Posts filed under 'Personal Miscellany'
I completely sympathize with the writer of this post on the agony of seeing old card catalog cabinets in a dumpster (via things) I have let my share of cabinets go in the past (…not to mention lovely but no longer useful library tables, chairs, and other such furnishings). Thankfully, I was able to get an old Widener carrel during the carrel giveaway a few years ago, and it is one of the few cherished possessions that I have here .. . My ex-fiance still does not understand why I was so determined to haul “that poorly designed table” from the pickup location in Allston to our apartment in Medford. While I am the first to admit that as a workspace it is far from perfect, I always feel inspired when I sit down at that desk, wondering about the dissertations and daydreams that were pondered there. All it needs is a few geraniums to be my perfect haven :-).
March 4th, 2004
I suppose that the few readers that I have may be wondering why it has been quieter than usual in this whispering corner of the blogosphere. In special collections news, I have not reported on Houghton’s acquisition of the Donald and Mary Hyde Collection of Dr. Samuel Johnson. I have also let the announcement of the 2004 Leab Exhibition Awards by RBMS (the Rare Books and Manuscripts Section of the American Library Association) pass without acknowledgement. More shockingly, the Seussentennial has arrived without a Seussism from me. (By the way, many birthday wishes, little sister, if you are reading this!)Of course, I have good reasons for being so neglectful. Mostly, I have been busy, but I am also recovering from a repetitive strain injury. To say the least, I will not be updating this weblog much in the next few weeks (or possibly months) while I am on the mend. (sigh…no weblog posts, no Sims, no knitting…time to find new hobbies). As I have said before on this weblog, visit the excellent sites in my blogroll and keep me in your news aggregator. With any luck, I will be back soon.
March 2nd, 2004
The problem with taking a weblog hiatus is that all sorts of interesting things appear online after you have vowed not to post anything. Today’s Oxford English Dictionary (OED) word of the day is “blog”. This was funny to me, particularly, since it has been several weeks since I last checked that link from my own weblog. (At first, it looked like a suggestion instead of a definition) . . . And, being the voracious but closeted dictionary reader that I am, I examined the etymology, date chart, and pronunciation information with much amusement. If you are curious, follow the link before a new word is posted. If you disagree with their definition, read the “Contribute to the OED“ page and submit a form, if appropriate.
February 12th, 2004
Yesterday morning, while I was in the Special Collections reading room, a hawk landed on a tree near Austin Hall. Hawks often hunt and perch in that area, so the bird’s presence did not surprise me. It did, however, make for a poetic winter tableau–a hawk taking shelter from light snowfall in bare branches that offered little refuge. I wanted to write a poem, but I could not express the scene in words . . . so now the scene is frozen in my thoughts as a silent, wordless haiku.
January 29th, 2004
Over the weekend, I decided to experiment with candy making in hopes of creating wonderful holiday treats for all of my co-workers and friends. My early attempts were not so successful. (Who could have guessed that cats are attracted to corn syrup and peppermint oil?) But, my last attempt–a peppermint bark recipe, courtesy of Martha Stewart Living–turned out well . . . too well, perhaps.
Yesterday, I distributed the bundles of confectioneries, wrapped in pieces of fabric originally chosen for a belly dance costume I never made. Within hours, everyone was raving about the candy treats. And, based on some of the surreptitious snacking that I have observed, it seems that these treats are not just tasty but a bit addictive.
I thought that the bark was good but not spectacular. I was more proud of my handmade gift tags. Of course, these were not ordinary gift tags but gift tags in the form of miniature Japanese sewn binding (fukurotoji) books. Not bad for a project started in the middle of the night.
December 18th, 2003
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