"Books are your friends."

The truest owner of a Library is he who has bought each book for the love he bears to it; who is happy and content to say,—" Here are my jewels; my choicest material possessions."

-Frank Carr

"I go into my library and all history unrolls before me."

I neglected to mention that I graduated from grad school the other weekend. I now have a masters in library and information science. December of 2005 I was taking my end-of-year vacation time and spent it day after day doing genealogy. Doing that kind of research, the whole day can pass and I don't even notice, I love research. That was the week that I made the connection to royalty in scotland, I was SO happy (after verifying it 8 different ways). Going back to work was such a let-down, I wanted to find a way to do research all the time.

I found on the internet a resume for a lady who was basically a professional researcher. She would get hired by publishing companies or lawfirms and get paid to find out information on certain topics and present it back. I thought: That's what I want to do! I already love finding out information for people I know, imagine getting paid for it! I looked at what kind of schooling she had and it was an MLIS.

From there, I found an online program and by February I was accepted! School started May 15, 2006. I graduated April 26, 2008.

I really had no idea what I was getting into. Full-time job and year round schooling is pretty overwhelming. But I survived, and actually miss it (at least a little bit).

In the meantime though, I changed jobs and am not in such a rush to find another career. So what do I do now? Do I still want to be a professional researcher? Yeah, deep down, yeah. Do I want another degree? Yeah, probably. A master's in history probably. Unless I do something like software engineering. :-) You just never know...those IT guys have all the power and control. I wouldn't mind being part of that club...I like being in control.

But really, really what I would want is another masters in a specific subject. I already investigated, there's no online masters in history, I'd be forced to go to west chester or something, and that's certainly not happening any time in the near future.

So, I guess I will take some time off from schooling and relax for a little while (we'll see how long that lasts!)

"Dark and sinister man, have at thee."

I have some sort of problem on a cosmic level where I get hooked on things, and I mean that literally. Mostly it's a sleeve getting hooked on a doorhandle, or if I'm wearing a robe or something with a loose belt, it will get caught on things.

I was taking the garbage out the door this morning and my right sleeve got hooked on the handle for the screen door. Screen door handles aren't that substantial, and yet my sleeve was so caught up in it I had to stop what I was doing and unhook myself. And it's not like I go around with these long flowy sleeves, it was a normal sleeve like a normal person would wear.

A few weeks ago I was in a public bathroom, and as I went to exit the stall, my coat sleeve (my right one again) hooked on the latch. Problem was, I had gotten up quite a head of steam in walking out of the stall and nearly went flying back into it once I got caught. I told my sister that what immediately popped into my head was the dog in the cartoon with the big rooster (this, I say, this means war) - can't think of his name at the moment - but he always taunted the dog who was attached to his dog house by the leash, and he'd go running and be yanked back by the lease.

Somehow it doesn't seem as funny when I write it out...

OH - Foghorn Leghorn, that's his name.

I know other people don't get caught on things like I do, it's a special gift my mother says I inherited from her.

Thanks mom!

One time, I was driving, and I had silver bracelets, jingly ones, on both wrists. Somehow I went to make a turn and the next thing you know, the bracelets on each arm were caught on each other, so I'm driving down the road, literally handcuffed trying to yank them apart.

Sleeves, belts, purse straps, bracelets, they are all magnets for anything hookish I pass by.

I'm sure it all has some sort of deep meaning, but I sure don't know what it is...

Oh, and of course you know I had to go find one of the cartoons I was talkinig about...about a minute in you'll see what happens to me:





Remember that show on HBO, it was called Dream On, where the guy had a soundtrack of old tv shows in his head for all the stuff that happened in his life?

I have that...it's pretty hilarious sometimes too.

"Kill da wabbit! Kill da wabbit! Kill da wabbit!"

That crazy Robin was back this morning slamming into my new clear windows. I got the back windows replaced this week finally - their seals had broken, so water had gotten inside to make them cloudy. I had to put the shades down! I think he must be a little dim....

Anyway, last night a bunch of us went and saw Hairspray downtown. It was good! I wasn't sure what to expect because I usually like seeing more "opera"-type stuff, but I have to say I really enjoyed it. Although, I kept having visions of John Travolta as a woman, and I didn't even see that version of it... The Academy of Music is a really beautiful building, with gaslights out front. No chandelier, it's being renovated. Thinking of the chandelier made me think of Phantom of the Opera, I've seen it three times and yet I could probably happily sit through it again. Cats was good for one time, I don't know if I'd feel the need to see it again. A really fun show I saw all the way back in college was Into the Woods. It was a funny take on fairy tales. I still have the main melody in my memory. I've never seen it anywhere else, I guess it isn't popular at the moment. During college was also the first time I saw one of the Mozart operas(?) operettas(?). Can't remember which one, but was one of the comedic one's. I had no idea what to expect because it was all in italian, that was the first time I'd ever seen a super-titles. Below is a picture of eisenhower auditorium at penn state which is where I saw all those shows during school. Thanks mom and dad for buying me tickets! It's not a pretty building I think, like Schwab auditorium is, but there have been some odd building trends over the years...

I think bugs bunny greatly added to my appreciation of opera. I can still see him and elmer fudd in the wagner one - and the barber of seville. and of course, there is tom and jerry with the piano pieces. I miss those kinds of cartoons!

Speaking of those cartoons, one of the best where where daffy duck would get shot and his beak would spin around. Truly, how can you top that?