Blogging: It's What Needs to be Done, or, Things I Like Lately

Diet Coke with Lime.

Feist. In 2005, a boy (hmm?) introduced me to "Mushaboom," a song I've been in love with since day one. Feist has recently come to international attention with the release of the new iPod Nano commercial, which features her song "1-2-3-4." What makes Feist awesome? She's nowhere near being tainted by attention, nor is she in any danger of becoming a sell-out. My roommate has looked up some of Feist's music videos. Please see My Moon My Man for an example of previously affirmed awesomeness. The woman is not afraid to sport a single Princess Leia bun, a killer trench-dress, and a dozen or so unisex background dancers, and rock out like the white girl she is. For another example of her white girliness, please refer to Feist and Gonzales live at Trash in London. Start at about 2 minutes. In conclusion, Sim put it best when she said that Feist "makes me want to play guitar... coolly." Yes, me too. Me too.

Sleep. I averaged about 10 hours a night over break. Needless to say, no homework was completed at all this week.

Yams. With toasty marshmallows.

Those fruit roll things they sell in the produce section. Except one is never enough. Wow, food dominates my life.

Mail. I got a letter from a friend on an LDS mission today. Well, it actually came yesterday, and I was chomping at the bit all yesterday and this morning to get a chance to read it. When you have to wait close to two months to hear from someone abroad, those letters are gold.

Enchanted. Holy cow. Sim and I saw it tonight (my second time). You know something is good if my roommate starts wheezing while she laughs. Amy Adams was really good at being an air-headed Disney ditz (thus confirming what we've always suspected of Disney "princesses"), and of course I was satisfied that she reformed and became a secure, confident female force to be reckoned with. It took me a second to get out of my head the Katie image from The Office, but she knocked this role out of the park. I also love James Marsden. I think he's incredibly versatile. I loved him in Hairspray this summer as well. Sim and I also confirmed that the best way to win a girl over is to hold her close in a slow dance and softly sing in her ear. Oh... It's good. Guys, don't do it if she doesn't dig you, though. That would have quite the opposite effect. But if you know she's into you, for Pete's sake DO IT! And please note, chest hair, though a natural part of life for many men, and possibly attractive to certain women, probably shouldn't be flaunted whilst wearing a loose bathrobe. And women probably shouldn't make a habit of playing with the chest hair of strangers. Just a thought.

And now I leave you for homework, or What Really Needs to Be Done.

Bonus Material

Just for being such a great crowd...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59ZX5qdIEB0

Be amazed. He's something of an idol back home. We have an oboist and a flautist among my sisters, and this guy gives them some shred of hope that their hobbies can be cool someday.

Also, my roommate has taken to consulting me on composition for her art projects. Simini, I just don't know. All I know is, I like to see the other ear piece on your glasses. I want ear piece! That's all I know! Check her out, she's the coolest. Link to the right...

Buchidiot

Jani, this one's for you.

I encountered, for the first time in my life, someone completely ignorant of the concept of a library, who should have known better.

I work as a reference desk assistant in the Special Collections department of my university's main library. My supervisor wasn't in, so I checked her messages during a slow part of my shift. A patron had called in looking for a copy of the book, Joseph Smith and Herbal Medicine.

Side note: I find the title of this book disappointing and somewhat upsetting, and if it weren't my job to help patrons find materials, I would have deleted the message right there. I'm embarrassed that the library not only had the book, but had seven copies over three editions both in SC as well as the religion department. Not that this is the library's fault; down in SC, we especially look to preserve anything written by or about the Church or church members. But this... Come on. Let's not make inferences where they oughtn't be made. Well, that's typical of my work. For every bona fide source we have about the Church in our locked stacks in SC, we have three or four sources of questionable repute, or downright blasphemous/anti-Church materials. But I digress...

I called this patron back, but got the answering machine for an herbal supplier in the next county over. Okay, easy enough. A few hours later, right before close, the phone rang again. Who would it be but our dear herbalist friend. The following is a reenactment of the conversation:

"Special Collections, this is Hilary, how can I help you?"

"Hello, this is Bob Jones (fake name in case that wasn't obvious), I'm calling back about the book Joseph Smith and Herbal Medicine. You said you had it?"

"Yes. We have editions from 1975, 1980, and 2001. We have multiple copies of the first and last editions, but only one of the 1980."

"Oh, so these are used books?"

Pause. I continued:

"Well, in theory... They are on the shelves both in our protected stacks and in the library itself, so yes, any patron would have had access to these copies."

"Oh, okay. So can I buy one of the newer ones?"

Okay, now wait. Buy? How many times have I just said the word "library"? Was that unclear?

"I'm sorry, I don't think I understand. This is a library. We only lend out materials, we don't sell them."

Pause. Again. I pressed forward:

"I'm looking at the online card catalog description for this book as we speak, and the publisher is Bountiful Books, based out of Springville with Cedar Fort, Inc. It's a fairly popular LDS publisher. You could probably find this in a Deseret Book or a Seagull Books store."

Pause. He tries this time:

"Sooo... Deseret Book would have it?"

Aw, for the love of Pedro. Come on. Regaining my composure, I offer:

"Possibly, but I'm not sure. You'd have to check with the publisher or with those stores."

"Oh, okay. Do you have their number?"

Google, buddy. But I had nothing else to do, so I googled it for him. At this point, it was clear he needed all the help he could get. I gave him the most information I could, and sent him on his way. Now, I never saw him face to face, obviously, but I made the following assumptions just from his voice:

1. male
2. white
3. American
4. between 40 and 50 years old
5. completely inept

How did he not understand the concept of a library? Rarely does one buy anything from a library. I was so baffled. Apparently someone's partaken of a few too many herbs in his day...

Someone so kindly alerted my attention to the fact that my vida has been seemingly un-llena, judging by the (in)frequency of my posts.

I'd like to plead whatever number says that computers are a pain in the patooty. I killed my iBook and my mom's Dell, as well as a brand new external hard drive this past month. I now have a new Dell Inspiron, and pray every waking moment of my existence that it will not die on me.

Other than that... I'm sorry people. I'm just uninspired lately. Simini's last post was extremely amusing. My wee little roommie... I'm going to miss that girl.

This is going to have to go up as it is. Consider this an IOU for better things to come.