Found: Three more reasons why being a librarian is fun

1. It is a profession that runs annual contests like Pimp My Bookcart. This year's First Place went to Food for Thought by Student Employees of Columbia University Library: "Hot dog carts and used book vendors are a staple of any New York City sidewalk. A team of student work-study employees at Columbia’s Butler Library drew on this urban inspiration to transform a vintage wooden bookcart into Broadway’s hottest book stand."



2. It is a profession about which movies like THE LIBRARIAN: CURSE OF THE JUDAS CHALICE are made. Moreover, it is a profession that, when depicted in film, casts Noah Wyle* as the hero whose "geeky bookishness is coupled with a razor-sharp wit" and grants Bob Newhart the "amazing ability to fell villains when called upon to do so". Check out the web comic.


3. It is a profession who, in their professional communiques, offers links to videos like Sesame Street's classic "No Cookies in the Library." Cookie Monster would be pleased to know he could get cookies in our library*.



Grover might find the library* a little more amenable to him as no one is on specific shushing duty.

* For better or for worse, librarians may not be exactly as illustrated.

Brought: My own teacup

I don't think I've ever been to a social event where the invitation said "bring your own teacup." But bring my own teacup I did. I inherited this lovely teacup last spring from my grandmother and it did my heart good to wash it out and carry it up the street to an afternoon dance. The music and dancing were amazing. She would have loved it as much as I did. As I walked home this evening, carefully carrying my teacup, I felt like she and I had a very nice afternoon.

Received: Five Dozen Vintage Lipstick Samples

One of the signs of a good friend is someone who knows exactly what you will love even before you do. Such is the case of my friend L who, last week, gave me a box full of tiny vintage lipstick samples from Avon and, strangely, the Fuller Brush Company. At first, I was intrigued with this little box. I am now thoroughly enchanted. I love the little cases (especially the little metal ones), the colours, the colour names and the promises lurking within those names. Clearly there is a dissertation in here somewhere but here are just a few of the names: Orange Chiffon, First Violin, Prize Pink, Wild Honey, Fire Flower Red, Silver Trill, Red Commotion, and my current favourite, Russet Rage. Thank you L!

Found: Ink, Paper and Archives

Things have been incredibly busy lately and I've been flipping between ideas and interests and intrigues as if they were some sort of intellectual flipbook. Lately it seems as if half of my day is spent thinking about digital archives and the other half spent thinking about paper and ink. Occasionally I will run into things that make me stop and marvel at their loveliness. Yesterday it was the Thomas Jefferson Papers which somehow managed to embody three of my current fascinations: digital archives, ink and paper. Time and the grey cold skies melted away as I perused Jefferson's Garden Book. It's a beautiful document in so many ways.

YesterdayPhoto

Up until last night, Joe Louis Arena was a mythical place for me. As a lass, I had listened to and watched many an Oilers- Wings game coming from Detroit so it was a particular treat to see the Oilers in my first Joe Louis experience.

Return of the Facebook Haiku

Heidi has returned from London and is currently in residence at Windsor Castle. She may commence the writing of her Christmas address. 5:19pm

Heidi wishes the London she will visit tomorrow was of the UK variety. 7:27pm -

Heidi has been classified as part of the phylum "cardiganus” by JW. 12:58pm -

Heidi may or may not be doing a small jig in her office right now. 10:29am -

Heidi is relieved that she has friends protecting her from the biblio-mafia. Phew! 11:18pm -

Heidi is thinking about becoming a baker of pies. 10:49pm -

Heidi was feeling guilty about skipping class. Then she ate a piece of pie. Soon she will feel guilty about that. But happy. 8:33pm -

Heidi is back to singing "hey la, hey la..." 7:55pm -

Heidi is thinking of joining the Darling Mermaid Darlings. 7:30pm -

Heidi is singing "hey la, hey la... my voice is back." 4:23pm

Heidi is sorry to have disappointed Marlow. 2:12pm -

Heidi just likened herself to George Costanza in a conversation with a colleague. 1:16pm -

Heidi is being tormented by offers from British Airways. 10:45am -

Heidi is happy she has the Chiffons on her work computer. She thinks One Fine Day will be today's Ref Desk walk-up song. 9:49am -

Heidi feels agoraphobic looking at the open space on today's calendar. ACK! 9:19am -

Heidi is stunned and amused that her knowledge of Robbie Burns' poetry is helping her out in WordTwist. 7:17pm -

Heidi is more ironic than even she can handle. 5:07pm -

Heidi is, in her spare time, "the last, best hope of all men". 3:18pm -

Heidi is about to lose her voice again. Enter "Information Literacy: the Interpretive Dance." 2:32pm –

Heidi is wearing a poppy close to her heart. 10:18am –

Heidi is apparently quotable. 10:37pm -

Heidi is brought to you today by Halls Vitamin C cough drops, ibuprofen, caffeine, the MLA Style Guide, the letter J and now some joie de vivre. 4:58pm -

Heidi is brought to you today by Halls Vitamin C cough drops, ibuprofen, caffeine, the MLA Style Guide, and the letter J. 4:47pm -

Heidi is brought to you today by Halls Vitamin C cough drops. And the letter J. 4:23pm

Heidi is glad to have her voice back. She was worried about being known as "that librarian mime". 2:19pm -

Heidi got called "evil" in her first three minutes of work. This might be a record. And maybe an omen. Perhaps even a warning. 9:18am -

Heidi has reconsidered. She now says to Dale, “Pot, this is kettle. Kettle this is pot.” 8:15pm

Heidi is not saying anything in response to Dale’s comment that “Heidi is nerding out over ___ should be her default facebook status setting. 8:15pm -

Heidi is nerding out over an Austen program. 8:15pm -

Heidi's wine selection was based on where she'd rather be right now (and it's not Leamington). Nothing against Leamington, of course. 6:55pm -

Heidi is thinking about Botticelli... 3:08pm -

Heidi has been narrating her day in the form of the Discovery Channel song: "I love my coffee mug, I love the treadmill, I love my iPod, I love Jane Austen still..." 12:43pm

Heidi and Colin Firth went skating and drank lattes. They were best friends. Even though Heidi is awake now, she likes to imagine they still are. 8:50am -

Heidi is seeking the healing power of a tremendously mismatched ensemble of polar fleece. 7:51pm -

Heidi feels blinded by library science. 5:51pm -

Heidi is not a fan of working Saturdays. Or feeling ill while at work. She is happy, however, that it's cold enough to wear her cute boots again. 2:18pm -

Heidi just issued her second double dog dare of the week. What's up with that? 9:48am

Heidi loves tornados, she loves arachnids, she loves hot magma, she loves the giant squid... 9:35am

Heidi really was just answering a question about what we do with vegetables. 9:13pm -

Heidi says: "Yes We Can. We also Pickle and Freeze." 8:09pm -

Heidi begins assembling her White House | Black Market team.

Heidi's inner Audrey Hepburn is doing battle with her inner Harriet Beecher Stowe. Again. Heidi hates it when that happens. 11:08pm

Heidi is waffling about a dress. Which is, in case you were wondering, different from dressing for a waffle. Or like one... 3:44pm -

Heidi says, "America, I have never been more hopeful than I am this morning that we will get there." 8:56am -

Heidi is quoting those modern bards Blur: "Wooo Hooooo!!!" 12:30am -

Heidi wishes she were in Grant Park right now. 10:23pm -

Heidi is even more pleased CNN is projecting Obama will win Ohio. 9:34pm

Heidi is pleased that CNN is projecting her laundry to be done shortly. 9:01pm -

Heidi has Hope. And laundry. These are unrelated. Though she also has faint hope someone would do her laundry. 8:12pm

Heidi has Hope. And laundry. 8:10pm

Heidi not only has Hope, she has snacks. 7:23pm -

Heidi is looking forward to being part of the Best Political Team on Facebook Chat. She hopes John will let her be Campbell Brown. 4:46pm -

Heidi may or may not be a bad influence. She remains chock full o' hope. 3:20pm -

Heidi is chock full o' hope. 10:58am -

Heidi and John N will be the best political team on Facebook Chat tomorrow. 10:06pm -

Heidi is wondering if she and John N will be the best political team on Facebook Chat tomorrow. 10:00pm -

Heidi wonders how it is that Lou Dobbs can shake her peaceable nature in less than three minutes. 8:51pm

Heidi is dismayed to learn that an unwatched pot of rice does not cook any faster than a watched pot of rice. Additionally, threatened rice does not cook any faster. 7:02pm

Heidi is going to be late... drat. 4:58pm -

Heidi is venturing thither. She shall return anon. 7:20am -

Heidi just realized she is a merry wife of Windsor. 2:29pm -

Heidi is set to bring her message to prime time. 1:49pm

Renovations at the Cafe

In the past week, Alec and I came to the conclusion that it seemed like time to put TodayPhoto on hold for a bit. As noted in its last post, there were wonderful things about doing TodayPhoto but other things were being pushed aside. While I miss it, I'm looking forward to channeling some energy into other projects, including this blog which has been neglected over the past months. Some of the ideas behind and within TodayPhoto will, I expect, manifest themselves here. I'm excited about getting back to work at the Cafe. Cheers, H

A Re-Post from TodayPhoto, May 2008

Day 2: Canadian War Cemetery at Calais
Both of our families lost beautiful, vibrant, adored young men in the Second World War. Even though they died long before we were born, D and I still notice an absence in our families for those who were lost and are still mourned. And so, we traveled to the Canadian War Cemetery in Calais to visit one family grave site and also to pay respects to all Canadians buried there. Taking a bus to a nearby village and then walking though this gorgeous and historically significant landscape to get there, I worried about what we might find. What if the grave site was in disrepair? Should I have brought seeds or bulbs to plant? What would we report back to our family? As we climbed the hill and approached the cemetery, I quickly saw how wrong I was to question what I might find. On top of a gentle hill and protected by trees was a serene and immaculately maintained tribute to our fallen countrymen and women. On our visit, two gardeners quietly tended the site and paid careful attention to all the tiny details. Spring flowers and bulbs were planted between each grave stone, edges were trimmed and precise, the lawns mowed evenly and carefully. Calais is a long way from the Canadian prairies but there's something of them in the flowers, in the sky, and in the way a place looks after its loved ones.