Mistaken Identity Story

I taped and then watched today the "Mistaken Identity" story that was on Dateline on Friday. And boy did I cry! From the poor families not knowing if their daughters were alive, to the one family finding out that their daughter was NOT alive and having to bury her, to the other family finding out their daughter did make it but was in a coma with major brain damage, to the ultimate realization that this girl that they were caring for constantly and watching slowly heal was in fact not the girl they thought it was, to the family who thought they were getting messed with all over again by some jerks telling them that their daughter was maybe alive after all, to the girl who survived dealing with survivor's guilt.... I was kind of a mess. Unbelievable, moving story.

That site has video but I'm not sure if it's complete. Also, the families are going to be on Oprah on Weds.

Author Name Pronunciation Site

I thought this was pretty cool, especially for the librarian/teacher/parent who might be faced with trying to pronounce author's names. It lists a bunch of author's names and when you click on one, you go to a link where the author is pronouncing his/her own name. Usually, they also explain the name's origins.

Some of them seem a little silly (did anyone ever have trouble with "Judy Blume"?) but others are pretty useful (I always did stumble over Jon Scieszka) (via)

BoltBus

I've heard you can ride buses from Washington DC to New York City pretty cheaply, but how about $1? BoltBus offers some tickets for only $1! And even their most expensive trips seem to be about $20. It all depends on when you want to go and how early you book. Pretty sweet! (via)

"Talkshow split gives gabbers new life"

An article in Variety explains how the Daytime Emmy awards will be splitting Best Talk Show into two different categories, one for information and one for entertainment. It mentions that Ellen Degeneres has cleaned up in that category the last few years while shows like The View were overlooked. Here's an opportunity for another show to win.

Huh? They imply that the new winner might be The View. HA! The View sucks. Have you ever heard their interviews? They are a complete waste of time with four people trying to get their questions in before the 5 minutes alloted for interviews ends. There rarely is any sort of cohesion or segue from one topic to another, either. And, during the Hot Topics section, which has the potential to be interesting, the women usually just offer ill-informed opinions on the goings-on of the day while talking over each other. Meanwhile, Ellen has to fill one entire hour of time every single day with interviews that she conducts by herself, with comedic bits, with a monologue and well, with dancing segments that kill time. But that was a clever way to kill time, you have to admit. People love it! She doesn't just show up five minutes before the show and express her opinion. I couldn't agree more with the critics interviewed in that article.

Fortune Cookie

I had a fortune cookie today and my fortune read: "An interesting sports opportunity is in your near future."

Hmm! What could it be? I immediately assumed I will win one of the March Madness Bracket Buster games and become a millionaire. What else could it mean?

It also gave me numbers: 8 15 17 20 35 42
Those are suspiciously close to the Lost numbers. But too bad I didn't have those numbers when I was creating my brackets!

SI.com Archive

Starting on Thursday, Sports Illustrated's Web site will debut "The Vault," which will feature all the content, including photographs, from all of its back issues. It will be searchable and also will let you literally "turn the page" from old issues. Sounds pretty cool. (via)

Guys suck

That guys suck is not really news, especially not to any single women out there. However....

I went out with a bunch of ladies Sat. night and got into the old discussion of why do guys take your number and then not call you? I think this has probably happened to everyone at some point or another, definitely has happened to me. But on Saturday, one of the gals in our group started talking to this guy who she had met before and had given her number to when he asked. And he never called. So the other gals were trying to encourage her to talk to him again but she felt like there must have been a good reason he hadn't called and was a little hesitant to even put herself out there.

So we discussed among ourselves possible reasons why guys do this. Theories included they were too drunk to remember afterwards that they did in fact take your number... they meant to call but time passed and they just felt like it was too late then... they took it with the intention to call but changed their mind later... they just like to collect numbers.

When we actually consulted a male, one of this guy's friends in fact, he added a new one to the list: guys take numbers as a way to end a conversation. Which shocked me in its obnoxiousness; I mean, there are a million ways to end a conversation without implying that you are going to call someone and talk to them again. Is this a common thought among men?

The next day I posed the same question to my male roommate. He gave me some of the reasons we females had also come up with and added, "Sometimes you ask for a number just to end a conversation." So, yes, indeed this apparently is a common thought among men. I can't get over how rude that is!

Therefore, here are some suggestions to men on other ways to end a conversation:
1.) "Bye."
2.) "It was nice talking to you."
3.) "Well, I really need to get going."
4.) "I need to use the restroom."
5.) "I need to make a call."
6.) "I need to get a drink."
7.) "Oh, I see someone else I want to talk to!"
8.) "Well, good luck with [that thing we were talking about]."
9.) "Wow, look at the time."
10.) "I really should get back to my friend."

Overextended?

So now I'm officially in three book clubs, actually four. Well, I guess I'm only officially in one since I've yet to attend a meeting of the others but I've "committed" myself to two others meeting in the next month. Am I crazy or can I do it?

My work book club has decided that the next book will be Water for Elephants, which is apparently about the circus? It was like #1 on a list of "Top Books for Book Clubs" or something too so I guess there is stuff to talk about. I'll definitely give it a try because it's better than the last book: A Tale of Two Cities. Our due date is mid-April.

The Librarians & Friends Book Club is reading books by Valerie Martin this month. I've got two of her books checked out from the library and have had a little difficulty getting into them. But I think that's more because a book club seems like homework and therefore I want to procrastinate and the book club doesn't meet for another couple of weeks so why get too involved yet? These books do sound semi-interesting, though. Our due date is March 26.

I also joined a Miscellaneous Female Book Club (my name, not theirs) with some gals I went out with on Saturday night. Our book is The City of Falling Angels by John Berendt. I had never heard of the book but I do know the author and thoroughly enjoyed his first book, Midnight in the Garden of Good & Evil, so hopefully this one is just as good. Instead of being about Savannah, this new book is about Venice so I'm expecting a similar type of book. Our due date is April 1.

Finally, the last book club is actually the one I've read the most books for. My friend Catherine & I are reading all the advanced copies of teen fiction books we've been given for free at the American Library Association conferences. We have a collection of maybe ten titles and I find myself most interested in reading those. Probably because they are simple, easy-to-read and there is no pressure of a due date.

New Umbrella

I'm pretty sure I would never use this as I don't like umbrellas (regardless of how fancy they are) and normally do not mind just getting wet but regardless, check out the Nubrella. Basically it's like a tent for your head. It goes all the way around your head, is clear in front so you can see where you are going, and rests on your shoulders so you can be hands-free also. Revolutionary I suppose but yes, it does look like a bubble.

Ex-Boyfriend Jewelry

This Web site provides a forum for women to sell the jewelry they got from their exes, complete with pictures and the stories behind the jewelry. For example: if he really knew me, he would have known that I don't like heart-shaped jewelry.

It's kind of amusing. I think I have something I could sell on there too!

What Should I Read Next?

I found this very simple Web site that asks you to input the last book you just read and the author and it gives you a list of books to read next. They really want people to register and keep updating it with their favorite books to make it more accurate. I didn't do that yet, just tested it out. But I do find it interesting!

Long time coming

It's been a REALLY long time coming but the Cavaliers finally made some big trades and got rid of some of its unbelievably high salaried players for some players that actually back up that salary with some skill in some big blockbuster trades! I'm very excited about it, although I'm still not sure who is going to play point guard. Also, I'm bummed that I don't have cable and cannot watch it get analyzed every hour on SportsCenter.

I'm a winner!

Thanks to the Washington City Paper, I won a free pass to see the new Imax concert movie U2 3D at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History! It's just one pass so I guess they expect me to go alone but it sounds pretty cool. And I love winning things!

National Portrait Gallery

I spent a couple hours today at the National Portrait Gallery. I'd never been there before since it was closed for renovations during my DC internship in 2005 and I just haven't done much museum stuff since I moved here permanently. But with the recent talk about Stephen Colbert's portrait hanging there temporarily, I figured it would be a good time to check it out. I enjoy portraits and really read a lot of the descriptions of the people who were depicted. I only wish that there was more discussion as to why or when the portraits were made.

It's shocking how much attention the Stephen Colbert portrait is getting. As soon as I entered, I heard people talking about it and heading upstairs solely to check it out. And there was a large assembly of people hovering around it, all snapping photographs. I debated about taking a picture of it as well as taking a picture of all the people taking pictures of it but decided not to bother. I think there are enough pictures of it. In fact, there are hundreds of pictures on Flickr from visitors. But I did take a drink out of the drinking fountain below the picture. Also interesting is that after looking at hundreds of portraits in the museum, you can tell how crappy the Stephen Colbert one is.

Boring book club

A few people at work started a book club and chose the first book as A Tale of Two Cities. Now, I like the idea of being in a book club but I CANNOT force myself to read A Tale of Two Cities. At all. The book was chosen about six weeks ago and I've tried, really tried, to read it. But I hate it. And I end up falling asleep nearly every time I try to read it. It's so frigging boring. I feel bad - as the only librarian at work - not getting through it but geez, it's so dull!! I've been trying - unsuccessfully - to get somewhere with it during most of today but ugh, I ended up just taking a bunch of naps. We're supposed to talk about it on Monday and I guess I'm going to have to not participate because I have absolutely nothing to share. However, I'd like to participate so I can have some input into the next book!

What would Sawyer call me?

Awesome! Sawyer from Lost loves nicknames. Whether it's Freckles or Doc or Mr. Miyagi, he never calls his fellow castaways by their first names. And here is your chance to find out what he would call you if you were stranded on the island with the Sawyer Nickname Generator. I got "Sweet Cheeks" and then "Wilbur" for marking the exact same characteristics. But I'd let Sawyer call me whatever he wants! (via)

"Estevez goes 'Public'"

This article announces that Emilio Estevez's next movie will be about a Los Angeles librarian staging an act of civil disobedience and allowing homeless people to stay in the library after the library is inundated with people on the coldest days of the year. Interesting. Always nice to have a movie showing a librarian doing something good, rather than a librarian just angrily shushing people!

Celebrity Sighting

I saw Hillary Clinton today! Her campaign headquarters are next to our office at work so there have been sightings by some of my co-workers... more often there are just secret service sightings. But today one of my co-workers who actually has a window view called me at about 5:15 to tell me that there was a lot of secret service and gawker activity and that she was bound to come out soon so I went to his office and watched and waited. We saw her at about 5:30!! Another one of my coworkers had gone down there to wait and brought her camera so she snapped some pictures! She got really close but unfortunately the pictures were kind of dark. Anyway, it was a pretty exciting way to end the workday! Also kind of ironic since it was the day I decided to send away for an absentee ballot from Ohio, since I'm still registered to vote there. Will I be tempted to vote for Hillary now that I've seen her in person? I'm not sure. I'm still undecided on my vote. Although seeing her is nothing new. I actually saw her in person in 1992 and not out a window when she came to Cleveland to give a speech during Bill's presidential run. I have a picture of her to prove it - maybe I should get it scanned and upload it.

My weekend

I had a pretty decent weekend, all things considered. I spent a lot of it trying to catch up on sleep and just relax, lay low. Did some laundry, watched some movies... I pretty much finished up straightening up the last of the moving crap still in my room, which was driving me crazy with the mess. And socially, I had a couple of fun plans. I went to a Happy Hour at a wine bar I'd always wanted to check out on Thursday night and went crazy at a Mardi Gras party Sat. night. While at the party, I upped my bead count from 3 strands to 11 and I didn't even have to do anything to get them! Except look cute, I guess. I enjoyed the band, That Guy, who only do cover songs, and would totally go see them again. Now the Super Bowl is about ready to start and I swear I have ZERO interest in watching it. Zero. As an avid sports fan, I fear that something is wrong with me. But maybe it's the rebel in me acting out, detesting how everyone and their brother watches the Super Bowl, even if it's the only football game they watch all year.

Completely moved out!

Tonight, with one last carload of stuff, I completely moved out of my old place!! Aww, it's a little sad since I spent about 9 months there but I'm pretty psyched about my new place so I'll get over it. It was kind of a quick decision to move and then get moved - it all happened in less than a month - but I'm so thrilled to stop looking. I'd always known the place I was living was only temporary so I spent a good part of the last nine months scouring apartment listings and roommate situations trying to find a good place. It's such a relief to be done with that, I can't even explain. My new place is bigger, cheaper and feels more like home already. Plus, it only takes me about 8 minutes to get to work in the morning, compared to what often was nearly 40 minutes but was a minimum of about 25 minutes. It's such a huge huge difference already. I'm still getting settled in but I'm well on my way. Anyway, excuse my absence the last couple of weeks. You might start hearing more from me now.