So I just got into Josh Ritter today, thanks to my friend Rae. On a whim I bought "Girl In the War" from The Animal Years and his newest album, So Runs the World Away. Rae asked me if I knew where that phrase was from, and I have to admit I looked it up. I am rusty on my Hamlet, and, well, Shakespeare in general. Anyway, he's an alternative, folk singer/songwriter. He's been compared to Bob Dylan, which I think is apt, even though my knowledge of Dylan is next to nothing--a crime, I know. I've been listening to Ritter all day. He's coming to Seattle next month, and I'm buying tickets. Lillian and I are also going to see Hey Marseilles in a couple of weeks at the Tractor. I'm excited. I also need to update my playlist...
So grad school's a drag. I really hate 560 which is a required class that's all about instruction. We're the only library program that has a required instruction core, and man do I wish it was an elective. It's all about effective teaching strategies which 1) seem pretty intuitive, and 2) I couldn't care less about. Not that our professor really employs these techniques anyway. As a librarian, I will probably have to teach classes of some sort and lead committees, but I really hate the class. and the projects. This is exacerbated by receiving one of the worst grades I have ever received in my academic career. Laziness and apathy--it's a potent combination.
My other two classes are better. 568, Info Literacy, is like 560, only it's actually informative and interesting, even if the final project is practically the same. 521 is fascinating, and our professor is fab, but he's also a very hard grader. And I just submitted one of the worst papers I have ever written, so I can't wait to get that back. Now I didn't try all that hard as an undergraduate, but grad school took whatever will I had left and smothered it.
Anyway, I'm here to encourage you to ask a question at ipl2--you'll be helping me with a class assignment. So if you have a question, burning or otherwise, ask it here:
http://www.ipl.org/div/askus/
Anything from the incubation time of chlamydia to the meaning of the universe, which we all know is 42. (There's your freebie; okay, so it's all free.) Actually, if you ask an "unanswerable" question, the people who field the queries will reject it. No opinions either. So Kristen, you can't ask us which horse you should bet on. But really anything from a simple ready reference question to a more involved research query. Ask away! I may even be the one to personally answer you.
Finally, here's some library/grad school humor for you. I stole the first one from a friend's FB, so I don't know where it's from. The other is from PHD Comics.
A. Oreos are sometime necessary but can make you very ill if combined with other necessary things. See, all things can be necessary but some necessary things mixed together yield uncomfortable results.
ReplyDeleteB. I submitted a question. Do you see them? (It's late; should I have read closer?)
C. I'm so happy you like Josh Ritter! I'm genuinely surprised but only because people either love his music or hate it and typically the division is along preference for folk music, BUT (and like I said on another social network by which you and I are connected, as well :D ) I'm not surprised on the other hand because Josh is a fabulous songwriter and composer.
YAY!
I couldn't even finish reading this blog because I was overwhelmed with the thought of Oreos.
ReplyDeleteErin, I hope you ate a whole package of Oreos for your birthday!
ReplyDeleteRae, all you need to say is Oreos and tequila. I did not see your question--has it already been answered?--but I do see the questions. I have bought more Josh Ritter. and I do like some folk music not that I'm a huge aficionado--but Joni Mitchell, Simon and Garfunkel, Bob Dylan, the soundtrack to Away We Go...
I thoroughly enjoyed the cartoons. Library scientists. Hahaha! The funny part is, I took a bookmaking class (you know) in the library where the restoration class was taught, and that's actually kind of what the room looked like. No kidding.
ReplyDeleteI've been thinking about what questions to ask for several days. I struggle, though, because now I desperately want to ask the closest allowable question to which horse to bet on possible. I've been playing with several "ways around" the rule against opinions. It's reminiscent of hearsay, a little bit. Your blog is all kinds of intellectually stimulating.
Gregory, I am nearly vomiting now just recalling...
ReplyDelete... (swallowing hard).
Ok, so, my question asked if snopes.com is an unbiased method of checking urban myths. I am hoping you didn't answer it because whomever did, he or she is not a very good writer (thus my assumption it wasn't you but my polite way of saying so) and I don't think my question was answered very...professionally?
Kristen, we never broke into that building and retrieved your book! That would have been a great story. Glad you liked the cartoons. And good luck framing your question. I'm sure you could ask the rankings of various horses and previous wins...
ReplyDeleteWell, Rae, I didn't answer your question. Sorry you didn't get a professional result--many of us are just students after all--but it's really too bad they can't write well either.