Laurabelle’s Blog

Last week, a patron wrote in via the feedback form about the necessity for a catalog record that would approximate the omniscient librarian, who can place a book in one's hand that one has hardly even known one wanted. This patron seemed to think that it was possible to make such a perfect catalog record, [...]

I think lots of people in Seattle didn't play Red Light, Green Light enough when they were little, because they evidently don't understand what those colors mean. Even if yellow means Go Faster, red still means STOP. To the idiots (not that I think they're going to read this blog): If it's so late that I've [...]

I had a very enjoyable weekend. Whether it was successful or not depends on one’s opinion of the successfulness of spending investing nearly $600 at REI yesterday.
I say investing mostly because it makes me feel better, but it’s not entirely untrue. Before yesterday, I did not own hiking boots or a internal-frame backpack, and now [...]

Phew! Just got home from work, after a hellish 2-hour commute home on the bus. Bible-thumping screaming wackos on the street-corners and on the bus. Traffic bumper-to-bumper on I-90. (Seattle has this system of 2-4 HOV lanes on the highways; the lanes switch direction depending on time of day. In the evenings they run out [...]

ALA's Office for Intellectual Freedom is sponsoring Banned Books Week (September 20-27, 2003). In spite of the Terrorist Patriot Act, and even because of it, we have a duty to exercise our freedom of information and of intellect. Use it or lose it!

This week's comp sci was a pair-programming assignment. I was a bit unenthusiastic about the project, especially since I got assigned to a group of three rather than a real pair, but it worked out pretty well in the end. The most difficult part was finding a time when we could all meet; I ended [...]

Many cats live along the road that I take to the bus stop. This can be a problem, because if they're out, I am often tempted to pet them. (Luckily Jeff is less distressed than Kevin when I'm compelled to pet strange cats.) Yesterday morning as I was walking this road on my way to [...]

...to want a pen that costs $85? It's a really nice fountain pen. Lovely goldeny brown and black, and it writes like a dream. I didn't buy it today, but I won't be able to resist forever.

This morning I had half a red onion left over from some other night, so Jeff and I had it in our scrambled eggs. (We did scrambled eggs instead of an omelet, because neither of us is any good at turning omelets.) We threw in some garlic as well and put grated cheddar on top, [...]

A few weeks ago I read Sheri S. Tepper's newest novel, The Fresco. I don't think Tepper is the world's greatest science fiction novelist, but I like the ideas that she plays with in her novels. I don't necessarily think that those ideas are correct, feasible, or even desirable, but after all, that's what thought [...]