sallysetsforth

I popped into the city to run some errands yesterday, and as I'd heard of a new art installation called Prevaricated Frequencies by Victoria University's Skunk Control in the Flinders St station / DeGraves St subway art space, I decided to make a detour and check it out.

Although the sign had a start date of 24 June and a few pieces were already set up, they were still in the process of constructing some of the displays. Skunk Control's Facebook page says the installation begins on 30 June, so it should all be up and running by then.

The installations are dynamic and dramatic, inviting you to spend a few minutes at each work to watch the lights and colours continuously change.

I've uploaded a few photos of a single work to demonstrate how the lights shift:







I also took some short video, but rather than upload a blink-and-you'll-miss-it seven second video I decided to turn it into an animated gif so that it can be watched for as long as you like :) It's a little jumpy, but not too bad I think ...



The above images are from one work only. There were several other amazing pieces on display yesterday, and I imagine that all twelve windows will be set up by 30 June, so do go along and see it if you get a chance. The installation will run until 5 September 2015.

P.S. While writing this post, I did a quick Google search on the Flinders St subway to see if it had another name that I should be referring to it by. I found a great little blog post on 'Beside the Yarra' about the history of the subway - Campbell Arcade -  which was a fascinating read. I highly recommended checking out this blog if you're interested in the history of Melbourne's buildings.

P.P.S. I created the gif using a wonderful little program called Instagiffer, which will be the subject of a future blog post :)

I mentioned my battle with watercolours last week, and in this week's #ICAD2015 (Index-Card-A-Day) round up you can see some of the results:



I've been trying to master the swirly abstract watercolour background effect. Nope. That isn't going to happen apparently. But I keep trying, and sometimes the effect is quite pleasing. Unfortunately the two cards with eye motifs (one in black fineliner, the other using masking fluid) required me to do the watercolour background last. No second chances! So of course those two came out pretty messy. Oh well. Of course index cards are not the best medium for either watercolour or masking fluid, so that didn't really help matters.

I tend to like the doodled designs using fineliner the best, but I also need to break out of my comfort zone and try new things. So although the results aren't always perfect, at least I'm having a go :)

I'm posting all of my index cards individually on Flickr.

If my enumeration is correct - and I think it is - this is my 200th blog post!

So I made an index card to celebrate the occasion :)



Short and sweet tonight.

I loved Snoopy and Peanuts when I was young. In fact, I still love them. So when I saw a sweet cross stitch pattern of Snoopy and his doghouse on eBay, I snapped it up.

I completed the stitching in January this year, and found a neat little blue photo frame that suited it just right - it matches his collar :)



The pattern had called for 14 count Aida fabric, but I decided to use 16 count instead. This reduced the design down to just the right size for a standard photo frame. The stitches were smaller too, of course, which I think worked well for this design. And it probably used slightly less thread, which was lucky because I used almost an entire skein of red embroidery thread as it was! I was starting to get worried that I would run out, and there is always a risk of dye lots not matching. So phew :)

This was all that was left of a whole 8 metre skein of thread (stitched in 2 strands) -



It was a fun little project. I really enjoyed watching Snoopy take shape, especially when adding the backstitch for the comic strip drawing lines.

Yesterday I wrote about changing direction and being myself. Basically, I realised that it was time to stop trying so hard to write big issue opinion posts that I don't enjoy writing (and that other people are better at than me). Instead, I'm going to focus on writing blog posts that I enjoy, both as a writer and a reader. I want to write about cool stuff.

[Note: my definition of cool stuff is quite possibly not your definition of cool stuff :) ]

Blogs that I love / have loved

As I mentioned in one of my earlier posts, I love to hear about cool stuff that's happening in libraries. Some of my favourite blog posts to read include success stories about innovative library services, descriptions of new tools and technologies that could translate to libraries, examples of great teaching experiences, and posts that inspire me to look beyond the traditional library sphere for ideas.

Some of my favourite blogs over the years that regularly provided this kind of content have been Connecting Librarian, Read Watch Play Participate, Libraries Interact, Librarians Matter, Innovate and Miss Sophie Mac (no longer updated). To name a few. Some of these are still going strong, while others are a bit quieter these days.

Then there was 23 Mobile Things / ANZ 23 Mobile Things, 23 Professional Development Things, and 23 Research Things. And does anyone remember #Octshowntell in 2010? That was so much fun!

Blog posts that *I* want to write (and read)

Even before #blogjune rolled around this year, I was thinking about how much I missed that kind of content, and I wondered if I could help to fill the gap by writing regular posts about social media / new technologies for librarians. I'm currently working vendor-side, so my opportunities for using these tools in libraries are limited, as I can't put them into practice right now. But I'm still a librarian, and I *can* talk about how librarians, as individuals and professionals, can use these tools.

I also want to talk about libraries and archives that have amazing collections to share, engaging teaching methodologies and gamification of learning, examples of libraries that are doing cool out-there stuff and engaging with their communities, and how we can improve the accessibility of services and information.

I've previously written about Twitter, Tumblr, Storybird, QR code treasure hunts, Blabberize, assistive technologies, Wordle, the Library Minute, Animoto, RNIB and Vision Australia on YouTube, Do Ink, retro library posters, Dropbox and Dragon Dictation. But I have so many more ideas and *cool stuff* that I want to share!

Of course, an investment of time and effort will be required on my part to keep my eyes open for new content ideas - this necessitates reading much more widely than just library content. And making time to play, experiment, create, and imagine. So that is my resolution for future bloggy me.

Collaborative blogging - yes please!

So, back to the topic of collaborative blogging. I'd love to write more blog posts about cool stuff for libraries / librarians. I'm happy to post them on my blog. But as I've said before, this is not a library blog. So how will my target audience find my content? And even if my posts do get a bit of traction and folk are interested in this kind of content ... what happens the next time they visit my blog and find a recipe, or a post about my garden or crafting? Will they come back? Will they find it worthwhile picking their way through my personal blog content to find relevant posts, even if I do use categories and tagging to organise them? I'm not sure.

The idea of a space where a whole bunch of people who usually only occasionally blog about library stuff could post their thoughts and ideas on professional topics (and cool stuff!) is extremely appealing to me. I could still post anything and everything on my own blog, but my library-related posts would have more visibility in an appropriate space where library folk gather, engage and discuss. Wouldn't that be awesome?


P.S. This is going to be my last blog post about blogging (I think). Time to write about cool stuff. And personal stuff :)

So I did that thing again ...

That thing where I start writing a blog post, or maybe drag out a half-finished draft. I start writing. I fact check. I realise I don't know as much about a topic as I thought. I research. I read. Hours pass. I have now completely lost confidence in my ability to write knowledgeably about said topic. I go to bed. No blog post.

I promised myself I would stop doing this. I've steeled myself against perfectionism time and time again. I told myself I would be brave and just hit publish! But here I am, still doing that thing.

Maybe I'm just not cut out to write certain types of posts. It's mostly the strong opinion, kind-of-ranty posts that I struggle with. I don't really understand why I feel driven to publish them at all, when I find them so difficult. Do I feel like it's expected, in order to be taken seriously? I'm not even sure I enjoy reading those kinds of posts! Just because I have a strong opinion on something doesn't mean I have to write about it ... or does it? Hmm, something for me to think about a little more.


*****

Well, that was interesting. I started writing the above words last night in bed, when I was frustrated with myself for getting 'stuck'. It started as an attempt to whip myself into action and hit the publish button on a few blog posts I've been working on where I get all opinionated and ranty about library-related stuff. But I ended up heading down another path. A path where I realised that maybe I should write about what *I* want to write about instead of forcing myself into a square hole. Private thoughts don't need to be made public just because I have a platform. And I realised that what I really want to write about is what I most enjoy reading about. Which isn't a series of rants.

Isn't it funny what happens sometimes when you start to scribble your thoughts down ...

I've continued thinking about it today. And while doing so, I've noticed a few tweets and comments that seem to imply that library blogs must be brave and controversial in order to be successful and/or worthy. Is that where I get the idea that I have to write deep and meaningful blog posts about library-related issues?

Because in thinking about what I really want to write about, I am reminded of my favourite blogs of years gone by. Blogs where library folk shared ideas, not just opinions. Blogs that introduced and described new tools and technologies, and how they could be used to deliver library services. Blogs that talked about teaching methodologies and learning outcomes. Blogs that inspired me, that sparked ideas, that told stories of innovative and successful library programs, that provided information that I could put to practical use.

So I have one more blog post about blogging that I want to share with you. It's going to be about blogs that I have loved, posts that *I* want to write (and read), and some thoughts about how I think it could work with collaborative blogging. I'll try to post it tomorrow :)

Well, it took me a little longer than two weeks to create two weeks' worth of index cards for #ICAD2015 (Index-Card-A-Day), but I'm catching up :)



I nearly didn't post the first index card I made - the one that says "Be brave" on it. I wasn't at all happy with how it turned out (apparently I can't write in a straight line, even on lined paper!). And then I tried to 'fix' it by adding some arrows, but they came out all wonky. Anyway, after nearly binning it, I gave myself a stern talking to about *being brave* just like the card said, and I posted it. The world didn't end.

I've continued to play with watercolour paints since the first week, although the more appropriate description might be that I've continued to torture myself with watercolour paints. They really are so unpredictable and I have no idea what I'm doing. There have been some unexpected pieces that I quite like, but whenever I try to plan something out properly it never seems to turn out the way I want. You'll see some of those pieces next week!

In the meantime, all of my index cards continue to be posted individually on Flickr.

I had a fantastic Friday last week, catching up with my friend Julie at NGV International.



After a short pause to stick my finger in the water wall (very important), and gawk at the Great Hall's beautiful stained glass ceiling, we headed to the NGV cafe for a cuppa and a chat. We went to the fancy one upstairs, which is a bit quieter than the ground level cafe, so we had a lovely long chat :) The drinks (tea and hot chocolate) were lovely, and generous.



We visited the NGV to see the Exquisite Threads English Embroidery 1600s-1900s exhibition, which is on display until 12 July 2015. I didn't take any photos due to the age and fragility of the materials, but there is a photo gallery at the link - if you're not in Melbourne to get to the exhibition, check out the photos online to see some of the stunning works. There were samplers, clothing, wall hangings, aprons, purses, a writing box and more. So beautiful. Although now I really feel like I need to put more effort into my bed linen!

After a quick detour to Southbank for lunch, we returned to the gallery to check out the Nordic Cool Modernist Design exhibition, currently showing in the Decorative Arts Passage on Level 2. I especially loved the designer chairs.

Finally (after another cuppa and chat stop), we had a good look at Rock Melt by Jamie North in Federation Court, which is located on the ground level in front of the Great Hall. Very striking, and worked beautifully with the space.



A really lovely and inspiring day :)

The next line is obviously - Hot. Right?

I wonder how many fellow Gen Xers thought of Captain Picard when they tried their first Earl Grey? I know I did. And I've had it on good authority that I'm not the only one.

Go on, 'fess up :) Did Patrick Stewart help to get you started on Earl Grey?

Anyway, for me it's - Tea. Earl Grey. Milky with half a sugar thanks.

Ringtail possums. So cute. We often see them on our phone and power lines at night.



Luckily we don't have any possums inside the house or roof any more. We used to have a couple of resident brushtail possums living in the wall cavities (they even chewed holes right through the weatherboard for ventilation). Paul the Possum Catcher took care of that years ago with his humane one-way exit system, and we haven't had a problem since. They still visit and eat the fruit in our garden. But we don't mind sharing :)