It's been years since I did a New Year's Resolution, but this year seems so fraught with possibilities that I thought I would take one on. I resolve to fully immerse myself in the Semester at Sea Voyage by participating in as many shipboard and port activities as I can that involve the students. One goal is to be able to call at least 100 of the student by name and be so "present" that they will be able to say "Hi Warner" when they run into me.
I've had a lot of conversations with past librarians and faculty, and they have all been involved with the students to different degrees. On the ship, the librarian is always "on duty". I embrace that idea. I'm not the type to seek refuge in my cabin (although, I'm not the type to sing Karaoke either). I've worked directly with students for all my adult life, so I know that the interactions can be very fulfilling, and they can sometimes break your heart. It's just a risk you take.
So, I'm going to throw myself out there.
Friday, January 1, 2010
Monday, December 28, 2009
Tick tick
In two weeks from today, Nancy and I will get on the airplane from Charlottesville to San Diego. We are leaving on Jan 11 just in case any of this crazy weather causes flying problems. We actually get on the ship on the afternoon of Jan 13. We want our luggage to get there on time as well.
I think it seems sooner because Nancy has her clothes spread out on the bed in our guest room along with her luggage. She wants to be ready, and I'm sure the exact group of clothes will change many times between now and then.
By getting to San Diego early (we hope), we plan to visit the zoo and also buy a lot of the incidentals like sunscreen, bug spray, etc that we don't want to have to pack. We'll also get snacks and other foodstuffs.
I think it seems sooner because Nancy has her clothes spread out on the bed in our guest room along with her luggage. She wants to be ready, and I'm sure the exact group of clothes will change many times between now and then.
By getting to San Diego early (we hope), we plan to visit the zoo and also buy a lot of the incidentals like sunscreen, bug spray, etc that we don't want to have to pack. We'll also get snacks and other foodstuffs.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Dinosaur
I have a plastic dinosaur that will be keeping us company in our cabin on the MV Explorer. This idea came from someone who carried a smaller rubber one in her pocket at all times as a reminder to not take herself too seriously. She kept a supply to give out to others who were deemed to need the same reminder. My dinosaur will be a reminder to me to try to give up control of things I can't control. As my wife reminded me when we first visited Disney World together, "you must be willing to suspend disbelief". So now, I need to suspend control. It's not that I want to control everything--just those things that affect me.
I just finished reading a book that my student assistants and colleagues gave me as part of a bon voyage package. The book, By the Seat of My Pants: Humorous Tales of Travel and Midadventure, has some amazing tales of travel. Many of the experiences came from serendipity and willingness to take a few chances and interact with strangers. I'm definitely going to try to talk to strangers because as I prepare for this trip, I keep thinking about the international travelers that come into our library and how we can make a difference in their lives. The book also reminds me that even the misadventures can make for some interesting stories and memories.
Did I mention that my dinosaur has a plastic lion friend? I'm hoping he will meet a new friend along the way and become a citizen of a foreign land.
I just finished reading a book that my student assistants and colleagues gave me as part of a bon voyage package. The book, By the Seat of My Pants: Humorous Tales of Travel and Midadventure, has some amazing tales of travel. Many of the experiences came from serendipity and willingness to take a few chances and interact with strangers. I'm definitely going to try to talk to strangers because as I prepare for this trip, I keep thinking about the international travelers that come into our library and how we can make a difference in their lives. The book also reminds me that even the misadventures can make for some interesting stories and memories.
Did I mention that my dinosaur has a plastic lion friend? I'm hoping he will meet a new friend along the way and become a citizen of a foreign land.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
metric system
One of my stocking stuffers was a small outdoor thermometer with a suction cup to stick on the outside of a window. The mercury is measured in Celsius and Fahrenheit. Since most of the places we will visit are on the metric system, I've decided that I should learn a little about how it works. I've checked that thermometer out several times today, and know that when it was 5 Celsius, it was really 41 F.
I'm also trying to think in kilometers. So, if I see a road sign in India that says 78 km, I'll know it is just over 48 mi.
One site to convert is at World Wide metric
Now if I could just learn to think in metrics
I'm also trying to think in kilometers. So, if I see a road sign in India that says 78 km, I'll know it is just over 48 mi.
One site to convert is at World Wide metric
Now if I could just learn to think in metrics
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Geography deficit
OK, I'll admit that I have a deficit in my knowledge of geography. So, just to see if I am in good company, I have a short quiz for you.
What are the 3 countries that border Ghana?
I also have to admit that when I looked on the map (I love maps), I didn't even recognize the name of one of them.
The answer can be found at http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Ghana&utm_campaign=en&utm_medium=ha&utm_source=en-ha-na-us-sk-gm&utm_term=ghana%20map
Burkina Faso is the name that I didn't recognize, and it was formerly known as The Republic of Upper Volta from 1958 until 1984.
Wikipedia has interesting information about these places.
What are the 3 countries that border Ghana?
I also have to admit that when I looked on the map (I love maps), I didn't even recognize the name of one of them.
The answer can be found at http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Ghana&utm_campaign=en&utm_medium=ha&utm_source=en-ha-na-us-sk-gm&utm_term=ghana%20map
Burkina Faso is the name that I didn't recognize, and it was formerly known as The Republic of Upper Volta from 1958 until 1984.
Wikipedia has interesting information about these places.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
San Diego Sustainability
As I mentioned in an earlier posting, sustainability is the theme for the voyage.
I've copied the following from that page:
We define sustainability as a "society of permanence"—a world in which humanity ensures its well-being across the generations by improving the stability of ecological and sociocultural systems. Achieving a sustainable society will require decisionmakers to address issues of scale, just distribution, and economic efficiency.
I've thought that I would incorporate this theme into my travels and seek out examples. So, as we prepare to depart for San Diego in a few weeks, I've looked into that city. Univ California at San Diego has many examples of how they study sustainability, but the more immediate example is the airport where we will be landing. They have incorporated sustainability into their organization and policies. Take a look at San Diego Airport Sustainability.
I think we will be starting off at a good place.
I've copied the following from that page:
We define sustainability as a "society of permanence"—a world in which humanity ensures its well-being across the generations by improving the stability of ecological and sociocultural systems. Achieving a sustainable society will require decisionmakers to address issues of scale, just distribution, and economic efficiency.
I've thought that I would incorporate this theme into my travels and seek out examples. So, as we prepare to depart for San Diego in a few weeks, I've looked into that city. Univ California at San Diego has many examples of how they study sustainability, but the more immediate example is the airport where we will be landing. They have incorporated sustainability into their organization and policies. Take a look at San Diego Airport Sustainability.
I think we will be starting off at a good place.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Packing the library
Today was a long anticipated day for those of us who are preparing the library for the voyage. This was the day that we packed all the books and videos that had been ordered and received for the upcoming voyage. Most of the titles came from faculty course syllabi for reserve readings. Library acquisitions staff placed the orders, catalogers created bibliographic records, other staff processed the materials, and at the end, Mary Johnston, Barbie Selby, Kelly Johnston and I had a packing party. It wasn't really a party, but it had a festive feeling as it brought me one step closer to the voyage.
Part of the packing process was to label the reserve readings with the faculty member's name. So, those of us who had worked with the course materials would pick up a title and try to guess the faculty member who was going to use it. A book on sharks was obviously Abel and a book of architecture was Crisman. Some were not as obvious, but when we looked them up, they were a good reminder of the class and professor. Just a little librarian party game.
We broke the party up in the middle to take a quick trip down Main St to the Amtrak station where we greeted Donna Tolson, the Fall librarian and her husband Tim, the IT guy for the voyage. They had decide to take the train back from San Diego, and they were as tickled to see us as we were to see them. Thanks to Donna for weeding out obsolete materials to make room for our books.
At the end of the day, we had 17 boxes of books to be shipped. Well, they weren't all books. I included some giveaways to use for library promotions on the ship like candy and t-shirts. I'll see these items again when I get on the ship in San Diego on January 13.
Part of the packing process was to label the reserve readings with the faculty member's name. So, those of us who had worked with the course materials would pick up a title and try to guess the faculty member who was going to use it. A book on sharks was obviously Abel and a book of architecture was Crisman. Some were not as obvious, but when we looked them up, they were a good reminder of the class and professor. Just a little librarian party game.
We broke the party up in the middle to take a quick trip down Main St to the Amtrak station where we greeted Donna Tolson, the Fall librarian and her husband Tim, the IT guy for the voyage. They had decide to take the train back from San Diego, and they were as tickled to see us as we were to see them. Thanks to Donna for weeding out obsolete materials to make room for our books.
At the end of the day, we had 17 boxes of books to be shipped. Well, they weren't all books. I included some giveaways to use for library promotions on the ship like candy and t-shirts. I'll see these items again when I get on the ship in San Diego on January 13.
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