A Rollyo Just For Me!

At last, a site I can go to find the things that most interest, or are most useful, to me! This is great! Now my searches will be confined to things I've placed in one spot, just for little old me!

I'm definitely going to subscribe to this one...can't wait to start building "my empire!"

LibraryThing is a great library thing!

Library Thing is great tool for not only your personal home collection, but also for the benefit of cataloging your favorite books with tags and mashups. I started a list of some of my favorite children's books that I've done for story times. This will be a fairly timing-consuming process, but it will be worth it when I have my own archive of very workable books I've done in the past.

I can then recycle some of them by using my mashups and tags to broaden my units. This is a tool that will be very valuable to me for years to come!

A Banner Day!

I was researching online image generators yesterday. I began playing around with Nerdfuls banner maker, thinking I would just see what a mock-up banner I could make for my sister and her husband. Their surprise party is next weekend and I was anxious to see what it would look like if we had thought to have one made.

I followed the instructions, selecting a 17th Century font in orchid, and typed, "Happy 25th Anniversary, Gail and Alan!!!" inside the rainbow-colored border. It was so pretty that I wished that I could have actually had one just like it.

I scrolled down to the bottom of the page to see what else I might learn, and that's when I saw a great surprise! I could actually order what I only thought I was playing around with! And better yet, it was only $.99 + $.36 more if I wanted the trade insignia removed. So immediately I whipped out my Mastercard and purchased it online.

It will be shipped to my house in about 5 days...just in time for our party (with a couple of days to spare). Now if only the postal service will be that prompt! Yaaaaay for practical-to-my-life technology!

Technorati (Not My Maserati)

Technorati is NOT up to my speed (or should I put that in reverse?). Maybe I'm not up to its speed. In any event, its not my Maserati.

I didn't like this search engine; it was way too technical for me. I'm more creative. You have to be if you are in Children's. 'Nuff said!

Folksonomies

Folksonomies seems to be something I don't think I'd would especially need to use. I suppose it could possibly be used to categorize and separate large day care centers from licencsed family day care centers, and facilities for physically/mentally challenged patients, etc.

It seems to be very rigid, and by the lecture tour I read, by admission, has a few flaws. I think I'd just as soon use Delicious.

That Looks Del.icio.us!

The del.icio.us website seems to be just that--delicious! You can set up bloglines, giving yourself opportunities to check lots of different, newsworthy, or interesting things in minutes rather than hours.

Delicious is an online organizer that could be extremely valuable, as well as a great time-saving device, once you set it up and 'get the hang of it.'

I think of flickr that way for photos and other such things. It is amazing. But after I subscribed to Feedburner, I was not so thrilled. Actually, I unsubscribed to that one, as well as SixApart, because I ended up wading through so many comments about each 'cool thing' that I couldn't keep up with all that information. Also, there was a raft of online junk-mail attached with them that I never received before, so I found them to be more of a hindrance than a help.

The Trouble With Tribbles

My friend and colleague, Katherine, and I go monthly to do story time for the residents in the local nursing home, Laurelwood. Just before leaving she told me that one of our 'regulars' at each performance, Cleo, had passed away suddenly on July 5th. I was so shocked and saddened to learn this. I've been doing story time there for the past two years, and this is the first time I have had to experience the loss of one of 'our own.'

It occurred to me in some vague corner of my mind that I might have to face this prospect some day, but I guess I hoped that it would be later rather than sooner. Just two weeks before her death, our Cleo was sitting in her wheelchair, as usual, enjoying using the puppet I had given her to participate in the story, "Who's in Rabbit's Hole?" I remember commenting to Katherine how she "really got into her role!"

I will always miss seeing Cleo in our story time audience. I will miss her feistiness, her quick wit, and her enthusiasm, but most of all, I know Katherine and I will miss our friend...Cleo.

"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven." (Ecclesiastes 3:1 KJV) This, in the Star Trek vernacular, is "The Trouble With Tribbles."

Who Tube???

You Tube and iACPL were very interesting. Actually I saw the Mentos and Diet Coke You Tube videos on Good Morning America several weeks ago. That was fascinating with the "scientists" experimenting with it.

But, I think these videos sometimes lend themselves to going a few steps too far. I've never seen one of the "Jackass" movies except in movie trailers because they look too stupid for words! But some of the home vidoes of people eating Mentos and then drinking Diet Coke made me sick--them too, apparently.

I think the ridiculous part is that some times by promoting some of these videos a lot of air play and debate, we may accidentally give ideas "idiots" who not have been intelligent enough to have ever even dreamed of such things just enough information to go out and hurt themselves, or more often, an innocent bystander. It is rather like giving a two-year-old dynamite and matches, and telling them to be good and go play...KA-BOOM!

I know that people will argue the BIG Censorship and Freedom of Expression issues, but it's always too late after someone gets hurt. Who would be valiant enough to take RESPONSIBILITY then???

"Don't Hassle The Hoff!"

Sometimes technology options can be very frustrating! I've been trying to load Rafe Needleman's speech called, "RSS: feel the need for feeds?" from the "Just 3 Things Please!" section of our 23 Things, and I can only get it to play for about 10 seconds before it just freezes and won't do another thing. I've tried to do it several times already...any suggestions?

I would like to hear what he has to say, and maybe pick up a few pearls of wisdom, but I get stopped dead in my tracks. I have enough hassles in my life without adding stressors to what is supposed to be "fun."

Is anyone else out there having trouble with this one, or is it just moi?

In My Dreams

Avatar is a BLAST! I haven't had so much fun creating this "perfect image" person since I don't know when. If only...oh well, I can dream, can't I?

This took me back to my childhood, when I would pretend to be the perfect super-model, Barbie. And dressing her harkened back to my days with paperdolls, only better, because her tab-clothes didn't keep falling off!

I found myself "LOL-ing" (laughing out loud, for those like me who aren't always familiar with today's texting lingo) trying on different clothes, jewelry, options, and adding exotic backgrounds! I just loved it!

The Coolest Thing Ever!

Wow! I so glad I was able to take the flickr tutorial! It is AWESOME! And if you're into photography at all, you will absolutely be blown away! Goodness...it is truly amazing all that technology has to offer these days. The things you can do with this are as boundless as your imagination.

I grew up loving pictures. I learned to smile at even the sight of a camera. You see, my Dad was a Professional Photographer, and I know he would love this so much, it might make him come out of retirement just to try this stuff!

I can't wait to try putting one of my pictures on the web. I just have to open an account first, and I can't wait to do that! Go flickr! Go flickr! Go flickr!

A Quick and Yummy Summer Treat

If anyone would like to try a great refreshing summer treat that's not only fast but really good, whip up this delicious multi-faceted salad/dessert for your next picnic, get-together, or mid-week dinner:

One large of Jello (either Peach, Apricot or Orange)
One large (drained) can of Mandarin Oranges
One 20 oz. (drained) can of Pineapple Chunks
One large container of Cool Whip
One 8 oz. container of small curd cottage cheese

Put cottage cheese, Jello, and Cool Whip in a large bowl. Stir together until blended.
Fold in both cans of drained fruit. Either leave in the bowl or put into 13 x 9" cassarole dishes (glass is best), and chill in refridgerator.

*This sets up in less than an hour because there is no real liquid. So grab a spoon and ENJOY!

No Techno-wizard

I'm no techno-wizard, so this is going to be a challenge for me, but I welcome the opportunity to learn. I like being independent, and doing things for myself, and not having to ask busy colleagues for help is a big part of that.

So I intend to use the time I have to the best of my ability to learn whatever I can, even if I feel a bit out of my comfort-zone.