At it again

Just got back from another run and it felt FANTASTIC!!! Running is much more fun than walking, my long walks were kind of boring, now with running I can cover the same distance in half the time. Nothing is better than hitting that runner's high just at the point where you think you can't go any farther, and then feeling like you are running on air, incredible. I never got that feeling when I was walking. I can't believe it, at this rate I will be up to 30 minutes non-stop in about 6 or 7 weeks. Just in time for the weather to start getting colder, nothing is better than running in cold weather. I will take that over heat any day. I will soon need to buy a new pair of running shoes I've got a lot of miles of walking on my current pair.

I have always wanted to run in the Main Street Mile in Westminster, if anyone from CCPL would like to join me perhaps we could start a team. We would need a clever name, something like Running with Books, The 796.42s (Dewey number for running), or Bibliotathletes. Of course I am getting ahead of myself, I need to keep up with my running first.


----------------
Now playing: Spinal Tap - Bitch School
via FoxyTunes

Running Again

I have started adding a bit of running to my exercise routine again. If you recall I had some problems with my left foot, not the movie My Left Foot, but my actual foot. After I began running back in May I started have lots of pain in my foot, well after several months of just walking I have finally started running again. Just for a few minutes here and there during my daily walks, and I feel great while I am running. I wasn't planning on running last night on my walk but half way through it started to rain so that helped make up my mind (I still got drenched though). Hopefully I will be running full time (30-45 minutes a day) in the next few months.

"I always loved running...it was something you could do by yourself, and under your own power. You could go in any direction, fast or slow as you wanted, fighting the wind if you felt like it, seeking out new sights just on the strength of your feet and the courage of your lungs." - Jesse Owens

Week 9, Thing 23

Wow, I cannot believe that I have finally finished. I found that the 23 things were a valuable exercise. It gave me an opportunity to explore several things that I never would have tried in the past, like bloglines and del.icio.us. I really enjoy blogging but what will I blog about now? I guess I will have to think of something. While creating avatars was fun, I found that it could be very time consuming and I don't know if I will use them to much in the future. What I really enjoyed was image generators and of course youtube. While we didn't spend a great deal of time on each thing, I believe that it was valuable to at least spend a little bit of time with them so that if were are asked about them we do not stare at our customers blankly. Would I do it again? Heck yeah, and I look forward to the next incarnation, perhaps "Maryland Learning Libraries 3.0" would be a good name, please feel free to use it with the Original Craigster's blessing. Plus it will give me new fodder for my blog.

Maybe I will blog about monkeys, I love monkeys, God bless them, with their furry little faces and their opposable thumbs, sitting in their trees, eating their bananas...

Week 9, Thing 22

I really enjoy Overdrive, and I think that it is a great service that the library provides for its patrons. I have use it occasionally and have checked out several books. It's simple to use and browse and the number of available items continues to grow. I particularly enjoy the "recently returned" list of items, I have often found items on the list that I wouldn't normally have searched for or checked out, and been pleasantly surprised by them. I must say that I an not a big fan of the ebook, yet.

Week 9, Thing 21

Podcasts are not for everyone, I myself enjoy them. A lot of people probably find it too much like listening to the radio, which it is, but the variety of items available to listen to is astounding. But you don't have to just listen, you can also watch.

One of my favorites is TV Squad Daily with Brigitte. As many of you may know my hobby is watching TV, and YES I do consider it a hobby. In this podcast, Brigitte brings current events and happenings from the world of TV, she podcasts daily and always has current topics.

Podcast could be quite useful to libraries, we could podcast a daily schedule of events, stories, reviews, book lists, and on and on.



----------------
Now playing: Go-Go's - Head Over Heels
via FoxyTunes

Week 9, Thing 20

I am addicted to youtube and have been for a while. I am always finding new and interesting things to watch. One of my favorite activities to find video mashups, below you will find a Mashup between Fergie "London Bridge" and Britney Spears "Baby One More Time" please be warned that some of the lyrics are a little colorful.



You might recognize the tune of the next video from Staff Day or the Risk Takers Network



I also use youtube to find clips from some of my favorite TV shows. Below is a clip from "The Office."



Youtube could be an excellent resource for CCPL, we could use it to post training videos, RTN videos, story times, the possibilities seem endless.

Week 8, Thing 19

As I was perusing the Web 2.0 awards list, I thought what would be the perfect site for me, one that just screams CRAIG pick me, CRAIG I am the one for you, CRAIG your name is written all over me...well here it is, the site I chose...wait for it...


















Cocktail Builder.

I bet you thought I was going to pick Craigslist. I'm not a big fan of classified ads (cool name though) but Cocktail Builder is quite useful. I entered a few of the ingredients that I know I have and I was given a list of 9 ready to drink cocktails just waiting for me to enjoy. It is a great resource to have at parties when all the good liquor has been enjoyed and only a few odds and ends are available. I can't wait to get home and start mixing...

Oh, I may be late tomorrow.

----------------
Now playing: Monster Magnet - Space Lord [Intergalactic 7 Remix][Multimedia Track]
via FoxyTunes

Week 8, Thing 18

I kind of dig Zoho Writer. It's a good alternative to Word and can be used on the go when I don't have access to MS Office. An added is bonus is that I can post right to my blog. I also like the strikethrough feature, so if I make a mistake decide to I can cross out anything I like. I think that I will use Zoho quite frequently. Thank you Zoho!

High flight

This is one of my favorite poems, I used Zoho writer to post to my blog.

High Flight

Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds - and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of - wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there
I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air.
Up, up the long delirious, burning blue,
I've topped the windswept heights with easy grace
Where never lark, or even eagle flew -
And, while with silent lifting mind I've trod
The high untresspassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand and touched the face of God.


Pilot Officer Gillespie Magee
No 412 squadron, RCAF
Killed December 11, 1941

The Office

The Office is now one of my favorite shows; I took a quiz to see which of the characters I am most like. You can see my results in the right hand panel.

Week 7, Thing 17

Well I have been playing in the sandbox and I have added myself to the favorite blogs list, you should scurry on over there and check it out, I hope it is not to ostentatious. Frankly speaking I am surprised that no one else has done it. It was very easy and quick to edit. Perhaps too easy...

Week 7, Thing 16

I am already somewhat familiar with wikis due to the fact that we use them frequently here at CCPL. What I really enjoyed as I was browsing other wikis was the BookLoversWiki at Princeton Public Library. I think that our patrons would live something like this, especially our book clubs that meet regularly. That would allow them to place reviews or even ask discussion questions about the books they are reading.

Week 6, Thing 15

Library 2.0...where to begin. I must be way too cynical but as I read through the library 2.0 perspectives it made me feel like libraries have been stuck in the stone age until just recently. Suddenly we have this new fangled technology and we must now begin to change how we do things. I've got news, libraries are changing and have been changing since the first library was created. Us librarians see change coming all the time and we are already finding new and creative ways to offer our services. So I have come to the conclusion that Library 2.0 is a creative way to market ourselves to non-library users so they get their butts off the street and into our stacks.