Cubethulhu bids farewell to MIT

As many of you may already know, I have left the library world for a while. My job at the MIT Archives and Special Collections was only as a temp so when this new opportunity presented itself I decided to go for it. My new gig is as an independent contractor assisting a seamstress. Sounds crazy, I know. I think of myself as an archivist on a crafty adventure.

I’ve worked for two seasons at King Richard’s Faire helping out the lovely Threads of Time folks in their booth, as well as going on the road with them to a couple of conventions and such. I’ll still be doing that, but I also help out in their workshop and work a little from home.

I was really sad to leave MIT, especially since I had worked there for over three years. It was a bit of a scary decision to make, but it was definitely the right thing to do, and I’m really excited about it.

(Click the photo above to see more Farewell to MIT photos featuring the adorably monstrous Cubethulhu!)

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Life reboot.

Summer has ended. Fall is nearly over. Winter will be upon us shortly.

My brain is permanently wired to the academic calendar. I was a student until I was 30 and now I work at an academic institution, so September always feels more like the start of a new year than January ever does.

Every fall I get a burst of energy and I have to constantly carry around a note pad because I can’t turn off my brain. (Alas, this renewed zest does nothing for the powers of my memory, hence the note pad.) The cooler temperatures allow my brain to actually engage in thought other than “Dear God, could it get any hotter and could I feel any more disgusting?” I’m finally able to accomplish things that had previously only been vague plans. The summer is always so busy what with parties and derby business and such, that I never get the time to work on any of my other fun projects.

The fall is actually even busier for me, but somehow everything seems easier than it does any other time of year. Fresh perspective, ideas, adventures, parties… it all seems to fit together so much better than in the spring or summer. I usually just feel overwhelmed with all of my obligations, but during the fall, I feel like I can accomplish it all and still maintain my sanity.

I have a zillion and one things going on as per usual, but I think it can still be managed. All it takes is planning. And stamina.

The last year has been very busy and still managed to have a flavor of stagnation about it. It’s been a very disorganized year, to the point where I have felt disconcertingly out of control at times – as if I were treading mud – wearing myself out and not really getting anywhere. It’s been an especially non-crafty year, too. I’ve had the odd project here and there, but I haven’t spent this long away from craftiness… ever, I think. I’m finally getting my crafty mojo back, about which I’m very happy, indeed. The same with reading.

Actually, it’s been more than just this past year. Maybe the last two years. I’ve been out of grad school, and playing roller derby. Two major events (one ending, and one starting), never mind the grueling (and seemingly never-ending) job search, so it’s no wonder it’s taken me a long while to figure out a good rhythm for my life. I use my commuting time to catch up on sleep, instead of reading and crafting as I had done before. Oh, and the place is a wreck, so nothing I need for various projects is within easy grasp. My default is to just zone out on the computer rather than to actually accomplish anything useful at home.

But I’m beginning to (slowly) get my life resembling some sort of slightly organized mess. Anyway, here’s a list of what’s been going on in the recent past, and what’s planned for the near future:

1. Rollah Derby, Hey! It was a great season. The Old Money Honeys made it to the home championship, but lost to the Rats. No worries, though, because I won MVP for my team. It was a pretty sweet moment. I wasn’t able to play in the last two Bees bouts (against Rochester and Pioneer Valley), so my season ended a wee bit earlier than everyone else. We’re in the off season now, tidying up the loose ends for this season and planning for the next. We’re in the height of recruiting at the moment, and I’m on the recruiting committee. It’s been crazy. I’m answering derby-related emails at least two or more hours each day. We’ve got over 100 people on our recruiting list, and at least 40 of them have been coming to our recruiting events, and will most likely stick around for tryouts in January. Yes, we’re having tryouts this year! We’ve got so may people interested that we can’t possibly take everyone. That means that only the most motivated will stick around, which is pretty sweet. I’m definitely looking forward to the 2010 season. I’m also going to Philadelphia for the National Championships. It’s going to be so much fun!

2. Work – MIT has hired me nearly full-time (still a no-benefits part-timer, but it’s WAY better than before and I’m breathing a little easier for having the extra hours). I’m now doing more collections-type work, in addition to the reference assisting (which consists mostly of photocopying for researchers). I get to help with new accessions and some processing. So far the learning curve hasn’t been that steep, but it’s been a little wonky due to shifting work-flows and what not. The short version is that I’m really enjoying it and get to use my brain. I’m also there five days a week, and I’ve got my own desk in a cube with a big window. In other work-related news, I survived my first SeptOber working King Richard’s Faire. It was tremendously fun. I met some really great people and made a few new friends. I’ve even been invited to work at a few Cons next year (steampunk and sci-fi), which is probably one of the coolest and geekiest things ever. I plan on documenting those adventures in a photoblog of sorts.

3. Craftiness – After ages and ages of non-knitting, I’ve finally got projects on the needles (on which I’m actively working) and I’m finally back at the wheel. I ordered a bunch of fiber from Cranberry Moon Farm (a few different wools as well as a wool/alpaca blend) and have been getting back into the groove. I’ve been invited to do a spinning demo at AHA Night next week. On Thursday, November 12, from 6-9pm I’ll be at TL6 The Gallery (100 William Street, New Bedford, MA). If I get enough spun I’ll have a few skeins to sell (though I doubt I will). Maybe I’ll have some other things done up to sell (gnomes and mushrooms, perhaps?) The details are still loose at this time, but I’ve been invited to sell my stuff there, and I’ve got to put myself on a production schedule, because I’m absolutely useless without deadlines. I also borrowed a sewing machine and can therefore get caught up on some of the derby-related clothes I’ve been trying to make these last few months. I still haven’t gotten my screen printing stuff together, though, so they won’t be ready for sale until I get that all set up. Soon, though, especially now that I’m getting my work space a bit more useable. I sense an intense house-purge very soon. We have too much crap. We also have a ton of awesome stuff, which tends to get lost among the clutter. And Christmas will be upon us very soon. Luckily I’m only knitting for a few people, so it shouldn’t be too terribly taxing (she says with much trepidation).

4. Currently reading – Andromeda Klein (Frank Portman), Juliet, Naked (Nick Hornby), as well as a few others that I’ve picked up and put down in recent weeks. The first two, though, are ones that I’m actively reading. So far I love both. Portman is responsible for one of the best books about high school kids ever, King Dork. While KD was told from a teen boy’s perspective, AK has a girl protagonist, and I love her. It’s also got tarot cards, ghosts, and other spooky things. Plus it’s wicked funny. Juliet is great, too. Hornby does what he does very well, with the music and the characters and what not. I just have to remember to actually one of them on the train with me so I can actually finish reading them. I’m also starting a book club with a friend, so that’ll keep me reading. The first pick is Dear American Airlines by Jonathan Miles. It looks like an interesting read. And if I hate it, at least I’ll have something to talk about at book club. (We’re also most likely going to be a rather boosey club, seeing as how the members thus far are fellow derby gals. Perhaps I should use one of the clever names I had on reserve for my non-existent booze blog? How about the Literale Society?)

5. Socialite – I have no unplanned weekends from here until after the New Year. It’s been that way since Labor Day. It’s insane. But I love it. I am much better about keeping my calendar and planner up to date these days to keep up with all the parties and stuff. Halloween was a blast! I’m so glad so many people made it to our party. I didn’t really know how many to expect, since there were birthday parties and other Halloween parties going on the same night. The next event Chez Nous will be a game night. I want to play Arkham Horror, but if there are more people coming than can play that game, we have a bunch of other games to have several going on at once. Plus, we have darts, too. Mark your calendars for Friday, November 20, 7:30 pm. Potluck. I’ll make a Facebook event invite thingie. I also have plans to travel to Maryland for both Thanksgiving and Christmas this year. I was terribly homesick last year on my birthday and Christmas, so I’m planning ahead this year.

Whew. That’s the news for now. As usual, I have a bunch of pictures from this Fall but have not uploaded any of them to any sort of photo sharing site. I’m lame. I might get to it. Maybe. Pretty sure I need a functioning Time Turner to get all this done, but we’ll see how I do. Oh, and I could use an airship. Some jerk stole mine, and I haven’t gotten it back yet.

Chrononauts AWAY!

/hibernation

I have been extremely lax in my blogging these last several months. You know how it goes: Busy doing fun things. Not organized enough to put photos on Flickr. No photos = no writing about fun things. Lather. Rinse. Repeat. I shall attempt to remedy that this weekend by doing a massive upload of photos. I’ll be doing them in installments, starting with last August.

It’s March. Pretty soon we will have ploughed through a quarter of the year. What have I been up to this year? What’s coming up? Hey, look! A list!

1. Coming up on Friday, I have a phone interview for a Project Archivist position at an area library. The lovely folks at MIT have offered to do a mock interview with me on Thursday to help me prep. I’ve also expanded my job search to include positions back in the DC/Baltimore area.
2. I had a whirlwind trip to Maryland and Florida last week. I left Boston for Baltimore on the 20th, caught the Riveters/CCRG bout, spent several days among friends and family in Maryland (met the BFF’s girlfriend, she’s rad), left for Florida on the 24th, spent a few days on the Gulf Coast with my seester and JeT’s dad enjoying the 80 degree weather, caught a Red Sox spring training game, then landed in Boston just as the snow began to fall Sunday morning. It was a bit of a wild week: one morning I woke up to broken glasses and raw patches on my hands and face. I try to tell people that the raw skin was due to extremely dry skin, and the glasses were on their way out anyway. There are some, however, who refuse to believe this and assert that I must have been in a bar fight.
3. I now have new glasses. They are red. And shaped rather like my pair-before-last, slightly cat-eye. Did I mention they are red? And awesome? Yes.
4. PRD is gearing up for the 2009 season. Our last batch of newbies joined in January, and there are only a couple left who haven’t yet passed their assessments to claim their name. This is really exciting! It’s going to be a fantastic season! I shall be continuing as the Rookie Wrangler, and I’ll also be taking on the job of League Archivist. I’m also going to be playing in two away games. In Canada! Also, PRD is playing host to several travel teams this year. The first Riveters home bout is against Harrisburg Area Roller Derby (HARD) on April 11 at the RICC. The Killah Bees are hosting the Skate Free or Die girls at a scrimmage next weekend, and then we play them at a NH bout in April. I’m not going to be playing in that one, though, as I’ll be playing in Ottowa the following week. It’s going to be a derby-filled summer, indeed. (Check www.providencerollerderby.com regularly for the most recent updates.)
5. I haven’t been very crafty though. I did finally finish my SIL’s hat and scarf, delivered only two months late. The BFF has a birthday coming up and I’m working on something for him. I started a hyperbolic plane in blue and white cotton, which was supposed to be a bath pouf. I ran out of the white, half way through the last round. I might just knot it off and call it done, though, since the whole reason for making it was to do a bit of stash busting. I also have to make another Jayne hat for myself, since I lost the one I made last Fall. Once I actually get going on something, I’ll feel better.
6. I have severely neglected my pen pals these last several months. The end of the derby season in September ate up all my time, and then it was fall, and then winter, and now here it is nearly spring and some of them haven’t heard from me in ages. It’s not due to lack of caring, but rather to severe lack of organization. I just need to cart around my little notebook of writing supplies, then I can write while I commute, just like old times.
7. Saw They Might Be Giants a while ago. They were super great, as usual. They played so many songs! And many many were ones I’d never heard them play before, or hadn’t heard in a long while. We made some concert friends, which was fun.
8. We have a new car: a 2008 Kia Sportage, silvery grey. It’s awesome. We can accelerate. Uphill! And it’s big enough to fit my legs! And passengers!
9. Though I have been bringing my lunch to work nearly every day (thanks to JeT who actually prepares and packs the food), I miss bringing super fun bentos. I shall endeavor to remedy this. We’ve been making some new foods, though, so we’re slowly edging out of our food rut, which I’m very happy about. More new foods to come, and of course bento photos!
10. I’ve recently discovered Wild Turkey’s American Honey. If you’re a fan of whiskey or bourbon, you need to try this. Even if you normally hate the stuff, you need to try this. It’s golden awesomeness in a bottle. Highly recommended.
11. Speaking of imbibing, my librarian friends and I came up with a blog idea to help us broaden our beer horizons. We plan to sample a different kind of beer each month, and report our findings on the blog. We’re still thinking of a name, though. I was all ready to go in January, and then I sort of just forgot about it. This should be quite fun, once we get going!
12. I would like to go bowling. And ice skating. And just go out more often. Maybe stay in town for a bit on Fridays or something. I just need to get my act together and play cruise director, I think. I’ve just been so disorganized; I haven’t felt like myself for months and months. I think I’m finally coming out of my stupor, though. I think the sunshine did me some good. I’ll work on my schedule this weekend, and will start planning some outings. I wonder where my planner is… probably under the laundry somewhere.
13. First outing: This Friday, March 6th! Watchmen! Who’s in? JeT and I are going to see it in Boston (on the Common). We’re buying our tix tonight, if anyone’s interested.
14. And then there are a couple of concerts coming up: OK Go! and The Pogues! So excited!

identity confusion

I’m taking my second roller derby assessment on Monday.  I hope I pass. I think I’ll do alright. I really want to be able to scrimmage with the rest of the league, so I’ve been working hard these last few practices to get my skills up to scratch. We’re being tested on a couple more skating/stopping skills, as well as contact blocking and assists. I know the thing I need to work on the most is the contact stuff. I can keep my balance pretty well and take a pretty hard hit (I’ve go the bruises to show for it), but my timing and contact when I’m trying to hit is still pretty off… and weak. I have to be able to use my legs more, because that’s where the power comes from. I know all this in theory. It’s just getting my body to do what my brain is telling it to do, when my body is clearly sending signals that it’s too damn tired to move and my brain is all, “get up, you pansy, and hit someone!!!” Yeah, a bit of a conflict. But I’m working on it. I just hope I can do well enough to pass the test and move up to scrimmagable. Then I get to claim my name.

I’ve also been working on my resume, doing job research, writing cover letters, all that stuff. It’s a bit strange to have these two activities going on simultaneously. I hope it doesn’t trigger some sort of identity crisis. I’m trying to be professional and advance my career, while also being a part of this bad-ass sport. The other librarians at both my jobs are really excited for me, so when I have my first bout, there’s probably going to be a contingent from MIT as well as Radcliffe, which will be hopefully be more awesome than weird. It’s really fun that they’re so supportive, though. Except the other day at Radcliffe, I totally broke part of the photocopier: I was standing there, waiting for the copier to spit out the news clippings I was copying, when my knee began to get kind of crampy. I picked up my foot, stretched out my quad and knee, but my foot slipped out of my hand, and I accidentally kicked the paper bypass tray. I knocked it to the floor, and the little clippy hinge things that keep it attached to the coper totally broke off into tiny pieces. I exclaimed something not-so-professional, and people came in to see what was the matter. I’m just standing there with the tray in my hand, saying something really lame, like “DUDE!” and “MAN!! I’m so sorry!” That I couldn’t come up with something better to exclaim is bad enough, but the fact that I broke the copier because I was stretching was really, really embarrassing. The consensus was, “Geez, only a month of roller derby, and she’s already tearing the place apart!”

I can see it now: I’m probably going to end up like some Hulk librarian. You wouldn’t like me when I’m angry! Ooh! Or, like Conan the Librarian: “Don’t you know the Dewey Decimal System???” *super-sword-action-of-DOOM!*

the near-ish future

Regarding the archives fire: I still need to get a ton more information regarding the following, but it looks like I’m going to be playing a role in the recovery efforts of the MSPCA materials. They have sent much of the stuff to be frozen and dried at an off-site facility (standard emergency procedure for water damage) and I’ll know more about the condition of the materials when it comes back. But, there’s a bit of hope yet.

Regarding roller derby: I now find myself in the position of PRD league secretary. It’s a role I often find myself in when I join a group. I like being able to find a niche. Also in PRD news, I’ll be taking my second assessment in a couple of weeks, so I should be on track for being teamed along with everyone else. They split us up so the teams are even according to ability. While it would be really neat to see a super mega awesome team of DOOM, everyone would feel sorry for the suck-o team. Besides, it’s way more fun to watch a close game than a runaway. I had my first real contact practice the other day. It’s really funny if you step outside of yourself for a bit. I mean, I never thought I’d ever say, “Ok, hit me! Ok, now I’ll hit you! Let’s hit each other at the same time!!!” It was really quite fun.

Regarding seeing friends: Derby is sucking all of my life. Not that I’m really complaining about it, since I chose it knowing full well how much time it’d take up, but it just means that I have to really schedule time with my friends. Last night JeT and I saw some friends in a play: Rozencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. Now, I love this play. I’ve seen the movie a million times, had to put up with friends quoting it all the time, quoted it myself more times that I’d care to admit, etc. I haven’t seen it in over 10 years, and I’d forgotten just how funny the damn thing is. John was a superb G, and I don’t know the kid who played R, but he was great, too. I was giggling the entire time. Especially during my favorite scene: the questions/tennis match. Man, that’s a brilliant scene! Overall, they did a great job. It was fun to catch up (even if only for a few minutes) after the show with other friends who came to watch. Not that I really need a reminder, but I miss those folks and will have to make sure I see them more often. I’ll be seeing another group of friends tonight at the BDD bout (Boston Massacre vs. one of the Gotham Girls teams, and a short bout against Maine, who, by the way, PRD is scrimmaging in a few weeks).

Should be fun!

History up in flames

Some of you know that I worked as a archives consultant this summer at the MSPCA-Angell in Jamaica Plain. This evening there was an electrical fire that destroyed about half of the archives there. No one (neither man nor beast) was injured (thank goodness) but that’s a really big chunk of history gone in only a few minutes. The MSPCA-Angell archives and special collections are important because they document not only one of the oldest animal-related organizations in the country, but also the social reform movement of the late 19th and early 20th Centuries.

I’m pretty sick with grief over the loss, and yes, I know, it’s just paper (and film), but the history… all that evidence. It’s just gone. They’re trying to salvage some of the items and create a list of things that were destroyed. While I worked there, I conducted a survey of the collections, including a map indicating where in the rooms items were stored. I hope this information proves useful to them in their salvage efforts. I just feel so helpless otherwise. I tend to get attached to collections I work on, but this one was really important to me. Both because of the nature of the collection itself, and because this was the first job where I really got to test my archives skills.

I think I’ll phone tomorrow to see how they’re getting on. The people with whom I was in contact during my time there were all very enthusiastic about the archives project (as well as my efforts, which was rather gratifying), so I’m sure they’re pretty devastated over the loss.

Book meme

(From The Spinstah)

1. Pick up the nearest book.
2. Open it to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence/ phrase.
4. Blog the next four sentences/ phrases together with these instructions.
5. Don’t you dare dig your shelves for that very special or intellectual book.
6. Pass it forward to six friends.

In April 1943 a group of around thirty of us were gathered in this beautiful place so we could discuss how to embark on the most secret of all war projects. In the early phase of our work at Los Alamos there were many questions to be answered: Exactly how many neutrons are released with each fission of a uranium nucleus? What is the speed of these neutrons? How are the neutrons absorbed or scattered around when they penetrate different materials?

That’s from The Joy of Insight, the autobiography of Victor Weisskopf, who was second in command of the Theoretical Division of the Manhattan Project. I’m assisting in the processing of his collection at the MIT Archives. It’s been facinating, really. The book is in my work bag, hanging off the desk chair.

Though, if I were to quote my favorite passage from that book it would be this one:

He was a tall, rather heavily built man whose strong body, over-sized hands, and large skull made him look like the captain of a fishing fleet rather than a scientist. He had bushy eyebrows and a sharp, straight nose set in a long, broad face. His large head almost caused his death in 1943, when after fleeing from the Nazis he was transported from Sweden to London in a British warplane that flew very high to avoid antiaircraft fire. The helmet containing an intercom between him and the pilot was too small to fit his head, so he did not hear a warning to put on his oxygen mask. Luckily, the plane descended to a safer altitude so quickly that Bohr was not seriously affected.

That’s how Weisskopf introduces Niels Borh. It’s nice to know that in addition to being a brilliant physicist, Bohr had a giant head. Probably for to keep his huge brain.

Happy New Year!

Right, so I tried to post on January first, but our network did not feel like speaking to the outside world that day. We had a very boring New Year’s, indeed. JeT had to work on the Eve and the Day, so we hadn’t planned on partying too wildly anyway. When he got home from work on the Eve and found me still in my jammies, it was rather obvious that I didn’t particularly want to go out. I hadn’t felt well all day, and so we fell asleep around 11:30 pm. Woke up around 1-ish, said “happy new yrrrrrzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.” The next day I still didn’t feel well. Kind of like when you’re about to get a cold and your head weighs too much and all you need is a dozen or so more hours of sleep. Most of my family had been ill over the last few weeks, and I was exposed to all their germiness while visiting, so I was prepared to be sick. But when I woke up Wednesday, all was well. Thank goodness I’m not starting out the year ill.

Or starting my new job ill. That would be doubly worse. So, I’m now an assistant at Radcliffe and MIT. Woot! I’m now properly poised to conduct a proper job search, while still being able to pay some bills. I’m feeling optimistic at the start, though I haven’t done much leg work yet. I’m enjoying both of my part-time jobs thus far. I’ve been at Radcliffe since October, and only just started at MIT this week. Regarding the latter, I’d like to say that nuclear physicists have an interesting sense of humor. I also find it amusing that Oppenheimer’s friends called him “Oppie.”

I haven’t been knitting as much as I’d wanted to these last couple of weeks. I’ve mostly been sleeping, watching movies, and generally staring into space. I have much to knit before the belated Christmas gifts are going to be done, so I should get cracking. Especially since they’re supposed to be handed over in one week exactly. Right, maybe I should get off the computer.

Librarians rule

To celebrate my graduation and to bid farewell to another assistant, the librarians in the Manuscripts department gave us a party. Isn’t that sweet? We got gift certificates to the Harvard bookstore and chocolates from Burdick. They rule. I’ll still be around a bit longer, while conducting a search for a full-time job, and they all wished me well in that endeavor. I’ve only been working there a couple of months, so it was really a surprise to be included in the celebration.

In addition to this part-time job, I’ve got an interview coming up for another part-time position, doing pretty much the same sort of thing, but with academic archive stuff instead of manuscripts. Fingers crossed, please! I figure working at two part-time jobs for a while will give me a little financial wiggle room if I can’t find a full-time position right away. I think it’s a decent strategy.

Right. Back to that Christmas list. I’m running out of time, but all I want to do is eat popcorn and watch movies. It’s much warmer in here.

Interesting strategy

I should make sure I’m ill for all my job interviews. Apparently, speaking to someone from behind that kind of fog works in my favor. At least it did in this case: I’ve been offered the position, and I have accepted. The job starts on the 8th, so I’ve got a bit of time to get myself ready and figure out how it’s going to work with my school schedule. It’s 17 hours a week, which is awesome (more than I expected, really), and should be doable.

I’m excited!

I need new shoes.