Stage One is almost complete. At the moment, most of the labels have not been permanently fixed; as the archive boxes fill up, there's the usual shuffling about and starting new boxes.
... or, I was so bored that not only did I actually did put the spice rack in alpha-order, but created a "closed stack" (actually "closed basket") for lesser-used spices. This will be shelved in a designated cupboard known as The Cupboard with the Other Stuff in it (COS).
"Surveillance cameras may be in use." Pictured is one of many notices on the [Sydney] CityRail network. Needless to say the may should be emphasised - because there really wasn't any.
Time for a laugh? Try the Uncyclopedia wiki, which describes itself as "content-free". A bit like The Onion meets Encyclopedia Britannica meets Mad magazine. But with all the digital search functionality that young folk in particular demand. Just my personal opinion, but I'd be introducing this to Information Literacy classes and those government instrumentalities (not local, as far as I know) looking to close school libraries.
ve fond memories of the library, particularly of the vending machine "eatery" beneath the main building, immediately adjacent to the Edgeworth David (geosciences) building, where I spent 4 years of my life. (E.D., not the eatery).
It's brilliant in so many ways; not to mention plug-ins like Google Earth. But it does seem to be a little flawed. If you ask for driving directions from Sydney Australia to New York, NY, you'll get the usual highly detailed street directions .... try it for yourself.
Freedom of Information procedures is the hand-written notation (pictured) to "deal with" the Teacher Librarian; significantly not one of addressing the conflict between an instruction and the Code of Conduct.
March 21 was Harmony Day. The display (pictured here, in an unfinished state) was well underway, "show bag" fillers were ready for packing (bookmark, HDay balloon, candies and more), The Library Competition was going to be Pin the Leader (eg Nelson Mandela, Churchill, Gandhi, Lincoln ... and more) onto the map of the world.
The top sign has been around for at least 20 years; the lower one is priceless (Captured Caption says MthruF.com. Photo accessed from Failblog.org; holder of IP rights unknown.)The Apothecary and the cat sat in the bath in companionable silence. Each lost in their own thoughts, or possibly in mute reflection. It was impossible to tell the difference.
The bath, a large old-fashioned clawed-foot type, sat in the centre of a sparse room notable only for the black and white floor tiling and stark white walls. Those privileged few who had seen this room could visualise this scene in a motivational poster with captions referring to attributes such as austerity or minimalism, or perhaps emptiness. If only it were not for the existence of the two occupants of the bath.
Many thought the Apothecary to be elderly, given the wispy nature of his long grey hair and the extraordinary length of his dirty grey beard; the later he kept in a straggly plait whilst the former was too sparse for such formality.
Little can be said of the cat, being a standard ginger tabby, other than the fact that its coat was waterlogged and its whiskers drooping. And, of course, the fact that it was sitting in a tub of water by its own choice.
The Apothecary was an enigma. His neighbours knew little about him. There was rarely any noise from his small, narrow terrace in a row of similarly non-descript houses. As far as those with whom he shared a driveway knew, he kept regular working hours and appeared to walk to whatever occupied his days. He kept no car, and had never been known to have gone away for any more than a single day.
Had anyone asked, none of the other residents would be able to recall any visitors. Salesmen and charity collectors did not call at the Apothecary’s house. The low iron-railed front gate was kept locked. And yet all would agree he was pleasant enough in his responses to casual greetings by others. The Apothecary did not initiate conversations.
In truth, the people in his street felt better acquainted with the cat. It spent its days sitting on the window sill of the only window that fronted the street, until the Apothecary came home in the afternoons and pulled down the blind. The cat was mainly motionless throughout the day, apart from the constant twitching of its tail. Not even the occasional bird that perched briefly in the pocket-sized and cemented front yard could produce any response from the cat.
A group of young hooligans once theorised that the cat was mechanical, and threw a rock at the window. The cat flattened its ears and bared its teeth, but if it hissed those beyond the glass could not hear it. There was, however, no doubt in their minds that the cat was glaring at them with such malevolence that they were convinced they should spend their energies elsewhere.
Had the cat cared, it would not have been uncomfortable with being referred to by its species. The Apothecary, had he known, would perhaps have been puzzled by the title given to him by the strangers that lived around him. He knew little more about chemistry than his cat. It was history that bound the two together.
To be continued ....
A personal recommendation for those dining in Blacktown Australia - officially the nation's largest city, population wise; you could do a lot worse than Hi-lights Revolving Restaurant.
I had to read it twice. Yes, it's real. No, I have not included a link.
Sydney broadsheet Sydney Morning Herald yesterday published my latest offering, in the infamous Column 8 section. I'm so glad that I'm not the only one amused by my musings ... otherwise there may be those who have "mental health concerns" about me. No, wait! That complaint has already been made ...
Unless you live in or near the town of Warrior, AL (Zip 35180, population 13,225 according to Zip-Codes, or 3000-odd according to a number of other sources ), you may never have heard of it - nor the Warrior Public Library. 
I recently purchased a pair of Peruvian Worry Doll earrings at a local fete, and was interested to hear the folkloric background of these enchantingly cheerfully colored figures.
The most excellent book "Clean it fast, clean it right" (Brendenberg ISBN 174121162x) was one of my more fortuitous purchases for The Home Library - a mere seven bucks for remaindered stock following the release of a new edition.
Way back when, there was a song "The Universal Soldier". It's so far back that even recalling the first line -without resorting to some form of Internet Research (ie Googling) - is just about impossible for the average Person In The Library, let alone the Man in the Street.
ANZUS is still alive and kicking (if that's not too violent an image) ; and it seems as if all treaty participants are still participating in the move from the West to the East ... the western canon appears to have moved into modern warfare. (And yes, the pun is intentional. This time.)
OK, not quite I, Robot, but needing a much lower budget. All roles via honorary cameo appearances by real librarians, filmed in actual libraries - so no prop costs; unscripted in a faux documentary style. Michael Moore, eat your heart out!
I'm off for a little personal Reflective Retreat - a cabin in the mountains with a bed (well, a mattress on boards) and a fridge. I'm not taking anything electronic (except my eBook reader) loaded with a few selections, and an electric kettle - which strictly speaking isn't "electronic". I can do without almost all the creature comforts, but even the drifters on ye olde range had hot coffee at the end of the day. But it being bush fire season 'n' such, no camp fires allowed.
Once again, the advertising on Facebook has proven more diverting than some of the "apps". It's interesting to see this offering from 3M's advertising division, showing happy - but very professional - information and literary gurus in a modern brightly lit setting. Now I'm wondering if what our profession actually needs is not demonstration of the value we add to society, commerce, government, and education, but perhaps an actual advertising campaign of the Madison Avenue variety.
Anyways, as an aside - it being the holidays 'n' all - this is an image of Keuleman's Laughing Owl, courtesy of Wikipedia. It is reproduced here under Creative Commons licence.Dear Webmaster,
While browsing the web I noticed that you maintain a list of Library Skills resources here:
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I read today of the Zen Librarian, who searched the Internet for nothing and got 20 million hits on Google.
