iPod - the next generation

Wow, after the breathtaking step backwards that was the iPod Shuffle, what will they think of next?

How about the iPod Flea?

The secret life of librarians

Harry Potter, ad infinitum

Well, the new Harry Potter book was released this weekend. I haven't read it yet (my copy is on hold at the library) but supposedly someone dies in it.

In honour of this, Guardian Unlimited randomly picked Dumbledore as the victim du jour and ran a contest to write Dumbledore's death scene in the style of various authors.

The contest is closed now, but the winner and a selection of the best entries are available online. Check them out and get your Harry Potter fix!

In sickness and in health...

According to the doctor, I do not have T.B.!

The joys of Philly - crazy evangelicals, people spitting on the sidewalk, and exposure to tuberculosis.

Remind me again why I live here?

Oh yeah, because of people like this:

Meet my fruit girls - Tracy and Cindy - who run my local fruit salad truck. They are my saving grace from spring to fall, pretty much my sole means of getting my daily fruit intake. If you haven't seen what they serve, take a look at my earlier post here

I love my Tivo...

...and so does Opus.

How much of a Hamlet are you?

Check out this quiz and find out how much of a Hamlet you are (or are you a Fortinbras?)

After that, if you haven't already discovered the joys of Jasper Fforde's books, head off to a library and pick up "The Eyre Affair" and get hooked on a great series for the summer!

Contagious

You know how seeing someone else yawn will make you yawn as well?

Let's see if it works via the internet!

Check out Emilie's Don't Yawn Game

Brief Encounters

Dialogue on the way to work this morning on the bus between me and a guy in a white suit, candycane striped red and white shirt, and a polkadot bowtie, who was sitting behind me:

Him: What time is it?
Me: 9:35
Him: Is it too late?
Me: Too late for what?
Him: Too late to depend on god?
Me: ... [crickets chirping]

And then I slowly turned away and wished I had a book to read or music to listen to. Thankfully he got off soon afterwards.

Sigh.

Happy Canada Day

It's that time of year again, when I bring my mini Canadian flag to work and wave it about the office. Thanks to Liz who called me at 7:49 this morning to remind me of the holiday!

I've been away for the past little while, attending the ALA Annual Conference in Chicago. What a nice city (and I discovered Marshall's)

Highlights:

- being bumped off the flight to Chicago and getting a free roundtrip ticket for anywhere in the US and Canada - which somewhat alleviates the torture of being trapped on a plane sitting on the tarmac with no air-conditioning for two and a half hours on the trip back

- speaking to a very full, very big room about Generation X management styles, in the process freaking myself out because I do fit pretty much every stereotype of the group

- Seeing an omnimax film at the Museum of Science and Industry that was, I think, supposed to be about the human body and how it works and ended up being a very long pro-life commercial. I really don't need to see a Stepford wife lying on a couch caressing here barely-there bulge with a wistful smile on her face in full IMAX glory. The images of the inside of a person's stomach were cool, though.

- getting a Jane Austen bobblehead doll, an unabridged Laurell Hamilton novel on mp3 (and chatting with her husband), various other exhibit freebies, and so many free books that I had to ship them back to myself

- Wandering through the Field Museum and sneaking into exhibits that were closed (in our defense, we were not the only ones doing it), then topping the evening off with make-your-own ice cream sundaes

-watching Karen go crazy over the pressed penny machines - it's good she has a cheap obsession

- Riding the ferris wheel at Navy Pier and taking the river cruise architectural tour

Last but not least: 4 girls, 1 tiny hotel room, 1 even tinier bathroom, NO BLOODSHED!!

Chicago!

Conference time - I'm in Chicago with very little sleep and I keep forgetting to eat, there's so much stuff to do. I'm just about to go off and collect some more free stuff from exhibitors and then sit at a recruitment table and tell people how much they want to work for my library system. Then off to two party/receptions tonight.

Having a blast, wish you were here :)

Hiding in plain site

Sometimes the world can just get to you. It's nice to be able to lock yourself in your room and not come out for a while. Now you don't have to have a room to go to, you can bring your room with you. When you need a break from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, just disappear completely in your own little box.

Geeky fan moment

Bruce Campbell was at the library tonight. I was working, so I didn't get a chance to actually hear him talk, but I did snap a really crappy shot of him signing books on my way back from the washroom. There were about 400 people waiting for an autograph, so I couldn't get too close. Bruce is the splotch in dark blue posing with some other fans for someone else with a camera.

Shopping!

This has been a shopping weekend. First off I went to Franklin Mills with Liz and Sally on Saturday. We'd been joking that it was good thing that the stores were open 'til 9:30, but we never expected to stay that long. Well, I got home a bit before 11 pm. What a great mall. I believe that it is my favourite mall in the States so far. Lots of store, many of them outlets so they are really cheap. Plus they have a nice H&M, which is great - the one in Center City seems to specialize exclusively in urban slutwear. The suburban ones have a lot of great career-type clothes. There was much shopping, along with a long overdue Orange Julius break. Liz has been craving Orange Julius for a month or so.

I have also decided that the fact that I work late on Mondays is a very dangerous thing. I walk to work through some prime shopping territory and I can't help but window shop, which invariably leads to actual shopping. Today I walked in to work with a cute pink halter top and an amazingly marked down linen dress. I also did some shopping for my sister, who puts in Bath and Body Works requests whenever I'm about to fly home.

Variations on a theme

So, earlier this week I posted a great avocado tzatziki recipe. I got a call from my friend Liz tonight. She didn't have all the ingredients for it, so made some modifications. I made her version for dinner, and it's very yummy as well.

What she did:

double recipe
Instead of all lemon juice, use 1/2 lemon juice, 1/2 lime juice
cut all spices except salt and garlic (I still didn't put any salt in)
add 1 tsp curry powder (we both used madras curry powder)
She also used yoghurt instead of sour cream, like I did.

It's very good - I actually made 1/2 of her recipe as I only had one avocado left. The original recipe says it serves 8. Ha! It serves 3 at the most the way I eat it.

Okay, enough about food. Tomorrow I'm going to Franklin Mills, evidently the mecca of outlet shopping in Philadelphia. Everyone I talk to seems aghast that I've been in the city so long and haven't made it up there yet. Apparently it's like coming to Philly and not eating a cheesesteak.

Recipe sharing time

You know, I try not to be that person who sees a deal in the grocery store and buys whatever it is even though they have no idea what to do with it, but a week or so ago I was in Trader Joe's and found 4 avocados for really cheap. I usually never eat avocados at home. The only recipe I know that uses them is guacamole. But oh, how I craved those avocados. So of course I bought them, and they have been sitting in my fridge since then waiting for me to figure out what to do with them.

Well, yesterday I found a recipe for avocado tzatziki on allrecipes.com. I love tzatziki - the cucumber, the garlic (oh, the garlic) - yum! So I decided to try it and it was wonderful. Sally (who very kindly gave me fresh mint when I couldn't find it at three different grocery stores) came over and really liked it too.

Here it is (I used fat-free yoghurt instead of sour cream and didn't add any salt):

AVOCADO TZATZIKI

INGREDIENTS:

1 large avocado, peeled and pitted
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lemons, juiced
1/4 cup sour cream (optional)
1/2 cup chopped seeded cucumber
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:
In a medium bowl, combine the avocado, garlic, lemon juice, sour cream and cucumber. Mash with a fork until smooth. If your avocado is not quite ripe enough, you may wish to use a food processor. Season with red pepper flakes, cilantro, mint, salt and pepper, and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.

The best t-shirt in the world!

I'm a devoted reader. Have been all my life. But until now I just couldn't find the right piece of apparel to announce to the world exactly how reading has informed my development and made me the woman I am today.

Now that all changes.

Introducing my new t-shirt: succinct, pithy, captures the essence of who I am, and most important - damn cute!



I'm so wearing this to work tomorrow!

I don't even like Star Wars that much, but...

How funny is this?


(no Jen, it's not an olive)

Science for your kitchen

Here's a handy guide for you, a periodic table of condiments.

Helpful and funny!

This is scary funny

Some guy decided to see if people actually check the signatures on the back of credit cards. Suprisingly (or not) many don't. What's really crazy about his whole project is how far from a signiture he was able to write on the receipt and still get away with it.

Check it out

Much better than writing your name on your food!

Ben and Jerry's has come out with a nifty new device called the Pint-Lock that with keep marauding midnight snackers (or dads with the munchies) out of your precious ice cream.