Tag: USD

swimming

Tomorrow, I’m getting up early and going to the city pool to swim laps until I wear out or for a half an hour, which ever comes first.

I just dug my swimming gear bag out from where I stashed it under the bed a couple of years ago. I haven’t really swam on a regular basis since 2001/02-ish. Amazingly, I still fit in my Speedo. This is a good thing, since the fat girl one-pieces all have sparklies or other design flaws that make them difficult to use for lap swimming. In going through everything (soap, shampoo for swimmers, swimmer’s ear drops, etc.), I thought to check the expiration dates. Most of them expired even before I moved out here. D’oh.

A couple of weeks ago while on vacation, I borrowed a friend’s swimsuit and did some pool jogging for about an hour. Then I tried swimming a lap and barely made it across the length of the small-ish hotel pool. I remember this stage of the swimming fitness training. When I started swimming several times a week in 2000, I had to stop and catch my breath after swimming each length. Within two months I had progressed to the point of being able to swim a mile with stopping only once or twice.

The great thing about swimming is that I’ve always had an affinity for water. I distinctly remember the first time I was in a swimming pool and figured out how to push myself under the water without having to tread on the top. I was probably six or seven years old. From that point on, summers were spent trying to talk my mother into letting me go to the city pool or finding reasons to hang out with friends who had pools. So, unlike most of the other things I do for exercise and fitness, swimming is actually a fun activity I look forward to.

You might be wondering why I haven’t kept up with it, since I enjoy it so much. Well, the down side to swimming is timing and access to inexpensive facilities. The city pool here costs $3.30 per visit, which is more than twice what I was paying when I swam regularly at a city pool in 2000. On the other hand, their hours suit me (open at 5:30am, well before work starts). The less expensive option ($20/quarter) at the university is available only over the noon hour, and until this year, I did not choose to give up my lunch break in order to work out. Also, it’s not available in the summer or during breaks. However, I will not allow myself to make excuses any longer.

Tomorrow, I’m getting up early and going to the city pool to swim laps until I wear out or for a half an hour, which ever comes first.

NASIG in Louisville

Online registration for the NASIG conference in Louisville closes today at 5pm Eastern. If you haven’t registered already and have been toying around with doing so, today is your last chance. There will be on-site registration, but the price goes up by $50. This is going to be a good one, folks, so if you’re … Continue reading “NASIG in Louisville”

Online registration for the NASIG conference in Louisville closes today at 5pm Eastern. If you haven’t registered already and have been toying around with doing so, today is your last chance. There will be on-site registration, but the price goes up by $50.

This is going to be a good one, folks, so if you’re at all interested in serials and building communication among all the parties involved, you really should be at this conference. I’m not saying that because I’m a new member of the executive board — I’m saying it because it’s true.

Bonus: The Free Range Librarian herself, Karen Schneider, is one of the vision speakers.

gas boycott on tuesday — what’s the point?

Go ahead and don’t buy gas on Tuesday, but it’s not going to lower the price per gallon.

It appears that the perennial gas boycott has reared its ugly head again, this time setting next Tuesday, May 15th as the day to not fill up your vehicle’s gas tank. This time around it is protesting the recent price per gallon increases to an average above $3, but will it be effective? Probably not.

This has been tried before over the past decade or more, with no visible effect on gas prices. Usually, folks who participate in the protest simply buy their gas on other days. In no way do most reduce the amount of gas they use, so as far as the filling stations are concerned, it’s simply a small blip in daily sales.

What will really send a message is to drastically reduce your gas use. Walk or bike instead of driving, or use public transportation or a carpool if you have those options. Do all of these things every day, and not just on next Tuesday. Of course, these things may not lower the pump prices in the short run, but they certainly will have less of an impact on your wallet.

Gas prices are on the rise, and we would be foolish to think that oil companies are going to lower them for any reason since there hasn’t been a real backlash against them. Americans are still buying big gas guzzling vehicles, and even if we feel the squeeze at the pump, we are willing to pay for it. Oil companies have us over the barrel, and they know it.

bum rush the charts

Bum Rush the Charts — stick it to the RIAA!

I just heard about a really cool project to get the attention of the RIAA. There’s a group of folks who have organized an unusual protest called Bum Rush the Charts that is scheduled for tomorrow. Basically, they want everyone to purchase a single song on iTunes and get it bumped up to the top of the daily charts.

The song is by a band called Black Lab who have been dropped by two RIAA labels and are still struggling to gain access to their recorded catalog of music, which is not an uncommon problem for bands/artists in their situation. I have no idea what the band sounds like, but for $1.07 ($0.99 + WA tax), I’m willing to join the cause. Luckily, the date of the event is tomorrow, so I heard about it just in time.

Also, if you buy the song via the link through the project, they will donate half of the commission to college scholarships.

update on Ekua Essoun

Hey! I just noticed that Ekua Essoun has raised the $800 she needs for her business. If any of you invested in it because I wrote a little about it on International Women’s Day, thank you.

Hey! I just noticed that Ekua Essoun has raised the $800 she needs for her business. If any of you invested in it because I wrote a little about it on International Women’s Day, thank you.

graduate assistantships available

The James E. Brooks Library faculty announce a graduate assistantship program for individuals who already have an MLS, or equivalent, and who desire a second subject master degree.

Graduate Assistantships Available
The James E. Brooks Library
Central Washington University
2007-2008

The James E. Brooks Library faculty announce a graduate assistantship program for individuals who already have an MLS, or equivalent, and who desire a second subject master degree. This unique two-year program allows an individual to study in any of eighteen graduate programs while gaining valuable professional experience in an academic library. Ideal for new or experienced tenure-seeking librarians, candidates must apply to the graduate school and be accepted into a program prior to being accepted as a paid library graduate assistant.

The assistantship is really two programs; an opportunity to gain valuable professional experience under the tutelage of professional librarians while getting that second, often necessary, advanced degree required at many academic libraries. For experienced librarians this assistantship is also two programs; a chance to advance by studying for an advanced degree while renewing and recharging one’s self during an extended leave of absence. Total benefits include a stipend of $7,120, plus paid tuition, medical insurance and health center fees equaling approximately $13,888 per academic year. Summer study and employment opportunities may also be available.

Opportunities are available for candidates to gain professional experience in reference, instruction, library technology and systems, technical services, outreach, archives and record management, government publications, maps, assessment and research.

Application and queries may be initiated by contacting Dr. Thomas M. Peischl, Dean of Library Services at peischl@cwu.edu, or by telephone at (509) 963-1901, or by mail at The James E. Brooks Library, 400 East University Way, Ellensburg, WA 98926.

Central Washington University
The James E. Brooks Library
The Office of Graduate Studies and Research

internet librarian

Internet Librarian – the conference for the library geeks with well funded travel budgets.

Today I got a program book for Internet Librarian in the mail. I’ve been reading the buzz about this conference all over the blogosphere, so I decided to give it another thought. I checked the dates and it butts up against ACRL-OR/WA, but I’d have all morning on the 26th for travel, so I started browsing through the program. Looks like there will be an interesting collection of presenters and topics. I was almost set on going until I flipped to the registration form and saw the cost. Okay, $400 for a conference isn’t too bad, as far as these things go, but $185 per night (plus taxes and fees) for the hotel rooms is outrageous! It’s even more stunning when the literature calls it a discounted rate. NASIG has been in very nice hotels in large cities for the past few conferences and never has the room rate been over $110 per night. Internet Librarian should look at getting some real discounts or moving to a location that is more affordable. Until then, I’ll continue to read the buzz from the A-list bloggers who attend the conference.

arrival

Yesterday was a looong day. After staying up late getting ready to go to NASIG, I was up early and driving to the airport. The flight was nice, and I was very impressed with the plane and amenities. Frontier must be one of few airlines still giving out snacks for “free” on flights. We landed … Continue reading “arrival”

Yesterday was a looong day. After staying up late getting ready to go to NASIG, I was up early and driving to the airport. The flight was nice, and I was very impressed with the plane and amenities. Frontier must be one of few airlines still giving out snacks for “free” on flights. We landed about fifteen minutes early, which was nice, but I still had about an hour wait until J’s plane landed. We waited a little while for B & M’s plane to arrive, but then decided to get our shuttle tickets and go the hotel. Just after we purchased them, C and M arrived, so J and I hung around chatting with them. They were waiting for JG to arrive with coupons for a discount on the shuttle ride. (I somehow missed this option, but it was only $4 off.) B & M got there before JG arrived, so by the time everyone had their shuttle tickets, we pretty much took over a couple of shuttle vans, which was amusing to me.

After getting settled in my hotel room and taking a shower, I met up with E, B, M, and L, and we all went out to a brew pub for dinner. The food was excellent (fried chicken! with gravy! and a biscuit!) and the beer was quite good, with the exception of the beer brewed with herbs instead of hops. It was some old recipe, and if you like beer flavored tea with lots of lemon, you’d probably enjoy it. I didn’t care for it so much. My favorite of the ones I sampled (I tried six of the twelve available) is the Sagebrush Stout. It was very creamy with a nice almost chocolate flavor, and it took a bit longer than usual to get to the slightly bitter hops taste.

The evening ended in the hotel bar, as most evenings end at NASIG. I like this hotel bar best out of all of the hotel bars I’ve been in since NASIG 2003. It’s an open space with lots of sound absorption, so we could all sit in couches and chairs around a large square coffee table and still be able to hear each other. There is another conference in the hotel that is ending today, and after that we’ll pretty much have the bar to ourselves. Yay! The NASIG social evenings are back!

Oh! One more small amusing thing. Keep in mind that when I arrived at the Denver airport, I was functioning on about four hours of sleep, one of which I got on the flight. As I’m beginning to wonder if I missed Jeff’s arrival and I can’t remember which airline he was on or exactly when it was supposed to arrive, I start thinking about heading to the hotel on my own. At which point, I realize I can’t remember the hotel name and I don’t have any documentation on me (for once I didn’t print out my confirmation). I tried calling Emily, but she didn’t answer her phone. Bonnie is still in the air, and the number I have for Jeff isn’t working. So I called Shana, who seemed to be quite amused at my question. “I’m at the airport in Denver, and I can’t remember the name of the hotel where the conference is – Do you know which hotel I’m supposed to be at?”

you can hear ’em singing la la la

I’ve got invites for anyone interested in joining la la. Send me an email or leave a comment. So far, I’ve sent out three CDs and received four, and all it cost me was $3, since the first one was free. la la provides all of the mailing stuff, so no trips to the post … Continue reading “you can hear ’em singing la la la”

I’ve got invites for anyone interested in joining la la. Send me an email or leave a comment. So far, I’ve sent out three CDs and received four, and all it cost me was $3, since the first one was free. la la provides all of the mailing stuff, so no trips to the post office or packaging supply store required.

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