BrendaJ2.0

SEPTEMBER

2009-09-13T10:15:00.000-07:00

It has been about 3 weeks since the surgery on my husband. things are going better with him. Maybe this stimulator will work. The only problem is his limitations. No lifting over 5 lbs, no lifting arms over his head, no bending or twisting, no sitting for more than one half hour and limited walking. So the other day one of my friends stepson asks me now that I don't have a job what to I do all day, just sit around and watch tv? I told him, I do laundry, dishes, cook, clean, mow, take care of my animals,(one cat, two dogs), plus twice a day I take care of the pigeons. If my husband has to go anyplace I am his driver. I wish I had time to sit and watch tv all day, although it would get boring. I always try to spend one hour before going to bed to read. If I do go into Town for anything, I am always gone about 3 hours as I try to go several places to save on gas. Right now the only "fun" thing I do is once a week I play cards with my mother-in-law and sister-in-law. Although this month I have made it once and now for the next 3 weeks everyone is gone so I don't even have that to do. I guess people need to be educated that not having an outside job doesn't mean a person has a lot of free time.

Success?

2009-08-24T14:06:00.000-07:00

I'm not to sure of the success of the surgery my husband had. He is in a lot of pain due to the surgery. Everywhere they placed the wires he is black and blue. Kinda looks like someone hit him on the side with a baseball bat. I do think he is getting some back pain relief, but he is suppose to get a lot of rest which he hates doing. I told him rest at home or rest in the hospital his choice. I do think he would rather be at home.

Other news my dad's brother died this week. Of the 4 boys in the family only one is now left alive. He lives in Alabama. He did two tours in 'Nam, spent 27 years in the army. I wonder how he feels knowing he is the last of his family. It will be a rough week for him.

Last Hope

2009-08-05T05:38:00.000-07:00

Monday August 17 my husband Ralph will have surgery to have a spinal cord stimulator inserted in his back. This is the last hope we have for him to have some pain relief. Right now he is taking about 10 pills a day for pain relief. Some days he spends close to 6 hours a day in bed because of the pain. If this works he should be able to cut down on the pain meds and be a lot more active. It has taken almost 2 years for this procedure to be approved by workman's comp.The reason Price $50,000. Of course right now his pain meds are running close to $2,000. a month and don't always work. Our case has been if this procedure cuts the pain meds in half, in 2 years workman's comp. will have saved enough money to pay for the simulator. So I'm keeping my fingers crossed and saying lots of prayers and hoping this will work. It truly is our last hope for pain relief. I'll know more by September. It would be nice if Ralph could have a big smile on his face in time for my birthday. Something I have been waiting for 11 years.

UPDATE

2009-07-27T05:12:00.000-07:00

I haven't been writing very much of late. I no longer work as a librarian. I was having problems with my library board, to the point where the stress of my job (which I loved) was making me sick so I resigned. I was able to help my husband and his family while his dad was so sick. I spent 2 hours every day having "LUNCH" with my father-in-law. It gave my mother-in-law a break she needed. I usually just sat next to him and read a book. But if he needed anything I was there. The good thing this summer has been the time to do things with my neighbor's child. I was trying to find some things we could do at the library and found out that Lincoln Public Libraries have summer reading programs for small town libraries in Lancaster County. Bennett was on the list (we live 7 miles away). I also found out about Bennett's Bookmobile (great for me). So because I no longer work I have been able to help a lot of people this spring and summer. But I still think like a Librarian and would want to be a Librarian. After 6 years and tons of training it is hard not to.

Summer Reading

2009-07-27T04:57:00.000-07:00

I have been taking my neighbor's boy Tanner to the Summer Reading Program in Bennett. This is a program offered by Lincoln Public Libraries to small towns in Lancaster County that do not have a Library. Lisa has come up with some great ideas for the kids and has a great selection of books to pick from.
Last week I was early and saw the children that were there having a great time. Lisa had brought in children's book jackets (they usually get tossed) and small milk cartons for the kids to decorate. The great thing about the book jackets is that they have great pictures and graphic designs. I saw castles, rocket ships, a haunted house and even a zoo made out of things we usually through away.
I have also been taking Tanner to the events at the Lincoln City Libraries. Tanner looks forward to Wednesday as that is Library Day. We spend the mornings in Lincoln and the afternoons in Bennett. We even checked out the bookmobile. So now I found out I can just go to Bennett every two weeks and not drive all the way into Lincoln. This has been a great summer for Tanner and myself, as I have found out I enjoy the programs just as much as he does.
I only hope with the budget cuts that the Summer Reading Programs is one that gets missed. Lincoln Public Libraries are doing a great job not only in Lincoln, but also in the small towns in Lancaster County. Thanks!!!

April A Very Long Month

2009-05-12T22:54:00.000-07:00

The month of April was spent mostly in the icu of Bryan West (or as most of us refer to it as Old Lincoln General) In a span of 10 days my father-in-law had 4 surgerys on his head. He was collecting fluid and they had to insert tubes to drain the fluid, and then he developed what the doctors called a peel. A sponge like material that absorbed fluid and put pressure on the brain. It was a very rough time for the whole family. On Monday May 4 he lost his battle. Last Friday we had a celebration of life service. It took me all last week to convince my husband to attend and say a few words. My father-in-law touched so many people in so many ways. He believed that any one person could make a difference. He believed that getting involved in one's neighborhood, volunteering, and voting was each person responsibility. He believed that education never stoped when you graduated, whether it was high school, or college. He believed that each person should keep themselves informed on what was happening in the world, and when you went to vote, you should know who and what you were voting for or against. There was no minor elected office in his world. Family dinners were required and each person was allowed to voice their opinon. He welcomed people to the table and included them into the discussions. I was blessed to have known him and been part of his family. I had more respect and love for my father-in-law than I did of my own Dad. I named my first son after him, not my husband, even thought they all carry the same first name. The family has started a fund to be able to provide a scholorship to help someone at Southeast Community College. I think he will smile from whever he his to know he was still helping someone.

Snow and Tournaments

2009-02-15T07:15:00.000-08:00

Did you ever notice in Nebraska that the worst snow days happen when there are high school sport districts or state tournaments? Friday was the start of district wrestling around the state. The first two weeks of March are basketball state tournament, anyone remember when at least one of the weekends didn't get snow? Last year Summer Reading Workshop was held during one of the weekends of March and it snowed like crazy. Guess What? The first day of boys basketball state tournament, Southeast Nebraska has scheduled our Summer Reading Workshop. I hope it waits to snow until Friday or Saturday of that week.

Snow Days

2009-02-15T07:11:00.000-08:00

After having such nice weather, started to think maybe all the groundhogs were wrong. Friday was a reminder that it is only Feb. and winter is not over yet. Being from a small library the policy is if school is closed due to bad weather, so is the library. By Friday afternoon I couldn't get out of my driveway, the streets had not been plowed, (good thing as it was still snowing), so I just snuggled in bed with a comforter and spent the afternoon reading. Nice way to spend the day.

2009-02-08T06:03:00.000-08:00

This was e-mailed to me. I thought someone reads this they might get a laugh.

Things 22 and 23

2009-01-13T14:41:00.000-08:00

I don't listen to the radio that much. My hubby listens to a podcast of Pigeon Radio on tuesday nights. Drives me nuts. I did find a pod cast and put it on blogline page as an rss feeds, but probably will never use it. I did notice that I had NPR's site already in my rss feed. Is it ok not to like something we have done and know that we will probably not use it? I can see podcasts being used for training, but I perfer to see who I am listening to.

I would love to have another session of these classes to do. I am finding out there is another world out there, all via the internet. There are some things we have done that have been talked about on the news, so at least some of the things I know what they are talking about. During this class I have found out that some things on the internet I had a totally wrong impression of. I guess it is like someone saying I don't like the book, when they have never read it. Some of the things took a lot of time and I found out I was doing them at home so I would have enough time to get them done. It seems like oh no one is coming in so I'll try and get some things done, and then 3 or 4 people come in. There have been times when I have been stuck and had to wait to get an answer cause I was working after Library Comission hours. (not the NLC's fault just my schedule) But I am very glad I did the "things" as I have learned a lot. I have also had some fun with some of the things and nothing wrong with having fun while you learn.

So Thanks for every "thing"!! The library comission staff is the best!! No question was dumb and everyone encouraged me to keep working and not give up and I DID IT!!!!

2009-01-12T10:50:00.000-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SB4HvVEMFig This is a great song. I laughed and laughed the whole time I was listening to the song. I think I have maybe had a wrong opion about u-tube. There really is some neat things on it. Of course if I am looking at work I might get some strange looks or comments from people in the library. Maybe it is a good thing I am doing this one at home.

star trek should have been a librarian

2009-01-12T10:40:00.000-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Cv2INuu9eo This is a great comment from Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock. I had a lot of fun looking at u tube librarian. there's another good one I am going to try and put on another blog page.

Thing #20

2009-01-12T09:34:00.000-08:00

I am having problems with my mouse today, maybe I need to find a cat. Exploring web tools sure took a lot of time. I guess the problem was I found something interesting and didn't realize how much time I was spending just looking. I went into fun stuff and played around with hair mixer. If you are thinking about a change of hair color this is one useful site. Could save you tears after using wrong hair color. I went into a web site on real estate. Found out the white house if for sale would cost $305,890,000 monthly payments would be $1,394.192.00. Maybe a bargain for 132 rooms, 16 bedrooms, and 35 baths. I checked out my heritage, from reading other blogs. I think the genelogy site the NLC offers has more info for finding things. The oly relative I could find was my mother, no listings for any other family under the last name Riblett. So I am not impressed at all. But there is so much information on the internet I can see how some people can spend hours looking at web sites, cause I did. One thing about this class is that I can now understand the fascination with the internet, but still perfer to read a book, as it is very portable and don't need to worry about batteries going dead, or where I can find electricity, or a wi fi connection. Guess I just old fashioned.

goggle docs

2009-01-09T14:03:00.000-08:00

Wow this is a great tool. I can load my docs that are very important and if the computer crashes, I can still find them. Not only that but several times I have needed list of phone numbers, or e-mails that I have a the library, but no where else. With google docs I can access this information from anywhere. Some of this stuff we are learning is very cool and I will probably be using in the future.

wiki

2008-12-16T13:59:00.000-08:00

I like looking at wikis just to see what new things have been added or commented on. I did like the core competencies listed. I found that there is a lot that future librarians are going to know to do there job. I esp. liked reading book lovers wiki from prineton public library. I looked to see what books I had read and read the comments people left. The ala conference wiki was really interesting to me. I have never attended one. I esp. liked the events with food subject. I have a degree in food service and it always amazing me mjust how many meetings people schedule with food. But I like being a librarian best. I am having some trouble with the second part of the wiki. I go to the nlc wiki and tried adding my blog to the favorite blog pge and get stuck. Michael you need to make a diagram so I can tell where to type in the name of the blog I will be linking to. I tried typing in a box, but can't get it highlighted, so guess what I am stuck, but been working on this thing most of the afternoon and AI am ready to throw my computer out the window, so maybe I'll talk to susan or allana tomorrow. By the way I like michael's star wars worst librarian. Good thing the library was empty since I laughed out loud.

thing 16

2008-12-13T07:37:00.000-08:00

I liked what Michael Stephens had to say about how the "future of libraries will be guided by how users access, consume and create content." This is so true, we always must think of what the people who use the library want and need. Just because something is really a cool tool, will it fit the wants and needs of our customers. I esp. like the part of a library staff not to stop dreaming about what could be the best library services. I would like to improve so many things at the library I work in, and sometimes can get depressed because I don't see it happening anytime soon, but I still should keep my dreams and who knows some of them might come true.

Wendy Schultz definition of libraries is just perfect. We need to think of ourselves as a collection of conversations and convocations of the people we serve. Libraries are communities they perseve and promote. We as librarians need to remember that not only do we have books and computers, but we have memories too. I have had several people stop in the library and tell me they have good memories from coming here when they were young. Yes the library has changed, but I have come to realize that most people have good memories of the library and it may be the only place where they could create good memories.

The other thing I have realized that with the advances in technology, the librarian of the future must have a knowledge of books and what books fit best the community, but also must have real computer skills in order to keep up with the changing times. "The job duties of the librarian must keep current with the new technology that is available.

So the great thing about things is a lot of us are learning there is a whole new world of internet that is available and FREE which in this day of budget cuts is great.

I got it to work

2008-12-09T14:13:00.000-08:00

Hey this posting a slidshow to a blog works pretty neat once you figure it out. Thank You Very Much Susan!!! I decided since the weather was so bad and cold we needed to look at something warm and inviting. Makes me want to take a vacation to somewhere warm. so onward to the next thing.

slideshare

2008-12-09T14:04:00.001-08:00

Beautiful Tropical Places.

From: Roelof,
2 days ago

Beautiful Tropical Places.

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: beaches landscapes)

SlideShare Link

trying

2008-12-06T09:07:00.000-08:00

I tried really hard to get the last thing to work. I like the site and the fact the slideshows are short. I got a laugh from tying shoes. I set up an account, but can't seem to navigate on it. I also tried loading a slide show to my bog account, but couldn't figure that one out either. Maybe I have reached my limit on learning on line. I do much better in a classroom where I can get help right away. So although I am frustrated I will keep plugging on.

2008-12-06T08:53:00.000-08:00

http://www.slideshare.net/mickpork/aircraft-art-513461?src=related_normal&rel=823629

2008-12-06T08:30:00.000-08:00

trying again.

http://www.slideshare.net/hlame/tying-your-shoes-presentation

2008-12-05T11:56:00.000-08:00

I can get so far with this thing. I found an interesting slide show, and manage to copy and paste, but when I hit preview I get nothing. Maybe this is just a slow day for the interenet. I'll try on Saturaday when it is a little slower. but the web page is pretty neat and I like the fact that most slide shows are not very long.

http://www.slideshare.net/davidleeking/tinkering-in-the-techie-toybox-staying-on-top-of-consumer-technology-presentation

yum yum

2008-11-26T13:31:00.000-08:00

Just got done looking a delicious, I can really find a use for this one. Our computer at home is getting overloaded with favorites and now I can access my favorites from work at home. Very useful tool. I like the fact that once you add a url, you find out lots of trivia facts about the url. This is one tool I am going to keep using.

2008-11-24T07:39:00.000-08:00

A friend sent this to me, so I thought if anyone loses a tukey on Thanksgiving, maybe this will help you look for it.

twitter

2008-11-24T06:22:00.000-08:00

I can't see myself using twitter, since I am the only person at work. I can see other people using it, but there are so many other options out there. I think instant messaging is better as any questions you ask are answered right away. I have been watching tv this morning and channel six keeps advertising that on the news tonight they will be talking about twitter, texting and other things. At least because of this class I have an idea of what they are talking about.

library thing

2008-11-19T14:46:00.000-08:00

It is starting to feel like this class is overloading my brain. I keep taking notes but my notebook is getting pretty full. This latest thing, library thing is pretty neat. I can see other poeple using it, but I have a lot of books at home I wouldn't even want to try cataloging, it would take way too much time. I can see for some people it would be a way to keep track of the books they have read. Then when they went to the library they could check to see if a book they found was on a list. I am amazed at how much you can now do on line on a computer, but are we going to become the age of printed books something you only see in a on line museum?
I remember on the old Star Trek the time when Captain Kirk has to hire a lawyer and the lawyer has actual books he uses. I hope we never get to the point where computers is all you need, and the pleasure of carrying a book and reading wherever you can becomes obsolete.

2008-11-14T13:28:00.000-08:00

Halloween is my favorite time of year. I always dress up and hand out special treats. I even visit the senior center and business and hand out my treats. The first year I am sure the people must of wondered who this new librarian was. Now I get asked weeks ahead of time what I am going to be this year. I never tell, just say wait.

wow this is fun

2008-11-13T17:48:00.000-08:00

Wow this is really neat. I can see all kinds of uses for this in summer reading programs. Never knew something like this existed. I have it saved to a disk for further references.

2008-11-13T16:30:00.000-08:00

I thought a Happy Thanksgiving picture would be appropriate for the time of year this is. This is a really cool thing that you can do on a blog page. Thanks 2.0 for the learning.

technology

2008-11-12T14:10:00.000-08:00

Suppose to blog about technology. What can I say. I haven't taken any formal classes except intro to computers, which was a history of computers that I could have taught. And some lab work but it was all DOS. Remember DOS?
So most of what I know I have picked up on my own or through classes at the NLC. I don't consider them formal as we don't get graded, have a lot of fun and its ok to get lost and ask questions.
And with windows I don't have post it notes on the moniters telling me what to type in. My kids always knew when I was trying to learn something new or on the computer. Now I just keep a notebook next to the computer and write everything down. That way no one knows if it is just notes or if it really is what I can't remember. I am getting better, I have come a long way but I will never be as fast or a good as my kids.

RSS

2008-10-28T14:04:00.000-07:00

I once went to a class about rss and set up a blog account and a blogline and subscribed. Didn't use it for a while, lost my password and really didn't miss it. But I have set up a manage blog on my blog page of the nebraska library comission blog. Now when i sign in to leave a blog on my page, I can look at the library commissions blog page and read what everyone is saying. Now that is really cool. This week's thing, about rss took a lot of time on the computer. I'm glad I took the time at home to do it. Thanks to Allana for "talking" on her own time over the weekend. The library commission staff we have here in Nebraska is the best.

thing 5

2008-10-25T05:50:00.001-07:00

Thing five is done and I feel like I am getting the hang of everything. It took me all week just to get one thing done. What am I going to do when we start doing more things? Being busy at the library is a good thing. Trying to get training done inbetween customers not so good. Finally getting training, helping customers and everything else done on the list for the week, priceless.

Things

2008-10-23T15:03:00.000-07:00

I'm really having fun doing the things now that I figured out most of them. Setting up a google talk was easy but, no answer and tonight I am at the library after Nebraska Library Comission is closed, so I am going to try and remember to take the info home and try to do it in the morning before going to work. Hopefully I can get someone to answer me.

YEAH I MADE IT

2008-10-15T13:03:00.000-07:00

Hey I finally got hold of someone at the library comission and got my blog registered to the library comission. So I can dry up my tears.

I'm Lost

2008-10-13T12:50:00.000-07:00

Lucky Nebraska Library Comission to have Columbus Day off. I need to register my blog site and don't understand the instructions. I'm not a tech person, but really want to do this class. I really do need the help.

How Easy to Forget How!

2008-10-13T12:20:00.000-07:00

I took a blogging class, but it has been a while since I had to set up a blog page. So already this class is making me remember things.