Greener on Top of Us

This was an interesting quote from today's class meeting. It was in reference to libraries being a battle ground for Amazon & Publishers to duke it out over eBooks. I found it witty & sadly true.

Dreaming of Springtime

What else would you do the day after Christmas? I'm keeping warm with thoughts of Web Design & Collection Development. Here's the official description of what my life will be like until April. (This semester has already wrecked one weekend, we'll see how extensive the damage will end up being.)

LIS 5937 Web Design for Libraries (3) This course will provide the student with an
introduction to Web Design basic including theory, concepts and techniques. Topics will
include best practices, structure, layout, style sheets, graphics, publishing, templates,
software, and other web applications. After this course the learner will be able to:

• Research, evaluate and describe the considerations regarding usability, accessibility, navigability, cultural sensitivity, global issues, and good design practices for websites in an instructional and informational resource environment.
• Create and modify web page elements using various web and graphic creation tools for appropriate layout and design objectives.
• Research and analyze current web design issues, elements, and considerations.
• Create a web site employing good design principles and using appropriate content for an instructional and information resource environment.
• Understand the use of graphic representations.

LIS 6511 COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT AND MAINTENANCE (3) Developmental

approach to building library collections of both print and non-print materials. Emphasis

upon evaluation, selection, and acquisition of library materials as they uphold the

objectives of the institutions for which they are selected and acquired.

Under My Belt

This is where I'm placing Research Methods & Preparing Instructional Media--under my belt.

This Semester

...was the hump semester. Sometime during September I celebrated the half-way point of my Graduate career. But all that celebration would be worth nothing if I didn't follow through & pass my classes. So it was imperative that I complete the mission.

To be honest

I did not feel stressed about anything this semester. The concepts were familiar to me & I completed my readings in a timely manner. As a result, I have no doubt that I am capable of conducting research &/or preparing instructional media for a class.

The Result?

The final grades haven't posted to OASIS yet, but I expect my GPA for the semester to boost my overall GPA some. I've never been a strong mathematics guy, though. So I may be in for a surprise. But I doubt it.

Another semester is neatly tucked away under my belt.

By the way, if you want to check out some of my work for LIS 6303: Preparing Instructional Media you can find it at my class blog.

No Other Way: A Book Review

Image Courtesy of B&N

Book

Title: No Other Way
Author: Roger Real Drouin

Guess what, I know a real-life, bonafide, published author! His name is Roger Real Drouin & he has officially busted into the publishing world with this full-length novel. Sure, it came out in June. Yes, it took me six months to read it in between assignments & other things that clutter my life these days. But I got my hands on it & kept reading it & tweeting about it until I finished.

I actually talked to Roger last Sunday about the book a little bit. He was surprized at the awesome stuff he wrote and forgot about, but I will never forget it (mostly because I highlighted & took digital notes in my kindle & sent them to evernote after tweeting them). I look forward to broadcasting a full-length interview with him on my podcast (which has now been given it's own page on the blog, see the crossbar on top).

Technical Merit

Drouin was described in an Amazon review as Hemmingway-esque. By this, I assume the reviewer was referring to Roger's attention to detail. He describes some of the most mundane aspects of life--like getting a cup of coffee--with painstaking detail, reverence and awe. While reading, you may notice some of the nuances of life in a way you never considered them before. He holds true to this style throughout the book.

I had a little bit of trouble following some of the characters early on. After a few chapters, I got them straight & could focus more on what they were actually saying & feeling. For that reason, I give No Other Way a 3.5 on my 5-point scale for Technical Merit.

Review

That being said, amid the detail and description, brilliance can also be found. When I read longer works, what I (personally) look for are lucid moments where either a character or an omniscient narrator makes an observation that transcends the novel & is applicable to life. This story, framed around a potential environmental catastrophe, has several of those moments. A few of my favorite quotes are as follows:

On Faith

Some people had faith in things they grew attached to, or could claim ownership over. That wasn't true faith, was it? Was faith the very thing that made us reckless?

On Points of View

Awe and solitude are the two most immense points of view, and here they were the same.

On Long Shots

Hell, everything worth anything is a long shot. 

On the Dangers of Ignorance

The ones who won't listen will be the ones to say why didn't someone warn us. Maybe then they'll realize: Hey, there was a warning, they were trying to warn us... 

I always assumed Roger was a South Florida boy like me. I know he attended Florida Atlantic University (I have forgiven him for that), but the following quote is For Us Floridians:

The northerners would say there are no seasons in South Florida... But Ryan could feel those seasonal changes, and he came to love those subtle variations. Now in early March, the breeze was almost the same, except you could feel how it had lost its coolness, and smell how everything was about to bloom.

Takeaway

Mr. Drouin wrote an excellent novel that transcends the basic story of a bird-photographer & park ranger versus a gas company. He delves into real issues like Faith, Awe, Wonder, Knowledge, Ethics & how those principles manifest themselves in real life.


This is a strong first novel for Roger Real Drouin & I heartily recommend it to anyone who appreciates nature & a good read. I am saddened by the fact that I probably would not have had the pleasure of reading this book if I did not know Roger on a personal level. I look forward to more material from desk of Mr. Drouin & hope my readers will also look into this excellent author.

More Reading

You can connect with Roger Real Drouin on the following channels!

• Twitter: @rogerreal - he is active and engaging!
• Blog: Roger's Outdoor Blog - Roger loves the outdoors & Birding
• Website: Roger's Web Page - In case there's anything else you want to know about him.

Preparing Instructional Media

I know my avid readers are clamoring for my latest experiences in the world of Graduate Studies in Library and Information Science. So here's a bone.

Actually, it's a web-portfolio of my projects and reflections for LIS 6303: Preparing Instructional Media. It is my final project and should be completed by the end of this week. It has all the interesting things we learned to use in a pedagogical manner like blogging, podcasting, screencasting, presentation software, social bookmarking (which includes Pinterest) and Wikis.

So there, you can't tell me I don't show you something exciting every now and then.

It's Hard to Call it Quits

A slight exaggeration, but how I feel

When to hang it up

So. It turns out I was unable to write the next great American novel during the month of November in the year 2012. I got thrown off a week ago & have not been able to recover. I plan to continue plodding through it at my own pace & definitely learned a lot about the creative process--but it wasn't to be.

I was able to push myself to creative places that I had never been before. I explored dialog & music & tension between characters that I had only heard or read of, but never wrote before. I began chapters with an intention & ended with something totally different because my main character simply had a mind of his own & thought his own thoughts or did his own thing. I was telling a story that was formed in my mind about someone totally different. It was at once completely me, yet outside of me.

This may sound strange. That would be because it is strange. I don't know if this is the normal writing process. From what I hear, everyone has their own writing process. What I do know is that I will likely not finish 50,000 words by December 1. Not when I have to write 3,700+ words per day until the end of the month to finish on time.

Back to Grad School

I have been working on school projects in addition to this creative one. I've been putting together instructional media & a full-fledged research proposal. I am enjoying it a lot. I am also pleased to report that I have been doing well in these projects & expect to finish well academically this semester.

I am well past the middle of my Grad School career & have been casting a wandering eye at my spring/summer coarse load, Fall internship & potential job market in 2014. Ahh!! 2014?!? Can't we finish 2012 first?!? I wish we could. But that's not the world we live in.

Reflections

But I am glad to pause & reflect on how far we've come. (I include my lovely wife with the we because I drag her through some interesting times with this whole graduate school thing.) I suppose that's another thing I can add to my Thanksgiving gratitude list.

So here's to life! Because it goes on.

NaNoWriMo: A break from writing

National November Writing Month

Last year, at around Veterans Day I first heard of nanowrimo. I thought it was an awesome community of writers trying to scratch out their little novel in an action-packed, mondo-caffeinated, no-shuteye sort of way.

The idea is to write a 50,000 word story from Nov. 1 to Nov. 30. Just write the words to get the idea out. Don't change the words through any editing. Last year, I vowed that I would participate in 2012. So here I am, already some 3,000 words behind (but making a furious comeback). Come December 1, I hope to have a huge, 50,000 word piece of crap novel to call my own.

My working title is Lonely, As A Cloud. Yes, a shout out to William Wordsworth, OK? Here's the crappy beginning to my future best seller:

It was another one of those nights. 

He turned this way. He turned that way. He tucked his knees up to his chest. He stretched his toes out just beyond the blankets. But still, his eyes were crusted open as he stared at the familiar shadows of his bedroom and took note of the purple, swirling darkness.

It was not fear that gripped him, though he had felt the kind of fear which creates a racket in the chest--much like a Cuban 9-year-old girl’s birthday party which lasts until two AM and all you want to do is pretend you’re asleep so whatever it is you’re scared of won’t notice you but you know they can hear your heartbeat clear across town.

It also wasn't excitement. He had nothing special to look forward to in the morning. He had no special outing planned or a love-note he was going to send to a special girl or a gift that was sure to come to him at the crack of dawn.

Nor did he dread the next morning. There was no mid-term in geometry class or dog that needed to be put down ever so clinically.

No, it was none of that.

Taylor Van Embden was just too tired to rest.