I had a webcast from the Medical Library Association at the University of Kentucky Medical Center Library today and got to see some of my fellow medical librarians and speak to the former chair of the committee I'm chairing now about upcoming events at the annual meeting in Seattle in May. I'm not able to go, but she is, and she volunteered to take care of the booth and man it during on of our activities, for which I am very grateful, as it's during the same time as our section meeting and I wasn't sure I could find someone to do it.
I have a pedometer that I wore today. I knew I'd be doing a lot of walking around UK and wondered if I could reach the magic '10,000 steps' they talk about. Well, I made it past 12,000! Woo-hoo! This meter measures passive walking (that is, steps I take walking across the room or through the hallways as well as exercise-style walking. Not all of them do. So all the steps counted. It also kept total time walking, calories burned, and distance walked.) I walked about four miles today. Now obviously, today wasn't a normal day. But I'm going to try to wear it and figure out what is normal. I do walk to and from the bus stop, and then around the hospital several times a day, plus occasional attempts at going for a walk.
After the webcast, I took the bus into the transit centre and changed back to my normal bus, then stopped at Liquor Barn for a teensy, tiny bottle of Buffalo Trace bourbon and then walked over to Kroger (again with the walking) and shopped for the ingredients I needed for the pie. It was relatively straightforward. I needed flour, sugar (I got a small bag/box of each), vanilla, nutmeg (I think I have some somewhere in my cabinet, but didn't want to chance it, and it's probably years old anyway), eggs, unsalted butter, and some whipped cream (I'm making everything else from scratch, except this...but it is from real cream and not that oil stuff). I also got a package of pie pans WITH LIDS, something I need for taking a pie to work with me on the bus, which should be an adventure in and of itself.
Anyway, we'll see if this turns out to be an absolute disaster or not. I'm going to eat some more Indian food with the rice I cooked yesterday (I think I'll try the chickpea curry this time) and then cut up my butter and get it really cold to start the process. There's a lot of freezing and refrigerating in this recipe to produce a really flaky crust. Both recipes, however--the crust and the custard--are pretty straightforward. The only real question is the bourbon. In the original recipe I found, 1 Tbsp of bourbon was used, but then I realised it was a recipe for a bourbon custard and not a pie at all. The custard is cooked and then the bourbon is added when it cools. But I'm going to be baking my custard in the pie shell, so I thought I might need to increase the bourbon because it's being cooked and presumably the alcohol will cook out, leaving just the flavour. I did find one recipe that involved a custard pie with bourbon in it that used 3 Tbsp. (although it also had bacon in it, which sounds disgusting, but I guess for meat eaters it would be okay). So I think I'll go with that and see how it turns out; if it's a bit strong, well, at least we're not going to get drunk off it. I'll take the whipped cream with me and put it on right before the contest, sprinkling a little nutmeg on it.
This sounded interesting, and I asked several people if they thought it or a transparent pie would be good for the contest, and everyone voted for bourbon (except A and YKWIA, the latter of whom I think didn't give an opinion one way or another and was just amused that I was trying this). But I really did spend three years, albeit long ago, baking in Future Homemakers of America, even though I never really learned to cook. But the ironic thing is between my dislike of bourbon (at least in bourbon balls, I'm just not a fan) and my diabetes, I don't actually plan on eating the pie, except maybe a little taste just to see how I did. So there you go.
While I was at Kroger I also got some generic Claritin. 10 pills of Claritin are almost $11. 10 pills of Kroger brand are $1.99. I got a bottle of 60 for $7.96. 45 Claritin tablets were something like $30. Go generics. I don't care so long as they work, and my allergies have been so bad, this week especially. A co-worker gave me some Advil Cold & Sinus earlier today and it helped. But before that my breathing was very wheezy and I actually had to use my inhaler, which is usually a once or twice a year thing and I've been using it maybe once every two weeks, and probably should more than that. With the early spring, the grass and tree pollen is happening at the same time. I think that's my main problem. I'm allergic to all sorts of grasses and trees as well. I think I'm okay around evergreens, but I'm not sure they checked for that. But oak? Bleh. I start having trouble the moment those buds on the maples start, which this year was back in January.
Okay, time to go get something to eat and then start the pie process. Wish me luck.
Born, like other comic book characters, out of an otherwise trivial but life-changing animal bite, the Rabid Librarian seeks out strange, useless facts, raves about real and perceived injustices, and seeks to meet her greatest challenge of all--her own life.
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Showing posts with label MLA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label MLA. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Thursday, April 09, 2009
A nice surprise
Today is payday at the hospital, so I got up early to check the status of my direct deposit. I found out I had an extra $20 in my cheque, which I can only surmise has to do with the tax rebates that I did not entirely keep up with that were discussed right after Obama went into office.
Yay!
That means each paycheque is higher (by about $10) than my rent. That hasn't happened in a very long time. (See why I work two jobs? You shouldn't have your rent be more than 50% of your earnings--and I don't have an exorbitant rent--it's less than $500 a month.)
Today I need to pay my rent and I'll have about $30 left over for food until I get paid at the store on Wednesday. So that $20 is much appreciated.
That next deposit from the store should be fairly nice, because I worked 30 hours again this past week, since I stayed so late on Saturday. I only have my electric and phone to pay with that, and then the next week I'll just have the cable bill, so maybe I can get ahead/get a few things I need (like clothes). I also get two more store cheques before the next rent after that, so I'll be on time and in good shape. The only factor I'm not sure of is my taxes, which I need to do this weekend. I'm sure I'll have to pay, but it shouldn't be as bad as last year since I changed my W-4 withholdings at some point in the year. Next year I might even get a refund.
I was on the American Library Association's Connect page (a sort of mini-librarian-only version of Facebook for professional networking) the other day and really started looking into membership in the ALA. I thought it would be too expensive, but they have an option for unemployed/underemployed librarians that is only $46 a year for someone who makes under $25,000, so I qualify. My position no longer requires a Master's (it is preferred, although of course I have an MSLS), doesn't supervise people, and doesn't require state certification (although I have it), so it doesn't fit regular membership requirements anyway.) I haven't been a member of ALA since library school because they didn't have that tier of membership after I graduated, as far as I remember. It's better than the MLA rate, which is also reduced. My MLA membership is vital, but I think I'd benefit from joining ALA as well. It would help me keep up with trends in the general library world and possibly network myself into a full-time job. With the way things are going, that's really more pressing than it used to be.
At the hospital, our benefits are changing due to the recession. This year our co-pays for health insurance doubled. They're eliminating our employee assistance programme, which I've used for medical and legal counseling in the past. They've suspended tuition reimbursement at least for now. There are a few minor ones involving things like our extended illness bank, etc.
The bad news is since I work for a system that relies solely on dues of a fraternity (that is ageing and not replacing members at the rate it needs to) and an invested endowment, the current oeconomic crisis means significant changes for the system. As someone who's already been partly laid off in this position, I'm aware at how little job security I have at the hospital, and it's a source of stress. Nor is the gas station completely secure, either. There's a good chance that the nearby Kroger, as part of its extended remodelling, is putting in a gas station within a couple hundred yards of our store. If that's the case, they may shut us down, and I'm really not sure if I want to go work at another, larger store, although at least there are two within a short distance from home. We'll see. One co-worker was told by a Kroger employee that it could happen as early as October.
Of course, the jobs in libraries (I do keep track of them regularly, and recently) are pretty thin right now, and the competition with the recent graduates of our library school is still a factor. Many librarians who planned to retire are holding on to their jobs. The job market is pretty bleak, and I don't have public or academic library experience so in a way my 12 years in medical librarianship doesn't exactly count, especially as the only people I've supervised are student volunteers, not professionals.
Sigh. It will get better. It has to. But if I lost my job (either of them), I really don't know what I would do. I guess if I lost the hospital job I'd go full-time at the store at least for a time, but I don't think I could make it, even at 40 hours a week, on $8.55 an hour. And if the store shuts down, I'll lose the extra money that keeps me afloat. So there you have it. It's a source of stress, but no different from millions of other people's right now.
Okay, time to get some stuff done before work. Have a good day.
Yay!
That means each paycheque is higher (by about $10) than my rent. That hasn't happened in a very long time. (See why I work two jobs? You shouldn't have your rent be more than 50% of your earnings--and I don't have an exorbitant rent--it's less than $500 a month.)
Today I need to pay my rent and I'll have about $30 left over for food until I get paid at the store on Wednesday. So that $20 is much appreciated.
That next deposit from the store should be fairly nice, because I worked 30 hours again this past week, since I stayed so late on Saturday. I only have my electric and phone to pay with that, and then the next week I'll just have the cable bill, so maybe I can get ahead/get a few things I need (like clothes). I also get two more store cheques before the next rent after that, so I'll be on time and in good shape. The only factor I'm not sure of is my taxes, which I need to do this weekend. I'm sure I'll have to pay, but it shouldn't be as bad as last year since I changed my W-4 withholdings at some point in the year. Next year I might even get a refund.
I was on the American Library Association's Connect page (a sort of mini-librarian-only version of Facebook for professional networking) the other day and really started looking into membership in the ALA. I thought it would be too expensive, but they have an option for unemployed/underemployed librarians that is only $46 a year for someone who makes under $25,000, so I qualify. My position no longer requires a Master's (it is preferred, although of course I have an MSLS), doesn't supervise people, and doesn't require state certification (although I have it), so it doesn't fit regular membership requirements anyway.) I haven't been a member of ALA since library school because they didn't have that tier of membership after I graduated, as far as I remember. It's better than the MLA rate, which is also reduced. My MLA membership is vital, but I think I'd benefit from joining ALA as well. It would help me keep up with trends in the general library world and possibly network myself into a full-time job. With the way things are going, that's really more pressing than it used to be.
At the hospital, our benefits are changing due to the recession. This year our co-pays for health insurance doubled. They're eliminating our employee assistance programme, which I've used for medical and legal counseling in the past. They've suspended tuition reimbursement at least for now. There are a few minor ones involving things like our extended illness bank, etc.
The bad news is since I work for a system that relies solely on dues of a fraternity (that is ageing and not replacing members at the rate it needs to) and an invested endowment, the current oeconomic crisis means significant changes for the system. As someone who's already been partly laid off in this position, I'm aware at how little job security I have at the hospital, and it's a source of stress. Nor is the gas station completely secure, either. There's a good chance that the nearby Kroger, as part of its extended remodelling, is putting in a gas station within a couple hundred yards of our store. If that's the case, they may shut us down, and I'm really not sure if I want to go work at another, larger store, although at least there are two within a short distance from home. We'll see. One co-worker was told by a Kroger employee that it could happen as early as October.
Of course, the jobs in libraries (I do keep track of them regularly, and recently) are pretty thin right now, and the competition with the recent graduates of our library school is still a factor. Many librarians who planned to retire are holding on to their jobs. The job market is pretty bleak, and I don't have public or academic library experience so in a way my 12 years in medical librarianship doesn't exactly count, especially as the only people I've supervised are student volunteers, not professionals.
Sigh. It will get better. It has to. But if I lost my job (either of them), I really don't know what I would do. I guess if I lost the hospital job I'd go full-time at the store at least for a time, but I don't think I could make it, even at 40 hours a week, on $8.55 an hour. And if the store shuts down, I'll lose the extra money that keeps me afloat. So there you have it. It's a source of stress, but no different from millions of other people's right now.
Okay, time to get some stuff done before work. Have a good day.
Labels:
American Library Association,
Jobs,
MLA,
Obama,
Oeconomy,
Paycheques,
Taxes,
Work
Wednesday, March 04, 2009
A relatively relaxing day
Listening to/watching: '18th Floor Balcony' by Blue October [a very nice live performance] and 'It's Not My Time' by 3 Doors Down [the setting looked very familiar; turns out it was shot in Cincinnati. It has some great acrobatic moves of parkour in it that I need to remember for the game. There's a great word-of-the day. :)]
I was off work today to take someone to an appointment. Afterwards I did some errands and went to a store meeting in preparation for my boss' month-long leave, which starts Thursday. She really needs the time off but we're all going to miss her. We met the person taking over temporarily and first impression is that she'll be fine to work with. We had pizza and free drinks, and that's always nice.
Later I went home, started a dishwashing cycle, and took a nap. When I got up I watched one of the 'Heroes' episodes I've missed, getting all comfy on the loveseat. I pretty much lounged around until a friend called me to get him from work. So it was yet another lazy day, which are usually few and far between.
Nothing earth-shattering is going on right now in my life; no drama (yay!) I nearly hit a bunny last night on the road (it was hopping parallel at the edge), but didn't, thankfully. I've only hit one animal (a cat, which I killed) and was hysterical afterwards. I love animals.
I re-potted an amaryllis which has never bloomed for me and it shot right up (as well as a baby that I'd separated off it). There's no indication so far if it will bloom yet. The one I got last year that bloomed so nicely didn't this year, although it leafed out. It's dying down now so I'll give it a rest and try again.
The fish are hanging on. Next week I'll have the water tested again and see if it's better. I've been feeding sparingly and had changed a good part of the water and added more bacteria, so let's hope the nitrates go down. I need to get some plants to help take the nitrates out of the water and put them to growth instead.
I'm keeping up with the house and it looks nice and clean.
I'm going to try another MLA class that starts on March 9th. It's on wikis. Even though I didn't manage to finish in time to get credit for the Google Docs class, I learnt valuable lessons, including the fact that Google Docs can only graph numerical data (although that only came out after a bunch of us made surveys with non-numerical data like multiple text responses and discovered the graphing wouldn't work). There are workarounds, but they're not really satisfactory and it's simpler to just set it up numerically from the first. (There's your Important Safety Tip of the day.) That part of the class was rather annoying, but otherwise it was fun. I've played a little with wikis on Wetpaint and a tsunami-related one that came out after the disaster to help get out information on volunteering, news, and aid. If you're a member of the Medical Library Association and want to take the class, here's the information:
Okay, it's 3 am. Time to go to bed!!! (Past time, really, but I did get rest earlier, so I wasn't sleepy.)
I was off work today to take someone to an appointment. Afterwards I did some errands and went to a store meeting in preparation for my boss' month-long leave, which starts Thursday. She really needs the time off but we're all going to miss her. We met the person taking over temporarily and first impression is that she'll be fine to work with. We had pizza and free drinks, and that's always nice.
Later I went home, started a dishwashing cycle, and took a nap. When I got up I watched one of the 'Heroes' episodes I've missed, getting all comfy on the loveseat. I pretty much lounged around until a friend called me to get him from work. So it was yet another lazy day, which are usually few and far between.
Nothing earth-shattering is going on right now in my life; no drama (yay!) I nearly hit a bunny last night on the road (it was hopping parallel at the edge), but didn't, thankfully. I've only hit one animal (a cat, which I killed) and was hysterical afterwards. I love animals.
I re-potted an amaryllis which has never bloomed for me and it shot right up (as well as a baby that I'd separated off it). There's no indication so far if it will bloom yet. The one I got last year that bloomed so nicely didn't this year, although it leafed out. It's dying down now so I'll give it a rest and try again.
The fish are hanging on. Next week I'll have the water tested again and see if it's better. I've been feeding sparingly and had changed a good part of the water and added more bacteria, so let's hope the nitrates go down. I need to get some plants to help take the nitrates out of the water and put them to growth instead.
I'm keeping up with the house and it looks nice and clean.
I'm going to try another MLA class that starts on March 9th. It's on wikis. Even though I didn't manage to finish in time to get credit for the Google Docs class, I learnt valuable lessons, including the fact that Google Docs can only graph numerical data (although that only came out after a bunch of us made surveys with non-numerical data like multiple text responses and discovered the graphing wouldn't work). There are workarounds, but they're not really satisfactory and it's simpler to just set it up numerically from the first. (There's your Important Safety Tip of the day.) That part of the class was rather annoying, but otherwise it was fun. I've played a little with wikis on Wetpaint and a tsunami-related one that came out after the disaster to help get out information on volunteering, news, and aid. If you're a member of the Medical Library Association and want to take the class, here's the information:
Dig Deeper with Social Media Free CE Course: Wikis
Available to MLA members March 9–15, this course covers how libraries can apply wiki software to their work. Participants will gain an understanding of the benefits and challenges of wiki software, brainstorm and discuss practical applications of wikis in libraries, and get hands-on experience. Members who complete the course will receive two MLA CE credits. Registration for this course is required by March 6, 5:00pm CT. Register today>>
Okay, it's 3 am. Time to go to bed!!! (Past time, really, but I did get rest earlier, so I wasn't sleepy.)
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
PS, here's hoping for a full recovery of a fellow medical librarian
***SEE UPDATE BELOW***
I didn't really read much of my RSS feeds, including news, over the week I was on vacation. I have 600 in my reader right now, and I went through a few earlier today. But one thing I did see was unfortunate, and I thought I'd mention it here. David Rothman, a medical librarian whose blog I read and who was named as a Mover and Shaker in Library Journal last time they came out with the list, had a heart attack a few days ago, followed by a quadruple bypass within 24 hours. There was a 90% blockage. David doesn’t smoke and is primarily a vegetarian, but apparently there is a family history of heart problems. He's not that old (he looks to be in his 30s or early 40s at the most). He and his wife were blessed with a baby this summer. I'm hope he's doing better now.
To put a face to a name, you can see David in a video shot earlier this year as part of a plenary session called Web 2.0 Principles and Best Practices: Discovering the Participatory Web at the MLA annual meeting in May. He was the first presenter. He gave a great talk, and has a definite sense of humour. Or there's a nice article about him called 'Direct Effects: David Rothman, Community General Hospital' with a picture. Again, best wishes, and I hope everything turns out for David and his family.
UPDATE: Please see the next post for the real story. Basically, the David Rothman who had the heart attack was not the medical librarian who blogs at davidrothman.net. Their names are very similar, and it appeared in my library feed because David H Rothman (who did have the heart attack) is involved with E-Books.
Thanks to David (no H) for putting me straight, both in the comment below and on his blog. Sorry for the confusion/alarm, and a personaly apology to David for any misunderstandings that may arise. I've tried to update this in such a way, both with a new post and editing this one, so it'll make it through searches and RSS feeds okay.)
I hope to Gods this doesn't turn viral. I'll have more understanding for gaffes that politicians and reporters make (although I still love Biden's assertion that FDR addressed the country on television in 1929, when he wasn't president yet, no was there television. Hey, I'll still vote for him, even if he has a weak sense of history. At least he knows he's running for vice-president, which is more than you can say about Sarah Palin.)
I didn't really read much of my RSS feeds, including news, over the week I was on vacation. I have 600 in my reader right now, and I went through a few earlier today. But one thing I did see was unfortunate, and I thought I'd mention it here. David Rothman, a medical librarian whose blog I read and who was named as a Mover and Shaker in Library Journal last time they came out with the list, had a heart attack a few days ago, followed by a quadruple bypass within 24 hours. There was a 90% blockage. David doesn’t smoke and is primarily a vegetarian, but apparently there is a family history of heart problems. He's not that old (he looks to be in his 30s or early 40s at the most). He and his wife were blessed with a baby this summer. I'm hope he's doing better now.
To put a face to a name, you can see David in a video shot earlier this year as part of a plenary session called Web 2.0 Principles and Best Practices: Discovering the Participatory Web at the MLA annual meeting in May. He was the first presenter. He gave a great talk, and has a definite sense of humour. Or there's a nice article about him called 'Direct Effects: David Rothman, Community General Hospital' with a picture. Again, best wishes, and I hope everything turns out for David and his family.
UPDATE: Please see the next post for the real story. Basically, the David Rothman who had the heart attack was not the medical librarian who blogs at davidrothman.net. Their names are very similar, and it appeared in my library feed because David H Rothman (who did have the heart attack) is involved with E-Books.
Thanks to David (no H) for putting me straight, both in the comment below and on his blog. Sorry for the confusion/alarm, and a personaly apology to David for any misunderstandings that may arise. I've tried to update this in such a way, both with a new post and editing this one, so it'll make it through searches and RSS feeds okay.)
I hope to Gods this doesn't turn viral. I'll have more understanding for gaffes that politicians and reporters make (although I still love Biden's assertion that FDR addressed the country on television in 1929, when he wasn't president yet, no was there television. Hey, I'll still vote for him, even if he has a weak sense of history. At least he knows he's running for vice-president, which is more than you can say about Sarah Palin.)
Thursday, August 28, 2008
I guess that makes me certifiable :)
Several weeks ago I applied for state certification as a librarian. I do not need certification for my current job in a medical library, but it is a requirement for public libraries, and just to apply at Lexington Public Library requires the certificate. Since I periodically attempt to get a full-time job at the public library, it seemed a good move, especially as it is only $5 and for anyone with an MLS that's pretty much all you need to prove to get the initial certificate. As for renewal, that requires continuing education, and mine isn't public library focussed, of course, but rather tends to be medical library specific, so I don't know how best to proceed on that one for now. But the initial certificate is good for five years, so I have some time to find out if I need public library continuing education credits, etc. I got the certificate today from the Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives, duly signed by the head of the Board (my former teacher, Dennis Carrigan, the one who blew up on the phone when he got my answering machine with 'Happy Happy, Joy Joy' on it but then we hit it off quite well once we met in person) and the Secretary of State. Only problem? The spelling of my name is wrong. Sometimes it's difficult to have a relatively common name with a not-so-common spelling. Mine's Elisabeth, not Elizabeth (Eilir is my middle name). This despite the fact I threw in my name change paperwork when I applied since my degree was granted under my former name (even though my name had been changed with the university before I graduated). Oh, well, I'm rather used to the mistake. As long as no one calls me Liz....
I do finally have a decent portfolio to seek accreditation with the Medical Library Association's Academy of Health Information Professionals, having authored a book chapter and article, done selections for Doody's, and acquired a lot of continuing education credits, but it also requires $175, so I can't do it just yet. I wish they took into consideration income on that like they do on dues. I'd like to have 'MSLS, AHIP' after my name on my business cards, and most MLA members seek Academy status as they get further into their careers, to the point where it's almost expected. I put it off for awhile, unsure of how long I wanted to pursue medical librarianship, but I figure I've been one for over eleven years now, so I might as well get on the bandwagon. Besides, I've done the work needed to attain it, I might as well go ahead with my application. You watch, about the time I am granted AHIP membership, I'll change jobs out of the medical field.
I do finally have a decent portfolio to seek accreditation with the Medical Library Association's Academy of Health Information Professionals, having authored a book chapter and article, done selections for Doody's, and acquired a lot of continuing education credits, but it also requires $175, so I can't do it just yet. I wish they took into consideration income on that like they do on dues. I'd like to have 'MSLS, AHIP' after my name on my business cards, and most MLA members seek Academy status as they get further into their careers, to the point where it's almost expected. I put it off for awhile, unsure of how long I wanted to pursue medical librarianship, but I figure I've been one for over eleven years now, so I might as well get on the bandwagon. Besides, I've done the work needed to attain it, I might as well go ahead with my application. You watch, about the time I am granted AHIP membership, I'll change jobs out of the medical field.
Monday, June 02, 2008
Success, I think
Listening to: 'These Hard Times' by Matchbox 20
I used the recorder for its first game and recorded over six hours of material with the battery just going down one bar out of three (but it's rechargeable) and things are pretty clear even though a fan is blowing in the room. There was some lawnmowing at some point outside the window, so it should be interesting to see how well things were picked up by the recorder. I took notes as usual, though, so this is just supplementing them, although there were a few spots I didn't get down everything, so I'm glad for the backup. Speaking of backups, I put a copy of the file onto the computer since I do actually take the recorder around due to the music player function and listen at my desk at the hospital, etc.
Tomorrow I'm going to Danville to visit my grandmother, mom, and aunts/uncles/cousins who have come into town. Wish me luck. When you have a car with 252,000 miles on it, even an hour-long trip can be a little daunting.
By the way, you may have noticed the 'Twitter' widget on the left side of the screen with postings. Twitter is a type of mini-blogging--you only have 140 characters to eke out your message with, but it's incredibly easy to update. You can tweet from the web, from a phone/text message, through instant message, etc. I use a widget on my iGoogle page called 'BeTwittered', so I don't need to leave my home page if I don't want to. I've found sometimes I'm just too tired to blog here, but I'll put something on Twitter, or maybe I see something silly that isn't worth a post, and make a quick note. (One post was of seeing the first lightning bug of the season the other day, for example).
You can follow other people on Twitter. I started out following the MLA national conference and now I'm following a general MLA one, several librarians, and several Lexingtonians who seemed interesting and update regularly.
Today one of the librarians I follow posted a RIP message for her dog. I couldn't send her a direct message (she has to be following me to do that), and there wasn't a link at her blog, but I was able to send her a message of condolence at Facebook. I think I'm finally getting the hang of these Web 2.0/social networking gizmos.
Well, I guess that's it. That last part may not be comprehensible to non-techie types. Sorry about that. But I should go on to bed. I need to get gas and check my oil in the morning and for some reason it always takes longer to get out of Lexington than it should; when half the family is diabetic they take a dim view on you running late and throwing off lunch. :) Good night.
I used the recorder for its first game and recorded over six hours of material with the battery just going down one bar out of three (but it's rechargeable) and things are pretty clear even though a fan is blowing in the room. There was some lawnmowing at some point outside the window, so it should be interesting to see how well things were picked up by the recorder. I took notes as usual, though, so this is just supplementing them, although there were a few spots I didn't get down everything, so I'm glad for the backup. Speaking of backups, I put a copy of the file onto the computer since I do actually take the recorder around due to the music player function and listen at my desk at the hospital, etc.
Tomorrow I'm going to Danville to visit my grandmother, mom, and aunts/uncles/cousins who have come into town. Wish me luck. When you have a car with 252,000 miles on it, even an hour-long trip can be a little daunting.
By the way, you may have noticed the 'Twitter' widget on the left side of the screen with postings. Twitter is a type of mini-blogging--you only have 140 characters to eke out your message with, but it's incredibly easy to update. You can tweet from the web, from a phone/text message, through instant message, etc. I use a widget on my iGoogle page called 'BeTwittered', so I don't need to leave my home page if I don't want to. I've found sometimes I'm just too tired to blog here, but I'll put something on Twitter, or maybe I see something silly that isn't worth a post, and make a quick note. (One post was of seeing the first lightning bug of the season the other day, for example).
You can follow other people on Twitter. I started out following the MLA national conference and now I'm following a general MLA one, several librarians, and several Lexingtonians who seemed interesting and update regularly.
Today one of the librarians I follow posted a RIP message for her dog. I couldn't send her a direct message (she has to be following me to do that), and there wasn't a link at her blog, but I was able to send her a message of condolence at Facebook. I think I'm finally getting the hang of these Web 2.0/social networking gizmos.
Well, I guess that's it. That last part may not be comprehensible to non-techie types. Sorry about that. But I should go on to bed. I need to get gas and check my oil in the morning and for some reason it always takes longer to get out of Lexington than it should; when half the family is diabetic they take a dim view on you running late and throwing off lunch. :) Good night.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
PS
I didn't get to see the webcast from the MLA annual meeting on Web 2.0 because of technical difficulties we're still trying to iron out. What we thought was a headquarters firewall issue is apparently a local one, as my tech advisor could view it on his computer, but I couldn't view it on mine, so we have to figure out what needs to be updated. Fortunately the video will be available for awhile in the members-only section, then move into the public area, so I can watch it later. But I really did want to participate live and maybe ask a question along the way.
I did get both breakfast and pizza. My system isn't used to so much food, but my stomach is happy.
I'm home early tonight, so I think I'll go on to bed early. Tomorrow I work at the store, and then Saturday is a 10-hour shift. I may work an hour at another store on Tuesday. Otherwise I'm off, including Memorial Day (that day at both jobs), so I'm going to check with my mom tomorrow about her schedule and whether it would be a good time to go to Danville. My grandmother's birthday is on the Thursday afterwards, and so I'd like to go. If Monday's no good I'll rest and do stuff here and then ask off next Friday if that's better. Also when I wake up I should have enough money in my account to pay bills, like the rest of my electric bill, my Internet one, get some food and gas, that sort of thing. I've already paid my phone bill.
Okay, off to slumber with the window open, the fan blowing, a little nightlight with coloured light that shines through bubbling water with little plastic marbles that circulate, and my trusty CPAP machine. I know. I'm weird. But I sleep better that way. It was very hard to sleep without electricity, especially without the CPAP. The rest truly are optional, but fun. Good night.
I did get both breakfast and pizza. My system isn't used to so much food, but my stomach is happy.
I'm home early tonight, so I think I'll go on to bed early. Tomorrow I work at the store, and then Saturday is a 10-hour shift. I may work an hour at another store on Tuesday. Otherwise I'm off, including Memorial Day (that day at both jobs), so I'm going to check with my mom tomorrow about her schedule and whether it would be a good time to go to Danville. My grandmother's birthday is on the Thursday afterwards, and so I'd like to go. If Monday's no good I'll rest and do stuff here and then ask off next Friday if that's better. Also when I wake up I should have enough money in my account to pay bills, like the rest of my electric bill, my Internet one, get some food and gas, that sort of thing. I've already paid my phone bill.
Okay, off to slumber with the window open, the fan blowing, a little nightlight with coloured light that shines through bubbling water with little plastic marbles that circulate, and my trusty CPAP machine. I know. I'm weird. But I sleep better that way. It was very hard to sleep without electricity, especially without the CPAP. The rest truly are optional, but fun. Good night.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
I'm really not trying to be depressing
In fact I've twittered several small, happy things from my mundane life. So what's going on with me? Today was a good day, full of productive work and then I got some medicine, voted, got my new library card (with the keychain card, too), went to the gym (and got a new card for that, too, since it's changed from Gold's Gym to Urban Active), came home, and I've had a relaxing time, taking a nap, blogging, etc.
Tomorrow should be even better. We have a birthday breakfast at work where the directors serve and the administrator cooks omelets. It's something they do every six months or so, so even though I had a birthday in April, I go to this one. I'll need to get up early, as it finishes at 9 am and I'm usually at work at 10. Then there's a plenary session on Web 2.0 provided by webcast from MLA for those of us not in Chicago at the annual meeting. I have decided that I'm celebrating getting paid on Wednesday and Thursday with pizza (I have a coupon all ready, so it won't be very expensive) for lunch tomorrow. Then Thursday I'm going to pay my bills and get some gas and groceries.
Well, that's what's going on in my life, which is significantly better than last week. Hoping you're having a decent day/week, too.
Tomorrow should be even better. We have a birthday breakfast at work where the directors serve and the administrator cooks omelets. It's something they do every six months or so, so even though I had a birthday in April, I go to this one. I'll need to get up early, as it finishes at 9 am and I'm usually at work at 10. Then there's a plenary session on Web 2.0 provided by webcast from MLA for those of us not in Chicago at the annual meeting. I have decided that I'm celebrating getting paid on Wednesday and Thursday with pizza (I have a coupon all ready, so it won't be very expensive) for lunch tomorrow. Then Thursday I'm going to pay my bills and get some gas and groceries.
Well, that's what's going on in my life, which is significantly better than last week. Hoping you're having a decent day/week, too.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
A rare day off
Well, okay, I am going over to a friend's house later to help with the weekly cleaning normally done before the game, and then there's notes, but we're not playing and so I have a few hours to pick up my own place (my couch is buried under junk mail and books), maybe get a nap (I was up late last night), and do some computer stuff.
I went ahead and got some bread this morning to go with my peanut butter, which will hopefully hold out until Thursday. I have that and potatoes, although very little butter, so I may take those to work where I can get butter in the cafeteria.
I also checked on my prescription for glucose test strips and it's out of refills. I have all my other prescriptions that haven't been taken in from Dr Nesbitt and there isn't one for them, so I'll call Monday and see it they can call one in.
I was running some numbers last night for what would happen if I actually got a job like the one at Lexington Public Library that I applied to. I would wind up with about $700 a month (allowing for rent, gas, food, phone, electricity, Internet, and student loans) that wouldn't be committed, I think. Say I take out $100 for other stuff. That would leave $600. I could put half of that in savings and another half towards my debts. That would be $10,000 in savings over three years, which I consider healthy. (They recommend 6 months' worth of savings for expenses in case of job loss or other calamity. For me that would be about $7,000.) I could pay off my debts (except for the student loans, which may take my entire life!) in two years and hopefully rehabilitate my credit (I owe about $5000 in debt, which isn't bad really, considering what some people carry. But I haven't been able to pay it on my salary yet, although I have paid off a dental bill and am almost finished with an old phone debt.)
I hope I get this job. If I do, there's going to be one ecstatic post on this blog. Or, if not, I hope I can find a similar one.
I also checked into getting certification for working in public libraries. It would basically mean sending in a copy of my diploma (and probably the court order for my name change, since my diploma is unfortunately under my old name and one of those debts is to the school, so I can't get it changed until I pay it, I think. In any case I don't have the $50 to change both my BA and MSLS documents. The fee for the certification is only $5. It's required for all public librarians in Kentucky. It also means getting 100 contact hours of continuing education credit over five years. I think that's doable.
I also figured up my points to get my AHIP certification and I have enough plus extra, but it's $175 for five years, payable up front, so it may be awhile before I can do it. Also there's really no point if I move into the public library track. I wish they had a tier, much like the membership, for a reduced rate for those who make less than a certain amount a year (I think the MLA's cut off is $30,000, which I am well over.)
Also, one of my customers mentioned the economic stimulus rebate and I said I didn't think I'd get mine because I owed taxes and they'd apply it. He said his sister did, too, and she got hers. So I wonder if I will get one after all. That would be great. I'm not due to get mine until sometime in June (it's done by the last two digits of your social security number, and mine is pretty high). So I'm hopeful for that.
Well, I guess I should get off here. Thanks for reading. I know my life isn't very exciting. :)
I went ahead and got some bread this morning to go with my peanut butter, which will hopefully hold out until Thursday. I have that and potatoes, although very little butter, so I may take those to work where I can get butter in the cafeteria.
I also checked on my prescription for glucose test strips and it's out of refills. I have all my other prescriptions that haven't been taken in from Dr Nesbitt and there isn't one for them, so I'll call Monday and see it they can call one in.
I was running some numbers last night for what would happen if I actually got a job like the one at Lexington Public Library that I applied to. I would wind up with about $700 a month (allowing for rent, gas, food, phone, electricity, Internet, and student loans) that wouldn't be committed, I think. Say I take out $100 for other stuff. That would leave $600. I could put half of that in savings and another half towards my debts. That would be $10,000 in savings over three years, which I consider healthy. (They recommend 6 months' worth of savings for expenses in case of job loss or other calamity. For me that would be about $7,000.) I could pay off my debts (except for the student loans, which may take my entire life!) in two years and hopefully rehabilitate my credit (I owe about $5000 in debt, which isn't bad really, considering what some people carry. But I haven't been able to pay it on my salary yet, although I have paid off a dental bill and am almost finished with an old phone debt.)
I hope I get this job. If I do, there's going to be one ecstatic post on this blog. Or, if not, I hope I can find a similar one.
I also checked into getting certification for working in public libraries. It would basically mean sending in a copy of my diploma (and probably the court order for my name change, since my diploma is unfortunately under my old name and one of those debts is to the school, so I can't get it changed until I pay it, I think. In any case I don't have the $50 to change both my BA and MSLS documents. The fee for the certification is only $5. It's required for all public librarians in Kentucky. It also means getting 100 contact hours of continuing education credit over five years. I think that's doable.
I also figured up my points to get my AHIP certification and I have enough plus extra, but it's $175 for five years, payable up front, so it may be awhile before I can do it. Also there's really no point if I move into the public library track. I wish they had a tier, much like the membership, for a reduced rate for those who make less than a certain amount a year (I think the MLA's cut off is $30,000, which I am well over.)
Also, one of my customers mentioned the economic stimulus rebate and I said I didn't think I'd get mine because I owed taxes and they'd apply it. He said his sister did, too, and she got hers. So I wonder if I will get one after all. That would be great. I'm not due to get mine until sometime in June (it's done by the last two digits of your social security number, and mine is pretty high). So I'm hopeful for that.
Well, I guess I should get off here. Thanks for reading. I know my life isn't very exciting. :)
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
I'm sorry for the lack of posting
A friend has started a new work schedule, so instead of getting him at midnight I'm getting him at 3 am. So I've been coming home about midnight, going straight to bed, getting back up at 3 (intending to blog when I get back from getting him) coming home, going straight back to bed, and generally not getting up early enough to blog, either.
So what did you miss?
Well, the high point of my weekend (other than not getting any drive-offs at work) was re-piercing my ear. I had my ears pierced (the nice, normal, missionary-style way, I suppose, as opposed to up in the cartilage with four or five holes). Nothing else is pierced, just in case you're wondering, and I have no intention of doing anything else. It's just not me. But I do enjoy being able to wear earrings. Unfortunately, the last two years, the left ear's hole closed only in the very back because I wasn't wearing them enough. In the interim, the right hole was trying to as well. I thought about going to a piercer, but then if I had it re-pierced at a shop, I wouldn't be able to give blood for a year.
So I took one of my earrings and was just seeing if I could find where the hole had been, when I felt some pain and got some blood on my fingers, and voilà! my ear was pierced again. I wore those earrings overnight and realised at work the next day that I'd lost the back to one. So I dug around and found the earrings I first had my ears pierced in. They're thicker with a pointy end and have locking backs. I figure if I was going to keep earrings in for awhile to let the hole heal, these would be best. So I put them in, an ouchy on both sides, after cleansing the earlobes and earrings with alcohol pads (something I should have done when I actually pierced it the other day; I hope I don't get an infection). Anyway, the result is I have my original earrings in both ears and hopefully soon I'll be back to wearing different types of earrings on a regular basis.
What else?
Saturday was work. Sunday was the game, and we finally defeated the evil glob thing that assimilated animals and people, was laying eggs and talking, oozing about. The adventure is called 'The Devourer' from the book Lurking Fears. It was the 'Thing that Would not Die.' We had enough problems dealing with the thing with our Elder Signs and ninja abilities...I hate to think what a standard Call of Cthulhu character would do.
Speaking of ninjas, YKWIA found this gem:
'Ninja Librarian' from Letterbox Media
Dare to use a cell phone in the library!
Today I was at a library seminar on marketing, time management, and reaching out to users beyond the walls of the library. It was worth 4 hours of MLA continuing education credit, sponsored by the Kentucky Medical Library Association and hosted by Hospice of the Bluegrass (which is one of only two stand-alone hospices in the country with a medical librarian, as far as anyone knows), here in Lexington. That, plus the Web 2.0 class gives me 12, which is nice. It was a good programme by Diane Wolf, who was very knowledgeable and engaging.
This evening I've had a headache and generally haven't felt well. My allergies are acting up and although lunch was good, it didn't agree with me. So I think I'm going to go on to bed. Good night.
So what did you miss?
Well, the high point of my weekend (other than not getting any drive-offs at work) was re-piercing my ear. I had my ears pierced (the nice, normal, missionary-style way, I suppose, as opposed to up in the cartilage with four or five holes). Nothing else is pierced, just in case you're wondering, and I have no intention of doing anything else. It's just not me. But I do enjoy being able to wear earrings. Unfortunately, the last two years, the left ear's hole closed only in the very back because I wasn't wearing them enough. In the interim, the right hole was trying to as well. I thought about going to a piercer, but then if I had it re-pierced at a shop, I wouldn't be able to give blood for a year.
So I took one of my earrings and was just seeing if I could find where the hole had been, when I felt some pain and got some blood on my fingers, and voilà! my ear was pierced again. I wore those earrings overnight and realised at work the next day that I'd lost the back to one. So I dug around and found the earrings I first had my ears pierced in. They're thicker with a pointy end and have locking backs. I figure if I was going to keep earrings in for awhile to let the hole heal, these would be best. So I put them in, an ouchy on both sides, after cleansing the earlobes and earrings with alcohol pads (something I should have done when I actually pierced it the other day; I hope I don't get an infection). Anyway, the result is I have my original earrings in both ears and hopefully soon I'll be back to wearing different types of earrings on a regular basis.
What else?
Saturday was work. Sunday was the game, and we finally defeated the evil glob thing that assimilated animals and people, was laying eggs and talking, oozing about. The adventure is called 'The Devourer' from the book Lurking Fears. It was the 'Thing that Would not Die.' We had enough problems dealing with the thing with our Elder Signs and ninja abilities...I hate to think what a standard Call of Cthulhu character would do.
Speaking of ninjas, YKWIA found this gem:
'Ninja Librarian' from Letterbox Media
Dare to use a cell phone in the library!
Today I was at a library seminar on marketing, time management, and reaching out to users beyond the walls of the library. It was worth 4 hours of MLA continuing education credit, sponsored by the Kentucky Medical Library Association and hosted by Hospice of the Bluegrass (which is one of only two stand-alone hospices in the country with a medical librarian, as far as anyone knows), here in Lexington. That, plus the Web 2.0 class gives me 12, which is nice. It was a good programme by Diane Wolf, who was very knowledgeable and engaging.
This evening I've had a headache and generally haven't felt well. My allergies are acting up and although lunch was good, it didn't agree with me. So I think I'm going to go on to bed. Good night.
Saturday, March 08, 2008
One last, last thing
Kittens apparently wound up being part of a rehearsal joke for the webcast the other day that made it into the final live performance. The analogy was great. But the first mention was the one that sent me hanging onto the chair in front of me whilst I laughed really hard (and I wasn't the only one). I think the thing that threw us was Dale Prince's delivery of how he used flickr because he liked to look at pictures of...kittens. You just had to hear the tone and see the expression as he dared you to think otherwise.
Thanks to Michelle Kraft of the Krafty Librarian, for clearing that up.
Thanks to Michelle Kraft of the Krafty Librarian, for clearing that up.
Thursday, March 06, 2008
I'm taking a class
worth 8 continuing education credits starting Monday called 'Web 2.0 101'. It lasts for 8 weeks and is free to members of the Medical Library Association. Here's their blurb on it:
You'll need your MLA username and password to access the registration page above. (I unfortunately keep mine at work, so I couldn't read the expanded description again and tell you more.) It will discuss things like blogging (okay, I've probably got that down, but I'm always open to new ideas on how to use them professionally), RSS, wikis, social networking sites, tagging, and mashups. I'll probably have to do a lot of the work from home, since like most institutions, some sites are blocked by my workplace (MySpace is, I know, as well as YouTube. I'm not sure about others. Blogger isn't, but I'm not allowed to blog at work, although I can read blogs on Blog*Spot, so I can still keep up with some of what others are doing. I should be able to access Google Reader from home or work to remain up to date in my field's literature.)
Today I attended a webcast held at UK also on Web 2.0 which was a nice overview of what's out there. I learnt quite a lot, even though I am at least familiar with everything but mashups, which weren't discussed much other than to say they required more tech support and weren't as freely available as some of the other tools. One of the speakers was Michelle Kraft of the 'Krafty LIbrarian' blog.
I came out of that webcast with one burning queston--'What's with the kittens?' Trust me, if you'd seen it, you'd understand. Anyway, a lot of these teleconferences have kind of bored me in the past, but I found this one really enjoyable (except for random kittens). I got a lot of information that I found really useful. There were a few problems (the speakers were obviously nervous at the beginning, one speaker's slides were labelled differently in the handouts, which made it harder to follow, and some of the resources in the back were obviously printouts of hyperlinks but without the actual URLs), but they were relatively minor. All in all it was really good, and I'm looking forward to the 8-week class. Plus, at the national convention in May they're going to do a plenary session on Web 2.0 and for those of us who can't attend (I doubt I'll ever get to go to the annual meeting, unless I come into some mega personal money, because work won't help me out on that one), they're going to simulateously show it by video. Yay!
It's nice to get the opportunity to learn something in a class and not have to pay out the wazoo to get the credit. Thank you, MLA!
MLA Members: Learn More About Web 2.0 and Earn Eight Hours of Free CE Credit!
MLA's Social Networking Software Task Force, in partnership with the 2008 National Program Planning Committee (NPC) Geek Squad, is hosting a free CE course, "Web 2.0 101: Introduction to Second Generation Web Tools," for MLA members wanting to explore and discover both established and emerging web 2.0 technologies. Course content will include background readings, discovery exercises, and a discussion blog. The program will run from March 10 to May 4, 2008, following MLA's web 2.0 webcast and leading up to MLA '08 in Chicago. For more information and to register, visit the MLANET members-only area. Registration deadline is March 9, 2008. Read more and register...
You'll need your MLA username and password to access the registration page above. (I unfortunately keep mine at work, so I couldn't read the expanded description again and tell you more.) It will discuss things like blogging (okay, I've probably got that down, but I'm always open to new ideas on how to use them professionally), RSS, wikis, social networking sites, tagging, and mashups. I'll probably have to do a lot of the work from home, since like most institutions, some sites are blocked by my workplace (MySpace is, I know, as well as YouTube. I'm not sure about others. Blogger isn't, but I'm not allowed to blog at work, although I can read blogs on Blog*Spot, so I can still keep up with some of what others are doing. I should be able to access Google Reader from home or work to remain up to date in my field's literature.)
Today I attended a webcast held at UK also on Web 2.0 which was a nice overview of what's out there. I learnt quite a lot, even though I am at least familiar with everything but mashups, which weren't discussed much other than to say they required more tech support and weren't as freely available as some of the other tools. One of the speakers was Michelle Kraft of the 'Krafty LIbrarian' blog.
I came out of that webcast with one burning queston--'What's with the kittens?' Trust me, if you'd seen it, you'd understand. Anyway, a lot of these teleconferences have kind of bored me in the past, but I found this one really enjoyable (except for random kittens). I got a lot of information that I found really useful. There were a few problems (the speakers were obviously nervous at the beginning, one speaker's slides were labelled differently in the handouts, which made it harder to follow, and some of the resources in the back were obviously printouts of hyperlinks but without the actual URLs), but they were relatively minor. All in all it was really good, and I'm looking forward to the 8-week class. Plus, at the national convention in May they're going to do a plenary session on Web 2.0 and for those of us who can't attend (I doubt I'll ever get to go to the annual meeting, unless I come into some mega personal money, because work won't help me out on that one), they're going to simulateously show it by video. Yay!
It's nice to get the opportunity to learn something in a class and not have to pay out the wazoo to get the credit. Thank you, MLA!
Monday, September 17, 2007
The president of MLA blogs
about hospital IT departments and their tendency to block useful social networking sites (like Blogger, Facebook, MySpace, and YouTube).
It includes a chart from a survey listing what percentage of MLA members' institutions block each site. It doesn't break it down between hospitals, academic medical centres, etc., yet. Heartening is that 66% of reporting members said their institution did not block any site. But it's frustring for the rest of us.
I'm not sure what ours blocks. I think the only one I've come across is YouTube, when I was looking for a presentation video I'd seen at a conference that I wanted to view again. We at least have the option of appealing if we have a legitimate reason for accessing the site, though, and that's great.
It includes a chart from a survey listing what percentage of MLA members' institutions block each site. It doesn't break it down between hospitals, academic medical centres, etc., yet. Heartening is that 66% of reporting members said their institution did not block any site. But it's frustring for the rest of us.
I'm not sure what ours blocks. I think the only one I've come across is YouTube, when I was looking for a presentation video I'd seen at a conference that I wanted to view again. We at least have the option of appealing if we have a legitimate reason for accessing the site, though, and that's great.
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
Yum
Philly cheese steak veggie burgers, nummy.
Today I got to sleep a half an hour in than usual because I had a consortium meeting. The directions weren't that clear for getting to the room, and I'd forgotten they'd moved the education centre, so I wound up walking through all of the hospital's pedways, through five buildings. I happy to say that the token I'd gotten last time still worked for getting out of the parking lot, even though no one thought it would. The topic was electronic journal licences, not my favourite, but something I don't know a lot about. The presenter started us off with a video.
That set the tone for the whole thing. That and one of our past presidents dressing up in chaps, vest, and cowboy hat. Plus there were neat gadgets given out--a highlighter that erases and a measuring tape with a level, pen, and notepad attached (I had to have help later discovering what the hell the pen was--it looked like some rolling bar, but then discoverd the sticky pad on my own). Lunch was nice--with salad, fruit, chips, and veggie wraps for the vegetarians (the carnivores had barbeque and baked beans).
After that I trudged back through the pedways, at least not lost this time, used the token mentioned earlier and headed for a store meeting, my only work this week. That lasted a couple of hours. I took a co-worker home, then it was off to do notes, and I just got in after putting in a couple of hours' work. It took an hour to decipher one page of notes. They are abysmal at times. I can't believe I ever got huffy and said they were good notes. Alas, I did. And now I'm paying for it.
Today's weather was wonderful. It's supposed to rain the rest of the week. I'm working Thursday for four hours, Friday for three, and then Saturday for eight, so a lighter schedule than normal. I was afraid I'd go right into a 27-hour workweek (on top of the normal 20 hours at the hospital). Our longest-lived employee (who's been there for 30 years) goes on vacation soon, so I'll probably work more then. Soon the store down the street will be knocked down and rebuilt to remodel (the one that was robbed the other night), so our business should skyrocket. And then the first week of July my boss is going on vacation for a week so some of the night people will move to days and I'll probably be working more; I may not be able to get off July 4th this year. At least I have warning, though.
What else can I tell you? I told you about the book that came out yesterday. I'm also serving as a Doody's selector in Orthopaedics for their Core Titles product and I'm the chair of a national awards jury through the MLA this coming year. I'm hoping at the end of the year to be able to apply for AHIP status (Academy of Health Information Professionals). I put it off for a long time thinking I wouldn't be a medical librarian very long but it's been ten years after all. :)
I'm also planning on applying to (yes, another public library) the local library where they have a reference position open in their Kentucky room. My history, archives, and preservation background would be a plus. Hopefully it will work out better than the last time.
Well, that's all for now. I think I'll relax a bit before I get a friend from work. He's been sick, so I doubt he'll work late tonight. Have a good night.
Today I got to sleep a half an hour in than usual because I had a consortium meeting. The directions weren't that clear for getting to the room, and I'd forgotten they'd moved the education centre, so I wound up walking through all of the hospital's pedways, through five buildings. I happy to say that the token I'd gotten last time still worked for getting out of the parking lot, even though no one thought it would. The topic was electronic journal licences, not my favourite, but something I don't know a lot about. The presenter started us off with a video.
That set the tone for the whole thing. That and one of our past presidents dressing up in chaps, vest, and cowboy hat. Plus there were neat gadgets given out--a highlighter that erases and a measuring tape with a level, pen, and notepad attached (I had to have help later discovering what the hell the pen was--it looked like some rolling bar, but then discoverd the sticky pad on my own). Lunch was nice--with salad, fruit, chips, and veggie wraps for the vegetarians (the carnivores had barbeque and baked beans).
After that I trudged back through the pedways, at least not lost this time, used the token mentioned earlier and headed for a store meeting, my only work this week. That lasted a couple of hours. I took a co-worker home, then it was off to do notes, and I just got in after putting in a couple of hours' work. It took an hour to decipher one page of notes. They are abysmal at times. I can't believe I ever got huffy and said they were good notes. Alas, I did. And now I'm paying for it.
Today's weather was wonderful. It's supposed to rain the rest of the week. I'm working Thursday for four hours, Friday for three, and then Saturday for eight, so a lighter schedule than normal. I was afraid I'd go right into a 27-hour workweek (on top of the normal 20 hours at the hospital). Our longest-lived employee (who's been there for 30 years) goes on vacation soon, so I'll probably work more then. Soon the store down the street will be knocked down and rebuilt to remodel (the one that was robbed the other night), so our business should skyrocket. And then the first week of July my boss is going on vacation for a week so some of the night people will move to days and I'll probably be working more; I may not be able to get off July 4th this year. At least I have warning, though.
What else can I tell you? I told you about the book that came out yesterday. I'm also serving as a Doody's selector in Orthopaedics for their Core Titles product and I'm the chair of a national awards jury through the MLA this coming year. I'm hoping at the end of the year to be able to apply for AHIP status (Academy of Health Information Professionals). I put it off for a long time thinking I wouldn't be a medical librarian very long but it's been ten years after all. :)
I'm also planning on applying to (yes, another public library) the local library where they have a reference position open in their Kentucky room. My history, archives, and preservation background would be a plus. Hopefully it will work out better than the last time.
Well, that's all for now. I think I'll relax a bit before I get a friend from work. He's been sick, so I doubt he'll work late tonight. Have a good night.
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