Books...Glorious Books!

If you ever happen to come to Iowa, be sure to check out the Ames Public Library.

Of all the big-city libraries I have been in, it is one of the best. Granted, it doesn't have a large Wicca/Pagan section like the Iowa City library does, but that simply indicates the demographic of Ames. It's a slightly smaller college town, so it is not quite as diverse. And perhaps the library's budget is a tad smaller. Besides, they essentially just finished building a brand new library--which is WAY bigger than the original, so whatever bills they have to pay come before expanding the collection.

Besides, if I want Pagan-ish stuff, I can always save up and go to the bookstore, or order from OneSpirit. Or better yet, simply do a proper search on the web for blogs, which are often more up-to-date than actual books. It just depends on what I need.

In any case, I love the Ames library. Their collection's expanded considerably, for both fiction and non-fiction. Mom wasn't too happy that they'd put all the fiction together instead of separating by genre, the way they used to. But for some reason, that doesn't concern me, since I haven't read fiction in a good while, unless it's a romance book from Wal-Mart. (Yeah, I know...really educational, right? More like under [or on!] the table sex ed! ;-) To make myself feel less "ashamed" about it, I just call them "books for stirring the second and fourth chakras," because that's about what those books target. Mom has judgements galore about them, but she doesn't have to read 'em if she doesn't want to.)

The health and fitness section is larger than I remember it, as is the spirituality section. The productivity-time-management/career section is ginormous! And they've expanded the computer programming section. As for foreign language???? Let's put it this way: there are scads of materials for learning French, Italian, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, even Croatian, Czech, Hebrew, Russian, even some of the Scandinavian languages. But as before, only one small entry for learning the one Celtic language on file: Irish. *sighs* They say it's a dying language, as is Welsh and there are people on the west coast of Ireland and in Wales trying to keep their respective languages preserved. I know in Scotland that their form of Gaelic is still alive because I watched a documentary on Irish dancing and the banner they had in the auditorium for the dancing championship was in both English and Gaelic. And I am as drawn to Gaelic and Welsh as I am to French, so...yeah. And yes, I would love to learn Welsh!

Their new computer-based search system is not quite as good as the old one, actually. There are some bugs to work out. They have monitors hung on posts, which is good, except I liked the old system where the computers were in study-desk-like tables, with plenty of writing surface. I had with me a notebook half again the depth of the new tiny "desks." And they only have the call numbers on the sides of the shelves, with no verbal labels denoting which section is which. Marshalltown's library scores a little higher there, but maybe the call-number situation at Ames is temporary. *shrugs* I may make a mention of the computer issues to the clerks at the info desk next time I'm there. But all in all, I was still able to get the call-number sections written down for the topics I wanted, including jewelry-making and beading, which I didn't get to, but it won't be long.

I had to get a new card, since they put in a completely new card system, which is fine. It allowed me to start fresh since I hadn't checked out books from the Ames library for a long time. As for the computer/wi-fi situation? It's incredible! There are at least four good tables with awesome-looking lamps, and there are USB and electrical plug-in stations directly on the tables, making it WAY more convenient to plug in laptops. This will make getting up to go to Ames with Pop a lot more convenient and enjoyable, since I'll be able to take my laptop with me.

Plus, on some of the tables, there are e-reader stations, making it easier to check out e-books and read them there at the library. I may have to ask some questions about how to access the e-books and whatnot, especially if I can download them to my computer, since I don't have a tablet.

And oh...the new reading chairs upstairs are awesome!!! I didn't sit in any of them, but they look very comfy! Far more comfy than the chairs at my home town library. Sorry, Big M, but your chair cushions need upgrading. :P

Funny thing about the spirituality section at the Ames library is that I really didn't see any books on Tarot. I may have to look a bit harder, and use the search function, but then again, I wasn't specifically looking for books on Tarot this time around. Since I've got a new bookmark that gives me the APL URL, I can do a search later.

Anyway, it's time to sign off and get to work on eBay stuff, since I spent the afternoon and evening in Ames with my parents.

Pax Felinum,
Kat ^.^

Productivity

Every now and then, I get a burst of "productivity-itis," where I feel inspired to a greater or lesser degree to sort out my life. And since I have both Firefox on my computer and Google Play apps (on my Android) at my disposal, I figure there is just no bleepin' excuse for me to not get my life under control...rein in my procrastination tendencies and sort out all the things I want to do.

Because I'll admit it--I am part Pisces. (Born on the Pisces-Aries cusp, that is.) I admit that when I am overwhelmed, I get stressed. When I get stressed, I wanna escape someplace or into something that has nothing to do with what needs to be done. A lot of the time, it's TV and/or YouTube videos. Other times, it's my fan-fic, or something else that's caught my eyes and ears, especially if it's on Facebook.

But when my "productivity-itis" decides to come home to roost in my psyche, I get all pumped up--especially since I know there are helpful Android apps and Firefox extensions to help me build good productivity habits.

The thing I have to get past is this old "tape" of "you never stick to anything" or "you don't have enough 'stick-to-itiveness.'" This is a more or less "well-meaning" observation from good ol' Mom. Yes, she's telling the truth. I have had troubles sticking to things once I start. I do not know why this is, other than I'm an Aries, a cardinal sign: great for getting things going, but supposedly not so great at continuing projects.

Well, like the Sagittarius ascendant I have, I am going to play shaman a bit, and put on the mask of someone who can stick to things and see them through to completion. I am going to channel this month's Taurean energy, connect it with my Chiron in Taurus and break this spell of "she has no discipline" that's also gone hand in hand with the "stick-to-itiveness."

I just got the notion of pairing this with my Scorpio placement. Uranus in Scorpio. Transformation through Different Perspectives. Yes, this will be powerful energy to work with indeed! Very powerful alchemy!

But of course, the writer part of me--both Gemini and Libra--just couldn't help putting her oar in and say "You can blog about this!" My Virgo side says, "Keep track of the results of your experiments in a physical notebook--but make the notebook cheap." So I went and found a cheap composition book for a mere 99 cents at Goodwill. My Virgo self LOVES Goodwill.

Then BOTH my Taurus and Virgo sides are after me to monetize the blogging of my journey, results, etc, just so I'm not missing out on potential income streams.

But the way I see it, it's all good. Now...onto my quest for the productivity tools that will make my "toolbox" the best toolbox for me. :-)

Pax Felinum.
Kat ^.^

When The Goin' Gets Tough...

I am currently experiencing a feeling similar to the way I felt back in high school, due to collective financial issues.

I lost my job, so my parents are having to cover some of my expenses. This alone makes me feel guilty in a variety of ways.

But what makes me feel really bad about it is Mom is likely not going to be able to go to Indiana for my cousin's wedding. She's also worried about my dad's ability to drive well, esp. at night. And he's supposed to be officiating!

Like I said, I'm currently experiencing a feeling similar to how I felt in high school:

I am tired of having to ask my parents for money...but for a different reason this time around.

And the angels are backing me up, pushing me into the second part of the phrase..."When the goin' gets tough...the tough get goin'!" The Life Purpose reading I did before coming to the library is proof of it--featuring TWO cards that point me towards what I need to do.

And I am determined to be much less of a burden--hopefully never--to my parents from this point on. Because that's how I feel. I know my dad tries to say I'm not, but I know I am. I can no longer truly depend on my Earthly dad and mom...I'm 37 years old for pete's sake.

It's time to let my Heavenly Mother-Father Source and the angels take over and guide me to where I need to be so my parents don't feel the pinch beyond my dad's funky spending habits. My dad didn't *have to* buy the stand and carrying case for my new keyboard. But he did. All he really had to get was the AC cord and I would have been all set.

This situation is pushing me into where I need to--and want to--go. Sure I would rather go to Ames to work on my blogs and such, just because they're open later than the library is. But...I'll just need to get up a lot earlier so I can spend as much time at the library as I need to. It's the one way I can get work done without spending a ton of money--or having my work interrupted. And I will need to work out some sort of schedule to balance domestic and business tasks, among other things. 

So yeah...that's the long and the short of it.

Now...to the business of getting down to business! :-D