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Since I'm now down with a cold, and remembering the torment that is being stuck in the house for days on end, I would like to suggest a list of things to have on hand in case of such emergencies:
1. Matzo ball soup. No sick ward is complete without mama's cure-all.
2. Trashy magazines. Absolutely vital for the sick blob with the attention span of a gnat.
3. Equally trashy paperbacks. Again, gnat + very light reading = happy sicky.
4. Netflix. Try not to watch all your movies the first day. Big mistake.
5. Episodic DVD sets. In the absence of Netflix, your only hope for the long, lonely hours.
6. Some kind of game system. Never underestimate the power of video games in the healing process.
Considering I've been discussing our "relationship" with my S.O. way too often of late, this article on The Lord of the Rings as a dating manual seemed especially ironic. At least, we both had a good laugh out of it.
And finally, the mother of all dating wisdom:
Some people will go to any lengths to get a ring; others, having had one for awhile, will go to any lengths to chuck it into a volcano.
(link via Bookslut, natch)
New York Times.
French banning of the Muslim hijab.
Sociology and history of the Hebrew language. Have you considered books?
Wireless access.
Adult obesity and its relationship to the healthcare system.
No, those computers only search the catalog.
Searching for journals we own.
No, those computers only search the catalog.
Women successors to family businesses.
Ethics of assisted suicide.
Applied mechanics for a mechanical engineering class. Clearly not being taught here.
Dissed by patron who went to man at desk instead of to me.
Walt Disney's competitors and their products. Long reference interview.
Learning disabilities and homeless kids.
Any open ethernet ports? Sorry, we don't have those.
Tracking an article back from just author and topic.
Ineffective teachers and strategies for dealing with them.
No Child Left Behind - has teacher accountability gone too far?
How many books can I check out?
Opening DRM protected Adobe Acrobat files. (huh?)
Do you have a calculator? Nope.
Sorry, we don't have either of those journals. You can get them elsewhere in the morning.
No, the computer lab isn't answering the phone. I don't know if they're open.
Lots of good research questions today!
Where is this call number?
How do I place this book on hold?
How do I find these journals?
What time do you close? x3
Everything you ever wanted to know about the gods but were afraid to ask at Godchecker. (link via ResearchBuzz) A sample entry:
ZEUS: Top God of the Earth and Ruler of Mount Olympus, the lofty cloudland where the Greek Gods live and look down upon mankind.
He is a real high-flyer, an Olympic champion, battling with the giant TITANS, casting thunderbolts and engaged in all manner of gut-busting glorious Godly pursuits.
ZEUS is married to the long-suffering HERA, but spends most of his time lusting after Goddesses, mortals, animals, and indeed anything that will keep still long enough.
It's tough at the top being the most fantastic hunky irresistible God of all time and having constantly to prove it. And never a quiet night in with slippers and a mug of cocoa because he has to keep his long-suffering wife HERA happy too. Their trials and tribulations form the basis of half the entries in our database.
ZEUS has had so many mistresses and fathered so many children that there's no point in giving a list here. Just take our word for it. See also CRONUS, RHEA, HEPHAESTUS, ATHENA and most of the other Greek Gods.
Moving on to more Godly matters, ZEUS was also known to the ancient Greeks as Epiphanes, the Magnificent One, whenever a certain star appeared in the east. This was celebrated with piph-ups known as epiphanies.
When he's not running around after nubile Goddesses in the form of a lusty animal, ZEUS looks after Law, upholds Justice, and casts thunderbolts on those deserving it.
We shall be embarrassed by you forever. (link via The Morning News)
Jews just can't ever get a break. New York rejects "Oy Vey" sign, according to CNN.
Tobias Semon relates What Literature Has Taught Me. (link via Bookslut)
"Dracula" illuminated the perils of foreign travel: fatigue, disingenuous sleeping arrangements, and unappetizing dietary options.
The Bible confirmed that no one likes a know-it-all either.
It may just be me, but I think Thai Ginger and Red Pepper Peanut Butter sounds great!
Lucius Shepard reviews Return of the King, with some fair criticisms and a lot of biting wit. I agree I could have done without some of the weepy wrap-up at the end. And this comment about Frodo and Sam made me gasp with laughter.
This relationship came to seem so cloyingly godawful, I half-expected a scene in which Sam, on his knees, tongue lolling, receives a snausage from Frodo’s hand.
And this one, on the "patently unnecessary pronouncments":
Legolas is given to intone, “There is a sleepless malice in the West,” the only appropriate response I could think of, considering the circumstance (not long before the final battle), was, “Duh!”
(link via Confessions of a Science Librarian)
Just finished Clive Barker's Abarat. (Cool web site, by the way.) Crud! I didn't realize it was the first in a series. Oh well. Only drawback to the novel that I could see is how heavy the gorgeously illustrated pages are. Just TRY holding it open between your thumb and pinky finger while slurping down cereal before work.
Rereading Susanna Moore's In the Cut. Managed to not see the movie, but I may remedy that after I finish the book again. I remember it as intense, sexy, and disturbing. So far seems much the same.
Reading Paula Fox's Desperate Characters for the new book club I joined. So far, a puss-filled, swollen cat bite seems to be a metaphor for the festering wound hiding underneath a couple's pretty life. Yuck. Also, I have an urge to yell, "Block that metaphor!" about every other page. And no one talks like these people. Geez Louise.
A library version of Piano Man, from icontemplate:
And the place is just bursting with lunatics
as some idiot yells on his phone
Yes, they're surfing this thing they call Internet
While asking 'bout interlibrary loans
...
Find us a book, you're the librarian
find us a book, tonight
Well we're all in the mood for a fantasy,
and we heard Tolkien's alright.
(link from Library Stuff)
As a reward for checking my blogs thoroughly this week, I found that Steven Cohen linked to me on LIS Blogsource! Yay! Thanks, friend. :)
Wow. These Harry Potter scarves (and other paraphernalia) are stunning, and truly authentic. Also, kinda pricey. But they provide a pattern free of charge. Very nice.
Well, I finally got to meet the members of my committee, and we had a good meeting. Good thing I had to fly halfway across the country for a two hour chat with half a dozen people.
I did get to meet the incomparable Jessamyn West and Bill Barnes, which was the highlight of my trip. I also had the chance to see some old library school chums, now gainfully employed at Oregon State and Harvard.
The girls brought some fine in-progress and completed projects to MoJoe's recently. Amy finished her first knit bag, a gorgeous endeavor. 
Nancy is working on another excellent hat, this one in red. 
Amy and Jodi knit and knit and knit on the couch. 
Sun Times, that is. Shifted Librarian Jenny Levine gets profiled (more reliably available PDF version) by Chicago's other paper. Link from the lady herself.
O ye, who ride the el from sunrise until the day endeth, rejoice! The CTA's new (as in, not yet available, natch) transit card, the Chicago Card Plus, will allow credit card re-up of available funds, and can also be used as a 30 day pass! Wonders will never cease.
I'll be at ALA Midwinter from Friday through Monday. I'll try to read all e-mail and post to the blog while I'm out of town.
Sunny San Diego, here I come!
Wired gives us 101 Ways to Save the Internet:
#54
Ship antivirus wizard Why can't the paper clip guy tell us something important, like "This message is infected with Sobig"?
we read! Yay for reading addictions!
In my week and a half off, I devoured Le Divorce (weak ending); The Summoning God (excellent, second in a series); and reread Burnt Offerings, an Anita Blake novel, in preparation for the new one coming out. Let's pray it's better than the last one.
Thomas, snoozing in his bear suit at our recent wine & cheese party, and his new Christmas sweater, guaranteed to fit him for at least fifteen minutes, sometime in the next year and half:
Some holiday pictures of our mixed-faith household, in honor of the new year:
Why you never leave your mop on the back porch to "dry" during a Chicago winter, however mild: 
Note how incredibly artistic I can be when others supply the actual art! I call this piece, "Suspicious Librarian."
Thanks to Alice at That Rabbit Girl for the link.
Of course there are at least two Lord of the Rings drinking games. Sequential Tart has one, but my personal favorite is from the Flick Filosopher. I quote:
Every time someone looks all mopey and angst-ridden, take a shot.
If it's Frodo, take two shots.
If it's Aragorn, swoon and feel all tingly inside.
If it's Faramir, and he's talking about showing his quality, say, "Yeah, baby, show that quality!"
Also, in case you get lost during the movie, here's a map.
Wow. I thought the Buffy musical was the be-all end-all, but see how wrong I was? Hurray for fanboy filk!