Caseville Trip

Group Photo
Originally uploaded by Hindowashi.

Jeff and I got back from our trip up north Monday afternoon. We had a wonderful time jet skiing, playing volleyball, charades, swimming, and just relaxing in the hot summer sun. The weather was perfect as were the people. Jeff and I haven’t laughed as much as we laughed this past weekend in a long time. Thank you to Adam and Nicola for inviting us out. It was a good time. Ohh yeah, I also got to talk about librairianship with Melanie who is a librarian in Chicago. She attended Wayne State and told me a little bit about what their program is like. She advised I take the G.R.E as did my boss and a commenter on one of my below entries. I’m still debating of course *sigh*.

Getting back to the trip though….I hurt my back playing volleyball at some point, I thought I was going to be a quadrapalegic for sure, but those thoughts quickly subsided after I realized I could walk. I also fell over in my chair a couple times while we sat around a campfire the last night. Don’t even ask. I was okay. Just a few handfulls of sand in my underpants. Nuthin’ to gets my panties in a bunch over or anything.

Happy Birthday to Melissa!

Before I leave for the weekend I just have to tell my sister Melissa “happy birthday!” Her birthday is this Saturday. I love you sis! Have a great birthday. We’ll have to get together soon. My treat!

Plans

I finally signed up for an introductory sewing class for a couple days in September. I’m so excited to finally being taking the steps necessary to learn how to sew. Yay! This class is supposed to just get me comfortable using a sewing machine. Its been years since I’ve even touched a sewing machine and a lot of the new ones are like computers these days. I’m sure they are the higher end versions but its still amazing to me that you can program a pattern in the sewing machine,etc. I’ve wanted to learn how to sew for a while now. My mom used to make me and my sister’s clothing and halloween costumes growing up. I’d like to be able to do the same for my own kids someday.

This weekend Jeff and I have been invited to go up north with some friends. We will be enjoying the outdoors from Thursday night till Monday. We are looking forward to spending some quality time with the fresh air and water. This will be the first time we actually swim all summer. I just want to smell a campfire and look at the stars. Ohh…..and eat lots of yummy smores of course. I hear one of the girls going on the trip with us is a librarian. So I can get the scoop on all things librarian.
I’m going to bring my manual camera in addition to the digital for some extra goodness. I’ll post some pics when we return.

Shower

Tammy and Joe Originally uploaded by Hindowashi.

Last weekend we went to a couples shower in Ann Arbor. Our friends Joe and Tammy are getting married in October. I love this picture and just wanted to share it.

DAM Article

There is an article out in the Metro Times regarding the Detroit Artist Market . Jeff did an illustration for it depicting his perspective on DAM’s history and the controversy surrounding the Detroit gallery. His friend Mitch who was interviewed for the article also has a drawing depicting his perspective on the whole DAM issue. Pick one up at a local coffee house or other venue to check it out in the paper version.
Its quite an interesting article. I never knew DAM’s history or the drama that seems to have enveloped it.

Bright Leaves for my dad

I just got done watching “Bright Leaves” for the first time on PBS. I enjoyed it a lot. I also saw “Sherman’s March” a while ago. Ross McElwee’s documentaries are great . They are superbly done . I just bought a copy of Bright Leaves for my father in Alabama. He’s been a long-time smoker and I’ve been a long-time lecturer on the health effects of his bad habit. I’m not going to tell him the DVD is on the way though. He’s VERY stubborn. I want him to wonder what it is about so he will watch it. I really want it to make an impact on him so he might quit smoking. I can’t bug him enough I guess. He’s told me he would quit since I was 5. I know its his life but I can’t handle watching someone commit suicide by cigarettes. I want so badly for him to quit. *Sigh* I know he doesn’t WANT to smoke, its just habit. It’s as much a part of his life as walking and talking. Its hard to stop doing something you’ve done since you were a teenager. I just wish I knew some secret antidote to help him:(

Synopsis of the movie (As read on the Bright Leaves website)

North Carolina produces more tobacco than any other state in America.This film describes a journey taken across the social, economic, and psychological tobacco terrain of North Carolina by a native Carolinian whose great-grandfather created the famous brand of tobacco known as “Bull Durham.” “Bright Leaves” is a subjective, autobiographical meditation on the allure of cigarettes and their troubling legacy for the state of North Carolina. It’s about loss and preservation, addiction and denial. And it’s about filmmaking – home movie, documentary, and fiction filmmaking – as the filmmaker fences with the legacy of an obscure Hollywood melodrama that is purportedly based on his great-grandfather’s life. “Bright Leaves” explores the notion of legacy – what one generation passes down to the next – and how this can be a particularly complicated topic when the legacy under discussion is a Southern one and is tied to tobacco.

Check it out next time it’s on PBS! August 28th at 11:30 PM

GRE=Grossly Ridiculous Exam

Okay, so I picked up a GRE book from the bookstore today. After looking through it I have decided I will be returning it promptly. I don’t feel the need to prove myself worthy of attending U of M by knowing the definitions of words I will likely never use in my day- to- day vocabulary. It seems less to measure intellect but more of memorization. I would undoubtedly go mad studying for the GRE and frankly its just not worth it to me. Yeah, U of M is a good school and I’m sure I would get a lot more interest from potential employers with just its name being printed on my resume. But who cares you know? If I can get just as decent of an education at Wayne State then why not? It’s literally down the street from me and costs less money to attend. Even better is the fact that their Library and Information Science program doesn’t require the GRE. I’m in no way saying that I do not strive for a quality program. I really don’t think that requiring the GRE is necessary to show a university has a quality program nor does it truly measure a student’s aptitude.

Wasn’t taking the ACT/SAT to get in college enough? I have earned the right NOT to take anymore tests similar to the ACT/SAT ever again! EVER I tell ya! I’m sure there are others out there who would agree.

Go to library school or not and if so..where? That tis’ the question.

Well, I told you all I was interested in a grad program at Wayne State University a few entries ago. The program I was referring to was their Library and Information Science program. On August 3rd I went and sat in on an hour long informational and even turned in an application (still need to give them my transcripts and write an essay,etc). However, I have a specific area of interest and I am just not sure if Wayne State University has what I am looking for exactly (still doing my research though). After doing some research the other day I came across this amazing blog called “Librarian Avengers”. It is run by a Univeristy of Michigan School of Information graduate who I turned to for some advice yesterday afternoon. Erica (the author and librarian) is developer of the “Librarian Avenger” site and she posted my letter on her blog for the public so she could invite more discussion on the topic. After reading some great comments from her readers I have begun to rethink my position of focusing only on Wayne State University (its the closest school afterall) and am more open to the possibility of applying to University of Michigan’s School of Information Program where I will need to take the GRE, get three letters of recommendation, transcipts, etc. I’m not excited about the prospect of taking the GRE (possibly multiple times) but I know nothing comes easy and laziness is just plain LAME. In all honesty I’m just not sure I meet University of Michigan’s minimum GPA requirement (I may be .25 short…I know….BAD ME..shouldn’t have partied freshman year of college) and was intimidated to even try to get in from the get go. Now I just see is as “If I get in (from pure luck and a high score on my GRE) then great. If I don’t, well hello Wayne State!”
I might as well go for the gold if I’m gonna do it though right?! I really feel strongly that this is the field for me. After attending the informational meeting at Wayne State University I came across this site on the internet, LIS News. It links to an article about a biker librarian named Sarah. Click on Sarah’s profile and read. I know how crazy it might seem, but I took it as a sign. Read my comment posted under “hindowashi” for more details.

One more note……in 6th grade my peers voted me most likely to become a librarian. Yeah, I’m going that far back but I remembered this recently and thought it was kinda funny. I remember feeling so mad that everyone thought I would become a librarian. I thought that meant I was a nerd *because of the connotations associated with librarians*. Which I was in reality, but I guess I didn’t really want to see. It took me some time to embrace my nerdiness. Nerds are actually cool (I know..what a contradiction..but its true in a weird sense). Who else could come up with all the cool ideas and new technology we all love and use on a day to day basis? No….I didn’t create any cool gadgets or anything butI was in *gulp* marching band freshman year of high school. Ahhhhh….now yer gettin’ it! I can hear you all now..”One time at band camp…”. Worse yet…..I played the flute. Not that there’s anything wrong with the flute. Don’t even get me started…..that darn Mr. Kruse made me play that instrument because he needed more wind players. I wanted to play the drums!!!! Ohh the regret!!!! If only I had spoken up I could be in some rock band banging away. *Sigh* Okay, back to reality. I played the flute. Yeah. *Yawn* Movin’ on…

So yeah, Library School. Wish me luck!

Memories of growing up in the 1980’s

I found this link today and fell back into my 1980’s youth. I thought I was so cool with my acid washed jeans and big bubble bangs (they actually looked and felt crunchy after using so much hairspray). Did you know that the Henry Ford Museum already has a 1980’s bedroom set-up there? Yeah I was so surprised when I last went 4 years ago. Makes you feel old doesn’t it? The freaky part is how much it resembles my older sister’s old bedroom (down to the sheets). Cigarettes are even hidden in the desk alongside love letters and old potato chip bags. There is even a phone you pick up to listen in on what it was like for the life of a 1980’s teenager. I did that in the 1980’s to my older sister who actually was a teenager in the 1980’s, so I am a pro at picking up the phone to eavesdrop. Ha ha. I can just hear my older sister now….”Nerd!”

Introducing Oliver

Oliver
Originally uploaded by Hindowashi.

Oliver Frank Talley was born August 9th 2005. He weighed in at 6 pounds 3oz. Yes, he is a teeny tiny lil’ thing. Jessica (the mommy/my sister) also has two other children (Caleb and Peyton). Its too bad she couldn’t have had tiny Oliver as her first child since it would have been an easier delivery than her first son (Caleb) who was a 10 pounder…OUch! Momma and son are doing well. Jessica is now out of the hospital and at home with her new son. She seems to have gotten right back into the swing of things as she was peeling potatoes when I called her earlier today.
Isn’t he sooooo sweet? He has my sister Jessica’s nose (lil button nose). Awwwww…. I can’t wait to meet the little buddy next time I go down south.