Steampunk Gypsy

Since we didn't get massive amounts of snow and are therefore not stuck in Kentucky, I suppose we will pack up tonight and head out early tomorrow morning. Time to get back to The Real World. Links! Libraries, Books, & Authors Art Student Hand-Illuminates, Binds a Copy of Tolkien's Silmarillion  So gorgeous!  Hanover schools release list of sensitive instructional material  "Hanover County school administrators have sent all principals a list of instructional materials that teachers now need a principal’s permission to use in class....The books on the list are 'Thou Shalt Not Dump the Skater Dude,' by Rosemary Graham; 'So Far From the Bamboo Grove,' by Yoko Watkins; 'The Color Purple,' by Alice Walker; 'The Well,' by Mildred D. Taylor; and 'Thirteen Reasons Why,' by Jay Asher." Publishing: The peer-review scam  "When a handful of authors were caught reviewing their own papers, it exposed weaknesses in modern pu...

Playing a D&D campaign. Links! Libraries, Books, & Authors 6 ways to get into trouble with Thailand’s military leaders  "2. Reading the wrong books."  SLC Public Library considering opening 24 hours a day   Author William Gibson takes on the end of the future in ‘The Peripheral’   Science Shows Something Surprising About People Who Still Read Fiction   Terry Pratchett rethought as a philosopher in new study   Net & Tech Map: What we're thankful for, according to our Facebook posts   Science Big Sibling's Big Influence: Some Behaviors Run In The Family Ebola Vaccine Passes First Human Trial    Scientists Discover Star Trek Style Invisible "Shield" Thousands Of Miles Above Earth   New Lava Lake Appears Atop African Volcano   A drone's-eye view of Chernobyl: Eerie footage reveals a city left to decay after devastating nuclear disaster   Other Millions Of Thanksgiving Turkeys Recalled? An...

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! I, for one, would love to revive a long-forgotten tradition:  When Thanksgiving Was Weird . Oddest thing: Thanksgiving in turn-of-the-20th century America used to look a heckuva lot like Halloween. People — young and old — got all dressed up and staged costumed crawls through the streets. In Los Angeles, Chicago and other places around the country, newspapers ran stories of folks wearing elaborate masks and cloth veils. Thanksgiving mask balls were held in Cape Girardeau, Mo., Montesano, Wash., and points in between. In New York City — where the tradition was especially strong — a local newspaper reported in 1911 that "fantastically garbed youngsters and their elders were on every corner of the city." Thousands of folks ran rampant, one syndicated column noted. "Horns and rattles are worked overtime. The throwing of confetti and even flour on pedestrians is an allowable pastime." It must have been like a strange American ...

This morning, I had a talk with my 8 year old daughter, Swicky, about systemic racism, the militarization of the police, and how ordinary evil really is. I woke up with Sympathy for the Devil running through my head, and it made more sense than ever.   I am sad for Ferguson. I am disgusted by those who take the Grand Jury's decision not to indict Darren Wilson as proof that he was justified in gunning down an unarmed teen (and, therefore, Mike Brown's guilt of something worthy of the death penalty without charges or trial). I am also disgusted by those who condemn the protesters - particularly those who are lashing out in violence. That one's the hardest to explain to people. But, yes, I understand the violence, even though I don't condone it. I understand the burning, the destruction, and the looting. ( Thank God, I'm not the only one. ) I'm angry, too - and I'm lucky: I'm white.  I don't have to worry about what happens if I ...

Prosecutor Announces Ferguson Jury Decision In Michael Brown's Death "A grand jury did not indict Ferguson, Mo., police officer Darren Wilson for any crimes related to the death of 18-year-old Michael Brown in August." I wish I could say I'm shocked, but I'm not. I am, however, saddened. I will be praying for the people of Ferguson and Michael Brown's family. Links! Libraries, Books, & Authors Nov 24, 1859: Origin of Species is published   H.P. Lovecraft’s Classic Horror Stories Free Online: Download Audio Books, eBooks & More   Salvador Dali's cookbook is every bit as insane as you would expect it to be   Authors Sign Up to Raise Barnes & Noble’s Black Friday Sales  "The chain recruited 100 prominent authors — including Donna Tartt, David Mitchell, Dan Brown, E. L. James, Jeff Kinney, George W. Bush and Hillary Clinton — to each sign roughly 5,000 copies of their latest books. The company will distribute the 500,000 signed bo...

And not very many of them, either. It's been a busy day, and the most exciting thing was that they had good sushi and frog legs at the Chinese buffet. Links! Libraries, Books, & Authors A Field Trip to America's Public Libraries: How they serve the needs of their communities   Nov 23, 1936: First issue of Life is published   Nov 23, 1990: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory creator Roald Dahl dies   Other Today’s key fact: you are probably wrong about almost everything   With snow still piled high, Buffalo faces flooding   From the Prosthetic Medic:  I promised Good and Bad…Here we go!   Cleveland police officer shoots 12-year-old boy carrying BB gun  

...and now I'm worried there might be something crawling around in my brain ... Links! Libraries, Books, & Authors Nov 22, 1819: George Eliot is born   Meet the Man Who Catalogs Medieval Cartoons   4 Fake Quotes by Famous Authors to Watch Out For   Texas Approves Textbooks With Moses As Honorary Founding Father   Science EPA Barred From Getting Advice From Scientists  "A bill passed through the US House of Representatives is designed to prevent qualified, independent scientists from advising the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). They will be replaced with industry affiliated choices, who may or may not have relevant scientific expertise, but whose paychecks benefit from telling the EPA what their employers want to hear."  Authority Issues Video shows teacher forcing girl to school pool  The P.E. teacher "...was put on paid leave for a month immediately following the incident, but was then brought back and assigned to another ...

Remember when I raved over my new AeroPress ? This morning, my husband of ten years - who only rarely drinks coffee, when he desperately needs the caffeine to stay awake, and only then black and ice cold - walked by me and said, "Something smells good..." He picked up my cup of coffee, took a sip, and then took it away. That's right - AeroPress coffee is so delicious, my coffee-disliking husband will drink it because he likes it. That's good stuff, right there... Links! Libraries, Books, & Authors Nov 21, 1694: Voltaire's birthday   Town Reportedly Nixes Winnie the Pooh Mascot Over 'Dubious Sexuality'  "Officials in the Polish town of Tuszyn (around 87 miles southwest of Warsaw) were deciding on a mascot for its town playground, when the classic children's character was suggested as a candidate. They decided to rule Winnie out, because he's an 'inappropriately dressed' bear of 'dubious sexuality.'"  ...

I feel much better now. I even woke up while it was technically still morning, so I don't feel like I wasted the entire day, although I did spend most of the day catching up on Gotham  and not changing out of my pajamas. I also had some friends over to watch a movie ( The Fall , which was pretty good, I think), and that was loads of fun. All in all, a very good day! Links! Libraries, Books, & Authors “A Giant of Literature”: Ursula K. Le Guin and Neil Gaiman at the 2014 National Book Awards   Nov 20, 1875: Henry James' first novel is published   FSU Gunman Identified As School Alumnus and Attorney Myron May Reuters To Cut Jobs Despite Budget Increase    Net & Tech Sen. Al Franken Demands Answers From Uber on Privacy, ‘God View’ Tool   What is Your Location?: Public Knowledge Petition Pushes FCC to Implement 911 Accuracy Rules   Authority Issues Virginia Police Have Been Secretively Stockpiling Private Phone Records   ...

Thankfully, tomorrow is my day off! I intend to sleep until at least  3 p.m. Probably longer. I will refuse to change out of my pajamas, and I'm not going to brush my hair. Links! Libraries, Books, & Authors Ursula K. Le Guin: Amazon has too much control over what books get published   Why a town librarian has spent 102 days standing in front of Ferguson’s police department   Other Word Nerd Alert:  Losing the Htrkos in the Woods  Well, I  thought it was cool. Speaking of what I think is cool:  The World Religions Tree   Religious post:  The war against rest : Sabbath piety and sabbath politics   Million-dollar baby: Hawaii vacation leaves Sask. parents with massive medical bill   Historic Snowstorm Buries Western New York, Kills 5  

It was a long day. Links! Libraries, Books, & Authors Happy birthday, Margaret Atwood! I love her books - The Handmaid's Tale and the Maddaddam series are probably my favorites. (At least, today.) Related:  75 Reasons Why Margaret Atwood is Awesome   Maurice Sendak's rare book collection is subject of new lawsuit   Artist Remakes Famous Books Into Art Masterpieces   Uber Executive Suggests Digging Up Dirt On Journalists  "...and specifically to spread details of the personal life of a female journalist who has criticized the company."  Barbie book about programming tells girls they need boys to code for them  That is terrible - seriously horrible.  Net & Tech Net Neutrality Emails Reveal a Cozy 'Social Network' Between the FCC and Telecoms   Harry Reid Wants To Attach Part Of SOPA To Surveillance Reform Bill  Someone go smack him. Pay Phones in New York City Will Become Free Wi-Fi Hot Spots  Neat! Why th...

It's now or (almost) never for USA PATRIOT Act reform Now is the time for librarians and others on the front lines fighting for privacy and civil liberties to heed ALA President Courtney Young's call to "Advocate. Today.” - and we do mean  today . Here's the situation: Thanks to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Senators will cast a key vote on Tuesday afternoon that is, in effect, "do or die" for meaningful USA PATRIOT Act reform in the few remaining weeks of the “lame duck” Congress. If Senators Reid and Patrick Leahy can't muster 60 votes on Tuesday to bring Senator Leahy’s  USA FREEDOM Act  ( S. 2685 ) to the floor, then the overwhelming odds are that another bill nearly as good won’t have a prayer of passage for many years.  Sadly, it’s not at all certain that 60 Senators are leaning in that direction.  That’s where you come in! Now is the time for librarians (and everyone else concerned with their privacy and all of our civil liber...

I'm too sleepy to do more....stupid insomnia....I can't sleep but I'm too tired to do anything else. Blargh. Links! Libraries, Books, & Authors Nov 16, 1849: Fyodor Dostoevsky is sentenced to death   Net & Tech Sen. Franken: Sen. Cruz has net neutrality "completely wrong"   Science Philae Lander Runs Out Of Battery And Enters Deep Sleep   Other Tiny Homes for the Homeless an Occupy Madison Project   The United States Admits It Crossed a Line. That’s the Least of It.   Artist Hangs ID Tags to Tell Internment Story  

Links! Libraries, Books, & Authors R.I.P. R.A. Montgomery, writer and publisher of Choose Your Own Adventure  I adored these books when I was little. They were so much fun. Montgomery was my favorite author when I was Swicky's age.  Nov 15, 1859: Final installment of A Tale of Two Cities is published   Net & Tech Twitter Testing Secret Filter To Stop Abuse: Is That A Good Thing Or An Attack On Free Speech?   Verizon Wireless makes canceling contracts up to $70 more expensive   Facebook Rolls Out Clearer Privacy Policy, But You Still Can’t Control Your Data   Rand Paul to oppose NSA reform bill   Suspected WireLurker malware creators arrested in China   Tech, digital rights groups applaud Senate move on NSA reform   Science Planes warned to avoid airspace near erupting Alaska volcano   Other Chief: Ferguson Officer Darren Wilson ‘immediately’ returns if cleared in Michael Brown's death  "Criminal char...

I mean, I guess I could  move to Hawaii, or leave the country and head to South America (I did like Nicaragua an awful lot)...any Nicaraguan libraries hiring librarians that don't speak Spanish very well? No? Dang. Guess I'll have to deal with the cold. Links! Libraries, Books, & Authors Nov 14, 1851: Moby-Dick published   Ex-Detroit Library Official Timothy Cromer Sentenced to Ten Years   Author of Thai monarchy book ‘delighted’ with ban   Amazon and Hachette finally reach deal; Hachette will set its ebook prices   Research and a Resource Guide on Screen Time For Babies and Toddlers   Jefferson County Students Thrown Out of Board Meeting   Using Graphic Novels in Education: Babymouse  I love Babymouse !  Net & Tech US government planes mimic cellphone towers to collect user data – report   AT&T Stops Using Undeletable Phone Tracking IDs  "Verizon remains committed to its program of inserting a trac...

Arctic cold spreads across the country : "The entire country is about to get a taste of the arctic air that's blown in. By Friday there will be freezing temperatures in all 50 states." Wow! That'll be a shocker for Hawaiians, for sure... Only Eight States to Dodge Icy Air From Slipping Polar Vortex : "Only the Southwest, Hawaii, Alaska and South Florida will escape the grip of the upcoming arctic blast that the polar vortex can be blamed for." Oh. That makes a lot more sense. Never mind. Links! Libraries, Books, & Authors Book ban vote in Kennett: Censorship dies an ugly death   Thai police ban British journalist's book for 'defaming' royals   Libraries again fight for exemptions from “Digital Locks” copyright law   ALA to host copyright policy discussion in Washington, D.C.   ALA welcomes President Obama’s strong affirmation of net neutrality   Feminist, Bae, Turnt: Time’s ‘Worst Words’ List Is Sexist and Racist  ...

Guys, I'm not even joking. Everyone knows I love coffee. Tea is good, too, and I drink almost the same amount of tea as coffee, now that I've cut down to one cup of Coke a day. But coffee is my first and greatest love, drink-wise. I started drinking coffee at around age three. Not lying, ask my mom. I gave my kids their first cups of coffee at about age three, as well. Swicky- well, she's a tea drinker. That's okay - I don't judge her (out loud); I just make her a cup of tea. Coconut, on the other hand, is a coffee drinker, too. He takes it half-coffee/half-milk, with a teaspoon of sugar - so, candied up. That's okay, too - we all start somewhere. I had three coffeemakers - a full-size electric drip and an old-fashioned stove top percolator at home, and a single-cup electric drip at work. The kids managed to break the glass carafe of the electric drip at home, and a small but vital piece of the stove top percolator got lost. Seriously, now, how am I suppos...

I gave up. And that's okay. I was trying to read an author that several of my friends have read and liked. I won't say which author, but I will mention that it's a trendy author in a genre that I'm both familiar with and typically enjoy. As with many authors that have been recommended to me, I checked out three books: a book of short stories (usually a good introduction to any writer) and a couple of well-known books that everyone agreed were pretty awesome. I didn't like them. I read several of the short stories, and thought, "Meh. I don't get it. Maybe this guy's not a 'short story' kind of writer, though." I tried to read one of the books. Guys, I really tried. I would set aside time to read, find a quiet spot (never easy with Swicky and Coconut around), and focus on the story. And just couldn't do it. It took me two weeks - two weeks! -  to read the first forty pages. Then I looked at how very, very much more I had to read...

My new mouse and  my new coffeemaker came in today! That is all. Links! Science Why Everyone Seems to Have Cancer   International Celebrations begin for Berlin Wall's fall 25 years on   Kenneth Bae and Matthew Todd Miller, Released by North Korea, Are Back on U.S. Soil   Ex-USSR leader Gorbachev: World on brink of new Cold War Mexicans increasingly angry at President Peña Nieto amid disappearance of 43 students   Other The one thing that could save the world: Why we need empathy now more than ever   The Plot Against Public Education : How millionaires and billionaires are ruining our schools.   Jefferson Parish School Board's new sick leave policy doesn't help family who requested it  

Every once in a while, I feel like making something. (Occasionally, I feel like baking, too - this was not one of those days, though.) I decided to make one of those nifty Bible bookmarks for my BCP/Bible. It came with five ribbons, but 1) they were just plain ol' ribbons and 2) five are not enough. I decided to dress up the five ribbons and make a bookmark with an additional seven ribbons, for a total of twelve. Twelve should be enough, I think. I would have taken photos of the process, but I forgot. Also, I needed three hands to get it done in the first place, which meant I spent a great deal of time saying words I shouldn't while trying to hold a ribbon in place, keeping glue off my fingers, and clamping vices. It was...well, it got messy, and I've got dried glue on my fingers and can't remember how to get it off. It feels really icky, guys. I don't like it. But the ribbons and bookmark turned out beautifully! Here are some pictures of the finished products...