The State of Things in Lakeland

Dogs, Foo Fighters, and lounging.



(The sound is subpar on my camera -- turn it all the way up!)

More Indexing - and a New Look for the HIA Blog!

Hey peeps! You might have noticed the HIA has gotten a bit of a practical facelift - and I don't just mean that saucy pic of the librarian to the right! A, what we call in the bizness, "tag cloud" has been added in the top right corner of your "screen" (that's the thing you're looking at now). This is a form of "indexing" (that's using "indicator" to find "content") and it will help you, the simple, simple "users" of the HIA blog.

Just click with your "mouse" (that's the thing that moves your "curser" around the "screen" . . . and the "curser" is . . . oh, nevermind . . .) one of the labels on the top right. That will take you to all the posts that have been "tagged" (like when you go hunting? And the deer or geese or whatever have a "tag" on them?) with that term will come up. Those in larger and bolder print have more entries.

So how useful is that?? Say you want to find all the entries with video? Instead of scrolling around, just "click" with your "mouse" on the "tag" "video" - that will bring up all the videologs! Or you want to find all the post by Mully? Just "click" with your "mouse" . . . oh, you know the rest! Hopefully, at some point I will come up with a thesaurus, so you all can see the list of "tags" used and proper cross-referencing for other terms (mmMMMmmm . . . cross-referencing . . . .)

And no, there's no need to thank me . . . just knowing that the HIA blog has been properly indexed is thanks enough. Now I can finally sleep at night . . . .

And You People Scoffed at My Love of Indexing . . .

For the record, indexing is both funny AND useful. See below from Slate:

The Going Rogue Index: Sarah Palin didn't put an index in her book. So we made one for her.

Seedy Underbelly of St. Cloud Proves Elusive, Disappointing

Recent St. Cloud immigrant, Renee Roxanne Abeln, has found that the the gritty side of St. Cloud is not so apparent or prevalent as she assumed it would be. “I mean, c'mon! It's a Minnesota college town!! You figure nefarious activity is going to be rife, right?” Having lived in “Salacious. St Cloud,” as Abeln calls it, for over two weeks, she has yet to find the swinging, drug-addled lifestyle she expected.

“I'm a divorced woman of 39! The only reason I would be moving here is to get down and dirty. Yet, I get here . . . and there's nothing. Oh sure, there's the partying, rampant alcoholism, and casual violence prevalent in most of the Midwest . . . but where's the wife-swappin'? Where's the S&M parties? Where's the gimps?”

When it is suggested to her that it might be her choice of social venues of the library and the local Moose Lodge, she is dismissive. “Phhhhfffttt!! Have you BEEN to your local library recently? Those places are freee-KAY and totally ILL – and I'm not talkin' inter-library loan . . .”

Still, Abeln remains upbeat. “Well, if I can't find it, I'll just have to create it. It won't be the first time.” Her first course of action? Introducing Cross-dressing Night at the Library. “I'm thinking probably Wednesday night – they don't call it hump-day for nuthin'!”

HIA and HIA-related Literati Do Northern Hills

Superbigmuch and her merry band of poetrix friends will be in Spearfish-Deadwood area for the Western Literature Association Conference and South Dakota Book Festival, Wednesday, Sept 30 - Monday, Oct 5.

I'm presenting a paper on the author Sui Sin Far entitled "Edith Maud Eaton: Myth or Mythbuster? Outsider Privilege, Insider Meta-Discourse, and the Construction of Chineseness as Sui Sin Far." My only regret is the too-short title.

Lee Roripaugh, Lindy Obach, Marcella Remund of USD and Pen Pearson of Northern State will be reading No-SoDakia outlaw cowgirl, naughty lapsed Catholic, nature gender sex-centric poetry for the modern aging woman in a panel at the conference.

Any HIA-er's in the area should come and see us, hear us, or at the very least do shots with us. Jason Walker, Rapid City Librarian?

Email me @ superbigmuch@msn.com.

Gluteal Cleft

On the far side of living the life of "quiet desperation" and near the rung of Mountain Odebt lives the rest of the world - a land often of no ideas and no means. The problem today is not that there is a divide or that the divide persists. The problem is cheek one is sinking and cheek two never got clear. The closer we are together, the closer we are to catastrophe - at least in the aural sense. Answers are easy. Solutions are easy. Action is not. That the "global" group is changing isn't helpful, some of them need to stay home and do some reading. The ones that never left are going to be left again on the stained cheek of the world's sphincter. Where did evil start? Where did the concept of liberty become construed for some and not all? When did we stop living in a world where the cult of personality was subjugated into the cult of celebrity? Whatever it was, I am sure Boomers are to blame, but that won't achieve anything. The time is now to leave all that behind and climb back out of the asscrack of the world.

life is a story

sometimes we get to write the story and sometimes we have to live the story first and tell it later -- economics, politics and religion have only a secondary play in these things.

In "Honor" of F'ing V (D) Day . . .

Despite my obviously sarcastic tone in the title, I did want to do som'fing nice for y'alls not on FaceBook (you lucky SOBs) . . . Here 'tis:

Green grow the rashes

Green grow the rashes, O;
Green grow the rashes, O;
The sweetest hours that e'er I spend,
Are spent among the lasses, O.

There's nought but care on ev'ry han',
In ev'ry hour that passes, O:
What signifies the life o' man,
An' 'twere na for the lasses, O.

The warly race may riches chase,
An' riches still may fly them, O;
An' tho' at last they catch them fast,
Thier hearts can ne'er enjoy them, O.

But gie me a canny hour at e'en,
My arms about my Dearie, O;
An' warly cares, an' warly men,
May a' gae tapsalteerie, O!

For you sae douse, ye sneer at this,
Ye're nought but senseless asses, O:
The wisest Man o' the warl' saw,
He dearly lov'd the lasses, O.

Auld Nature swears, the lovely Dears
Her noblest work she classes, O:
Her prentice han' she try'd on man,
An' then she made the lasses, O.

--Robbie Burns

Renee Makes Newsworthy Return to Vermillion

(Vermillion, SD) - Not one to miss out on a PR stop, Renee Abeln recently "drummed up" local papps with her typical media-savvy bon mots. To read more, click here: http://www.volanteonline.com/news/1.1371400-1.1371400

As We're All About Video Links At The Moment . . .

. . . this came up in my Technical Services class . . . Who says library science and copyright issues can't be thumpin'?

The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Stephen's Remix Challenge

Colbert Report Full Episodes
Paul McCartney Appearance

Funny Political Videos
More Funny Videos

In the words of Sassmaster . . .
"You're welcome."

TV Shows That Should Have Been

Oslo Nice
Mad About Everything
Jason Walker, Rapid City Librarian
Katy McBeem
Hermosa, 57744
PrairieWatch

Vermillion Man O' the People Shares his Booty with the Community (*WINK*)

No, we don't mean THAT booty -he's been sharing that freely for years!!

After much nagging and whining and threats and bribes, A. Fish (Ladies Man - Man's Man - Man About Town) finally agreed to put some of his many pop-cultures treasures on display - Yes, it's "Al Fish's Kitsch-llection!"

And where better to do it than the public library - Vermillion's cultural hotspot!

Already the display has attracted a lot of attention - from the squeal of delight from the library staff to the teary-eyed nostaligia of the Baby Boomers to the fascinated gazes of the under 10 crowd.

This collection is only the tip of the iceberg and further installments are being negotiated.

Musky & Pheas Update

i can't BELIEVE you guys haven't been checking up on our favourite taxidermied critters . . .

and i KNOW you haven't, because how could you NOT comment on how adorable their current outfits are?? i made those little puffer jackets (well, puffer cape for the Pheas) with my own ovary scratchers! frankly, not to blow my own fashion-forward design horn, i made all their accessories as well.

I'm doing my best not to be offended. Jean-Paul has told me to expect that not everyone will recognise the significance of my work. probably, i'm ahead of my time.

More Library Cool

Further librarian shenanigans over at the Unshelved Blog -- a Pimp My Bookcart contest. Behold the grand prize winner:

Bend Over, Shake the Dewey off Your Decimal

Call it Career Daze here on the HIA. Or, Take Your Slacker Friends To Work. If MoS Jef hasn't completely blinded you with his science, take a mo to read a li'l feature on the NYT about liberryians.

Clearly, many of us well-acquainted with the hipster cred of li- and guybrarianship already knew pub lib workers and MLIS'ers had it going on. It begs the related question -- how is it that so many HIAers manage to be so very far ahead of -- if not even full innovators for -- the trends that are very important in shaping our world today?

Hey, Nostra-dumbass, try to tell HIAers something we don't already know.

"A Hipper Crowd of Shushers"

Librarian Hopes to Distract People From Lack of Posting with YouTube Clip

Hey kids! Have you seen this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khS4zlinxk0&mode=related&search=

Ninjas! I LOVE those guys!

Library Staff Member Comes Up with Myriad Excuses in Article and Flurry of Comment Posting

Normally I just let these things run their course. As a fellow librarian in Rapid City will tell you, we are a reserved people who don't go in for grand-standing and displays of attention-seeking behavior. But when libraries and their employees are improperly maligned, it's just gone too far. I decided I have to step in and make some badly needed adjustments.

I haven't been holding out on any storylines and/or pics concerning a much-mentioned Muskrat and Pheasant. I think I told everyone where they could see pictures of the two shining examples of taxidermy and fashion potential when I was first gainfully employed at this institution, ie the Vermillion Public Library website, ie here: http://vpl.sdln.net/meet_muskrat_and_pheasant.htm

And for historical accuracy, it is spelled Musky and the Pheas. And yes it is true that it issung to Chico and the Man, not Benny and the Jets, as some people insist on doing.

Also, as Mully can attest, I had some technical 'problem's with posting that 'mysteriously happened' shortly after my return from Florida. Somehow my account invitation 'expired' and I wasn't able to post anything. I only very recently regained this ability . . Interesting that this should happen shortly before I was able to reveal all about my time in the land of sock-free living . . . Mully insists it had nothing to do with her. And, honestly, what had she to gain by it . . . So . . . who would benefit the most by silencing me . . . .? The evidence remains unclear.

As far as our musical projects - honestly, as the artist I can't be expected to also promote. Surely that' our cataloger's/manager's role.

Also, I have been maintaining a high-profile on my MySpace page (here if it is for proof: http://www.myspace.com/suspiciouslypleased), which takes up a LOT of my time. It's time-consuming constantly reassuring Depeche Mode, and Jarvis Cocker and the Furureheads and Editors and Franz Ferdinand and Derren Brown that I really am their friend, above and beyond MySpace. Creative people are so sensitive.

And those are my reasons.

Taxidermy at Last, No Thanks to Some People

Meet Muskie and Fez, who reside in the Vermillion library. You can see their comely caretaker fussing over them up top and then some random visitor posing with them in hopes of stealing a little of their glamorous sheen while partially blocking the shot with her head.

For some reason, the local photographer in Verm couldn't be bothered to post the photos himself and instead outsourced that task to a St. Paul resident. I wonder what the chances are of our getting to see images of the pair in their Easter outfits? I wouldn't get your hopes up.

Vermillion Librarian Knits, prepares for apocalypse

According to reliable sources in Siouxland, a Vermillion librarian has spent the last two days watching 3 Matrix movies and 2 Resident Evil movies and Constantine while knitting afghans.

When asked for comment, she reportedly said "Look. I'm a few steps ahead of the rest of you. I can see the future, man. You can believe what you like. All I know is, when climate change hits, and when the Matrix begomes apparent, and when the T-virus hits our streets and the demons began to cross over into our realm due to the assistance of a vengeful angel . . . then who'll look crazy for knitting all the afghans and scarves?? Yeah. That's right. All of you are gonna be all 'Oh, I wish I had a scarf, I wish I thought to make knitted throw to protect me from machines with AI and the Nemesis project and Mammon, the son of Satan . . . .' . . and I'll be all like, 'Too bad, suckas!! I only got enough knitted goods for me!! And Keanu. Beat it, losers!! . . . yeah, I'll be right with ya, Keanu.... do you need another afghan?' "

Sources close to the Librarian indicate she has been eating a lot of procressed chees lately, which may account for her warped state of mind. Authorities are monitoring the situation and a knitting intervention is planned. Local video rental agencies have be advised not to let her rent any movie with apocalyptic content or starring Keanu Reeves.

Keanu Reeves' agents have been alerted as a security precaution.

Another Question

Why are librarians so bitter?