Bluestalking

Photo of the Day

 
 

My Son's Masterpiece

Twelve years old, and already he's the grim reaper. Who knew? But not bad, eh?

I'll post more of our Halloween decoration pics over on Fixer-Upper later today. This year we pretty much went all out, partly because our neighbors across the street have kicked our butts for years.

BUT.NO.MORE.

And, let's give this one a try...

Brought Lia home from the vet this afternoon, all in one piece and everything.

Read on!

Back to Business. Back to the Books. What I'm readin' today.

# 1.

Ironic I've spent so much time online today - messing with blogs, trying to figure out how to apply domain names to web sites (and failing, in case you didn't notice) - and I'm reading (and loving) a book about how we all spend way, way too much time online. How it undermines our attention spans, robs employees of time spent working, etc.

  

Such an excellent read. A little discomfiting, since I see bits of myself in it, but Freeman covers not just our current situation with technology, but also what lead up to instant communication. He touches on ancient methods of writing in wet clay, then moves up through the era of the Pony Express, to the post office to now - the electronic era.

Great stuff. And he has one hell of a great sense of humor. No dry, academic writing here. Here's a bit of nonfiction that's truly readable. Not to say most of it isn't... Oh, drat. I don't mean that. But we all know a lot of scholarly works are insomnia defeaters, now don't we.

Not this one. It's a pleasure.

"Words written by hand, then carried by the saddlebags of travelers, kept friendships alive and gave shape and texture to the daily experiences - and the thoughts - of people who wanted to communicate but were not within speaking distance of one another."

The same could be said of email, only in addition to communicating with people we know (as in, have been with in the flesh)(not that, naughty thing), we also chat with people we've never met. In some cases, strong friendships develop. I bet that didn't happen much in days of yore.

I like Freeman's romantic attitude toward communication, and I'm looking forward to finding out how I'll feel about technology once I'm finished. She said, as she continues typing her blog post.

# 2.

In the car I'm listening to my very first Barbara Kingsolver. I know. I'm the last person on that wagon. I had to squish between two other readers - who were distinctly not pleased about pulling me on so late in the game. But but no one told me before how FUNNY she is.

If I'd have known, how different things would have been. Why didn't you TELL me? I had it in my head she was didactic and preachy. Judgmental and holier than thou. And I couldn't have been more wrong. I also can't say where I got that impression. From just knowing the subject matter of her books, maybe? I do believe I jumped to a conclusion. I am incredibly sorry, Barbara.

But now I love her! And I'm only on disc 2. She's already had me laughing so hard I nearly snorted coffee through my nose. Now that would have hurt. Unlike my preconceived WRONG opinion, she delivers a message, but she knows how to make people listen. Give them the facts, don't preach, and be funny as hell about it all, laughing at yourself for your own imperfections.

Did I mention I love her already? Why didn't you TELL me, people? And you, reader who was on the wagon first, GET YOUR ELBOW OUT OF MY RIBS.

 

# 3.

Though I haven't started it yet, November's Classic Book Group read is Paton's Cry, the Beloved Country. Haven't read him previously, so I'm excited to see what I think of it.

# 4.

Finally, received in the mail today Edward Rutherfurd's November release, New York: A Novel.

 

And, boys and girls, it's a honker at 880 pp. Funny thing is, the publicist from Doubleday sent me a note as I held it in both hands (it's too heavy for  just one) asking if I'd received it, and what promotion I'm willing to do.

My question: What promotion am I NOT willing to do?

I have bookmarks in many other books. Nothing's changed since Bluestalking was Bluestalking Reader. You should know me by now. We've grown apart... I think we need counseling. But I know we can do this thing.

A trifle dramatic, but the intent is good.

What I'm planning for this blog...

Short version: Bluestalking's going back to books and related matters, as was its original purpose. I'll soon have a blog for my more goofy stuff. I'll post short "teasers" here, then link to the other blog for the full post.

Long Winded Version: As many may have noticed I've driften from the original purpose of Bluestalking - reviewing books, interviewing authors and talking about books, writing and related topics - so I've decided I need to make some changes. I have already starting setting up another blog for the more "chatty," personal, and obnoxiously odd topics. I'm still working on getting it ready. That one will have its own .com and everything! So will my photography blog. I can hardly contain myself.

The reason the diversion happened is pretty simple. When I started graduate school things got intensely busy. Reading was one of the first things to bite the proverbial dust - at least reading for pleasure. I've done plenty of academic reading, but hardly anything of my own choosing. As grad school winds down, I'll have a bit more time for things related to books and bookish topics.

End of exciting announcement.

Photo of the Day

 
Arches National Park - Utah

As long as I'm digging through old  photos, here's a cool one from vacation 2006. Need an idea of scale? If you look carefully you'll see tiny people. Those dabs of color - looks like greenish or bluish - are human beings. They're about 1/3 from the left, climbing near one of the big, circular holes.

It's like a game of Where's Waldo, isn't it?

 

Spare time? Who needs it?

Since I'm in school, working, engaged or about to start two book groups, a member of two Readers Advisory groups, and all my other piddly responsibilities, I've decided now's a good time to start a project involving *  a new photo blog, in which I've begun posting digitized photos from the beginning of time, starting with those originally taken with a digital camera, then advancing to photos I've transferred to digital format.

Because I'm crazy. Plain crazy.

Oh, and the year we first started taking digital photos, 2006, is the year I started this blog. Coincidence, or insidious plan? YOU MAY NEVER KNOW.

Since that's not enough, I'm also working on an "invited people only" family photo album online, so friends and family can access photos of the five of us throughout the ages.

Ever started a project like this? It seems straightforward. Not easy or quick, but straightforward. Then you discover all the stupid little problems, the just plain time consumers. I have to play with each photo first. Older photos don't have to be perfect (that would take FOREVER), but they do need to look relatively in focus and presentable enough not to embarrass me. Thus, Photo Shop for every, single picture.

Then there's the issue of photos posted by date. If you want to put photos in order, you have to pay attention to what order is. In other words, they must be posted by date AND time, because that's how blogs and these online photo album sites operate, apparently.

WHAT A COLOSSAL PAIN! Worth it in the end, yes, but a PAIN.

My blog will contain photos of my children as wee ones, but stop when they become recognizable as themselves today. I figure I can resume posting their photos once they've left the house and are safely GONE. I'm also putting up photos of vacation sites, plus all the sorts of pictures you've come to expect from me. The usual.

I don't know what that will mean for Bluestalking, in the short term. I guess I'll continue posting photos now, while I'm so durn busy. And heck, let's be honest. This project will take for-freaking-ever to finish. Years, probably, since I keep taking the blessed things all the time.

There will be more changes happening blog-wise once I graduate, so we'll see how things shake out then. In the meantime, WHY DO I DO THIS TO MYSELF?!

Mental note: consider paging doctor.

Second mental note: if you'd like to keep her, suppress urge.

* = Anyone have a better idea for my tag line on the photo blog? I'm not that fond of it (Capturing Life Photo by Photo).

I need something I like as much as I'm using here, "Editor at Large of Her Own Life." I'll probably sit up in bed at 3:00 in the morning, shouting out the perfect title. Then, once Paul's had the life scared out of him, I'll promptly go back to sleep, forgetting what I said.

But any ideas appreciated.

Preserving our heritage, one book at a time

I wish I had time to write more updates on how my practicum's going. I wish I had time to write anything, actually.

It's going well, by the way, even if it does mean some very, very long days. Good news is I'm probably around the 3/4 mark with my initial project. All the papers are in order, all folders marked, all slides in protective sleeves. Now I'm photocopying all the newspaper articles on acid-free paper, since newspaper disintegrates quickly. Kind of a pain working on this part, but it's crucial.

Did I mention the drive there and back - through the countryside - is beautiful? It's especially pretty right now, with the leaves in color and all the barns and such. Yesterday I took my camera with me, thinking "I'll take some pictures on the way there." Unfortunately, there was never a time I felt safe enough to pull over. Some jerk was always right on my bumper (can we not SHARE the road?). I was afraid if I hit my brakes I'd lose the back bumper. Annoying.

I realize not every detail of my practicum would be interesting to anyone not geeked out, as I am, about all matters library-related. Like archiving. Anyone else feel his/her heart go all pitty-pat when I talk about archiving someone's personal papers?

Are those crickets I hear chirping? Or could it be snoring.

Be honest, when I mention librarians and archiving, do you get the mental image of a frumpy woman with a severe bun working in a dark room (a single bulb dangling from a wire over her head), dust in her hair, perhaps a little hunched over? Even I had that mental image before. But the reality's a lot different. The complete opposite, actually.

And speaking of the image of librarians, they are not, not, not what you think. Most wouldn't believe how varied their jobs are, how few of them actually work with books. Do you know what percentage of my own job involves books? No more than 10 %. Probably lower. Circulation works with the books. And the shelvers/pages. Not to say I don't read them. Don't be silly! But I hardly work with them. Weird, eh?

I'm not sure you'll find this any more interesting, but I've volunteered to stay on at NIU  -  starting again after the holidays - and intern in the digitization department. I'll be doing my practicum supervisor a favor by scanning the dime novels from her department's collection. They're printed on very low-quality paper, which crumbles if you're not careful. To those of us who love kitsch, they're a priceless part of Americana.

NIU is one of the few repositories of "pulp fiction," and few institutions bother to digitize the books, due to the time, money, and manpower. Especially when really rare books are languishing on the sidelines.

And yes, I can see that. It's hard choosing pulp fiction over very rare and fragile documents. Money's very, very tight. Not everything can be digitized. But with me on the job, working for the experience, I can at least help NIU's collection get online, to be accessed via the internet.

 

Because how could you not love this?

 

Or this?

Does this not scream, "I am cheap and easy?" Would you turn down the chance to read this book?

Admit it.

 

Or this one?

Both are by the famous novelist Erle Stanley Gardner, for goodness sake! How could they not be worth saving? Yes, most of the books seem to be by nobodies, but some are actually by somebodies.

Our popular culture should be saved and protected. I didn't think about it much before I started my practicum at NIU, where they specialize in pop culture materials, but also have a decent rare book collection, including the most gorgeous facsimile copy of the Ellesmere Chaucer, complete down to the notes of previous owners, defects, etc. It's an exact duplicate, but on paper you don't have to worry about ruining. And it's breath-taking.

Ah, well. So much time, so little to do, as Willy Wonka said. Time to get moving.

Photo of the Day

 

Rustic Christ

I know. Unusually religious photo for me. It's another from Christ in the Wilderness (see below).

I think it may be the single most beautiful version of Christ on the cross I've ever seen. I've been all over Europe a few times, where I saw so many churches I couldn't count them. For all the splendor of cathedrals, something about this simple depiction is way more appealing to me. Maybe it's the humility of it, the lack of anything showy. No marble, no stained glass, no statues of saints. Just the raw emotion, wrought in metal.

I may not be religious in any conventional way, but I am spiritual, mostly in an Eastern philosophy direction. I'm a "seeker," so current wisdom tells me. I may never find anything, but you never know where I'll turn up.

Get thee to a nunnery

 

Gazebo Ceiling, Christ in the Wilderness

I wrote an article for the upcoming newsletter sent out by  Christ in the Wilderness, my favorite place on earth to go on retreat. While digging up some photos to give them, to go along with the article, I found a lot of pictures I forgot I about. I haven't even Photo Shopped them yet! Like the one above, for instance. It looked lovely in the natural wood, but I really liked it in b/w.

I've been to CITW a couple of times, and hope to get back there again this year. Preferably before the snow flies. Two years ago I brought the snow there with me. Literally. I was racing to stay ahead of it, to avoid driving slippery roads, and just as I got there it began to sleet. Phew. That was close.

Here's hoping my upcoming visit will be a much milder one. And that we get NO SNOW THIS WINTER.

Fruitless. I know.

Photo of the Day

 
English Garden - Finial

One plant bursting with color was the ivy - in abundance in the English garden. If you look through it you can make out the brilliantly yellow maple tree in the background. I tried getting a good photo of two women sitting on the bench beside it, but they eyed me suspiciously. So I had to throw up my hands and walk away.

Apparently even I have my limits. Surprisingly.