Relaxing
Slow Cooking and Library School
Posted March 20, 2013 by Julie Steenson
I have a special relationship with my slow cooker. It all started when my daughter’s community theater involvement required me to be in the car, rather than behind the stove at meal time. I was not very creative back then, and we had a few standby recipes that I could throw in the pot early in the day and then pride myself on serving my family a healthy meal 8 hours later. Then came library school and my library job. Working in a public library often means odd hours. Public libraries are usually open some evenings, and that night shift is often shared by staff on a rotating basis. To add to it, my classes are all a long distance from home on either the main or West campus, so my school days are long days. By 7 or 8 pm, when I get home, I want a good meal – no canned soup or grilled cheese. I am tired and hungry and want to be greeted to the aroma of simmering spices and a glass of…
Ode to Spring Break
Posted March 11, 2013 by Sarah Barton
As a graduate student, I feel a little awkward telling people that this week is Spring Break. I mean, Spring Break is soooo college, right? Last year I felt better about discussing my Spring Break plans, as I spent a week in the great outdoors of Arizona and Utah – far, far from the dreary New England winter. This year, however, my Spring Break involves a trip north (but not too far north) to my parents’ house in Portsmouth, NH for a few days. It isn’t going to be any warmer or less snowy in Portsmouth, but a different setting will certainly be welcome. This year will make for a far less exciting Spring Break story, but I am looking forward to it just the same. I am not generally a restless person, but this year’s winter weather has made me quite edgy. I have been spending an excessive amount of time wasting away in my apartment, and my weekly routine has been feeling even more routine than normal. Enter: Spring Break, exactly the elixir…
On Starting A New Year, and A New Semester
Posted January 15, 2013 by Carolyn Lucas
I cannot believe that Christmas break already came and went. I spent my time tanning in the Floridian sun, crafting all of my Christmas presents, catching up on some quality sleep time, and enjoying hot beverages… I am especially enjoying the newfound glories of a proper cup of English Breakfast tea, and the new delights of the French Pressed coffee. As 2012 ended and 2013 begins, I always find that a few New Year’s Resolutions make their way into my habits as a student. Read: I WILL read all the readings this semester. I WILL go to office hours if I need help. I WILL start papers and projects well-enough in advance. Like many students, procrastination is a good friend of mine, who pops in more often than I’d like to take up way too much of my time with persuasions of nail-painting and dessert-baking instead of paper-writing and presentation-practicing. Typically, I despise trendy productivity techniques. But over Christmas, I found myself reading an interesting article about the benefits of the small, self-indulgent pleasures in…
All but the best laid book plans…
Posted January 11, 2013 by Maggie Davidov
A few posts ago you may or may not recall my assertion that what GSLIS students should be doing during their break was to take some time to professionally develop. Well develop I did, but in the exact opposite way I intended. You see, over the break I read prolifically (for me, anyway). I read books I had been dying to take home and snuggle with. I read when I woke up every day. I read after my luxurious mid-morning naps. I read next to my family’s Christmas tree with a cup of tea in hand. ‘Twas glorious! Now, while this wasn’t strictly professional reading. I think it’s SO VERY important for librarians, who have very little time for pleasure reading (BIG misconception about the profession in my opinion), to read their hearts out. To read until their eyeballs pop right out of their sockets. Readers advisory is a skill to be honed and the only real way to get anything done on that front is to read and share. This, I have done. This,…
PIN IT!
Posted December 8, 2012 by Maggie Davidov
Yes, this is about the field of library science. For serious, it is. I promise. It just takes all those pesky listserv emails to a whole other visually pleasing and not annoying dimension. Don’t get me wrong. I’m a huge fan of the idea of sharing and consulting with other professionals in the field when it comes to library questions. But does anyone get tired of the incessant emails? Because I do. Between all the clubs, the Simmons info, the tech lab, and my Moodle classroom forum posts, I’m awash in a sea of email that I must wade through to get to the nuggets of pure gold. As it is officially the holiday season and the end of the semester I am BEAT. I have no patience. All I want is pretty, shiny, sparkling lights and peppermint cocoa and “Buddy the Elf, what’s your favorite color?” I want things that make it easier to be inspired.This is how I came to pinterest. Ok, this isn’t how I came to pinterest. There was actually a…
Stress Busters for the End of the Semester
Posted December 1, 2012 by Maggie Davidov
I am a stress champion. Normally, I take a break from stress at Thanksgiving before the season of giving and stressing begins. This year, however, I took the reigns for Turkey day and fed 11 people with a 20 pound turkey. So, my stress levels are still pretty high and everything is coming to a close. I always tell my students not to stress: all will be well in the end, and if all is not well then it is not yet the end. A little bit of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel that never hurt anyone. I tell them this but never heed my own advice. In an effort to do just that I am passing on study tips, stress busters, and words of love I have compiled for all those who are feeling the end of the semester crunch. TIPS: Teach what you’re studying. If you can teach it, you know it. Teach your dog, your brother or your roommate, or look in the mirror and teach yourself. Remember, no one can ask any more than…
A Reference Lesson at Trivia
Posted November 11, 2012 by lazylibrarian
I am a sucker for trivia. All forms of it; quizzes online, Jeopardy, Trivial Pursuit (especially the Star Wars edition), Scene It and trivia nights at the bar. I had a QuizWiz growing up and loved it! Pop-up Brady? I’m there. So it’s no surprise that you can often find me at local bars on trivia night. Now all this love of trivia does not mean I’m any good. When the topic is history, literature or classic movies I do pretty well – science and sports….nope (and bar trivia seems to be heavily slanted towards sports). But last night at Penguin Pizza (great pizza, great beer and pretty ok trivia on Saturdays at 8!) a question during one round asked us what language, after English, was the most frequently spoken language in Australia. After debating the merits of various options (and trying to decide where the world’s highest airport was) we came to an agreement to put down Mandarin because one of us knew there was a large Asian community in Australia. The use of…
Yoga – You Won’t Regret It
Posted October 18, 2012 by cdelnero
For those of us who, like me, are buried in the depths of this program we can truly understand the need to keep our mental and physical health at the forefront. I do feel strongly that we deserve to reward ourselves for all of our hard work. But sometimes we reward ourselves in the wrong way. For example, I tend to treat myself with spending money and eating delicious food, which is a bad choice for my wallet and my waistline. I should be making better choices; after all, I’m paying for a gym membership that I never use and I have a bike collecting dust in the closet. This week however, I discovered what has been missing from my life all this time: Yoga. My first ever yoga class was on Monday and I am completely hooked! Not only did it feel so good to stretch, but I could feel my muscles working and I could feel my breathing becoming even. At the end of the class, we spent about 15 minutes doing guided…