Magiker

Ikea rocks.

That is all.

Zipadee-Doo-Dah

...my oh my, it's a wonderful day!

I emailed Alex a very long list of all the reasons I'm happy today--too numerous to mention here. Nothing like nice weather and a really good cup of coffee to put a spring in my step!

And just the day for it, too, because I gave my first library instruction presentation today, to a group of initially un-enthused Communication students. My perky comment at the beginning, however--"Bear with me, I've had a LOT of coffee and may speak incredibly fast"--got a chuckle and most of them on my side.

I also got to help a lot of them one-on-one, for two different classes. This is my favorite part of being a librarian--well, okay, it ties with researching obscure art topics. But helping a flustered person find the information they want gives me a deep feeling of satisfaction and purpose. I taught them something, and found something they needed--and in most cases, they are incredibly grateful. I'd have never dreamed it! But let me tell you, I've helped a girl find the one article she needs for a paper that's due the next morning at 8am, and received such thankful comments that you'd think I pulled a kitten out of a burning house.

All the fun and rewards of teaching, none of the papers to grade. Is it any wonder that I love my job?

My Funny Valentine Post

Is it wrong that I find this story funny from both sides? Particularly on Valentine's Day? I mean, this is the kind of thing I expect to find pimply thirteen-year-olds scrawling on bathroom stalls, not publicly performed by college-age loonies.

Be my Anti-Valentine (Yahoo News)

(Don't) be my Valentine (NT Daily)

So, I've been married for five years, and yet somehow I still have this gut anti-Valentine's reaction. Part of it is the Hallmark-made-up commercialism of it all--and my anger that dark chocolate ads really do make me lust after them. But the majority of it is that my residual self-image is of myself as the one person in the office, dorm, or classroom without a vase of flowers, box of chocolates, or those ridiculous balloon bouquets they get away with selling in high school by claiming it's a fundraiser for the cheerleading team. As if the cheerleaders are deceiving anyone that they're not actually trying to find another way to rub in high school's innate, miserable caste system.

Now, I do happen to be all gussied up in red today, but considering that I don't get to see my beloved best friend until 11pm tonight shortly before we roll into bed, it's not my tribute to a day of storied romantic bliss. It's really just an excuse to wear red and my nifty knee-high boots. Because it's always a good excuse to wear nifty knee-high boots.

Crackers Don't Matter

So what are toast flavored crackers? What, Frito Lay can't actually toast their crackers, so they inject them with the flavor of slightly-singed cracker?

To add to the reasons I like librarianship: today a girl wearing a Green Lantern ring asked me about finding articles on Superman and Shazam for her persuasive speech. It's great being the resident pop-culture library expert.

Don't get the title of this post? Click on it--it's a link. (And then watch Farscape, you ninny!)

Happy/Sad

I am glad to see the joy on a friend's face when I lend them a season of Stargate SG1. Spreadin' the love.

Can I just say that it makes me supremely sad and a little outraged that the media* says that Michelle Kwan's career is over at age 25? I know professional sports are for the young and all, but doesn't Scott Hamilton still occasionally skate with Stars on Ice? Doesn't she have a lot of her life ahead of her? Does saying that her illustrious career is over at this age make me look 1) unaccomplished at age 27, and 2) old and washed-up?

Danged media. Bunch of meanies.

*And yeah, I'm totally depressed that she isn't competing. I now officially have no idea who any of the competing figure skaters are. Hmph. At least the Flying Tomato had an awesome half-pipe run and Chad Hedrick did Texas proud.

Newest Wish: become a professional snowboarder
Realistic Goal: become a professional librarian that watches snowboarding

Big Brother ...Chuckles?

I'm not normally one for PBF, but here's a jolly strip.

And another classic Unshelved, this time nailing my leery opinion of RFID. Tinfoil hat-makers, lead on.

And in that vein, something truly scary about Google desktop search.

I'll Say it Again...

Yesterday, I heard a BBC radio program, Outlook, on déjà vu. Two interesting tidbits: 1) most people find this sensation pleasant, and 2) some people experience chronic déjà vu. It's a problem for the chronic sufferers, because they are consistently convinced they've done things before, to the point that they don't want to, for instance, watch TV or play games because they believe that they have already seen or done that.

I found #1 intriguing, because although I find déjà vu pleasant, it always bothered me that there wasn't a real reason for it to seem pleasant. Except that, like weird dreams, it's another odd human experience that happens infrequently. So I was surprised that, apparently, many other people find it pleasant, as well. Why?

I was shocked and amused at the number of people they interviewed that believed déjà vu was evidence of reincarnation or that humans are psychic. Um... yeah. Let's just say human brains are wired in odd ways, and leave it at that. Nothing supernatural about thinking you've been at that train station at 9am and seen a man in a purple raincoat before. I hope not, anyway.

And we all know the best explanation for it, right? (C'mon, We all know the first movie is worth pretending the other two didn't happen.)

My most memorable déjà vu experience: sometime in my middle school years, I'm standing at the counter on the dining room side, Dad on the kitchen side, and as I begin to speak, I look down and see a Hershey's chocolate bar--and it flashes that I've said this, with Dad in the kitchen, while looking at the Hershey's bar, before. For about 4.5 seconds I wonder if I dreamed it last night, before it occurs to me that this is just déjà vu. Darned convincing, though.

What's yours?

No Time Travel, Sorry

(Read this Slashdot post on time travel.)
Gee, Marty and Doc Brown are going to be awfully disappointed.