OMG I don't want to work today. Even though I'm planning on leaving at 3 to drive to Chicago.

Kate, I don't think I got to congratulate you on the library school thing, so, hey, Go You!

This is a pretty constant theme in my life of late--what should I be doing, how can I best use my skills and talents to make a positive difference? I hope I'm on the right path.

I keep asking myself that, too, more often that not. And I'm still looking for right path. So it's really strange that you say this about me. Teachers, however, do have the possibility to make a huge positive difference - and it's such a hard work (one of my roommates teaches Junior High).

shrift, in case I don't get to post with you until you leave, I hope you have a great trip.

shrift, in case I don't get to post with you until you leave, I hope you have a great trip.

Thanks! I know I will. I have a trunk full of booze and nosh, and I'm going to hang out with Dana and Consuela and Vonnie and Katie M and Micole and a bunch of other awesome people.

Now I just have to get there.

That sound really cool, Nilly. I'm glad you had such a positive experience with National Service!

Then again, you were adventurous enough to go all the way to Egypt for a job, so I guess you're not easily intimidated. I hope things will continue to work out for you!

You know, I don't think it really took much courage. In fact, I think it's a lot easier to up sticks and go to a job in another country than it would have been to move to another city in the UK where I didn't know anyone, and start over. Am secretly chicken.

Kate, I think Library school sounds brilliant.

Timelies! I wish it was Friday. I would really like to take tomorrow off. And I already have Monday off!

This is a pretty constant theme in my life of late--what should I be doing, how can I best use my skills and talents to make a positive difference?

I've been asking myself this, too. Or, rather, I feel like -- I don't literally believe that there are pearly gates and Saint Peter and we have to defend the choices we made in our lives at the end, but I would like to live so as to have a good answer just in case it does happen. Does that make any sense?

I always start wanting to make Big Life Changes right around my birthday, so I may get over this if I just waith three weeks.

Kate, I don't think I got to congratulate you on the library school thing, so, hey, Go You!

Yay, thanks! I'm super excited. I don't know if I've talked about this much here, but I'm especially interested in the chance to do some international work. The dean of my school has been in Iraq all summer helping librarians there to preserve and archive their materials (...what's left of them), and there's a fellowship position at the school that is pretty closely aligned with that kind of work, so I've set my sights on that.

Kate, I think Library school sounds brilliant.

It really was kind of a no-brainer once I gave it some serious thought. And actually, the school I'm going to allows you to get a school librarianship certificate along with your MLS, so I'm definitely going to take advantage of that, because school librarians are totally kickass.

Timelies!

Gronk. Caffeine is being administrated as we speak.

The bus I was riding was attacked by a crazy person. He was yelling and waving his arms about as he stepped into the street in front of the moving bus. The bus driver pulled to the left to go around him but he moved out to stay in front of the bus, blocking its way and forcing the driver to stop. He then walked up to the windshield and yelled and pointed at the driver angrily. Then he walked around to the side of the bus so the bus driver drove away. As the bus drove by he hit the side of the bus with his fist a few times.

Wanker. I wonder if the fact that he's hanging out near a high school will get him in trouble....

then I discovered I'm losing my German in favor of Greek, so it went something like:

During my semester abroad, I discovered my brain preferred a bi -modal language system: english and OTHER. The unfortunate part is that my other encompassed, in decreasing amounts, german, french, spanish, czech and russian. And I never knew which I was using, nor which tense was popping out . Ich habe achete une buena voda s naranja.

I confused a lot of people.

Or something. My language skills have deteriorated a lot since then.

Lily's eyes are amazing.

shrift, what wonderful company!

I think it's a lot easier to up sticks and go to a job in another country than it would have been to move to another city in the UK where I didn't know anyone, and start over.

How come?

For me, at least, sometimes the "bigger" stuff is easier to do than the "smaller" things. Doing things in which I'm not expected to be on top of everything, so I can not-know and take-my-time and ask for help without anybody expecting me to know how to do things on my own - in a way it's easier than doing things that are similar to what I've done so far, so I'm somehow expected to be on top of everything and get smoothly and easily into the swing of things. Does that have anything to do with what you mean?

I would like to live so as to have a good answer just in case it does happen. Does that make any sense?

You mean, because it's for you, regardless of what waits "afterwards"? Good answer for its own sake, doing the right things for their being-right-ness?

I'm especially interested in the chance to do some international work

Why am I not surprised? It sounds fascinating, too.

I sometimes find myself wishing that I could learn, well, pretty much anything there is to learn on the face of the world. But then, I would never get any time left to actually try to do something, so I don't know.