yes I said yes I will Yes

HAPPY BLOOMSDAY

Rest In Peace: Jeanne Robinson

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNQBN606cQA

Meaningful work

Make Work Meaningful™

Meaning? Who has the time for meaning?

Cheryl Sylvester • Thursday, May 6th, 2010

Sometimes in the pressure of the day to day, we can lose the sense of meaning in our work. Amidst the deadlines, meetings and emails, something gets lost and, eventually, work can become detached from what it means for you.

If you’re feeling like you’re so busy that you’ve lost touch with why you’re doing what you’re doing, my first suggestion is to breathe deeply. Then give yourself a little time to take a step back and consider how you find meaning in your work.

One path to find the meaning in your work is to reconnect with your values: what’s important to you? Work is most meaningful when you are acting in alignment with your personal values.

Read more: http://makeworkmeaningful.com/2010/05/06/meaning-who-has-the-time-for-meaning/#ixzz0nBWCMrFh

I ran into the above on a blog called Make Work Meaningful and it seemed singularly important to pass it along today.

It's Reading Day, which means final exams start tomorrow. Life is hectic and I could easily go home and take a nap...but I won't. Instead I will work until midnight, because our hours are extended for exams. We are losing half a dozen seniors and all of our graduate students so we had pizza and salad and cookies and the ubiquitous chocolate jar is full. The party was both yesterday and today to allow everyone who wanted to come and share to join us. (I provide chocolate because it is my weakness, other staff provided salad, soda and cookies, and I split the cost of the pizza with the librarian. The students help us keep the library open and they deserve a treat.)

I even came in early, because there was a forum on the Google Books Project and our university and on the new Scholarly Commons which is being developed. I still don't know how I feel about the Google Settlement because I feel authors need to have control of their work and be paid for it, but at the same time if library materials are digitized the content is accessible to all and if they are not digitized the accessibility goes way down. Rather than many people being able to utilize the work to enhance their own work, only one person at a time can access the material. However, since we are talking about materials in a library, whether one person or a hundred or a thousand people use the material, the author/creator is only going to be paid once. It's a conundrum.

(As a side note, I love digital books and I am in favor of a universal union catalog providing access to all or part of every single printed item in existence in a searchable form and that is one of the aims of the Google book project. As long as they don't imprison the data after they have it they are the best tool for the job at this time.)

I've made a mind map (which is going to turn into a series of maps) (although now I want to look at different mindmapping programs which is NOT the point) of the different groups, projects and changes that I am going to be working with this summer and it's sort of scary.

There is:

• the Life Sciences / Biology implementation team (and)

• the Collection Management sub committee

• the continuing Supervisory Group that came out of the supervisory traing workshop

• the Student Training committee

• a new OPAC

• a new email system

• a new cataloging system

• updating the staff procedures documentation (in preparation for the retirement of a staff member)

• the training of new staff (should we get some, which is not bloody likely

• the Google Book and Digitization project (which only affects me because it involves the collection)

• preparing for potential changes in our hours that may or may not happen (a: stay the same b: open until 3am 5 days a week c: open 24/5 like the 2 other big libraries on campus)

• and the random day to day activities that occur in the library
  

• a state budget that sucks which means a library budget that sucks

Remember "It's all good. It's all meaningful. I like my job and I am glad I have a job to like"

Shared pain

Update on Jeanne

From Spider (relayed through Jim.)

Dear friends,

This will be hard to read; it is certainly hard to write.

Jeanne’s doctors have ended her chemotherapy. There’s nothing more chemistry can do for/to her. Radiation was never an option. She is therefore now in Palliative Care Phase. We asked roughly how long this stage might last—repeatedly—and the only answer we got was, “somewhere between a month and a year—more or less.”

Some good news: the Palliative Care doctor she’s been assigned is considered one of the world’s best. His name, I swear, is Dr. Sugar. Dr. Paul Sugar. Jeanne and I both liked him on sight. Her best friend Anya has been a patient of his for many years, and gives him top marks. So do all his patient-reviewers online.

Jeanne has been in Lion’s Gate Hospital for the past week with digestive troubles, and may be there for as long as another week. She is extremely weak and tired, but not in pain. She is being well cared for. And today they finally diagnosed her problem, which should be easily fixable. It is hoped she will soon return home, and rally, now that the chemo is no longer battering at her system. We all know her strength and determination. Our pharmacist tells us she has many customers who’ve been in palliative stage for more than four years and are feeling fine.

Right now Jeanne welcomes prayers, good thoughts, short emails of love and support that don’t require an answer...

2010 Hugo Nominees

Lifted from Nicola Griffith's site Ask Nicola:

Lifted whole from the AussieCon4 website:

The Hugo Awards are awards for excellence in the field of science fiction and fantasy. They were first awarded in 1953, and have been awarded every year since 1955.

The 2010 Hugo Awards will be presented in Melbourne, Australia during Aussiecon 4, the 68th World Science Fiction Convention.

Final voting will open 4 April 2010 and close 31 July 2010 23:59 PDT.

Supporting and attending members of Aussiecon 4 are eligible to vote in the final round.

The 2010 Hugo and John W. Campbell Award Nominees

BEST NOVEL (699 nominating ballots)

• Boneshaker by Cherie Priest (Tor)
• The City & The City by China Miéville (Del Rey; Macmillan UK)
• Julian Comstock: A Story of 22nd-Century America by Robert Charles Wilson (Tor)
• Palimpsest by Catherynne M. Valente (Bantam Spectra)
• Wake by Robert J. Sawyer (Ace; Penguin; Gollancz; Analog)
• The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi (Night Shade)

BEST NOVELLA (375 nominating ballots)

• "Act One" by Nancy Kress (Asimov's 3/09)
• The God Engines by John Scalzi (Subterranean)
• "Palimpsest" by Charles Stross (Wireless)
• Shambling Towards Hiroshima by James Morrow (Tachyon)
• "Vishnu at the Cat Circus" by Ian McDonald (Cyberabad Days)
• The Women of Nell Gwynne's by Kage Baker (Subterranean)

BEST NOVELETTE (402 nominating ballots)

• "Eros, Philia, Agape" by Rachel Swirsky (Tor.com 3/09)
• "The Island" by Peter Watts (The New Space Opera 2)
• "It Takes Two" by Nicola Griffith (Eclipse Three)
• "One of Our Bastards is Missing" by Paul Cornell (The Solaris Book of New Science Fiction: Volume Three)
• "Overtime" by Charles Stross (Tor.com 12/09)
• "Sinner, Baker, Fabulist, Priest; Red Mask, Black Mask, Gentleman, Beast" by Eugie Foster (Interzone 2/09)

BEST SHORT STORY (432 nominating ballots)

• "The Bride of Frankenstein" by Mike Resnick (Asimov's 12/09)
• "Bridesicle" by Will McIntosh (Asimov’s 1/09)
• "The Moment" by Lawrence M. Schoen (Footprints)
• "Non-Zero Probabilities" by N.K. Jemisin (Clarkesworld 9/09)
• "Spar" by Kij Johnson (Clarkesworld 10/09)

BEST RELATED WORK (259 nominating ballots)

• Canary Fever: Reviews by John Clute (Beccon)
• Hope-In-The-Mist: The Extraordinary Career and Mysterious Life of Hope Mirrlees
• The Inter-Galactic Playground: A Critical Study of Children's and Teens' Science Fiction by Farah Mendlesohn (McFarland)
• On Joanna Russ edited by Farah Mendlesohn (Wesleyan)
• The Secret Feminist Cabal: A Cultural History of SF Feminisms by Helen Merrick (Aqueduct)
• This is Me, Jack Vance! (Or, More Properly, This is "I") by Jack Vance (Subterranean)

BEST GRAPHIC STORY (221 nominating ballots)

• Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? Written by Neil Gaiman; Pencilled by Andy Kubert; Inked by Scott Williams (DC Comics)
• Captain Britain And MI13. Volume 3: Vampire State Written by Paul Cornell; Pencilled by Leonard Kirk with Mike Collins, Adrian Alphona and Ardian Syaf (Marvel Comics)
• Fables Vol 12: The Dark Ages Written by Bill Willingham; Pencilled by Mark Buckingham; Art by Peter Gross & Andrew Pepoy, Michael Allred, David Hahn; Colour by Lee Loughridge & Laura Allred; Letters by Todd Klein (Vertigo Comics)
• Girl Genius, Volume 9: Agatha Heterodyne and the Heirs of the Storm Written by Kaja and Phil Foglio; Art by Phil Foglio; Colours by Cheyenne Wright (Airship Entertainment)
• Schlock Mercenary: The Longshoreman of the Apocalypse Written and Illustrated by Howard Tayler

BEST DRAMATIC PRESENTATION - LONG FORM (541 nominating ballots)

• Avatar Screenplay and Directed by James Cameron (Twentieth Century Fox)
• District 9 Screenplay by Neill Blomkamp & Terri Tatchell; Directed by Neill Blomkamp (TriStar Pictures)
• Moon Screenplay by Nathan Parker; Story by Duncan Jones; Directed by Duncan Jones (Liberty Films)
• Star Trek Screenplay by Robert Orci & Alex Kurtzman; Directed by J.J. Abrams (Paramount)
• Up Screenplay by Bob Peterson & Pete Docter; Story by Bob Peterson, Pete Docter, & Thomas McCarthy; Directed by Bob Peterson & Pete Docter (Disney/Pixar)

BEST DRAMATIC PRESENTATION - SHORT FORM (282 nominating ballots)

• Doctor Who: "The Next Doctor" Written by Russell T Davies; Directed by Andy Goddard (BBC Wales)
• Doctor Who: "Planet of the Dead" Written by Russell T Davies & Gareth Roberts; Directed by James Strong (BBC Wales)
• Doctor Who: "The Waters of Mars" Written by Russell T Davies & Phil Ford; Directed by Graeme Harper (BBC Wales)
• Dollhouse: "Epitaph 1" Story by Joss Whedon; Written by Maurissa Tancharoen & Jed Whedon; Directed by David Solomon (Mutant Enemy)
• FlashForward: "No More Good Days" Written by Brannon Braga & David S. Goyer; Directed by David S. Goyer; based on the novel by Robert J. Sawyer (ABC)

BEST EDITOR, LONG FORM (289 nominating ballots)

• Lou Anders
• Ginjer Buchanan
• Liz Gorinsky
• Patrick Nielsen Hayden
• Juliet Ulman

BEST EDITOR, SHORT FORM (419 nominating ballots)

• Ellen Datlow
• Stanley Schmidt
• Jonathan Strahan
• Gordon Van Gelder
• Sheila Williams

BEST PROFESSIONAL ARTIST (327 nominating ballots)

• Bob Eggleton
• Stephan Martiniere
• John Picacio
• Daniel Dos Santos
• Shaun Tan

BEST SEMIPROZINE (377 nominating ballots)

• Ansible edited by David Langford
• Clarkesworld edited by Neil Clarke, Sean Wallace, & Cheryl Morgan
• Interzone edited by Andy Cox
• Locus edited by Charles N. Brown, Kirsten Gong-Wong, & Liza Groen Trombi
• Weird Tales edited by Ann VanderMeer & Stephen H. Segal

BEST FAN WRITER (319 nominating ballots)

• Claire Brialey
• Christopher J Garcia
• James Nicoll
• Lloyd Penney
• Frederik Pohl

BEST FANZINE (298 nominating ballots)

• Argentus edited by Steven H Silver
• Banana Wings edited by Claire Brialey and Mark Plummer
• CHALLENGER edited by Guy H. Lillian III
• Drink Tank edited by Christopher J Garcia, with guest editor James Bacon
• File 770 edited by Mike Glyer
• StarShipSofa edited by Tony C. Smith

BEST FAN ARTIST (199 nominating ballots)

• Brad W. Foster
• Dave Howell
• Sue Mason
• Steve Stiles
• Taral Wayne

THE JOHN W. CAMPBELL AWARD FOR BEST NEW WRITER (NOT A HUGO AWARD) (356 nominating ballots)

• Saladin Ahmed
• Gail Carriger
• Felix Gilman *
• Seanan McGuire
• Lezli Robyn *

* Second year of eligibility

For the duration of the voting period, my novelette, "It Takes Two," is available on [Nicola's] website as a free PDF.

Mojo's Experiment Week 1

http://goo.gl/2OaV

Litanie des Saints by Dr. John from the LP Goin' back to New Orleans.

I'm not familiar with it, but I will buy it and listen to it and do something with it this weekend.

Keep watching this site.

--
So far, nothing real creative, but I started listening to Dr. John. Apparently the lyrics to Litanie des Saints are not available online but I wish they were. I will say that even though I haven't started creating anything, 3-4 songs I listened to while I was at lunch reached out and grabbed me by the gonads (or would have if I had gonads, which I don't). His version of "Good Night, Irene" is amazing, and I finally heard the song "I'll be glad when you're dead you rascal you." My old friend John Sweeney (I lost track of John in the early 80's) used to just sing the last lines. I never knew the rest of it.

Buying Dr. John sent me to buy Amos Garrett (one of Spider Robinson's favorites) and I may buy some David Crosby later.

Saturday: Slept late. I do that periodically to purge myself of dreams that I don't remember but that I know are very similar to leftovers that have been left over too long in the refrigerator. Finished Nicola Griffith's And Now We Are Going to Have a Party. It made me think about finding and burning my old journals. I've been keeping journals off and on since at least 1966 and they are repetitious and boring. I bitch about being tired and not caught up with all the things I want to do. If I spent as much time doing things as I do bitching about them...

The four of us (Sean, Cheron, Lily and I) watched The Muppet Movie. Lily had never seen it. Her favorite character is Miss Piggy. I can't choose between Kermit and Rowlf. I fell in love with Rowlf back in the early 60's but I have had a soft spot for frogs since my first husband (i wrote a poem about him comparing him to a frog.) Sean and I stayed up and watched Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

Sunday morning: Lily found her eggs, solved the puzzle and got her Easter basket. Now I am listening to Pandora, watching Sean and Cheron do a jigsaw puzzle. Lily is helping. She's good at puzzles but she is driving them nuts. (Thank the goddess for earplugs.)

I got a VERY creative book yesterday, called badbadbad by Jesus Angel Garcia which has an accompanying youtube sound track. It includes everything from Jimi Hendrix to Johnny Cash and I plan to review it when I get done.

Mojo's Experiment

From Moriah Jovan's Blog

1) Each week, starting Thursday, April 1 (April Fool’s Day!), I (mojo) will post a track that played a significant role in my books.

2) Use the track as a spark for some kind of creative activity. It can be a sketch, a paragraph from your novel, a tweet, a photo, an interpretive dance, a poem, a political blog post, a video. The activity can even change from week to week. The only requirements are that:

a) you leave some element of the project undetermined until you hear the track, and

b) the final creation has to be done by the end of the week, and

c) it has to be linkable.

3) I will then post links to everything everyone created by the time I post the next track the next week.

4) The Twitter hashtag will be #mojogce if you care to keep track that way.

I don't know how creative I am, but music is a part of what I do and what I am (more or less) so I will participate.