10 on Tuesday: 10 Things I Like About My Job

1) I enjoy my co-workers a lot! It's a group of smart, funny, interesting people, and I enjoy interacting with them.
2) I get to work with books. Everyday.
3) My workspace is neat. It's a renovated  tobacco warehouse on a college campus, and the parking is great! How many college campus buildings can you say THAT about?!
4) I have a good supervisor. She's a great role model and mentor, whether she knows it or not. I've learned a lot from her.
5) It has a tuition reimbursement program that I'm hoping to take advantage of next fall, if I get into grad school. Yay!
6) Both of my nieces, for this year, attend school where I work. It's a lot of fun seeing them around campus! The older one graduates in May, and the younger one is a freshman. Auntie Heaven.
7) I graduated from the school where I work, and I'm getting a kick out of being back on campus. There's a lot of camaraderie over working there, by and large, partly because it's the largest employer in the county.
8) Cultural benefits abound. I've gotten to attend several concerts, sports events, and speakers on campus that I probably wouldn't have taken advantage of otherwise. Among the most famous: Duke Men's Basketball games and Karl Rove.
9) I get to work with college students. Every semester, our unit has at least a couple of student assistants, and it's fun and energizing to work with them.
10) There are lots of opportunities for professional development at no cost. Between on-campus and off-campus options, there are a good many things to do to learn more about librarianship and various related tasks. For instance, next month I'm taking Intro to HTML, Photoshop for Digital Photographers, and Making Better PowerPoint Presentations, three afternoon classes available for free to students, faculty, and staff here on campus.

From the Archives

Wyoma Elizabeth McLamb
Originally uploaded by dukefan86

My mom's mom, who went by the nickname China, died when I was 7. Since my family lived in Alabama and she was in Goldsboro for her adult life, we didn't get to see her as often as everyone wanted. Now, my memories of her aren't as sharp as I would like, but when I saw the movie "The Trip to Bountiful" several years ago, I thought, "That's Grandmom!" I was just mesmerized by Geraldine Page's character, and the mannerisms that reminded me of my maternal grandmother.

Since I started researching my family tree, mostly the lines from both grandmothers, I feel like I've gotten to know Grandmama Edwards a bit better. (She was a McLamb before she married an Edwards.) One time I took this picture to a family reunion of a different branch from mine, and several people talked about her fondly, and complimented me by saying they could see the resemblance.

My mom thinks this picture was probably taken in the late 1920s. I just love the outfit!

Who's On First? Or Flickr?

I couldn't pass on the baseball reference, especially since the Atlanta Braves are in the playoffs. Since I was born in Atlanta, the Braves are my default team to root for, not because I know anything about the team anymore, but because it's my "hometown team."

But Flickr, it's my new best friend! Flickr is an online storage website for photos, and while I created an account there some time ago, I've recently rediscovered it, and have been having a fun time adding digital photos, some of which are old "hard copy" photos that I've recently scanned in. Just this week, I've embraced my Flickr account with such gusto that I upgraded to a "Pro" account and am adding additional photos from my hard drive, including pictures from my NC Odyssey Project travels. It will take a while to upload and organize everything, but I'm excited about this latest challenge! I think that part of the reason I've latched onto this project with such gusto is that I've had to cool my running jets due to right foot issues, and I've been looking for another channel for my energies. This feels like a good, fun focus!

Check out my Flickr photostream, which is a work in progress.

Clipart from Clker.com

Newness Comes in Fall

Just this week, I've joined a new gym and tried a new hairstylist. Funny how the fall season, one when leaves are falling off the trees, finds me trying out new things. I think part of it is the cooler weather that signals my "newness factor." (The fall weather in North Carolina is just great!) I also think it's a good time of year to shake things up a little, before the dreariness of winter sets in.



Clipart from http://wpclipart.com/