28 April 2009
Thng 15
I have played computer games in the past. I do not have my own computer so I did not play the suggested ones, but I have played at my kids' homes. I find them addicting and prefer to do other things although I know they are popular with younger kids, many of them use our library.
High School Track and Field
I love track and field. My son is on his school team and I have been attending all his track meets for the past four years. I love the cameraderie in the stands with the other parents and grandparents. I cheer for all the kids on the team, not just my son, and I even have a few favorites on the teams we regularly compete against. Don't tell my son.
My favorite event is the 4x400m relay. My son runs it but that's not the reason I love it. There is something special about this last race of the day. Many of the spectators have already departed so the faithful gather at the fence near the finish line. Staying for the last race is for the hardy. Sometimes the weather is cold, sometimes it's raining. Sometimes the sun has already set and the kids are running under the lights. Sometimes it is cold AND raining AND dark. All the other events are done and the teams often gather at the far curve to cheer their teammates on. As I heard a sports commenter say, "Everyone remembers the last race of the meet."
The 4x4 is different than the other relays. Everyone starts and ends at the same place. They do this in the 4x800m relay too but that race doesn't have the speed. With two laps for each runner, it isn't as exciting. The 4x100m has the runners ending their leg at the four corners of the field and the 4x200m runners end in two different places and both these shorter races are hard to follow because of the stagger start. It is hard to tell who is ahead until the final hand-off. But the 4x4 runners all and begin in the same place. They are there to cheer each other on as they start and call them home as they near the hand-off and they are all there to congratulate each other if they win and console each other if they lose. None of the runners have other events in which to compete now, all they have to do is cool down which they do as a team. Everyone else is packing up and heading for the bus but the 4x4ers are jogging around the field, cooling down, savoring their victory, and bonding as a team.
The parents and friends pack up and drive home, often happy for cars with working heaters. We'll talk about the meet with our kids later. We'll remember the 4x400m, the last, and best, race of the meet.
My favorite event is the 4x400m relay. My son runs it but that's not the reason I love it. There is something special about this last race of the day. Many of the spectators have already departed so the faithful gather at the fence near the finish line. Staying for the last race is for the hardy. Sometimes the weather is cold, sometimes it's raining. Sometimes the sun has already set and the kids are running under the lights. Sometimes it is cold AND raining AND dark. All the other events are done and the teams often gather at the far curve to cheer their teammates on. As I heard a sports commenter say, "Everyone remembers the last race of the meet."
The 4x4 is different than the other relays. Everyone starts and ends at the same place. They do this in the 4x800m relay too but that race doesn't have the speed. With two laps for each runner, it isn't as exciting. The 4x100m has the runners ending their leg at the four corners of the field and the 4x200m runners end in two different places and both these shorter races are hard to follow because of the stagger start. It is hard to tell who is ahead until the final hand-off. But the 4x4 runners all and begin in the same place. They are there to cheer each other on as they start and call them home as they near the hand-off and they are all there to congratulate each other if they win and console each other if they lose. None of the runners have other events in which to compete now, all they have to do is cool down which they do as a team. Everyone else is packing up and heading for the bus but the 4x4ers are jogging around the field, cooling down, savoring their victory, and bonding as a team.
The parents and friends pack up and drive home, often happy for cars with working heaters. We'll talk about the meet with our kids later. We'll remember the 4x400m, the last, and best, race of the meet.
22 April 2009
Thing 14
I have been browsing the LibraryThing site. I could spend a lot of time on this one, checking out the different groups. There is so much information here and I think I'll find the site useful. I loved the library stories. Libraries are definitely interesting places to work. I also signed up for one of the groups. There is much more exploring to do on this site, but later. I am at work now and I get to go home now.
18 April 2009
Thing 13
I set myself up with a google calendar. I am lost without my daily planner. My life is in that book. I will try putting everything on the new calendar but I still plan to use my little book. I can see the advantage of the net calendar however, as my contacts can add to my calendar if they wish. Now I have to remember to check this calendar. My little book is almost always with me, the computer is not.
Thing 11, Thing 12
I am still plugging away at these 23 things. I created a delicious.com file and added all my favorite sites for easy reference. I'm not sure I'll use it however. By doing the 23 Things I have found websites of all kinds in addition to the sites I already frequent. It is a help to sort the ones I find useful but sometimes I just want to skip it all and go home to knit.
I also checked out the social media sites. I signed up for Mixx as it seemed to fit me best. Some of the postings on these sites could have benefited from a little polishing. I like the fact that the news isn't censored and I can get different view points. Maybe I'll even contribute something myself.
I also checked out the social media sites. I signed up for Mixx as it seemed to fit me best. Some of the postings on these sites could have benefited from a little polishing. I like the fact that the news isn't censored and I can get different view points. Maybe I'll even contribute something myself.
06 April 2009
No Time
I am still trying to get to these dang "23 Things" but time is a problem. We are so busy all the time at our library that I don't get a chance to work on anything not involving our patrons. We are busier than ever since the economy has slowed and people are discovering that everything is free at the library! It is a challenge, however, to meet the growing needs of our patrons and have time for to learn new things. I am enjoying searching Facebook and MySpace for old friends. I wish there was more time.
27 March 2009
Thing 18, Thing 20
I have been exploring YouTube and enjoying the videos. I have watched friends with amusement. I have done research for my kids and I have even learned how to read a book. Check out those videos.
I also have both a MySpace page and a Facebook page. On my MySpace page I even have friends! I have been contacted by a few people that I had lost track of and it is good to find them again. My kids use these sites nearly daily to contact friends and family but I only check them sporadically. I like looking at the photos but I don't yet think of the computer first when I want to contact someone. This kind of communication is fun and quick. We can easily express frustration or excitement in a couple of sentences but it is the kind of communication we have when we pass an aquaintance on the street. I don't see these sites as tools for communication on a deeper level. Maybe I'm old-fashioned. My kids tell me I am.
I also have both a MySpace page and a Facebook page. On my MySpace page I even have friends! I have been contacted by a few people that I had lost track of and it is good to find them again. My kids use these sites nearly daily to contact friends and family but I only check them sporadically. I like looking at the photos but I don't yet think of the computer first when I want to contact someone. This kind of communication is fun and quick. We can easily express frustration or excitement in a couple of sentences but it is the kind of communication we have when we pass an aquaintance on the street. I don't see these sites as tools for communication on a deeper level. Maybe I'm old-fashioned. My kids tell me I am.
21 November 2008
Thing 9
I finally got around to playing with document editing. I had fun playing with the sample document. One of the comments asked if this is what it would be like if librarians ran the world. If the document is an indication of librarian rule, I hope it never happens. I added a comment and edited the document. I can see how document editing could be useful, but I can also see potential for chaos. Sometimes, the original works best.
01 November 2008
Thing 10
I have moved on to Thing 10. Okay, I'm still working on Things 8 and 9 too. It is difficult to find the time to do the "things" and to do them carefully so that I really understand what they are about. I added a comment to the 23Things Wiki and I will keep slogging along on the rest of my 23. I can't wait to see what's in store now as I move on to Thing 11, and, of course, finish up on 8 and 9.
02 August 2008
Thing 7
I moved on to Thing 7. The first 6 things appeared to be more challenging than they turned out to be. I appreciated the encouraging comments and I think I will use some of them in the future but primarily for my own use at this point. I scheduled a mock meeting for my co-workers and included a poll so that I could try out scheduling a meeting. I can't see myself needing Thing 7 any time in the near future but I didn't want to skip anything. They have not yet responded. I am anxious to hear their comments.
28 July 2008
25 July 2008
RUN JEREMY RUN
THE SUMMER GAMES ARE UPON US AND THE TRACK AND FIELD EVENTS ARE THE HEART OF THE GAMES. THE 400M AND 4X400M RELAY ARE OUR FAVORITE EVENTS. WE PICK JEREMY WARINER TO TAKE THE GOLD.
I am having trouble finding the time to work on my 23 things. I am losing my intial enthusiam for this project, but today I made a trading card. I chose a sports figure and message about Olympic success because I thought it would amuse my jock son. I am not displaying it on my blog as I want to polish it up a bit, maybe find a better photo, but the point is that I did it! I don't know how this will help me in my job but I am learning how to do things I never thought about doing before. My kids are amazed that I now can do things on the computer that they can't. They are happy to play video games and download music. But I am still a Luddite at heart.
25 June 2008
I am not having fun. These 23 things on a stick are really 53 things on a stick (or more) and each step takes me a long time. I wanted to know more about what the internet and the new technologies have to offer so that I can better help our patrons, but at this point I don't know if I can help them at all. In step 2 I read about Library 2.0. I think the author feels that we should be humoring the elderly and the aging baby-boomers (of which I am one) until we can dump all the old ways of doing things and go completely high-tech. I want to learn the new but I like the old ways and don't want to lose them completely. Maybe there is co-existence.
15 June 2008
14 June 2008
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
