Parting is such Sweet Sorrow

Michael Jackson's music takes me back to middle school. I can still remember the feeling I got listening to "Baby be Mine" or "Billie Jean" or "Beat It". When I hear his songs today I immediately start moving. You can't deny the guy had talent. His videos such as "Remember the Time" were videos still talked about today. But the song that made me almost cry today-"Who's loving you?" It seemed like his whole life mirrored that song. So please give it a listen even if you don't like Michael Jackson and listen to the words. I for one am sorry to see him go.


des

Save the Library!!!!

The library is the entity standing in the gap for all of the other resources that have been cut by our government. Recreation Centers are shutting down or have reduced hours. We offer not only Job Help Centers,Homework Help Centers, Know it now which is an online librarian who answers your question,but were cheap-free as it were. The library has already been cut 20% and now there asking for another 30%. If you can add like I know you can that's a 50% reduction in resources for the libraries of Ohio. The weird thing is they are giving 700 million to nursing homes. I love old people and all but come on can't you just give them 500 million and leave the PLF alone. Seems like no brainer to me-that way you get to help people of all ages.

Des

Picture of the Week!

This is another picture that came from my walk in the woods. Sometimes natural light is your friend. I was intrigued by the that single green leaf lying in the creek bed. This is my week of knittastic fun! I have some days off this week and I'll spend them hiking,knitting and probably taking my nephew creeking(apparently the metro parks have a naturalist who gives creek tours during the summer) or to the chiller(He really wants to try ice skating). He's 9 years old today. Happy Birthday Nephew! Time seems to move so fast now. I can remember when he was in footie pajama's dancing with his sister. They were practicing my nieces winter concert songs complete with dance moves. It was so cute. Well guys have fun this week-I'll be going to the movies tonight-I'll tell you all about it.

Des

The Picture of the Week

I needed a little levity this week. I took this picture on my last hike in Mohican's State Park. I think he kinda looks like comic the insult dog if you squint your eyes. I just had a conversation with a friend about being responsible and being "in the wind" or as she would term it all over the place. She says it's okay to find time for yourself once your responsibilities are taken care of. On the surface I agree with that. I wouldn't knit instead of working,or go on a shopping spree instead of paying my car note. Where we differ is I would like to spend sometime on myself before I'm 90 and need to have hip replacement surgery. We all have to make sacrifices but sometimes I think we sacrifice parts of ourselves that should have never been on the chopping block. I know that I'm never going to be the girl who gets excited about doing the dishes or mowing the lawn. I'll do those things but I'm also going to knit and learn to ride a motorcycle and whatever other else takes my fancy. Why would I purposely try to squash the creative side of me? We lead quiet lives of desperation for so much of our existence. Who would begrudge us a little me time? I don't want to get to the end of my life with a list of the number of towels I've folded or lawns that I've mowed as a testament of a life well lived. I'd rather list all the times I had the courage to do what I really wanted to do. I'll speak about the time I drove by myself to new york just because I wanted to see the city. I refuse to feel bad about wanting time for myself. I'm looking for La Dulce Vita or The sweet life and I will find it!

Des

Summer Reading List Then and Now

Now that Summer Reading Club has started at my branch I've become a Reader's Advisory Zealot. No one is safe from my suggestions. There is no kid in the library that won't know the sound of my voice. You will read and you will like it! I'm just kidding. I do however love introducing people to new reads. I especially love it when a person likes one of my picks. I had a young girl come in the other day and she asked if I remembered when I suggested she read "yellow bird and me". I quickly remembered and walked her over to where the book would be in our collection. Two things were awesome about this transaction. One the girl was actually listening when I talked(you love me, you really love me!ha ha). Two, her mother told me that she wanted to find me so that I could help her find the book she wanted. I suggested some other books that I had read and signed her up for the summer reading club. How excellent! When I look at my reading choices as a kid going through summer reading club and now as an adult I see a change in my reading preferences. I always loved a good story with adventure,activism,or courage in the face of insurmountable odds. But my taste has changed over the years.Here's a small example

Now

Graceling by Kristin Cashore
Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta
The last Olympian by Rick Riordan
Kindred by Octavia Butler

Then
Henry Huggins by Beverly Cleary
Tales of a fourth grade nothing by Judy Blume
Sweet Valley Twins by Francine Pascal
The mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary
Remember me to Harold Square by Paula Danzinger

The main difference now is that I love fiction with more action in it. Before it was simply a sweetness and light proposition. I loved Beverly Cleary because all of the books were set in Oregon. I imagined riding my bike down the same streets that Henry Huggins rode down. I desperately wanted to visit Oregon after I read her books. Judy blume was just laugh out loud funny for me. I could sympathize with Peter Hatcher and his issues with his younger siblings. I don't know how I got sucked into the Sweet Valley Twins I guess I had a Maalox moment. Now most of the books I've read lately have girls who kick butt and take numbers. All of the books I've listed in my "Now" column have strong female protagonist. Graceling main character learned to kill a man with her bare hand when she was eight. In Hunger Games we have Katniss whose involved in a survival of the fittest game. Taylor Markum leads a twisted capture the flag war while trying to figure out her own history. Kindred was the most creepy for me. Slavery in any book is creepy but to have to endure it. Dana an African-American woman is transported back to 1800's every time her white ancestor is in harms way. So it's a bravery of another kind it's more about survival. The only exception is the last Olympian who's main character is the son of Poseidon. Check these titles out-you'll have a blast! But don't take my word for it!

The photo of the Week

As I promised here's the photo of the week. I was totally in auto pilot mode. I had just finished working out and made my hour long journey home. I was coming into the home stretch of my commute when I looked up and saw this amazing sky. I quickly rolled down my window and tried to capture it on film. The sun was the color of butterscotch and flooded the sky with colors. It was a perfect end to a tiring day. Next week I'll post some pictures from my hike in Mohican State Park.

Somewhere on my drive home.

Hey guys,

I finally did it! I bought myself a digital camera. It's a Kodak easy share and only cost me 50 bucks, okay 60 with my 4GB memory card. I've been testing it out and the picture above is one of the shots I got on my way home. Now that I have a camera of my very own I think I'll start doing a picture of the week. I've been having so much fun with my camera. I almost went outside tonight to see if I could catch a picture of the sky as lightning flashed. I came to my senses though and am now blogging instead. If you'd like to see some more of my commute picture click on my flickr link and take a look.

This weekend I took my niece and nephew to their first hockey game. We had fun cheering the Panthers on. They won 3-1. The guys on the ice made it look so easy. I started thinking maybe it's not that hard. Then my mind would go back to my first experience with ice skating-not pretty. Just picture me stuck in the middle of the ice rink at OSU waving my arms frantically and trying to propel myself to the edge of the rink and safety. I didn't fall but I came close. My niece and nephew now want to go to the chiller and ice skate. I might take them but I'm not sure about lacing up some ice skates of my own. In my work life I'm teaching someone how to use the computer on Wednesday and hoping to catch up on my knitting and my reading. I'll also be teaching my mother and my aunt a few line dances. I know what you're thinking but this is not country line dancing-not that there's anything wrong with that. These dances are smooth as silk and make you look so good on the floor. I'll be teaching "Shake what ya momma gave ya!, Cupid Shuffle,Some Enchanted evening,etc.." I learned all of these dances at my Monday night dance class. It's the most economical dance class ever-$1.00 yep just one dollar. I get out there and all the stress that caused my shoulders to knot up that day just melts away. Sometimes it just about moving and being free and not caring what someone else thinks. It's also an awesome workout. I could do this every day easy.

I'm bushed- danced too hard,must sleep

Des