Near brush with death..or so it felt like it

Considering today is New Year's Eve, I had a hard time motivating myself to get ready for work. I was fortunate last year to spend my holidays in England; however, starting a new job, I have to accrue vacation time.
I am trying to cut down on my carbs but this morning I decided to treat myself to a bowl of Ramen noodles and toast bread. I ran out of my favorite flavor (Creamy Chicken) so I settled for my second choice of Oriental flavor. I realized that I was short on time so I tried to speed up my eating. I made little "tacos" with the bread and as I inserted it into my mouth, the crust of the bread lodged into my throat. I thought if I swallowed harder, it would make its way down but to my dismay, it was going down the wrong pipe.
I started coughing. I thought, should I cough into my bowl of soup or on the table. I opted to purge my partly chewed breakfast onto a napkin. I then noticed that drips of blood were splattering on the napkin. I started to freak and I couldn't breathe. I tried yelling for my mom and I began to bang on the table to get her attention. I still made it to work, busted capillaries and all. I look like the weeping mother from I Am Legend. I am now sore and my eyes hurt when I blink.
Happy new year to me!!! I am thankful that it did not happen while I was driving seeing that I tend to eat my breakfast while on my way to work.
Lesson well learned.

Endings

I came to work today and not even 30 minutes pass when my mother calls and tells me my aunt passed away. I feel overwhelmed with guilt and sorrow. I could have gone this past Sunday to see her but I chose not to b/c I was tired. I spent Sunday morning working in our yard and I made plans to see her this weekend. When I spoke to my mother, I began to cry. I am not sure if I am crying b/c I feel guilty or it hurts to hear my mother cry. I regret not being able to speak to her one last time. I didn't even care much when my grandmother passed away seeing that I was never really close to her. I wasn't close to my aunt either but she is probably the only aunt I have fond memories of. When I was little, my mother and I would stay with her and my aunt would make me snacks and I would sleep with her. She is now in a better and less painful place; I hope she left peacefully and I hope she left knowing that I do care for her.

Maybe...

I have a semi-date tomorrow. I met this guy about a month ago and we haven't officially declared any kind of non-platonic chemistry between the two of us. I am trying my hardest to get that fabrication out of my head. For as long as I can remember, I tend to like a guy from afar, latch myself to them (from afar) and fabricate this image of them. And it only gets worse; I never am able to get close to them thus I punish myself with guilt and sorrow and every other kind of negativity I can think of.
So here I am, trying to heal my wounds from my "flavor of the month" and R comes along. I don't know what to expect and in all honesty, I don't even know if I like him. I am hesitant to say anything b/c maybe he is in the same predicament I am: he is getting over someone. I decide I am taking it for what it is and I am not going to jump to conclusions. Jumping to conclusions has only created problems and heart ache for me; I think it is time to start a new approach to conversing with the opposite sex.

Week #10: Finito

I really did enjoy this training program. I do feel that I had an inkling of an idea for all the topics we learned about; however, it is always nice to get a refresher or an update on these topics.
Of the 23 things we learned, I really enjoyed LibraryThing, RSS feeds, and online photo editing tools. I now use LibraryThing to catalog books I have read and am able to see what others are reading based on the books in my catalog.
Every morning, I check Bloglines and I get to see my "daily dose of imagery" of artsy photos and cute animal pictures along with my Postsecret.
I did not care too much for the Zoho writer but I am sure it might come in handy at a later date. It is a little difficult to really delve into these topics b/c like any item that you are interested in, that item acts an unravelling thread of a sweater which is neverending. I hope to get internet at home so I can really research all capabilities with the internet. It is getting to the point that it is just as bad as television (sitting and staring at a screen for large amounts of time).
I am not really sure what suggestions I have to refine this training. I think having a focus group type discussion might help conjure up ideas.
All in all, I am happy that I took part in this "journey" and hope to continue learning Web 2.0.
Also, I really enjoyed the Wandering Eyre speaker at the very beginning of this course; she really motivated me to brush up on my internet skills.

still week #9: Podcasts

Finally, a category that I know absolutely nothing about. I was ashamed to ask friends or coworkers about podcasts. I did know that dealt with some kind of audiostream that you connect to online but I was not sure how you access them. I have an ipod and whenever I update my ipod, I see the podcast tab and I never knew what to do with it.
I decided to browse the podcasts at Podcast Alley and chose to listen to IndieFeed. It seems pretty cool. I would like to research some more and I definitely think I will be using podcasts from now on. I now have a way to listen to indie groups. I normally listen to KTRU online; however, I don't think it is a podcast since you cannot upload/connect to past shows.

Week #9.2: Ebooks!

When HCPL notified employees of their Emedia launch, I took a peek to see what it offered. I was not too impressed with their collection but now that it has been a few months (maybe several), I see that it has grown immensely.
I would still like to see more variety with their "indie" music but I assume most musicians do not go that route. I browsed in the fiction and there is a title I would consider reading, Miss Understanding, which is one of the featured books. I am also happy to see that F.G. Gerson's 21 Steps to Happiness is available for download. When that book came out, I ordered it through ILL (from HPL, not HCPL). I was unable to read it and now that HCPL offers it, I can download it! I also think it is a good idea to include juvenile selections as well.
I do have a few suggestions about the site. I think users should be able to search by publisher (I am quite partial to Red Dress Ink) and users should be able to select how many items can be viewed per page (10,50,100).
Have downloadable books will make it easier for me to broaden the subjects I have read. I don't really care for audio books seeing that I find it hard to do my work and listen to what the speaker is actually saying. Maybe I haven't tried the right books...

Week #9 Youtube!

I enjoyed this exercise. I use YouTube frequently; however, I was unable to decide on what kind of video to share.
I decided posting a video by Pete Bjorn, a musician I recently came across. As much research as I do in music and movies, I am always a step behind in indie rock.



For some reason, I am having trouble posting the video...bollocks!

#19..Accomplished!

I created an account with Zoho earlier in the week but was hesitant to use it. I didn't know what to write about.
I always wanted to practice writing and I finally mustered the strength and words to get some of it down.
I am very surprised that it went with sch fluidity! As soon as I started typing, it was like opening Pandora's box that I could not close.
I think I might actually use this regualarly. I may be able to write my comic dialogs this way!

to be continued

Misinterpretations

 

I went to visit Denton in the fall of 2004. It had been three months since I moved back to Houston; I was anticipating my reaction to visiting the town I thought I would miss.

Of course, things were still the same; same crowds at the bars, same workers at Kharma Cafe, nothing different.

Because I was visiting during the school week, I took the opportunity to visit my Fibers professor. The walk on campus was so nostalgic; had it been that long since I was attending there? Texas is vast land, it is surprising that the climate change is as drastic from one border to the other. I trekked the one mile to the building and walked down the familiar path. As I walked to her office, I passed the looms and the "peg" boards with the thread wound around x amount of times. I think Ami was busy, so I went into the classroom to see what projects were being worked on.

I walked in and I couldn't help but feel that it was kizmet. There, in front of my face, facing the wash basin, was David. He was absorbed into his work, avidly working on his pieces. He was washing one of his screens. I was filled with delight to see him, almost to the point that I could cry. I decided to sneak up behind him and I did a pretty good job. Considering the spray gun and its generator are loud, he did not hear me approach.

I stood right behind him for a few seconds and then poked him on both sides of his stomach. It was not my best action; he jolted and turned around. I  think he was equally surprised to see me and he hugged me and exclaimed, "Veronica!" emphasizing the double r that should be used when saying my name. I noticed he was using one of my screens that I left for the class. As a part of our assignments, we built screens and left them for the next semester of students to use.

It had been so long since we had seen each other and as I looked into his eyes, my mind erased all the emotions and pent up words I had been wanting to say to him.

Week 8: Social Networks

I love the whole aspect of social networks online. When I first heard about them (probably 4 or 5 yrs ago), I thought they were kind of ridiculous. I felt that if you could not keep your friendship in person, what was the point of keeping it online?
I now have a different perspective seeing that I am avid user of myspace and other sites that allow you to keep in touch with other people.
Sites such as myspace, friendster (if it even exists still), livejournal, flickr allow you to stay connected with friends that you may not be able to see on a regular basis. Apart from the fun side of it, you can network. Many artists (music and otherwise) have commercial profiles and you can add them allowing you to get updates on concerts, new albums, exhibits, etc.
I recently considered deleting my account on myspace but an old friend of mine convinced me to stay when he notified that he is now co-directing a gallery and would like to see my work.
You see? It all works for something.
I hear a lot about Facebook and for this exercise, I created an account with them.

#17 Techno-savant

I wonder what my life would be like without having technology. I guess it would be like the dark ages or something where people get together and have tea time or having burning parties.
I don't know what I am talking about, I am sick. All I can think about is going home to sleep.
But seriously, at the moment, my favorite technological advance would be mp3 players. Although, they have been around for almost a decade (right?), I just purchased mine last Xmas and am now looking for accessories so I can streamline it while I am at home, taking a shower, cooking.
I looked online for product reviews on the stereos that serve as an ipod docking station, alarm, clock, radio- there are too many options, I get confused. I get confused shopping in general. I cannot go into a store and choose between caribbean cool or vanilla sugar (deoderants for example).
I also see that I can invest in a wireless thingy that I can use in my car to hook up to my ipod and listen to it via the radio. So many decisions.

Week 7: Wiki Wiki Wik!

Note to self: Do not hit the back button without saving your post, it will be deleted!

Wikis: I use them regularly but I did not know what they were until this past summer. I was under the impression that Wikipedia was a solid source then I saw some News story about Wikipedia attempting to refine the information added onto the site. I think the idea of an open forum set up is great but there will always be persons who get a kick out of putting false information onto sites. It kind of reminds me of teenagers (or drunk people) who scribble crap on bathroom stalls in restaurants, clubs and bars.
Oh well.
I did add some information to the iHCPL's wiki; however, I could not embed videos correctly so I could not show how funny Flight of the Conchords is or how awesome Arcade Fire is.
I have yet to post a comment on anyone's page; I will do so when I find one worthy of my comments (yes, I am being facetious)

Rehashing the past

I was browsing around online looking for the average store price for Nersesian's new book. I went to Borders website (which is joined with Amazon) and the tags that were linked with Nersesian's book included Miranda July. I was curious about this correlation and look up Miranda July. I came across a book titled "Learning to Love You More." That phrase just hit me and I vaguely remember hearing that phrase. It is a website that was created to help encourage people to make art, regardless of their skill.
A few years (3 yrs to be exact), I went to an art opening at the Contemporary Arts Museum and I spoke with one of the artists. Three years ago, I was in my "manic" phase and for all I know, I could have chatted her up about zombies. But she remained intrigued by what I had to say and then she told me about this site http://learningtoloveyoumore.com/
FYI- I am no longer considered "manic" or "depressive" Maybe now I can actually look up the site and see what it is about.

Exercise #15: Library 2.0/Web 2.0 (is there CliffsNotes for this?)

I am very eager to know how this direction of libraries and the internet will be taking us. I do believe that this may be growing a little too fast for everyone to keep up with. I like to relate it to Frankenstein or I, Robot: a human creation that has disastrous capabilities if it is worked in the wrong hands.
I think libraries will still be necessary, regardless of how "useless" they may seem to some people.
I only realized two years ago that I wanted to pursue a profession in libraries but they have always been a part of my life. I would like to think that they can still influence people with or without the internet.
I am 100% positive that the first library is not like the libraries we have today. Having worked in a public library and been an avid user of university libraries, I think libraries will okay in the long run. Whether its users utilize the library for research purposes or just to get some cool air, people will always use libraries.
A few weeks ago, I went to HPL's Looscan library, which is considered a "green" library. Apart from its eco-friendly features, it had egg shaped chairs that allow you to listen to music (without checking out the cd). Looscan also had an area for a prospective coffee shop.
People are always eager to voice their opinion (when asked); I believe that if library staff conducted surveys, they would be able to get many ideas to work with for future projects.

Exercise #14: Technorati

I am a little confused as to what benefits Technorati might have over Bloglines. Doing these exercises have made me come to a conclusion: one cannot get bored with the internet. I have been debating what services to get in my apartment. I know that I want internet but I don't really care for cable. With all the discoveries, I feel that the internet will be able to entertain me AND educate me in one manner or another.
I was very excited to see my results via the blog search on Technorati. I originally searched New York Life and did not come up with much. When I think of New York, I think of Arthur Nersesian, so I searched his name. I came across Maud Newton's blog which had an entry about Akashic Books celebrating their anniversary. Part of their anniversary, Nersesian came out with a book THIS MONTH! I have read a couple of his books and they remain to be my top choices of reads. I decided I would go to the bookstore this weekend and look for his new book and support him (and Akashic).
I thank Technorati for this find; if I had not used their search engine, I may not have known about this book until next year.

Week 6: del.icio.us

I am so overwhelmed with technology and I am loving it! I try to catch up on information science news as often as possible and a while ago, I hear that del.icio.us was an upcoming feature. I guess I am attracted to this "culture" b/c in some way, it would mean I am "intelligent."
It appears that I created a del.icio.us account not too long ago (perhaps when I read that article), so when I went to the site, I was logged on.
I do not know where to start. I uploaded my favorites and did some tinkering with the tags and sharing them. I even added my profile name onto my blog.
I have grandiose delusions and I hope one day to be an internet celebrity. I think this is allowing me to go in that direction. I want to be this generation's Martha Stewart, without the corporate fraud of course.
I think this is a great device to keep track of sites you come across by accident. My only concern is that I now have more reason to be online. I try to not watch tv so much and I think internet use will have to go up there as well...eventually.

I know I am quick to judge people but at least I am acknowledging that characteristic. Every Saturday night, the same people go into the bakery to get a cup of coffee and a piece of bread. It doesn't bother me much, in fact, I kind of enjoy being able to make small talk with some of them. I do not like when they mention how much I look like my dad or some other crap that has to do with my features.
The man that told me I shouldn't wear glitter (I do not know his name) came in at his usual time. For all the years he has been going to the bakery, I was under the impression that he was friends with the group of men that go in there. To my dismay, when I was checking the tickets to the tables, I saw he was sitting alone in the corner, on the other side of the group of men that go in there basically every night to get away from their wives or whatever. For all I know he could have been thinking about how much he hates people, but in all sincerity, it looked as if there was sorrow in his expressions. My brother came in to check up on the place and went over to talk to him. After my brother left, the gentleman got up and left as well. He came up to pay and said how my brother kept him longer than he expected. I say, "Well, its nice to converse with people from time to time" He responds "Oh of course, I enjoy talking with your brother, hearing about his projects" I say, " Yeah, he is a very intelligent man" He "and very responsible"
Another couple comes in who have been customers for a long time. I find the wife agitating b/c whenever I talk with them, she doesn't stop or she will ask about my sisters and all that business that is not hers. I think old women are just like that, always wanting to know what is going on in others' lives. She would never let her husband speak. I found out last week that her husband has Alzheimer's and she takes care of him. Can I shoot myself now?

Week 5 almost at an end! //LibraryElf

It was very simple to create an account with LibraryElf. I am not too excited about this site seeing that I attempted to set up reminders through my hotmail and never really check them. At least now I cannot blame not knowing my items are due.
Hey, its Friday!

Week #5...still: LibraryElf

I am unable to do the libraryelf exercise b/c it is temporarily down :(
Hopefully, I will be able to work with it next week. Maybe, iHCPL bombarded its site with too many users that it was overwhelmed.
Oh well.

Week #5 Avatar!!!

My attempt to make my own avatar. I don't think it looks much like me but they do not have many full size options. It doesn't snow in Houston, but I want the cold weather to come.

Week 5: LibraryThing

I love being able to share my interests with other people. It is hard to find people in my circle of friends that I can talk to about suggestions without them thinking I am a dork. I don't take offense to that at all; I relish the fact that I know the benefits of a good read. About a year ago, I set up an account with Shelfari, but never logged on again to see what else was new or posted.
Happy reading!

Instant potatoes, where have you been all my life?!

I love potatoes. I think I read somewhere that they are a good food item when you are down b/c they help release serotonin or something like that. I want to be domesticated. I really do. I have my moments where I go and buy stuff and say that I will cook. Then one or two weeks pass, and I have to dump out the smelly rotting food. I spoke with a friend about how I could live off of mashed potatoes, but I get lazy having to boil them and all that jazz. She suggested I purchase instant mashed potatoes. For some reason, I always felt that if I resorted to eating instant foods (just add water types), I would have hit rock bottom. I don't know why, maybe b/c I use the microwave so much, I feel that some aspect of my cooking should entail actual work.
Anyway, I went to Kroger's, picked up a pack of instant potatoes (the loaded kind, this was no time to be a health nut). I went home and tested it out. I have to say, for being under a dollar, this was very satisfying. I may have to just modify my cooking theory a bit.

Post #9...aye

I consider myself rather techno savvy, why am I having a hard time finding feeds?! I added a couple of sites that I check fairly regularly:

The Tokyo Incidents

Postsecret

and http://web.mac.com/davidleeprice/dviad/dddvvviiiaaaddd.html

Yeah, I know its a long url, but he chose that nonetheless. I got onto Feedster and typed in a couple of searches. I first looked up New York and I came across an article about Wes Anderson (a favorite director of mine) and his new movie. I would love to see Wes have his own blog but he is probably busy being uber-indie and pensive. I should be too. I then typed in 'bearded dragons' and came across a site that posts by different Lizard owners. I thought it would be nice to feed to this blog, but I think it will only depress me to know that I am a horrible parent to my lizard; I am not ready for that truth. Either way, I have enough feeds to keep me busy, at least until the end of the week.

Week 4?

I know this should be easy but I am kind of having a hard time subscribing to feeds. I am a bit confused as to what feeds we can subscribe to. For the past 15 minutes (more like 30-oops), I have been browsing feeds to subscribe to and selected a few that deal with photo blogging and the like. I now go back to iHCPL and see it states we should subscribe to 10 NEWSfeeds. Aye, I am ready for the weekend.
But I tend to digress, I did successfully subscribe to a friend's site and another friend who has a livejournal. I added PostSecret which is my Monday morning caffeine so to speak. I really wish I had the internet at home but that would mean I would spend even more hours staring at a computer screen and I question the health risks of that.
hmm...I should see how to attach my bloglines' name on here so that everyone can like what I like!

mary

mary
Originally uploaded by ma_vie_en_la_biblioteca

I really need to bring in some photos to work with. All the photos I took with my camera are dark. This is my attempt using pixer; I think I can do better

pop art

pop art
Originally uploaded by ma_vie_en_la_biblioteca

I am happy with this one. I am a big fan of Warhol and I love screen printing. Although this tool takes away from the actual process of screen printing, I think this is a great tool and I look forward to tinkering with it in the future.

Flickr-ama!!!

cuca and heha
Originally uploaded by ma_vie_en_la_biblioteca

Ha! I was able actually able to configure this within less than half an hour! If only I could have a job that would allow me to play online all day...
I kind of cheated though, b/c this picture is saved on my desktop. When I have enough time, I would like to upload photos from my camera.
I went to a friend's birthday part last night and prior to the "party" starting, my friend showed me her photo albums. I really regret not ever taking pictures with friends. I totally hate taking photos, so when the chance comes around, I usually just duck; I am trying to reconsider. This picture was taken about a month ago with my good friend Jess who was visiting from England. We went to college together for one year and kept in touch via email. That is a great perk of being internet savvy: being able to keep in touch with just about anyone that you want to. She is now in Germany and I hope to visit her there soon.

Safety?

I may be a little too apathetic with the safety problem online; however, I feel that we gave up privacy a long time ago. I do fear that someone may hack into my bank account and spend all my money or use my information to open a credit card, but there are procedures to get out of that mess (although they are tedious and a pain in the butt).
I think the key point to remember about online usage, is that there is no privacy. With technological advances and innovative electronics, every aspect of life can be viewed or altered by other people (I can't help but think about the video cameras in bathroom stalls).
A college professor said to remember the term "email" as "everybody mail." With that being said, I try not to worry about what I say in emails b/c everyone has issues and regardless of what you believe, there is always someone worse off than you.

I NEED MORE!!!

This is great! I get to learn different functions online AND get paid. I also attended the Gadgets and Gizmos earlier in the week and now listen to Pandora regularly.
I learn best when I am able to navigate myself through the tutorials. This method of learning (online, self-paced) works pretty well with my schedule and I prefer working alone. If I really need to, I can still ask for help by submitting my queries and there is also another participant in my department so I am not so alone.
I am looking forward to uploading photos and personalizing my blog!

week 1

For the first exercise, view this tutorial (see the full version with animation and sound on Harriet) and write down which learning habits are easiest for you and which are hardest.

I tend to learn better when I have a visual to aid in training. If I can see examples of what I am supposed to be learning, I can envision myself doing them, thus making it easier to accomplish.
I have a hard time learning tasks that are just written down or I am verbally told to do. For example, if my supervisor just told me verbally what I am supposed to do for a task (maybe on the computer or something that would require several steps), I usually get confused and instead of paying attention, I being to worry that I will not be able to do it. I have the same problem with spoken directions; I must write down directions in order to understand them.

Make a contract with yourself about your learning habits. You will use your personal blog (which you will set up next) to post your thoughts about lifelong learning.

Contract to Self

I will understand that this course of training is self-paced and

I will not feel overwhelmed by the material.

I will remind myself that I enjoy learning about computers and the internet and these exercises are only beneficial no matter how little I learn.

I will remind myself that I can always go back over material if I do not understand it and I can ask someone for help.

Overview

I am excited about the upcoming weeks. I know a little bit about blogs and flickr; but I just learned how to subsribe to feeds, which is very rewarding. I attempted to subscribe to a feed before, but did not know where to see it. I now know how to subscribe and view the content.