I've been tagged, so now you're it

I've been tagged by my friend Melanie so here goes.

Here are the rules:
1. Link to your tagger and list these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people (if possible) at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blogs.


1. I used to only wear red shoes, mainly red faux leather penny loafers, in high school. They were my "ruby slippers," since I was obsessed with "The Wizard of Oz."
2. My favorite book is "Disobedience" by Jane Hamilton, because I love the audio version read by Robert Sean Leonard. I have a big celebrity crush on RSL.
3. Pretty much from November until March, I wear long underwear every day. One of the best presents (besides jewelry) that S ever gave me was a shirt/pants set of long underwear designed to be super thin and temperature regulating. This is because I am always either very cold or really, really hot.
4. I first dyed my hair when I was in the sixth grade. None of my female friends could believe my mom let me do it, but it was brown hair dye and I had brown hair, so it wasn't like I turned it purple. I did, however, turn it purple in high school, except it was by accident.
5. I technically had my wedding dress before S and I were officially engaged. This is because it went on final sale at J. Crew and I knew it was "the one" and S encouraged me to get it, and if need-be, later sell it on eBay, if for some reason it wasn't as great as I thought it was.
6. I pretty much believe in fate.
7. If it were possible, I'd work full-time as a librarian, and tell S to quit his job so that he can do whatever he likes. All I'd require is that he cook for me.

The folks I'm tagging are: Simon, Jess, Lindsay, Christie, and Lisa.

What's next?

My assigned blogging has wrapped up for the semester, for the most part, so I'm back here! At least, until next semester. The plan is to do a practicum at the St. Cloud State University library, and do an independent study with a Dominican University professor, and then get my degree at the end of April from Dominican.

I'm all registered for the practicum, but need to come up with learning goals and a work schedule with my supervisor there. For the independent study, I am going to be doing the history of YA literature, thus extending my reading in that area, and I will be blogging my reactions to the books I read for that course, so this other blog will continue but in a different mode.

I will probably still blog about technology, Library 2.0, etc. but I will probably do that at my other blog. And then, the job search will begin...

No further comment

Yes We Can (Hold Babies) is a super blog.

Quick update: some wedding photos

I'm definitely going to put more of these on flickr, but I thought I'd share a few shots that we got from our semi-professional photographer, Alex Johnson. He's a friend and an awesome photographer, so it was great that he did our photos—and edited them, too. Woo!

Here are a few favorites (so far):

Sunday Soup

I've taken to making a big pot of soup on Sundays, so that then S and I can take leftovers with us to work throughout the week. Here's a recipe I invented and have tweaked based on whatever veggies/pasta we have in the fridge/pantry.

Mostly Veggie Italian Pasta Soup

chop up the following into soup-sized bits:
1 cup carrots (optional, or use potatoes)
2 cups potatoes (optional, or use carrots)
1 cup celery (or more if you love it)
2 medium or 3 small onions (note: onions add most of the flavor here, so you NEED these)
other veggie ideas: frozen or fresh spinach, corn, broccoli... to total about 4-5 cups of veggies

Additional advice: if you are feeling especially lazy, and you have a food processor (or even a hand-chopper from the likes of Pampered Chef) then all the chopping can go really, really fast.

Other necessary ingredients:
Chicken soup stock (enough for 8-10 cups)
1/2 lb. cheese-filled small pasta (tortellini or little raviolis work great!)
Italian seasoning (enough for a few tablespoons of this)
Garlic (I love it, so I put in 2-3 cloves worth)
Olive oil for pan
Salt & pepper

Start by putting olive oil and garlic in a big pot, since this is a one-pot recipe that means little clean-up other than soup bowls/spoons. Don't turn on the heat until you're nearly done chopping up your veggies. Throw in the onions and celery first, since they need the most cooking to release flavor. Cook until the onions are shiny and the celery is easily bite-able (test this) but not too soft. Add in other veggies (potatoes, spinach, corn, broccoli, carrots). Cook for a few minutes more--add a bit more olive oil if needed. Add 8 cups of chicken stock if you like a thicker soup. Add 10 cups if you like a more brothy soup, since the pasta soaks up a lot of water. Add Italian seasoning and pasta; cook until done according to package directions (16-20 minutes, usually).

Enjoy with a big piece of bread!

Haven't been blogging in weeks

Well, that's not actually true. I am just blogging elsewhere! I have my class blog for my Library 2.0 course with Michael Stephens, and it's right over here. Feel free to check in on me there; mainly, I am writing observations about libraries, library 2.0, technology, etc.

I have a bunch of homework this semester, seemingly more than ever before. My reading list for my Young Adult Materials course is 55 books long--seriously. So, I spend pretty much all spare non-work moments doing homework or spending time with my new husband. Blogging here will be sporadic but probably will resume on November 15th or so.

Edited to add: I am also twittering. Enjoy!

This customer hasn't been this happy in minutes

I just had what I'd describe as one of the best customer service experiences ever, and it was with Tires Plus. To tell the story in its proper context, I'll have to travel back in time with you for a bit. For the past few weeks, you cannot believe the bad car experiences I've had.

It all began the day before our wedding...

I spent the night at my parents place, because S's surprise bachelor party was happening that evening after our rehearsal, and I wanted to give him space in case he wanted to invite guys over to our apartment after the party. I parked in the driveway, at the end of the driveway behind where my mom parks her car. I would never park behind my dad, because he's been known to back into things. Unfortunately, I think my mom's excitement/stress got to her that day, and in backing out in order to run last-minute errands for their vacation and the wedding, she backed into my Saturn SL2. It was bad, too—$1,500 bad, but thankfully, it was repaired and paid for within a week, and we just took my mom's car on our honeymoon trip.

However, we noticed the car making a bad/loud noise right after it was hit—especially upon starting up and in gear changes. I had my dad listen to the sound, and he said it was a muffler problem, not an engine problem. Whew! We traveled to the Renaissance Festival, knowing there was a hole in the muffler, but not realizing the extent of the problem. Suffice it to say, we had a rather dramatic removal of muffler from my car on the side of I-94, just before the tunnel near Uptown in Minneapolis. The entire muffler system fell/broke off, and we left it there. Sorry for the massive litter! This made for a very loud trip back home, but luckily, S and my cousin Angie who went with us were both pretty good sports.

After having this repaired (for about $88), on my very next trip to class, I had yet another problem; this time, the coolant light came on as soon as I got to the surface streets in the neighborhood of St. Paul near my school's campus. I remedied it by turning on the heater and rolling the windows down to bring the temp down. My cousin Simon deserves a HUGE thank you for checking my coolant, determining that it was probably not an actual radiator problem, and for alleviating my nervousness about driving home—an hour and a half away—with this problem. He determined it was probably a fuse or the radiator fan, and he was right! The fan was dead, which was a $168 fix, but at least my radiator is okay!

And then...

Prior to my next trip to class, my dad checked my tire pressure. It was all good until he got to the back left tire. Tire pressure was waaay low, so he pumped it up, and I was good to go. However, the next time I checked it (yesterday before class) it was down to 15! Yikes! I beefed it back up to 32 or so—you know, for good mileage, and hoped for the best. This afternoon, I was feeling anxious about driving back to St. Paul for class tomorrow morning with this tire leakage issue. I called Tires Plus about checking it out for me. TJ was quick to offer to check if I really needed new tires or just a patch, and so I made a 4:30 appointment. He determined that I did not need new tires—yay!—and proceeded to check out the leak situation. The fix? The valve needed replacing. Cost? Nothing! I was so relieved, and while waiting for the fix, I even got some homework done for my weekend class tomorrow. Bonus!

John McCain seals his fate?

I don't normally write about politics in the typical way, but being a librarian wannabe and a city/county employee, I am definitely aware of the climate of the times.

Right now, I'm at my parents house, attempting to get a jump on homework for my YA class, and my father just got home. My mom's first question to him was, "Hey, did you hear about John McCain's VP pick?" and my dad said, "Uhh, yeah, Palin," and my mom started talking about it, and all of a sudden, my dad announces, "John McCain sealed his fate with that choice!"

I kind of wonder. Yeah, it's cool that she's young and has run the state of Alaska, but on the political spectrum of Pretty Much Everything People Care About, expecting people who wanted Hillary in the White House to vote for a McCain/Palin ticket? Uhh, I'm not seeing it. Sometimes I think people vote for who they think "deserves" it most, but I like to think that most pick someone who represents their values, and Clinton and Palin are worlds apart.

Just heard the factoid that more people watched Obama's speech last night than watched the opening ceremonies of the 2008 Olympics. Hmm...

Back, and better than ever

I'm back to blogging, mainly because I'm experiencing some writers block with an assignment I have due in one week, an autobiography of my reading/literacy as a young person. I'm trying to get a jump on this because I am feeling like this semester may be the death of me. I've got two again, Library 2.0 and Materials for Young Adults, but the YA class has a reading list of over 50 titles and the 2.0 class only meets six times, so somehow I already feel behind, like I should have been working on this stuff since July. Except, I was working on wedding stuff in July and enjoying a month free from homework.

This past week, I've read "Doing It" by Melvin Burgess, "Forever..." by Judy Blume, and "Seventeenth Summer" by Maureen Daly. "Doing It" was great, the Blume was typical Blume, and I'll admit that I skimmed vast passages of Daly's book, simply because nothing much happens and I didn't miss anything but five paragraph descriptions of the light and the garden and whatever else was going on in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin in 1942 when the book was written.

I actually managed to cook dinner for me and S before he had work at 4pm, so I feel like that's my primary accomplishment of the day. I made a quiche that tasted like pizza because I used tomatoes and mozzarella cheese in addition to the regular onions and cheddar and other veggies we had in the fridge. S kept saying how good it was, so that was great.

I've watched a very tiny bit of news, catching Hilary's time on the floor during the 6:00 news putting up New York's delegates for Obama. I'll admit that I got goosebumps--the convention floor just must be glittering with excitement.

I promise wedding, honeymoon and vacation photos in the near future, but right now, I'm probably going to start "The Pigman" by Paul Zindel while my brain cooks my ideas for my autobiographical essay.

This may have to suffice for a while

Today my flowers arrived, and so my mom is busily putting them into water. S and I have some errands to run, and then I can begin the task of arranging flowers. Tomorrow is our rehearsal, and we have chocolates to pick up and box, and I need to fix the steaming on the front of my dress since the silk isn't laying quite right. Also, I need to haul our photographer downtown to scope out places for photos, and confirm things with the restaurant where our reception will be.

So, I may not be blogging for a while. "And yet somehow the world goes on..."

Here, take my sweater

My mom invited me and my sister to go to see the Wailin' Jennys with her tonight at the local Paramount Theatre. It should be a good time; I missed them the last time they were here (right before our trip to San Francisco last year) because I had bronchitis that was slowly causing me to die. Except, I didn't die, because I went on vacation four days later, but it was painful, so. I'm quite pleased that my mom offered to take us to the show tonight.

The last show I saw was with S when we saw Ingrid Michaelson at the Fine Line. It was a sold out show, and I learned a few things. First, that she is a great live performer, very witty and charming the crowd to bits. Second, that I am far too old to stay standing for more than four hours together in a row. Third, that mean girls who steal Ingrid's sweater are bad. Shame on the girl who stole an Anthropologie sweater from Ingrid on her last tour. Shame! Maybe she was just really drunk?

Here's to not thinking about wedding things for at least three hours.

The joys of unity

S and I are both working with our insurance guys to figure out the best coverage for our cars and since we are in an apartment, renters coverage as well. I really like my insurance guy, and I just got off the phone with him. Coverage for our rings would be a bit cheaper if we added a rider to the rental insurance, so I my have to debate switching that over. I'll have to see if S's insurance guy can add the quote for jewelry coverage as well. Ahh, the joys of unity.

Eee, very excited about this...

So back when I discovered Myra Callan and her Twigs & Honey shop on Etsy, I knew I had to get a hair adornment of my own. Mine was so fun and inspiring that my cousin Maggie offered to be my flowergirl, but she wanted a hair flower of her own.

Today, Myra updated me with the news that the headband she made for little Meg was finished and ready to go. I'm going to surprise her with it once I get it in the mail. For now, since she's seven and doesn't use the internet, I think I'm safe posting it here. I love that Myra went the extra mile on this; she matched Meg's dress, and added the berries to match my hair flower. It's so cute, I just want to eat it up!

Update!

S graciously offered to drive to my school in order to pay for the lost library item. He hit the road around 1pm, and made it there, only to discover that the item had been returned, just not checked in. Eek! This happens occasionally at the library where I work, so I was sympathetic, but criminy! The librarian removed the hold on my account and I got into the two courses I wanted (Materials for Young Adults and Library 2.0 with Michael Stephens). Overall though, I just keep thinking, S drove an hour and a half to St. Paul and back for me. That's what we call "a keeper."

Ups and downs

I am feeling pretty anxious right now, though I'm trying to play it cool. I woke up at 5:50 this morning to register for classes, both of which had plenty of seats left, only to find that I have a hold against my registration for a lost library book! I am going to be making a lot of calls today (already sent e-mails at 6am) to try to resolve this and register today instead of later this week. I have earned enough credits to register today, and so I just ask that you say a prayer/send a wish/hope/dream that I am able to get into the two courses I would really like to have this fall. Thanks.

In other news, S surprised me yesterday with our couch! He and my parents picked it up, lugged it into the apartment, and assembled the legs (they are plastic but look like wood) all without my knowledge. S picked me up after work to attend his cousin Becca's birthday party, which was fun. On the drive, I was asking about when he could pick up the couch 'tomorrow' and he said he'd 'work it out.' Sneaky. So I'm writing this from my new couch, on internet access that I am paying for, across from our fully assembled Ikea bookshelf. Woo!

Foray into real furniture

S and I started off the day with a trip to a local discount store, along with my mom, to look at some bookshelves similar to the Ikea Expedit that we liked. We wound up looking at microfiber couches, and after we decided we liked one enough to buy it (in our price range of 'as close to zero dollars as possible') my mom informed me that she could just buy it and it could be "part of" our wedding present from my parents.

Awesome!

So, she paid for it, and we'll go pick it up sometime this week. How excited am I to sit on a real, padded surface instead of our Japanese Zen style cushions or hard dining room chairs? Words cannot describe.

After dropping S off at work for a hard afternoon/evening worth of raising money for various political groups, I hit the road with my friend Amanda for a lovely shopping-filled afternoon. We headed southeast for an afternoon of shopping at Ikea. The bookshelf at the local store wasn't quite the versatile statement piece (see #1) we were going for, so I bit the bullet and bought the real deal. S is assembling as I type, and I'm enjoying sitting on a chair cushion which only set us back $5.99.

I also acquired two more dining room chairs, so now we can have a proper game night, and many textiles and some lighting. I bought some art as well—some Carl Larsson cards and box frames to put them in. I actually am part Swedish, and they are very cheery little pictures for our kitchen. I promise some photos of our fully furnished and decorated apartment are coming soon!

Naked walls?

Our apartment is still coming together. We're gathering more furniture, though we have more bookshelves than seating currently, I may hit up Ikea for another one this weekend. Maybe the couch shopping will happen on Friday, if I can convince S to take some time to head to the other end of town.

The real problem, in my mind, is our naked walls. At my parents house, all the walls in our downstairs are painted vivid colors. My sister Andrea's room is blue, my room is red, the family room is a sea green, and the hallway is marigold yellow. The apartment is pretty stark cream-colored walls with texturizing.

S and I have put a few of Gennine's prints on our registry, though I am very tempted to just buy one or two to cheer up the place. I would also like a few things from Three Potato Four but need to figure out some cheap frames and where I'd put the little prints. We also should get our engagement photos developed and framed for a grouping, and of course, quite soon we'll have wedding photos as well.

At least I have some lovely flowers left over from Sunday's bridal shower in my honor, hosted by S's wonderful aunts. They cooked fabulous food (chicken salad, a quiche type thing, fruit skewers, a special shrimp cocktail since I love shrimp, plus three kinds of dessert and two kinds of punch!). It was a good time for all, and we got some lovely gifts. I've been diligently working on writing out thank you notes.

Heading out this evening to see "Sex and the City" with my sister. Woo for movie night!

Update from the new homefront

It's been a while since I've updated, mainly due to the fact that we don't have internet access at our new place yet (Monday!), and I am lazy. It seems that every evening this week, I've been going over to my parents' house, picking up a few miscellaneous items, then going to pick up S from work. He's working evenings now, which means I see him far less than when he was working days. It's kind of sad, but I'm hoping he can find a different, more rewarding job that will see him through the fall semester at least. Last night I hung out with my sister, and we played Wii golf and went for a bike ride which was great. Tonight when she gets off work, I think we'll swim, since it's like a sauna outside.

It's kind of weird to be moved out of my parents' house, but it's also weirdly nice. Our apartment is lacking furniture, but I'm hoping to find acquire seating this weekend, and add some artwork to our very bare, very white walls. I don't yet have my summer routine down without class in session, so I feel somewhat lazy and bored, until I realize I have books to read and wedding things to do...

Wedding plans are down to just a few things; S needs to buy a suit, we need to call people and confirm that they are coming and what they want to eat, figure out a seating chart, and ask the restaurant how early we can set up the room with place cards and such. The week before the wedding, we'll have favors (chocolate truffles) to pick up and box, I'll have flowers to arrange and assemble, announcements and programs to print, and we'll have our rehearsal. Really, there's not too much left to do, or that I have to do, anyway. Now it's up to the kind people who are helping us out to do their part! Oh, and S's aunts are throwing me a bridal shower on Sunday, so that should be fun, and they are both awesome cooks, so it should be a yummy time as well.

Ch-ch-changes

Have I mentioned how much I am loving having an online class? It's been really convenient—no driving, and I think I'm learning as much if not more than in a traditional class. I do miss the human interaction, but I've gotten to e-mail my professor and share a discussion forum with my classmates (many of whom I've already had a class or two with, so they are familiar to me) which has resulted in some interesting threads. We've read about tagging, OPAC web-based adaptations, Drupal, social networking, Library 2.0, search engine optimization, openness/copyright, and so on. I've successfully learned how to develop a webpage using (X)HTML and CSS, and have really enjoyed pretty much every facet of this course. Here's hoping I can take another one before I graduate, since this class ends tomorrow with a final exam...

After class is done, I'll have a new task to look forward to: moving! Here is my new neighborhood, showing the distance from our place (B) to the new library (A, completion date: sometime at the end of August—in the aerial view, it's still a big parking lot):



On the right of the aerial view, you can see the dense buildings that make up the campus of my alma mater and S's current place of education. We'll both be within 10 blocks of the place we go to most frequently. We're going to try to be as green as possible, factoring in that I drive a total of 3 hours merely to get to my school's campus and back at least once or twice a week. See the green spot on the map? That's our 'lake'! And currently, my friend Amanda lives on the corner of the green field near the dot you see in the image.

We have a bit of packing to do, and the plan is to start moving in some larger furniture on Tuesday evening, culminating with the delivery of our new mattress on Wednesday. I see a trip to IKEA in our future...

Another mix, even though it's Wednesday