How Hot Is It In Ontario Right Now?
“It's hotter than a bull's balls when the summer stalls” as we say out west. (Actually we don't say this out west – I just made it up. If somebody did say this, I have a strong suspicion that a guy in a cowboy hat would beat them up.) Renee provides a Westerner's perspective on that unique Ontario heat in a couple entries on her blog. Her entry about what a Humidex is and why western Canadians are unfamiliar with them is particularly funny.
Statement of Intent Trackback
Quinn posted his own Statement of Intent that he wrote for his MLIS application on his sexy, newly redesigned blog and as he says, looking at his and mine side-by-side, it's interesting to see how two people take different approaches the same question. To me, it's even more interesting to see how, although they're very different in tone and format, we're actually doing similar things – name-checking our previous work experiences and personal abilities, our connections with librarians/researchers, showing our familiarity with both the MLIS program and the issues of librarianship and so on.
I know this is a long way off right now but if anybody who's applying to the MLIS program finds this page in September for the next intake (or at any point in the future), I'd love if you could leave a brief comment so I know if you found these examples useful (and if any other classmates are thinking about it, I'd encourage you to post your own Statements of Intent on your own blogs then e-mail me and I'll add a link to them here.) I know I would've loved to see two (or even more) examples of what people had written for their Statements of Intent when I was trying to write my own. Quinn also mentioned posting some of his other application materials which I think is a good idea as well.
Cantilever Update
The idea of sharing our writings sort of ties into the idea of Cantilever, the open-source journal for student writing we were thinking of starting. It's in a holding pattern right now as the main instigator went off to Ottawa and got himself a job. But I still think the idea's a good one. Although I recognize the value of the assigned readings by various scholars, I feel I have often learned just as much, especially about cutting-edge issues or local or niche issues from reading other student papers. Having a resource like this, perhaps even part of the department website, perhaps even integrating two different aspects of our training (ie. write a paper in 501 and post it as a 505 assignment) is a great one. I wonder if any other library school has thought of that?
Wikipedia as Historical Document
Christina sent this link to our 525 mailing list but I think it deserves a wider readership. Wikipedia has so many interesting questions surrounding it and one of these is how does it handle history – a field that is traditionally dominated by single, authoritative authors (even compared to the hard sciences where multiple-authored works are much more common.)
Break the Fast Club
Last semester, after our first breakfast meeting as mentor-mentee, Sabina, David and myself ended up making this a weekly gathering with us as the regulars and a few others popping in and out as well on a recurring basis. We've sort of let it slide this summer but got together again today along with a guy who went through the MLIS program, is currently working at the Grad Club and had the extreme misfortune of getting hit by a bus (!) while riding his bike last week. He's very lucky to only have a broken foot and a few other scrapes and bruises, especially considering he wasn't even wearing a helmet. He and his girlfriend were the ones to join us today and it'll sound sappy but it made me think about how quickly things can change and how lucky we are to have the people in our lives that we do. (Uhm, it also made me appreciate a restaurant that has skillets on the menu.)
Library Students As Secret Strippers
That heading is going to look a lot more scandalous than it is as I have no dirt to dish on the topic. Sabina and I walked up to the school after breakfast and after doing a couple hours of work (if work = trying not to fall asleep while doing management readings), we decided to go for beers at Christina's Pub (the Grad Club was closed) and managed to talk Mike Thibault into coming as well. It's a long story (not really but I just don't want to tell how we got on the subject!) and somehow we ended up speculating about who in library school (male and female, students and profs) would make good strippers. Needless to say, it was a very fun discussion. Also needless to say, my name did not come up in any way, shape or form as a contender for that crown.
“No, But I've Dabbled in Pornography”
From the heat of bull's balls to strippers to pornography, what's got into me today? Anyhow, I hope Quinn doesn't mind me relating one of the funniest anecdotes from last semester – especially since he was only an innocent bystander. It began when a bunch of students in our cohort went to the Grad Club early in term. As we left the bar at the end of the night, a classmate ended up walking next to some of us and asked in a cautious whisper, “Did you hear what Quinn said?”
“What?”
“Well, it was kind of loud in there but I could swear he said 'I've dabbed in pornography.'”
(cue confused/amazed/curious looks all around)
Reactions include: “Really?” “Maybe you misheard?” and most interestlingly, “Oh, I could see it.”
So anyhow, this comment stays as a simmering rumour for a week until someone finally confronts Quinn.
“Were you a porn star in Vancouver?”
“Huh?”
“Last week, you said that you'd dabbled in pornography.”
(Quinn thinks about it briefly.)
“No, I didn't say that. I said I'd dabbled in photography.”
“Oh, I see. Uhm, carry on…”
So for his new blog (with hopefully more regular updates to come) and for his fictional career in porn, I'll give the infamous Classmate of the Day Award to Quinn.
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