Blogging without photos, libraries and flood 2008

Well, here I am again. I figured out another reason why I wasn't updating during the flooding. I really wanted each and every post to have an accompanying photograph. My current technology situation for photos is less than ideal. I have a card reader at home, but I'd rather do my blogging while at work. After all, I update the Hardin Library blog
here. User services are, of course, my top priority during my hours at Hardin, but when I'm stationed at the first floor circulation desk - which occasionally means complete solitude for an hour or so...really, it's okay. Sarah, our Access Services Supervisor, does tell student employees such as me that homework at the desk is okay. So I'm not slacking off, really! :)

So anyway, enough with that digression. I prefer updating this blog at work, but I don't have a card reader at the first floor desk. Perhaps I should start a regular routine with respect to uploading my photos to Flickr, then put them up there. Personally, I think the blog reading experience is much enhanced by visuals. What do you think? Do your favorite blogs feature photographs?

Also, a humorous part of my day: this awesome t-shirt about libraries and flooding. UI's Main Library is still closed (you can check out their latest news here). During Main's closure, Hardin is proud to offer office space and materials for their refugee staff. We haven't received any news recently regarding the Music and Art libraries, but I'm sure every effort is being made to preserve their collections.

Oops.

So, hey loyal readers...probably all two of you out there, at this point :) I made a very stupid first-time blogger mistake - not updating content frequently! As you might have noticed in my first post, I was planning on updating 3-4x per week. Alas, a community crisis warranted my attention much more than this new project: Flood 2008.

My first observation about this event that I would like to note: everyone was affected, but each in his/her own way. I didn't lose any personal belongings, and besides having a week off from work and class (but no lost pay, might I add), there were no particular schedule changes for me. My parents couldn't go on their regular walks on the foot bridges around the Iowa River (haha, what a surprise), and taking in certain theatre shows was impossible. As a family, the Drakes prepared for a loss of utilities at home, but none of our regular services were interrupted. So you might ask, what's the big deal for Meredith? Why not just a minor inconvenience? On a personal level, it was the devastation of the UI Arts Campus. Until this event, I hadn't realized how important those institutions are to my identity. I am not pursuing musical activities as voraciously as I did when I was in high school, but I still can't imagine a day without music in some form. Thinking of all those weekly lessons in Beth's studio, those music camp rehearsals and hanging out, those awful but very necessary practice room sessions...and that's just Voxman. I think the number of concerts that I've attended in Clapp is probably in the triple digits, and Hancher - where does one even begin when talking about Hancher? I

I take a great deal of comfort in the fact that Iowa City is a community that values the arts. Arts students and faculty/staff will not simply be let go. And although I sadly haven't played much in the last day or two, I'm definitely getting into a better practice routine with systematic scale and interval studies, etudes, and a variety of repertoire. My favorites are still Bach, Brahms, and Hindemith.

Also - check me out on Twitter! I'm rapidly developing skills with microblogging as well. I think I will enjoy the service much better after I get a new cell phone service contract that includes unlimited text messaging.

And in the beginning...

...there was my very first blog post. As an aspiring LIS student/professional, I'm rather embarrassed to admit that this is my first attempt to carve a niche for myself in the blogosphere. After all, didn't Business Week announce the significance of blogging over three years ago? Until now, my creative internet activities have been centered around Livejournal, Grinnell's very own [plans] and, of course, the infamous Facebook. How perfectly juvenile of me.

I don't have a solid vision for this blog yet, which I know puts me in danger of role confusion - especially in terms of privacy. Should this blog be a professional development tool? An outlet for creative expression? I don't want this to be a bad case of TMI (too much information) - for example, you'll probably tune out my updates if I write nothing but quirky updates about what I ate for breakfast or thought about the weather today. (Perhaps this is why Twitter does not particularly appeal to me.) On the other hand, I want to save the formal essay writing for class work. I'm much more interested in thoughtful interactions with friends, family, and colleagues than anything else.

Right now I'm thinking about updating 3-4x per week - a reasonable frequency, I hope. I'm also planning to upload a photo with each post for you visual learners out there. And now the explanation of today's post: Edgar! He is one of the two fine felines who reside with my family of origin. In the picture above, he is "helping" me read The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers. Charming, isn't he?