Fun with "free" wifi

The other day, we used a friend's laptop to shop for new cellphones and order online. We wanted some place with AC, and we went to the local McAlister's. We discovered we could pick up the free wifi signal from Quizno's (several yards away), and we happily used that. (We didn't want to pay for access at Starbuck's, thank you very much.)

Last night we were back in that same part of town and needed to use wireless again. This time, we went to Quizno's and felt bad about just using their signal for free. So we paid about $18 for sandwiches, chips, and drinks while we surfed. Wifi was no longer free, but Quizno's attracted some business with their "free" setup. Good for them!

Learning on vacation

I'm home this week, so professional development is out the window. However, I'm still learning stuff!

Today I learned that although I would describe my hair as dark brown, the fine people at Clairol would call me a "medium brown" instead.

Good to know.

Food for thought

(Because I'm all about the food.)

Well, I've been thinking since yesterday about what I could write in order to have more frequent postings on here. I'm going to steal an idea from What I Learned Today and share things I learned at work, at home, from friends, etc. I'll try to have a professional development focus, but some things may involve a bit more fun.

At least I have a goal now! That should count for something.

So, what have I learned so far today? That apparently telling a researcher you're going to be closed next week doesn't matter. The researcher responded with an offer to pay a library employee to supervise him in Special Collections.

No, sir, we're really, really closed. We mean it.

Sigh.

Coming up for air

Well, since all the cool kids in the LSW wiki have links to their blogs, I suppose I should start using mine again.

Hi, everyone!

Oh, dear.

One of my student assistants shared a story from a science lab this week. A girl in her group was using a light meter to measure the amount of sunlight in a particular area of a tree. The girl asked where to put the light meter, and the other group members told her it needed to point toward the southwest, near the sun. Her next question?

"Where's the sun?"

List-o-rama

There has been some chatter about the annual Beloit College list of "things to know about this year's college freshmen that will make you feel old."

I've been reading some of the comments (e.g., at Dances with Books and The Annoyed Librarian) and decided I would add a few items of my own. Please note that although I have looked at the list in the past, I have not memorized all of the previous entries. I apologize if I duplicate some things that have been said before.

I started college in 1989, when most of this year's freshmen were born. Here are some things I have to say about this age group and their realm (not necessarily using 1989 as the "starting point"; how many of us remember much before we were 3 or 4?):

• Ricky Martin has always been a solo artist. (Menudo, anyone?)
• They have no idea who Willis is or what he's talking about.
• The Simpsons have always been on TV. M*A*S*H has also been on, but only in syndication.
• "New Coke" was never an option.
• They have always had cartoons on some channel at any given time - not just on Saturday mornings.
• Chances are they have never worn a Members Only jacket, Swatch watch, or leg warmers.
• Their parents fought over Furbys while Christmas shopping, not Cabbage Patch Kids.

I'm sure I'll think of other things. Feel free to add your own in the comments.

Come on, and do the Circulation!

Today is the first day in my 10+ years of library work that I've actually spent time at a circulation desk. It's a whole new world!

This definitely isn't my turf.