Here is a photo of me wearing a kilt after my welcome speech at the opening session of the 1999 NASIG conference, held at Carnegie Mellon University. This was at the end of my term as president of the organization. The kilt idea was part of an elaborate joke that shocked everyone. I’ll forever be known as “that guy who wore the kilt.”
I was amused to read the proverb in a recent fortune cookie that I ate:
“You are doomed to be happy in matrimony.”
My brother, Dan, digitized many family photos a while ago. I’ve chosen a few to show here.
Below is a photo of all of my family members on the afternoon of our wedding in January 2000, including my six brothers and sisters and almost all of my nieces and nephews and one of my cousins. This is the last photo taken that includes all of my siblings and parents. My sister, Becky, is married and lives in New Zealand, so it is very unusual to have her in a recent family photo. And then my father died almost exactly two years after this photo was taken.
First row from left to right: Dan (brother), Ben (nephew), Keegan (son), Pelle (nephew), and Nils (nephew); Second row: Lars (nephew), my mother with Kerstin (niece) in her lap, my father with Bjorn (nephew) in his lap, and Sam (nephew from New Zealand). Third row: Debbie (sister), Bradley (cousin), Linda (sister-in-law), Jeff (brother), Jocelyn (niece), Tim (brother), Petra (sister-in-law), Kevin (brother), Britta (niece), me, Michele, Becky (sister from New Zealand).
Here is a photo of my mother and father on their wedding day in September 1958:
This photo is of Grandma McCallum, my mother’s mother. I was really close to her and miss her even to this day. This is the last photo taken of her not long before her death in October 1982. The baby in the stroller is Nils, my oldest nephew:
Below is a late photo of Grandpa and Grandma McCallum, the only grandparents I ever knew (my paternal grandparents both died before I was old enough to remember them):
I like this photo of all of us kids (except Donny, my parents’ third child, who died of unknown causes at 18 months of age). Left to right: Dan (#6 and twin to Debbie), Kevin (#1), me (#8) in Kevin’s lap, Tim (#2) with Debbie (#7 and twin to Dan) on his lap, Jeff (#4), and Becky (#5). At this point we still lived in Nebraska:
My Kiwi brother-in-law, Martin (top), along with some friends, pretending to do a Maori war dance called the “haka,” on a beautiful beach on the North Island:
Finally, here I am for my third birthday:
To give an idea of how this Saturday has gone, I only got out of my PJs a half hour ago, and the little kids are still in their pajamas. Last night was really difficult because Brinley kept waking up, over and over and over again. Our Jack Russell Terrier puppy, Maddie, kept barking all the time in her crate downstairs in the kitchen because Keegan had forgotten to put back the sheepskin bedding for her crate. After a while I gave up and listened to an audiobook on my iPod for a while. I woke up with a severe headache and three very crabby little kids, each of whom has a cold. (Of course, their parents are never crabby.)
Michele and I gave up after a few wakeful morning hours and went back to bed for a while.
The end result? A do nothing day. One good thing about it is that Michele feels a bit better.
Michele is pretty upset because today she is doing poorly again, after almost seven days of feeling almost back to normal. On top of that, Brinley came down with a cold overnight. Tristan is getting over his cold. We had a difficult night last night as a result.
[Update: I feel obligated to add a bit more to my posting on this topic. See changes/additions in brackets below.]
I haven’t joined the hundreds (thousands?) of others who commented negatively on Michael Gorman’s well-publicized anti-blogging diatribe a few months back[, until now.] I know [just] enough about him and his background to not be surprised by anything he has to say. I am just about as anti-ALA (American Library Association) as you can get. The fact that this guy is that organization’s incoming president is more proof (not that I needed any) of its need for reform. There are some areas of ALA that are notable exceptions such as LITA, but my experience after having been involved in a number of areas for years has been [pretty] negative.
As an aside, the recent angry row in ALA Council over the “audacity” of giving Laura Bush an honorary award is yet more proof that this organization is [dysfunctional]. Yes, I am conservative in my views in general, which automatically places me on the extreme fringe of librarianship. However, even librarians from the more liberal side who are heavily involved in ALA (see here and here) have figuratively rolled their eyes over this.
I heard today (see link above) about an editorial written by Blaise Cronin, dean of the library school at Indiana University, that criticizes blogs and bloggers in much the same dismissive tone as that used by Gorman. This is another guy whom I’ve never taken a liking to, although unlike Gorman, I know next to nothing about him other than that he tends to be controversial. If I were an Indiana student, alum, or faculty member, I’d really be cringing right now.
[I should make it clear that this is not a knee-jerk reaction to any criticism of a form of communication that I like and benefit from. Actually, I don't object to criticisms of blogs and blogging. There are problems or weaknesses that reasonable persons can see with this mode of communication and publication, so there is a grain of truth or substance to some of the criticisms I've read. What I do object to, though, is the over-generalization to which many critics like Gorman and Cronin seem prone, as well as the rather arrogant and dismissive tone that tends to be used. Sure, blogging is faddish right now, but that doesn't mean it shouldn't be taken seriously or that it doesn't have value. A recent online article I first heard about at It's All Good, published by Knowledge@Wharton, made a good point (among others) when it stated that while blogging almost certainly will lose some of its current trendiness, blogs will "continue to be disruptive to traditional media."
Blogs, to me, are a true "killer app" -- an indispensible way for me to keep more readily informed about what's going on in areas that interest me. Knowledge is power and blogs, even with their inherent biases or singular points of view, are an incredibly valuable resource that helps me do my job better just about every day.]
Michele has felt almost normal for several days now. (This afternoon I came home from work at her request because she wasn’t doing very well, but she’s better this evening.) This is great! We really feel the effect of many prayers on her behalf and hope this better situation will continue.
Earlier today we heard from her neurologist’s office that the blood tests she had last week came back as “borderline,” whatever that means. They are ordering more blood work to be done.
Chicago Tribune | Welcome to campus; have an iPod
This article in today’s Chicago Tribune caught my eye because of one particular phrase. A DePaul University student is quoted as follows:
“I don’t have to leave my room,” said Emily McDermott, a freshman who said her room is usually littered with pizza boxes. “I can get everything in my room on the Internet. I don’t have to go to the library, I can have food delivered, I can talk to people online.”
It’s the mention of libraries that I think is interesting. Is this student typical? Do students really not bother coming to the library anymore because so much of what they think they need is available online? I am doubtful of this. I think this is true for some, but certainly not for all, or even for most. It is quite interesting for me to see the heavy use of my library by those who use online resources. Sure, circulation statistics are down, but use of the physical space is still pretty high. Students come to the library even if they are doing their research online.
The real problem, I think, is in communicating to students about the wealth of resources available online as well as offline. I think that if libraries did a better job of highlighting the two together, more use would be made of both. Most students I interact with are overwhelmed by what the library offers. They don’t know where to start. Once they know about what is available to answer their research needs, they use it.
One time about a year ago, I overheard a student tour guide tell parents and prospective students who were trouping through the library: “The library has x number of books, x number of periodicals, but actually, everything in the library is available online, so you don’t even need to come here.” I about choked.
Well, I am thankful to report some good news. Michele has had three good days in a row now, days in which she feels almost normal again. Let’s hope this is a trend. Still no word from the doctor about when she will have the EEG test.
The kids continue to challenge us. Sometimes I struggle with a sense of frustration as a parent of four children. I often wonder:
I guess you get the picture. My mother and Michele’s parents remind us that time is short, that all too quickly we will miss these growing up years. They will soon be gone forever. How true. Several months ago, Michele and I were sorting through mountains of children’s clothing, trying to figure out what articles of clothing were too small or didn’t fit anymore that we could donate to the Salvation Army or some other charity. In the process, we both became quite teary-eyed, especially as we folded and sorted little newborn baby socks and clothes. Saps, that’s what we are! In reality, we are incredibly blessed to be parents of four wonderful children. They are a great treasure. May God give us guidance and direction to hold them safe, to love them completely for who they are, for the little time they are given to us.
I woke up today, looked out the window, and was astonished to see the ground covered in snow. Brrrr, it is cold! And it’s the end of April! Such is the weather in the Midwest. I recall a severe blizzard many years ago that occurred in April, but I think that happened earlier in the month.
Tristan and I went to church today. He gave me a really neat thing he had made a few Sundays before in his class: a model of the house on the rock. He was able to explain the meaning of this to me, also, from Matthew 7:24. Today we heard the pastor talk about the Pharisees and how they basically said to Jesus, after he had cleared out the temple, “How dare you? By whose authority have you done this?” (See Matthew 21:23-45.) How much like the Pharisees we are. We in this country (the U.S.) in particular are very individualistic. We tend to glorify self. I’m in charge of my life, my body, my possessions. How dare anyone tell me what to do?! That’s how we tend to think and act. Yet if you read this passage, Jesus clearly says, “No, you are not in authority. I’m in control. I am the One who made you. Listen to Me.” The Pharisees are unable to let go of their self-importance, their foolish pride, their arrogance. That is like us. Sadly, this attitude of religious self importance is particularly evident in Christendom, and clearly, God abhors it.