October 2014

There were 2 posts published in October 2014.

the rest of the year

So now that the Virgo Month of Leisure is over, I’m back into it. Back into it can mean a lot of things but to me it mostly means working and some traveling. It also means a little shopping, which is weird.

The work news is the same and a little different. I’ve continued my writing for Computers in Libraries magazine and I’ve picked up another writing job with Mozilla’s Open Standard project. You can read my first article here: After Some Victories, the Time Has Come to Legally Define ‘Fair Use’. I’m pretty happy with it. And I also like having paying work doing something I like. My other job has started teaching a class to the teachers at RTCC (the local school where I do drop-in time and adult tech classes) learning how to use their new Gmail and Google Docs environment. This is via Castleton College, but takes place in Randolph. The teachers will get a credit for successfully completing this which means I am now a college teacher! Sort of! So between teaching and writing and public speaking and working at Open Library, it’s sort of like a whole job. Which doesn’t mean I’m not open to interesting opportunities but it does mean I’m not worried about where my income is coming from.

Other highlights of the last few weeks

  • Went to Mississippi to give a talk in Vicksburg at the MLA conference. Talk is here, some photos are here.
  • Hosted some friends down in MA and had a great time doing that lazy sit on the porch and talk thing that I like so much (also went to the beach,look at these cute birds and their little legs!)
  • Got a new mattress and a new fridge which is the first time I can remember getting either of those things. The fridge is a marvel of quiet chillness. The mattress feels like a sack of wet cement but in a GOOD way which may only make sense if you know me.
  • I’m the ladyops person at tilde. If that doesn’t mean anything to you, that’s just fine. You can read this link for more.
  • Going to ComicCon on Sunday. In Vermont, yes. The Vermont Library Association is sponsoring David Newall AKA Mr. McFeely from Mister Roger’s Neighborhood, so we’ll have a table! Say hi if you are there.
  • Giving a talk in Sturbridge MA on Wednesday at the Massachusetts Library System’s Small Libraries Conference.
  • Bee-costumed candy handing out on Halloween

And that’s it for talks and marriages in 2014. I’m running for Justice of the Peace again. I’m also staffing the polls on election day. I was also on the front page of the newspaper talking about the Wikimania conference which should help with name recognition since my name is low on the list of candidates. I have a pile of magnets and a pile of things formerly on my old fridge and a pile of mail and a pile of pieces of cardboard (from my library-card-that-turns-into-a-refdesk costume) and I’m waiting for the days and my todo list to get shorter. What have you been up to?

Virgo Month of Leisure 2014 – nailed it.

Eden, VT

Hey! It only took me 15 years but I think I have the hang of this. The month of leisure was mostly leisurely. I performed one wedding, played in a ukulele concert, had a pre-birthday get together and a smaller birthday get together, came back to town from MA, visted some more towns on my 251 Quest, started work, and have been getting back to my same old routine. I know for some people the routine sounds dull but for me it’s like when all your gears just mesh smoothly and everything is going whirr whirr whirr.

I’ve been cooking up squash again this week and tried one called kuri. Very good with garam masala and butter and some syrup but honestly, what isn’t? The leaves are coming off the trees and I’m wearing socks indoors more often than not. Next week is a trip to Mississippi (via MA) for a library conference, hang out with some friends, and then back to VT for our little ComicCon and then off to Sturbridge MA for a one-day conference. I’m even teaching a one-credit class for the local teachers on how to use their new Google dos environment.

So yeah things mostly worked this year. More than usual. Here’s a recap of the last fifteen years’ worth of attempts.