Have you seen the ALA’s new Radical Militant Librarian buttons? Me too. I liked the concept, but not the design. So I made some of my own. Ain’t Capitalism grand? As usual, all proceeds go to a combination of non-profits and grocery bills.
Rock Rock Rock n’ Roll Librarian
Hey avenging librarians… A few weeks ago, Bill Harmer wrote a letter asking for our help. You may remember Bill as the founder of the Rock n Roll library tour that was featured on This American Life. I wrote about the show here.
Bill wants to take the Rock n Roll library tour nationwide. Last summer the Michigan tour was a big success, and he wants to get at least one library to sign up in each of the 50 states. This is a killer after-school program that serves the dual purpose of getting reluctant readers in the library, and busting through some myths about how the library is boring. You know? Those myths? Now you can do something about them.
After some initial hoo-ha-ing, the ALA got its act together and is sort of helping out. You can now register your very own ever-loving library for the tour. You’ll be booking library rock n’ roll veterans The High Strung for an all-ages show and a question and answer session afterward.
Just read the press release, then write to Bill and he’ll make it happen.
I hope they come here. Ithaca is desperate for decent music. There’s a large Contra Dance movement here that MUST BE STOPPED. Also, if anybody has suggestions or offers of help, I think Bill would be glad to hear them.
Bloggies
Last year I attended the Bloggies at the South by Southwest Interactive conference. The presentation was wonderfully low-budget, like a high school assembly. But, oh THE FUNNY. Not only were funny people doing the presenting, there was a huge screen next to the stage showing the IRC conversation about the presentation. So, imagine a presenter saying something funny, and then almost simultaneously, more funny people chatting about the presenter and mocking him. It was so meta that several audience members actually turned inside-out and had to be rushed to the hospital.
Anyway, I’m going again this year (yes, you’ll get your feminist strippers – hang on) and I WANT A BLOGGIE. Gimme gimme. Please. Although there are far more worthy candidates, I’m asking anyway. Won’t you nominate me? Please? I have included this emotionally manipulative kitten to help you with your decision.
To nominate Librarian Avengers for the Best Topical Weblog category, go here. Yes, I know I’m a publicity whore. La la la. Tttpth.
Here are the other fabulous blogs I’ve nominated. I left out some of the obvious ones, like Boing Boing, since they were well-represented last year. Check them out, but not while you are drinking anything that will hurt if you snort it through your nose. I’m just saying.
Best weblog application
WordPress
Spam Karma
Best Australian or New Zealand Weblog
Boudist
Best American Weblog
Dooce
Mimi Smartypants
Best Tagline of a Weblog
Bad News Hughes – Striving to find a way to punch people in the face by using the internet.
My Life as an American Gladiator – Caution! Do Not Insert In Ear Canal!
Best Entertainment Weblog
Pink is the New Blog
Gallery of the Absurd
Best Weblog About Politics
Sivacracy
Low Culture
Salon Broadsheet
Best GLBT Weblog
The Book You’re Not Reading
Pink is the New Blog
Most Humorous Weblog
Bad News Hughes
Mimi Smartypants
Cat and Girl Donation Derby
Best Writing of a Weblog
Echidne of the Snakes
My Life as an American Gladiator
Pound
Best Web Development Weblog
A List Apart
Best Designed Weblog
Megatokyo
Jenny’s Realm
Lifetime Achievement
Dave Shea
Best-Kept-Secret Weblog
PostSecret
Dog Blog
The Ten Thousand Year Blog
Best New Weblog
50 Books
Trash for Christmas
I’m back, and am the proud new owner of a headlamp! If anyone wants to go dumpstering with me this weekend, send an email. I’m well-equipped. If you think dumpster diving sounds horrible and gross, here’s a good, well thought-out discussion of the topic, along with some great examples of what you can find. Being filth-averse, I tend to stick to non-food dumpsters and recycle bins. Also, here’s a link to an interesting California legal precedent which might help with the police if you ever get caught. Librarians: this is a great way to aquire new books…as long as you aren’t picky about things like covers. .
The decorating thing…
Hi there – I’m on vacation. woo. Owl’s passed out next to me in a big long bundle of fur. Thanks for all of the great holiday decorating comments. You guys are hilarious and ever-so-various. I just wanted to follow up, because I think a few folks got the wrong impression about where I stand on this crucial topic. That whole rant? The previous post? About the cookies and the survey and the tinsel? That wasn’t me saying that guys don’t decorate or should decorate more. That would be dumb.
What I’m saying is that asking a woman you don’t know about her holiday decorations is a Gendered Question. This is a Gendered Question because Society (not me! society!) has associated women, fairly or unfairly, with homemaking stuff. This is also a Gendered Question because it is almost exclusively asked about women (and by women).
I, personally, don’t really like being asked Gendered Questions because I would rather be associated with the things I actually care about and value like PlayStation and my Large Cat. Not that any stranger is going to realistically come up to me and ask about any of the weird shit I enjoy. Still, I can dream of a world where people greet each other with a hearty “Have you read Seamus Heaney’s new translation of Antigone?” Or thump each other on the back with a cheerful “Ever considered opening up your 802-11 G wireless network?” I can dream my little holiday dreams.
So good for all y’all decorators and non-decorators alike. Good for all you lads who make with the tinsel, and you dudes who snooze through the whole month of December. Rock on my friends, I wish you a happy break.
Have you decorated your home for the holidays? A patriarchal plot to make me hang ornaments instead of conquering the galaxy
Recently several people have asked me something that strikes fear into my cold and icy heart. The question is innocuous. The question is well-intended. The question makes me want to pull out my big librarian rubber stamp and do some smiting.
The question:
“Have you decorated your home for the holidays?”
No, this isn’t a war-on-Christmas screed, nor is it a rant against bland conversation.* This is about feminism. Specifically, this is about a brand of feminism I subscribe to, the kind of feminism that thinks being a woman really doesn’t require me to do extra crap around the house.
I’ve got nothing against decorating for the holidays. I’ve got nothing against talking about decorating for the holidays. I’ve got nothing against the holidays.** What I don’t like is that the lads seem to be exempt.
I have the good fortune to work in I.T., which means my co-workers are mostly male.*** I took an informal survey of these guys to see how they responded to this particular social pressure. Donning my best “we’re all girls together” face (you know the one) I sidled up and asked innocently “Have you decorated your home for the holidays”
The result? Derisive snorts, awkward this-chick-has-gone-nuts pauses, glassy stares, and one guy actually did a spit-take. Finally one gentleman described his holiday decorations. His wife, it seemed, had done a great job this year.
Fine, maybe it’s the nesting hormones. Maybe women really do love to decorate. Maybe we’re all a bunch of scented-candle-chugging tinsel-hangers. But still, I get all gitchy when somebody just assumes I subscribe to this apparently gender-specific hobby. I mean, hell. I’ve got some garlands and shit, but I don’t enjoy feeling like it’s my venereal duty to start shooting holiday cookies out my oven just because every other woman on the earth seems to be.
I would love to sum it all up for you and present a nice, clear solution to all this damned gender inequity, but I can’t think of one. Just, maybe, the next time you ask someone about their hobbies, try to stay away from the race, gender, and sexual orientation-related ones. Don’t ask the gay man if he enjoys flower arrangement Just Because He’s Gay. He might love flowers but that still doesn’t make it cool. Don’t ask the black woman if she likes collard greens Just Because She’s Black. She may love them (how could you not?), but that doesn’t make you less of an asshole. And dangit, don’t ask me about my dang holiday decorations. Ask me about my Star Wars Battlefront score. I conquered the galaxy yesterday.
*Sure, the world needs conversational crutches. But lately, the holiday decoration thing seems to be as important to office social lubrication as “what are your vacation plans?” and “can you believe how cold it is?” Hopefully, it will never be as important as “here, have another drink.”
**I’ve even got nothing against Martha Stewart. Hell, I dumpster-dive Living from the Borders’ recycling bin regularly.***The inequities of this are so obvious they don’t need to be stated right? Right?
A New Line of Librarian Action Figures
I got a catalog in the mail the other day advertising the new deluxe version of the Librarian Action Figure. She comes with a book truck, and some extra books. Nice.
Still, I think there should be a whole line of librarian action figures, including one with the earlier, discarded, exploding bun feature.
Lightning-fast reference is an obvious Librarian Superpower, as well as maybe, oh, I dunno, Willingness to Dedicate One’s Life to the Good of Others. But I don’t know how you would turn that into a pushbutton feature…unless you push the button and she detaches her head and offers it to you.
Mappin’
147 members! That frappr map is actually starting to spook me. It’s one thing to write for a few people who I know are reading, (my family, a few ex-coworkers, the library school grrls) and a few theoretical people I suspect are reading, but to have them all laid out there on a map…whew.
Well, anyway, good to meet you all and thank you for caring about my goofy life. I’m sneaking out of work early so I can see the sun, so short post today. Say no to seasonal affective disorder.