Video Blog Ramble

Jane Austen - love 'em all

So I admit it, I love Jane Austen novels. And, frequently, the film versions. I own at least one film version of all the novels except Northanger Abbey. However, PBS just showed the most recent BBC version. It was excellent! I thought they really captivated not only the essence of the book but also the characters. The first time I read this novel I was 20 years old and studying abroad in London. I remember that I laughed so much because the main character, Catherine Moreland, is so silly and naive. Oddly, when I watched a 1980s version of Northanger Abbey (it was horrible), I realized that somehow I missed the tone of Henry Tilney. He's quite a sarcastic character who takes much delight in teasing Catherine. Or perhaps, I had just forgotten. Anyway, for any Jane Austen fans out there, I definitely can recommend this version of Northanger Abbey.

Well, tonight I'm off to go see 27 Dresses at 9:35pm. And tomorrow I work in SJSU Special Collections, 1-5pm. Yippee!

The First Dance of Mr & Mrs. Titus

I recorded Philip and Megan's first dance.

The Garage Go Bye-Bye

This is where Lehein and I painted our boat for the 8th grade boat wars. As you can see, it was poor design. Basically just a box that was waterproof. Oh well. Shane at least did better when he competed. Below is a video and some commentary about it. :D

Guess what? I'm moving!!!

Sort of ... I'm moving next door into my neighbor's house. They live in WA most of the time and would like to have someone in their house, keeping it warm and home-like. So all their stuff will still be in there. Also, they will come home occasionally and I will have to move back home. I'm not even sure how much of my own stuff will go with me. This is sort of an interesting arrangement. Guess I'll figure it out when I actually move over there. The best part is that I can start having dinner parties again - yay!!!!

Hope to see you soon at my new house (he he he).

Star Trek and Trees Without Leaves

A little poem for the new year...


Star Trek and Trees Without Leaves

Sharing the oddities and the quirks
Chewing the fat
Leaning back, relaxed
Remember when
Isn’t it funny?
Can there really be time bubbles and warp speeds?
Do you see math when you see trees without leaves?
Imagination, Fantasy, Creativity
Why do we have these gifts?
Snuggle in the bedsheets – so comfortable
Clouds that can’t be touched
Clouds that seem so soft
Can we converse?
Can we laugh together?
Seasons come
Seasons go
And seasons come
Remember when
Music hits the soul and – it swells up
Fierce
Starships, space stations, and shuttlecrafts
Transport me away to be in your presence forever
Now is not enough, I want the Everafter
The Great Mathematician of the Universe
Lover of my Soul
Pursue me and never let me go
I strike out and yet you stay
I curl and hide, you unfold and reveal
Beauty in the stars, Beauty in the trees, Beauty in me
How can it be?
IN you, FROM you, BECAUSE of you… Jesus.

Merry Christmas!!!

It Happened Again

I was listening to the radio on the way to a Christmas Tea when suddenly I heard a familiar sound. I turned up the volume and listened to each voice carefully. There was no doubt... it had to be the Backstreet Boys. That was AJ's scratchy voice, then Nick's nasally (not in a bad way, I just don't know how else to describe it), then Brian's smooth one, and finally Howie's sweet voice. (No Kevin because he left the group.) They sounded older but I could still recognize them. I made sure to memorize some lyrics so that I could look up the song on the Internet, like "house of cards." Fortunately, when the song was over, the radio announcer came on to say it was a new song, "Helpless When She Smiles" by the Backstreet Boys. Whoo hoo!!!! A new CD, yippee! Yes, I know I am quite talented. You are all so impressed by BSB detector.

Oh, and my interview went well today. I sort of fumbled the last question. It was one of those darn recall questions (describe a time when you had a leadership role... ). I can never remember "a time when" except like three hours later. *sigh* This time I would have talked about how I organized and coordinated the Katrina Relief team from SJSU. Instead I mumbled something about coordinating MPE. I totally lost my train of thought by the end of my answer. Horrible horrible. The rest of it, I think I handled well.

What Doesn't Work and What is just darn tootin' Swell

Allowing a massive graveyard of ants to collect on your sink does not keep new ants from visiting. Grrrr......

I got the Reference/Instruction Internship at the SJSU King Library - "WHOO HOOO!!!!!!!" doesn't say enough.

And for good measure, I thought I would attach a fun picture Shane scanned onto his computer.

That is me, Karen, and Shane in my dad's 1965 Mustang. My guess is this is 1994 or so.

Video Blog - Testing...

So I realized that with my computer and the fancy Photobooth application, I can record videos of myself, when then led me to think about posting a video blog. As I just discovered this is easier said than done. When you watch it you will see it was really hard for me to articulate myself and even sort of focus on what I wanted to say. I considered re-recording a more planned version, but hopefully this uncut and unedited version will provide some amusement.



In case you are wondering, that red spot on my nose is from rubbing my glasses up my nose. I took them off for this video because they were very "reflectory."

iMac Happiness

Yay! My iMac is here, whooppeee! Now I still have some more downloads and updates but I thought I should have a little bit of fun with it. Here are some silly photos:

"It's here and it's working!!!"

P.S> I LOve you, Rachel, and I'm very glad that you called me today.

The Haircut

So about every 2 and half years or so, I cut about 10-12 inches of my hair off and donate it to Locks of Love. They make wigs from the hair for kids who have lost their hair due to an illness. I believe it is a very worthy cause and I'm glad that I can contribute. This time, however, I had intended to hold out until after Megan and Philip's wedding but I just couldn't do it. Long hair is so much work to maintain and it is really heavy. In the shower, I had to comb out all the knots with the conditioner and a strong pick. Putting my hair up in a ponytail or a bun felt like it was adding 5 lbs to my head. So all that to say I gave in and what was supposed to be a trim turned into the chop. So here are some before and after photos.

Found My Baptism Video

This is my baptism, done at First Baptist Church in San Luis Obispo on February, 2002. I have to say that there was a lot of talking before I was baptized. Pastor Tom asked me to explain how I came to be a follower of Jesus; however, because my camera could only hold 20 seconds worth of video, Katy was only able to get the dipping part. So it may look like he just dipped me and then tossed me away but there was more leading up to it than appears. Once we became wet, he didn't want us to be wet for too long.
(There is no sound, this digital camera was not that sophisticated.)

Academic Library 2.0 conference

Yesterday, I went to my first professional conference: Academic Library 2.0 hosted by UC Berkeley. It was excellent and I can say for certain that I learned quite a bit about my soon-to-be career. Next, is to type up a summary and critical analysis of the experience. I may post a portion of this when I get around to doing it. I am hoping to include this experience into my e-portfolio.

One of the "new" technologies I encountered was www.librarything.com and so now I have decided I must put all my books on the site. So far, I think have about 6 or 7. You can see on the right, the new display of some of the books. I think I might have to dig up some of my math books, so I can add them to the list. fun fun.

The Carver and The Pumpkin

The finished product!!!

Nelson (my brother's girlfriend's sister's boyfriend) - The Master Carver

Fortunately, all carving was completed before the earthquake and thus no fingers were lost in the creation of this masterpiece. Nelson's previous carvings: 2006 and 2005 .

Earthquake in SJ

For those of you interested or concerned, we had an earthquake here in San Jose. We had guests (Jayme & Nelson) over when it happened so my concern was more for them than enjoying the shaking and quaking. I truly thought it was in the 6 area of magnitude but it was only 5.6 (this is, in fact, a good thing). Definitely, the largest quake I had been in since October 17, 1989. A photo frame and an empty rum bottle broke. That is the extent of damage at our house. This morning when I opened up the cupboard for cereal, a couple of cans of tomatoes fell out. Fortunately, I was not in their path. So yep, that's about it.

Two Pieces

1) Another spider story: The other night when I was getting ready for bed, I had another spider adventure. (I should mention that I don't usually wear my glasses when I doing my bedtime prep routine.) So while I was brushing my teeth, I noticed in the mirror something black on my chest, right above the top of my tank. I looked away because I was sort of distracted by the teeth brushing process, then just as I was thinking, I ought to look closer to see what it was, I felt it move up my chest (it was on my skin). I looked down and it was a spider. Creeped out but with no screaming, I swiped it off my chest into the sink. Then I ran into another problem because I still didn't want to kill it (I know, I know, I'm crazy). So I had my mouth filled with foamy toothpaste and a spider stuck in the sink where I wanted to spit (the sides of the inside part of the sink were too steep and wet for him to crawl out). At this point, I realized the spider was going to need a little help if I wanted him out of my way. I tried to use my hand to guide him out but he kept slipping around it. Then I tore off a square of toilet paper and used that to guide him up and out. Phew! Finally, washed my mouth out and toothbrush off. Don't know where the spider went but he's gone now. I really have no idea how he got on my chest, except that maybe he was on my PJs when I put them on.

2) I have been reading through Galatians recently to remind myself of the freedom there is in Christ. I've been feeling sort of bound and suffocating for reasons that I would rather not go into here. I knew it was a not spiritually healthy way to be living like this and certainly wasn't something that I should ignore. Here is a paraphrasing of Galatians 5:13 that really hit home to me what I love about being one of Christ's disciples: You were called to be free; use your freedom to serve one another in love. This is what I most want to do, seriously. But of course, I face a battle within myself against my selfish pursuits (those which benefit No one, including myself). When, instead of focusing on my selfish pursuits, I focus on serving others in the love and power of Christ (for without Him, I have no strength), my breaths become deep, long, and peaceful, and I am so joyful. Today I will be visiting an elderly woman who lives by herself in a senior community center. Love INC was contacted by a social worker saying that she was extremely lonely and would be blessed by having a friendly visitor. I am so honored to have this opportunity and I pray that God would give me words of comfort and friendship to envelope her in love and care. (I have to say a word of Thanks to my dear friend, Megan, who has been such a prayer warrior for me, sending cards and letters with words of encouragement and scripture.)


Galatians 5:13 For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters;²¹ only do not use your freedom as an opportunity to indulge your flesh,²² but through love serve one another.²³ 5:14 For the whole law can be summed up in a single commandment,²⁴ namely, “You must love your neighbor as yourself.”²⁵

Tucker's Sad News

Tucker has been limping lately, so mom took him to the Vet. Turns out he has elbow dysplasia. We have been told that he has to keep his active life on a lower key: no jumping down, no running around, no playful spazzing, etc. This is sad. Tucker is all about playtime. You know, he is only four years old, so young still.

Additionally, the anesthesia that they gave him made him sick. So he was melancholy, morose, uninterested in food, and lethargic. Mom called the vet this morning and she said he should be feeling better by this evening. She said they put a note in his file that he will need different anesthesia in the future. Anyway, he has been a bit more like himself today. We got him to eat some rice this morning and he went outside afterwards, so that's good.

So if you wouldn't mind praying for our little Tucker, it would be much appreciated. He brings so much joy and laughter to our family.

Here's a silly photo of Tucker:

Here's a photo after Tucker played in a mud puddle (his favorite activity at the park):

Megan's Bridal Shower

Yay! I was finally able to make a trip up to Lakeport, CA. Long awaited, this was. And for what better occasion than Megan's bridal shower! The hostesses (can I pluralize the word like this?) did a lovely job. The theme was focused on Megan as getting the star role of a show. We interviewed by one the hostesses on Megan's new celebrity status on video. I'm sure that will provide Megan with endless oodles of laughter as we dramatized our way through it.

Anyhoo, I only took two photos and none really of the shower itself. I was just too busy eating and then making the rehearsal bouquet (from the ribbons on the gifts).

Megan, Kathleen and Jeffra (notice yummy food in background)

Megan, Jeffra and Tammy
(these two ladies are the first friends I made at SJSU Campus Crusade for Christ)

Another fabulous part of the trip was the time with the people: Megan's parents (& other family members), Steve & Kathleen, and most definitely, Tammy, who I hadn't seen in so long. All in all, an excellent way to procrastinate on the schoolwork front.

Today, I have returned to my regular routine: wake-up, eat breakfast, read, lift weights & run on treadmill, shower, eat some dried bananas & drink tropical carrot juice, finally check out email accounts & SLIS blackboard, choose schoolwork to do, eat lunch with dad, and now here I am not doing schoolwork but I am going to now, seriously. Off I go...

Not Much to Say

So I haven't posted in a long time (or at least it feels like it) because nothing too exciting has happened. Here are the uneventfuls:

*Finished one and a half assignments for LIBR 285 (have a paper and powerpt presentation due on Saturday)
*Finished 3 assignments and 6 weeks worth of readings for LIBR 250
*Still trying to figure out topic for thesis proposal in LIBR 285 (the dark cloud that hangs over my head where-ever I go)
*Have my bridesmaid dress for Meg & Phil's wedding in January (this, I guess, is actually quite a feat) & it was only $45 with no alterations necessary -phew!
*Enjoying time at church, small group fellowships, and discipleship relationships
*Getting over a cold that started on Monday
*Completed copying books 1-6 of Harry Potter onto my iTunes for listening later when I have time (ha ha)
*Still lifting weights every Monday and Thursday morning (gotta keep that shoulder from being a pain)
*Watched the premieres of Heroes, Pushing Daisies, and Smallville.

There's probably a few others that have slipped my mind but that's what happens when the dark cloud is following you.