I took a St. John's Ambulance Standard First Aid course over the last two full days: learned all about AR (already knew that pretty well), CPR, how to approach an emergency situation, splints, slings, bandaging (a little), burns, etc. Pretty cool. Of course, I work in a health sciences library with usually at least 20 medical/nursing/rehab students studying at any given time plus possible health faculty and/or doctors regularly walking through. I should NOT be the first person people come to in an emergency. But it's good to have at home and in other places. I think I'm pretty confident with many things but I'm going to try to keep practicing and reading to keep "in shape".

I'm still sick. Well not really. I think I'm just getting different things, one after the other. But I'm practically better now. Just a little cough now. Hopefully, I'll be immunized against everything after going through all this.

Read this and despair at how stupid people are. Actually, that's not fair. Not stupid. Rather "uncritical". That's better.

But the article does provide hope. Maybe some people will actually read it and pass it on and we'll have more people who think about what people and the TV tells them.

Oh yeah, and I was sick yesterday. Couldn't go to work. Missed a meeting. *sniff* No, really... I like meetings.

... a little. *sniff*

I just got the dreaded, "Do you work here?" question again. I'm sitting here behind a rather prominant desk, unlike any others in this rather small library, working away at the computer and she asks if I work here... No, I've commandeered this vessel and I'm taking it to Mexico! No, I've got a part as a librarian on TV and I'm researching the role! No, it's my day off but I can't stay away from this place! AAAAGGGGHHHH!!!

I've got to get me one of those buttons.

Whew! What a weekend! I'm still tired but maybe thats from the jogging this morning.

We did a lot of yard work and house preparation for the winter: planted some bulbs, trimmed and wrapped up the roses, turned the water off for the taps outside, emptied the rain barrel, raked... I think that's it. For now anyway. We'll probably think about some more later. And, this being our first winter here, there'll probably be some things we have forgotten and will kick ourselves for forgetting when spring comes around.

We saw the Kingston Santa Claus parade (on Saturday) just me and my daughter (it's so much easier without a stroller). It wasn't bad (not very good either) but it was very cold.

It birthday time! My niece's birthday was on the 18th, my brother's was yesterday, a friend from NYC has his today, and my father's is on the 24th. Happy birthday everyone!!!

Damn! It's cold this morning! I had to wear a scarf AND gloves! How embarassing! *laugh*

I gave up reading "Road Less Traveled" by M. Scott Peck. The first section was good. He's a pscyhologist and he made some very good points and provided some good advice that almost anyone can use regarding getting off your ass and doing something that you know you should or want to do. *laugh* But then he started getting mystical and preachy and although I like that sometimes (it's always good to challenge your beliefs and read about something you don't wholeheartedly believe in already) he was not doing it very well. It just bothers me when a work tries to convince me of something by assuming it in the first place. I don't know. Anybody out there read it and get something out of it past Section 1? Tell me about it...

I've started on a book called "Making Mice" by Karen A. Rader. It's very good so far. It's an interesting look at the process between 1900 and 1955 of 'developing' a standardized mouse to use for scientific experimentation and the results of that process, socially and scientifically. Particularly in this day of animal rights activism and scientific impact on society, it's important to remember what happened to get us here, learn what really goes on beyond lab doors, and see the politics involved in what should be an objective function in the world. Check it out.

I got the following in an email from a friend:

Remarkable Obituary

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Mr. Common Sense. Mr. Sense had been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape.

He will be remembered as having cultivated such value lessons as knowing when to come in out of the rain, why the early bird gets the worm and that life isn't always fair. Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you earn) and reliable parenting strategies (adults, not kids, are in charge).

His health began to rapidly deteriorate when well intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. - Reports of a six-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Mr. Sense declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer aspirin to a student; but, could not inform the parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Finally, Common Sense lost the will to live as the Ten Commandments became contraband; churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims.

Common Sense finally gave up the ghost after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot, she spilled a bit in her lap, and was awarded a huge financial settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust, his wife, Discretion; his daughter, Responsibility; and his son, Reason. He is survived by two stepbrothers; My Rights and Ima Whiner.

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone. If you still remember him, pass this on; if not, join the majority and do nothing.

This was my response:

Honestly, I say good riddance! This Common Sense guy has been going around with false ID, convincing people he was something that he's not. His real name is Fast Simplistic Answer and although he came up with some useful things when he was young (like coming in out of the rain), they were pretty obvious, didn't really need to be said, and ran out quickly as he got older. In my opinion he's responsible for much of the hate and violence in the world with his ideas like "fear the unknown" and "we've done it this way before, why change".

And he did not die peacefully. He was murdered by Complicated Issues
and Attempts at Consistency, who although young and foolish, are important parts of the world. What we really need are two ladies named Pure Reason and Reasonably Calm. They are hard to find and always have been. Big Picture is also nice to have around but he's even more difficult to find.

I take back the "good riddance" though. Sometimes we need a Fast Simplistic Answer. But he is not always Sensible and never Common. And he's always trailed by his evil dog, Blind Faith. That's who should have died. But that dog is everywhere and has very sharp teeth. He'll never let go.

I just got asked (and successfully answered) one of those questions that librarians love to answer. The student approached the desk with a large zippered pouch, pointed to the part of the zipper you hold on to, and asked what it was called. Beautiful. Although not necessarily an authoritative source, I found a web site to an American zipper manufacturer that had a list of definitions of zipper parts. (It's called the "pull tab" by the way.)

In other news, I've started exercising again: just a little jogging, push-ups and sit-ups in the morning. Not anything too strenuous. I almost killed myself last time I tried, so... babysteps, babysteps.

And the family and I went walking around downtown Kingston yesterday (it was only a little rainy) to check out the interesting shops: some authentic "world goods" stores, book stores, and toy stores. Pretty cool.

Nothing else? How about you? What was YOUR weekend like? Anything bordering on the illegal?

I didn't TRY to be Batman. Honest!

	Batman, the Dark Knight 96% Neo, the "One" 83% The Amazing Spider-Man 58% The Terminator 54% Captain Jack Sparrow 54% James Bond, Agent 007 54% Maximus 54% Lara Croft 54% William Wallace 38% El Zorro 29% Indiana Jones 29%
You scored as Batman, the Dark Knight. As the Dark Knight of Gotham, Batman is a vigilante who deals out his own brand of justice to the criminals and corrupt of the city. He follows his own code and is often misunderstood. He has few friends or allies, but finds comfort in his cause. Which Action Hero Would You Be? v. 2.0 created with QuizFarm.com

I'm glad it warmed up a little yesterday and today. It was warm enough to wear my summer jacket to work! (I hope it doesn't get colder by the time I have to go home.) I mean, I like the cold and all, but sometimes it's simpler to wear fewer layers and I don't really feel like hauling out my big winter parka just yet. I feel like I look like an idiot. I really need to get something cooler looking. It's certainly warm enough but I gotta be cool when I warm, ya dig? *laugh* Maybe I'll get one of those trenchcoats like Neo has in the 2nd Matrix (it was on TV, like, a million times over the weekend, plus the first one and Dark City... Woo hoo!). You know the one that flips up only at the bottom half, makes him look a little like a priest? I like that coat. I could be cool in a coat like that. *sigh*

I attended a joint History and Art seminar entitled "Holy eroticisim in an era of censorship: images of Saint Mary Magdalene during the Counter Reformation" by Una D'Elia. Very interesting. Not incredibly erotic (by today's standards) of course but, as a librarian, it's interesting to see the objects of censorship or rather those objects that are not censored despite our assumptions of the past and of religion. The point of the discussion was not only the art and the historical context but the reaction and non-reaction to this "scandalous" religious art. It seems that during this period (approx. 16th and 17th century), censors were more interested in fighting against in-print "obscenities" rather than nude or scantily clad religious figures in paintings. Rather the opposite today.

Also, coming from a background of philosophy and librarianship, it's interesting to follow the process and see the results of information gathering regarding artwork from the past. Not only is time a great destroyer of information but art is not always generous with its revelation. For example, many stories about Mary Magdalene are known primarily through strong literary denials of them. We know that many people believed such and such because there are so many surviving works that argue against such belief. It's also interesting to think about how you can truly dig into the artists intentions or people's opinions in artistic fields, and does the topic seep into the academic analysis, i.e. is there much poetic license taken when discussing poetry?

I like attending things like this. Although it's not really in my field, librarianship and philosophy can really sneak into almost any topic. We're very general and overarching (underpinning) like that. Also, interdisciplinarity is being stressed and regarded as necessary these days. I'm just doing my part. And it doesn't hurt to see breasts while I'm doing it. *laugh*

Whew... Busy few days.

Over the weekend, we continued the painting saga that will soon be converted into a 3 part opera complete with tuba solo. Painting USED to be fun. Now, I'm not quite sure. (We've finished it last night, at least what we're painting for now...) We also wandered around the shopping mall "district" buying up everything we could find! Well, just the stuff we really needed: a bed (Woohoo! No more back problems!), a couch (Woohoo! No more back problems!), bedding (to keep us warm while we're not breaking our backs), more clothes for my daughter (which has nothing to do with our backs), etc. etc. etc.

Of course, Monday was Halloween. My daughter went out as Alice in Wonderland. Very cute. I wanted to get a white rabbit costume for My son but none could be found... What was found was a ridiculous looking strawberry hat that sits on the top of his head! It's hilarious, and he will hate us when he grows up and is faced with us showing everyone the pictures! *laugh*

We really expected more people to come around to our house trick-or-treating but we had no more than about a hundred. Of course, one street over, there were like a thousand kids running back and forth, around and around: It was a sight. I don't know what the difference was: home size, number of children living on the street, type of house... Whatever. We made out like bandits because of it! I'd better not eat too much candy too fast...

And finally, I'm sick. We're all sick. Not because of the candy, just a cold or something. I stayed home from work yesterday. Got a lot done regardless (raking the front lawn - to get fresh air, cleaning up and moving things to make room for the furniture being delivered, and spent some time with the kids). I hate staying home but I was really feeling tired and sluggish so I stayed home. I'm a little better today, good enough at least to go to work.