spontaneous overflow

I have a very adorable wire fox terrier named Livvy. She is a rescue (like Watson?). The pictures of Watson running and exploring off-leash baffle me—how did you train him to come back to you? Livvy is too excited by all the wonderful sights and smells of the world and must remain on a leash for her safety. What's your secret? I would love for Livvy to be as free as her distant terrier cousin, Watson.

Tue, 21 May 2013 16:29:00 -0600

Watson is not always a good dog. He will steal food at every opportunity, and unless you command him to be “GENTLE,” he will try to take off your hand along with that strawberry. He’s been known to leave me some spite-poops on the living room rug if I travel too much. He is possessive, and will snarl at dogs who try to sit in my lap (except Max because they are friends) (Bentley gets bullied a lot).

From the very beginning of our life together, though, we’ve worked on two things:

Cheerfully and quickly getting into his travel carrier and staying calm during layovers and flights
Off-leash “COME.”

Both of these started out because I knew Watson would be a traveling dog — I hate holding up the line at security, and chasing Watson though the airport would be a nightmare. That second command is great for hiking, though, and keeps him safe.

There are a lot of tutorials online for teaching your dog to stay and come. It’s much easier if your dog is treat-oriented like Watson. You probably want to start with a long leash and in an enclosed yard or dog park.

Watson wasn’t allowed off leash on hikes until after we’d been together over a year. I always kept him in sight, and would call him back every time he wandered more than a few feet away. LOTS of rewarding with treats and praise. Watson is always heavily supervised and far, far away from any cars. We also practice constantly, even now.

Several times a week, we play hide-and-seek to reinforce “COME.” Here is a silly video I made. After he knew “stay” and “come,” I gradually increased the distance between the two commands. You’ll see him cheat a little in the video on “stay.” Eventually, he was able to “stay” long enough for me to go and hide. When I call him, he’s coming from a few rooms away, based on just the voice command. Then, so he doesn’t grab the treat and run away again, I have him sit, do two twists, and wave after finding me. Obviously, this won’t work if his hearing goes at some point, but right now this means that if he’s ever out of sight, he still knows the command.

Off-leash is always risky with terriers. There are lots of people who would never let their terrier off a leash, full stop. I get that. As such, I think it important to err on the side of not trusting your dog, and being over-cautious. But, also, to read the landscape and know your dog. Watson wants a cookie way more than he wants to chase a lizard, and that’s good fortune.

Good luck with Livvy! I hope she has many joyful but safe adventures!

Watson and I were eager to share this view with Max. I forgot,...

Tue, 21 May 2013 09:19:52 -0600

Watson and I were eager to share this view with Max. I forgot, however, that there are sections of this hike that we only get through if I carry Watson — it gets too steep for even puppies that are half mountain goat. As Max is, well, a little heavier than Watson, this was as far as we could go.

We sat on big rocks and shared a peanut butter sandwich and two apples. The top of an inactive waterfall is nice and all, but not without your friends.

Max and Watson, best friends forever.

Mon, 20 May 2013 13:00:22 -0600

Max and Watson, best friends forever.

Two recent dreams I can't stop thinking about

Mon, 20 May 2013 10:00:49 -0600

Next to the bright red “C” on my paper, comments from my instructor: “You build a pile of kindling, but never light the fire.”
Sitting in front of a fridge with the eggs all out of the carton, the condiments never in the side compartments, all sorts of non-crisper things in the crisper, I organize for hours without making any progress.

There’s a metaphor here I can’t quite identify. That, or I need to chill the heck out because heeeeeey it is summmmmmer.

A few pictures from the day Kelli and Dan started their...

Sun, 19 May 2013 10:00:28 -0600

A few pictures from the day Kelli and Dan started their marriage. I was on hand as a bear-wrangler.

Later that night, long after vows and champagne and cake, we sat around my living room. Kelli and Dan gave Max many hugs and promised him presents from their honeymoon travels. It was the sort of day that felt like it might mean everything would be different, but not really.

“Your baby sister is almost here” Kelli told him. “WOOF,” said Max. I felt exactly the same way.

I MISS MY GARDEN! The world is turning green. In exchange for...

Sat, 18 May 2013 13:46:00 -0600

I MISS MY GARDEN! The world is turning green. In exchange for being realistic in April, I am struck with garden envy in May.

I miss my beautiful garden. Still, my new and little baby garden is doing its very best. One garden box brimming with bushy, sturdy tomatoes, some cilantro, some basil, and several varieties of chard. At the edge, the beginnings of marigolds. To the side, sunflowers gaining on the sky with each passing day. In containers I have chives, more basil, oregano, and parsley to sprinkle over everything I eat.

Little garden, you have a lot to live up to, but I am proud of you already.

At the (very cool) Hatch Show Print shop in Downtown Nashville.

Fri, 17 May 2013 10:00:28 -0600

At the (very cool) Hatch Show Print shop in Downtown Nashville.

I went to Nashville to attend the LOEX conference; it was easily...

Thu, 16 May 2013 16:24:31 -0600

I went to Nashville to attend the LOEX conference; it was easily one of the most productive conferences I’ve attended, and I have so much I want to read and try and learn. Here is my personal post-conference reading list (in the order I jotted down each citation into my notebook):

Asher, Andrew D., Lynda M. Duke, and Suzanne Wilson. “Paths of Discovery: Comparing the Search effectiveness of EBSCO Discovery Service, Summon, Google Scholar, and Conventional Library Resources.” College & Research Libraries (2012).
Mellon, Constance A. “Library anxiety: A grounded theory and its development.” College & Research Libraries 47.2 (1986): 160-165.
Bicknell-Holmes, Tracy, and Paul Seth Hoffman. “Elicit, engage, experience, explore: discovery learning in library instruction.” Reference Services Review 28.4 (2000): 313-322.
Booth, Char. Reflective teaching, effective learning: Instructional literacy for library educators. American Library Association, 2011.
Townsend, Lori, Korey Brunetti, and Amy R. Hofer. “Threshold Concepts and Information Literacy.” portal: Libraries and the Academy 11.3 (2011): 853-869.
Hattwig, Denise, et al. “Visual Literacy Standards in Higher Education: New Opportunities for Libraries and Student Learning.” portal: Libraries and the Academy 13.1 (2013): 61-89.

PEACE OUT, SPRING SEMESTER 2013. IT IS TIME FOR...

Fri, 10 May 2013 08:31:00 -0600

PEACE OUT, SPRING SEMESTER 2013. IT IS TIME FOR SUMMER.

wheeeeeeeee time to go outside!!! And return library books!!! It’s time for Kelli to get married!!! LET US EAT A CAKE. WALK INTO THE BRIGHT LIGHT. BECAUSE IT IS SUMMER.

My Victorian Lady-Heroes

Tue, 07 May 2013 04:43:28 -0600

From Alison Winter’s Mesmerized: Powers of Mind in Victorian Britain:

“Martineau prided herself on playing ‘reason over passion’ and was touted as one of Britain’s most ‘mannish’ women. She was certainly one of the most public and well traveled.

Barrett thought of herself as driven by feeling, was becoming known in this period as one of the most womanly of writers, and was extremely reclusive” (234).

Basically I love both of these women and feel a great deal of excitement over the fact that they chilled out with each other despite the differences in their personalities. I want to believe that Elizabeth would send Robert out for the night when Harriet came over. They would probably marathon Pride and Prejudice for hours while blogging and feeding Flush popcorn and cookies.

You know Elizabeth would have been posting pictures of Flush on the daily.

Harriett’s not much of an animal person because they’re always messing with her garden and the baby trees Wordsworth gave her (Autobiography, section VI), but she likes Flush as an exception to the rule. And then she’s like, “hey did you read that article in Mother Jones?” and Elizabeth is like, “totally” and it’s the best, ever.

Room of Requirement

Wed, 01 May 2013 22:01:36 -0600

Today I was looking for bookends. “Have you checked the secret closet outside, past the stairs, next to the boiler room?” asked Librarian Jason.

“I have not.” I went out the loading dock, followed the ramp down, and then further down dark stairs. Just before the boiler room, a secret outdoor closet. Inside, I found all sort of things, but, most importantly, I found bookends. And! Not only bookends! But bookends in the exact same color scheme as my popular reading collection signage. “You directed me to a Room of Requirement,” I said to Jason.

“Cool,” he said.

Then, I thought.

Isn’t the library always a Room of Requirement?

It breathes and rearranges, sometimes, not always, producing what you need. Sometimes everything is in the right place. You walk past the same shelf for years before realizing the book you need is sitting there until you need it. Sometimes it’s a

shifty,

fuzzy,

strange sort of place that leads you to this-is-not-what-I-was-looking-for-at-all-until-I-found-it.

I feel as though I have to warn everyone on a constant basis...

Sun, 28 Apr 2013 10:00:44 -0600

I feel as though I have to warn everyone on a constant basis that this is mostly an animal blog. Libraries are all well and good but a cat staring intently at something/nothing? So much more interesting.

(I’m kidding, I’m kidding, but look how cute Sharpless is!)

Watson, are you sure you are not an invertebrate? WHAT DID YOU...

Sat, 27 Apr 2013 10:00:23 -0600

Watson, are you sure you are not an invertebrate?

WHAT DID YOU CALL ME.

But seriously. Can you sit up while we are talking to you?

I CAN’T HEAR YOU. I FOUND A SLEEPY POCKET AND IT IS RIGHT HERE.

I planted some chard in the garden box this weekend. Good thing,...

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 10:00:20 -0600

I planted some chard in the garden box this weekend. Good thing, too, as I’m coming to the end of last year’s greens in the freezer.

Therapy Dogs from the Southwest Canine Corps of Volunteers visit...

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 15:48:00 -0600

Therapy Dogs from the Southwest Canine Corps of Volunteers visit Zimmerman Library.

It is after 1am and I do not feel the best about my life. I am 9...

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 01:36:00 -0600

It is after 1am and I do not feel the best about my life. I am 9 pages into an 18 page paper and remain uncertain about this argument. Can I really lay claim to the tragic tradition if I mean to read Eliot’s novels as pessimistic, but possibly triumphant? Hamlet ends sort of optimistically? Fortinbras shows up, and takes the crown without blood on his hands. Sorry your dreams are dead, ladies, but you will live on? Except you, Maggie. Sorry, Maggie.

It is also hard to feel cheerful on airport days; it could be my hundredth airport day and I would still mope.

ANYWAY. Things are not great, BUT. I walked into my room ten minutes ago to find Watson and Sharpless napping together in the tousled mess of my unmade bed. Look at them! Sharpless likes me, I think (Conor and I got some purrs this weekend!), but has mostly been sitting under my bed when he feels like hanging out. This seems like a promising development in their hilarious friendship. Thanks for staying up with me, babies. I appreciate it.

Little Moose in his natural habitats.

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 10:41:47 -0600

Little Moose in his natural habitats.

penguinteen: gunnarolla: This is brilliant I love this so...

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 13:48:00 -0600

penguinteen:

gunnarolla:

This is brilliant

I love this so much.

“If you want to bring your pet everywhere.”

This post has been doing its thing across the internet and it’s been heaps of fun to watch; I am glad this made you all happy. The blue “education” tag seems to be giving it a bump, so I wanted to take the opportunity to mention:

I am a librarian at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, NM.
This post got buried, but it gives a selection of my and Librarian Jason’s descriptions for the books. Each links to the Amazon page for the book. Now that I think about it, that post should link to our library catalog. Ah, well.
We could not keep up with demand. Even after I recruited help, the display was always empty after an hour or two. We sent about 200 books home that week. It could have been more, if not for my regularly scheduled librarian duties (I’m shaking my fist at you, meetings).
The enthusiastic response to this display from students and the internet meant that we were able to speed up our plot to set up a popular reading collection. I will be the selector for the collection, and will probably wrap a book or two every week, because, hey. I love making lists, wrapping presents, and no one should leave a library without (book) company.

Sunset at the Bosque.

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 10:00:50 -0600

Sunset at the Bosque.

“I WILL LET YOU GET AWAY THIS TIME,” said Watson to...

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 10:00:47 -0600

“I WILL LET YOU GET AWAY THIS TIME,” said Watson to the Geese.

“HA HA HA SILLY DOG WE WILL EAT YOU IF YOU COME BACK,” said the Geese to Watson.