Seconding robocop is bleeding - make something to show at your job interviews. The librarians we interview, regardless of the position, who have built something useful with the skills they've learned are light years ahead of those who merely express interest in doing things. A simple wiki, or a blog on a focused topic, or even a set of plain ol' html web pages will go a long way. If you don't already have them, pick up a few tech skills. (Being able to search databases is... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by donnagirl at 11:04 PM on September 30, 2008

You might try the New Jerusalem Bible. I find it lovely, and quite moving in a poetic way. Here is the New Jerusalem version of Job 14.
posted to Ask Metafilter by donnagirl at 7:43 PM on September 29, 2008

I tried my copy of The Complete New Yorker, which runs thru early 2005, and the only story involving a baby and the Holocaust in this decade was in the Dec 20/27, 2004 issue - which happens to be the Winter Fiction Issue.

It was called "The Woman from Hamburg" by Hanna Krall, and it's about a couple who takes in a Jewish woman, who then becomes pregnant by the husband. They pretend the baby is their own. The narrator is baby, now a grown woman. There's no... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by donnagirl at 4:00 PM on September 17, 2008

COUNTER may look complicated, but it's going to be what librarians want, and as a librarian who sometimes has to dig up those stats, I'd strongly suggest going that route. It allows us to compare stats across publications. Otherwise, we get some publishers saying "1000 hits" and they define "hit" as "your user downloaded a pdf of an article" and others say "1000 hits" and they define "hit" as "your user loaded the index of our... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by donnagirl at 7:41 AM on September 5, 2008

It was a short fiction piece called "Fossil News", by James Stevenson. May 11, 1987, p. 36-37. God bless The Complete New Yorker.
posted to Ask Metafilter by donnagirl at 5:59 PM on September 4, 2008 marked best answer

Oh, and it's absolutely the drawings that make it funny. Not only is there a map of the fight path, but there are skeletal renderings of each paleoanthropologist, with locations of various blows carefully labeled "A", "B", etc. I got a partial screenshot, but getting complete things out of Complete New Yorker isn't as easy as I'd like it to be.
posted to Ask Metafilter by donnagirl at 6:13 PM on September 4, 2008

Hey, thanks to everyone! It was really helpful for my friend just to hear there were other people like her out there, and she's feeling a lot less stressed about her decision. Y'all are awesome!
posted to Ask Metafilter by donnagirl at 6:45 AM on August 20, 2008

OK, no luck with the myspace contact, either he doesn't know or he doesn't answer myspace messages. I'm still looking, marking this stumped in case an art expert is around.

The image I linked is gone, check here for the original on myspace, you may need a myspace login to do so.
posted to Ask Metafilter by donnagirl at 12:28 PM on July 20, 2008

Do you by any chance have the CookiePie extension installed in Firefox? For whatever reason, it made my gmail really buggy, especially gmail chat. I know it works for other people, but it just wouldn't play nice on my computer. My GTalk client continued to work without any problem - your mentioning that made me think it might be a possible contributor to your troubles. There are reports of similar gmail problems in the CookiePie thread over on Lifehacker. I have no clue how it would cause IE... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by donnagirl at 8:58 PM on July 6, 2008

Do you think, realistically, that all the bugs can ever been ironed out? It's a web service, after all, and with the variety of browsers and kabillions of ways you can customize and configure those browsers, it's unlikely that any setup, ever, will seem "not buggy" for everyone at once. Yeah, my gmail reacted like crap to CookiePie, but I think that's my fault for installing a brand new, untested extension, not gmail's.
posted to Ask Metafilter by donnagirl at 10:07 AM on July 10, 2008

Sounds like you're good, but just as another data point, I use gmail to read all my mail that goes to the Groupwise server at work using POP. It picks up the appointments, too, and gmail automagically recognizes them as calendar items and gives me a little "add to google calendar" link with each appointment. I don't think you could set it up to only pull appointments, but if you can find some other way to deal with/ignore/delete non-appointment emails in gmail, you'd never have to... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by donnagirl at 10:44 PM on June 17, 2008

No-bake cookies, if you can stand some oats with your chocolate and pb.
posted to Ask Metafilter by donnagirl at 7:39 PM on June 15, 2008

I promise not to poke it with a stick! I was pretty close taking those photos, though, and I don't freak out easily, especially about nature. The bees not clinging to the other bees were flying in a really lazy fashion, and seemed almost sleepy. It was almost dark when I found it; I'll see if they seem more riled up in the morning.
posted to Ask Metafilter by donnagirl at 8:30 PM on June 10, 2008

OK, I found a list of swarm catchers in my area and I'll call tomorrow to have someone come take a look. That article is from Wichita, which is significantly south of here, so I'm not too worried about a scary Africanized swarm. Thanks, everyone!
posted to Ask Metafilter by donnagirl at 8:54 PM on June 10, 2008

Hey! Don't fight in my happy bee thread! Just an update, a swarm catcher is coming by later today to collect them. I described it to him, and he called it a "small" swarm, maybe 5000-8000 bees.
posted to Ask Metafilter by donnagirl at 9:32 AM on June 11, 2008

The difference in pay can be substantial. In my fairly typical academic library, starting pay for a classified position is half that of the positions requiring an MLS (low 20s vs mid 40s) for someone with little to no experience. Relatively speaking, jobs requiring an MLS are far, far more interesting than paraprofessional jobs, which often involve highly routinized work with little or no room for self-direction. There's also little room for advancement, as those without the degree cannot... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by donnagirl at 5:58 PM on May 26, 2008

You can bring anything you like, as long as you carry it in a laptop lunchbox. Its bento-ish style encourages you to bring a variety of food, it's easy to rinse out and reuse each night, and if you get the "system" with the carrying case and drink bottle you can really get a nice complete lunch in an attractive and easy to carry package.
posted to Ask Metafilter by donnagirl at 6:05 PM on May 24, 2008

One of my great-grandfathers was called Bumpy (just Bumpy, no last name) by my mom, her siblings and cousins, all born in the 1940s and 1950s. They lived in Pittsburgh PA. My great-grandma was "HooHoo", so I always thought it was just a weird family thing. My whole identity shifted just a little seeing all these other Bumpys.
posted to Ask Metafilter by donnagirl at 8:42 PM on May 14, 2008

Try contacting Footprints (Lawrence, KS). They're a lovely and awesome store in person; I've purchased Birks there and had shoes resoled there. They have a solid online store (they even run ads in the back of the New Yorker, so I think they're ready for remote customers) but I can't find anything about sending shoes in for repair on the website. They have a toll-free number so you could call and ask about rates/procedures. Totally worth your time to check out; they're good people.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by donnagirl at 7:10 PM on May 5, 2008 marked best answer

Echoing that IE isn't required - I use Firefox 3, songs download fine. Are you having trouble downloading the downloader itself, or downloading songs with the program? Once it's installed, it's not about your browser at all - it's a separate program.
posted to Ask Metafilter by donnagirl at 9:29 PM on May 4, 2008

Range is right, your library/university would have to make such a thing available, since there are so many variables involved with licensing academic resources. LibX is what we use as well. You might try setting up your preferences in Google Scholar to include your school's name. If they're using a link resolver like SFX, you may have some luck going from the citation in scholar to the real deal. Your profile doesn't say where you are, if you want to mefi mail me the name of your school, I... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by donnagirl at 7:39 PM on April 25, 2008

Looks like you're in Lawrence - if you're affiliated with KU, their library subscribes to Readers Guide Retrospective, which indexes lots of stuff, including Life Magazine up through 1972, and you can search it online from their databases page. I just tried a few searches, however, using 1971-1972, and Life Magazine as limits, and got nothing for "miller", "vern miller" "lawrence" or "kansas" that appears to resemble a drug bust.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by donnagirl at 8:02 PM on April 21, 2008

You sort of suggest in your framing that the only problem is the three summer holidays. If that's really the case, then try this - one family picks a holiday. The other family gets the two remaining holidays. You can decide which family does which by a simple coin flip, or maybe one family would prefer to choose and the other would prefer to have two holidays. This way, everyone feels like they got something.
posted to Ask Metafilter by donnagirl at 7:36 PM on April 21, 2008

You might try the Gardenaut planner. It's certainly customizable, but I don't know how much info you keep getting once you're past the initial set of recommendations. It's associated with the Gardenaut blog, which you can also customize with your location info.
posted to Ask Metafilter by donnagirl at 3:24 PM on April 14, 2008

I have a friend with a minor oatmeal obsession. I chatted her a link to this thread so she could try all this stuff, and she says "Tell them to put canned pumpkin in it" to which I said "what???" and she said "i use anywhere between 1/8 and 1/2 cup, depending on how much i want to bulk it up. then, cinnamon and cloves, and also you have to have some kind of sweetener. brown sugar or honey". So, there you go. Jenny says pumpkin.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by donnagirl at 11:09 AM on April 9, 2008

2nding LibX. It should work for other sites, too, not just amazon. Ours is configured to link any ISBN-type number on any web page to our catalog search, and that includes librarything.
posted to Ask Metafilter by donnagirl at 12:13 PM on April 7, 2008

Well, it's certainly annoying, but I think I found a way, if you're comfortable editing your registry.

I'm going to pretend like you are - if you're not, you should ask someone more knowledgeable to help you with these steps.

1. Run regedit
2. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\WIA\WiaAcquisitionManager
3. Look for RootFileNameMru - you'll see your list of group names next to it.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by donnagirl at 6:44 PM on March 27, 2008

Questia is a big online database that doesn't specialize in art per se; it sounds like you're looking for something more art-specific. Are you a student at a university? Does your library offer any online databases? Ones to look for would be Grove Art, or Art Full Text, or ARTstor for actual images. You might also ask at the reference desk to see if your library has a librarian specifically devoted to Art - if they do, that person could definitely show you resources your library... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by donnagirl at 6:04 PM on March 27, 2008

Since you mentioned tuna...I'm reminded of something my mom used to make; we called it tuna a la king. I know it bears scant resemblance to actual "a la king" recipes, but nevertheless. It was hard boiled eggs chopped up, tuna, peas, carrots in a thick white sauce, and she served it over biscuits or sometimes toast. Maybe your mom was making a non-tuna version of that? Googling finds several recipes that are close to what I remember, so we weren't the only ones calling it that,... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by donnagirl at 2:38 PM on March 27, 2008

The system has to be called something, and different naming conventions apply to the names mentioned so far. Often the name arises from an acronym, as in the case of HOLLIS. Some of the names mentioned above (Horizon, AquaBrowser) are merely the names of the software the library uses for its catalog - like calling a spreadsheet "Excel". "Thomas" is for Thomas Jefferson, founder of the Library of Congress.

More to the point of your question,... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by donnagirl at 11:13 PM on March 24, 2008

I think a lot of answerers are missing the poster's parenthetical after point #1 - he has invited his friend places, and she has agreed to go. That sort of puts the "she doesn't want to date you" and "you should ask her" responses in the realm of not really to the point.

One possibility is her social circle is closed and in-groupy - they may be nice, but they prefer to do things without anyone else. If that's the case, it's not... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by donnagirl at 9:06 PM on March 24, 2008

You mentioned smells. I would suggest opening the windows in your room every day, regardless of weather. It will make a huge difference having completely fresh air. Make it part of your routine - draw back blinds/curtains, open the windows, then do something specific - make your bed, go make coffee, go brush your teeth, whatever - then come back and close the windows. This is a trick I learned from Home Comforts; it may be overkill for you now, but would serve you well in the future if... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by donnagirl at 8:47 AM on March 24, 2008

This is all good advice; I'm just chiming in to emphasize that you can't substitute a plastic baggie for paper - the fruit needs oxygen to ripen, and plastic seals that out. Plastic also encourages mold growth, so you may end up with unripened yet moldy fruit.
posted to Ask Metafilter by donnagirl at 2:57 PM on March 22, 2008 marked best answer

I got seriously dehydrated last summer, and once I was back on my feet my doctor suggested a two-week period of being super conscientious about water intake plus drinking a bottle (I think they're a quart) of generic pedialyte per day. The generic is cheaper than the real thing, still costs more than gatorade, though. It tastes like crap - the "flavors" are kiddie-sweet, the "plain" is just unpleasant. Getting it super duper cold helps a lot, as does just steeling yourself... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by donnagirl at 3:21 PM on March 15, 2008

Hmm, maybe the bottles aren't a quart? It was a bottle, they're a standard size, I could be totally wrong about how much is in it. I'll stick by the "two weeks" part of my statement. Sorry to be fuzzy, maybe I'm dehydrated again.
posted to Ask Metafilter by donnagirl at 8:04 PM on March 15, 2008

My sister and I both get similar scalp-centered headaches. We call them "hair headaches". It's like each hair is tugging on the skin of your scalp, and it's damn unpleasant. Weirdly, bunching my hair into a ponytail and pulling straight up, hard, offers some temporary relief, as does a really firm scalp massage. The headaches come and go, but a spot on top of my head is nearly always a little tender. I've always thought it was from pulling my hair back, since the worst spot is about... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by donnagirl at 3:36 PM on March 15, 2008

Also, if she does get some sort of diagnosis from her doctor, I'd be really grateful if you'd post it back here. I'd love to know if this is an actual thing with a name and a treatment.
posted to Ask Metafilter by donnagirl at 3:37 PM on March 15, 2008

I have a set. I think they're a good alternative for times when fabric softener is not what you want - towels, for example, since softener decreases absorbency - or when you don't want any chemical residue (scented or otherwise) like infant clothing or for adults with sensitive skin. And, as mentioned, great for fluffing filled things like comforters and pillows. They don't reduce static, so if that's a feature of dryer sheets that value, they're not for you. They are noisy, but clothes are... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by donnagirl at 12:08 PM on March 4, 2008

I know it doesn't seem to make sense, but cutting and pasting "just the text" from a Word doc brings along a lot of crappy weird Microsoft-specific formatting that renders hideously in html. It happens in every blogging platform (typepad, wordpress, blogger) I've tried, as well as in MediaWiki. Notepad as an intermediary is a quick and dirty solution for now. The newest version of Word (2007), though, does have a "publish as a blog post" option that seems to work nicely,... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by donnagirl at 8:35 PM on February 20, 2008

I'm looking to be able to code simple applications that might be useful to library users. An example would be a citation creator, where students input author, article title, journal name, etc, and get back a citation formatted for APA or MLA style bibliographies - see NCSU Libraries for an example. Eventually, we'd like all our subject guides to be dynamically generated, so that would be a larger project once I've gained some confidence. Thanks for your help so far!... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by donnagirl at 11:39 AM on February 18, 2008

And to clarify, we have a programmer on staff to do any really heavy lifting, but his time is in high demand. I'm looking to be able to take some of the smaller, lighter projects off his plate.
posted to Ask Metafilter by donnagirl at 11:44 AM on February 18, 2008

OK, you guys are awesome, as always. I marked a couple preliminary best answers that gave me encouragement and focus, and I'll be back during my 2 weeks of Camp PHP (March 3-14) to mark those actual resources that I found most useful. Thank you!
posted to Ask Metafilter by donnagirl at 2:34 PM on February 18, 2008

The Crane Maiden. So beautiful, so sweet, gorgeous watercolor illustrations, lessons about love and sacrifice that are a little haunting.
posted to Ask Metafilter by donnagirl at 11:55 AM on February 18, 2008

Yes to OJS! We're starting an open access press at my academic library, and that's the platform of choice. I can put you in touch with someone who has worked directly with the implementation if you have specific questions, email is in my profile.
posted to Ask Metafilter by donnagirl at 9:31 PM on February 13, 2008

Internet evidence notwithstanding, Michigan's alma mater is The Yellow and Blue, and judging from this sheet music (pdf), it's nothing like "O Canada". In related news, Michigan's state song is Michigan my Michigan, and that sounds freakishly like "Oh Christmas Tree" but nothing like "O Canada".
posted to Ask Metafilter by donnagirl at 10:35 AM on February 1, 2008

The Apocalypse Reader is cool - it's a collection of short stories, some by the very famous (Lovecraft, Shirley Jackson) and some complete unknowns. I heard about it on this episode of To the Best of Our Knowledge, which has some other suggestions you may find interesting.
posted to Ask Metafilter by donnagirl at 9:19 AM on January 26, 2008

Are you willing to go with more rock/pop Christian music? (I'm not sure what you mean by "contemporary") If so, I'd suggest:
The Hammer Holds, Bebo Norman
Jesus Paid it All, Fernando Ortega
Oh My God, Jars of Clay
Take My Life, Third Day
Above All, Michael W Smith
Sorrow's Hymn, Sarah Masen

Finally, Without His Cross is a lovely choral song; I've just heard random church choirs sing it,... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by donnagirl at 9:44 PM on January 21, 2008

Miss Suzy! I know it's been said, but it makes me happy just to say it. There's a picture of the soldiers marching with the caption "There were five of them, and they were brave" that has sprung to my mind now and then when I see groups of people walking together.
posted to Ask Metafilter by donnagirl at 8:49 AM on January 18, 2008

notsnot, I hate those holes too, because I only have one screwdriver tiny enough to push in the slot, and it's not big or sturdy enough to use to unscrew the switches from the walls, so I need two screwdrivers for one simple job every time. I assumed the holes were an improvement on the screws, since you don't see them on older switches. Interesting to hear they may not be code. I'll probably move the white wire to the screw before I put it all back together, thanks!
posted to Ask Metafilter by donnagirl at 11:03 AM on January 3, 2008

phearlez, I agree that it's a little shady, I promise, no wire licking except at parties. My house is a little more than 100 years old, with an addition put on in the late 80's. When I bought the house, one of the conditions of the sale was to have a real electrician update the wiring from knob and tube. The addition obviously didn't have knob and tube, so it was left alone. Since then, I've found a number of weird things in the addition, in the wiring and in the plumbing. Mentioning this... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by donnagirl at 11:38 AM on January 3, 2008