How I got to Here

One of my book sellers list has a thread going about how we got to where we are....it's made for some interesting posts.

Once upon a time, when I was about 10 I found my first Betsy Tacy book in the library.

I read it, fell in love with the series and told myself that when I was all grown up and had a real job I would buy a set for my very own. By the time I grew up the books were out of print and I started collecting them at Friends of the Library sales and thrift stores. I started buying duplicate copies because I just couldn’t bear to see them consigned to the land fill. I just “knew” that someday I’d find a home for all of them where they would be loved.

Fast forward to about 1990 – e-mail and the Internet & E-bay are bubbling up in the public consciousness. . I found that I “wasn’t the only one” and joined the Betsy-Tacy Listsev. The books were still out of print and those of us who had extras sold them to others on list – not for profit, it was done in friendship. Some other woman on the list were selling on e-bay and it sounded like an interesting way to get rid of all SOME OF THE BOOKS IN MY HOUSE. So, in 2000 I started selling too- my girls were going to college and I needed more $$$ than I could earn on my day job.

E-bay lead to half.com which lead to Amazon. Somehow along the way I found Craig’s BookThink forum and through it I found my bookselling lists. Along the way I acquired ScoutPal, a scanner, a postage printer, a second computer, The Art of Books and the third bedroom now holds my inventory of 700+ books. I'm the owner of a small internet business.

And it’s all because I checked out Betsy & Tacy when I was 10 (or maybe 9!).

It’s so interesting how just one little event can have such an impact on our lives.

The Haves and the Have Nots

Houston’s one and only Nordstrom is in the Galleria, which is Houston’s version of Rodeo Drive. Tisn’t a place I frequent on a regular basis.

My wedding outfit adventures have resulted in unprecedented number of trips there this summer. Yesterday I decided I’d take advantage of their A/C and do my 30 minutes of walking. Off I went and wandered into the wardrobe department for either Sex in the City or The Devil Wears Prada.

Versace, Coach, Cartier, Jimmy Cho, Burberry, Fendi - a veritable smorgasbord of high end designer stores where everything, even a pair of socks costs at least two figures.

The people were as interesting as the stores. Slim, exotic, women in impossibly high heels, many from Mexico – which didn’t surprise me since I knew the Galleria is a destination place for wealthy Latinos. I was amazed at the number of devote Muslim woman who were carrying arm loads of shopping bags from all the best stores. Some stunning fashion is hidden under those veils and robes.

The Galleria also bears some resemblance to the Transatlantic Ocean Liners of Old – the higher you go, the nicer the stores. The higher you go the better dressed (and thinner) the shoppers. The upper level stores have access to the skylights and natural light. The ceilings are high and skating rink gives the place a feeling of openness.

Feeling thirsty I headed for the food court – which had a great deal in common with steerage. Not only is it located in the bowels of the Galleria – below ground, it’s also surrounded the low rent store district. There I found Radio Shack, Foot Locker and all the “ordinary” mall stores. There I also found the “ordinary” people. The polyester, the mullets, the frizzy perms, the blue eye shadow, the baseball caps, the evidence that obesity is rampant in America.

The haves and the have nots – all within the confines of one mall.

My Scanner - Never Leave Home Without It

We’re in Fort Worth for the weekend – My Beloved is playing in a golf tournament. My Book Selling Buddy is is coming up from Waco tomorrow and we’re going to go book scouting.

We came up todayon Friday so she could practice and we also wanted to see a new art exhibit at the Kimball Art Museum.

We were browsing in the gift shop and I came across a pile of sale books – some reduced as much as 75%.

Did I have my scanner with me? Nooooooooo!

I mean who takes a scanner to the art museum?????

I sorted out the 75% off books, eliminated the obvious duds (Dover press and such) and pulled out my trusty iPhone. Thank goodness I still have ScoutPal.

I found not one but copies of this: Michael Sweerts 1618-1664

I paid $12 for each of them. I have once again justified my ScoutPal subscription for another year.

And I will never, ever go to the art museum without my scanner again!

I Guess I Don't Get It My Way

I realize I live in a diverse section of a very diverse city. When I wander into the local Taqueria I fully expect to ask for “Dos tacos con pollo y un tea frio, por favor”. The owners of my favorite Vietnamese dive are a bit shaky when it comes to English so I point to what I want. Actually, I got them to teach how to ask for a bowl of noodles and a Vietnamese iced coffee in Vietnamese.

But it really bothers me have to order “Dos hamberqueos solomante’ catsup y un Coca Cola pequeno” at Burger King.

Doesn’t “Having It My Way” mean I get to order my food in English?

Houston, We Have a Dress!

The Fashionista & Nordstrom Came Through!
She suggested a couple of dresses available on Nordstrom On-line.
One proved to be a winner!
Major problem solved! Happy Dance!
Three Cheers for Nordstrom!

I took the dress to Nordstrom yesterday for alterations and shoes.

Oh the shoes!



Now that was an adventure. I do love me my Birkes but they just don’t go with a formal dress. High heels pinch a nerve on the sole of my feet and I topple over. The Fashionist and I looked at just about every shoe in the shoe department. I nixed the silver flip flops with rhinestones in the heels (to glitzy), she nixed the silver matte flats (to dowdy). We then spotted “Gentle Souls”. I have never, ever paid so much for a pair of shoes but they work. They go with the dress and I can actually walk in them.

The Fashionista strongly recommended that I wear them around the house to “break them in”.
Just like June Cleaver I’m keeping house in high heels.

All I need now are the pearls.

Coupons Save You $$$

Given state of grocery prices these days I've started using coupons again. I keep mine housed in plastic baseball card holders which are in a zippered 3 ring binder. I seem to be a master at never getting said binder into my car once I finish - so far I've misplaced 2 of them. They are constructed from binders I find at the thrift store so I'm never out much money but it is annoying none the less.

Monday I misplaced it again & some honest soul (there really are some left in this world) turned it in. I went to Kroger retrieve it. Half Price Books is right next door so of course I had to stop in.

On my Monday stop I trolled a fishing book that listed for $120. I paid $7 and much to my amazement it sold yesterday. Today a little voice told me to go check out the fishing books again.
To my great joy, I found not 1 but 2 more copies.

I knew coupons saved me money but didn't realize it could be this much money!

Thursday Thirteen - My New Laptop

Thirteen Things I Love and Don't Love about My New Laptop

1. It’s pink! It’s confusing people because they don’t think of me as likeing pink. Little do they know I have a thing for flamingos. That’s Good.

2. I now have a working back up computer (my old one). That’s Good.

3. It has Vista. I like it. I thought I wouldn’t. So what was Bad is actually Good

4. It is blazing fast. That is very, very , very good.

5. It’s a Dell. Tech. Services is in India. That’s Bad.

6. Microsolf Outlook Home & Student 2007 Edition no longer comes with Outlook. That’s Bad.

7. I spent 2 hours talking to India trying to solve that particular problem. That’s Bad.

8. It was finally solved. That’s Good.

9. It took me threating to return the computer to be allowed to buy Outlook. That’s Bad.

10. It’s possible to transfer data from the old comptuer to the new one. That’s Good.

11. It requries a $40 Data Transfer Cable which isn’t mentioned in the ordering specs. That’s Bad.
12. Radio Shack sells them. That’s Good.

13. I’ve already sold enough books in July to recoup half the cost. That’s Very Good Indeed.

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Even the Fashionesta

Find a dress for my role as Mother of the Bride. .

The Bride’s Requirments:
Colors : red and ivory
Bride in a long dress, bridesmaids in short frocks
5pm Outdoor ceremony – in Miami Beach – in August
Indoor reception, sit down dinner

My Requirements:
Knee length skirt (did the mini skirt thing in my youth)
No spaghetti straps or low cut necks
No pale pastels, no sofa cover size flowers and no sequins or bugle beads
The Mother of the Bride really should not wear black. We are thrilled about the groom, black might send the wrong message

No more than 3 numbers to the left of the decimal point of the price

Prior to my arrival the Head Fashionesta at Nordstrom pulled 4 outfits.
I tried them all on. She rejected them all. . One thing I love about the Fashionestas at Nordstrom, they won’t sell you something just for the sake of their commissions.

We commenced to walk the store. Twice. From top to bottom. And bottom to top.

2 hours later: Big Sigh. Well, I’ll keep my eyes open, hopefully I’ll find something when the things come in for our big Anniversary Sale next month. "

Stay tuned.

Fleas for Fun & Profit

We had a mild winter, a short spring and then summer arrived with a vengeance. We are now experiencing 90 % humidity a 105 heat index and fleas. They appear to have an immunity to Advantage and FrontLine so it was time to lock up the cats and bring out the flea bombs.

Sunday morning appeared to be the optimum since My Beloved had a golf game. My Beloved is Fragile Flower, who is allergic to everything, including residual flea bomb scent.

I locked the cats on the upstairs balcony, turned off the Air Conditioner, sprung the bombs and fled the house. The plan was to hole up at Waldo’s Coffee House and linger over a latte and their Whi-Fi.

On the way I spotted a garage sale sign (I don’t normally go garage sailing on Sundays). Of course I had to check it out. It was a bust but on the way back I passed another, newly opened sale.

It yielded 4 textbooks, 2 other books with decent prices and ranks, 3 vintage calculators (very ebayable) and a Melissa & Doug wooden floor puzzle.

$200 in book inventory + E-bay stock! Wish that fleas were always so profitable!

I Love LA

A golfing connection won my beloved a weekend in LA (airfare and hotel accommodations for two). And very nice accommodations they are too – a suite in the Westin Bonaventure in downtown LA.

We were delighted with this little windfall since Daughter #1 lives here and we have yet to visit (plans were derailed by her sister’s engagement) . My Beloved had the added delight of playing Pacific golf and took off at O dark thirty for a course in Newport Beach. Daughter #1 made plans for us to tour the Hollywood Cemetery. I have a fondness for graveyards.

Daughter #1 works for American Apparel as a web site designer – some people speak in tongues, she speaks in HTML code. Interesting place, American Apparel. Large, sprawling factory in the Warehouse District, gritty, scruffy and bursting with energy. They pride themselves their “Made in America” clothes and the fact they pay their workers above minimum wage (and provide benefits).

Perfect fit for Daughter #1 who has no tolerance for anything artificial or pretentious.
She can wear what she wants, the company has a social conscience and she has health insurance (the latter a great relief to her mother).

Daughter #1also shares a classic, Hollywood stucco duplex with 2 roommates. Funky, diverse neighborhood on the cusp of Little Ethiopia. Public transportation, shops within walking distance, sidewalks, small gardens and a sense of neighborhood.

It’s rather an odd feeling to realize one’s children are all grown up and making their way in the world in a successful manner. I rather like it!

What I've Been Doing

With a great shock I realized it's been over a month since I posted.
Here are some reasons why:

1. Selling many books - which means packing said books
2. End of school AR trips, parties and sleepover
3. Being on the interview team for our new principal
4. Kids being wild in the halls, which makes for tiring days
5. Scouting for books to sell.
6. The After School Blogging Class
7. A rash of after school meetings

The 3 day Memorial Day Weekend seems to have semi rejuvinated me - and there are only 3.5 more days of school for the kids!

The TAKS Results are In

And We Are

Exemplary !!!!!!!

13 Reasons Today Should of Been Saturday

1. Alarm didn't go off 2. Forgot to put coffee in the coffee pot last night. No matter how state of the art the programmable coffee pot is , it does need actual coffee in it to operate. 3. Stopped at Starbucks for the necessary caffeine fix. Put cup in cup holder. Turned a corner. Cup fell out of cup holder spilling the latte in the process. Will have to clean floor mats when I get home 4. My new pants are to tight. Must stop eating sweets. Schools are not a good place to diet. 5. I was convinced it was Friday. It's Thursday. Still have tomorrow to get through. 6. The 3 headed monster known as the TAKS test rears its ugly head next week 7. The cat tried to use the litter box and missed. 8. The washing machine has temperament. I suspect it will soon become an ex-washing machine. 9. The hot, muggy summer weather has arrived with a vengeance. I fear record highs are in our future. 10. The batteries to the library laptops are giving up the ghost. No funds to replace them. 11. Teachers are very, very tired and tempers are short. 12. It's about time for a new laptop but I've not heard anything good about Vista. 13. The kids are wild and woolly and so ready for school to be over. So are we. On a positive note - there are only 24 more days of school!

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The Sins Of The Father Afflict Unto The Several Generations

I've been at my school 16, going on 17 years now (I can hardly believe that myself). I'm now teaching the children of the children. It says a great deal about how early our kids become parents if in 16 years I'm already teaching the second generation.

Much of this second generation isn't stellar. I guess that's what happens when children give birth to children.

We have the child of gang member. Dad was gunned down in a home invasion robbery, Mom died in an auto accident that involved alcohol. The child has an aunt who is 2 years younger than he is, a young brother who is failing Pre-K and 3 other half siblings whom he never sees. The child is living with his grandparents, who are not exactly in the running for the parents (or the grandparents ) of the year award.

Also not in the running for the Grandparents of the Year Award are the grandparents of a pair of newly enrolled siblings. We remember their mother and uncle, both of which had numerous problems of the social, educational variety - many of which were either caused or exacerbated by their dysfunctional home life (with a large dose of drugs and alcohol tossed in) . The second generation has just as many problems. Multiple moves and multiple schools, academically low and probable autism. The paperwork for testing is in process but won't be completed by the time school is over. Whether they are still with us when school resumes in the fall is a total unknown.

And this fall the daughter of my daughter's best friend from elementary days enters kindergarten.
I'm feeling very old tonight.

Children shouldn't have children. There ought to be a law.

John McCain

I' ve never voted Republican and I certainly don't intend to start now but I do have some respect for John McCain. Seems he has a son in the military who is about to be deployed to Iraq.

At least McClain is willing to put his money where his mouth is, or rather his son where his war is.

Which is more than we can say for his son's Commander in Chief.

They're Fat - and It's All Our Fault Too

Childhood obesity is all over the news now. Turns out it's all the fault of the schools - just as "moral breakdown", "lack of respect", "Kids can't read" and all of society's many other ills are also laid at the schoolhouse door.

Many of the kids where I work are overweight and more than a few are obese. We have children at risk for diabetes, children who can't walk a lap round gym with out huffing and puffing and children with beer bellies that rival those of middle age men. Many of our kids are poor, Hispanic and latchkey - all breeding grounds for obesity.

We feed the kids 10 meals a week - breakfast and lunch. The school lunch program bristles with rules about nutrition and what the kids are offered is low in sugar and fat and fairly healthy. 2% milk, fresh fruit, whole wheat bread, oven baked rather than fried chicken. It's not half bad.

That's offered - not eaten. The amount that hits the trash makes a taxpayer cry. They drink a swallow or two of milk, nibble at the meat and pretty much ignore the fruit. Many of the kids bring bags of chips from home which are eaten in lieu of their meal. The principal had to send a note home telling parents not to send sodas to school. Just try teaching a classroom of children who have dined on Coca Cola and Hot Cheetos for a mid-day meal.

Yesterday I encountered one of our "square children" in the staff lounge - one of her relatives works at school. Child was whining for potato chips from the snack machine and said chips were bought and eaten. Relation told me child is always whining for junk food. The day before the child asked for and ate a Happy Meal ( not the apple slices & juice version ), a candy bar and a doughnut. This was between the hours of 3pm and bedtime.

Our school nurse runs an health club and gives nutrition lessons. She offers parent classes on cooking. She counsels children and gives them suggestions about keeping a food dairy and making healthy choices. It breaks her heart when the child returns the diary the following week and the score shows Diary Queen 5 and green vegetable 1.

We feed them 10 meals a week - the other 11 meals are eaten at home - that's more than half. Yet it's all our fault the kids are fat.

13 Reasons Kids Ought to Blog

. Kids gravitate to anything involving a computer
2. They can get comments and feedback which makes writing fun
3. They can share their writing with anyone in the world
4. The computer takes care of spelling and grammar so they can concentrate on the topic.
5. They can select their own topic (within reason!).
6. It improves their writing skills without them realizing it
7. They can add pictures, which makes the subject more interesting
8. It’s a lot easier to read than a hand written journal
9. They are writing with a purpose
10. It’s collaborative
11. It’s “real world learning” – that’s a current educational buzzword
12. Future job skills – so many companies have blogs these days
13. And most of all, because it’s fun!

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others' comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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It was one of those days....

Let's Mush All Our Patrons

This YouTube video, entitled The Haunted Librarian is compliments of The Loopy Librarian, one of the blogs I found while immersed in Library2Play.

Thanks to Library2Play I now know how to embed videos into my blog.



Today was the "Laptop Rollout" - the day when every teacher got their very own laptop. Being teachers some spent the day turning mountains into molehills.

By the end of the day I would have happily substituted some of them for hapless patron in this video.

Library2Play Thing #23 - THE END

Hey, this is my 500th Blog Post - somehow that seems fitting.

It's 10:55 and I'm on Thing #23. I don't have to pull an all-nighter after all. Which is good, I don't think I can recover from an all nighter quite as quickly as I could 30 years ago! I bet there are several sleepy librarians at the meeting tomorrow afternoon!

Let's see, I did the survey - hope the results made it up - the server appears to be on overload. I think I'm not the only last minute librarian out there.

Questions, gotta answer the questions.........

What were your favorite discoveries or exercises on this learning journey?
Loved GoogleReader, Library Thing would be number one with a bullet if I'd let it. I already knew about blogs so I can't say I discovered them here but I love em'. Web 2.0 award sites - so many tools and gizmos and gadgets. . Wikis are great and everyone I show them too agrees. Both my blog and my desktop have lots of new widgets.

How has this program assisted or affected your lifelong learning goals?
Made it easy - gave me lots of new tools to explore and I'm looking forward to spending more time with them and getting to know them in dept.

Were there any take-a-ways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?
How little I knew about Web 2.0 had to offer (yes Dr. B you get to say "I told you so!) and how very much I learned, despite having debuted a blog in 2004. .

What could we do differently to improve upon this program’s format or concept?
Very overwhelming - lots of information to absorb. Of course, part of this is my own fault for doing half of the 23 things on the weekend before it was due. It's hard to squeeze it in during the regular work week.

If we offered another discovery program like this in the future, would you choose to participate?
Yes, Yes, Yes!

How would you describe your learning experience in ONE WORD or in ONE SENTENCE, so we could use your words to promote 23 Things learning activities?
Learn to play with the Digital Natives.

Off to comment.........

Library2Play Thing # 21 PodCasts

I've been jumping and skipping around in Library2Play and I've left this one for last. It's deliberate.

I don't like podcasts. I am very much the visual and kinetic learner and can't keep my mind focused on a podcast long enough to absorb the information.



I'm a very fast reader and I can glean what I need in half the time it takes for me to master the skill orally. I do the bulk of my web surfing and on line learning sitting along side My Beloved while she watches TV (Sports R Us). Podcasts result in noise overload.

I adore Audio Books, as in books on CD but all my audio books are of books I've already read in print form. There is nothing better than an audio book to pass the time during a long car trip.

PhotoStory, on the other hand is a totally different story! Simple, fun and best of all EASY. I'm all for Easy, especially if it's something I'm thinking of doing with the G/T kids. They are going to adore this. Kids are such visual creatures. I'm also going to show this to our Science SIS - the kids can document their science projects next year and then import the pictures into Photostory.

Blogger is not being my friend tonight and refuses to upload my Photostory!
Will try again tomorrow. Because, as Scarlett says "Tomorrow is another day".

And tomorrow had will once again be another day...seems Blogger is still not my friend.
Once again channeling Scarlett......

Library2Play Thing # 12 Rollyo

Rollyo this is one slick discovery! I promptly created a "book prices" search engine. Now when I'm looking for comps I only need to type the title in once.

I've been more focused on personal use than school use this weekend - guess it's because I'm on Spring Break (which ends tomorrow - weep, weep).

Rollyo is made for school librarians and teachers. It's Google with limits or Yahoo with boundaries. Preselect the sites, create a Rollyo search engine and let the kids have at it.

Considering how poorly our students type and spell this will be a tremendous time saver.

Just as so many of the other Web 2.0 tools I've explored, Rollyo is very strong in political, news and celebrity searches. I had the option of adding an Angelina Jolie search to my home page. I should run a search - I might find out just who Anglina Jolie is!

I am amazed at how many tools have sprung up to tame the beast that is the World Wide Web.

Library2Play Thing #10 On Line Image Generators

I've always added graphics to my blog posts - I think they make a blog visually attractive and eye catching. However, I am by nature not an Image alterator. I hit google images, find an appropriate picture, D/L it, U/L and I'm done. When it goes to images I'm a " Wham, bamm, thank you ma'm" kind of girl.

I've been very good throughout this adventure but the end is almost here & I'm punchy so I couldn't resist!

My blogging kids are going to ADORE Cartoon Strip Generator. Best of all it doesn't require an e-mail address. I promise not to show them this cartoon! Whoo-Hoo it's only Sunday & I already have a lesson in place for my ASP group on Thursday!

I don' t think I'd better turn them loose with Custom Sign Generator - some of the sites look a bit risque. They will like Smiley Generator - much of the humor on that site appears to be aimed at 5th grader. .

Maybe these will take their mind off of "Scary videos" and "Funny videos". I can only hope.

Library2Play Thing #22 Nings

Oh My Goodness! I cruise on over to the Texas School Librarians Ning and who do I see staring back at me but my very favorite cataloger and award winning blogger!

I've read about Nings but they really must be seen to be understood. The Texas School Librarian Ning appears to be a mashup of youtube videos, a couple of wikis, assorted blogs, some forums, a few yahoo groups and LM_NET. It really is LM_NET with graphics and ads. I wonder if it's moderated as LM_NET is?

Of course I joined. Not that I need yet another Web distraction but I couldn't resist. I also found yet another blog to add to my google reader. Information overload, here I come!

Library2Play Thing #13 Del.icio.us

Del.icio.us is fun - I imported all my own bookmarks. I now need to give some thought to setting up a school account and seeing if I can import the Ikeepbookmarks.com bookmarks. That site, while very useful can also be very, very, very slooooooooowwwww to load.

I discovered Del.icio.us has a blog and via it I found a widget for my iphone.

One bit of Lagniappe from Library2Play are the Common Craft Guy videos. They have a knack for explaining the web for us ordinary folks. Of course I got distracted on their site and now I understand Twitter. I'm not sure I want to do it, but at least I can grasp it.

Saving bookmarks is duck soup - way more intuitive than doing so on IkeepBookmarks.

Delightful new toy!

Library2Play Thing #20 - You Tube & Teacher Tube pt.2

You Tube is blocked at school. My enterprising lunch bunch figured a way around the filters. They weren't being malicious or searching for porn, they just wanted to watch "scary videos" and "funny videos".

One thing typed "Funny Videos" into Google Search and they were off and running. They proudly showed me their results, most of which I thought were unbelievably stupid. I let it go for a couple of weeks and then gave them some alternative suggestions. Kids tend to do something over and over and over and over again till every adult around them is heartily sick of it.

TeacherTube isn't blocked (at least not now!) but when it comes to using the Web and streaming video as a teaching tool, I much prefer Discovery Education. I can D/L the videos in advance and I'm not caught unawares by an Internet shutdown or slow down.

Last year I learned that during March Madness the district Internet crawls to a standstill. This year I'm prepared!

Libary2Play Thing #20 You Tube & Teacher Tube

I'm in day 2 of my 48 Library2Play marathon (feel like I'm back in college again and wonder if an all nighter is in my future) I am very much over libraries and earnest statements about the future of libraries and education.

So, for Thing #20 - You Tube I explored American Apparel, the company my Web 2.0 daughter works work. An aside, the web is made for us hyperactive types with short attention spans! Bored with one topic? Just jump to another!




I don't think any of the You Tube American Apparel videos are ever going to make it past the school filters. I can certainly understand the appeal of the company to the Digital Immigrants. It's local, it's "Green", it's fashion and advertising bubbleing up from the bottom, as opposed to be imposed from the top. It's the clothing for the Web 2.0 pioneers. In fact I've seen the clothes in some of the videos I've watched for this project!

Library2Play Thing #18 -Beyond Microsoft Office

I took a look at Open Office - D/L it takes over an hour.

Do I want to tie up my computer for an hour to D/L a program I don't really need and don't have an incentive to learn?

No, not at the moment. Scuttlebutt says that the district may opt out of Microsoft in the future and go to Open Office as the platform of choice. When that happens I'll teach myself Open Office.

Google Docs is interesting - unlike my Dell PDA, my iphone does not come with a word processing program so I can see some future uses. That is, I can once I get used to typing with my thumbs. I'm still a "pointer"

The concept is downright radical - thumb your nose at the 500 lb Gorilla that is Microsoft and create something free that anyone can use. My 25 year old web designer daughter says Microsoft is the devil and has as little to do with Windows products as possible. She's also a Web2.0 poster child.

The folks at Technorati had the same idea -the people are the ones determining what is newsworthy, not the news media. Similar thought process with Wikipedia. No more expensive reference books, let the people create their own reference books.

Power to the People - the 1960s have returned!

Library2Play Thing #15 The Future of Libraries

I came of age in the pre-internet library. Back when I got my MLS it was in "Library Services" not, Information Technology. The changes have come fast and furious in the past 20 years and I can see them in the school library that I run.

I don't buy paper encyclopedias any more - I think it's been over 10 years since I last bought The World Book Gone too are the states books - no more Texas :The Lone Star State or Georgia: Peach Capital to the World. Miguel of Mexico and Christian of Denmark wended their way to the district auction years ago. I buy very few biographies (only on the folks that are a "TEK"). No more "Molly wants to be a Librarian" or "Joey Wants to be a Policeman".

Oddly, when I look at some of the other district libraries and talk to the sales reps I seem to be one of the few that's changed the acquisition policy to reflect the influence of the Web. Many of our libraries still proudly display the 2007 World Book and last month a rep tried to talk me into buying a 50 volume states of America series by telling me a couple of my fellow librarians just purchased it. "Good" I told him, I'll borrow their copies should I ever need them".

The bulk of my non fiction buying falls within the Dewey 500s - the sciences. Kids still want books on dinosaurs, sharks and lions and tigers and bears. There isn't any reason to buy what I once did - all the information the kids need is out there on the net - either for free or in our databases. Long, long ago there great stress was placed on having a "well balanced" collection and having "information on everything'. My collection isn't well balanced at all - in fact it's lopsided. If a sudden need arises for information on a topic that I don't have in book form chances are I'll find more than anyone could ever need on the web.

Thanks to Harry Potter my fiction collection is larger than it's ever been - and it's strong on fantasy and on the series books. Kids still read for pleasure - mostly humorous school stories and fantasy. I know my choices are sound - our reading scores are high as is our ciruclation and I'm constantly lending fiction books to other libraries in my district.

The Houston Public Library is almost finished with a major remodel - within the next month they will unveil the library of the future. I worked in the old buidling back in the early 1980s, and it will be intersting to see the changes.

I'm getting a new library too. My 50+ year old school is one of the schools that is being totally replaced - the infrastructure in the old building is falling apart. As part of this we're getting brand new libraries - 21st century libraries. I want lots of laptops and I want it all wireless. I think I'll have less book shelves and more space for kids to gather and collaborate and cluster around a computer.

I won't be around to much longer once it's built,up and running - at least I hope won't but it's very exciting to be in on the design phase. We do indeed live in interesting times.

Library2Play Thing #14 Technorati

I'm glad one of the "things" is all about Technorati, being it's a "thing" I've meant to take a look at, yet never gotten around to doing so. Actually, I did look at it once - seems I have a sign on (created in August of 2007 that still works but I never followed through. So I'm back for a second look. I did discover that my blog automatically "pings" Tecnorati so I've active with them, even though I thought I wasn't.

The Blogsphere appears to be obsessed with politics and celebrities. Actually, these days they are often one and the same. I'm not especially interested in either. . When I flip through People in the grocery store checkout line I have no clue why the People in People are deemed worthy of being in People. I do know who is running for President, but I'm not and never have been a political animal. I think the insurance industry, the defense contractors and the litigation lawyers are the ones who are really running the country. Once again I am marching to a different drummer. The story of my life.

Tags - I'm supposed to muse on Tags. I'm always forgetting to tag my own posts and given how few hits I found when I searched "tags" for "School Library 2.0" it's safe to say I'm not the only one. I like the idea of tags but the librarian in me wants some sort of standardization. And that is why I suspect subject or phrase searches yield ever so many more hits than tag searches do.

Ways to use Tecnorati in a school setting? Not sure on that one, though it's a wonderful tool for tracking pop culture and the popular thought. Interesting addition to the required reading list for a high school politics and government class. Personally, I'll check it in hopes of figuring out who the People are that People Magazine is talking about!

Library2Play Thing #9 - More Blogs

More blogs to read ! Do I need to read any more blogs? Nope, but I can never resist a good blog.

I like Google Blog Search but then I like everything Google. A quick search of Library2Play produced showed my post of last night residing right at the top. No wonder I like Google!

A search of Spring Branch produced a very interesting and well photographed tour of the Village of Spring Valley. TexDot has done quite a number on the Village of Spring Valley which I guess will be yet another victim of the never ending project to widen the Katy Freeway.

My favorite way to find Blogs has always been to find a blog I enjoy and then explore their blogroll. It works the same way as book recommendations in Library Thing. If I like someones blog, chances are we have similar tastes. My own blog roll is rather eclectic, with a mixture of school & education blogs, bookselling blogs, book reading blogs and a sprinkling of Mommy Blogs. Back when I started blogging (May, 2004) all these fancy blog search engines didn't exist. And yes, I also walked 2 miles through the snow to school (uphill!). In Miami.

I've used Edublog award winners and other blog award sites to find blogs worthy of following. As a matter of fact, one of our Library2Play Captains has an Edublog Award Wining Blog. Often the award sites include annotations which helps the cream rise to the top. I wasn't to fond of School Librarian blogs on Superglu - to confusing. BlogLines was interesting, but I still like Google - their clean interface appears to my inner Virgo.

Finding blogs to read isn't a problem any longer, but finding the time to read them is an ongoing problem! So many blogs, so little time. So much Web2.0, so much more little time.

Surly Pills

Did everyone take a Surly Pill today?

The empty fridge sent me forth to the grocery store. Unlike many people, I normally enjoy grocery shopping. I love to cook, love to eat, love to try out new foods and can easily spend way to much time (and money) at a well stocked Signature Kroger.

None of the employees of the Kroger on West Gray in Houston, Texas wanted to be at work today. The Deli employee looked so pained by my requests that I cut my list short. The checker and the bagger were way to busy discussing their off work plans to smile, make eye contact or say thank you. The sacker also put the bagged salad in the bottom of the bag and dumped a half gallon of milk on top. I hope allrecipes.com has some ideas for what do with wilted lettuce.

Onward to Sur La Table. Since I love to cook, it stands to reason that I love Sur La Table. They enticed me into the store with a $10 off coupon and a new catalog. Old coupon clipper that I am, of course I had to use it. I coveted a salad dressing mixer. Couldn't find it. Did find two clerks busy gossiping. They were not happy at being interrupted. Suddenly I was not happy at being in Sur La Table. Normally I can happily while away a couple of hours (and $100) at Sur La Table. Not this time. It was quite apparent I was annoying the clerks. I bought my Salad Mixer and left.

I'm a devoted Internet shopper but occasionally I feel the need to go into a real, live, bricks and mortar store. Then I have an experience like today. It's back to the 'net for me.

Library2Play - Thing # 19 Web 2.0 Awards

In my "The term paper is due, I'd better clean the house" mode I've managed to procrastinate my way all the way to the Library2Play deadline. I don't need the 18 hours so I 'm not even sure why I am driven to finish it. I guess it's a combination of my Type A personality and the fact that I'm enjoying learning about all the cool toys that are out there. I've given up being concrete sequential and I'm being random and working on the "Things" that are the most appealing to me personally.

The list of Web 2.0 award winners is utterly fascinating. What's even more fascinating is that I already knew about a fair number of them. Guess I'm not as old as I am feeling (I just found out I'm eligible for the Senior Citizen Meals at IHOP).

I adore Pandora - music has always been one of my passions and I've found some artists whose work I enjoy. For some reason I'm not an ipod junkie, though I have one. I still tend to stick the CD in the CD player and let it rip. I'm more likely to carry a book on the plane than my ipod. I'm also a people watch from way back and it's hard to observe humanity when your ears are plugged up.

I sell on Biblio.com so I think it's safe to say I'm familiar with them! Library Thing, another favorite has lots of library potential. It's way more fun than writing a book report. I haven't explored Technorati, mostly because I know it will unleash my inner monster and I'll spend hours of time there!

I use IkeepBookmarks as my web bookmark site but it's so slowwww so I'm interested in checking out some of the others. I 've taught my lunchbunch to check Ikeepbookmarks for interesting places to go.

My iphone has a direct link to YouTube and oh boy, can I while (or waste) away the hours on it. It's blocked at school - though the kids managed to find their way around the filters. They weren't being malicious, just searching out "funny videos". Most of which I found to be dorky to the extreme but then I'm not a 10 year old boy. I think many of the videos on YouTube are only funny to 10 year old boys. It's Captain Underpants on speed.

Yelp and I going to be as one the next time I go out of town. I looked at the Houston reviews of thrift stores and they are spot on. Good reviews, recent information (Thrift Stores come and go so quickly here) and maps! Oh and a school use - fits in with that old chestnut "The State Report".

I am not a game player - be it board, card or on line but the Lunch Bunch will enjoy Arcaplay - assuming of course they aren't blocked. Bet they are! We'll find out come Monday.

WetPaint already has fans at Housman - we use it to order our lunch and I know some of the teachers plan to use it academically. Just a few though - it is so hard to wean teachers away from pencil and paper projects. I can understand why, since the 4th grade TAKS writing test is all pencil and paper. TAKS keeps us from doing so many interesting things but that's another rant for another post.

Craigslist is a Web 2.0 tool too! Who knew? Love me that Craigslist - couldn't find my inventory without it. I check it every week for garage sales. I'm surprised that Freecycle , the free version of Craigslist didn't make the cut. I use it to get rid fo my culls. Beats hauling them to the Goodwill.

Google Maps - it's on my iphone too. Great tool for the directionally challenged. Why isn't GoogleEarth on the list? My Gifted/Talented kids and I are playing with GoogleEarth - it is endlessly entertaining - and educational.

The one that escapes me is Twitter. I really don't want to know the whereabouts of everybody I know and I don't think they want to virtually follow me around as I do a round of errands. I can see how it could be used in schools for "Virtual Field Trips". That's worth exploring.

I've bookmarked the SEOmoz list and I think I'll be spending lots of time playing with it. Time I ought to be spending doing something else. Like cleaning house.

Library Thing in the Classroom or the Library

I can come up with all sorts of way to use Library Thing in the classroom or the library. It could become a wonderful source of student book reviews and recommendations. I've learned from teaching my blogging class that kids are much more eager to put fingers to keyboard than pencil to paper.

It's also a new twist on that old chestnut "The Book Report". It's a much more natural activity to follow up a class read with than making a diorama or a poster about the book. I've read thousands of books in my lifetime and never once have I ever had the desire to mark the end of a great book by creating a diorama.

Right now my district doesn't offer e-mail addresses to our students and that's the one obstacle I've been coming up against while teaching blogging. Everything Web 2.0 requires an e-mail address and that's yet another thing our kids don't have. I know they are standard in upper and middle class schools where children acquire their own web page at birth but not at Title I schools. We created the blogs by attaching them to an e-mail address I created on my own personal account. That worked till we started making Avatars. Avatars, we discovered required separate e-mail addresses. I now own about 20 different yahoo e-mail addresses! Where there is a will there is a way.

The district has come a long way toward opening up the web to the students, perhaps personal e-mail addresses are not far behind. One can only hope.

Library 2 Play - Thing #11 Library Thing

I've been a member of Library Thing since 2006. Haven't really followed through - so little time and so many things (hey, that could be a new T-shirt slogan!). I have an account & I've listed a few books. I just added their new widget to my blog - I love widgets - they would easily become another addiction. Another addiction is something I don't need. At least not now.

Many of the members of The Betsy-Tacy listserv are members of Library Thing or GoodReads which is similar or both. Right now I'm so busy selling books that I don't have nearly the time I once had to read books. There is a distinct similarity to being an unread bookseller and barefoot cobbler. I can easily see how both could become a happy obsession. MySpace for the literate and for those who can write a complete sentence. As an aside, have you noticed how many spelling & grammar erors there are on the typical Myspace page? Myspace is not a good advertisement for the success of American Education.

I'm also on Paperback Book Swap, which is a fun way to find homes for unwanted books and replace them with wanted ones. Learned about that one via OnLine Booksellers, one of the many Yahoo Groups I belong to (Groups and Listservs are a long standing addiction). It's similar to Library Thing, though it's more of a swap site than a personal library catalog site.

They both appeal to librarians - one allows us to catalog our own books (would that it was that easy to catalog at work) the other allows us to put books into the hands of readers.

Once again, so many groups, so little time!

Librarian Video Game

Finally we have our own on- line video game!

http://www.library.cmu.edu/Libraries/etc/

I need more practice - I'm better at Dewey than LC.
And if you know what the above sentence means than you are definitely a librarian too!

The Effects of a Lunar Eclipse

Today was not normal.

Thunder and lighting accompanied the dismissal bell. Along with the pollen, the rain washed all the common sense away too. A couple of teachers unfurled their umbrellas and led their children around the busses to load them. The result: 1 dry teacher and 15 wet children. Others dumped their kids in the hall and ran. The result: 300 confused kids with inadequate supervision.

I went to Kroger to get gas. The clerk informed me that the system is down and they can’t accept cash. I knew a cashless society was coming, just didn’t expect it to arrive quite so soon. The result: a quick trip to another gas station. In the rain.

Fourth Grade went on a field trip, which meant in an early lunch for them and tweak in the schedule for everyone else. Teachers assumed that dropping their kids off 10 min. early didn’t mean they needed to pick them up 10 minutes early too. The result: 40 minute lunches and chaos in the cafeteria.

I’m teaching myself how to use the Activ Board. Sometimes it does what I want it to and sometimes it doesn’t. The result : Frustration on my part.

Got home and and saw all the chat about the Lunar Eclipse on one of my list servs.
Suddenly the reasons for today's muddles all became clear.

TMI

Third grade is learning about biographies. I'm reading BigMama's by Donald Crews, an autobiographical tale of visits to the author's grandparents in the 1940s. Big Mama lives on a small farm, in a house without electricity and running water and keeps chickens. I start a discussion drawing a parallel between the authors experience and the children's trips to Mexico to visit family. Many of the students spend the summer with grandparents in remote Mexican villages. They are quite familiar with outhouses, kerosene lamps and chickens.

I often hear chickens when I pull up for work in the morning so I know many of the students are also very familiar with American chickens. E, who has long ash blond hair and pale skin with freckles , raises her hand.

“We have chickens in our back yard”

“Do you gather their eggs?” I ask, bucolic visions flitting through my brain.

“No” she says, “We have roosters. My grandfather takes them to Louisiana”.

I rearrange my thinking and contemplate roast chicken instead.

“Why does he take them to Louisiana?”

“So they can fight”

Hummm...........I think it’s time to check out books.

Not Me & I Didn't Do It

There is a new addition to the Library Lunch Bunch. It's our old friend "Not Me".

"Who dumped the tray in the trash? " (they are supposed to be stacked)
"Not me"

"Who spilled their milk on the table and didn't clean it up? "
"Not me."

"Who didn't drink their milk?"
"Not me."

"Not Me" has a cousin by the name of "I Didn't Do It"

How are the CDs getting switched?"
"I didn't do it"

"Isn't that your napkin on the floor?"
"I didn't do it."

"Were you running? "
"I didn't do it."

"Who left their lunch kit on the table?"
"I didn't do it?"

I'm getting very anonyed at "Not Me" and "I Didn't Do It". Friday I sent 10 "Not Mes" back to the cafeteria and told them they weren't welcome to come back till "Not Me" had a name and face.

Since it's rather doubtful that "Not Me" can pass the TAKS test nobody will mind if he withdraws from school. Had, he however been a candiate for Academic Recognition we'd be stuck with him till the end of time - or the TAKS test, whichever comes first.

Library2Play - Thing #8 - RSS Feeds

RSS Feeds & Readers - How have I missed out on these? Sure I've seen the little orange buttons scattered here and there on assorted blogs but I never paid much attention to them. I should have. They are a Virgo's Dream.

Thing #8 explained it all. For most of the weekend I've been busy adding all the blogs on my sidebar to my Goggle Reader. It's teidous work. I open up Blogrolling , click on the link to make sure it's still good, copy n' paste it into Goggle Reader. Repeat. And repeat. I have a crick in my neck.

Along the way I'm cleaning up my blogroll. Deleting blogs are haven't been updated in a couple of months or blogs whose content or focus has changed. I've some blogs that used to be interesting but just aren't any more - at least to me. Not to say they aren't of interest to someone else.

I do cringe when I hit the "dump it" button. I know how hard it is to keep a blog updated and how hard folks work to keep them interesting. It doesn't seem right to "dump" someone's blood, sweat and tears. But, there are only so many hours in the day and there isn't any point in cluttering up my blogroll with blogs I don't read.

It's just like culling my bookshelves or weeding the library. It gets rid of the dead wood and makes way for new blogs (or books). .