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I want to know what you had for breakfast. I’m interested in seeing pictures of your cat attacking your plants. I want to share silly quotes from the movie I am watching.

This is what I use twitter for.

I’m not interested in following celebrities*. I’m not interested in getting customer service from Twitter. I’m not interested in being marketed too.

For me , Twitter is a  conversation medium. Like a crowded room where I overhear my friends chatting, I can pick up and join the conversation, or just follow along.  Sure I’ve been seduced by the occasional contest.  I’ve read about people who receive great customer service via twitter.  But its not for me.

I almost feel like I need to keep two twitter feeds, one for actual interaction and conversation and one that is an information dump from marketing agencies looking to lure me to their product.  (Celebrities? well they are their own product)

I hate the spammers I pick up on twitter. I hate that a message about loving a product earns me a follow from the company. I hate that marketing agencies and PR firms add me thinking I want to drink from the fire house of their information stream. My profile says it simply “Don’t know me? Don’t bother.” Not that spammers can read, not that PR firms bother.

In the end, I refuse to follow the crowd and engage in twitter as a commercial media. I’m engaging it in a way that is rewarding for me.

*Yes I follow 1 Celebrity, Martha Stewart. Don’t ask me why, “It’s a Good Thing. “

Budget cuts are everywhere, and my local library isn’t immune. They are scaling back some services, closing for a week and making some circulation adjustments

Its the circulation adjustments that are impacting me the most. They are now charging late fees for children’s books, ESL materials, reducing the number of books you can check out, and the number of books you can keep on hold.

From Blog Photos

Let me repeat that last one:
They are reducing the number of books you can have on hold. Previously the limit was 100 items on hold, 100 items checked out. New rules as of October? 25 holds , 50 checked out.

I rarely reach 50 checked out. I did this summer at one point, as i was shifting through movies and music. Ususally I manage between 10-15 items out, depending on the time of year. From midterms to finals I stay at the low end, increasing the number of books out just as the quarter ends so that I have recreational reading available while I am on break.

My hold list? Well that usually sits around 50-75, with 95% of it suspended, waiting until I am ready to return one book for another , or my free time changes. Initally the reasoning for hold list reduction was to increase circulation. Since most of my list is suspended i couldn’t see how I was impacting the circulation.

See, my hold list is more like my “Too read ” list. I run across an interesting book, a series I want to read, a cookbook I want to try and I toss it on hold. I suspend it so that when I ready I can activate it and the book will enter the normal hold process. While the library does have a separate “My List function”, I’ve never found it useful. Putting books on hold does not remove them from my list, and the list has been known to disappear.

I sent a polite email off I got nice response, that explained that large hold lists also caused technical difficulty for the librarys system.  I’m willing to believe that. Even I wasn’t willing to believe it, I still have to accept the change. So I have begun removing books from my hold list, by activating them and moving through them quickly.  I’m down to 29 items on hold, 23 out and another dozen or so in transit. It’s  a speed race to get through the books so that i’ll be able to actively use my holds.  What you see above is small pile of the hold reciepts for the 15 books I checked out today.

Wish me luck as I drown in my books.

Seattle now has light rail. There was pretty big fanfare when they opened a few weeks ago, and I look forward to fully exploring it in a couple of weeks with Patrick and Miss Bit.

I have to confess, I’ve already had my first taste, and found myself confused. See I went down to Big John’s PFI in the International District. I wandered down there by foot from 4th and Cherry, and when it came time to head home I opted to grab “something” in the tunnel to get me to my bus home.

I wandered down to the International District station, looked around and tried to figure out what to do next. I saw a little grey terminal sitting off to the side. Did I need a ticket? Wasn’t this the free zone? Was this the spot to stand for the light rail? Looks like i’m not the only one confused. There is mention of the system being modeled after the Max and the Light Rail in Vancouver, but having ridden both of those systems I can say that the International District station lacked decent signage. Of course once I got on they did check us for fares and my pass covered me, but i still don’t know if I was supposed to scan it or anything.

While doing housework this weekend I paused to think of advice given to me from various sources, and reflect on what they mean to me, how they fit into my life. You see there are two gems that really shine, one is older, parental and guides me through most everything I do. The other, more recent, more frivolous, but I find myself referencing it quite often.

The first piece of advice came from my mom. “Why Not”
Simply put, why not was never used to question a decision, but instead was motivation to try something new. It was the argument thrown in the face of any hesitation. It was an encouragement to get out of your shell, to do something new. It’s her voice I hear when I hesitate, when I think that I can’t do something, shouldn’t do something. When I am too shy, when I feel left out, when I feel the task in front of me in insurmountable, I hear her. “Why not?”
Should I go back to school? “Why not?”
Should I quit my job? “Why not?”
Can I learn to help parent a 6 year old “Why not?”

Why not indeed.

The other piece of advice that I got was from my friend Jill. I don’t even remember how it came up in conversation, I think we were dishing on someone wearing something to short to some event, and she said her momma told her if you tugged you couldn’t wear it.
What a simple rule, so logical, yet it has such an impact.

That little skirt you love? Go for it.
But once you start tugging, well then it’s a no go.
It’s not the length of the item that’s important it’s how you feel wearing it, how the fit works on you and whether you are distracted by the movement of the garment. After all, how can you focus on anything if you are constantly pulling at your jacket sleeves, adjusting your bra or squirming in your skirt? As I reworked my closet this weekend, I thought of this advice a lot.

Anyway, two simple pieces of advice for you, both important in my day to day.
What is the best piece advice you’ve been given? Either overall or something you’ve been given lately.

Melissa was recently talking about “life theme music” you know, the music that

I was thinking about this as well, but in a tangential way. It’s not music that I think represents my life, but instead music that transports me back to a certain time in my life. I’m talking about songs that I hear that immediately transport you to a time and place of your life. Sometimes a fond memory, sometimes not so.

Let me share a few with you.

1. Dan Fogleberg “Longer”
It’s 1979. We’re living with my grandparents, and mom has the Phoenix Album. The song longer comes on and Jim and I are dancing around the living room theatrically. This is something that continued on as we got older, we always loved to sing along, dancing and putting on shows for anyone who would watch.

2. Neil Diamond “Forever in Blue Jeans”
It’s 1981, we’re in the house on the golf course and this song is played regularly. It’s the song that represented my mom’s second marriage. They were blue jeans people, with more love then money and happier for it.

3.George Micheal Faith.
It’s 1987
I’m sitting in the living room at my Grandparents. My dad’s parents this time, and I’m unwrapping Christmas gifts The gift is my first album, Faith. The music from that album takes me back to receiving it

4. Soundgarden BlackHole Sun.
It’s 1994 Steve’s left for his 2 week commitment for the reserves. I’m home alone in our new apartment in Woodridge. I’m reading a Sci Fi/Fantasy book about eclipses, and this song is on a lot. I can close my eyes and remember the apartment, the lack of furniture, even what i cooked during this time.
(This was covered by the Long Winters at a TMBG concert I went to. Was just as amazing then.)

5. Burn. NIN, from The Crow.
It’s 1994. I’m wearing Doc Martens and in my free time I take the train into the city. I hang around the Alley and other places near Clark and Belmont, hoping to absorb some of the cool gothyness by just being there. I’m more independent then I’ve ever been, and this song represents me. (The Crow was very important to me at this time. )

Can you imagine me as a goth? or even a wannabe goth? I think I’d turn out like the kid in Dead Man on Campus. I goth look alike singing sunshine tunes from the 70′s.

—
Coming back to today, I can’t tell you what song will bring me back to this time and place. While there are particular songs on repeat, I can’t predict which one will hit that spot.
Will it be the music from Kiss Me Kate? or Sooj’s Wendy Trilogy? or maybe Gary Jules Mad world.

But If you asked me what song represents me now?
That I can answer?
I think it would be Abba’s I have a Dream. It’s taken me a long time to get here, but being here is so important and so satisfying. Following my dreams, doing what I want to do, and having faith in them.

I have a dream, a song to sing
To help me cope with anything
If you see the wonder of a fairy tale
You can take the future even if you fail
I believe in angels
Something good in everything I see
I believe in angels
When I know the time is right for me
Ill cross the stream – I have a dream

-Abba I have a Dream.

Any musical memories you want to share?
.

Two recent events have me thinking about who I am, and how I got here.
First it was explaining a new friend why I don’t drive. See, driving has come up in conversation a lot lately. One friend getting his learners permit, another friend talking about her significant others lack of drivers license. The teenagers in my life reaching the point where they can start learning

Second was the appearance of a former classmate, someone I went to elementary school with. Reading over her profile I saw the milestones she had hit and did mental comparisons and calculated the differences. (Wow she’s a pediatrician now, I’m a…. student. Hmm)

It’s easy to compare your path with those around you. As you wander the path of, it’s too easy to measure up your accomplishments with the monolithic milestones bordering the path. We even have events dedicated towards these milestones, where we celebrate our friends and family reaching these goals and silently compare our own progress to these goals. Seriously don’t you sit at a wedding or graduation and think about your own experience with the event?

Whether there is value in comparing your path with those milestones or the path of others is debatable. I do find it valuable to look at where my deviations have occurred, and how I got where I am. After all, if my path was straight and narrow would I be me?
In 1987 Mom had her stroke. I was 12 in 7th grade, she was 33. This is where my big course deviation began. Despite support from friends and family, life would never be the same. Her stroke was debilitating, she never walked again, had trouble speaking, could not manage personal care and by no means could she manage the household. My step father did his best, but while he could manage small things, he didn’t know how to raise a 12 year old girl. Eventually it became clear that dreams of college, going to ISU were going to be shelved. Normal experiences of dates and prom, big birthdays and driving were different for me. A running household, proper care and therapy for mom was more important.

I was encouraged to work. My step-aunt suggested I might work at McDonalds, after all with enough work and training, I might become a manager! So I worked, worked during the summer, worked during the school year. I even skipped out on half of my senior year in order to work 2 jobs. This adherence to work and domestic responsibility made me practical. I valued money more then I valued milestone experiences. Instead of prom I went on a weekend away with my boyfriend. Saved money, you know?

When it came time for Drivers Ed, I attended. You had to pass to graduate. But when it came time to get behind the wheel and practice, my stepfather found it difficult to guide me, was freaked out when I hit a curve and made it clear that helping me learn was beyond his skill set.

So I developed my independence in other ways. I took the train to work. I went into the city to explore. In the bus dead zone where I lived I walked a lot. 5-10 miles in a day was nothing new. I had a fiancée who helped some, didn’t seem to mind driving me around (I guess it was one of the tradeoffs he made in our relationship. ) I also learned to take cabs. I got to know the drivers and the dispatchers, and felt completely comfortable hopping in for a quick ride.
In the end my path has deviated. I didn’t go to ISU become a teacher, get married, have babies , end up with a picket fence and a golden retriever.

What I have in return is more rewarding.
I have a strong work ethic with the confidence that I can learn any job.
I have a strong independent streak and am self reliant when it comes to transportation.
I am domestically skilled, able to run a household competently, ensuring the domestic pleasure of the inhabitants.
I have maturity in approaching my education. My experiences have enriched my studies and made them more valuable.

Finally, I’m me. My path may differ from my peers, but in the end I’m happy with who I am, and isn’t that what’s important?

So tell me, how has your path deviated?

School: On Hiatus. I was going to do a project with one of my professors this quarter, but despite my best effort I was not able to schedule to be available when the other student was. (I changed my schedule twice for him, and it still didn’t work)

I still need to get my portfolio together and online, and finish my readings on sustainability.

My Peer Mentoring project continues, I am going to be on campus speaking to more incoming students as of tomorrow.

Home: We’ve done some clean up downstairs and we are looking good.We’ll see how sustainable our set up is once i go back to school and Miss Bit returns. For two of us, its easy to maintain, but as we get busier and add Miss Bit….

The garden is going well enough as is. I consider that I am more then getting my return on the amount of effort I put in. I didnt do much work  in planting and i don’t weed, but I’ve been able to eat and share lettuce, snap peas and some baby tomatoes. Next year I’ll construct a net to cover the garden and keep the debris out. Perhaps start as a plastic cold frame then switch to netting. I will also stake the snap peas, and order more then 4 of the baby tomato plants. I’m love the tomatoes, but want more.

Work: I’m working nearly full time at UW Technology. It provides its own rewards and challenges. I enjoy the chance to work on training documentation at this point. One or two of the email lead positions has become available and while I could apply, I don’t think I’m ready for it at this time.

Crafting I’ve done some needle felting, and enjoyed it. I’ve also picked up on my cooking and am trying to cook more creativly. To that end I’ve joined the Daring Kitchen and am posting about my exploits. I also attended the Urban Craft Uprising today, and had a fabulous time. In part because of the company.

Family : Miss Bit has been gone a month and a half now and I’m looking forward to her coming back. Aron Leah and Jasmine are out in Eugene this weekend with Sunnie for Fairie Worlds. I’m a little remorseful that I didn’t go, no so much for the event but for the travel. It looks like June’s trip to Black Sheep gathering is all that I get

Social business: Another month and a half and school start for me again. In the meantime I’m still indulging in social activity. Melissa and I are meeting regularly for lunch and nights out. I meet with Allison every other week or so for lunch at the office. I’m doing some geek girl networking, with the Digital Eves mailing list. I’m hoping to meet with one  of the girls for lunch in the tower next week as well.

Oh and Katie and Debbie? Margaritas. Some time soon.

Relaxation: So at the beginning of the summer I thought I would buy a new “game of the summer” instead I’m playing this free roman civilizations  game called Ikariam. I’m also spending time in second life, dancing , going to concerts and  chatting with friends. I’m doing a little building, looking into clothing design and exploring the different builds. I found a great Seattle the other night, with a Space Needle and all.

And that is August 1st my friends. Oh and a brief to do list before next month.

To do :

• Publish my online portfolio of school work
• Finish at least 2 of my readings for my sustainability class.
• Schedule another coffee certification class
• Drinks with Katie and Debbie.