Off to Louisville!

Tomorrow I leave for Louisville, Kentucky for the NASIG Conference. I've been to Louisville, but only in the "just passing through" variety. The Conference is packed, as always. Of all the conferences I attend, I frequently get more out of this one than any other. Maybe because it's focused. We're all there because we deal with continuing resources (i.e. journals, series, serials, magazines, newspapers, etc.) in some way shape or form.

NASIG is unique in that it doesn't matter what your role is in the continuing resources world. Vendors and all kinds of librarians from all types of libraries (including administrators) suspend the war for about 3 days each year and sit down to discuss the pertinent issues affecting all of us. There is no "us versus them" at NASIG. Our ultimate focus is on providing access to materials in the best way possible for the user. Sure, there are user groups for various integrated library systems, electronic resources management modules, software, etc., but they aren't the focus of the conference by any means. They're kind of a side note for an hour or two here and there. We're not there as vendors or librarians; we're all there as "serialists."

The other truly unique thing about NASIG is that it's casual dress. Like jeans/shorts and t-shirt casual. It's all part of our history of holding conferences on college/university campuses in the middle of June without air conditioning. Even though we've moved into hotel settings now and left the academic setting behind, the casual dress code has survived. It does make it hard to pick out the vendors versus the librarians when everyone is wearing past NASIG conference t-shirts and jeans.

This year I'm leading one of those user/discussion group sessions. I think that's a price you pay for knowing someone on the Program Planning Committee (gee, thanks, B). Oh well. I don't have to give a presentation or sit on a panel, just facilitate. I can do that (I hope). I'm also, as mentioned in a previous post, a mentor for a new attendee this year. I'm looking forward to meeting her. I'm feeling like I actually have enough experience and knowledge after 5 years that I can help a new person along. It's a nice feeling.

I'm also looking forward to seeing my friends, some of which I haven't seen since last June. B and I are rooming together this year (saves money), and we have plans to meet up with our friends when the conference meetings are over and go out and explore Louisville in the evenings. And do some bourbon tasting (because, apparently, it's one of those things to experience in Louisville). Should be fun. Louisville, be warned, you are about to be inundated by librarians out to have a good time. We'll learn during the day, but by night, we do like to relax and have some serious fun.

Now back to packing.

Lions and tigers and gorillas, oh my!

This morning I was awoken bright and early by some insanely loud hip hop music blaring from the porch across the street. Welcome to Memorial Day. I laid in bed for a bit longer, but the music eventually drove me to quieter locations away from the window.

Shortly after this, my colleague and friend K called and told me they were heading over to the zoo and did I want to join them? K and R have a zoo membership (these things happen when you have a toddler), which enables them to bring in guest for free. I said sure, I'm up, and I've been wanting to see the zoo here. See, I live really close, and pass it on my way to work everyday. On my way home, if I get the timing wrong, I end up playing chicken on my bike with all the strollers (not fun) and dodging the kids running everywhere (even less fun than the strollers). So it would be nice to see the inside of the Philadelphia Zoo instead of just the outside.

By the time I left the house a little less than an hour later to meet K, R, and daughter Maja, my neighbors across the street had set up several picnic tables with umbrellas and the grills were warming up. Obviously a party in the making.

I met my friend and her family just inside the main gate to the zoo, and away we went. Maja was a bundle of energy, running everywhere with a big grin and giggling and talking constantly, commenting on everything we passed. At one point, another zoo goer quipped "is she free or do you get paid for the entertainment she's providing?" It's amazing how much energy a 2 year old can have.

We started with the tortoises and wandered our way along the main path. We went through the reptile house, R singing the boa constrictor song to a laughing Maja, who is obviously NOT afraid of snakes and other reptilian things. Good for her. I, however, will not be getting a pet snake anytime soon. They're just fine there behind the glass.

After reptiles, we hit the primate house. The spider monkeys had a couple of baby monkeys in April, who were climbing around the enclosure with great abandon. They are so cute. Several of the primates were either still eating breakfast or engaged in a post-meal nap. But the orangutans were out, and one was obviously trying to start something with the other, poking her and following her around (the boy being the instigator, of course), but the girl was having none of it. It was quite amusing to watch. Maja chose to go see the big cats next, who posed quite accommodatingly for photos. The big male lion treated us to some live grunting and growling and roaring, which was very cool. And the gibbons responded with their own ruckus.

In the puma enclosure is a family of siblings, two sisters and their brother. They were playing as we walked up, one sister stalking and tackling the other one and generally trying to make a nuisance of herself. Eventually big brother got involved, stalking the two, crouching and then pouncing on the two girls. All three chased each other around the enclosure for a bit. And then we got to chase Maja to the next cat enclosure.

After the cats, we stopped for a snack before seeing the rest of the animals. The river otters were very energetic, playing with their food, tossing the fish around and to each other before eating it. Bald eagles, and rhinos, and zebras, and giraffes, they were all out to play. It wasn't too hot, and the cloud cover kept the sun away. We did get a few sprinkles, but nothing beyond a spit or two, and if that's the price we paid to have all the animals out and not hiding away, fine by me.

Zebras are one of my favorite animals. I can't explain it. I've always liked the zebras. As a child on the merry-go-round on The Mall in Washington, DC, back before there became only horses and were all different animals, I always rode the zebra. If another child was on the zebra, I'd wait and ride it the next round. Something about zebras. My dad and his wife went to Africa this past year and saw zebras in the wild. Dad got some amazing pictures, and sent me a print as my birthday card. Very cool. Just to be nice, the zebra today stopped moving long enough for me to get a picture, and then galloped around the enclosure a few times to show off. I grinned like a little girl.

By this point, we were nearing the end, and after 3 hours of walking, even Maja with her boundless 2 year old energy was starting to slow down. Not enough to ride in her stroller, but enough so that R didn't have to run after her, he could walk. All he and K hope for is that it wore her out enough to take her afternoon nap.

A big thank you to R and K for the invite, I really enjoyed myself. And you can see the collection of photos I took here on Flickr.

I walked home and arrived to the smell of grills and smokers going full force. People were arriving for the party across the street, and the smell of bbq is in the air. Fortunately, they had switched the music from blaring hip hop to some nice mellow classic R&B. I tried to sit outside, but I need to invest in some bug repellent or citronella candles. I was only outside for 20 minutes and ended up with 3 mosquito bites. Summer has certainly arrived.

Happy Memorial Day, everyone.

Summer has arrived

It was hot today. Almost 90 degrees Fahrenheit. It's supposed to be warm all weekend. I suppose it's fitting, given that Memorial Day weekend is the (un)official start of summer. Oh, and summer thunderstorms are in the forecast. I love thunderstorms. I love watching them and laying in bed listening to them. Counting the seconds between the flash of lightening and the clap of thunder. It just makes me smile.

But it becomes a frown when I think about how I found a dead flea. In the house. On. My. BED. But at least it was dead. Aussie gets internal flea meds (Sentinel, kills the eggs) as well as topical flea stuff (Frontline Plus, kills fleas and ticks). Yet I still found a dead flea in my house. Ick. I don't get it. Flea combing the dog is now at the top of my to-do list for the remainder of the weekend to make sure there aren't any other fleas. That and a very hot wash of all of my bedding.

Next week I leave town for the NASIG conference in Louisville, Kentucky. That means I have a very long list of things to do. Fun things like chores, which includes laundry, so I can pack.

Fortunately, Memorial Day (Monday) is a paid holiday for me. That gives me an extra day to tackle my list. Right after I flea comb the dog.

Embarrassing moments at work

Ever have one of those embarrassing moments? Those moments that you hope and pray no one sees but you're sure someone did? I had one yesterday.

We have double glass doors into the tech services area of my library. They have locks at the bottom and are locked during non-business hours. One of the doors has a faulty lock that randomly slips and locks itself. So yesterday, I went to push the door open and walk through. But it had locked itself so it didn't move. But I kept moving. So I walked into the door. Fabulous. And I can't say it felt all that good either. Glass is hard. So is my head. Bashing two hard objects together is not a happy thing. Especially for the object that has nerve endings (that would be me, by the way).

Being the nice colleague that I am, I told my boss that the door had locked itself again (not everyone has a key, I don't, but he does) and could he please unlock it before someone gets hurt (other than myself). So he unlocked it. And he also felt it prudent to tell the building manager that I had found out that it had locked itself again and could he please get that fixed. And told the building manager how I found out: "Shana walked into the door." Gee thanks for sharing that with him.

Now the building manager is worried about my ability to walk around the library without hurting myself. And feels the need to remind me that I'm a dork every time he sees me by asking me if I've walked into anything else recently or if I've fallen off my bike (which hasn't happened, by the way). Um, no. I'm not normally a klutz...only when there are witnesses. Really, I'm OK...mostly. Just my pride is wounded...just my pride. And I have very precious little pride left to wound.

Commuting hazards

I have a flat tire on my bike this morning. It wasn't flat when I left the house, although it looked like it needed a little air. I didn't think anything of it because depending on all sorts of weather related things, my tires alternately need a little air or need a little air let out. But it wasn't flat, the tire pressure was still fine. Making a mental note that I should check the pressure again after work, I got on my bike and went on my merry way.

About half way into my little over 2 mile ride, I noticed that things just didn't feel right. The ride wasn't as smooth as normal. My rack was rattling more than normal. Hm. So when I stopped at the next light, I looked back to see what was up. Well, the problem was my rear tire was NOT up, it was FLAT. VERY FLAT. Damn. This discovery was followed by a string of rather colorful invectives in multiple languages.

So I get off my bike and dig around in my bag looking for a tube and my bike tools so I can change it. I find the tube. IT'S THE WRONG SIZE. Apparently I'm still carrying around the tubes for my last bike, which had different sized tires than my current one. Damn. More colorful invectives in multiple languages.

I throw everything back into my bag, take off my helmet, and proceed to WALK the rest of the way to work.

I passed my friend K's husband R on the way, and he gave me a look that was a mix of surprise and "gee, it's strange to be walking your bike." [K assures me he's probably forgot all about it now.] I must have looked silly walking for that last mile into work on the sidewalk, rolling my bike with it's flat tire next to me, helmet dangling from my handlebars, muttering under my breath. I FELT silly. And irritated. [Note: this challenge and my resulting mood is only made worse by the fact that I don't get my coffee until after I've arrived at work, so at this point in my morning I am still uncaffeinated.]

And I'll feel just as silly and irritated after work walking to the bike store to get a new tube. SEVERAL tubes. I wonder if they'd be interested in giving me a store credit for the ones that are the wrong size...or just exchanging them for the right size. Hm.

Such are the challenges of commuting by bike. The advantages still outweigh the challenges, but they don't make the challenges any less frustrating at 7:30 in the morning before I've had my coffee (and we all know I need my coffee to become human).

Monday: City Views

Monday, May 21, 2007: City Views, Art, and Reading Terminal Market

Monday was SM's last day. Her flight was leaving in the early evening, but that still gave us enough time to visit a few last sites in Center City. First on our list was City Hall. Fortunately for us, one of the bus routes near me stops a City Hall, so we wouldn't have to deal with paying to park downtown on a weekday (much less even find a spot to park).

City Hall is the tallest all masonry building in the world. No steel infrastructure, just stone. You can take a free tour up to the tower observation deck for some incredible 360 degree views of the city. The trips to the observation deck are limited to 4 people at a time, and you have to get a timed ticket from the visitors' office on the first floor. It can be difficult in the mornings to get a ticket due to school groups, but SM and I got lucky and got a 10:45am ticket. It takes about 10 minutes to get up to the 7th floor where the elevator to the tower is located, so we knew we needed to be on our way there by 10:30am. This gave us some time (about 30 minutes) to walk outside and get some photos of the building. And go in search of some morning caffeine. SM is a Diet Dr. Pepper fan and I'm an admitted coffee addict. So we walked up Market Street to feed our respective caffeine needs.

We still got to the 7th floor landing with time to spare and look at the information about City Hall and the tower itself. Apparently the statue on top, William Penn, is hollow and there's a child sized hatch in his hat to the outside. Not that visitors are allowed up there, but it's still a fascinating fact. The other two people going to the observation deck with us were a nice couple visiting the woman's childhood home. They now live in my PCOR, where SM lives currently. What a small world. They also apparently had been at the Poe Historic Site after us on Sunday and had seen SM's signature in the guest book, and wondered who she was. I do love the randomness of life sometimes. Of all the people in the world we could have met up with for the tour, we met up with them. They were wonderful company, and up in the tower it was neat to hear the woman point things out to her husband in the landscape and tell him all about what it was like when she was growing up and how much it had all changed.

We got some great photos of the city, and the only direction our view was even slightly obstructed was to the west, where there are several skyscrapers taller than City Hall.

After City Hall, we went in search of lunch at the Reading Terminal Market, figuring we'd beat the noon rush and have some time to wander around. We had delicious crepes from Profi's Creperie, I had a fantastic cup of very strong coffee (just how I like it) from Old City Coffee, Inc., and we enjoyed just looking at all the shops. Oh, and I had a cupcake from Flying Monkey. I just can't resist their pound cake cupcakes with butter cream icing! We also had the opportunity to play a rousing game of "spot the librarian" as the Medical Library Association was having their Annual Meeting at the nearby Convention Center.

Note to conference goers everywhere: REMOVE YOUR BADGE WHEN YOU LEAVE THE CONVENTION CENTER AND VENTURE INTO PUBLIC. Wearing your conference name tag/badge in public makes you and easy mark; it's safer to put it away unless you're in a meeting space. Both SM and I noted that when ALA holds their Midwinter Meeting here in Philly in January 2008, the Reading Terminal Market will be a very popular place.

As the Reading Terminal Market got busier, we headed out towards the bus stop, via a couple of plazas to see some of the art we saw from the City Hall observation deck up close. First was the "Your Move" art installation in Thomas Paine Plaza. A whole set of giant game pieces spread about the plaza that surrounds the Municipal building. Brilliant! There were bingo tiles, dominoes, Monopoly pieces, checkers, chess men and Sorry!/Parchisi game pieces. Talk about a trip back to childhood. You can see pictures here.

We left the game pieces and walked across the street to JFK Plaza, also known as LOVE Park. It's home to one of the LOVE sculptures in the city, fitting for the "City of Brotherly Love." I say one because I know there is another one on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania. Apparently the park was one of the best skateboarding parks in the world until the city cracked down and enforced a skateboarding ban in 2002. At any rate, you can view the LOVE sculpture by Robert Indiana with the beautiful background of a fountain. We took some pictures of SM in front of the sculpture to appease her mother, who complains that her daughter is never in any pictures. Hm. I guess that's because like myself, SM is usually the one behind the camera taking the photos.

Once pictures were taken, we walked to the bus stop just in time to see the bus we needed pull away. Oh well. Fortunately, we had plenty of time. This became even more fortunate when the next bus that came along broke down after only 4 blocks. The back door was jammed, so we all had to get off, get transfer tickets, and wait for the next one. What should have been a 30 minute trip home was rapidly becoming over an hour. The next bus finally arrived, and we all squeezed on. Thankfully, the rest of the bus ride was uneventful. We made it home in plenty of time for SM to gather herself and to get to the train station with time to spare.

Overall, we had a fabulous time. We saw a lot of history, and the weather was beautiful so we were able to see all the outdoor sites. SM will be back in Philly for the ALA Midwinter Meeting (Jan. 2008), along with several other friends and colleagues, and I'm looking forward to her return visit. There will be more food adventures and since it will be January, we'll visit some of the indoor sites like the abundance of museums all over the city. I better start some research and planning so I'll have a list of possibilities ready for the visit!

Sunday: Edgar Allen Poe and Chinatown

Sunday, May 20, 2007: Edgar Allen Poe and Chinatown

SM had noticed in her National Parks Passport book that in addition to the Independence National Historical Park, there are two other National Parks sites in Philadelphia. I did not know this. One of them is the Edgar Allen Poe National Historic Site. Neither SM nor I associate Poe with Philadelphia, so we were eager to check out the site.

Up on Seventh Street and Spring Garden is the only remaining residence of Poe and his family in Philadelphia. It was the last place he lived in Philadelphia, and he wrote and published several stories while he was here, including "The Black Cat." We began our tour with an 8 minute video about Poe's life, followed by a introduction by a Ranger of the first floor, and then a self guided tour of the second floor, third floor, and cellar. The house has no furniture in it, as Poe apparently sold everything but his bed to fund his move to New York. The Park Service is currently restoring the house to the state it was when Poe lived here, so right now it's bare and needs some repair in spots. The only room with furniture is a reading room that was set up based on Poe's essay "The Philosophy of Furniture." Overall, it was fascinating. Oh, and lets not forget the raven statue out front.

From the Poe site, we headed south into Center City, in search of Chinatown. We had decided to drive since getting to the historic site by bus would have been difficult. So naturally, once we found Chinatown, we had to find parking. Chinatown was bustling with Sunday morning shopping activity, so it took awhile, but we were successful. Apparently SM has a parking angel. Bless the angel.

We walked under the Chinese Friendship Gate, in search of a dim sum brunch. We found it at the Imperial Inn on 10th Street. Yummy. This was only my second dim sum experience, and the first had been with a large group where they just put stuff on the table for us to share. SM is an experienced dim sum brunch goer, so I followed her lead as we selected items from the carts being wheeled around. By far my favorites were the steamed pork buns and the steamed custard buns. Delicious.

Our bellies full once more, we left the restaurant to walk around Chinatown a bit more. We ended up in the shopping district of Center City at Macy's, located in the Wanamaker Building. Philadelphia being such a historical city, it's not surprising that the Wanamaker Building has something noteworthy about it as well. The largest still operating pipe organ in the world: the Wanamaker Grand Court Organ. After some oohing and aahing over the organ, we figured we'd take a look around. I was in need of new jeans, seeing as the ones I was wearing were dangerously close to developing a few holes in not-so-acceptable places. Unfortunately, I had no luck in Macy's, but SM found two shirts on sale, bonus for her!

From the Wanamaker Building, we headed into the Gallery shopping center. Here I was in luck and found some jeans at Gap, and bonus! they were on sale. The Gallery has a weird floor plan where you have to walk through stores to get to other stores, and the hallways all kind of branch in different directions. After getting very confused and turned around inside the Gallery, we finally found our way out. We managed to find our way back to the car again (fortunately we had parked near the Chinese Friendship Gate, a landmark on most walking maps and tour guides), and headed home.

After two days of walking, SM and I agreed that a night on the couch was in order. Besides, it was the season finale and 400th episode of The Simpsons. We couldn't miss that!

Saturday: A History Lesson

Bear with me. As you all know, I had a visitor over the weekend, and we did a lot of things. It's going to take me a few posts to catch up.

Saturday, May 19, 2007: A History Lesson

Today SM and I wandered around Old City Philadelphia and all it's historical landmarks. Given my experience trying to park downtown when my friend L visited, SM and I took the bus. Fortunately, one of the bus routes near my home goes right by the Independence National Historical Park. We started at the Independence Visitor Center. To see Independence Hall, you have to have a timed entrance ticket (free), which are available at the Visitor Center. In addition, SM has one of those National Parks passport books and wanted to get her stamp for the Park.

Something very very important to note. We arrived at the Visitor Center by 10AM. The first available time for Independence Hall that day was 3:45PM. So if you want an early time, you have to get there EARLY. Or reserve your tickets online ahead of time. In addition, they recommend that you show up to go through security (metal detectors and x-ray machines for your gear) at least 30 minutes before the time on your ticket so you are inside the Independence Hall area and ready to queue up on time.

Now that we knew what time we needed to be at Independence Hall to get through security (3:15pm), we could plan the rest of the day. My bank is doing a special deal in May, partnering with certain museums across the country for free admission for you and a guest with your ATM card. On that list is the National Constitution Center. Normally, admission to the exhibit and multimedia show is $12. The show is a good overview of the history of our nation from just prior to the Declaration of Independence through the signing of the Constitution and even gives brief information about the Bill of Rights and each Amendment. The exhibit itself has more interactive activities regarding the Constitution, and gives historical context to each Amendment.

Unfortunately, no photographs are allowed in the exhibit, only in the hall with all the statutes of the signers of the Constitution. Also in the room with the statues is a book for you to sign the Constitution yourself. It's pretty amazing to look at all those signatures.

From the National Constitution Center, we made our way to the Christ Church Burial Ground, where Benjamin Franklin, among other famous people in our history, is buried. It, like most cemeteries, is peaceful and has a beauty to it. The headstones are largely unreadable, but markers highlight some of our country's founding fathers and mothers. You can see pictures of Franklin's grave as well as the burial ground in general here. Immediately outside of the entrance, SM and I found some money. A ten dollar bill to be exact. There is a small fee to enter the Burial Ground ($2 a person), so we thought it would be fitting to use the money for that and to help fund the Burial Ground maintenance and preservation.

Not quite filled with information about Benjamin Franklin, the next stop on the history tour was Franklin Court. This is where Franklin lived, but his house no longer remains. Instead, there's an eerie ghost structure of the house, a metal frame based on the foundation. It's kind of creepy, yet fascinating at the same time. Just outside the entrance to the Court is a still functioning U.S. Post Office. It was founded in 1775, and there's no U.S. flag flying out front because at the time it opened, there was no U.S. flag. You can still mail a letter from it, and it gets a unique postmark: B. Free Franklin. Cool.

Next stop was some lunch at Cosi, a chain, but it has excellent sandwiches. After taking a much needed rest from walking and refueling, we made our way back over to the Liberty Bell Center. When I visited last time with L, it was late in the day and there were very few visitors. This time we weren't so lucky. The weather was gorgeous, so every tour group known to man was visiting the Independence Mall area. Each tour group has it's own marker, carried by a tour leader so people have something to follow. Usually it's an umbrella or something simple like that, but not always. Our favorite tour group marker of the day: Elmo on a stick! A group had taken an Elmo doll and using a bungee cord, strapped him to a stick. It looked like they had hung him. Slightly twisted and macabre, but effective: it was certainly noticeable! We laughed about "Elmo on a stick" the rest of the walk to the entrance to the Liberty Bell Center.

The Center was busy, but we did manage to get a few pictures. Since I took so many during my last visit of the Bell itself, I did limit myself to just one this time: a neat artistic interpretation of the Liberty Bell.

From the Center, we wandered over to Washington Square, home of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. By this point, it had clouded over, and was starting to sprinkle, so we decided to head to Independence Hall, where we could visit a few other buildings inside the security gates before our timed tour of the Hall began.

We visited Old City Hall, the location of the Supreme Court Chamber, and would have visited Congress Hall but didn't have time. Congress Hall has timed tours every 20 minutes, and our timing was off so we missed it. Instead, we contented ourselves with walking around and reading all the signs and taking some pictures of the building exterior. After a brief spell of rain, it cleared up, and we had a nice rest on a bench before getting in line for our tour.

Each tour begins with an introduction of what we are going to see in the Hall west wing before moving into the Hall itself. Our ranger was very knowledgeable, and quite entertaining, making the tour that much better. We moved from the west wing to the Court room, which was used for much more than just court. The last stop on our tour of Independence Hall is the famous Assembly Room, where the Declaration of Independence was signed and the Constitution was drafted. The chair at the front of the room is the actual chair that George Washington sat in, apparently called the rising sun chair by Franklin.

By now, our brains had reached their capacity for history. SM and I both know most of it, but the details you learn when touring the actual sites are fantastic. There is, however, only so much you can absorb. Our brains full, we caught the bus and headed home to let the dog out. It had been a full day.

After a brief rest at home, we got in the car and headed back into the city for dinner. SM had told me that she wanted to have a Philly cheesesteak, figuring if she's ever going to have one, it should be here. So I took her to Gianna's Grille. The vegetarian cheesesteak L and I had during her visit was fantastic, and I was eager to try their carnivore version. It didn't disappoint. We went for cheesesteaks and fries, as well as vegan cannolis for a little treat. Check out the spread here. Our bellies more than full, we decided a short walk was in order before meeting my colleague and friend A and her husband D. So we wandered a few blocks up and down South Street, a colorful and eclectic blend of shops and people.

We wound our way down South Street and then north to the Naked Chocolate Cafe. SM is a hot chocolate connoisseur, and A and D had been wanting to try it, so this was an ideal excuse. Each of us got a different variety of hot chocolate: Classic, Bittersweet, Aztec, and Spicy. OMG chocolate heaven. A and D also split a Black Forest cupcake. It was huge, definitely a two person cupcake, and they still didn't finish it. No one was disappointed, and we will all be back.

Worn out, SM and I headed back home (once we remembered where we had parked the car), and crashed. We had plans for Sunday, but agreed that it wouldn't be nearly as packed as Saturday was with history.

Company this weekend! YAY!

I have another friend visiting this weekend from the PCOR (previous city of residence). We started off as just colleagues. In fact, I was actually part of the search committee that recommended hiring her. Fortunately for us, admin listened and offered her the job. Once SM arrived, we hit it off as friends, too. SM was one of my better friends in my PCOR, so it will be wonderful to see her and hang out. We even room together at conferences (having roommates help cut costs, very important on a librarian's budget). Work is so much more rewarding when you like spending time with your colleagues and even better when you are friends with your colleagues. We did a lot of socializing at my previous institution: weekend activities, board game nights (geeky but fun, really), going out for dinner, potlucks, weekly TV watching get-togethers, celebrating birthdays and other events, and don't forget the occasional after work happy hour just because we felt like it. Sure there were colleagues that chose not to participate, but the majority did participate, and despite my move to a new city and job, I still keep in contact and call them friends.

At my current institution, people like the idea of socializing outside of work, but it doesn't happen very often. Small pockets of people get together, but it's such a large system I know there are some colleagues I've never met. Recently I met a colleague that works in the same building I do and yet I'd never met or even seen him before. We are only 2 floors apart yet we never cross paths. I've been here for over eight months now and I still don't know everyone in my own building. It's disturbing and kind of sad.

So I'm making an attempt at getting people together outside of work. Admittedly, most of my decision to do this was selfish: I want to know who my colleagues are and maybe even make some new friends. To achieve this goal I've been organizing happy hours for my colleagues and whomever people want to bring along (spouses, partners, spouse-equivalents, friends, family, hangers-on, space aliens, etc., you get the idea). And by organizing I mean picking a day and sending an e-mail, no RSVP required, so I use the term organizing very loosely here. These are extremely informal, and certainly not "official" library events. Rather they are meant to be a chance to socialize, get-to-know-better, and see/meet the colleagues that work on the other side of campus in a branch library or even the ones in your own building for that matter without having the distraction of business to attend to or the structure of a meeting. We've had one happy hour, and didn't have a large turnout, but those of us that were there had an excellent time. Today is happy hour number two. Hopefully more people will attend so I can meet more of my colleagues.

My friend that's coming into town will arrive shortly before this happy hour, so I'm dragging her along. Since I'm the one sending out the e-mails about it, I better put in an appearance, no? Fortunately, SM is a good sport and willing to tag along.

I'm really looking forward to her visit. It means more city exploration, more food adventures, and generally just fun. We don't have a set schedule, only a general idea of stuff we want to do. We'll be doing some touristy stuff like the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall (especially since last time I tried to see it there were "no more tickets today"). As for food, it will depend on our mood. SM isn't vegetarian like my friend L, so our options are wide open. There will most likely be some cheesesteak action, and maybe some sushi. But I can guarantee that there will be a visit to the Naked Chocolate Cafe again. SM is a hot chocolate nut. So it's just necessary.

From the It's-A-Small-World-After-All Dept.

Cue music. Got that immensely irritating song stuck in your head now? Now add the word "twisted" before "world" and the song becomes much more apt.

I signed up to be a mentor for the upcoming NASIG conference. This will be my fifth conference, so I figured it was time to help a new NASIG attendee. Once upon a time I also had a conference mentor for a different conference, and it was really nice to have someone I could ask all my questions regarding the conference. Attending your first conference of any professional organization is always a bit nerve-racking. Even if you've attended a conference for a different organization, like ALA, each organization's conference is different so it presents new challenges and sometimes even new anxieties. So being able to be there for a new person is important. You're the first wave so to speak. The "official" welcome wagon. Even if you don't become the best of friends, just greeting them and being there to answer questions is a way to give back to the world of librarianship and can set the mentee's mind at ease so they can get more out of the conference. They'll at least know one person attending.

Yesterday I received my conference mentee assignment. This is where the "small twisted world" comes in. I just can't make this stuff up. Really, I'm not that creative.

My mentee works for the first institution I worked for after I got my Master of Library Science degree. My first professional job, otherwise known as a "real" job (vastly different from being a student worker or intern), was at that university. Most of the people I worked with are still there. So I not only know my mentee's boss, but most of my mentee's colleagues. My former colleagues and I have been known to socialize at various conferences and I used to have lunch with several of them when I still lived in the same city. I'm fairly certain the person doing the mentor/mentee pairing doesn't know I used to work there, but you never know.

Out of all the possibilities for all the new attendees from all over the US and the world, we get paired. I'm just sitting here chuckling to myself that I'm the mentor for someone that works at the first institution I worked for post-MLS graduation. I'm not saying it's a bad thing, it's just funny and very random and just a teensy bit ironic. It was that same institution that set me on my current career path of being a serials and electronic resources cataloger. A career I love. And now I'm the mentor for their new serials cataloger.

It really is a small twisted world after all. But isn't that randomness what makes life so entertaining?

Primary election day

Today is the primary election in Philadelphia. While this is a primary, in terms of our mayor, it's actually more important than election day. Generally, whomever wins the Democratic primary for mayor becomes mayor of Philly. OK then, I guess I better vote.

I registered to vote back in March when I got my Pennsylvania drivers license. It makes it so simple and easy when you can do both at the same time, so there's really no excuse NOT to be a registered voter. My certificate of voter registration arrived in the mail a few weeks ago, which I promptly signed and filed away in a safe place. I consider the right to vote a big deal. I remember being very angry as a child being told that I couldn't vote and arguing with my parents about it. And I was only around 11 years old. Still, true to form for my parents, I was encouraged to decide who I wanted to vote for and why, and I had to have a good reason. I don't believe they ever told me who they voted for. Not once. Who you vote for is a private thing and it shouldn't matter who everyone else votes for if you've thought about it and made your decision on your own. It's your right and duty to vote, but who's name you select from the ballot is your own business. One of the benefits of living in a "free" society.

Besides, I'm of the school that if you don't participate, you don't have the right to complain about the outcome.

So I'm off to vote. I've done my research, and decided which candidates I like. As for who they are, well, I'm not going to tell you. Go read the ample amount of information available about the candidates running and decide for yourself. And think before you vote.

A busy Saturday morning

I wore the dog out. As I'm writing this, Aussie is currently sacked out, and snoring like a freight train. I'll be lucky if I can coax her off her dog bed to sit out on the porch with me this afternoon.

This morning we went down to Clark Park in the Spruce Hill area of West Philadelphia (followed all that? good!). They have a farmers' market every Saturday morning, and I wanted to check it out. When I lived in Bloomington, IN (for grad school at Indiana U.), I voluntarily got up extra early to head down to the farmers' market in town because I love love love fresh local produce. Nothing tastes quite as good as a fresh tomato salad or farm fresh greens. And you can get a week's worth of fresh veggies and fruits for cheap. What can be better than that?

So when my friend and colleague K told me that they're heading to the market on Saturday morning, and asked if I wanted to tag along, I jumped at the chance. In addition, the Spruce Hill May Fair is today, also in Clark Park. Booths full of food and goods and information. And the entire area is very dog friendly, so Aussie was welcome.


So the dog and I got up and out of the house and met K and her daughter Maja at the park. Not sleeping in was so worth it. I got some fresh local organic spinach, a dozen eggs from a local farm, some delicious looking and smelling local tomatoes, and a jar of Amish homemade bread and butter pickles (yummy on ham and cheese sandwiches!). Oh, and let's not forget the whoopie pie from the Amish booth as well, and for only one dollar apiece. Sweet fresh whipped cream sandwiched between two cake-like cookies. Yum. They had several cookie varieties, including oatmeal, but I just had to get the classic chocolate. As my mom taught me, life is uncertain eat dessert first, so I had my dessert at 10:30 this morning. And it was good.

After the farmers' market, we met up with K's husband to wander around the May Fair. K had pre-ordered some plants, and I saw that they had recycling bins to give out. I have a recycling bucket, but it's just that, a bucket, and it doesn't hold much. Short of driving to the recycling center to get a big rectangular bin, this is the first place that I've been able to pick one up. I'm very happy about it, as now I don't have to be creative to fit all my recyclables in my bucket every other week (I recycle anything and everything I can).

We walked through the booths, and made our way over to where R and Maja were listening to the band. The band was great. They play at a coffee shop and one of the band members is K and R's neighbor. We picked up some wraps and sat down to eat. I had a yummy veggie wrap, and Aussie tried to charm R into giving her some of his chicken wrap. Alas for Aussie, R and K also have a dog, so R is very practiced at resisting the sad puppy eyes. After eating, R and K had to head out for an afternoon activity with Maja, so Aussie and I wandered through the May Fair a bit more. Some really nice crafts for sale. It's too bad there wasn't anything I needed, although I did get the card of an artisan soap maker who had some really nice smelling stuff for future reference.

And of course, since Aussie was with me, we had to stop and greet each and every dog and child we encountered. It's amazing how many people will talk to you when you have a dog with you, people that probably normally wouldn't stop to chat, but the dog makes you approachable. I love this. And, fortunately, my dog is extremely friendly and loves all the attention, from child and adult alike. People always want to know what her mix is...and frankly, I have no idea. Since she was a rescue, I don't know for sure, and none of our vets have ever made an absolute decision either. The only obvious thing is the Basset Hound, so that's what I tell people: Basset mixed with something or several somethings. All this chatter and dog attention makes for slow going when wandering around events, but it also makes them much more enjoyable.

By this point, Aussie and I had been walking around for several hours, and she was beginning to drag a bit. At 11 years old, and with her short legs, Aussie can only go for so long anymore, we had been there since 10am and it was a little past noon. She had reached her limit, so we headed back to the car. And now she's sacked out and will probably sleep the rest of the afternoon away. Hm. Maybe I'll join her for a lazy Saturday afternoon nap.

CONSER 2007: day 3

Friday, May 4th, 2007

Last day. Today was all CONSER, but it was also a short day, ending a bit early (3pm instead of 5pm) to allow for people to get out and sightsee if they so desire.

Our morning consisted of more discussion of the CONSER Standard Record, naturally, followed by a rehashing of an old debate on single versus separate records for different formats, but with a new twist: digital archival copies of the works. After going in circles for a good hour, we decided to not change our policy, and while the single record format is allowed, CONSER policy recommends separate records. That's our policy and for now we're stickin' to it.

I'm not sure all of the CONSER Standard Record issues have been resolved, but I'm not sure they all can be just yet. We voted to go ahead and implement the new and slimmed-down record as of June 1st, and basically see what happens. There are a few things that have to be worked out before implementation (software issues), but we're moving forward.

Since it was a short day, we went to the LC cafeteria for lunch. It's a pretty nice cafeteria, with salad bars, sandwich bars and hot dish options. Plenty of options. So we got our trays and sat with a bunch of other CONSER folks for a very nice relaxing lunch. After lunch it was back to the meeting room for some more discussion, member updates and a wrap up. Towards the end of the meeting, the previous CONSER Coordinator walked in for a visit. Shortly after her arrival, we adjourned, this time for some social time at Bullfeathers.

It's amazing what you learn about your colleagues when you just sit an chat. We learned that our current CONSER Coordinator is a pretty damn good blues guitarist on the side, and he has posted several videos on YouTube. You can check him out here. Of course, as a cataloger, he was careful to tag his videos properly so they would be findable. We're all about the findability of items. Our purpose is to make things findable to the user, and the way we tag things in our personal lives is no exception. This admission of his and his desire to tag things correctly led to an interesting commentary about how librarians tag things versus how catalogers tag things versus how a non-librarian tags things. Yes, we really are all geeks. And that's "Ms. Library Geek" to you, thankyouverymuch.

After some socializing, B and I set out to find a gift for her cat sitter. Apparently her cat sitter is a Republican and a HUGE fan of Ronald Reagan. We decided a good place to start would be the Library of Congress gift shop in the Jefferson Building. We hit the jackpot. A talking Ronnie doll. No joke. They had a whole collection of talking president dolls. Clinton, Reagan, both Bushes, and I think I even saw Carter and Nixon in there. The perfect gift. We left the Capitol Hill area with our quarry, and headed back over to the Firehook Bakery & Coffee House for coffee and a cookie (see, I told you I saw another cookie in my future!). Not only do they make really good cookies, they make really good coffee, so I bought a bag of beans. I can't wait to try them (I have to finish the last of my other beans first, don't want to mix different beans and roasts after all).

Post coffee and yummy cookie, we retrieved our bags from the b&b (I'll definitely stay there again) and headed for Union Station to catch the Amtrak back to Philly. B's garment bag once again attempted to hang her when she went through the METRO turnstiles. We made it to Union Station with time to spare, and just sat and relaxed a bit. Once on the train, B and I managed to get one of the "foursome" setups, with two sets of seats facing each other, which gave us a bit more space to stretch out. Being Friday night, the train was full, but not so full that we had to share. Train rides do produce some interesting people. At the first stop a girl got on carrying a suitcase and a cage. A rodent cage. The rodent, however, was not in the cage, but all it's bedding/food/dishes were. The rodent was in a little rodent carrier that looked kind of like a purse. I'm guessing it was a guinea pig, but I didn't ask.

We arrived in Philly exhausted and hungry, and caught a cab back to my place. Once there, we dropped our stuff and headed back out in search of cheesesteaks. Specifically Abner's Cheesesteaks. We ordered three: one for there to split, and two to go (one for each of us). Oh, and an order of cheese fries and two Smithwick's beers. We learned on our first trip that half of an Abner's cheesesteak with all the fixins is more than plenty. That cheesesteak I took home was lunch on both Saturday and Sunday. Which was good, since I had no food in the house and desperately needed to go grocery shopping (remedied on Sunday afternoon once I had some energy). After our very very late dinner (it was after 11:00PM), we headed back to the house and crashed out. Unfortunately, B had to head out of town by mid morning, but we'll see each other again soon, in Louisville, KY for NASIG. And conference season continues!

Needless to say, after 3 days of meetings, no access to e-mail except in the evenings (when I was too exhausted to do anything but check for urgent/disaster type messages), I picked up the dog from the kennel on Saturday morning after B left and we (the dog and I) slept most of the rest of the day. And I'm still catching up on my e-mail both at home and at work.

CONSER 2007: day 2

Thursday, May 3rd, 2007

Today opened with a joint meeting with the other half of the Program for Cooperative Cataloging (PCC): BIBCO. CONSER deals with continuing resources, and BIBCO deals with monographs. Both groups participate in creating authority records for people, places, corporations and series. Authority is a joint all-hands-on-deck activity.

We discovered at breakfast that another CONSER library representative was also saying at the same b&b, PF. He came down to breakfast after us, and was still sitting there when we left to catch the METRO. B and I were trying to give ourselves enough time to get a coffee before going into the joint meeting. Alas, today was not our day for the METRO. We missed the red line, watched it pull out as we reached the platform. Once we caught the next train and transferred to the orange line at Metro Center, heading for the Capitol South station that dumps us at the back door of the Madison Building, we thought out luck was getting better, as a train arrived just as we did. We were wrong. We sat on the orange line train an waited, watching our chance for coffee slip by. Ironically, PF caught up with us. Even more amazingly, he reached the meeting room in the Madison Building before we did. How did he do that?? Hmm...what does he have hidden in his backpack...a transporter maybe?

Anyway, today there were tables, and a much larger meeting room. Of course, being a joint meeting, there were also a lot more people. PF realized he forgot a pen. Like, forgot to bring one to DC with him. He had pencils, but no pen. So B loaned him a pen, and PF vowed to buy a new one during lunch.

The morning consisted of reports by various standing committees, an OCLC report that updated us on status of the merger of RLG and OCLC update, and a discussion of the one format both groups are responsible for (integrating resources). Also included was a speech by Beecher Wiggins on the reorganization of the various divisions in cataloging and acquisitions going on at the Library of Congress, discussion of adding non-roman text to authority records, and some really interesting demonstrations of software that automatically adds non-roman text to records. I realize that for most of you this means nothing, but let me explain. Every time something is cataloged, it is input in a romanized form, in other words characters are spelled out using the roman alphabet. This may not sound all that serious, but often meaning is lost in the translation, and it's not a true one-to-one conversion. So, now that our software can handle it, we're trying to add the non-roman text to the records. So when you catalog something in Hebrew, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, etc., you put the title in twice: once using the romanized form of the words, and once using the actual script/characters. It looks really cool. Well, a few people got together and wrote a script to add the fields automatically, translating the romanized text into the characters and vice versa. For people like me, who don't read or write, say, Korean, this is awesome. Amazing what software can do these days.

Anyway, it was a full morning, and we were reconvening as a joint meeting again after lunch before splitting off into our respective groups again later in the afternoon. Knowing that the afternoon was going to be just as full as the morning, B and I once again opted to leave the building and get some fresh air during lunch. We found our way to a Thai place on Pennsylvania Avenue, figuring some spicy food would help clear up B's congestion (a head cold to make traveling fun) and perk us both up a bit after sitting for hours on end. So we ordered lunch, and had a rather bizarre experience. Our food came at completely different times, literally a good 10 minutes apart. The service just kept getting more and more bizarre, we had a hard time getting the attention of either one of the two servers. Additionally, the clientèle were equally as bizarre. One lady sat there and snapped her fingers at the server while we were talking to him. So he left us to talk to her and then never came back. How rude. But the food was good (although not good enough to make me want to go back and deal with the bizarre service again). I had a vegetable coconut curry dish that wasn't too spicy but just enough to give my lips that "curry tingle" and make my nose run a bit. And bonus, they had mangoes and sticky rice listed for dessert. Alas, the menu lied...the mangoes weren't good, so no sticky rice for us. Instead we stopped at Firehook Bakery & Coffee House for a treat. A delicious cookie. A really delicious cookie. I see more Firehook cookies in my future.

Returning to the room after lunch, we learned that PF really did buy a new pen. Two pens, actually, just in case one of them didn't work. Which was a good thing, since one of them didn't work. We sat there trying to stifle our giggles as PF wrestled with his new pen, trying to get it to write, only to give up and pull out the second one.

After a few more reports, the groups split, and us CONSER folks headed to our meeting room. Fortunately, this room also contained tables. Our afternoon meeting contained a report on the state of the ISSN. Always informative. This was followed by discussion of, you guessed it, the CONSER Standard Record. Today things got a bit more passionate, but that may have been the fact that there were more people present. After several hours of discussion, we finally adjourned for the day.

B and I left the meeting, deciding to head out for Kramerbooks for some well earned pints of Rogue Dead Guy Ale. Rogue ales are delicious brews made in Oregon, and hard to find elsewhere in the country, so finding them on tap is like gold. We took the METRO to the Dupont Circle station, exiting on the north side. As we stepped onto the escalator, we got about 10 feet and it came to a grinding, screeching halt. Nails on a chalkboard screeching, some shuddering, and then a complete stand still. A collective groan rises from the packed escalator. Two things to note: one, there are three escalators, two going down, and only one going up. Two, the Dupont Circle station is rather deep, it had to go under a streetcar tunnel. So imagine the stairmaster nightmare as we all started climbing. We earned our pints. We really earned our pints of Rogue Dead Guy Ale. We topped the night off by eating dinner in the Afterwards cafe as well. They make killer nachos, as well as killer desserts. Specifically the Cafe Nachos Grande Gigante. We ordered guacamole with them, and they were big enough for us to split as dinner, but not to worry, it was a balanced meal, with plenty of veggies including salad topping off the chips and cheese. These nachos are so much more than an appetizer, or "sharezie." Dessert was a Dysfunctional Family Sundae. We thought the dysfunctional fit, given that CONSER is often very much like a big dysfunctional family in itself. But you love it anyway.

Ironically, on our way back home, the up escalator was working, but now both the down escalators were out of service. Sigh. At least we had a chance to work off that brownie and ice cream with some more stairmaster.

CONSER 2007: day 1

Wednesday, May 2nd, 2007

Today was the "bonus" day for CONSER. Normally, the annual operations meeting is only two days, but due to the CONSER Standard Record, an extra day was added to discuss it this year.

And discuss it we did. The room was packed. I'm fairly certain we violated several fire codes with too many people, too many chairs, and all in a rather small room with only one small door. No tables to write on. [Caution: begin rant] This is a pet peeve of mine. I have short legs, legs that usually barely reach the floor. Which means when I don't have a surface to write on, my legs must be tensed in order to provide a stable and flat surface that my paper won't slide off of. Even more difficult, where do you put your cup of coffee (necessary for survival) and possibly your snack where you or anyone else will NOT kick it? There really is no perfect place. Oh well. [end rant]

We started the day with two of our colleagues reviewing the CONSER Standard Record and it's elements, highlighting the changes to cataloging from past practice. They did a very good job, however, one of them, V, needs to switch to decaf. She's a petite woman, and is far far too energetic. The kind of high energy person that can be likened to a hamster on speed at times (visualize a hamster running on it's wheel at high speed...yeah, like that). It was almost too much to take at 10:00 in the morning. But we all survived, and like I said before, the overview was very well done.

B and I ventured outside for lunch, deciding to walk down the street until something caught our fancy. Getting outside becomes very important when you're in a windowless room in the middle of the Madison Building of the Library of Congress with 50 of your colleagues for hours upon hours. You need the fresh air. We decided upon a place called Taverna the Greek Islands (305 Pennsylvania Avenue SE). We both had a very nice salad with gyro meat on top. It was filling without being too much, so we wouldn't be falling asleep during the afternoon session.

The afternoon was dedicated to discussion of various questions and issues that came up during the morning's overview. Someone did not get lunch, as they categorized (we're catalogers, what did you expect?) and typed up the list of items from the various scrawled notes written down on flip charts during the morning presentation. This discussion was relatively calm, much to our surprise, but our esteemed CONSER Coordinator probably could have used a whistle on several occasions just to get people's attention. Fortunately, V, the high-energy presenter, was there to get our attention for him. We did not, however, solve all the issues that were raised. Meaning that the discussion would be continuing the next day.

After the meeting adjourned, a group of around 8 of us headed out to find some beverages and to rehash the day. I've learned that frequently discussions continue well after the meetings are over, usually over a beverage or two, and I always learn something, so it's worth my time. That and I enjoy the company of my colleagues even when we aren't discussing work-related issues. This time was a happy combination of continued discussion and general fun. We wandered down Pennsylvania Avenue until we came to a bar that several members of our group had been to before. I have no idea what the name of it was, but I will find it again. They made a damn good vodka martini, exactly the way I asked, and bonus, it was happy hour so it didn't break the bank. We sat and chatted, decompressing from the day of discussion, until it was time to get back for dinner.

Dinner was an arranged dinner for CONSER members at the nearby Young Chow (312 Pennsylvania Avenue SE). It was a set menu of tea, soup, egg rolls, and a variety of meat dishes, served family style at two tables of 10 people each. And all for 10 dollars, including tax and tip. The food was good, the service was great, and it was very inexpensive. Who can ask for more?

After dinner it was back to the b&b to rest up for day 2 of this year's CONSER meeting. What would tomorrow bring? Besides more discussion of the CONSER Standard Record, of course.

CONSER 2007: day 0, arrival

So bear with me as I catch up. This will be the first of four posts about my recent trip to Washington, DC for the annual "CONSER cage match" (I say this affectionately, and I'm proud to be a part of said cage match, really).

Tuesday, May 1st, 2007

Tuesday was travel and arrival day. I took Amtrak down with my friend B, who drove in from farther up into the Northeast. Due to traffic, she barely made it (damn turnpikes) before the taxi was scheduled, but she did, albeit a bit tired and cranky. We got to the train station in plenty of time. We even had some time to stop for a refreshment before boarding our train.

The train ride was uneventful. I have vague memories of riding the train as a child with my grandma from DC to New Jersey. I was no more than 5 years old and I do remember learning that dot-to-dot activities are not the best thing to do on a train. What I can tell you is that the seats are infinitely more comfortable than plane seats, I don't have to strip down to go through a metal detector (bonus! 'cause I always always set the damn things off...usually because of the underwire in my bra, no joke), and you see some really interesting things. We made a trip to the food car for some water about 1/2 way through the 2 hour trip. Our food car attendant was a comedian. I think he was bored and saw us as a break in the monotony.

We arrived into Union Station and hauled our crap via the METRO to the bed and breakfast we stayed at for the meeting. B has sworn to invest in a nice rolling suitcase that is mid-sized after her garment bag nearly killed her when she tried to get through the METRO turnstiles. The b&b was very nice, the Woodley Park Guest House, in, you guessed it, Woodley Park, and very close and convenient to that METRO stop, making it easy to get to the Library of Congress on Capitol Hill. It's a very nice large house, with many rooms in varying sizes. B had a bigger room, with a nice double bed and an attached half bath, and I stayed in a cute little single with a twin bed and a shared bath next door. It was only fair that B got the bigger room since she's stayed there many times in the past and let me know about it. The breakfast is basic, but good. I don't usually want much, so the variety of cereal, fresh fruit, yogurt and pastries was perfect. And they make excellent coffee. Excellent coffee, which is very important (as those of you that know me have learned). And it's all at a reasonable price. I do believe I'll stay there again.

After checking in and dropping our stuff, we headed out to 18th Street up in Adams Morgan in search of Ethiopian cuisine. We took the METRO to Dupont Circle and walked north on 18th for a good 10 or so blocks until we came to Meskerem (2434 18th Street NW). The tables are tiny, woven straw things that the dishes set down in, almost like a straw bowl on a stand, and are called messobs. Next to the straw bowl tables are small side tables for your injera, a pancake/crepe that you use to pick up the food (no silverware here), and your beverages. We decided to share a combination platter and each sampled one of the available Ethiopian beers. Our only complaint is that apparently we were invisible to our server so it took awhile once we were done eating to get her attention so we could go get some rest.

We walked back to the b&b, and headed for bed. We needed to get some rest in preparation for the long meetings over the next 3 days.

Things seen on my daily commute by bike

Weather permitting, I commute to work by bike. Basically the only weather that stops me is extreme cold, snow, or ice. Rain is not an excuse not to ride (I have rain gear). It's a little over 2 miles from home to work. Not a bad ride, except for the big hill in the middle (yes, it's really uphill both ways). It forces me to get my daily exercise, which makes my doctor very happy. Given the parking insanity, I'm hoping to use my bike a lot more here in Philly for running errands as well (grocery shopping, anyone?). It's a lot easier to find something to lock my bike to than to find a parking space, I assure you. What's really nice is being able to get outside and see (and sometimes smell) the world.

Sometimes, I see very interesting things on my rides. Granted, I spend quite a bit of time watching the road so I can avoid any broken glass or sharp objects (no one likes a flat tire), but I still get to look around at the world.

Today I saw something I could hardly believe:
A man, riding a bike, steering with one hand.
In his other hand he was holding a pet carrier.
Which contained a live cat.

I heard a faint meow as we passed each other. I'm not sure the cat was all that happy with the arrangement, but I could be wrong.

A LIVE CAT. In a carrier. Being carried by a man actively riding a bike. Not strapped to a rack, but HELD IN HIS HAND.

He's a brave brave man.