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Blog Posting #12: The Crackdown...

Wow; I cannot believe that this is the last blog entry of the semester. Time has seriously flown by this spring, and I am finding it incredibly hard to believe that this is my last semester of school. I have learned so much about technology from my classes in SLIS, and I really hope to learn more while on the job.

I start my internship in about a month, and will be working with the Genealogy Cataloger with the ACPL. I know that there will be a lot of new technologies that I will encounter in the field of technical services and cataloging in the future. I guess what I am the most apprehensive about is keeping up with the influx of technology. Right now it seems almost impossible, but I know that once I am dealing with it on a daily basis, it will be easy to keep up with the newest additions in the technological world.

So, my World of Warcraft free day trial ends tomorrow and I am strongly considering getting a subscription (you were right, ‘Drea). This weekend, my boyfriend and I were trying to play together, and somehow, when he tried to connect his laptop to the Internet connection, I was booted from World of Warcraft. Therefore, I could not get my Internet connection to work, which you need to play the game. I found myself getting kind of irritated with the fact that the game did not work. Wow, literally, should I get a subscription?

At any rate, I will be extremely busy with my internship and trying to work full time in about a month. I think that I am entitled to have my pointless fun right now. Of course, I am still trying to finish up my projects. For my other class, I have to try to integrate technology with my topic: women poets. I am still trying to figure out a way other than incorporating audio. Oh well, the ideas will start flowing soon.

Blog Posting #11: I Have Lost the Battle...

Okay, so, I gave in to “World of Warcraft” when my boyfriend gave me a ten-day trial pass. Last night, I was up playing it for a while, and decided to quit when my eyes were bugging out of my head. So, we had to go buy more RAM for my computer in order for it to play World of Warcraft, which ended up costing me forty dollars. Oh, well, I am almost done with school and am on track with my projects; so, I am allowed a little entertainment, right?

I guess I am lucky that I have had to work for the past couple of evenings, which has prevented my potential indulgence of playing that videogame. I never thought I would be one of those people: sitting in front of the computer with my cute little gnome, attempting to fight troggs. I had a lot of fun designing my character; a gnome I named “Miaopal.” I really do not want to be one of those dorks that sits around playing games like World of Warcraft in my pajamas all day long (even though that does sound appealing right now).

The one thing that irritated me about this game was that I was so confused on how to play it, and no one would assist me when I asked him or her questions. I felt like such a dork lying on the floor of my boyfriend’s apartment with my laptop, playing World of Warcraft on a Saturday night. That was when I really felt the needles of technology piercing itself through my body. So, I woke up the next morning with my back and neck incredibly stiff and wished for an electronic device to make it feel more relaxed.

So, technology and games are fantastic for leisurely fun, but my downfall is that I like to feel productive and that I am doing something worthwhile. That is when I feel guilty for allowing myself to indulge in virtual games. Although this is a ten-day trial game, I cannot help but to wonder what happens when one gets further in the game.

Blog Posting #10: My Chicagoan Friends...

I used to wish that I had moved to Chicago with my friends when I finished up my B.A. in 2004, but now, I really do not know. A couple of weeks ago I imagined myself living in Chicago; I love the air, the city life, transportation, history, diversity, and the opulent opportunities I could have with my MLS. I was just in Chicago this past weekend and all I did was sit in my friends’ apartment playing “Rock Band,” “Guitar Hero,” and “Sing Star” on their game systems.

Every time I go to Chicago my friends have the newest technologies. When the Wii came out a couple of years ago, they were the first people to purchase one. I sat in their apartment in Chicago playing on their iPhone, showing them videos from “The 25^th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” and telling them about my favorite character, Logainne Schwartzandgrubenniere, and her song “Woe Is Me.” So, why did I even go to Chicago just to sit and play video games, stare at a HD television, watch videos on an iPhone: to be with my friends. Wow, I sound kind of vindictive, but I had so much fun sitting in my friends’ apartment and getting my dose of their videogame systems and newest technologies.

I was even thinking about purchasing an iPhone with my tax return check, but decided against it. Fortunately, my cell phone contract is with Sprint and iPhones are through AT&T currently, so, I would have to break my agreement if I really wanted one (and pay all of that money). How nice would it be, though, to have one’s iPod and cell phone together in the same place? I have enough difficulty locating my cell phone when it is ringing one of Belle and Sebastian’s songs in my purse; a larger device would be easier to find in a bag, though.

So, out of all of the things to do in Chicago, my friends and I sat in an apartment playing videogames. We did go out for dinner and martinis at this place called Dave and Buster’s. I am always sad when I drive down Lake Shore Drive to go home; time in Chicago goes too quickly (especially when one is playing a videogame that has the addiction equivalency of crack).

Blog Posting #9: On Being 27...

I feel very lucky to have experienced both card catalogs and OPACs, integrated library systems, modules, etc. On Sunday, I turned twenty-seven, and although I do not have that much wisdom yet, I would consider myself fortunate to have experienced the influx of technology. I remember being a little girl playing “Simon Says” and enjoying the flashing of the vivid colors, but oh, how the times have changed.

A couple of weeks ago I had friends over for margaritas and to play “Clue” on DVD. I have never played a game like this, so, I thought it would be interesting to see how these interactive board games come to life on one’s DVD player. Honestly, what frightened me the most was the nostalgia and simplicity that was offered with games like “Clue,” “Chutes and Ladders,” “Candyland,” and “Scrabble” on a board. Now, though, it seems like children can no longer experience the minimalist feel of moving their game piece from tile to tile and calculating their money. Hmmm, what a transition that started with game boards to DVD games around the television; what will be next?

So, our wiki is up and running and I can speak for my group in saying that we are relieved. On Friday evening, I sat at the computer for over four hours trying to figure out how to embed widgets on wikispaces. Finally, I figured it out! Now, it seems like all I want to do is search for the “perfect” most “idiosyncratic” widget. On Monday, the client will be emailing me pictures of headstones and the deceased to put embed on the wiki (I have put up filler pictures until we get the actual ones). Our wiki seems to be coming along nicely and I know that I feel more relaxed that we now have a concrete structure on which we can place our work.

Blog Posting #8: I Heart Technology This Week...

Okay, so I had a bit of panic when I heard on the WBNI that this museum in Fort Wayne would be closing at the end of June. I have always enjoyed going to this museum, but what really concerned me was that I am planning on doing my internship there this summer as a cataloging intern. I was so excited when the collection manager responded so quickly to my email about doing an internship there this summer, and was even more enthusiastic when I was offered it.

Right now I am sitting at work, and sometimes I listen to the radio just for background noise. As I was on the phone with a coworker, I heard that the Lincoln Museum was closing. Panic-stricken, I immediately emailed the person for whom I will be interning in the summer. Less than a half-an-hour later she responded to let me know that they were still planning on using an intern during the summer. Hurray; I feel so relieved!

I guess I never really considered the significance of email until I really had to get in contact with someone (without having their phone number). Lucky for me, many of the people I strictly correspond with using email are really good about getting replying in a timely matter. The solace of email; you can write it at all hours of the night and it is in the recipient’s mailbox before one can lose their audacity (and the regret of sending something).

This is why I feel great about technology this week. Perhaps, it is due to the fact that I finally allowed myself to have some fun with technology. On both Saturday and Sunday I went to Best Buy and Circuit City to look at technology. I was hoping that they carried something like a Kindle, but they did not. Then, I decided to use my gift certificate to purchase a computer game (hurray; I have finally allowed myself to have a little virtual fun).

Blog Posting #7: Battling the Temptation of Virtual Games...

Hurray; I love the snow, and Fort Wayne has received an exceptional amount overnight and through the day. How does technology relate to this? Well, I live in an apartment complex and the snow plows barricaded my car in with snow. Therefore, I had to dig myself out with a shovel just to leave my apartment. I guess we have it well nowadays, because technology has made us lazier, more dependent, spoiled, and luckier in having it. (I really have no idea how I went get out of my apartment complex if we did not have snow plows).

So, my boyfriend is trying to convince me to purchase “World of Warcraft,” so that we can combat creatures together. As enticing as that really sounds, I really do not think that I should. I mean, I only allow myself to play “The Sims” when I am on breaks from school, because I know that it sucks one’s life into a virtual world. I have played “World of Warcraft” at my boyfriend’s before, and it really is something I think I would like to play on a regular basis, it is just that I hate feeling unproductive when I need to get things done. I am not saying my boyfriend is unproductive, because he is not; it is just that I allow myself to feel guilty for playing games like that. Wow, I sound entirely too based in business. Maybe I should allow myself to have virtual fun once in a while.

Besides, I promised myself I would spend my free time writing and reading for fun. In doing so, I feel better about technology, because I do not have to spend every waking hour utilizing it. This is exactly why I write in a journal and refuse to use a computer when recording entries.