Unutterably Silly So what are you doing RIGHT NOW?

[Bilbo1967]

Originally Posted by poohbear_nc

Just finished watching the Masters Golf tournament - what a finish! No one saw that coming! Congrats Mr. Willett

Yes indeed. I watched to the end too, although I almost went to bed when it looked like becoming a procession for Spieth - glad I didn't!

Right now I'm watching University Challenge on the TV.

[Cinisajoy]

Debating on whether to make bread or not.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by poohbear_nc

Just finished watching the Masters Golf tournament - what a finish! No one saw that coming! Congrats Mr. Willett

Gotta say that Spieth threw that one away. It was his to lose and he did just that.

[Rumpelteazer]

I've just reset my old Kindle 4 NT and I'm now about to transfer some books to it. My sister is going on vacation soon and since she's got a 15 hour flight to look forward to I offered her the use of the Kindle.

I'm having to guess a bit what she likes, she's into YA, but has lost interest in vampires.

[phenomshel]

Sitting in front of the computer, waiting for a second wind to go finish cleaning off the enclosed porch so the cats can have their lounge space back. They're worse lounge lizards than what we find in here!

(hi y'all... miss me?)

[poohbear_nc]

Originally Posted by phenomshel

Sitting in front of the computer, waiting for a second wind to go finish cleaning off the enclosed porch so the cats can have their lounge space back. They're worse lounge lizards than what we find in here!

(hi y'all... miss me?)

Welcome back! Pull up a chair! Pour a drink! How's everything with you all?

[phenomshel]

Pooh!! *grabs a ZCD BombShel and pulls up a chair* We're good. Really, really good.
Chris is currently working for John Deere as a Tier III infrastructure analyst. I'm still at the library but I've got a lot more responsibilities now. They've got me working on the website and planning events. I am loving every second of it.

Poked my head in because I'm contemplating buying another e-ink reader. I love my Surface but it's a bit awkward to hold for reading in bed. Then I realized I really missed y'all!

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by phenomshel

Pooh!! *grabs a ZCD BombShel and pulls up a chair* We're good. Really, really good.
Chris is currently working for John Deere as a Tier III infrastructure analyst.

Excellent!

I'm still at the library but I've got a lot more responsibilities now. They've got me working on the website and planning events. I am loving every second of it.

I assume the increased responsibilities have increased compensation along with them?

Poked my head in because I'm contemplating buying another e-ink reader. I love my Surface but it's a bit awkward to hold for reading in bed. Then I realized I really missed y'all!

My reader is a 7" Android tablet. I can operate it one handed, and eInk is not a requirement. It lives on a charger when not used, so power savings aren't a factor, and a lot of what I read has color. (If the book is talking about a painter's use of color and includes samples of the painter's work to illustrate, eInk B&W does not suffice.)

I have an Android tablet that has both LCD and eInk screens, from an ahead of their time manufacturer that went belly up. Fun to play with, but quirky, and not what I use on a normal basis.

Let us know which way you jump on a new reader.
______
Dennis

[phenomshel]

Hey Dennis! Yes, I will let you know what I decide. Kind of leaning toward a Kobo Aura H2O, for the bigger screen size.

As for the library - yes, I just got a "promotion" that included more hours, and am looking at possibly another bump in hours in June. We'll see. Right now things are going great - we got a new director last summer, and he is wonderful. Under him, I've gotten to add to and curate two new genre sections that were vastly under-represented, in addition to the website and event planning.

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by phenomshel

Hey Dennis! Yes, I will let you know what I decide. Kind of leaning toward a Kobo Aura H2O, for the bigger screen size.

I find a 7" screen a good fit for reading. It's roughly MMPB size, and I can adjust fonts, line spacing and the like for comfort.

In landscape mode I can do things like spreadsheets without too much difficulty.

eInk still isn't a viable option here - too much of what I do requires color, and a need a multi-function device, not a dedicated reader.

But the Kobo looks nice.

As for the library - yes, I just got a "promotion" that included more hours, and am looking at possibly another bump in hours in June. We'll see. Right now things are going great - we got a new director last summer, and he is wonderful. Under him, I've gotten to add to and curate two new genre sections that were vastly under-represented, in addition to the website and event planning.

The nice thing is that you appear to have the budget to support it. Libraries are publicly funded institutions, and in many areas, the public is balking at the funding. Funding comes from taxes, and taxes are a hot button.

I'm in NYC, and the NYPL is healthy all told, but the hours the branch a block from me is open have varied in recent years, and funding for new acquisitions is always an issue. Good to see you can curate some under represented genre sections. (Which ones, by the way?)
______
Dennis

[poohbear_nc]

Originally Posted by phenomshel

Pooh!! *grabs a ZCD BombShel and pulls up a chair* We're good. Really, really good.
Chris is currently working for John Deere as a Tier III infrastructure analyst. I'm still at the library but I've got a lot more responsibilities now. They've got me working on the website and planning events. I am loving every second of it.

Poked my head in because I'm contemplating buying another e-ink reader. I love my Surface but it's a bit awkward to hold for reading in bed. Then I realized I really missed y'all!

Enough about you! How about the really important stuff???? Cats!! Are you still contemplating adding a Maine Coon cat to the family?

[phenomshel]

Originally Posted by poohbear_nc

Enough about you! How about the really important stuff???? Cats!! Are you still contemplating adding a Maine Coon cat to the family?

OH! Oh, my. Pooh...you'd better sit down. I'm so sorry to tell you that we lost our orange Buddy cat to thyroid problems, November of 2014. And we lost our Siamese, Sinatra, to kidney disease last September. We did not add a Maine Coon, instead, in January 2015 we adopted from the local shelter a blue point Siamese that weighs in at 18 lbs. His name is Bishop. And last spring, the neighbors found a tiny injured baby kitten in their landscaping - and guess who rescued it? We now are the cat parents of a nuclear powered Demon Spawn of a kitten. She's a domestic shorthair gray tabby, and is the light of our lives.

If I can remember how to post pictures....

[phenomshel]

Originally Posted by DMcCunney

I find a 7" screen a good fit for reading. It's roughly MMPB size, and I can adjust fonts, line spacing and the like for comfort.

In landscape mode I can do things like spreadsheets without too much difficulty.

eInk still isn't a viable option here - too much of what I do requires color, and a need a multi-function device, not a dedicated reader.

But the Kobo looks nice.


The nice thing is that you appear to have the budget to support it. Libraries are publicly funded institutions, and in many areas, the public is balking at the funding. Funding comes from taxes, and taxes are a hot button.

I'm in NYC, and the NYPL is healthy all told, but the hours the branch a block from me is open have varied in recent years, and funding for new acquisitions is always an issue. Good to see you can curate some under represented genre sections. (Which ones, by the way?)
______
Dennis

Well, we wouldn't have the budget, except for the by now infamous Rita Crundwell, and that I live in the town that was the victim of the largest municipal embezzler in the country. Yes, I live in Dixon, IL. So, when they recovered a bunch of the money she embezzled, the library got a chunk of it, which paid to repair and replace a bunch of stuff that had been falling down around our ears for decades. At the same time, they also increased our share of the tax levy, boosting our budget by several thousand dollars for last year, this fiscal year, and probably next, too. Our tax levy is capped, but they can juggle where the money goes. Problem is, if one area gets boosted, another suffers. The genres I curate are cozy mysteries (I'm sure that's a huge shock to all *laugh*) and urban fantasy. We also have a new director (last summer) who is fantastic. The old one wasn't a slouch either, mind you, but she was kind of in "retirement mode". This one is a bit younger and he's tackling issues we've had for years, and making progress. He's also English, which is always entertaining.

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by phenomshel

Well, we wouldn't have the budget, except for the by now infamous Rita Crundwell, and that I live in the town that was the victim of the largest municipal embezzler in the country. Yes, I live in Dixon, IL. So, when they recovered a bunch of the money she embezzled, the library got a chunk of it, which paid to repair and replace a bunch of stuff that had been falling down around our ears for decades.

I missed hearing about that one. I am rather amazed that people like Crundwell actually think they can get away with it forever.

A chap I know from Chicago said IL residents assume their politicians to be corrupt, but do at least expect them to be amusing. He told me about one who was a state Assemblyman. The guy was excoriated in a local paper, and accused of high crimes, misdemeanors, and mopery and dopery on the spaceways.

He responded to the attack, but completely ignored the charges of bribery, embezzlement, racketeering and the like. The one part he did respond indignantly to was the accusation he didn't actually live in the district he represented. No surprise. If that could be proven, he'd be out of office, as living in the area you represent is a hard and fast rule. The legislature would have no choice about expelling him. The other stuff was all negotiable...

At the same time, they also increased our share of the tax levy, boosting our budget by several thousand dollars for last year, this fiscal year, and probably next, too. Our tax levy is capped, but they can juggle where the money goes. Problem is, if one area gets boosted, another suffers. The genres I curate are cozy mysteries (I'm sure that's a huge shock to all *laugh*) and urban fantasy. We also have a new director (last summer) who is fantastic. The old one wasn't a slouch either, mind you, but she was kind of in "retirement mode". This one is a bit younger and he's tackling issues we've had for years, and making progress. He's also English, which is always entertaining.

Excellent. With the tax levy capped it's a juggling act, but it sounds like your voters don't have an issue with the library getting a bigger slice of the pie.
______
Dennis

[Rumpelteazer]

I'm testing my new headphones. My trusty 15-year-old Sennheiser was in need of replacement and I decided to splurge and get noise cancelling headphones this time. Since the noisy season will start officially next week with King's Day it was time to order them.

I decided to go for the Bose QuietComfort 25. When I saw them I was slightly worried, since they are a lot smaller than I'm used to and I was afraid my earrings would get squashed. But they are exactly the right size, they fit right around my ears and the legs of my glasses don't feel squashed against my head either (though the real test will be how it feels after wearing it for several hours).

I had read complaints about the sound quality, not enough bass, but it sounds fine to me. The sound of my computer is completely blocked as soon as I switch on the noise cancelling, even without music on. The real test will be this weekend (when the cafes turn their music up) and next week with King's Night and Day.