Cleaning Mode

Hello,

The new library director is in a clean it up mode. The office looks and feels quite different as many things have been moved out or thrown out. It helps me to work with an uncluttered mind. I know that people talk about the messy desk being good for some people and shows they have lots of work, but it is not a good thing for me as I often have to stop and put things away before I can move on.

Even though it was not intentional I found some things out of place on the children’s video shelves. I do not like reading shelves, but it must be done from time to time. This time I was just putting some videos away. There was a shelf divider in the way so I pulled it out and tried to slide it under the shelf. For some reason it would not go. I got down on my hands and knees to discover three DVD cases, and four books along with a lot of dust bunnies who have been multiplying in private. On further inspection the cases came up empty and one of the books was no longer in the system. The director knew that there was a pile of DVDs without cases luckily these three were in that pile. Now how they got separated I cannot imagine.

Then it was on to cleaning the drawer at the checkout desk. Besides an abundance of pens and pencils it yielded 5-6 scissors. We could have been real cut ups.

I tried to block out the closed dates on the calendar. Even though I was using the user and password that I later gave the director, I could not get it done. It would not toggle. For her it was just as it should be. I was disgusted. Does this software like her better than it likes me, or does it just know she is the boss and it had better respond?

Paula

More Tech Knowledge

Hello,

Brian called to tell us that we need to make playlists so we would have some on the computer and some on the device. Miriam mentioned the same thing in a call. Then Stephen sent an email detailing how the computer is similar to a library where we can keep much of the music and than just access what we want when we feel like listening to something by using play lists. All of that was quite helpful for getting it more neatly arranged in our minds to realize that we do not need a large IPod. Then I remembered that I had signed up for ICloud where music, photos, videos, and more are stored out there in the heavens somewhere just waiting for us to get to them and use them.

I asked Leroy if he was storing the music on or in ICloud, (It seems if it is in the cloud it might fall though.) but he had no idea. So we will have to learn about that. I have a feeling it would be seamless if we had a Mac computer of one type or another. We feel that we are floating off somewhere in the clouds.

Stephen also commented that the IPod with the ear phones was a great sound. We have not tried that as neither of us likes to use ear phones. I suppose someday I will try it, but not yet. I know that the sound with just the IPod is not as good as with the docking station as that is what we were hearing when we thought we should take the docking station back to the store.

Good thing we have savvy kids who can help to guide us through some of these steps.

On the other hand I did help that woman transfer her files from her old floppy to her flash drive. It was as smooth and easy as I thought it would be. She thinks I am quite good, however she knows nothing about my IPod rant. Then there was a student, maybe college age, who was working on a project. He was not going to be able to finish it before his time ran out. I told him to email it to himself and then he could work on it again when he opened up the additional time. He could not figure out how to copy the email so he could paste it back in word processing. I knew how to do that. So, younger brains do not always know everything. The big difference is that I had done such a thing before and knew that I could copy an email after I got in reply mode.

I tried to change the library close dates, but was unable to do that even though I followed directions. There I wonder if I need another password even though I thought I had been given one that allowed me to do everything.

Learning, Learning! Surely the brain cells are healthy.

Paula

Material things

Hello,

Material things do not necessarily bring instant joy, especially if there is struggle involved in using them.

We did not buy the most expensive well rated docking station, but went for one that cost about $60 less. In the store they sounded remarkably alike. Besides I am not that sensitive to sounds, or sights. I accept mediocre quite well accept when it comes to clutter. We were sure we could live with this. Then at work I mentioned to a patron friend what we had gotten. She then talked about their unit that is the expensive one. I found my immediate response was that I wanted to keep “up with the Jones” or my sister who also owns this type of speaker with a CD player. I considerably allowed that to color my outlook and joy in finally making this move so our next move could be much easier and require, if needed, much less storage space.

For some reason when I got home I took it out on Leroy who was proud to have figured the system out and recorded at least half of our CD’s put on the speaker so I could enjoy it. Instead I noticed immediately how lacking it was in fullness and richness of sound.

We talked about visiting my friend who has this upper level speaker and comparing and then possibly taking ours back and putting down the money for the better one.

Leroy said it had sounded better before I came home so we fiddled with buttons, growled at each other and the equipment, before I finally got the proper combination and got good sound. The real problem is that I do not know how to replicate it because I do not really know what I did; I just pushed buttons like an elementary student.

In teacher Leroy mode told me, “Do not push any other random buttons now that we have figured this out.”

We decided to keep the speaker and I think it sounds quite fine to my crude and uncritical ears.

Paula

Just Buy It

Hello,

Friday evening Leroy and I went and bought the IPod along with a docking station. We were excited and anxious wondering, “What have we done buying this thing we do not really need?”

Then at home it was open it up and try to figure it out. Today Miriam tells us that it is to be intuitive. However, perhaps that is a different generation as we have struggled a bit with it. Or perhaps our intuition is off to the left of pre technology. I had a stressful time putting in my email password as I could not find one symbol that I use. Leroy finally found it on another screen. Because it was late all we found on it of value to us was the weather and maps.

While I was at work yesterday Leroy learned how to transfer our CD’s. That is the original purpose of getting this compact player so we do not have to haul around our dated, but still working large stereo. We have not yet decided how and if we will save our records and cassettes.

We only got an 8 gig machine because the kid in the store said that it should hold about 5000 songs. We do not have nearly that many. Leroy said when I got home, “I am not sure we can get all of our songs on here as I have used at least half the space and I have a ways to go.”

What we had not thought about is that most of our music is classical and it has long running time compared to popular music that is done in about three minutes. So we are maxed out with just what we have here.

We also can not figure out how to search easily through our 300 plus songs. But Miriam tells us we need to create play lists.

Then when we talked to Sarah, we learned that she and Stephen think maybe we should have considered an IPad. We had not even thought of that. There are just too many choices out there. But in addition, we can still buy an IPad later, right?

Paula

Library Work

Hello,

Tuesday I was to work alone in the library, but the new director was there for an hour. It was a help with the afternoon opening business. Then later one of my co-workers came. She is scheduled to work with the summer reading program, but because of our sewers issues it was cancelled, consequently I did not expect her to come. She left in the late afternoon. The people counter registered 152 people in those seven hours that I worked. I know I felt busy and a bit tired when done. Now maybe three of that count was the guys working on the sewer. So it was not all library usage. But I still talked to these guys some when they wanted to let us know about plans.

The three special girls were in to use the computers, talk rather loudly, and generally create a slight disturbance. I was happy when they decided to go somewhere else.

In the evening a woman came in to update her resume. She had called first because she had a 3.5 inch disc., or whatever that older style is. On the phone, I suggested she get a CD to convert her files to as in the future she might not find a computer to read it. We have two computers with that type of drive. One of them however would not access her disc. With doubts I had her use another computer, however it worked without a hitch. She brought with her a flash drive that she said was recommended over the CD. I also realized that was a good idea. She worked on her resume for some time, and printed it. She then tried to open the physical flash drive and was unable to do so. I struggled with it for possibly ten minutes. She talked about returning it to the store, but later she called to tell me that she had shown it to her mother and she opened it easily by flipping the top to the side. I had been trying to pull it off. Guess I do not know everything. This woman still had enough confidence in me to ask when I was working again so she could come at that time and have me help her transfer her data from the disc to the flash drive. Think I can do it? Maybe or even probably, but I am not saying until it happens.

Paula

Treats

Hello,

I keep thinking of small things we can have for our anniversary. Walnuts were the special one day as we do not get them so often because of the cost. In all honesty I relish them more than Leroy does, but he still likes them. On our Ely bike ride we went to the farmer’s market and bought a wonderful whole wheat, seed filled bread that we enjoyed by breaking off chucks and savoring. Now that was equally liked by both of us. This week a store has the IPod on sale and it is calling to us more strongly each day. Friday or Saturday it might get so powerful that we/I will be drawn irresistibly to it.

Leroy did have a preaching supply job. He then said we could put that money toward the IPod. Is that just another justification since we really do have the money? Course once we have the IPod we then need a docking station. Do we opt for cheap or top of the line?

Going back to that church job, I did not go with Leroy because it was for two services and I did not really want to hear the service twice. Because he is not preaching on a regular basis Leroy fussed around about writing the sermon. But perhaps the biggest problem is finding the time to do it. In the past he always wrote his sermons on Friday morning after spending much of the week thinking about it. This time he was still muttering about it on Saturday. However, in spite of, or maybe because of that it must have been an acceptable to good sermon. Two of the listeners asked for a copy of it. One woman wanted it because her husband was not able to come to church and the other person just wanted it to reread it. I can tell you that I have never asked anyone for a copy of their sermon and do not expect to do that in the near future. In this instance, it might have been good to have heard it in person. I have to admit that I did not ask Leroy for a private oration. Guess sermons are just not my big interest even though I have listened to many.

Paula

The rest of the bike ride

Hello,

The rest of the bike ride was really quite uneventful, but very nice. There is no longer a barrier on the trail and they had re-oiled the north end so it seemed quite fresh and new.

We did see three chipmunks on the southern trip. Coming back however, I was saddened to see a recent dead one. I suppose some bike had hit it. We have more power than we realize. Leroy spotted a live snake on the way down, but I unfortunately missed it. I am interested in snakes so I was disappointed.

We looked for black raspberries, but only found a few along with a few mulberries. If we had worn jeans we might have ventured into the brush a bit more and been more successful.

Even though it was early in the morning a number of other bikes were on the trail, perhaps trying to beat the heat just as we were. After our exciting beginning we were especially careful to call out loudly, “On your left.”

On the return trip we got intermingled with a run. A man and a woman were in front of me. I called out when I wanted to go around. The man moved over, but commented when the woman did not that she probably could not hear with the head phones in her ears. I had noticed the same response from other head phone wears. It seems that they do not hear Leroy’s bell at all so shouting is required.

Thinking of safety on the trail makes me ruminate about the fact that most, possibly above 90%, of bicycle riders wear helmets. However on the Iowa highway where danger is exponentially greater, motorcycle riders cling stubbornly to their bare headed independence. After all no one can tell them what to do, no matter how sensible it might be.

Paula