Retired?

Okay, I'm feeling it. No itchy-twitchies.

(disclaimer...)

Aha! I signed up for so many things during Web 2.0 that I've forgotten which username/passwords go with what. This post was intended for a private family blog, though I doubt they will read it. And on second thought. I created it as a personal' what's next blog' for me. Somehow this post went to Silverlining. It took at least three weeks to begin to feel retired. The first week I even found myself showered and in the car at 12:15 to return books to ANN on Tuesday and back again on Thursday. Now, at the end of the month I am settling in.

The sun is going down over the creek. Mama duck still has 8 babies and they are sitting on the old bridge tie in the cove. Brian is going to take a picture. Crab cakes for dinner. Farm markets are open and we are flush with tomatoes, plums and fruit. Dennis arrives Friday, and Patrick winds up his third year... and that's the way it is.

Sunny Monday...

We need more sunny days, at least 60 degrees and a few green leaves. Is it just me or is spring late?

Sunday Bus to NYC

The Staff Association Bus Trip to New York was great.. only three and a half hours up, generous snacks included! The hardest part was getting up really early, though its just as dark at 5:30 as it is at 6:30, so there's no noticeable difference ... dark is dark!
Bagels and lox for lunch, holiday crowds at Rockefeller Center, catching Mass at St. Pat's, walking 5th Avenue, and Central Park...it was cold! We saved enough time before catching the bus home to step inside the home of the Letterman Show (Ed Sullivan Theatre), be overwhelmed by the lights on Broadway and enjoy two pints at the Pig and Whistle. As good as the pint was, what I really loved was overhearing the Italian commentary from the Stealers fan sitting at the bar. Warned that the bus leaves at 7PM sharp, with or without you, we grabbed a couple of slices of pizza for the trip home. Thanks to those who organized the trip and to John our driver who gave us a great ride up and back!

Checking out the boatshow

...from the water. The Sunday sun was going down over the city and a full moon was rising over the bay. It's been a long time since I added anything to my blog so I decided to make another badge of the pictures.

Old dog learns new tricks...

I have come full circle, sitting on the same sunporch couch where this all started. I enjoyed a full day of Hanna. It was much like a snow day; however I decided to designate it a Lump Day. (Lump Day is a family tradition begun by my brother-in-law Tim and his family for the day-after Christmas. You don't get out of your pajamas and you play with all your toys). I have watched two movies, one on Instaview, I Twittered and listened to Pandora. I added friends, links and stuff to my Facebook account, and I made three Animoto videos. Soon after I added a link in Facebook to a Newsweek article, "A letter to Hillary," I was called by a national issues survey. Do they monitor Facebook? And yes, one mo' time, Brian reminded me how I said I didn't see how people could sit in front of a computer all day.(This was in the "I- told-you-so" yada, yada, yada spirit but with a smile.)

The reason for this post is that the last holdout on my Exploration was Facebook. I had several reasons. There was privacy, and the fear of invading that of my sons. I had also observed all those kids on the computers huddled over posts and smirking. I know it has been used for negative purposes. But like any other tool, I now realize that its all in how it's used.

I signed on because a coworker said it was fun. She had connected with a friend of her daughter's, and she said it was creative (making your own Flair!). So I joined in. My son said 'Whoo-hoo'; he was happy to be my first friend. Initially I hesitated asking people if they wanted to be my friend. Would they say no? What about the man from Columbia, South America who shares my maiden name? Should he be my friend? I have since learned there are many others in Columbia and the Mideast. I lurked and watched. It took me a while to realize that this is just a way to keep in touch; and if it was really private no one would post it, although I have still not gone international.

Last, but not least, I want to give some thanks to Father Andy at St. Mary's. He has a blog (www.reflectbay.blogspot.com). Months before I began this project, he mentioned his blog in the church bulletin and I periodically check in. Beside looking forward to his posts and poetry, he was the inspiration for my figuring out a way to get the picture of the moon rising over the Chesapeake Bay in my header.

Good people at Pandora.../ Birchmere

My husband really loves all kinds of music...rock, reggae, blues. Irish punk rock, Irish folk rock, jazz, opera, contemporary Hawaiian, Jahwaiian, Zydeco, classic...and on and on to generate about 80 stations on Pandora. All this led him to an email back n' forth with one of the listener advocates at Pandora. I didn't realize all this was going on. In one very nice email they offered us our choice of several Pandora logo gifts. Thanks Pandora. I like my new bag and thanks for Brian's "Fidel" hat. FYI...my list of stations is fairly short. I lean towards things that fill in the background like alternative or instrumental New Age or jazz etc. to listen to while I work The station generated by the movie "Once" was really addictive. All I could do was listen.

Wednesday night I made my first trip to the Birchmere and saw The Saw Doctors. So far this year, we've caught the Saw Doctor's once in New York and twice at the Ram's Head on Stage. I would have twittered that I bumped into the Gov again, but my cell phone is a very uncool cheep utilitarian thing. I wish I could have taken a picture. According to the W.P. I was part of the raucous crowd (Reliable source, Style, page 3). The Saw doc's were great. (2 1/2 hr set) It was was a lot of fun and the Birchmere was not at all what I expected. It was like an old-fashioned warehouse behind a tire store. The best part is that you can be very close and move around. I had expected something like the Ram's Head live or the Norva in Norfolk.

Wrapping up and moving on

I was not anxious to jump into Web 2.0. It was just serendipity that the arrival of a new laptop coincided with a project that had to be tackled sooner or later.
Setting up a blog was simple, and I soon realized that I could have the same results as several of the blogs I followed. It was easy to be creative, and the possibilities seemed unlimited. What I'd most like to pass on to people who shared my previous misconceptions and prejudices is that the creators of Web 2.0 have made the process very simple. Mistakes are easy to correct. With a little bit of trial and error, or a friend's help, it's easy to add all the bells and whistles. Linking one application to another was simpler than I imagined. The most important points for me have been:

1. Ease of use.
2. I enjoyed the sharing of information along the way. One discovery often led to another. An upgrade to another's blog or twitter account often led me to a "how did they do that?"
3. Several of the tools could be used to personalize the library's homepage, make it more timely, highlight programming, promote library resources, and in general, pass along information to our patrons. A static homepage is boring...Updating with photographs, feeds, etc. will have the patron coming back to see what's new.
4. I've been introduced to a Wiki at one branch, and it seems to be a great tool that allows each staff member to check in and update their areas of responsibility, plan programming, and keep everyone on the same page.
5. Knowledge of business applications on the web is important to our patrons. In my position at work I do not need these applications, but I can pass the information on to our patrons.
6. I enjoyed having this style of guided learning available. It was always available during the slow times.
7. My only negative is that I signed up for so many things; the only exception being Facebook (one step too far for me). I logged onto everything with my work email. I imagine the system has much better filters and entire ISS staff to deal with any mischief I may have stirred up. Sorry....

Though I've finished the nine explorations, I realize I've only just begun to look at all the possibilities. My view of what was out there was pretty narrow and I couldn't understand how people could just sit in front of a computer for hours. Now I actually lose track of time because I'm more involved in doing than reading.