On the same weekend, two people I know died.
H. was in my exercise class. She had been ill for the last several months and her death was not unexpected. Until she became ill, she was an active member of several communities: church, historical society, and service organizations as well as attending exercise class. She was in her mid 80s, but still tough, smart and witty; always dressed nicely, had her hair done regularly, and wore make-up whenever I saw her. She was tiny, but a powerhouse. She will be missed.
The second person I didn't know very well; her husband and I serve together on a committee. He missed some meetings a few years ago because she had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer. They're both a few years younger and I am. I began to write brief messages to her on pretty note cards, wishing her well. I sent her postcards when I went on vacation and even just from home. Chemotherapy was successful and she recovered. I had a chance to meet her in person. She was delightful and charming and I thoroughly enjoyed our conversations.
Then, the cancer returned; she began treatments, I began sending cards. After a few weeks, she and the doctors decided the treatments just weren't working and they ceased. She died. I sent a card to her husband telling him that even though I had only met her a couple of times and didn't know her well, I liked her very much.
Death is all part of the life cycle. Still, when it happens to someone I know, I'm always a little shaken. My world, the entire world, changes a little bit.
Wednesday, August 19, 2015
Wednesday, August 12, 2015
Time or Money?
Which do I value more? Which do I need more?
It appears, time wins - at least for now. I'm perfectly content with my 3 partial days-per-week job at MassCat. There have been the sporadic continuing education workshops in Connecticut. And two partial days at Springfield City Library and that's plenty. I could be working more, but attending chair yoga, reading, and watching my fish seems to take up an awful lot of time.
Of course, I'm doing many other things. We managed a trip to the Clark Art Institute to see the Van Gogh and Nature exhibit (wonderful) and will be heading back to the Berkshires next week for a production of Comedy of Errors by Shakespeare & Company. Sunday, we did the annual "Vermont trip". We went to the flea market in Jacksonville where we spent money on things we do not need (although everyone can use 2 more beer glasses). Then visited the fun shops in Brattleboro where we managed not to buy anything except an excellent dinner on the deck of the Whetstone Brewery.
Friday, we're heading east to my hometown for my 50th High School reunion. I'm feeling a little odd about it. I have not seen any of these people since the 25th reunion. I didn't keep up with any of them for more than a couple of years, and even then, only a few.
Where did those 50 years go? I've spent much of them working. Now it's time for fun and relaxation.
It appears, time wins - at least for now. I'm perfectly content with my 3 partial days-per-week job at MassCat. There have been the sporadic continuing education workshops in Connecticut. And two partial days at Springfield City Library and that's plenty. I could be working more, but attending chair yoga, reading, and watching my fish seems to take up an awful lot of time.
Of course, I'm doing many other things. We managed a trip to the Clark Art Institute to see the Van Gogh and Nature exhibit (wonderful) and will be heading back to the Berkshires next week for a production of Comedy of Errors by Shakespeare & Company. Sunday, we did the annual "Vermont trip". We went to the flea market in Jacksonville where we spent money on things we do not need (although everyone can use 2 more beer glasses). Then visited the fun shops in Brattleboro where we managed not to buy anything except an excellent dinner on the deck of the Whetstone Brewery.
Friday, we're heading east to my hometown for my 50th High School reunion. I'm feeling a little odd about it. I have not seen any of these people since the 25th reunion. I didn't keep up with any of them for more than a couple of years, and even then, only a few.
Where did those 50 years go? I've spent much of them working. Now it's time for fun and relaxation.
Friday, June 26, 2015
June
June is my favorite month. Lots of good things happen in June.
June is when Summer officially begins. On June 21, 2015 at 12:38 p.m. it was Summer.
I was born in June which may be why I've always preferred warmer weather. I'm not a winter person. Why do I live in New England with snow and cold? I don't know. Maybe it's so I'll appreciate Summer.
June is M's an my anniversary - all three of them. We met, moved in together and got married on June 17. It kept things simple and we didn't have to remember a lot of different dates. This year, he was away on business on the 17th (it happens some times), so on the Sunday before, we booked a couple's massage at East Heaven and then went to dinner at East Side Grill where we renewed our relationship for another year. This process seems to work as we've been together now for 26 years - one year at a time.
And, as I mentioned above, June is my birthday. On our birthdays, M. and I take each other out to dinner, sometimes with friends. This year, we went to Chez Albert, where I splurged (it was my birthday, after all) and ordered escargots.
June is also the month when I was laid off from a job I liked very much and was plunged into a new adventure which, as it turns out, I'm also liking very much. June 30, 2010 was my (and everyone else's) last day at the Central Massachusetts Regional Library System. State finances mandated that the 6 Regional Library Systems merge into one. Interestingly, I'm now working at that one and enjoying my limited responsibilities as MassCat cataloger. When I worked for CMRLS, I told my supervisor that the one thing I missed in that job was cataloging and I would like to do more. I got my wish.
June is when Summer officially begins. On June 21, 2015 at 12:38 p.m. it was Summer.
I was born in June which may be why I've always preferred warmer weather. I'm not a winter person. Why do I live in New England with snow and cold? I don't know. Maybe it's so I'll appreciate Summer.
June is M's an my anniversary - all three of them. We met, moved in together and got married on June 17. It kept things simple and we didn't have to remember a lot of different dates. This year, he was away on business on the 17th (it happens some times), so on the Sunday before, we booked a couple's massage at East Heaven and then went to dinner at East Side Grill where we renewed our relationship for another year. This process seems to work as we've been together now for 26 years - one year at a time.
And, as I mentioned above, June is my birthday. On our birthdays, M. and I take each other out to dinner, sometimes with friends. This year, we went to Chez Albert, where I splurged (it was my birthday, after all) and ordered escargots.
June is also the month when I was laid off from a job I liked very much and was plunged into a new adventure which, as it turns out, I'm also liking very much. June 30, 2010 was my (and everyone else's) last day at the Central Massachusetts Regional Library System. State finances mandated that the 6 Regional Library Systems merge into one. Interestingly, I'm now working at that one and enjoying my limited responsibilities as MassCat cataloger. When I worked for CMRLS, I told my supervisor that the one thing I missed in that job was cataloging and I would like to do more. I got my wish.
Saturday, May 23, 2015
So Many Books!
Lately, I've had the great fortune to be able to do a lot of reading and the reading has been quite eclectic.
First, through Wowbrary (new additions to the Hatfield Public Library sent to me in a weekly email) I learned about Hissing Cousins, the story of Eleanor Roosevelt and her first cousin Alice Longworth. U.S. politics and government is so much more interesting when it involves the lives of people. Eleanor and Alice were born the same year (1884). Alice was Teddy Roosevelt's daughter and Eleanor was his niece (as well as Franklin Roosevelt's wife). They spent much of their lives together, but were very different people. Both were quite influential in Washington politics, but in entirely different ways. While I can't be as effusive about Hissing Cousins as I am about Robert Caro's The Years of Lyndon Johnson, the story of Eleanor and Alice is very readable (and much shorter).
True history was followed by a thriller by one of my favorite authors, Lisa Scottoline. I love her Rosato and Associates series, but this was a standalone title, Every Fifteen Minutes. The opening chapter made me feel anxious, which kept me reading so that I could get to a resolution. Highly recommended if you like thrillers and don't mind feeling unsettled for several days.
On the lighter side, I learned about Arsenic and Old Books from an AUTOCAT post. It is written by a librarian and the mysteries all take place in a library. Charlie Harris is a librarian with a Maine coon cat named Diesel. While Diesel accompanies Charlie everywhere, he does not solve the mystery like Rita Mae Brown's Mrs. Murphy or Lilian Jackson Braun's Koko. Even though I'm a cat lover, I find having an animal so intimately involved a little silly. While Charlie talks to Diesel (and I've always talked to my cats), Charlie solves his mysteries without Diesel's input. The plot is definitely light, but there is an intriguing twist at the end.
Currently, I'm reading an oldie: The Edge by Dick Francis. Whenever I'm at a loss for what to read next, I can depend on Dick Francis. Even though he died in 2010, he was a prolific writer and I can always find something of his that I haven't read, or read such a long time ago that I can't remember the plot.
Happy reading!
First, through Wowbrary (new additions to the Hatfield Public Library sent to me in a weekly email) I learned about Hissing Cousins, the story of Eleanor Roosevelt and her first cousin Alice Longworth. U.S. politics and government is so much more interesting when it involves the lives of people. Eleanor and Alice were born the same year (1884). Alice was Teddy Roosevelt's daughter and Eleanor was his niece (as well as Franklin Roosevelt's wife). They spent much of their lives together, but were very different people. Both were quite influential in Washington politics, but in entirely different ways. While I can't be as effusive about Hissing Cousins as I am about Robert Caro's The Years of Lyndon Johnson, the story of Eleanor and Alice is very readable (and much shorter).True history was followed by a thriller by one of my favorite authors, Lisa Scottoline. I love her Rosato and Associates series, but this was a standalone title, Every Fifteen Minutes. The opening chapter made me feel anxious, which kept me reading so that I could get to a resolution. Highly recommended if you like thrillers and don't mind feeling unsettled for several days.
On the lighter side, I learned about Arsenic and Old Books from an AUTOCAT post. It is written by a librarian and the mysteries all take place in a library. Charlie Harris is a librarian with a Maine coon cat named Diesel. While Diesel accompanies Charlie everywhere, he does not solve the mystery like Rita Mae Brown's Mrs. Murphy or Lilian Jackson Braun's Koko. Even though I'm a cat lover, I find having an animal so intimately involved a little silly. While Charlie talks to Diesel (and I've always talked to my cats), Charlie solves his mysteries without Diesel's input. The plot is definitely light, but there is an intriguing twist at the end.
Currently, I'm reading an oldie: The Edge by Dick Francis. Whenever I'm at a loss for what to read next, I can depend on Dick Francis. Even though he died in 2010, he was a prolific writer and I can always find something of his that I haven't read, or read such a long time ago that I can't remember the plot.
Happy reading!
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
Asparagus
This is asparagus season. It seems that everybody and his brother has a small asparagus stand in front of the house. As I drive to work, I pass several and I buy a lot of asparagus.
Like many vegetables, asparagus can be eaten raw. It can also be cooked. You can steam it, boil it, or grill it. A few years ago I discovered roasted asparagus which is my favorite way of cooking it. Here's the recipe:
Sesame Roasted Asparagus
36 asparagus spears
1 1/2 tsp. dark sesame oil
1 tsp. low-sodium soy sauce
1/8 tsp. black pepper
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Snap off the tough ends of the asparagus spears. Combine asparagus and remaining ingredients in a jelly roll pan turning asparagus to coat. Bake at 450 degrees for 5-7 minutes or until asparagus is crisp-tender. Turn once. Makes 4 servings.
Now what do you do with roasted asparagus? Well, you can just eat it with your favorite potatoes or rice and fish or meat. You can also make roasted asparagus quiche. Find a simple quiche recipe and add the asparagus. Sunday, we has roasted asparagus and cheddar cheese omelets for breakfast. I'm sure you can think of lots of other uses.
Eat lots of asparagus. The season will be over too soon.
Like many vegetables, asparagus can be eaten raw. It can also be cooked. You can steam it, boil it, or grill it. A few years ago I discovered roasted asparagus which is my favorite way of cooking it. Here's the recipe:
Sesame Roasted Asparagus
36 asparagus spears
1 1/2 tsp. dark sesame oil
1 tsp. low-sodium soy sauce
1/8 tsp. black pepper
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Snap off the tough ends of the asparagus spears. Combine asparagus and remaining ingredients in a jelly roll pan turning asparagus to coat. Bake at 450 degrees for 5-7 minutes or until asparagus is crisp-tender. Turn once. Makes 4 servings.
Now what do you do with roasted asparagus? Well, you can just eat it with your favorite potatoes or rice and fish or meat. You can also make roasted asparagus quiche. Find a simple quiche recipe and add the asparagus. Sunday, we has roasted asparagus and cheddar cheese omelets for breakfast. I'm sure you can think of lots of other uses.
Eat lots of asparagus. The season will be over too soon.
Monday, May 11, 2015
At the Movies
Last month, M. and I spent a few days in NYC at the Tribeca Film Festival. Ever since he and I went to the Palm Springs Film Festival at the recommendation of some friends, he's become a Film Festival Fan.
We saw 3 films and one really stood out. I've been recommending it to anyone who likes movies. Being an indy film, I don't know if it will ever show up in theaters, but if it does, please take some time to see Virgin Mountain.
Watching this film, I felt sad, happy, annoyed, excited, anxious and every emotion in between - just like life. As I was watching, I thought I knew what was about to happen. Sometimes it did and sometimes it didn't. Without giving anything away (I hope), I ultimately felt satisfied.
I'm fortunate to live near Amherst and the Amherst Cinema which often shows small and unusual films that you'd never see at the mall. I hope they show Virgin Mountain as I would very much like to see it again.
Another favorite of mine which I've seen twice (both times at the Amherst Cinema) is Caesar Must Die. It takes place in a maximum security prison in Rome where the prisoners are going to give a presentation of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. It is not a documentary, but is filmed in the prison and most of the actors are prisoners. The story begins with casting the characters and is mostly about the rehearsals which take place in various parts of the prison because the theater is being renovated. This is an amazing movie and well worth an evening out. Dinner at Pasta e Basta down the street completes the Italian theme.
We saw 3 films and one really stood out. I've been recommending it to anyone who likes movies. Being an indy film, I don't know if it will ever show up in theaters, but if it does, please take some time to see Virgin Mountain.
Watching this film, I felt sad, happy, annoyed, excited, anxious and every emotion in between - just like life. As I was watching, I thought I knew what was about to happen. Sometimes it did and sometimes it didn't. Without giving anything away (I hope), I ultimately felt satisfied.
I'm fortunate to live near Amherst and the Amherst Cinema which often shows small and unusual films that you'd never see at the mall. I hope they show Virgin Mountain as I would very much like to see it again.
Another favorite of mine which I've seen twice (both times at the Amherst Cinema) is Caesar Must Die. It takes place in a maximum security prison in Rome where the prisoners are going to give a presentation of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. It is not a documentary, but is filmed in the prison and most of the actors are prisoners. The story begins with casting the characters and is mostly about the rehearsals which take place in various parts of the prison because the theater is being renovated. This is an amazing movie and well worth an evening out. Dinner at Pasta e Basta down the street completes the Italian theme.
Monday, May 4, 2015
The Portuguese Picket Dictionary
I wonder if anyone has ever searched for a Portuguese Pocket Dictionary in the MassCat catalog. If so, they would not have found it. Whoever entered the data for that particular resource did so incorrectly.
This is the sort of situation I face every Monday, Wednesday and Friday as I pour over the catalog looking for problems like typos, incomplete words, and bibliographic records too skimpy to know what the item really is.
My first priority is hunting for duplicate (and triplicate and quadruplicate) records. Sometimes it's hard enough to navigate the catalog without being confronted with two of the exact same thing and several more variations. Which is which?
I have a printout, in alphabetical order, of potential duplicate records. A few weeks ago I reached the letter E. On June 25, 2014, I posted that I had arrived at the letter D. It's going slowly, but I'm doing a lot of other thing, too.
Since Friday was May 1, I totaled my statistics for the month of April. While I don't have the exact figures in front of me, I merged over 800 bibliographic records. That's a pretty typical month. I also replaced several hundred incomplete records with ones with more detailed information. And several hundred additional records received what I call "minor edits" like correcting typos and adding page numbers when I can find them.
As I look at all the work that needs to be done to this catalog, I know I'll have a job for a very long time. At least now anyone looking for a Portuguese Pocket Dictionary will be able to find one.
This is the sort of situation I face every Monday, Wednesday and Friday as I pour over the catalog looking for problems like typos, incomplete words, and bibliographic records too skimpy to know what the item really is.
My first priority is hunting for duplicate (and triplicate and quadruplicate) records. Sometimes it's hard enough to navigate the catalog without being confronted with two of the exact same thing and several more variations. Which is which?
I have a printout, in alphabetical order, of potential duplicate records. A few weeks ago I reached the letter E. On June 25, 2014, I posted that I had arrived at the letter D. It's going slowly, but I'm doing a lot of other thing, too.
Since Friday was May 1, I totaled my statistics for the month of April. While I don't have the exact figures in front of me, I merged over 800 bibliographic records. That's a pretty typical month. I also replaced several hundred incomplete records with ones with more detailed information. And several hundred additional records received what I call "minor edits" like correcting typos and adding page numbers when I can find them.
As I look at all the work that needs to be done to this catalog, I know I'll have a job for a very long time. At least now anyone looking for a Portuguese Pocket Dictionary will be able to find one.
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