Ear Trumpets

One of my family members mentioned the tediousness of my constant "Pardon-ing?" as we were out doing errands. Yep. This person was tired of having to repeat.

(I did ask if I should say "Huh" or "What" instead......)

To make life easier for those around me, I've decided to invest in some technology.

Requiring no batteries, these handy devices direct energy into a working ear. Of which I do have one.

They've been used by some pretty advanced, creative people (such as Beethoven- not that I am creative in that fashion). Some people think I'm creative, others just know I'm annoying, some think I am creatively annoying. At any rate, this device will definitely help with communication. And it will add a "golly-gee" factor at the circ desk, just what the trendy librarian of today needs.

Peruse their online catalog, and e-mail (or post your comment) with the model you think most suits my personality.

Three of my favorites are the:
Silk Lined Mourning Ear Trumpet

















Or the Celluloid Collapsible Ear Trumpet















Or the one made of a shell:


















Feel free to peruse the website and let me know of your favorite before I place my order. Lots of changes in our life the last year, and your opinions to help guide us along are always appreciated!

7th Grade Boys Getting Married

Here are two of my favorite seventh grade science students, Brian d. and Nick L. I can't believe that they found the women of their dreams and someone to perform the ceremony.

Oh, that's right. They've both completed college already.

Time does fly.

Nick's parents sent me flowers at the end of the school year with a nice note. Bryan's mom brought a plate of cookies up to the classroom. Those things are major in middle school. Funny thing, I liked them. And a whole lot of other kids, too. We had good times in that classroom.

Happy life with your brides, men. I'm sure you've chosen wisely.

No Books Were Harmed in the Makeover of this Shelf

A new school year.

A shiny new assistant. She rocks. Just the right blend of confidence while knowing when she doesn't have a clue and needs to learn. Cheerful and helpful. Just the right person at the right time. And she has an infectious laugh. Gotta love the gal.

Thanks, Brisena- we'll have a great year.

My new partner in crime and I decided to freshen up some of our scratched up, dull bookshelves.

Took a trip to the local store and chose a paint color, and added in a few "accent" colors to our basket, along with plenty of tape and plastic drop cloth material. Painted. Accented. Here are the before, during, and after photos.
The folks who have seen the shelf have been positive so far. Except one. This person indicated that we were setting a bad example by showing students that it was okay to deface furniture by painting graffiti on it.

What do you think?

A Little Family Time On A Pretend Cruise

Art deco abounds on this grand lady. The bath tub has four knobs... The usual hot and cold, but a second set is there for hot and cold salt water.I had never been to the queen Mary, so we decided to make a getaway weekend of it. The four of us, alone, chumming up in a family stateroom. Very spacious.

Geolocate this post

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Playing with my iPhone G3; watching someone walk through the Apple APP process (Geopher)

It has been interesting to read the blog of someone trying to get an Application approved for posting and distribution at the APP Apple store for the iPhone. The APP will be used for geocaching, and is called Geopher Lite- I am rooting for this fellow- the Geopher application will be very slick!
.....

Speaking of iPhones, I've been having a pack of fun exploring my iPhone.

I've gone from carrying:
-a cell phone (for podcasts and music), and of course, text messaging,
-a GPSr (for geocaching);
-and a PocketPC (for scheduling, logging caches, reading eBooks, keeping gradebooks, listening to audiobooks, and watching short video clips) with a bluetooth GPSr for additional geocaching fun.


Will the iPhone change my life in amazing ways? We will see. I don't think so. However, it is more convenient to have an all-in-one device. And only one thing to charge at night is wonderful. And the white color is pretty. It is a "consolation prize" of sorts for the total loss of hearing in my left ear in May compounded with the exceedingly pesky tinnitus.

Oh yes. Now I can Twitter in my pocket easily.

One downside is that the iPhone does not play windows media files, so it seems that I have taken a big step backwards on some of the video clips that I was able to view on my PocketPC.

Librarians who Geocache....

A fun activity that has taken me and my family on little adventures since 2003 is Geocaching: "The sport where You are the search engine". (Sounds like a perfect fit for the library profession, no?)

I discovered it by accident the year that I was pink-slipped from my position in the library and ended up teaching Earth Science to high school students at Poly High School in Riverside. Geocaching, and the connections with my students, the staff at poly, and my daughter (who swore that she was going to kill herself or me when she heard I would be on staff at "her" school) were some of the amazing "aren't we glad we showed up for life" things that came out of that year.

I know that Amber Clafin, LMT at Etiwanda School District, Geocaches with her family. Anyone else? I thought it might be fun to do an event other library folk......

Shiny Webtools Place (webtools4u2use)

Fantastic site with all sorts of webtools in one easy place. Most comprehensive list (with links) of anyplace that I've seen is webtools4u2use. It has lists and links and how-to:
•Audio & Podcasting
•Blogs (Weblogs)
•Calendars, Task Management & ToDo List Tools
•Drawing, Charting & Mapping Tools
•Photo and Photo Sharing Tools
•Portal & WebPage Starting Tools
•Presentation Tools
•Quiz & Polling Tools
•RSS, News Feeds & Aggregators
•Social Bookmark Tools
•Social Networks
•Video Tools and Video Sharing
•Wikis
•Word Processing & Productivity Tools

How to Tackle ARCs?

Man alive! A nice problem indeed. I have so many ARCs and no idea where to begin in earnest.

So far I have just been moving the bags of books around, from car to garage floor, back to car, into house.

Thinking I would take them to school, but not wanting to leave them there for the rest of the summer untouched, because (of course) I want to read them ALL! Knowing that there are other things that are supposed to fill my days. Here is the guilty tug of war of my mind, books versus the projects that I've put off all year.....

Let the reading fun begin :)

Fourth of July- What a Difference a Year Makes

This year my family is again scattered- oldest in Seattle, middle in New Orleans nearing the end of her 6 week volunteer project (I'm looking forward to giving her lots-o-hugs!) and the youngest is just a few blocks away. We are expecting him to descend with his friends for a barbecue soon.

Last year, Rachel and I celebrated our country's freedom in Cambodia with an awesome family from America. I took a suitcase of books for the children, and some Mp3 players loaded with audiobooks. Living differently, like the Lewis family, certainly requires sacrificing things that one enjoys, such as books. They founded Action to Restore Hope- Cambodia to provide safe water, medical supplies, and educational materials to a remote area in the northeastern part of Cambodia.

Books- wow! I scored at ALA! Huge tote bags full of ARCs- thank you to all the generous publishers! I'm set to read for weeks!

ALA 2008 California Girls Book Cart Drill Team Video, Librarian Tattoos

Unedited version of the competition from Sunday's ALA 2008 Book Cart Drill Team competition. California Girls. We made it through the entire routine without falling over.

Decided to leave the emcee's comments- priceless banter and ribbing from noted children's author/illustrators Jon Scieszka and Mo Willem. Mo even drew one of his famous birds on team mate Tammy's midsection. Such a nice tattoo!

Our team was comprised of school librarians from around Southern California- Agoura Hills, Long Beach, Los Angeles, and Riverside, we represented CSLA Southern Section. Have fun watching- the routine begins about a minute and a half in.

Book Cart Drill Team Competition at ALA 2008

A good time was had by all. Here is a link to the Press Enterprise coverage of the event. The crowd was definitely having fun, cheering and laughing at all the appropriate times. I am sure that the video will show up on YouTube soon.

Jon Scieszka and Mo Willem were the hosts and came backstage to talk to us beforehand. We were thrilled.

I am so glad that I said YES to this endeavor.

We placed 5th. We are happy.

Heading to ALA2008

The Anaheim Convention Center filled to the brim with books, authors, and librarians!
Friday, I'm on a panel about book talking. I'm the one covering technology.
Saturday, our BCDT practices at noon.
Sunday, the main event at 4:00ish.
A team mate nabbed concert tickets at The Grove in Anaheim for High Strung. (Never heard of the band, but it includes some kind of food. Can't beat that, plus Jeff will meet me there.)

Plenty of other things to do. Such as the Great Game. Authors reading their own books. A gaming pavilion. A Bookmobile parade.

Everything Changes, then Stays the Same

There we have it- school ended for the students last week. A week after the school board decided to restore all teacher-librarians to full time.

This means that I'll be full time at Gage again next year again. As librarian.

Quiet smiles of relief were offered to me by the other professionals on staff. It was nice to know that I am appreciated and loved by so very many.

I'm looking forward to a clean start after the summer. It has been a challenging year, and it will be nice to have 7 weeks away from school to get a fresh perspective on things.

Please show The LouisianaExperiment some Blog Love

Shamelessly, I give you the blog address for a team of five college students serving for six weeks in Covington, Louisiana. (It is near New Orleans).

Be sure to leave a comment at the Louisiana Experiment.

(My daughter, Rachel , set up the blog, and each of the team members is taking a turn at posting).

Thanks!

Book Cart Drill Team

Thinking it was purely for fun, I stopped by my school, dropped the top of my little VW Beetle so that a book cart could fit into the back seat, and then drove on up to Agoura Hills Saturday morning to pal around with other school librarians and learn a simple routine. Little did I know that this would be serious business. Real choreography, catchy music and lyrics, props, costumes and synchronized movements. Oy vey!
I've never been too coordinated. Now that I'm known as the Wobbly Librarian.... well, it was grand. There were some circlings involved, which I am certain were helpful to my continued recovery. Life is fun when pushing oneself to the limits.

We will have one more rehearsal before the competition at the Fourth Annual Bookcart Drill Team World Championship at the American Library Association's National Conference on June 29th.

Library Heroes

Our PTSA is the best in the entire USA. Always there whenever we need a handy volunteer. Comes through for the staff with amazing things (have you ever heard of free lunches once a month for all staff members?- That is what our PTSA has been doing for us for 2 years now. Parents drop off home cooked items that fit whatever theme the Hospitality Chair has secretly declared..... and yum, yum).
That is just one example of how our PTSA is out-of-the ordinary.
We have had one mom spearhead a box-top fundraiser- did you know that schools get ten cents per label from tissue paper, cereal box, paper towels, and other items? PTSA provides candy to kids who bring the boxtops to the library, so we've had an ongoing stream of boxtops.

And this year the coffee (decaffeinated, of course- and totally donated by Starbucks, picked upin the morning by a PTSA parent already brewed in a huge 8 inch by 2 feet by 3 feet plastic insulated container, with cups and lids also doanted) /baked goods bar at the book fair alone raised over $3000 for the school. (That was just the coffee/snack bar... we are not even talking the book fair sales. And it was fun. Kids selling things, making signs, owning the place for four days. Excitement on campus. Fun in the library!

PTSA has supplied the rest of the funds for the rest of our new circulation desk (we have a nice one from the year our school opened- early 60's pre computer- one person. It is a challenge for the two of us to use... so we had been saving for a while. Thanks for the rest of the funding!)

The photo is our amazing PTSA president. Smiles and keeps on going!

CST Celebration- Gaming in the Library

Today we are celebrating the end of our STAR testing. An hour long lunch time for all (that means 1300 students to supervise, all trying to get into the library for a piece of techno-booko-logicalness.

Thought I would set up a little fun - out of the ordinariness.

Click here to access Line Rider.

No one better go to any other site. Or I'll cut off your fingers! I am the Menacing Library Lady, you know!

REEF Foundation Rules!- I am famous.

Today there was a special insert in our paper which highlighted one of my favorite charitable organizations, the Riverside Educational Enrichment Foundation. Awesomeness wrapped up in men and women who give of their time and money so that teachers can have money to do creative things in the classroom. My students have reaped the benefits many times. My article "True Confessions of a Middle School Librarian: My Ongoing Love Affair with REEF" is included. It made our school and REEF look good.

Go here to see how to enter to win a family 4 pack for a trip to Disneyland if you are a student in RUSD.

The Paper Clips Project- a study of the Holocaust

This week in the library three teachers have been bringing their 8th grade students to participate in a collaborative lesson on the Holocaust... Busy and bursting at the seam in the most exciting room in the school. This blog post will be a place for students to process their thoughts and feelings from what they have discovered.

From the site:

PAPER CLIPS is the moving and inspiring documentary film that captures how students from a middle school in Whitwell Tennessee responded to lessons about the Holocaust-with a promise to honor every lost soul by collecting one paper clip for each individual exterminated by the Nazis. Despite the fact that they had previously been unaware of and unfamiliar with the Holocaust, their dedication was absolute. Their plan was simple but profound. The amazing result, a memorial railcar filled with 11 million paper clips (representing 6 million Jews and 5 million gypsies, homosexuals and other victims of the Holocaust) which stands permanently in their schoolyard, is an unforgettable lesson of how a committed group of children and educators can change the world one classroom at a time.

For those of you who were not in the library with us, feel free to visit Whitwell Middle School's site for more information. And feel free to make a commentm too!

All commenters welcome.

Resources:

US Holocaust Museum

USC Shoah Foundation

Caption the Picture Contest- "The Clay Marble" style

Time for fun again!

This is a photo from my trip to Cambodia last summer. Village kids would gather to watch us paint the medical clinic - some would pitch in to help, others were a little more shy and would sit at a safe distance and watch.

These boys are playing with toys (guns ) they had made from clay, just like in the book The Clay Marble by Mingfong Ho.

Click below on "comment" to leave your caption. Winner will receive a $10 giftcard to Chipotle.

To see the last caption the picture contest, click here. It was fun.

Rules: Have some fun. No profanity. Maximum of two entries per person. I decide who wins. No whining. Contest ends before the expiration date, which I will announce when I feel like it. ABCDEFG insured. All rights reserved. Protected by national and international copyright laws, as applicable. Winner responsible for taxes. Family members or employees of the wobbly librarian are welcome to enter, but must not whine if not selected as the winner. Same goes for friends of family members. All other rules will be made up as we go. Potential disputes are left to settlement at the sole discretion of her highness the Wobbly Librarian

Secret to a long marriage, or one reason I love my husband.

He has a great sense of humor. Witness the email he just sent me:

"The following joke is from the Lift Your Spirits Daily Calendar that you gave me:

A man was telling his neighbor, “I just bought a new hearing aid. It cost me four thousand dollars, but it’s state of the art.”

“Really,” answered the neighbor. “What kind is it?”

“Twelve thirty.”

Have a fun day... XXXOOO Jeff"

Yeppers. Fun times in our home these days. Lots of laughing with the changes.

(He is the good looking fellow in the middle of the picture- the older couple are his parents, our youngest son is beside me. This was one photo we took last week at the memorial service for Jeff's 84 year old Aunt - his mother's sister.)

Secrets to the start of successful Gentamicin Drop Treatment ...

or ...
The Wobbly Librarian shares all with all 3 of her readers regarding the latest in her saga of Meniere's Disease, and the friends and family who still stand beside her. Amen.


Friday marked the start of weekly intratympanic gentamicin treatments in my left ear.


Coincidentally, I awoke Friday in the throes of a strong episode of vertigo; when we arrived at Dr. Sun's office and it was my turn to be seen, the vertigo was ongoing- and when he looked at me he asked for permission to videotape my eyes. Not because of their beauty, but due to the lively nystagmus. He was jazzed and wanted to be able to show other patients.



































Then he filled the ear with a topical cream and left us alone to relax for about half an hour. The cream numbed the eardrum and surrounding area- in preparation for installation of a Tympanostomy Tube (you know- the little grommet-shaped things that are placed into children's eardrums when kids have frequent middle-ear infections.)


My only complaint? The cream was cold. Yikes!

There was some discomfort when the good doctor vacuumed out the cream ... and some jokes about mouth-to-ear resuscitation that weren't funny, but were appreciated. (The doc gets my sense of humor, and for this I am grateful.)

Good times were had by all when he put the tube in the eardrum. Translation: A little bit of an ouch.


Next step: flush in the gentamicin. Allow it to bathe the semicircular canals.
(Just for kicks he waved the syringe full of gentamicin around in front of me. A long needle. Just to pretend to be mean. Made some brouahahaha noises (I did, to keep it lively).



















I was already familiar with the medicine- not many places make the proper formula/concentration. The pharmacist had spent all Thursday morning titrating it to adjust the pH, and I had been relieved to receive the call that the syringe was ready to be picked up from his compounding pharmacy in Redlands.

A magic formula at the correct pH to bring a halt to the debilitating vertigo.


















I'll have a hearing test this week, followed by another treatment.

Thanks for the prayers.

I know that God has a plan.

Perhaps it is to be home for just a couple more weeks.

Or perhaps it is to be back at work as soon as next week. I have not had an episode of vertigo since the treatment. That is very promising, indeed!

Chemical Labyrinthectomy -say what?

Beginning tomorrow, the ENT I love and trust will begin a very non-invasive treatment of the Meniere's disease. The fancy name is a Chemical Labyrinthectomy- Quite simple. Outpatient.


Insert tube into ear (same tube as the ones that are used for kids who have ear aches).
Drop gentamicin solution into inner ear.
Allow liquid to remain in ear for 60 minutes.

Repeat every 2 weeks

Conduct hearing test a week later to determine if hearing is adversely affected. If so, discontinue treatment. Switch to Plan B.

In my case, the Good Doc has indicated that we'll be aggressive and do weekly treatments.

Since the inner ear (the functioning of the semicircular canals) will be destroyed on the side causing the vertigo, I'll no longer have vertigo. All other symptoms will remain. But the disabling one will be eliminated. And that will be a relief.

I am looking forward to this. We've been waiting for months for the vertigo to subside on its own. That did not happen.

The Good Doc says that sometimes folks feel not so good for a few days, so we'll see. I usually go with the flow.

Goodbye, functioning semi-circular canals- and vertigo! Hello, whatever happens.

Carnival: Lebanese Armenian Cuisine in Sherman Oaks

I squeezed a little selfish errand into things over my prolonged weekend with my darling in-laws. This is my favorite middle eastern restaurant in the valley- the ta·bou·leh and hummus is perfect. According to the LA Weekly:

The whole human comedy — or carnival, as it were — flocks to this relentlessly popular Middle Eastern restaurant in a Sherman Oaks mini-mall for big portions of mezze and kebabs.

#10 (WEEK 5) Play around with online image generators, and getting old in the army.

So, I signed up for the School Library Learning to explore cool Web 2.0 tools awhile back - totally free- and open for others to use. Here is a post for an assignment.

I explored some online image generators. They are fun. I can see using them in the classroom as part of a culminating project.

Here is a poster of my 87 year old father-in-law.
He is holding his old army uniform.

Informative Election Quizzes and Suffragettes

So many candidates, so little time. Thank goodness for online quizzes! There have been 5 posted on the librarian listserv to use with students, so take your pick. I tried
Glassbooth - it promises to connect you to the 2008 presidential candidate that represents your beliefs the best. The others are the Candidate Match Game from USA Today, Votehelp, and Minnesota Public Radio's Select-a-Candidate.

And I promise that this is as far into the arena of elections that I will venture. Elections are good. Thank you to the people who have come before us to allow us to vote. Like the stylish chicks above.

The photo is from the American Memories collection at the Library of Congress - one of my favorite sites to use at Gage. Sheet music, photos, paintings, newspapers, political cartoons, interactive activities- such a treasure trove!

Gotta love the 1913 photo of suffragists Mrs. Stanley McCormick and Mrs. Charles Parker. I think they should have switched hats. Especially since the photo was destined for the internet.

Citation:
Suffragists Mrs. Stanley McCormick and Mrs. Charles Parker. 22 April 1913. George Grantham Bain Collection . American Memory. Lib. of Congress. 17 Jan. 2008.

The elderly and driving

I have the very best in-laws in the whole wide world. Hands down. Encouraging. Positive. Caring. Have been there if we need them, but don't do the buttinski thing at all. Have allowed us to be independent. Likewise, they have valued their independence.

Now their bodies are breaking down. It is time to say goodbye to driving. (Actually, it is past time, and we are just fortunate that a tragedy has not occurred to them or someone else. )

I am staying with my father-in-law (Milton) while my mother-in-law is in the hospital. He was visibly shaken yesterday when I came home yesterday from the hospital without his wife (we thought she was going to be discharged, but that did not happen)

Milton is a man of integrity. We've talked about the driving thing. The independence is important, but the bottom line is that he made a resolution a few years ago that he was going to keep driving until he is 88. That is not until November 08. We talked over how people re-evaluate based on changed circumstances, and that no one would think less of him, and that sometimes our bodies do not cooperate. I was able to share with him eye-to-eye and ear-to-ear the things that are happening with me... and how we are adapting - but that this is because we talk about things and use information. And face facts.

Anyway, please pray for Helen in the hospital, Milton as I take him to visit her, to the audiologist today, neurologist tomorrow, and for stamina for me.

Often, it is the doctors who take a drivers license away; sometimes the children "abscond" with the car and keys, and report the adults to the DMV; I believe it would be easier for Milton to make an adult decision to re-evaluate and decide that he will not drive, and hand over the car to someone else.

Neighborliness in the 21st Century

My in-laws have lived in the same house for 42 years out here in North Hollywood, and have seen others come and go around them. They are such caring people that folks watch out for them. Yesterday the next door neighbor rang the bell to let us know that the headlights had been left on.

Later on, when I wanted to check e-mail, one wireless point showed up....security-enabled, of course. Based on the cars parked along the street, and what the folks had told me, I guessed that the same neighbor might be the one with wireless. So I went next door and pressed the buzzer on his cinderblock and wrought iron fence.

The gentleman, dressed in his native Thai garb, came down the driveway to the gate.. He listened when I explained that my mother in law was in the hospital, I might be here a few days, and noticed that wireless in the neighborhood... perhaps, please, that would be so kind and generous, etc.... He went back inside, returned with a slip of paper, and waved off the thanks I offered. (I promised that I wouldn't steal anything- that I didn't know how. He smiled.)

I still do the back and forth with my next door neighbor with butter, salt, and such. (I have the best neighbors in the whole world. If anyone is looking for a home, there are a couple for sale- one on the other side of us, the other across the street- we look out for each other in Riverside, too :) ).

Metaphor for my life

This is one display that I pass occasionally in my travels- and I smile every time.

It supposed to be functional, in that you cannot get out of the area unless the receptionist (who is sitting on the other side of some locked doors) remotely unlocks the doors to free you.

Alas, there is no red button. The first time I was leaving, there they were, nice large wooden locked doors. I knocked on the doors. No one heard me. I pressed on the intercom switch. No one responded. I looked across the hallway- no red button there, either.
The button in the middle of the brass rings did not seem to do anything.

The thing that appeared to be a light switch really is a light switch. It turns off the lights in the hall way. If you try it, people in uniforms appear and ask why you've turned on and off the lights.

When I did, they unlocked the doors and let me out.

I stopped and asked the receptionist about the sign that said to press the red button. She smiled and said that maybe there used to be one, but she was not sure why there was not one now. I told her it was a wee bit confusing.

Since then, I've always managed to hit the doors when others have been entering. So no need to press a button. But I know the secret. Just toggle the light switch.

Life's confusing. Just need to know the secret. Then it all makes sense. And keep your sense of humor. Don't get frustrated. Remember, light switches sometimes are keys to unlocking the heaviest of doors.

P.S. The other time that I caught security's eye was when I took this photo. "Why you takin' pitchers?"

"Because I think it's funny that the sign says to press a red button and there isn't a red button. It makes me smile every time I see it. I want to remember this. I try to find the humor in things. It makes life more fun."

Thanks.

Thoughts have been rattling around my head- about family, friends, loving, serving, possessions, time on earth, health, the future and what might lie ahead in the story of our family.

Most thoughts are too private to post for the whole www to read. They are between me and my Maker, the one who wrote my days even before I was created. He knew that 2007 was going to be the crazy awesome blessed year that it was. I've talked to Him about it extensively, and read up to get His opinion on things. Still don't understand, but I trust.

One thing that I do want to share is that I have been blessed with many friends who have come along beside us to provide the tangible and intangible things that we've needed to make it through. I wanted to say thanks.

Thanks.

They've moved her to ICU and might need to intubate her.....

And are asking everyone to spread the word via e-mail and blogs.... and to pray for her and their yet-to-be-born daughter. (24 weeks gestation)

Such an incredible story of love and faith. Happening in real time.

If you missed my post a few days ago, just click on over to Nathan's (Confessions of a CF Husband) blog. His wife, Tricia has Cystic Fibrosis (CF) and "had been preparing for a double lung transplant until we discovered we are pregnant." Nate is the worship pastor of Nags Head Church in Outer Banks.

What are you reading?

Imagine {God's Blogs}
INSIGHTS FROM HIS SITE
by Danny Donoho


This was a Christmas gift to me. I'm enjoying it.