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November 2017

Current Issue

Newsletter Masthead for the 25th University Anniversary

Issue No. 106
November 2017

Collection Spotlight: Locating ProQuest Dissertations

Where will you go to look for dissertations and theses from around the world? A good starting point is ProQuest Dissertations and Theses A&I, which indexes a few million graduate dissertations and theses, the majority of which are from North American universities.

Bear in mind that full text is limited to business dissertations and to HKUST doctoral dissertations only. For the rest of the theses in ProQuest, you can preview the first 24 pages of documents published since 1997.

The good news is with the Library joining a major dissertations consortium last year, over 100,000 full-text dissertations are now at your fingertips! There are several ways to unlock this treasure:

If you remain on ProQuest A&I, try the “Find@ HKUST” button. You stand a good chance of being re-directed to the Digital Dissertation Consortium platform which gives you the full-text PDF file without frills.

Alternatively, you may want to search the Digital Dissertation Consortium database directly. Anything within the 2010-2017 collections will be found in full text. Only abstracts are available for content prior to 2010.

All the full-text dissertations are also embedded in PowerSearch, the Library’s one-stop resource discovery tool. Lastly, don’t forget our InterLibrary loan service if there is a dissertation that you fail to obtain after all reasonable efforts fail.

To access the two databases above, go to Library home page –> Databases –> Alphabet D or P.

For more information, consult our Finding Theses and Dissertations guide at

Research Output System & Scholarly Publications Database

The Library has worked closely with the Office of the Vice-President for Research and Graduate Studies (VPRGO), Research Office (RO), Information Systems Office (ISO), and Office of Institutional Research (OIR) in managing the research output of the University. We participated in the recent revamp of the University’s reporting system known as ROS (Research Output System) by integrating the publication data from the Library’s Scholarly Publications Database (SPD).

With this integration, researchers in the University, not limiting to faculty members, research staff and research postgraduate students, can report their research output without the need to input them from scratch. Instead of cumulating the reporting to the end of a year, they now can report their output at any time they are published.

The Library’s SPD Team, which includes student helpers and library staff, serves as the gatekeeper to ensure the accuracy and completeness of the data. While SPD can automate the mainstream tasks of metadata injection, de-duplication, and linking to scholar profiles, some information such as whether the co-authors are staff or students are not available in the data harvested from external sources. We therefore depend very much on researchers to provide such missing information via ROS.

The Library also participated in the preparation of this year’s report of research output submission to the University Grants Committee (UGC). In order to conform to the data submission standard and to ensure data quality, many library staff were engaged in a SPD data cleansing exercise this summer. With the help of computer programs, over 4,800 records published since 2016 were checked and enhanced.

The Library was glad to receive timely support from VPRGO and OIR to hire a temporary staff and two summer student helpers to process ROS/SPD records. With the success of this exercise, it is expected that the number of research outputs to be submitted to UGC will be much larger than the figure submitted in previous years.

Summer Facilities Enhancements

Large Screen IC Sharing Spaces

While the various study rooms are popular and heavily utilised, we have had requests for less formal spaces where users can work in small groups and share their screen. So we shifted around some furniture and created two sharing spaces in the Information Commons, each with a 50” screen with HDMI connector and several chairs. If you need an HDMI adapter for your tablet or laptop, you can borrow one from the nearby IC Help Desk. This is an experiment-in-progress and we welcome your thoughts on how to make these Spaces better for you.

Display Wall for New Arrivals & Highlights

Also on the ground floor, a new display wall has been installed for showing new print and media arrivals and for highlighting topical areas of the Library’s collections. The space available is larger and nicer than the bookcases we used previously. We have a few more ideas for things to do with this new space, so keep your eyes on it when you pass by – and perhaps stop and find something unexpected to take along and explore.

New Bookdrops – Easier for LSK Campus

Another student request has been for a book drop up in the LSK campus. We took a look, but our book trucks cannot handle stairs or escalators. So we decided to move one of the existing bookdrops from by the coffee shop up to the south end of the Cheng Yu Tung Building, by the parking lot below the LSK campus. The new location should be much more convenient to those of you at the LSK campus or using the Southern bus stop.

Interview Room

Room LG3-05, which was equipped last term with audio- and video-conferencing hardware and software, was improved a bit over the summer. It is now designated as an “Interview Room” ( available for booking by any students or staff – you just need to fill out a booking request at ( So far it has been used for job interviews, international collaboration, and local inter-institutional collaboration.

Let us know what you think of these changes, and if you have any suggestions for other things the Library can do to improve your experiences. Drop us a note at

Open Educational Resources (OER) Updates

As the costs of textbooks are spiraling up, faculty members are exploring the use of Open Educational Resources (OER) in their courses.

The term OER was coined at UNESCO’s 2002 Forum on Open Courseware

“teaching, learning and research materials in any medium, digital or otherwise, that reside in the public domain or have been released under an open license that permits no-cost access, use, adaptation and redistribution by others with no or limited restrictions. Open licensing is built within the existing framework of intellectual property rights as defined by relevant international conventions and respects the authorship of the work” – UNESCO

Why is OER so important?
OER content can be easily hosted online and updated more frequently than traditional textbooks. The faculty has more freedom and flexibility to design learning experiences by creating or finding a wide variety of high quality, standards-aligned OER to support and supplement their
teaching. Students can use OER to support their studies, as well as create OER while learning.

The Library has introduced OER with the Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) Libguides to benefit faculty who are passionate with building coursewares to enhance student learning. A variety of resources are covered, including full-package courses, online lectures, talks, open access textbooks, repositories and digital media with an open license.

If you want to know more about OER, please watch “Understanding OER in 10 videos” playlist and start to browse our OER Libguides page (

Talks & Gallery Tours

In the latter part of the fall semester, the Library is organizing a variety of talks and gallery tours:.

On November 2, Prof Rehav Rubin, Elman Family Visiting Professor of Jewish and Israeli Studies in the Division of Social Science, will give a talk on “Jerusalem through its Maps: 6th-19th Centuries”. Jerusalem is a city revered by Jews, Christians, and Muslims. It has been depicted on legions of maps, probably earlier and more frequently than any other city. This talk will survey the maps of Jerusalem through time, from the 6th century Madaba Mosaic map, to the early accurate maps from the late 19th century. The talk is co-sponsored by the Library and the Division of Social Science.

A Book Talk by Prof Chan Sau-yan (陳守仁), former professor of Chinese University Music Department, will be held on November 30 to discuss his book “The Legend of Tong Dik-seng’s Creations (唐滌生創作傳奇)”. Tong Dik-seng is an eminent playwright of Cantonese opera whose influence extends through decades to the present date. This talk will discuss the creative journey and important works of Tong Dik-seng, and how his plays have witnessed the rise and fall and impacted the future of Cantonese opera. Video clips of Tong’s plays like “Princess Cheung Ping (帝女花)”, ”The Legend of Purple Hairpin (紫釵記)”, and ”The Reincarnation of a Beauty (再世紅梅記)” will be shown.

A guided tour of the Exhibition “From Canton Trade to Colonial Hong Kong” now showing In the 1/F Special Collections Gallery will be held on November 23. Two of such tours were conducted in September and October and received overwhelming response. Guided by Dr Marco Caboara, the Library’s Digital Scholarship and Archives Manager, the tours introduce the original maps, city views, and photos of Macao, Canton and Hong Kong from 1700 to 1870, showing the changes in trade and the impact of the Opium Wars on the region.

Visit the Library Website or watch for e-announcements for more details.

Library Red Cross Blood Donation

Hong Kong Red Cross Mobile Blood Donation Team has been visiting the HKUST campus regularly for a number of years. This Fall, the Library supported their program inside the Library. From September 25 to 28, the Red Cross set up a temporary “blood donation center” in the Learning Commons, using the Tutorial Spaces for the beds, and some study space for registration, screening, and for the donors to rest after giving.

The program was well-received, with hundreds of donors in the four days. The Red Cross team was happy to use such a highly visible location for the program; and it did succeed in attracting more donors. It was a new experience not only for the blood donors, but also for the Red Cross team and the Library! Colleagues from different Library units coordinated with the Red Cross team for transporting the equipment, and we set up the site in a way to reduce disturbance to other library users. Some logistics may be fine-tuned for a smoother run if we collaborate with Red Cross again.

Supporting the Red Cross blood donation program in our campus is a meaningful activity. The Library is glad to be able to join such effort.

Scholarly Communications Seminars

As higher education has become a global industry these days, many people are interested in the global league tables. An upcoming seminar on World University Ranking: How to be Number One is scheduled on November 9. It will provide our users a better understanding of university rankings, metrics used, their limitations and implications. The speaker, Ms Ruth Pagell, has been a practicing librarian, university library director, library school educator, speaker and writer. She had worked in library leadership positions at the University of Pennsylvania and Emory University and as founding library director of Singapore Management University. She has taught library and information courses for Drexel, Clark Atlanta, and University of Hawaii. She has written a series of articles for Access eNewsletter, Ruth’s Rankings,

On October 6, Prof Raymond Leung of the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering conducted a seminar on How to Resolve Disputes Through Mediation. He presented on the methods of settling various kinds of conflicts and disputes in workplaces and organizations. A video of the program is available at

On October 27, Elsevier conducted a hands-on practice on SciVal. SciVal offers quick and easy access to the research performance of 8,500 research institutions across the globe. Two modules: Overview and Benchmarking are available at HKUST. Overview enables you to visualize research performance of any desired research institutions for a three- or five-year period. The Benchmarking module allows you to compare research metrics and performance to peers from 1996 to the present.

Researchers can analyze how their publications and bibliometrics be compared with peers. Department administrators can make use of SciVal for comparing our research performance, e.g. numbers of publications and citations, h-index, active collaborations, with the counterparts in other universities.

Scholarly Communications Website –

The Library’s Scholarly Communications website was launched in June 2014 for keeping our researchers up to date with the latest trends in scholarly publishing and communications. Along with the rapid development of related topics in these 3 years, the website has been enhanced with more information and services. HKUST scholars’ new books and awards received are highlighted on the homepage, with 5 main areas of focus below:

Author Tips provide practical methods to promote and optimize citations of research articles. Authors would know the types of rights that they can retain or grant during the process of publishing. We have set up a registration system with ORCID for HKUST research community to get this unique and persistent researcher identifier so that they can establish clear ownership of the scholarly output.

Data Management shows valuable online resources about how to write a data management plan, data management tools, data repositories, data citation, standards, guidelines and best practices. The quick summary, Research Data Management (RDM) Service Kit, can help researchers plan & create, organize & manage, access & share the research data during and after a project. DataSpace@HKUST is the data repository and workspace service for storing, sharing, organizing, preserving and publishing research data.

Open Access (OA) allows you to explore why open access is important and you can get the details of OA requirements from funding agencies in Hong Kong and other countries.

Research Output showcases our databases to collect, preserve, and disseminate scholarly output created by the HKUST community, providing openly accessible full-text document as far as possible. We also host HKUST Scholar Profiles which feature researcher’s output, impact and expertise.

Seminars highlights regularly organized seminars for HKUST researchers. They cover scholarly publishing, open access, creative commons, data management, data visualization, data repositories, digital humanities, machine learning, mediation, disputes, and many more. Most of the seminars are also available online.

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Just wondering: Do you have to be a poet to edit poetry?

Don Paterson, an editor and a poet, claim[s] that â€œA non-poet canâ€™t do a line-edit on a poemâ€; it is essential for an editor to be a poet, too.

Michael Schmidt, the editor of Carcanet Press and PN Review, added that the job can be tricky when grappling with the work of someone from a different culture. â€œIf youâ€™re publishing a Zimbabwean poet or a poet from India or New Zealand, theyâ€™ll speak a language different from your own,â€ he said, adding, â€œThis is an issue between genders as well.â€

Both these points are slightly disquieting. If only poets can edit the work of another, does that mean that only poets fully comprehend the work?

Contemporary poetry: Do you have to be a poet to edit poetry? | The Economist.

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Post all or part of this article on a web site, intranet, or blog.

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Please honor copyright! Piracy hurts creators, devalues their works, and puts you and your employer at risk. Learn More


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Craigslist as an Extra Income Dartboard

Looking for some extra income but can't seem to think of a way to get it? Try the Craigslist-as-Dartboard approach. It involves some high-tech trial and error. Might not work for everyone, but it's certainly worth a shot if you're looking to supplement your current income. 7 Steps to Finding Extra Income Through Craigslist:

  1. Browse the services section ("lessons & tutoring" is a good subset within services).
  2. Keep a list of any services that sound fun to you (and that you might be qualified to do).
  3. Bookmark or copy posts you like into a Word doc. Note what you like about them (clearly written, interesting to read, etc) and how much people are charging for these services.
  4. Narrow your list to 2-3 things you would be willing to try.
  5. Write a post for each of those areas and post them.
  6. Wait and see if you get any responses!
  7. If you start or complete a job and you don't like it, treat it as a learning experience. Tweak your offering to be more specific.


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Thursday, May 8, 2014

A Father In Heaven - The Sugar Daddy Lesson #Kidmin

The Main Point:

Sugar Daddy - A Father In Heaven
Lollipop's Fact Check:

The Object Lesson:

The Shapes

Memory Verse:

2 Corinthians 6:18 ESV

and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.”
Bible Lesson:

Psalm 139 (A Father in Heaven, Our Maker Knows All About Us)

It can be a great comfort to know we have a father at home who loves us and will do all they can to make sure we have what we need. They protect us and they provide for us. More than all of this we have a father in Heaven. God the Father loves you. He wants the best for you and more than that He knows everything about you. He is your maker and Psalm 139 goes to great depths in showing this. Maybe you do not have an earthy father, or maybe yours has failed you in some way. The heavenly Father will never fail, nor forsake you. Even though he knows every bad thing you have every done, and may ever do... He still chooses to love you.

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Monday, November 22, 2010

We’ve had our first official snow of the year and oh, what fun!

As usual, there was panic because in the Pacific NW (at least in my particular area) snow isn’t that common, so when we get it we get weird. Also, we have hills. Kind of steep ones, with lots of twists and turns in them. Unfortunately, we have a tendency to get all excited and drive our cars over steep precipices, into ditches, or just leave them in the middle of the road when we realize it’s too slippery to continue in the direction we had been traveling.

It’s not that we can’t find a different way to get to our destination; it’s just that if we had to choose between the smell of our own urine and feces in an enclosed vehicle or getting out and walking, we’ll always choose a lively game of dodge-car any damn day.

That’s why I love my car. It can, and will, go anywhere, and because my mother was very good at insisting I learn how to drive in the snow when I was a new driver, I can do wonderful things with my car. Like, you know, get to where I’m going and still retain all my pee and poo inside my body. Yes, I’m THAT awesome!

The worst thing to happen to me was that time the car I was driving lost traction and we ended up in a slow 360 spin across the road, over a curb and into a field. Spawn was just a tiny monster and my first thought was “don’tletmybabygethurt.” I did not evacuate my bladder or my bowels.

Neither did Spawn. Her first thought was not PANIC! It was “Do ‘gain, Mommy.”

It could have been worse, but I kept my head and didn’t roll the car. Probably because I was going too damn slow for that to happen.

Anyway, I think the best part about the snow today was one of the kids in class. He’s never seen the stuff. We were on our way to the cafeteria, when my charge unexpectedly wheeled his chair over to some snow-covered benches and proceeded to investigate this new white fluff all over the place.

He got very excited and proceeded to tell everyone about it, wheeling his chair around like a maniac, laughing and showing everyone his…empty hand! Wait! Where’s the snow? He tried to go back and get some more, but it was lunch time and I promised him it would still be there later. Thankfully, I was right.

So now, most of the district employees are begging for a two-hour late start (which means we don’t have to make up the day later in the year). The chant has begun.

2-hour late start! 2-hour late start! 2-hour late start!

  1. It has been many moons since I saw snow and I don't think I could drive in it. I can't believe you've had snow already. It must feel very strange. But how wonderful for the kids at your school who've never seen it. It must be like a fairytale for them!

  2. I want snow...I LOVE it so. And I love the description of one of your kids. That's just excellent.

I love to hear from you. :)


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Reviews for a Year of Activism

Aucun commentaire :
This ending September 2014 is the first anniversary of an activity based on the certainty that the Twizy is a true "sandbox" like a box of Lego blocks. This is the opportunity to take a look in the mirror, to point out the good and bad points of a year rather mixed but busy ...

A bigger Twizy? Yes you can !

Aucun commentaire :
A larger Twizy to make it more useful seems to you desirable or necessary? This is possible in just 30 minutes, by installing yourself a MultiGo. Here is a video that shows how to set up this bike rack and luggage carrier I specifically designed for the Renault Twizy.
To see the video >>


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Monday, August 17, 2015

Volleyball Training With Abdul!

Teacher Abdul has been gearing up for the August 28, 2015 Volleyball Tournament by practicing with his student players on Fridays!  See how well they do on August 28 by joining us for our Summer Beach Party!

Abdul Hammour - #OC Staff

1 comment:

  1. Really cool post, highly informative and professionally written and I am glad to be a visitor of this perfect blog, thank you for this rare info! , Regards, servicenow training in hyderabad


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BlogPaws 2014 Nose to Nose Winners

BlogPaws 2014 Nose to Nose Award

Last Saturday night, I was honored with a Nose to Nose Award at BlogPaws 2014. I am grateful to my family, friends and fans who support me, read my posts and laugh at the antics of the gang here at Life with Dogs and Cats. And I’m thankful to BlogPaws for the recognition, but most of all, for the opportunity to meet with and learn from so many people who care about animals the way I do.

The winners are a spectacular group of talented, creative and caring people. A few people have asked me about the other winning entries, and since I couldn’t find a comprehensive list, I’m posting it here, along with the names of the bloggers and links to their winning sites, photos or videos.

Best Cat Blog: Glogirly (Debbie Glovatsky)

Best Cause Blog: Fire Safety Rocks (Dayna Hilton)

Best Design: Glogirly (Debbie Glovatsky)

Best Dog Blog: The Intrepid Pup (Tracey Baetz)

Best Humor Blog: Cat versus Human (Yasmine Surovec)

Best Microblog: Deaf Dogs Rock (Christina Lee)

Best New Pet Blog: Traveling Cats (Vanessa Morgan)

Best Other Pet Blog: Speedy the Cheeky House Bunny (Rachel de Jong)

Best Blog Photo: Pawsitively Texas: “Elvis the Shelter Dog” (Alva Logsdon)

Best Blog Post: Life with Dogs and Cats: “High and Mighty” (Susan C. Willett)

Best Blog Video: CATastrophes: “The Inheritance” (Alana Grelyak)

Best Use of Social Media by a (501)c3: Morris Animal Foundation

You can  find a complete list of the BlogPaws 2014 Nose to Nose Nominees on the BlogPaws site and view the Nose to Nose awards ceremony on YouTube (While the video is an hour and 45 minutes, you can skip forward to the festivities, which begin around 45:00.)

And because it amuses me–and might amuse my readers and fans as well–here are a few pictures I took with some of the gang and the award. Their personalities come through, as always.

Two cats inspect the BlogPaws 2014 Nose to Nose Award

Elsa Clair investigates, while Calvin stays back, sure she’ll swat him–just because.

Three dogs pose with BlogPaws 2014 Nose to Nose Award

Curious Tucker sniffs the award, while Jasper–focused on potential treats–poses beautifully. Lilah is a bit nervous of The New Thing. And Calvin is playing with toys in the background.

Dogs pose with 2014 Blog Paws Nose to Nose Award

Typical scene from a photo shoot in my house: Someone looks adorable (Jasper), Someone is out of focus (Tucker) and Someone else ruins the shot (Calvin). Sometimes I think these photos are the best, though, because they tell a story.

You may also want to read:

Read what other BlogPaws 2014 attendees had to say; check out the blogs on the hop below:

Posted in: Dog and Cat News

32 Comments on "BlogPaws 2014 Nose to Nose Winners"

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  1. Congrats on your win! We saw your flat selves at the event. It’s’ nice to see the real yous! 🙂 Thanks for the mention for our CATastrophes project!

  2. Congratulations on your Nose-to-Nose award! We’re very happy for you. And thanks for posting a list of all the winners. The mom couldn’t remember who won what!

  3. da tabbies o trout towne says:

    conga rats two ewe calvin N crew on yur nose to nose 2014 award !!

  4. Concatulations to YOU!

  5. Congrats! Cute photos! Even if someone did “ruin” the one… Don’t know how you do it! I can barely get good shots and only have ONE dog!

  6. Roooo congrats to your win! Such a pawsome conference. I have to sniff out the video of the awards ceremony and hear if my woofing got caught on camera *waggy tail*

  7. Misaki says:

    Massive congrats on your award!

  8. Jen K says:

    Congrats on the award! That’s awesome!

  9. Ann Staub says:

    Ah! FINALLY! Have been searching for a list of the winners with no success – thank you! Not to be a Debbie Downer, but I always see the dog blog (last year and this year) on the lists of nominees but they only publish new content like every 3 months? Only 2 blog posts for 2014 so far. Seems like a weird choice to me. I’ll be honest! But a HUGE congratulations to you again. Very well deserved guys!

  10. What a great list, pulling all of the winners together in one place. Thank you! And congratulations again on the win!!

  11. Concatulations to all of the winners! And those pictures of your gang with your award really are great. Love them!

  12. Stacey says:

    Wow… congrats! What an honor. I like the pictures of the pups and kitties with the award.

  13. Terry Cramer says:

    Love your post. So glad you won!

    BTW, thanks for noticing that my link is broken. Question: would you know how do I take it off? I cannot figure out. Will keep trying. Thanks again. My e-mail is lepetitsaucisson at gee mail dot com

    Terry from

  14. Edie Chase says:

    Congratulations on your win.

  15. Jim says:

    Congrads on your award.

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Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Feeling Like an Outsider Sometimes

I haven’t been blogging about Taylor much lately.  Part of it is because the business has kept us hopping for the past several months.  In this economy, I’m not complaining.  It also allowed The Bossman and me to take a much needed 5 day vacation to the Oregon Coast…Seaside to be exact.  Just he and I.  It was bliss.

The above picture was taken on one of our many drives.  I’m already to go back.  Taylor actually stayed with her sister so that was great.

Okay, so on to why my title is what it is.  Somehow I ended up following and reading a lot of blogs that involved children with Down’s Syndrome.  I think it’s because it’s the closet thing I can get to what Taylor has.  However, the only thing that really puts her in that group is an extra chromosome.  Taylor’s just happens to be #9.

Trisomy 9p is one of the rare chromosome syndromes.  So it’s not like I’m going to find a lot of bloggers with a child with the same diagnosis.  Then there is Taylor’s age.  She’s 21 years old.  She wasn’t supposed to live this long and I’m thankful every day that she’s here.  Yes were are dealing with new and serious health issues, but I’ve had her for 21 years.

I’ve tried to help out the blogs I follow with things I’ve learned in the long time I’ve been mom to a special needs child.  Sometimes I think I come across as a “know-it-all” and I am not.

But I also realize that things change so quickly in the special needs world.  What was once standard procedure when Taylor was little is now considered outdated.

Now I’m running into issues that never crossed my mind when Taylor was little.  The fact that my being her mother did not automatically let me make her medical and life decisions when she turned 18 was a surprise to me.  Spending over $1300 just for a court to say that my profoundly, developmentally disabled child was not capable of caring for herself therefore needed a legal guardian & that I needed to be approved for that role, shocked me.

After 21 years of caring & loving my child, I now needed approval from the state?  Yep, you do.

I would give anything if I’d had access to computers & blogs when Taylor was little.  But that was in the “old days”. *laughs*  Please don’t think I feel sorry for myself or anything.  I just needed to get this out.  I think it was what was keeping me from blogging regularly and I miss that.

Also, if I follow your blog, please know that I always read them.  I may comment very infrequently but when I do, it’s because I feel like I can help or at least add to the dialogue.  I want my comments to be more than “oh, that’s a cute pic”.

I think I’m rambling now.  That’s what happens when you just start typing and letting all your pent up thoughts just blurt out with typed words.

And just because she’s cute, I’ll leave you with a picture of the reason I do blog…

taytay and linda 019


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Tuesday, February 28, 2012

A taste of Tuesdays

Rachel here. This morning I took the girls to a new paint your own pottery place in our local mall. It's different from other pottery shops in that they don't glaze your piece. They simply spray it with some kind of shiny stuff. Sadly this means no plates or mugs... I was really hoping to have the girls paint me a couple of fancy coffee mugs (PERHAPS MY HUSBAND WOULD LOVE TO HAVE THEM DO THAT FOR MOTHER'S DAY... AHEM). This means there are a lot of little figurines in there that we could live without. I did happen to spot large letters though, so I peeled the girls away from the Disney princess statues and got them to agree to painting the first letter of their names. I think they turned out cute, and we had a really nice time out and about. Tuesdays, from now on, are going to be our Field Trip days. We're going to venture out and... well... just venture out because lord knows we could use the fresh air. It's a day to make the effort even if we're just not feeling up to it.

This is what Tuesdays will look like:
700-800 Morning routine
800-900 Puzzles/books/free Montessori time
900-1000 Pre K/K4 at home
1000-1015 Snack
1015-1215 FIELD TRIP DAY/outside/free play
1215-100 Lunch out
100-300 Quiet time EG/K4 Reese/computer Reese
300-315 Snack
315-415 Outside/free play/children's yoga dvd
415-545 Dance class
545-700 TV/Dinner prep/Dinner
700 Bath/bedtime routine

This morning, while the girls ate breakfast... which takes forever and a day, I finished with my lesson planning for next week. Did you know this Friday is Dr. Seuss Day? We're incorporating that into next week's adventures... very excited. Can't wait to share!

Also today I'm 30 weeks... YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY ME! I head to the doc in the morning, so I'll share whatever I feel the need to share then. Thursday we do our 4D... what a week! :)

Heather said...

ok, wait. So does this mean baby girl's name will start with a B? Or is that for the hubs...:)

Rachel said...

it does in fact begin with a 'b'. :) and it is in no way shape or form reminiscent of the name bryan. :)

Heather said...

I LOVE LOVE LOVE B names. Can't wait to find out:)


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You can order between 12 and 200 oysters online. To order larger quantities, please contact us on 01668 213870.

Prices Per Oyster

Lindisfarne Oysters Price List

When ordering, please specify your preferred delivery date. Please note, we need 2 working days to dispatch your order.

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Sunday, September 18, 2011

Here's the goal, folks

Yesterday, my day began at 5:30 a.m. By 7 a.m., I was standing outside of the United Center in Chicago about to enter the building which, at that moment, contained one of the best professional hockey teams in the NHL...the CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS. Thanks to my lovely friend Katy and her family, I was able to spend the morning and early afternoon watching the scrappy and awesome game of ... you guessed it: hockey. The huge, bright arena contained actual professional athletes I had only seen in photos, on the Internet, on Blackhawks TV (awesome, by the way). Later, I realized, I could feel the chill of the air under the ice, hear the skids of fresh blades on a chiseled surface, watch the zamboni brush the ice with a fresh coat of friction and water, watch the freeze resurface just to be carved again by sharp skates, feel the vibrations of the glass when a player got checked, stand up and join in the celebration that is the Blackhawks goal song. It was one of the most beautiful things I've ever beheld. A slew of (beautiful) men playing the game they know best - a game they think about daily, and dream about often. It's their job. For some of them, it's apparent they still love the game as much as they did when they were caught with a big smile while playing or when they received their first pair of official hockey skates, all on precious home video.

A strange thing happens when I attend a concert or professional athletic event. I don't get out much, nor did I when I was younger. I love Nebraska all the time, but the closest mainstream popular entertainment is three hours away from my home. I digress. I've done my research on people of apparent celebrity status, though I hate the word celebrity. The awestruck to guilty to wishful phenomenon happened to me at my first (and probably only) Jason Mraz concert a few years ago. My first Garth Brooks concert when I was ten. And, yesterday, my first encounter with a professional hockey team. It's quite surreal at first. I'm initially and genuinely excited to be in the same place as this one person...or in Saturday's case, a few people (details soon) because they're so charismatic. They've achieved talents and awards I could only dream of obtaining. Why, yes, I'd love a Grammy or a Stanley Cup. I'm sure many people feel this same euphoria when they attend concerts and events with "famous" people.

About halfway into the event, after time has flown by because I'm so entertained and starry-eyed, I starting feeling intrusive. I've jumped on a bandwagon going 100 miles an hour. I can't jump off. I feel a little guilty for putting these men on this shiny pedestal. I feel bad that they have to accommodate their lives for so many people that don't even know them or all of their likes, their dislikes, their favorite food, what makes them truly happy, their quirks, their absolute favorite time of day. I suppose they chose to have their life checked by professional hockey.

I know I sound like a nice, down-home country girl - naive, maybe. Like I said, I didn't get out much. But, I'm not stupid and I'm fairly smart, and, when you think about it, celebrity has it's own effed up way of effing up the world. I feel effed up for idealizing people like Jonathan Toews (the captain, the face of the Blackhawks) and Patrick Kane (another face of the team). They have incredibly good looks, and they've obtained a large amount of charisma just for being who they are. (I guess their win for the 2010 Stanley Cup didn't hurt either.) Anyone can see that. It's also hard to look away from the surface charm of someone you want the pleasure of knowing. Everyone did in that arena. Everyone wanted to shake Toews' hand, get his autograph on their jersey or program. What does that even mean? I don't want that surface with anyone. I don't want their autograph. I want the real person. I want to know why they love the game so much. I want to know why Jason Mraz writes the music he does...where does that poetry come from? What does Toews feel like after a game? What is most important to him in life? Note: I don't want to marry the guy. Though, I admittedly wouldn't jump to saying no if I was asked. I'm only a human woman, and the guy is obviously wholesome and athletic. What's not to like on the surface level? But I don't know him, nor will I anytime soon...unless, by chance we meet on a romantic Chicago street under the bright lights and towering, beautiful architecture. (The city does something for my hopeless romanticism and for my newfound love for the game of hockey.) I did leave feeling entertained. Of course. The third step of my strange star-struck state of mind is longing. I find myself wishing to behold them even more, wanting to watch just one more shootout, just one more practice, one more Jonathan Toews smile in my direction.

That's entertainment. On a stage. In an arena. But people are more important than entertainment. The game, the players...the person is more important to me than how enticingly handsome and in shape every hockey player really is in real life.

If there's anything I'm trying to get at with this long-winded blurb of writing (a little ambiguous and sporadic - sorry), it's that I don't want to lose a few things I had when I was growing up. A few of them being the awe-inspiring moment of any note sang by a talented musician or any impressive skill shown by an athlete after hard work. It's easy to fall into infatuation with Jonathan Toews when he's so focused on the game and it's the most attractive thing you've ever seen at a hockey rink. It's easy to love Jason Mraz, who can sing a B flat perfectly in tune and pic the guitar in such a way that makes you lose feeling in your knees during one of his earlier songs. I want to be there for the same reason they're there. To appreciate the sights and sounds of fresh skates on glossy ice, to appreciate the intricate patterns of the guitar and voice together. To find the mystery and excitement in hearing a song or watching the game of hockey. The love of great music. The love of the game. And appreciation and gratefulness for the ability to have skill and work hard. It seems like these things lose it when they're thrown onto popular radio or released onto the National Hockey League stage. They're subject to personal destruction. It's as easy as finding a Starbucks in downtown Chicago. Also, as one of my professors stated in class: there is no corner of this planet that we don't already have an idea about from media. We think we know. But it's about the excitement of mystery and what makes music and hockey what it was made to be. The awesome appreciation of a child who wants to work hard and play hockey like Toews. That should be the real goal. Ha.

I'm awefully glad I had to get up at 5:30 a.m. on a Saturday morning to discover a few things about growing up in a world of the titled elite and the not-elite. We're all the same, folks. But we're all special, too. Just as the Blackhawks are special to me, so are you. I want to know your absolute favorite time of day or something else you would ever want to tell me...but also come to realize the mystery and excitement that makes you, well, you. That makes Toews, well the Toews I probably won't have the pleasure of running into on a nice little stroll downtown anytime soon.

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giovedì 2 settembre 2010

"Grooveshark is an internationally available online music search engine, music streaming service and music recommendation web software application, allowing users to search for, stream, and upload music free of charge that can be played immediately or added to a playlist. Grooveshark aims to help bridge the growing gaps between artists, consumers and those in between who distribute, market, and promote music."

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San Diego
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San Diego Liquidations

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Launch a Visitation Ministry

Visitation Ministry Funding Opportunities! LIRS will award grants to established visitation ministries and seed funding to new ministries to help strengthen outreach to individuals isolated in or recently released from immigration detention. Learn more here.

Are you outraged by the United States’ detention first policies? Is there an ICE detention facility located in your community? Join the movement of over 30 congregations and communities nation-wide, and respond with compassionate action through launching a visitation ministry.

We recognize that starting an immigration detention visitation ministry can be a daunting task. The walls, bars and fences keeping migrants in, also physically and psychologically keep visitors out. But don’t let the red tape and razor wire deter you, as LIRS is committed to walking alongside you each step of the way. Bring the Sky the LIRS detention visitation guide will help you:

Consider the call;
Understand the issues; and
Establish a detention visitation ministry

Why Visit? A Theology of Detention Visitation Ministry – Explore what the Bible has to say about ministry with the oppressed, standing against injustice, welcoming the stranger, and visiting those in prison. We are called to be like Jesus, who is God with us, by being a compassionate presence to others. And we are called to minister to Jesus as we see God’s image in the people who are oppressed.
Realities: The Impact of the U.S. Immigration Detention System – The U.S. government uses detention as its primary means of immigration enforcement, indiscriminately detaining asylum seekers, torture survivors, undocumented immigrants, trafficking victims, long-term residents, families and parents of children who are U.S. citizens. Non-citizens and their families feel the greatest impact of this practice. Communities suffer, too, and taxpayers foot the enormous bill.
Ministry Basics: Establishing a Visitation Program for Detained Migrants – Make a path through the red tape and past the razor wire to the imprisoned people who need support and encouragement. Learn how to get information about your local detention center, organize a ministry leadership team, develop administrative and information management tools, recruit and train volunteers, and identify migrants who need and want visits.
Being a Visitor: Practical Guidance on Visiting Detained Migrants – Be encouraged in your desire to visit migrants in detention. Explore your role as a compassionate presence, and avoid common missteps that may proceed from the best of intentions. Understand the need for confidentiality and how to protect detainees’ privacy. Learn how to navigate challenging situations and maintain appropriate boundaries.
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Special thanks to our generous funding partners for making visitation ministry possible:

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod
Presbyterian Church USA
Wheat Ridge Ministries

Visitation Ministry Resources

LIRS Access Toolkit: Learn about the new access procedures for ICE detention facilities
New Ministry Resource Package: Sign up to receive webinars, promotional materials, volunteer training materials, and more.


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Block N Load

I was external producer on this title. One of my favourite projects ever. What a pleasure to work with such a talented and creative team! Great game too!

Another site launch, to go along with the trailer launch:

FYI, all CSS and jQuery that one… oh and some sneaky iFrames to use dynamic content from the WordPress powered blog-de-suck.

Good Eats

Been doing some photography for a local wholefoods market recently. Here’s a selection of images I’m rather pleased with. Some were done in my studio, some on location and others in my kitchen.

goji berries Oateylicious as it should be

oatcakes, ricecakes, olives, creme fraiche coffee clutch

ice cream and scoop nom

splashy dairy

Chancellors of Vice

I was very pleased to be able to create this design for my favourite local band, the Chancellors of Vice. I’m a huge fan of 70s funk/soul and I love the look that goes along with it, so this was particularly fun to do.

The site is here .

(P.S. I also took all the photos. Oh, and designed the logo.)