etc.

I’m wiped. I gave a talk to-day to a bunch of academic librarians at a conference about work/life balance (my talk was called “Thriving with Technology”; alt title: “how to get to librarian 2.0 and still have a life”) and I’m feeling pretty unbalanced, you know, work/life-wise. The keynote speaker for the day was Judith Timson, a Canadian writer & columnist who publishes in major Canadian newspapers & magazines (Globe & Mail, Chatelaine, Toronto Life, etc.), and one of the first things she said was that she doesn’t believe in work/life balance (“balance is bunk”!), which relieved me greatly since I have absolutely NO balance at all and I felt like a bit of a fraud getting up there to tell people about how technology can help with work/life balance! (hint: it can’t). What Timson did say, and this I totally get, was that work/life balance is the sort of thing that can only be accomplished over a lifetime, i.e.: at some points in your life, your career will take precedence, at other points in your life, it will be your kids/family, at still other points, it will be your hobbies and retirement, &c., &c. Made sense to me. And made me feel a lot better about the lack of balance that I’ve been beating myself up over since I started working. It’s just career-focus time, people! No need to be concerned! Nothing to see here, please move along.

In other news, I’m catching up on missed episodes of Veronica Mars (praise be to PVR) and I’m enjoying her again (Veronica, that is). I’d sort of forgotten that this show does a great job of developing story arcs that span multiple episodes, which is one of the reasons why I keep coming back. And, yes, I still think Veronica might be taking the hardboiled thing too far, but she still is the best young TV heroine du jour.

Day four of NaBloPoMo and I’m loving every minute of it! It wasn’t until I committed to 30 days of content that I began to realize how much I’ve wanted to share with you all on these pages, stuff I’ve been putting off and filing away for “when I have more time to blog”, which really, won’t ever come. I’ve even made a list of blog ideas (obsessive! I will succeed, dammit!) and to-day’s installment from the list will be TV programmes. Why? Because I watch a lot of TV and I almost never talk about it here. I’m not sure why that is, I’m a fan of TV (mostly) and I have some strong opinions about the things we watch (surprise!), I’ve just never thought to make TV programming a point of conversation on these pages. Well, without further ado, here is a list of what’s on the roster at the moment, by order of day, starting with Monday.

Dexter
Have you seen Dexter? If you get TMN in Canada or Showtime in the US, you really should tune in. Michael C. Hall (David from Six Feet Under) plays a Blood Spatter Analyst by day and serial killer by night. He’s doing a fantastic job of playing the vaguely sympathetic/mildly disturbing anti-hero but I still can’t decide if I’m sympathizing with his character because he’ll always be David Fisher to me or because he’s actually doing the likable sociopath thing convincingly. Either way, this is a fantastic show that actually makes us look forward to Mondays.

Project Runway
It’s been good this season! I can’t decide if I want Michael or Uli to win this one. I really liked the gown Jeffrey made for the couture challenge, but he’s too annoying and rude for me to root for him (and how mean was he to Angela’s mum a couple of episodes ago? Horrendous!). I’m discounting Kayne and Laura altogether – Kayne for his overall lack of taste and Laura for her “safe” aesthetic.

Heroes
OK, this is a blatant lie, we aren’t watching Heroes. Yet. We’ve decided to add it to the roster this week so I put it on the list. I’ve heard nothing but good things about this show and the premise definitely appeals to me, so I’m really looking forward to this one. Will have to hit Television Without Pity over the weekend to catch up on what we’ve missed.

House
A recent addition. Hugh Laurie is tremendous.

Veronica Mars
Oh, Veronica. I’m a big fan of this show but so far this season, Veronica has been annoying me intensely. I’m not sure if it’s because she’s out of her element (she hasn’t quite settled into the college, has she?) or if her character has become too hardboiled this season (a trait that has worked for her so far), but it’s almost like she has become too sarcastic and glib to be likable anymore. In fairness, I haven’t seen the last two episodes yet, so maybe she’ll surprise me (and, for the record, it will take a lot more than just this for me to give up on this show).

The Unit
This is a mister show. Entertaining enough, but I probably wouldn’t choose to watch it if it wasn’t for the mister.

America’s Next Top Model
The worst of the best, without a doubt. ANTM is a guilty pleasure, one that I will admit to looking forward to on Wednesday nights, but one that leaves me feeling cheap and empty inside. Like a meal at McDonald’s.

Lost
I’ll preface this by saying that I’m not a Lost fanatic (a “Lostie”? a “Loster”?), which means that I do not record every episode and I do not play it back in slow motion to uncover the hidden gems tucked away for the intrepid fanatic. And I don’t read the Lost wiki. And I don’t think the Hanso Foundation is messing with our genes. So, anyway, it’s a great show, but the whole “Lost Experience” is definitely lost on me (heh) and if they don’t start delivering the goods (you know, answers! Not more questions and development of story arcs that I don’t care about) they might well & truly lose me. Bad pun totally intended.

Survivor
An overwhelmingly average season so far, but we’re still watching. I’m rooting for Yul (smart, articulate) although it’s hard not to like Ozzy (a mean provider). Apart from that, I’m not all that invested in this season’s cast.

Ugly Betty
Betty rocks! And her family, particularly her nephew, cracks me up. Not sure about the staying power of this show, but I’m certainly enjoying it.

ER
ER seems to have gotten some of its mojo back. I’ve always been a fan of the Abby/Luka relationship & storyline and I think they just continue to get stronger. And Forest Whitaker is doing such a fabulous job guest- starring as the patient-done-wrong-by-County-General that I’m looking forward to seeing him in the coming episodes (even if the subplot is a bit tired).

Ghost Whisperer
This is a terrible show, there’s just nothing else on on Friday nights. Is there? If there is, do share and save us from any more Jennifer Love Hewitt dreck.

Battlestar Galactica
I love this show, but I missed the season premiere and the rest of the season has suffered for it, unfortunately. Why is Adama sporting a mustache? And why is Lee suddenly rotund? And what happened to Saul’s eye? I’ve watched all the other episodes, but it’s these unanswered questions that nag at me. I guess I could just ask the mister.

The Amazing Race
The Cho brothers have got to take this one. They’re the best.

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip
Wicked smart. And funny. It’s Aaron Sorkin, what do you want? Of course rumours of cancellation abound (which NBC is denying) which doesn’t surprise me in many ways. Still, I hope this one pulls through.

–

That’s a lot of television, isn’t it? I will admit that the only shows for which I close the laptop are Dexter and Project Runway, the others are all watched with varying degrees of attention split between the television and whatever I’m working on at the moment. Perhaps one day, when I’m not as over-committed as I am, with teaching and presenting responsibilities constantly vying for my time & attention, I might just watch TV the way the rest of the world does. With, you know, just me and the TV. And the mister. And some knitting.

So, what are you watching?

Guess what? Things are getting accomplished. I’ve been back at work for three days and I’ve been a whirling dervish of accomplishment. The course is well on its way, my work to-do list has been whittled down to a shadow of its former self, there are all of four (FOUR!) messages in my inbox, and I’m starting in on the longer-term projects that have been sidelined for months & months in favour of all the other little stuff.

Damn!

I’m embarassed to tell you how excited I am about Big Brother: All Stars. Not embarassed enough, however. Have you seen who was voted in? Step back, quality teevee straight ahead, friends.

• I would like another cat (a third!), a brand new, squeaky kitten, but the mister is quite firm on this point. So are the existing cats, they won’t have any part of it. Damn them.
• I am knitting the exitsing cats a blanket, one they will have to share because, while I have good intentions and plan on knitting two, I know that I will make it to the end of the first and say to them, “there isn’t a chance I’m making another one of these, my dears; you will have to share.” I’m using Lion Suede (in ecru), which is a heavy, soft, chenille-like yarn, which isn’t tons of fun on the needles, but oh! the feeling of the knit fabric between my fingers, it’s delightful. I think the cats will enjoy it, even if they have to wrestle for it.
• I’m weary to-day. I’ve been weary for a few days. I am ready for Spring.
• At the moment, my teevee roster includes Lost, Veronica Mars, Project Runway, The Sheild, Battlestar Galactica, and 24. As you can see, it’s a pretty substantial roster, but I hardly ever talk about these shows at all here. I’m not sure why that is, exactly, except that I watch most of this teevee peripherally, with my laptop on my lap, while I do interwebby things. Like right now, for example, I am blogging while Jack pulls out an arrow from the shoulder of an “other”. If you know what I’m talking about, you know what I’m talking about; it’s not quite worth explaining, so my apologies to non-teevee-viewers.
• Last week, I bought an issue of The New Yorker. I haven’t bought The New Yorker in ages, months, maybe years, and all of a sudden I feel like I need to incorporate some decent vocabulary into my regular communications. Words like vernal and behest. Anyway, decent vocabulary aside, there is a very good article by Malcolm Gladwell that deals with how to solve the problem of homelessness rather than manage it (which is what most cities do) using power-law theory. As Gladwell says, the theory is economically sound (it costs less to rent homes for the homeless than it does to run shelters and provide other such services, including health care) but morally problematic (giving a free apartment to a homeless person is not “fair” when there are plenty of people who are not homeless but living below the poverty line & struggling to make ends meet). We have a dire homeless situation in this here city, and I have no good ideas on how to solve it, so I’m always keen to read what others have to say on the subject, even if I have slight philosophical reservations with their solutions.

A very happy Spring Solstice to you! I don’t think there is anyone in the Western hemisphere happier than I am that the weather has turned (yes, there was snowmelt while I lay moanful in bed, last week). This morning I drove the mister to a dental appointment and was pleased pleased pleased to step out to large scale dripping, melt-off, and a handful of fearless chirpy sparrows hanging out in the tree above the deck. O, Spring!

I was going to write more last night, all about day two of iBook ownership and usership, but instead I ended up watching Intervention on A&E, which put me in a mostly foul, unsociable mood. Have you seen this show? It is, as the title suggests, a bit of a pageant wherein people with addicitions are confronted by family and friends and given a final chance to enter treatment right away or risk the end of these relationships. As much as I like to be hopeful for these people, I usually find myself at once uncomfortable at the spectacle of a completely personal interaction, stressed over their chances at full recovery, and raging mad over the way the family or friends (most likely, the parents) are mistreated by the person suffering the addiction. Last night, by the end of the hour, I was mostly just angry that I put myself through an emotional ringer in the name of entertainment, and vowed never to do it to myself again. By that point, the evening was lost for blogging, and what a terrible way to round off an otherwise enjoyable weekend of recovery and discovery!

The ill-effects of last night might have extended their nasty claws into today, as well, if it wasn’t for time well-spent with Elizabeth Zimmerman’s Knitter’s Almanac, which I am reading & reviewing for the next issue of Spun, and would it be giving too much away to heartily commend it to you now? (And as a completely unrelated aside, I have given up and gone back to linking to amazon.com when I refer to books here because, who am I kidding, they are building the ultimate in social communities for book-lovers, and resist as I might, I find myself checking their book pages for that “value-added” every once in a while. I’ll continue to provide the “find in your library!” link with reviews though, and because I feel the need to say it every once in a while, please remember to shop independent. Thank you.)

Last time I jumped in on a meme was July 2004, it might well be time for another. And so, since I was tagged by Andrea, and also, since I am, in fact, just another sheep with a blog:

1. How much space is left on your TIVO or Comcast box?

This is Canada, so no TiVo here. But, as far as I can tell, the closest we come is the PVR, which does all the same pause/rewind-live-TV-record-your-favourite-programmes thing, and yes, we have one of those. As for how much space is left? Well, we just ran through all of Season 5 of Angel (thanks, Space) and deleted those, as well as much of series 3 of MI-5 (thanks, A&E), and deleted those as well, so we’re damn near back to full capacity (save for an episode or two of Footballer’s Wives which we have yet to get through).

2. Have you ever bought a DVD of a tv series and if so which one?

Well, yes. Buffy and Angel. We have all but season 5 of the former, and all but seasons 2 and 5 of the latter.

3. What was the last tv show you watched before reading this message ?

E.R., last night. That Cynthia Nixon storyline was very good, but very difficult to watch. It made me feel strangely claustrophobic, amongst other things.

4. List five shows you won’t miss:

The Amazing Race, when it’s on. Lost, when it’s new. NYPD Blue, because it’s wrapping up. Everything else is quite miss-able.

5. Three peeps to pass this on to?

Anna and Carol, because they both manage to say astute things about teevee. And Rebecca, because she really needs to close that book and turn on the television.

There has been sparse knitting content around here lately, hasn’t there? I do have a couple of fibre-friendly stories to tell, but I’ve been cagey about current projects because they have been mostly gift-knitting. From now until December 26th, you can probably expect to see intermitten knit-talk. No big surprise.

Lately, I’ve completed a modified version of Stepannie’s Silk Garden beanie (modified to toque proportions: i.e.: rib for about 2.5″ and stocking stitch for about 6″) in Lamb’s Pride Superwash and a standard pair of socks in Regia’s delicious new silk/merino blend. Both for etc.’s most faithful reader, my dad. No pictures of either yet, perhaps I can wheedle a modeled shot out of him.

And, in Buffy content (I’m seriously resisting the urge to start a “buffy” category, even though the author of this book is quoting this post on the back cover of her volume), this is a good article that talks buffy, politics, morality, cosmic balance, and who you should vote for for president next week, all in one place.

• You may or may not remember that some months ago I bemoaned a tight schedule of several forthcoming deadlines. Those deadlines came and went, most were met, some weren’t. Which is to say that one of the deadlines that was met was for an article on writing for publication that was just published in Knowledge Quest (Journal of the American Association of School Librarians), in their issue for newbies. It’s not online, but Steven’s article on keeping current (same issue, pdf) is, and it’s definitely worth a read.
• In a 30-minute fit of pure self-indulgence yesterday, I plumbed the Internet Archive for a little e-j.com history. I’ve saved some screen shots to my server and provided a little design retrospective here. In all likelihood, this will be of interest to no one but me.
• A few weeks ago, I acted on a hot tip and picked up season 1 of Buffy and Angel, respectively. All told? $39 (Canadian), including shipping. With all the recent vampire-slaying mania at my house, I knew it was just a matter of time before the personal library got off the ground, but who could have hoped that the inaugural steps would have been so painless?

A book whose contents I cannot vouch for, but whose basic premise is giving shape to my life these days.

Hello. There is a new favourite yarn in town, and her name is Silk Garden. I started a lovely little sweater called Klaralund (for which there is a knitalong), and I’m absolutely smitten with this yarn, its silky-drapey goodness has me swooning a great deal, and I’m positively ravished by the colours (I’m using #86).

Which brings me to the issue of Knitpics.

You’ve been patient with me lately, gentle readers. I’ve been talking about the knitting (i.e. Fancy Work) I’ve been doing, but I’ve provided nary a scrap of photographic evidence, and for that I am remorseful. I’m happy to lay complete blame on the extant Buffy and Angel enslavement I have fallen victim to, the mister and I are up to season 4 of Buffy and season 1 of Angel (an episode each, in sequence), so there isn’t much of anything else that’s getting done while we imbibe ridiculous doses of The Best Television Ever Written, Ever.

So bear with me while I pick up the scraps of normalcy this week. I have not one, but two of these to show you, and the in-progress Klaralund of course, and also some older projects that are finally seamed and ready for wear. There are a couple of pictures in it for you, promise.