Facebook Family

Since I've been home with the flu this past week, I've been missing my daily interactions with people at work, at the gym, in clubs, etc. With my daily life so quiet, I've been especially amazed by the activity among my Facebook family this past week, including the very sad news of three deaths with Facebook connections (a Facebook friend from Raleigh Galloway and St. Mary's too, a McLamb cousin's husband, and a old Selma friend's father). Just this morning, another Facebook friend (also a Dukie and former Selmian) became a new mother! It would've taken me much longer to get all of this news otherwise, so I'm thankful for Facebook. Okay, I must admit I'm also feeling a little overdosed on Facebook now and am ready to get well and back into my normal, more balanced world, but I am thankful (sad and happy too) for all the news (AND get-well messages, thanks for all of those!!) Facebook has brought me this week.

Home Sick with the Flu

Well, it happened! I didn't get a flu shot this year, and I'm home with the flu! Of course, getting a flu shot isn't a done deal for preventing the flu, but it has really helped me the past few years. I was out the day the flu shots were given at my office, and I never got around to getting one at another location. Ahhhh, lesson learned! Meanwhile, George was nice to take some time off from work and drive me to the doctor this morning, after my fever spiked to 102.2. This afternoon, I feel like I'm on the mend. I'll stay home tomorrow to rest and see if the fever totally goes away, and head back to work Friday or Monday.

Guess who will be getting her flu shot next flu season?!



Clipart from Clipartheaven.com.

Christmas Vacation Recap



Jacob, George, and Henry

 I'm nearing the end of my 2-week hiatus from work over the Christmas/New Year holiday break, so it's time to tell the story!

George and Henry's cousin, Jacob, came to visit from Boston, so we had an impromptu games night at our apartment on Christmas Eve. (George, ever the comedian, still makes the bunny ears behind family members in pictures! That aside, this is the best picture I got of the three of them.)

Moravian Lovefeast at Watts St. Baptist

Before the guys came over, George and I went to a Moravian Lovefeast at Watts St. Baptist Church in Durham. I hadn't been to a Moravian Lovefeast since college, so it was a delight to attend one this Christmas Eve! (It was my first time in Watts St. Baptist, and it's a lovely sanctuary.) We sang lots of familiar Christmas hymns, had coffee and buns as a congregation, then everyone lit their beeswax candles and the sanctuary lights were dimmed for the final hymn or two. It was a really nice experience, and I would recommend it to others next year.





Christmas Dinner at Il Palio, Chapel Hill

On Christmas Day, we gathered at Il Palio, a nice restaurant in the Siena Hotel in Chapel Hill, for lunch. It was great to have family together, and it was the first time in several years I've been with my parents for Christmas. Uncle Marion came over from Goldsboro, too! The food was fabulous, and the service was top notch, too! If you're looking for special occasion dining, Il Palio should be on your list!

Christmas 26 Snow Behind Apartment

It started snowing on Christmas night, and by the next morning, this was the view outside our apartment! I think this was the first time I've ever seen "live" snow for Christmas! It was beautiful. We still have some on the ground, but it's melting away and the roads around here are much better.

In other news, I signed up for the Tobacco Road Half Marathon (March 20) a couple of days ago, and it's been nice to spend some extra time at the gym, as a result. :)

Snow Day

It's another Snow Day here, the second one in two weeks, and it's still just December! This time, the wintery mix has happened on a workday. I made it in to work safely, but may just stay half a day if it looks dicey. Meanwhile, it's quiet here in the office. I think I'm posting this quick blog post for a little bit of bit of noise (fingers hitting the keyboard keys) and company (even if it's virtual)!

Okay, back to work! Happy Snow Day!


Clipart from Clipartheaven.com

Knowing When to Throw in the Towel

Well, I decided not to finish my NaNoWriMo 2010 attempt, and I'm feeling okay with that. I stoppped writing my NaNo novel for a day to see if I missed it enough to forge ahead, but I was actually relieved to be able to spend the time on other things. It is a busy stretch, as I'm getting ready for a birthday bash at our apartment, plus there are other writing projects in the works, like my grad school application essay and catching up on posts for my North Carolina Odyssey Project blog. (I haven't finished either, but have made progress.)

I'm not sure when I'll have another opportunity to do NaNoWriMo, since I hope to be in grad school (on top of working) this time next year. Maybe I needed the practice in "letting go," and setting priorities--for other things I needed (and wanted) to do this time. There will be other years for NaNoWriMo, though. I'll be back!

NaNoWriMo

I started National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo, 2010 on Monday, at the beginning of what looks to be a really busy month! I think that's part of the excitement of it, though, you know? Can I find the time to shoehorn a 50,000 word rough draft of a novel into my life this month? Good question! I'm looking forward to the challenge, though.

I finished NaNoWriMo last year with a few days to spare, and I learned a few things from it. I liked the discipline of writing every day, and I enjoyed meeting some new people at some write-ins around Durham and Raleigh. I'm looking forward to seeing what this month's writing journey brings. If you want to follow my progress on the NaNoWriMo website, I'm RunnerWriter over there.

Clipart from http://www.likesbooks.com/blog/?p=1155

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/

Working on Grad School Application!

I've been busy lately, and part of my free time has been taken with getting my application ready for graduate school! It's a big step for me, because I've been thinking about it, even talking about it for a long time. I finally decided to start making it a reality. I registered for the GRE (Oct. 18), and am collecting all the pieces for the application. My target date is next fall. I've started a grad school blog at Lesley's Journey to Grad School. (I'll have to change the blog name once I finally start!) I will continue working full time at a job I enjoy, while I go to school after work and on the weekends. It will definitely be an adjustment, but I'm looking forward to the flipside, and finally completing the MLS degree at North Carolina Central University's School of Library and Information Science.

Duke-Alabama Football

I'll be heading to the Alabama-Duke football game tomorrow. Since I grew up in Alabama, I'm wondering if I'll see anyone I know at the game. In all the crowd, I'll probably see Duke people I know, but I'm not sure I'll be able to spot any Bama fans I know in the masses. Still, I'm looking forward to the atmosphere of tomorrow's game, and seeing the number 1 football team in the nation (and defending national championship team) play. I expect that Alabama fans travel to see their team play! I hear that some 600 Alabama football fans bought Duke season tickets so they could attend tomorrow's game!

The Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library at Duke has a a great blog called The Devil's Tale, and their latest post has a nice history of the Duke-Alabama football connection.


Clipart from http://clipart.m-y-d-s.com/balls/american_football/a.gif

In the News

The latest issue of Working@Duke,  a Duke employee newsletter, is out for September, and I made page 2! In the online version, the story I'm in (and accompanying picture) are on page 2 as well. The story is about the Kindles now on loan at Duke University Libraries. I've now checked one out twice, and it's a lot of fun to be able to take one home! Maybe one day I'll have one of my own, but in the mean time, it's a treat to be able to borrow one for a couple of weeks at a time. Check out the article here.

Meanwhile, my blog about my home ownership aspirations got a mention on the blog at lendingtree.com! Check it out here.

Return to Duke Gardens

 Yesterday, George and I had the pleasure of meeting Christina from Arizona, and her boyfriend, John! Christina's in the area on business, and came out a couple of days early. Christina and I know each other from our running blogs, so it was fun to meet her in person! After brunch at Gugelhupf, we drove around Duke and landed at Duke Gardens, where the picture on the left was taken. From left to right, it's Christina, George, and John.

Another picture in the Gardens. Check out the dragonfly hovering over the flower on the far left!

Cleaning for Company

Tomorrow, my niece arrives in town for a pre-orientation program that begins Monday morning, as she begins her career as a Duke student. She'll be staying with us tomorrow night, so G. and I have been sorta busy cleaning! It's different cleaning for overnight than it is for our church Covenant Group, which happens to be meeting here Monday evening! There's a different level of cleaning in general, plus, it's the first time G. and I have had overnight company! (We don't have a guest room, so my niece will be camping out, sort of.) And then, there's the fact that it's my niece! I find myself wanting to think her Aunt Lesley is neat, clean, and organized. In reality, she's known me all her life, so her impressions of me are already formed, with tweaks optional. Still...

It's funny what I'm cleaning! I'm currently taking a break from cleaning the cabinets underneath my sink! Really, is she going to look under there?! But ya know, it's been something I've been meaning to do for a long time. Nice to be getting it done.

My niece really is a neat kid, and I can't wait to see her and have her spend the night! In the big scheme of things, I can't wait to catch up with her, one-on-one. Usually, the whole family is around for that, which is great and all, but it's going to be cool to have her to myself for a night, and to drop her off Monday morning! Next weekend, the rest of the family will be here to catch up together and help her move into her dorm. What an exciting time!

10 on Tuesday-10 Favorite iTouch Apps

I don't have an iPhone, but I really enjoy my iTouch! Here's a list of 10 favorite iTouch apps I have (in no particular order):

1) Facebook
2) Scrabble
3) TapFish
4) Paper Toss
5) FourSquare
6) DukeMobile
7) SmartVocab (GRE)
8) Google
9) Goodreads
10) Words with Friends

Ask me again tomorrow, and I may have some others on my list, but for today, this is my Top 10 list.

It's a Virtual Piggy Bank

A few weeks ago, I happened upon the website SmartyPig, and decided to check it out. It's a website devoted to helping people set up savings goals, but with a real world way to put those goals into action.  The website has teamed up with Compass Bank to created online savings accounts for customers through SmartyPig, based on individual savings goals (not just amounts, but deadlines too). I'm pretty charmed by this concept, as well as the savings interest rate of 2.15% APY.

I've ended up setting up and tweaking several savings goals using SmartyPig, and it's helped me to be more realistic about my goals. Another plus is that it's helped me to alter my spending habits as well, which is not a bad thing! I've never been good at creating and sticking to a budget, much like trying stick to a diet by keeping a food diary. Anything that feels like too much trouble for an extended period isn't going to have staying power. So far, this feels like a fun (and consolidated) way of saving for different things in my financial life.

I'm curious, is anyone else out in blogging land using SmartyPig? If so, what do you think about it?

Libraries Go Pop Culture

Just when I need a little motivation to study for the GRE and do my grad school app for library science school, libraries make the news! Check out this interesting article about libraries and pop culture from NPR.

I'm taking a vacation day tomorrow to make it a long weekend. I think I'll whip out my GRE for Dummies book. :)

Seattle's Central Library

All in a Morning's Work

This morning, I walked from my department over to Lilly Library, to be photographed for a http://www.hr.duke.edu/workingatduke/ article about the Kindles available for circulation, and on the way back, I stopped to enjoy some dancers and drummers (from the locally headquartered American Dance Festival) , who where performing under a big oak tree on the East Campus lawn. While there, I chatted briefly with a lady out walking her dog, a long haired dachshund named Daisy Mae. Needless to say, it made for a nice morning to return to work from my "staycation."

Happy New Year!

It's back to work tomorrow, after being off since last Wednesday, June 30. My department works on a fiscal year that ends on June 30, so it's been nice to take a break and relax a bit since then. George and I stayed local for the July 4th holiday weekend, but it was a nice "staycation" for a number of reasons.

1) I tried a new running course at the White Oak entrance of the American Tobacco Trail. It was a delightful place to run, and I ran into a running acquaintance there. I finished 8.18 miles, my longest distance so far.

2) I got some cleaning and organizing done at home. While I'm not done by a long shot, I feel like I made good progress.

3) We had a good combination of time with friends and family, and time to putter. We tried a new-to-us deli over in the Brier Creek area, and saw "The Last Airbender" in Cary with George's brother. It was the first movie I'd seen in AGES, and while it wasn't great, it was nice to see a movie in the theater for a change.

So, tomorrow I'll be heading back to work, feeling refreshed and thinking about the new work year, FY11, ahead.