Catching a cold is easier

Posted on July 28, 2011 by Suzanne Schultz Pick

The ALA posted a link called Work Experience Helps M.L.S. Students Get Librarian Jobs.  This article was all about how we should all just run out and get a part-time job or volunteer while we’re waiting on a full-time job because our MLS degree is only the bare minimum job requirement.  My comment was “if only it were that easy”.  I’ve asked libraries about volunteering and they flat out said “we don’t have volunteers.”  (Well, they have opportunities for teens over the summer, but not regular adult volunteers.)  I’ve applied for the few and far between jobs, part-time and full-time, that are listed and gotten absolutely no replies.  With any job, you need experience and it’s hard to get your foot in the door to get that experience but it’s even harder now.  Guess some of professionals who have a job forget that.

Anyway, Wednesday was another gray day in England.  It’s suited my being sick quite nicely.  I took my walk on Tuesday, went to the gym for a bike ride and started reading Ballad.  That’s a fine alternative to jogging because I can do something while exercising.  That treadmill gets terribly boring, especially now that I can’t watch The Housewives of OC on ITV2 in the gym anymore.  I don’t really like this show because a couple of these women are loathsome but it’s better than boring house remodeling auction shows.  Bleck.

The cold is still in effect at our house and while neither Steve or I are bad off, it’s just irritating.  So I haven’t done much at all.  Lemsip and chicken soup have been my friends each day.  It’s just this stuffy nose junk that keeps me from feeling normal.  And not feeling normal is no fun at all.  I’ll get better by the weekend though, I’m sure of it. 

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iPhones and anything similar

Posted on July 27, 2011 by Suzanne Schultz Pick

In September my iPhone’s long 2 year contract will be complete. That means I can find a new, suitable replacement for my friend and enemy the White 3GS. There are plenty of great things about the iPhone. I mean it is “the best” phone we have available as far as apps, screen resolution, and features. However, as most people know, I’ve previously posted plenty of reasons to look elsewhere.

Lack of Flash player, bad camera, irritating predictive text (why, iPhone, why is reading and white capitalized?) and our nemesis: iTunes. (Thank you for deleting my vacation photos when updating last Summer, btw.) In the UK we don’t have 4G yet so the most awesome of phones (not oboes, iPhone) that I’ve heard of aren’t available here. Without a contract the Samsung Galaxy S II, HTC HD7, and HTC Desire S are all super pricey.

I have the Blackberry Bold 9700 now to use in the UK (the iPhone is only used with Wifi in the house because of the old US contract still being active).  The camera on that is awesome but the silly thing gives vibration alerts for no reason, alerts you of things such as Twitter updates that you tell it not to alert you on, and it freezes randomly.  Also, I don’t like that I can’t hold it in one hand and type as easily as I can with the iPhone. 

Mainly it’s the apps that I’m wondering about.  I can’t get some on Android and Blackberry and while I only use a few of them right now, I still like the option for something new to be useable.  iPhone is going to get those apps first and as much as I resent it, I don’t want to be out of the loop for those.  Maybe I’ll just wait until an iPhone 5 comes out. 

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Goodbye to the pink walls

Posted on July 26, 2011 by Suzanne Schultz Pick

Monday I woke up with the cold that found Steve while he was on his work trip. That means the Nike+ sensor and pedometer haven’t been taken on the road with me yet (Steve tried out the fancy technology of the pedometer out for me though.) Oh well, plenty of time in the week to get well and get back to my routine.

Sunday afternoon we painted the hallway finally. It was a salmony orange-pink as it had been when the flat was purchased. We talked about getting the walls a neutral color once I was here. We’ve had the paint for a while but the prep time was the biggest hurdle. After Steve had that done we turned on 6 Music and took 2 & 1/2 hours out of our weekend to make our hallway a nice grayish mocha color. Much better.

It’s been predicted as 64F for each day this week and no rain until Thursday.  I hope I feel better so I can out and enjoy the weather.  I’m going to try to take my laptop out with me to the park one day so I can write somewhere other than the house for a change.  As much as I want to keep old traditions alive, it’s so much harder to keep a notebook when technology is readily available.  Even my notes are done on the phone and emailed to myself. 

Oh yeah, and my profile was added to the #amwriting author directory.  It looks much smaller than I anticipated.  Oh well, the picture’s cute.

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Sunday is for rest

Posted on July 25, 2011 by Suzanne Schultz Pick

Our weekend was nice and relaxing. Since Steve had gone off to a Developers’ Conference earlier in the week, it was nice to just hang around here together. Yesterday we took a walk down to Retail World before hitting Sainsbury’s for groceries. I was looking for another Nike+ sensor to use with my sports band. But I decided to try and old one of Steve’s instead. I did get a pedometer for £5 to keep with me for my walks though. It was funny: when we were at Sports Direct discussing if I could synch up an old sensor to the new sports band, this kid working there overheard us and gave his advice. He said the same thing Steve was telling me, that the sensors were universal. The kid, however, told me that I could just get a sensor on Amazon for £5. Good salesman there, Sports Direct. Not only does he tell me to not buy it at his store but he grossly exaggerates how much less it will be if we don’t buy from his store. No big deal, just found it funny.

Yesterday we watched NASA’s Greatest Missions. I love how the commander of STS-114, the flight after Columbia, was saying that while people think they should get rid of the shuttle because it puts astronaut’s lives in danger, astronauts don’t feel that way. It really is sad that our space program is at a standstill now. Not having our own National Aeronautics and Space Administration calling the shots, doing the research, creating new ways of exploring, it’s just wrong. Our economy is a mess and I cannot wait until we can all get back to doing what we need to be doing, especially NASA. I’m glad that some of my old workmates are still employed at KSC and Cape Canaveral though.

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A short little update

Posted on July 21, 2011 by Suzanne Schultz Pick

Just to post about how things have been going lately:

Went to Seven Stories, a children’s literature museum, last weekend.  It was really fun and gave us some inspiration for upcoming projects.  There were original manuscript sections and letters written to authors and editor Kaye Webb.  Plus, there were rooms that looked as if you were walking through Anthony Browne’s books.  It was very cool but sort of odd to be the only adults there without kids.  Oh well.

I’ve been keeping up my daily walk and got to take another try at jogging again on Monday.  I went for 15 minutes without incident so next time I’ll try to get back to my 20 minute mark.  I’m doing my stretching and doing what I can to make sure I don’t hurt my ankle again.  According to About.com once I get to jogging 30 minutes at a time, then I can feel as if I’m doing well.  That will be my aim for now – I’ll worry about time, speed and distance later.

I’m sad to not have seen or heard shuttle Atlantis come in for the last time today.  I’m glad that some people I use to work with are still hanging on to jobs at the Kennedy Space Center but it’s a shame that everything is at a stand-still right now.  I do hope that we can get another program up and running soon.  Having good people from NASA not coming up with new technologies for the world is ridiculous.  We need science!

Everything here has been going well.  I’m still applying for jobs and writing at home and keeping myself occupied as much as possible.  Steve’s off changing the world of video gaming again so I have to gather up some dinner on my own.  I think a nice walk to Subway will be in order.

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