iPod Addiction

Yesterday morning while getting off the commuter rail on the way to work, I did my usual routine of taking out my iPod and starting a favorite song.  However, when I took it out and pressed play– nothing happened.  I realized my battery was dead… and freaked out.  Easy fix though, right?  Just bring it home after work and charge it.  But, that would involve being without it for an entire day.  An entire back-from-a-week-and-a-half-off day.  I knew then what I never wanted to admit– I am addicted to my iPod. It never used to be this way.  I was probably the only one on the planet without an iPod, certainly the only one out of my friends.  I thought, “I’ll never get one.  I’ll never cave to society’s popular gadgets.”  But, when my other cheap-o mp3 player bit the dust, I decided it was time for a change.  Something a little more innovative, a little more durable– a little more like an iPod.  So I went for it and let me tell you: it was the best $150 I’ve ever spent.  Not only did I get an iPod, but I got the brand new 3rd generation nano.  Gasp. I listen to it on the way to work.  I listen to it at my desk.  Occasionally you can see me listening to it walking around the stacks while searching for media booking items.  Of course I listen to it on the way home from work and let’s not forget before I fall asleep at night.  I even got it a little protective case so it doesn’t get scratched.  I may even name it someday, but I don’t know if I want to go there, yet.  I am in love with this thing. Well, rest assure, the first thing I did yesterday when I got home was charge it so that it would be ready for today.  As a closing note,  I thought I would share with you all what I am currently listening to:  Gretchen Wilson- her album, Here for the Party (and I promise- this is the only country music on my iPod!) ~Tricia 🙂

Back at Snell

After a week in (not so) sunny California with my family, I’m back here in snowy Boston and in Snell Library. The break was good. It was nice to be able to walk outside without a coat on. It’s good to be back here though too. Next week the semester will start and things will get crazy but for now it’s still quiet. (I’m currently typing this at the Circulation Desk because there are no patrons to help.) Soon we’ll all be running around like headless chickens but for now I can enjoy the peace and quiet.

ALA Celebrity READ Posters

If you’ve ever ventured into a public library, you’ve probably noticed celebrity READ posters. I’m always intrigued by the stars chosen, and their favorite books. Some seem obvious, such as Orlando Bloom with The Lord of the Rings. Some seem more surprising, like Shaquille O’Neal with Undying Glory.

How do you think the poster subjects are chosen? Do you have a favorite literate celeb you’d love to seem emblazoned on your library’s wall?

Snow, Snow, Snow

This extremely snowy day has me thinking about the weather.

Where’s your favorite place to be when it snows? How does Boston rank?

I actually quite like both my apartment and so far, Snell Library, to be able to look out and see the snow coming down. But I’m also someone who (as long as it’s not too cold) likes to be outside in the snow—skiing, either downhill or cross-country.

Do you know of anyplace that’s particularly transformed when it snows? Where do you like to be? Or when it snows, would you prefer to be somewhere far away?

TV on the Radio

Our video upload attempts got me thinking about video on the web. With the writer’s strike stalling new television shows, I recently read an article on shows designed with internet viewing in mind. It also seems that users (myself included) have come to expect a smorgasbord of free entertainment (including television) on the web. While most networks have jumped on the bandwagon, usually providing a few episodes of their most popular programs online, they hardly offer an exhaustive season catalogue. This past week, I spent a fruitless hour trying to find episodes that I had missed.

Until I purchase a TiVo or DVR, is this a hopeless exercise? Or is the possibility of a complete television canon, free and readily accessible online, in the near future? Or, have users come to demand far too much in the way of free content, and will they be forced to pay for it, one way or another?