this is nearly 10 years.

I began thinking about some of the criteria we use for de-selection at work. One is, how often something is used in the past 10 years. Coupled with this thinking is the fact I am a pack rat, and never throw anything out, ‘in case’, I do believe I should at least ‘Make room’ for JB’s new DVDs, in a place other then the floor in the lounge room.

The videos have to go… many are just TV recording for time shift and we need the space. Some may need migration to DVD if they are of family significance such as children’s birthdays, weddings etc. but otherwise they need to be de-selected. This outdated format is space hogging and rapidly moving towards a situation of no ‘playback’ hardware as our player/recorder will not be replaced. We still have one of the models that had a DVD player and a video recorder/player combination.

The main reasons we haven’t completely ‘gone digital’ in this household has been reluctance to rid ourselves of ‘favorite’ programmes in older formats that may not be replaceable and costs involved with the whole changeover process. Oh, and pure laziness while we still have the playback hardware. It also was the case that some movies or series were not as easy to purchase, in newer formats and some things may never be migrated if there is not a ‘market’ for the changeover.

The thing is no-one in this household uses this format now, or hardly ever! We all view online or digital and DVD in computers or other means. Time shifting of programs is not a problem as most channels time shift for you, online. If it were not for the fact we were looking for a copy of a movie we couldn’t purchase, at that point, I would not have remembered we had most of them.

Having a household that wasn’t ‘born digital’ with ‘digital natives’ living in it creates funny situations, as with my daughters reaction to the videos when I unearthed them to look for ‘Fern Gully’ to show her, how like ‘Avatar ‘ the story line was. ‘What are those, they are dusty and old and didn’t we have it on DVD?’ DVD itself, now an ‘old’ but current format and will probably for the generation after her, be her ‘old dusty collection’.

My plan of action is to make a list of items I believe ‘I needs’ to keep (pack rat again), and then see if I can get a new format copy, before ditching the old, much like at work. I still worry about my Aussie movie collection and wonder if I can replace them all, as larger foreign markets have bigger demand, however I realize I need to “make room”.

This makes me wonder if I will feel the same about migrating formats with favourite books to digital. Oh no, running away from that question to watch “Paperback Hero” on video. :-)

@kalgrl
#blogeverydayforjune

Leonora

Leonora is a small town in the Goldfields of Western Australia.
It is approximately 2 hours (230km)from Kalgoorlie on a lonely road only alleviated by the even smaller town of Menzies which is about 1 hour from Kalgoorlie. Leonora is on the crossroads, sort of a 't' shape where the road goes on to Leinster, a slightly more modern mining town or Laverton in the opposite direction on the road to the central desert and many small communities.
This is a very dry country, the temperature was a minimum of 4 degrees and a maximum of 17 degrees today.

The town has a small amount of tourism from the Gwalia historic mining part of town and the Historic Hoover house. (named after Herbert Hoover, US president who worked there around the turn of the 20th Century as an engineer and this was his home) I believe you can stay there. Population of approx.1500. Two hotels, 1 motel, 350 houses.

I have been to this town a couple of times,a visit to the school when i worked in another area and stopped for a drink on the way to Leinster. Like all small towns,there is a lot community spirit. However if you are new and unsure of the culture it may take a while to feel at home.

Its actually in the middle of nowhere, much like Christmas Island, really.

This week the Australian Government relocated a number of Asylum seekers, families, to a disued mining camp in the town. Media took photos of them behind their fence. Children were in the paper on the front page as, "child looks through fence" or some such. Apparently you have no rights as a child in this situation.
It must be horrific to be flown from the middle of the ocean to the middle of a desert, and then be on show like something in a zoo.

Apparently it is old news at this end of the week, and is forgotten now.
I haven't forgotten and I hope that the good souls of this small town deal with this situation with care and if they are able, support these families, whatever the outcome of their applications.

@kalgrl

What's unread by the bed....

Meme
10 titles I haven't read on the shelf near the bed... and why...

1. Breath by Tim Winton
not sure why I haven't read this yet, think I need a space of time.
2. Incite magazine
came in the mail today
3. Uglies by Scott Westerfield
brought for Ms13 - in my patch for some reason
4. Nancy Wake - by Peter Fitzsimons
bio of our greatest war heroine (born in NZ :-) not in the mood yet
5.Infernal Devices - Philip Reeve
Saving for the holidays
6. The ship of Brides - Jojo Moyes
Recommendation from friend -not sure its my type of book
7. Deep Water - Peter Corris
new author for me - started sort of
8. Life of Pi - Yann marterl
Bought cheap at a student bookshop in Melbourne - next on the list
9. The Canterbury Tales - Chaucer
impulse pick from work catalogue
10. The Black Madonna - Traci Harding
book three in a series - losing its appeal

There are at least 10 more...
Whats unread by your bed? and why?

@kalgrl
#blogeverydayforjune

interactive white board nil - librarian one!

http://www.woodlandschools.org/files/pages/whs/whs_class_oflynnp/ed3.gif

I 'e-worked out' how to use the 'ink layer' on the interactive whiteboard today.
Feel quite chuffed with myself. Thank you PLN for hints and tips and links. Plan to tackle a new part of it each day, time permitting. Resting on my laurels now with glass of nice white.
#NTS Important thing to remember for today. Put the pens back into the holder before you can use the interactive keyboard - only 1 input device at a time!


@kalgrl
#ablogadayforjune

'e-worked out' my term for when i use a mixture of reading, online and playing around until I get it...

meme for Day 7 - busy

Day 6 - Prince of Persia and sundry Sunday things....

from Ruminations a meme for Holiday Monday...

Do you snack while reading? Yes. usually something small and not messy to be lifted from a bowl so I don't have to pay attention to the action.

What is your favourite drink while reading? Tea.

Do you tend to mark your books while you read, or does the idea of writing in books horrify you? I have trouble marking books. I simply don't see it as something i can do as they possibly won't always be mine.

How do you keep your place? Bookmark? Dog-ears? Laying the book open flat? I use what is handy, a bookmark if I have one, receipt for the book, shopping list etc.

Fiction, non-fiction or both? Both, mainly fiction.

Do you tend to read to the end of a chapter or can you stop anywhere? End of the next chapter.. can't stop easily.

Least favourite way of stopping? interruption i.e. not my choice to stop.

Are you the type of person to throw a book across the room or on the floor if the author irritates you? I only ever threw one book, and that was because it was a perfect story up until the last chapter. The author let you have full control of what you wanted to make from the story and then, he explained! in the last chapter, virtually ruining the entire story, well for me anyway. I felt I didn't need it explained.

If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop and look it up right away? No I usually just guess from the surrounding words the meaning. If it really bothers me I will have a look later. (in Fiction. In non-fiction I have the dictionary beside me.)

What are you currently reading? Makers - Cory Doctorow, The girl who played with fire - Stieg Larsson and a few more and Blogs, lots of blogs.

What is the last book you bought? $5 special from the newsagent on Saturday - "Hidden Power" by Judith Cutler

Do you have a favourite time/place to read? in the morning.

Do you prefer series books or stand-alones? no preference.

Is there a specific book or author you find yourself recommending over and over? I read a lot, and only recommend if asked. I unfortunately have a terrible memory for authors and proper titles. I remember the stories and my experience when reading. Can't recommend if you can't remember what it is called.
As a classic science fiction reader, I probably 'talk about' the short stories of Ray Bradbury, "There will come soft rains", or "Flowers for Algenon" by Daniel Keyes and "Yesterday was Monday" by Theodore Sturgeon. (online search as aid to memory here:-). I do remember recommending "I Robot" (Asimov) recently, however forgot to tell them it was short stories.

How do you organize your books (by genre, title, author’s last name, etc.)? fiction by Author...non fiction by where I place it on the shelf (or more rightly, where it fits on the shelf), no oganization.

Barbara’s additional question: background noise or silence?
Depends what I am doing, usually quiet hum of household if concentrating.

Egads! this has taken me longer then I wanted it to take...bye.
@kalgrl

Blog Birthday - 4th !

Just recently I passed my 4th 'Blog Birthday".
When I started this blog I was in a different position and it feels like another world.

Some ecletic things that were happening at the same time:
Twitter started in March 2006.
2006 was the international year of Deserts and Desertification.
It was Mozarts 250th Birthday
Star's babies were born in 2006, Kingston, Moses and Suri.
Pluto was demoted :-(
The third in line to the Chrysanthemum Throne of Japan was born.

The thing is, the item I most remember was Pluto was demoted to a rock, so upsetting.



I even knew a rhyme from childhood to remember the planets, and to top that all off the books on the shelf on the solar system were now so, yesterday.
Pluto is God of the Underworld, how can you de-planet a God?
Still not over that.:-)

Anyway happy #blogeverydayinjune

@kalgrl

cupcake is from here
de-planeted pluto graphic from here

MY new favourite kitchen thingy!

TGIF - short blog today.
My new favourite thing in the kitchen. Wonderful retro measure for dry foods.
english cups, american cups, ounces, grams.

@kalgrl

A graduate engineer walked into the library...

In a special library at a mining company where I worked we had a yearly batch of graduates from all spectrums of the industry and it was really wonderful to watch them go through their programme and experience the interesting angles at which they would approach their work.

Some would have new approaches to old problems, like the one when presented with the problem (a favorite one to give the graduates every year) of 'wood picking' from the ore, went off to the hospital and asked to use some of their equipment to work out his solution.

(This problem, briefly explained, is the pulling of old wood, from disused underground works, out of the ore mined from the pit. The extra carbon from the wood interfered with the process of extracting the gold.)
His solution didn't work, but he married one of the nurses from the hospital.

Some of these graduates were very young, older hands would enjoy sending them off to the store for a 'long weight' or some striped paint. The storemen would just send them to a chair in the office, and get back to work, which, after a while so did the graduate.

I have met a graduate that insisted that there must be a 'standard' for everything, if only he could find the number to order it. I met a graduate that showed me an erupting volcaneo online,one that was interested in extraterrestrial geology, and one that built a boat. Working in this library I purchased items on all manner of subjects and ordered papers from many interesting conferences for seemingly obscure subjects, and enjoyed all of it. They were an interesting, vibrant and stimulating group.

Where I am working now is at the other end of the education cycle. We recently had a graduation and more graduates went out into the industry, where I hope they meet the old hands and have a company library to ransack and a Librarian to torment. I hope she/he gives them the one paper ever written on 'Wood Picking', and they finish their graduate programs with ease.

Some of them come into the library, with their families. Telling them tales of nights spent searching for information for their 4th year projects or other important assessments. These students often stop to thank the library staff,and then go off to their new exciting careers in the industry.

Ah bless, lets hope they don't have a 'long wait'. :-)

Good night! @kalgrl

'a blog a day, helps you...communicate!'

Today is a good day, very busy.
Small post to carry on with the committment of #blogging every day in JUNE!
(For which i can lay the credit at Ruminations door)

This has renewed my interest in my blog.

Today I am thankful for;

1.JB who brought me a drink of tea at 6:30am
2.Tweeps for tweets ;-)
3.My manager for support
4.@flexnib
5.'the team' @kal

back to the coalface now - literally (except its gold and ore and other mining tech.)