To start off, the term "bug-crusher" in the S/F world (S/F meaning "speculative fiction," "science fiction," or "sci-fi/fantasy" depending on who you ask) refers to HUGE books, at least 700+ pages or 3 in. thick, that can easily be used to crush small-ish insects. In their purest form bug-crushers tend to be hardback rather then paperback for that extra heft needed to kill.
However, bug crushers need not be limited to the SF genres, recently I've been reading histories and my current project is Doris Kearns Goodwin's The Bully Pulpit: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and the Golden Age of Journalism. It's a monster of a book coming it at 910 pages, 750 of which are actual content and not notes or the index. I started the book before Christmas 2014, but have been struggling to finish it, even with my two weeks of vacation. When I'm in the story it's very interesting, but after putting it down picking it up again seems such a chore, and not just because it's soooooo heavy.
To finish the book I began employing a tool I used to get through horrible reading assignments.
Step 1: Figure out the number of pages you have left to read.
Step 2: Divide that number by the number of days you have left to read the book (in my case it was either the due date of the assignment or the library due date).
Step 3: Read the resulting amount of pages each day.
Sounds simple right? It should be but isn't always because... life. One tip is to keep the number of pages manageable, 100 pages is just a little too much, 50 or 60 isn't too bad, but 20 or 30 is very doable. The other tip is to use two bookmarks to keep track of how far you have to read, please see Exhibit A.
It's part warm fuzzy, part shock and awe, and part anticipation/satisfaction.
It's confusion and exhilaration and a mind-numbing emotional roller coaster that leaves you speechless and shaking.
I am experiencing that feeling right now, and I can't believe how long it has been since I last felt this way.
There are now words to truly describe it, but I think it's about as close to an orgasmic experience that I will be for a while.
You just have to experience it for yourself.
If you are wondering what book did this to me, read the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher and just pray you get to, the twelfth book, Changes; it's Harry Potter for adults without the final letdown.
The theater, the theater, what happened to the theater? I wish that for at least one day, my life would be like a Broadway musical. I know that I already expressed this wish in a previous post, but I have renewed the idea because I have found the perfect staging scene: The Hallene Gateway Plaza. It's this great landscaped area on the edge of campus by the alumni center. Follow me on a quick sketch of my vision:
So this is the proper entrance for the Plaza:
Nice, right? Kind of park-y but with some great architecture.
Speaking of architecture, here is the building, the Alica Campbell Alumni Center, behind the arch. Notice the great second story balcony; perfect for dramatic scenes or dimensionality.
This shot was taken from the Alumni Center's patio. The fountain is a nice touch right?
Here's a panoramic shot of the fountain with the Alumni Center in the back. Notice the nice short, wide stairs in the background that would be great for a dance routine.
Okay, did you notice the nice curve of the fountain/planter rim? It's really wide and flat, so another great spot for dancers. There is also a secondary ledge around the outside, so even more stage area!
There are even picnic tables ... Think High School Musical "Status Quo"number.
Now, I realize that my dream will most likely never come true, but I have the set and am on the lookout for the signs that a big song-and-dance showstopper is about to occur.
1. The clothing of people around you is all in the same color scheme or similar in some way. The people also have to be diverse: ethnically, professionally, and physically. It's a sure sign that the chorus has gathered and is about to let it rip.
2. The people around you start walking or moving in formations. I'm talking about dance formations, with people equal distances from each other, or an attempt to look randomly placed but they leave enough of a personal bubble that it's not quite normal.
3. This is possibly the most obvious sign: music begins to blare over hidden speakers and everyone knows the song, even if you have never heard it before. This phenomenon is explored in Disney's Enchanted.
4. If you haven't caught on after those signs, meaning you are incredibly dense, when everyone around you begins to dance and you have the uncontrollable urge to join in, you are there.
Other giveaways:
The marching band that arrives for some unexplained reason I'm sure that the Marching Illini would help me out.
The fountain (a la Sound of Music) How great is the Hallene Fountain?
An open space where lots of choreography can happen Notice the patio, the broad walkways, and the grassy spots
Here's another example that meets all the above requirements.
The end of finals week is upon us and the season of textbook buy-back has begun. Now, any college student has seen the numerous advertisements for the campus book stores: "The best buy-backs in town" or "55% buy-back, more than any other store." And sometimes, they're right, but most of the time you can do so much better.
So here are some steps to get the most money for your ex-textbooks:
1. Check the buy-back prices at the campus stores. I realize I just warned against it, but just check and take note of how much they are giving back.
2. Check major online book sellers like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and halfpricedbooks.com. I personally use Amazon because I know its reputation and have had great success buying and selling.
3. Now compare the prices and remember to factor in shipping costs. I also factor in convenience, so if the prices between the books stores and the online sellers is so close, I go to the campus stores -- it's just easier.
4. When selling to the campus bookstores always remember any reward cards or any coupons to get an extra $2 on your buy-back -- every cent counts.
Now, go sell and get some of the hundreds you spent back.
Ok, so the resolution is not going so well as this post is already three days late, but better late then never.
Anyway, I've been on campus for the past week and have been working full-time at the library and it has really driven home all the pet peeves I have about this job. No job is perfect and I am planning to have a career in the library, but I have to rant.
Patrons who walk right in front of the desk and make you think they want help, but really they're just walking by. Let's just say I am a helpful person. I want to make people's lives easier. So, when I see someone approach the desk I go into super-informed-and-helpful-Liz mode only to be let down by those people who are too lazy or rude to walk around the rope barriers.
Patrons who assume that since I work at the library I should know everything about the computers. I have no background in IT and am almost computer illiterate for a person of my generation, but I try to help as much as possible. But sometimes, patrons just don't get that we don't have an IT person just for our library. They also don't get that our computers are public ones and don't allow a lot of downloading or saving for long periods of time. (Can you tell I had an issue like this today?)
The deluge of returns that occur right before closing time.It never fails that within the last hour and a half before closing time (which usually only happens two times a week as we are open 24/5) everyone suddenly remembers that they have material to return and rush up to the desk and hand everything over. We have so much time during the day to shelve, yet we leave for the day with at least two carts of material to shelve.
Professors who don't know how to put material on reserve, check out material on reserve, and give out the incorrect information about reserves to their students. This one is pretty self-explanatory, but has a simple fix. I propose that we offer an hour class/seminar to all the professors on campus on the reserve system. I'm sure that IPM (Information Processing Management) would thank us and would even have someone there to help run it.
Trying to shelve in the compact shelving. There isn't anything I can do about this, but having to step out of the shelves and wait for a patron to find the items they want, and since all the graphic novels are there, it takes a little time. I usually go to another section and shelve for awhile, but sometimes, like today, it was one after another who wanted to get into the shelves.
The fact that somehow as soon as someone starts looking for a DVD all the glorious shelves of perfectly straightened DVDs look like an earthquake has occurred. I will admit that our shelves are slippery, as are the newer DVD cases, but ... really, can they just clean up after themselves?
The creepy middle-aged, male patrons who watch porn on library computers and try to hide it.Don't kid yourself, we all know what you're doing, and it's gross. The only reason you come to the library is because you don't want your wife/girlfriend to know how many porn sites you subscribe to or you don't want viruses on your home computer. Just stop, no one else wants to see you, so go home and enjoy yourself in privacy.
Patrons who just plop materials on the desk. It's just rude, and I can't read minds so I don't know if they want to check out or if they are returning items. A nice "Hello" would be nice or even just a "Hi," but to just stand there waiting ... ARGH!
That's all I can think of right now, and I think I covered everything, but I may be adding later. In the meantime, enjoy this awesome video:
