Best of 2009 Catch Up

December 14 Rush. -- When did you get your best rush of the year?

When I got into graduate school. Initially, I did not get in. I did not get in to the first school where I applied, so I moved on with my life. Then I applied to my current school and after waiting and waiting, I finally called to find out the decision and was told the bad news. I wallowed for like a week. Then I asked for reconsideration and added some things to my application I had originally excluded. I was told on Jan 20th that I could register and I was so happy I thought I would explode.

December 15 Best packaging. -- Did your headphones come in a sweet case? See a bottle of tea in another country that stood off the shelves?

Nothing comes to mind for this one.

December 16 Tea of the year. -- I can taste my favorite tea right now. What's yours?

It’s not my favorite but lately I have been drinking a holiday plum spice blend from Celestial Seasonings.

December 17 Word or phrase. -- A word that encapsulates your year. "2009 was _____."

CRAPTASTIC

December 18 Shop. -- Online or offline, where did you spend most of your mad money this year?

I have had no mad money this year, really. Last spring I got a lucrative freelance gig and I treated myself to a good sized bottle of Chanel No. 5, purchased at the Chanel counter at Nordstom. I wear it every day and I never get tired of smelling like money and class.

December 19 Car ride. -- What did you see? How did it smell? Did you eat anything as you drove there? Who were you with?

At the end of the summer I took a short road trip to the small town in southern Wisconsin where I spent summers and weekends with my grandparents.


The picture is full of memories -- my younger sister wearing my hand-me-down Mustang T-shirt from my dad, the puffball bushes lining the path to the garage, the screen door I slammed over and over as I ran in and out, and of course, my grandfather.

I took pictures along the route of all the landmarks I remember from when I was a little girl, printed the pictures, wrote up the memories and created a small scrapbook. I don't have access to a printer (except at the library, where I cannot put in my own paper) so I still need to print out the journlaing blocks and adhere them.

There's nothing really exciting in there. Pictures like this:


I loved looking for the smiling sun with the cool shades on what seemed like a very long car ride to Wisconsin.

I got to the outskirts of town and then the sun was setting so I gave up. On the way back I stopped at DOG N SUDS! :-) They have the best root beer floats ever.


Here since 1963!

December 20 New person. -- She came into your life and turned it upside down. He went out of his way to provide incredible customer service. Who is your unsung hero of 2009?

My professor for the required library reference services class. No stereotypical mild mannered shusher here -- he's like Rock Star Librarian. The King of Snark. He is one of those teachers that opens your mind, sometimes forcibly, while you kick and scream and yell curse words. I fought that class and resisted writing a 70 page research paper on the Iran Hostage Crisis, of all things, but I got the most out of it in the end. He's the only grad school professor I have never really bitched about, because when I had a problem with him or his class I got right in his face about it, and I was never afraid to do so. He never dismissed my concerns, got defensive, patronized me or told me I was not understanding him because I was stupid or had not done the work, like my other professors. He was supportive and he took my criticisms seriously and then he brought my concerns to the whole class and we all discussed it together.

Also, not to be full of myself, but I really like talking to people who are smarter than me, and who think deeply, and it is not very often. It is a treat. His mind goes down paths I cannot even follow at this point. I really really like that.

He still gives me much to think about when we chat, and he always makes me laugh.

This Christmas will be hard on him due to some personal tragedy, so I send him many good thoughts. Since he is a part-time adjunct, my university chose to not have him teach in the spring. I hope he'll be back, because I think he is a fantastic teacher, and talking to him inspires me.

I can't believe the university would keep on some of these truly awful part time adjuncts, and not have him teaching. CRAPTASTIC.

December 21 Project. -- What did you start this year that you're proud of?

Oy. Grad school. I fluctuate between saying "eh, it's not that hard -- it's library school for pete's sake. How hard could it be?" and saying "Holy Crap, I cannot get this done/figure this out and it is making me nuts!"

December 22 Startup. -- What's a business that you found this year that you love? Who thought it up? What makes it special?

My brother's company, owned by his oldest friend, merged with another company, also owned by an old friend, to form Utopic. My sister was hired to do the photography for their website. Should be exciting. I am proud.

December 23 Web tool. -- It came into your work flow this year and now you couldn't live without it. It has simplified or improved your online experience.

Google Reader. I used to use Bloglines and it was annoying. It did not update regularly and was difficult to navigate and organize. I switched ot Google Reader and I love it. Just not having to remember a different user ID and password makes me happy! I read a lot more blogs now and more regularly.

LOM is Open! And! New Article/LO from Stacy!

You probably know this but in case you did not, registration is now open for the 2010 Library of Memories class. So head over to Big Picture Scrapbooking and sign up if you want to take it! Alumni register in January to retake the class.

Stacy put in her blog this week she is guest blogging at the Creative Therapy blog this week. There is a new LO by her and a guest post explaining it. I love how she uses all the various letters and other elements to create a giant title. I would never never never think to do that.

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My Christmas shopping was small this year, but my gifts are purchased and wrapped and under the tree. I only sent out 2 cards this year and today I learned they had arrived safely. Christmas baking is done -- I usually make Andes Mint cookies from a recipe on Becky Higgins' blog. My family members love these. My sister loves butterscotch chips too, so now I am wondering if I could make these with butterscotch instead of semi sweet chips. But I would need some kind of caramel coating to mimic the Andes Mints coating and that I have not figured out. Maybe Hershy's kisses that are filled with caramel?

Over the weekend I fibbed about Santa to a little boy who refused to take a photo in front of the tree to be used on his parents' holiday cards. I was asked to try to persuade him while the parents went out Christmas shopping. Why persuade when lying works better? After winning 2 out of 3 games of Sorry, I told him I had an email from Santa and could I take a picture with him and the tree to send to Santa, so Santa would know what he looks like and could be sure to deliver his presents to the right house? It worked.

If there is a Christmas Hell I am going there for sure.

Today we had an ice/snow storm so I made chicken stew with biscuits for dinner; a nice cozy meal for a cold winter night. Last night I even cleaned the bathroom and now it smells like my favorite lemon verbena cleaner.

Hoping your holiday plans, even if small, are going well.

Best of 2009 Catch Up

Time to catch up on the days I've missed.

December 4 Book. -- What book - fiction or non - touched you? Where were you when you read it? Have you bought and given away multiple copies?

What Would Google Do? by Jeff Jarvis was really interesting and did have an effect on my thinking. I won the audio book on Jessican McDougall’s blog and I could not stop listening to it!

The book that completely blew me away was Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. All my life I have secretly -- or vocally -- believed certain things about the way the world, or our society at least, works. As a student of anthropology and classism, I have seen things like "the middle class" from an outsider's perspective. This book is the first time I have seen someone else articulate what I have always known to be true, things which are not politically correct, things which "other people" protest, because to see them,, really see them, would be far too damning.

Sometimes I feel like Eddie Murphy in that old SNL skit, the one where he gets dressed up as a white man and suddenly sees that all the things black people secretly suspect about white people are actually true.

December 5 Night out. -- Did you have a night out with friends or a loved one that rocked your world? Who was there? What was the highlight of the night?

I have had many nights out but none that “rocked my world” really. I went to a Mardi Gras party in January that had a very negative effect on me and on most of my important friendships, so that’s rocking my world in the negative. I went to the Chicago Blues Festival in June with my friend Amelia and that was AWESOMMMMEEE! And totally last minute. I went to the Oriental Institute with my friend Izabella in September and I was happy to spend time at one of my very favorite places. I went to a party at my friend Belinda's hosue which was unremarkable except for the drama that later ensued.

December 6 Workshop or conference. -- Was there a conference or workshop you attended that was especially beneficial? Where was it? What did you learn?

I went to the American Library Association Conference in Chicago this summer. The conference was interesting, I worked a couple programs too and learned a lot, but the part that blew me away was a pre-conference day on careers in Federal libraries. We got to meet and have lunch with some of the speakers, including one of the few librarians in the Foreign Service! It was fascinating and I would love to have that job! These librarians live in a country for only 3-4 years and spend that time traveling to the surrounding territories and sharing American librarianship with our foreign colleagues. The man I met had spent 3 years in Mexico City and then 4 years in Vienna and is currently in India!

December 7 Blog find of the year. -- That gem of a blog you can't believe you didn't know about until this year.

I actually believe I am reading the same blogs I have always read. Occasionally I try a new one but they rarely keep my interest long.

December 8 Moment of peace. -- An hour or a day or a week of solitude. What was the quality of your breath? The state of your mind? How did you get there?

I have lived alone for 9 years so I get a lot of solitude, not just a moment here or there. It’s not necessarily peaceful. I use my solitude to wrestle with the great questions of life, and I have yet to find any answers.

December 9 Challenge. -- Something that really made you grow this year. That made you go to your edge and then some. What made it the best challenge of the year for you?

To answer this question I’d have to get more personal that I’d like here on the old Internets. Let’s just say living in general was a challenge for me, and this year has been the most difficult and painful of my life. If this is growth then I want no more of it. Yet I believe deep in my heart that this sort of painful and unwilling change is what life is all about.

December 10 Album of the year. -- What's rocking your world?

Sadly nothing. I asked for 2 CDs for my birthday this year. The first was Whitney Houston’s new album, which is just awful. I am not usually a fan of hers but she sang a very inspirational song live on TV this past fall and I loved it so much I hoped the rest of the album would be just as good. It was not. That was the only decent song on it, and the studio version had no soul or power at all compared to the live performance I saw. I guess all those drugs did a number on Whitney’s voice bc she no longer has the range and power that she used to have. I still listened to that one song over and over again but the rest of the album, maybe twice.

The 2nd CD was Mariah Carey’s new album, Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel. I was very excited to have a new MC album to listen to ON my birthday bc in 19 years, that has never happened! The first song on the album, "Betcha Gon' KNow", absolutely blew me away and I listened to it over and over. Unfortunately the rest of the album was a wash. The only other song on the album I liked at all was her remake of “I Want to Know What Love Is”, sung with a gospel choir. That song is why I am a fan of hers. If only she would sing like that more often. The rest of the album was same old same old, slow and sloppy. However, there is a new remix of “H.A.T.E.U.” that turns that glop of a song into something good.

I am much more of a single song person than an album person or a single artist person. I like a lot of variety in my music.

December 11 The best place. -- A coffee shop? A pub? A retreat center? A cubicle? A nook?

My best place this year was the Library Lab at school. I spent a lot of productive hours there this year.

December 12 New food. -- You're now in love with Lebanese food and you didn't even know what it was in January of this year.

Nothing comes to mind, though I did have a lot of great food this year. Chicago is a great town for food.

December 13 What's the best change you made to the place you live?

I had it professionally cleaned.

Best of 2009 Challenge

So I found out about The Best of 2009 Blog Challenge on Gwenbell.com and I'd like to participate. 2009 has been an incredibly hard year for me... but in the midst of the darkness there have been moments of joy and moments of beauty. This seems like a really great way to document those.

Not sure I will get to it every individual day but I want to try and answer all the prompts if I can. My answer might be "N/A" though!

When doing a project like this... you just never know how well it will turn out. I did Scrap Your Day with Shimielle Lane and found in the midst of darkness there was joy. Hopefully this will do the same but in a month not a year!

I may also Tweet some of these.....

Dec 1 --What was your best trip in 2009?

I believe my only trip was our annual camping trip to Wisconsin Dells in July. This year my friend Iza came and brought her 13 year old daughter so I was glad to see them! We sat around the fire drinking beer, I got to cook something for the group, finally, and we had lunch at a Caboose Hot Dog Stand that serves the only Polish Taco in the Dells! (it was too gross to order)





December 2 -- Restaurant moment. Share the best restaurant experience you had this year. Who was there? What made it amazing? What taste stands out in your mind?

hmmm more on this later... it was NOT the Polish Taco place. I want to say Kuma's Corner where I had the Lair of the Minotaur burger. Burger. pancetta. hunk of brie. bourbon soaked pears (OH YES). on a pretzel roll.

2 hour wait was worth it!


*rummage* *rummage*

I thought I had pictures... oh wait!



December 3 Article. What's an article that you read that blew you away? That you shared with all your friends. That you Delicious'd and reference throughout the year.

I would have to say an article about The Long Tail has really influenced my thinking. Apparently the average American's taste is far less mainstream than we've been led to believe. Because, given the chance, the average Amercan (yes, Joe Schno and Susie Housewife) will wander off the beaten path and find things they like in out of the way places. However, we never knew that, because physical limitations of space and resources have forced the public mainly onto the one path.

I also loved this article: Stop Trying So Hard

THE PROMPTS!

December 1 Trip. What was your best trip in 2009?(+ giveaway)

December 2 Restaurant moment. Share the best restaurant experience you had this year. Who was there? What made it amazing? What taste stands out in your mind?

December 3 Article. What's an article that you read that blew you away? That you shared with all your friends. That you Delicious'd and reference throughout the year.

December 4 Book. What book - fiction or non - touched you? Where were you when you read it? Have you bought and given away multiple copies?

December 5 Night out. Did you have a night out with friends or a loved one that rocked your world? Who was there? What was the highlight of the night?

December 6 Workshop or conference. Was there a conference or workshop you attended that was especially beneficial? Where was it? What did you learn?

December 7 Blog find of the year. That gem of a blog you can't believe you didn't know about until this year.

December 8 Moment of peace. An hour or a day or a week of solitude. What was the quality of your breath? The state of your mind? How did you get there?

December 9 Challenge. Something that really made you grow this year. That made you go to your edge and then some. What made it the best challenge of the year for you?

December 10 Album of the year. What's rocking your world?

December 11 The best place. A coffee shop? A pub? A retreat center? A cubicle? A nook?

December 12 New food. You're now in love with Lebanese food and you didn't even know what it was in January of this year.

December 13 What's the best change you made to the place you live?

December 14 Rush. When did you get your best rush of the year?

December 15 Best packaging. Did your headphones come in a sweet case? See a bottle of tea in another country that stood off the shelves?

December 16 Tea of the year. I can taste my favorite tea right now. What's yours?

December 17 Word or phrase. A word that encapsulates your year. "2009 was _____."

December 18 Shop. Online or offline, where did you spend most of your mad money this year?

December 19 Car ride. What did you see? How did it smell? Did you eat anything as you drove there? Who were you with?

December 20 New person. She came into your life and turned it upside down. He went out of his way to provide incredible customer service. Who is your unsung hero of 2009?

December 21 Project. What did you start this year that you're proud of?

December 22 Startup. What's a business that you found this year that you love? Who thought it up? What makes it special?

December 23 Web tool. It came into your work flow this year and now you couldn't live without it. It has simplified or improved your online experience.

December 24 Learning experience. What was a lesson you learned this year that changed you?

December 25 Gift. What's a gift you gave yourself this year that has kept on giving?

December 26 Insight or aha! moment. What was your epiphany of the year?

December 27 Social web moment. Did you meet someone you used to only know from her blog? Did you discover Twitter?

December 28 Stationery. When you touch the paper, your heart melts. The ink flows from the pen. What was your stationery find of the year?

December 29 Laugh. What was your biggest belly laugh of the year?

December 30 Ad. What advertisement made you think this year?

December 31 Resolution you wish you'd stuck with. (You know, there's always next year...)