"Ladies and Gentlemen, We'd Appreciate Anything You Can Give."

So I have this idea that just won't go away.

You know the guys on the subways who put on the boom box and dance and hang from the ceiling and announce loudly "LADIES, IF YOUR MAN CAN'T DO THIS-- DUMP HIM!" ? And the guy in the Bryant Park station who plays the violin like a retarded five year old, but plays for hours on end and gets fatty-cash for it?

Of course you do.

Someone has to film and archive these things, I've decided. The same way we'd film and record a performance in Central Park or on the stage, someone has to be documenting these things. I refuse to believe that I'm the only one who's thought of this-- or even the first-- and am therefore dedicating my spare time to finding out who the heck is doing it. Because someone must be.

And, on the rare, off-chance that they aren't, starting a grass-roots, fist in the air, General-in-the-Information-Army charge to get it done. Someone must be doing this; it's culture, and it's here, and the kind of thing I would totally waste five hours watching on YouTube and going "oooooh, wow, how hip!"

*sob*

Emily Lloyd has children. This indicates that she is either
a) not as gay as I thought
b) in a committed relationship
c) a MILF

My heart is broken. How could you do this to me, hypothetical-I've-never-met-you-future-wife? All of those times we would have had together? All of the lesbian sexing we could have done?

WHY!?

*snort*

Musty book smell in a can. It's like perfume for librarians. *cough* Who never want to get laid *cough*

Smell of Books.Com

The AALL Conference

I get to go! And by get to, I mean am being required to by my job, but still! Conference! That's like the grown up word for slumber party!

Also, the website for the AALL Conference "What To Do While You're Here" lists:

LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL AND TRANSGENDERED GUIDE TO DC

This is made of win. Officially, made of win.

Wah Waaaaah

Made an ass of myself in class, but learned a valuable lesson! 

(I tell myself this is the only thing that matters.) 

So there's this journal: Mankind Quarterly which is dedicated to peer-reviewed, scholarly articles that show how the white race is superior and everyone else is step below on the genetic ladder. If the people in the Klan were literate, this would be their journal. 

Professor Wilson is talking about how a way to evaluate the worthwhileness of a journal is to check out WorldCat and see how many people have it. I do this, and find out that a whole ass-load of people have this journal, including the NYPL and a lot of the CUNYs, and make a face that starts a conversation where my initial reaction is "BAD! THIS! BAD!" 

To which the blonde across the way from me goes "I believe that this has the right to be in the collection, and is valuable for what we can learn from it-- it's an important research tool." 

And I, who am writing my paper arguing that public libraries have to house and circulate pornographic films, go "Oh. Wait. I'm an idiot." 

Lesson To Be Learned: When people say "Why is this in the collection! Why are my tax dollars going to pay for this filth! What the hell is this!?" 

Their reaction is both understandable and human, and since I'm capable of responding in the same way, I have to respect it. 

(And find a way around it.) 

Some of These Books are in my Father's Collection

Awful Library Books

Reason number sixteen I love the Internet.

Things I Have to Figure Out for The BDT

EUROPASS: 

Apparently, when I go, I'll still count as a youth. Rock on mom and dad for not conceiving me until you did. Very convenient. 

EuroPass Rates

HOSTELS: 

Do I want a Hostelling Membership? There is some comfort in the idea of the hostels being screened and ready and in pretty, pretty places just waiting for me to come and see them. 

Hostelling International

ENTERTAINMENT: 

What the hell do I do once I get there? 

Atlas Obscura

Where's Cool

NY Times Equals My Lord and Master

I've decided that the reason I like this so much is that it appeals to both my desire to be irresponsible and spend money (not to mention how much I love traveling) but also because it's one giant research project for me to play with. 

I love research projects where I'm not getting graded. They're the best. 

Also: As Featured in My Dreams Last Night

I had a dream last night that Michael Gorman came into my library and not only did I refuse to serve him, but I kicked him in the stomach. 

He absorbed the blow (think The Blob) and then called me a pseudo librarian, to which point I embarked on a long-winded and particularly articulate lecture on how he was a dying voice in library sciences who not only violated the very principles that our profession was based on, but would die very soon and because of the "inferior" education received by today's library sciences students, no one would remember his name except Wikipedia-- the ultimate of all ironies. 

I love library science dreams. 

Also: NOTHING MOVES THE BLOB!

Big Damn Trip

I've decided that, after library school and quitting the job, I am going to travel the world for a few months, see as much of it as I possibly can, and then come back and settle into my life again. 

Because I never got to do it in college or after college, and I miss feeling all worldly and having a grand old time for myself in another country. 

So far, here's the running tally of countries that are flittering through the itinerary: 

1) Iceland

2) Italy

3) Turkey

4) Namibia

5) Estonia (?) 

6) Japan (?)

7) Israel (again) (?)

Things I need to do: 

1) Save up more money

2) Find a traveling companion that won't drive me/get driven spare by the whole thing

This plan is going to happen. I've officially decided. I am going to go to the other side of the world and play around and have a grand old time for myself and nothing is going to stop that. 

Except for my understanding of geography. I have a feeling that half of these countries (not including Namibia) are anywhere close to the other ones. 

EUROPASS HO!

Motivational Reading Techniques Fail

Motivational Reading Techniques as summed up by Melissa:

"You should give me a back rub. I will totally read if you give me a back rub."