Celebrity Death Watch 2011

Always something to speculate about, some friends and I spent the day thinking up names of people who could/would/might/we'll-see-if-they die from now until Dec 31, 2011.

Come on now, you knew this could be coming. A list about celebrity death predictions? Right up my alley.

So without further ado...

CELEBRITY DEATH WATCH 2011

Dan Ackroyd - 58 (he popped into my head and I thought I'd better just go with my gut)

Chuck Berry - 84

Ray Bradbury - 90 (He's old and a lot of big name authors have been going lately)

Lillian Jackson Braun - 97 (she's really old and I've been thinking she was going to die for the last couple of years)

Jimmy Carter- 86 (he's gotta stop writing books sometime)

Dick Clark - 81 (wouldn't it be ironic if it was on New Years Eve?)

Tim Conway - 77 (from the Carol Burnett Show)

Billy Crystal - 62 (another Dan Ackroyd situation)

Doris Day - 88 (she's old and hasn't been seen for a while)

Kirk Douglas - 94

Michael Douglas - 66 (they say he's better but...)

Roger Ebert - 68 (we all know about his health issues. How much longer will he be with us?)

Queen Elizabeth - 84 (Charles has gotta take over sometime)

Peter Falk - 83

Aretha Franklin - 68

Zsa Zsa Gabor - 93

James Garner - 82 (sad but it could be coming)

Billy Graham - 92

Andy Griffith - 84 (haven't heard much from him lately)

Larry Hagamen - 79 (TV star of Dallas and I Dream of Jeannie)

Russell Johnson - 86 (the Professor from Gilligan's Island)

Kim Jong-il - 69 (He's been ill... haha, I know, bad joke)

Lindsay Lohan - 24 (Getting out of rehab... possible OD in the future. Sad but it sometimes happens)

Rose Marie - 87 (I'm thinking it's going to be soon.)

Penny Marshall - 68 (she has been ill and has cancer)

Taylor Momsen - 17 (that girl's headed for trouble)

Peter O'Toole - 78

Nancy Reagan - 89

Carl Reiner - 88

Keith Richards - 67

Andy Rooney - 91

Taylor Swift - 21 (I'm pretty sure this was just someone's wish but at least it would turn the manic mourners off of Michael Jackson)

Elizabeth Taylor - 78

Amy Winehouse - 27 (I was suprised she was 27. The same age as me! She looks a lot older than that. I guess drugs, alcohol, and life on the road will do that to you. Keith Richards?)

Christmas Break Re-Read

I have been commissioned (for enjoyment, not pay unfortunately) to reread one of my favorite books from yesteryear and bring it to share for the high school book club in January.

The rules are as follows:
1) The book must be at least a chapter book (no picture book cheaters in this crowd).
2) The book must be something you read when you were younger.

Here in lies the problem. For the high schoolers the "read when you were younger" means jr high. For me, what does that constitute? Books read in jr high? High school? College? I'm not sure how to define this.

The high school librarian is doing Little Women which opens up a whole other field of classics that maybe I didn't read when I was younger but were meant to a younger audience.

Here are the titles I've been contemplating...

1) All American Girl - Meg Cabot
By far my favorite Meg Cabot book for it's awesome wit and fun action.
Plot: a girl living in DC instinctively jumps on a would be presidential assassin and gains fame as "The Girl Who Saved The President". Insanity and hilarity ensues as she meets the first family and starts a friendship/maybe more with the first son.

2) Dealing with Dragons - Patricia C. Wrede
The first in a four part series. The third book in the series is the one that got me back into reading in the 6th grade.
Plot: A tomboy princess runs from home when she is told she will be forced to marry a prince she doesn't know. She runs into a dragon (usually feared) and takes a job as a Dragon's Princess (a job one is normally kidnapped for). While learning the ropes she has to ward off knights
trying to "rescue" her and help hysterical princess who actually were taken, she also has to top the plot of an evil wizard.

3) Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
A classic. If I have to tell you the plot I am very ashamed of you.

4)Princess Diaries - Meg Cabot
Meg again but this time the title she is most known for. Another fav from yesteryear (and by yesteryear I mean high school and jr college. Sad but true, I didn't discover her until much later than I should have. This is the first in a twelve part (with extras here and there) series of the
hilarious happens and hijinks of Princess Amelia Mignonette Thermopolis Renaldo, Princess of Genovia.
Plot: Mia is your everyday New York girl who like to blend into the background. Unfortunately, she finds out she is actually the princess of Genova (a tiny country located between France and Spain) of which her father is the current monarch. The book is quite different from the
movie but the main elements are there. Her life is pretty much pathetic since she does not want to be a princess, is clumsy, not that pretty, is terrible at math, has blond triangle hair, a cat that eats her socks, a crush on her best friend's brother, a horrible grandmother who is given
her Princess Lessons and a mother who is now dating her Algebra teacher.

5. Life of Pi by Yann Martel
Not sure this one will count but it has been a favorite of mine since 2005...
Plot: Pi Patel and his family are traveling with animals from their zoo in India to North America to start a new life (The animals are set to go to other zoos). The future is not what was expected however when Pi's boat sinks and he is trapped on a life raft for many days with an injured
zebra, a hyena, an orangutan, and a full grown Bengal Tiger. Soon only Pi and the tiger remain. A story of survival in the face of tragedy.

6. Me: Stories of My Life - Katharine Hepburn
A nonfic, always good to have at least one in the mix, about the life of the incomparable Katharine Hepburn.
Plot: Katharine Hepburn's entire life up until 1991 when the book was written (she died in 2003).


Any other ideas or suggestions appreciated but let me know what you think...

M.A.S.H.

We all remember the game M.A.S.H. from childhood. While going through my YA Librarian blogs today (because I haven't had time all week) I found this blog post from ForeverYA that had an interview with author Anthony John. For some reason, at the end of the interview, they had him do a M.A.S.H. game for himself. (Maybe not so odd though considering they do address YA life and culture in the blog and M.A.S.H. better well be a part of that!

Here was his game, which made me laugh...

And now, it’s time for everyone’s favorite psychic prediction game, MASH! As always, Antony provided three options and we provided a fourth unsavory one. The random number was seven. Play on, playas!

LIVING
Mansion
Apt
Shack
House

SPOUSE
Someone 5’7” with a cute nose
Someone brunette with an infectious smile
Someone with soulful eyes and endless energy
The Berlin Wall (you’d have to fight that other lady for it, though)

HONEYMOON
Didn’t get one
Didn’t get one
Didn’t get one [Damn you, INS]
Queens, NY

NUMBER OF KIDS
2
2
2 [Don’t you dare say any number higher than 2]
20

JOB
Wine taster
Trapeze artist
Corpse on CSI
Officer handing out ASBOs

INCOME
1 billion
2 billion
5 billion
$413.24

HOMETOWN
Boring, OR
Peculiar, MO
Okay, OK
Hell, MI

PET
Betta fish
Goldfish
Potted plant
Chewbacca

CAR
Yugo
Fiat
Skoda
Lime Green
Triumph

MAN, Antony!! I was so looking
forward to seeing you cram your 20
kids, plus Chewie, into your Fiat. You
must have the best MASH luck
ever!!

So - with this as inspiration, I present the M.A.S.H. game of a 27 year old (I can't believe I'm really that old!)

LIVING
Mansion
Apartment
Shack
House


SPOUSE
David Boreanaz
Nathan Fillion
Colin Firth
David Spade

HONEYMOON
Paris, France
Rome, Italy
Los Angeles, California
Reading, Pennsylvania

NUMBER OF KIDS

2

3

4

21 (I'm going to combat the Duggers)

JOB
Zoologist
Librarian
Author
Wal-Mart Cashier

INCOME
$1 million (I won't be a greedy as Anthony)
$10 million
$1 billion
$600.00

HOMETOWN
Los Angeles, California
Paris, France
New York City, New York
El Paso, IL

PET
Cat
Tiger
Ferret
Tarantula

CAR
Smart Car
Pinto
Mustang
Mini Cooper


Ok - now this is just wrong - I live in a house. I can see that. And I love David but he would totally cheat on me. I mean, look at everyone else he's cheated on. Then, we honeymoon in LA but live in Paris. Something tells me we got a little mixed up on that one. Also, with the Pinto. If I'm an author and making $10 million I think I can do better than a pinto. And what the what is up with the tarantula!?! It must belong to one of the 21 kids we have which might be a contributing factor to our life in Paris. The paps don't bug celebs much there so David and I can live in semi peace inbetween his cheating spurts.

Here was the ideal list:
LIVING - anything but a shack
SPOUSE - Nathan Fillion
HONEYMOON - Paris, France
KIDS - 3
JOB - Zoologist (Something I've always dreamed of doing if I could pass the advanced math and chem classes)
INCOME - $10 million (I'm not too greedy, plus, Nathan makes good money)
HOMETOWN - LA
PET - cat
CAR - Mini-Cooper (that will just be mine. We'll also need something to haul around our kids and Nathan will have his own as well)

Failure to Bloginate

I know when I started this blog that I set out to post about once a week or more. Obviously this has been a phenominal failure. I mean, just look at my blog stats!

November (2)
October (0)
September (1)
August (2)
July (13)

In the future I will make it a mission to update the world on my life, thoughts, what have you on a more regular basis.

But right now? I'm going to bed.

Blog Share

My newest blog share is for fellow librarian and other nerds. It has some of the best of the web related to books, libraries, movies, YouTube videos, etc. I love it. Scroll through the past posts and be informed and entertained.



Here's something educational from a recent post....


THIS JUST IN: MAJORITY OF LIBRARIANS ARE CAT PEOPLE
Fact: A majority of librarians are cat people.
Fact: Only a librarian would conduct a survey on librarian pets.
A preview:

Such vital statistics!

Follow 100 Scope Notes. You won't regret it!

The Triple Monday

Today has been long and tiring. And it's not even over yet!

Maybe the reason is because this is actually the third Monday of the week for me.

Last night I had two separate dreams that involved my going about my daily Monday tasks.

Dream #1: Wake up, go to work for 8 hours, come home. Nothing special happened but I totally went through the entire day!

Dream #2: Wake up, get ready to go to work only to find my tire is dead, slashed or just punctured. Either way, I apparently didn't have a spare and my dad had to go to Blo-No and get a new tire. I made it to work around noon, finished up the day, and came home.

Dream#3/Reality: Wake up really confused thinking it at least has to be Tuesday, right? Get ready, go to work, remember and go to CIRCL (Central Illinois Regional Childrens' Librarians) meeting where a lady is wearing too much perfume, get headache, head back to library and work 3 hours on the ref desk, post this blog....

Needless to say, I'm ready to go home. The thing that's keeping me slightly cheery today? The knowledge that tonight I get to watch the 200th episode of Dancing With The Stars and a new, and hopefully swoon-worthy episode of Castle.

Sad, but true.

It's been over a month of silence. Sorry. I've been busy not updating this blog. There really was no excuse.

But, today, I wanted to bring to you a blog share. Just because I liked this post and we were discussing it at work today. We talk about food a lot at work. It's nice.

But here it is.... some m&m info...

The discussion broke out concerning the tan m&m. Do you all remember that baby? I remember it being more of a light brown but according to Kim at work it was a disgusting diarrhea color. Her words, not mine. Here's what the old m&ms used to look like.

It looks like they took the browns and mixed them to come up with the current selection including Mr. Blue. I voted for purple so don't blame me for that one.

Personally, I think the color is off on this lot. They are usually a little brighter orange and a little darker blue. But anyway, back to the great color change of 95. All I remember is that you had to call in (how old school is that?) and vote for either blue, purple, or pink. I was always rooting for purple but alas, blue was the winner and we are stuck with it. It's still my lease favorite color.

But, listen to this, apparently there was originally a purple m&m in the set. I found this chart on wikipedia (before I found the blog post) and was amazed.

Why would they get rid of purple?!?! That's a drastic mistake! And the red hiatus? Apparently there was a red dye that was toxic or something and the red one was stopped even though it did not contain the dye. Instead, they made orange and the heavens rejoiced. Orange is the best one after all. But, red was brought back later and everyone was happy again. Still, they should never have gotten rid of purple.

And if you want to learn a lot more about m&ms, like the fact that they were thought up during the Spanish Civil War because Forest Mars Sr. saw soldiers eating chocolate pellets with a hard outer shell to prevent them from melting, and that the candy is named after the Mars Company founder, Forest Mars Sr., and William F. R. Murrie (President of Hershey's Chocolate), check out the wikipedia page. Because is always contains the most reliable information. :)

I Won't Read It and You Can't Make Me!

Lists.

Everyone knows I am a big list-maker and that I continue to make countless lists such as:

• Actresses Who Could Play Me In The Made-For-TV-Movie (which would be a very boring movie)
• Things I Hate (the infamous bratwurst, Meryl Streep, Spiders list)
• Names For Future Children (Katharine, Marina, Sadie, Benjamin, Parker, Oliver... oh there's more)
• Things I'm Scared Of (which I'm not going to list in case someone decided to use them against me - worst case scenario planner right here)
  

But this list, today, is about the books and authors people keep recommending to me that I do not have any desire to read. And I know you are all thinking, "But you're a librarian! It's your duty to read books so you can recommend or not recommend them to patrons!"

But I tell you, you can not, will not make me read these.... EVER!

And maybe that's a little overdramatic and you're thinking I bet if said book is the last book in the world you would read it or If I told you to read the book or we will unleash a hoard of spiders on you (*shiver*) you will read it and maybe you're right on one part.

You know how I feel about spiders (see above Things I Hate list). But I imagine if there was a situation where it was the last book on earth that conditions might not be right to read that book anyway as I would probably be trying to survive and using the book for fire or as a weapon or to write on or use in other life saving methods.


But this list is about the books I don't ever want to or will I ever have any desire to read.

So, without further ado, the list.

• Anything by Mitch Albom (i.e. Tuesdays With Morrie)
• Danielle Steel
• Any more Nicholas Sparks (I tried one that nobody died in, The Rescue, but actually laughed out loud at a line in the book it was so ridiculous. Seriously, I've read historical romance novels that are better written)
• The Shack
• Anything by John Grisham (I suffered through his not lawyery one so I'm not even going to try the actual lawyery ones.
• Anything by Jodi Picoult (another Sparks situation - everything's always sad. If I wanted to cry again I'd watch Harry Potter 4, 5, or 6)
• Any fiction book by a political type person (This means you Glenn Beck)
• Jimmy Carter books
• Thomas books (those books are horrid. So long and boring and the kids want you to read every word. Blast that train!)
• Pretty much anything recommended by Oprah
• Karen Kingsbury
• Beverly Lewis

Please add your own or give suggestions.

Gunther - Tutti Frutti Summer Love

I would like to relive the day we found this movie. But alas, I'll have to settle for the memories. Which are still hilarious.

"It's a no-no. And I like it."

Here it is.... Tutti Frutti Summer Love. Enjoy!

My Creepiosity

I found this book today at Barnes and Noble called Creepiosity. Basically it's a book that is really a list of things that the author finds creepy. Now, you know how I like lists and I must say that, upon flipping through this book, I was inspired. So, here it is....

My Creepiosity

• Animals that stare at you without blinking for a little too long
• Dogs dressed and posed as humans
• Towns and times when there is no one else around and no movement and you feel like maybe you missed the rapture
• Madonna's arms
• SJP's hands
• Kyra Sedgwick's neck
• The creepy check out guy at Wal-Mart
• The hairy old guy at the Chinese restaurant in Bloomington who wraps up the egg rolls with no gloves on or anything to keep his abnormally plentiful hair out of said eggrolls.
• When the GPS leads you behind a warehouse
• When someone isn't touching you but is so close that you can feel his/her nearness
• Spiders
• Joan Rivers
• Middle aged people obsessed with teen trends like the 40 year old lady who is Team Jacob and yelled out during Eclipse, "He's legal now!"
• That guy... you know who you are
• When the wind just suddenly stops
• When your cat is looking at one fixed spot with an alert and about-to-run-away face
• That woman's voice from Poltergeist
• Random spiderwebs in your car so that you know he's there but you can't be sure where
• Swings blowing in the wind at night in an abandoned playground
• When there's a loose hair touching you and you can't see it or get it off
• When a guy you barely know comes up and puts his hand on your shoulder, arm, or small of the back
• When you're home alone and the dog starts barking ferociously
• When something turns on without anyone being around it
• When no one else is around and you swear you just heard whispers
• When a group of deer are hanging out in the field/pasture and just stare at you when you come upon them instead of running away
• When you put dolls in the washing machine and they are just staring out at you as you close the lid and, after you start it, you can hear their heads banging around
• 
  

Please feel free to post your own comments and suggestions. I would love to add to the list.

Ok - so nothing much to post lately. I've been working, sick one day with dizziness and lightheadedness, and watching Gilmore Girls. Which is, by the way, my new tv show obsession. Sorry 'bout it.

Summer reading is finally over officially. However, I do have one last program on Saturday. I'm taking a group of teens to the Peoria Zoo for a Behind the Scenes tour and regular zoo shenanigans. Then.... done, fin, end, hallelujah. Another summer reading down.

Speaking of which, this is my fourth year doing summer reading. My fourth summer as an actual real world person working and not going to school. That's scary. I've done a Mission READ: To the Library and Beyond, Get In The Game... READ, Read on the Wild Side, and Scare Up A Good Book. Next summer is A Midsummer's Knight's Read and I'm already planning. What is happening to me?

Also, any ideas? We're talking Medieval, Knights, Jousting, and all that jazz. I'm already collecting wrapping paper rolls for a jousting decorating party/event/whatever I end up doing with the whole jousting thing. Other ideas, creating a family crest, watching A Knight's Tale with dreamy Heath Ledger may he rest in peace.

Finally, I just had to post this video for Rosy and whoever else will find some joy out of it. The End.

BONES - Comic-Con Reel 2010

I've watched this video a couple times already and just felt like sharing. This next season of Bones is going to be awesome!

Also, from one of the Comic-Con panels we have some news on what will be happening on Bones in the future including the team back together again, a new girl for Booth?, Bones realizing her true feelings for Booth?, International fun, and more! I can't wait!

On This Day In History...

Not only was I born on July 19th but a lot of other somewhat less interesting things happened too. :)

_________________

200th Day in the Gregorian Calendar (201st in leap year)

Famous July 19th Birthdays
Samuel Colt 1814
Edgar Degas 1834
Kathleen Turner 1954
Lizzie Borden 1860
Campbell Scott 1962
Anthony Edwards 1962
Garth Nix 1963 (author)
Jared Padalecki 1982

Today In History
1799 - Rosetta Stone found in Egypt
1848 - Women's Rights Convention took place in Seneca Valley, NY. Bloomers were introduced at the convention.
1860 - First railroad reached Kansas
1870 - France declared war on Prussia
1877 - First Wimbledon tennis championship held.
1880 - San Francisco Public Library starts lending books.
1941 - British Prime Minister Winston Churchill launched his "V for Victory" campaign in Europe.
1943 - Allied air forces raided Rome during World War II.
1946 - Marilyn Monroe acted in her first screen test
1954 - Elvis Presley released his first single was released.
1960 - The pilot episode of The Dick Van Dyke Show aired!
1961 - First in-flight movie shown (TWA)
1967 - First air-conditioned New York City subway car
1969 - Rolling Stones "Honky Tonk Woman" was released.
1969 - Apollo 11 and its astronauts, Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, Neil Armstrong, and Michael Collins, went into orbit around the moon.
1996 - Olympic Games open in Atlanta.

Holidays
Laos Independence Day 1949
Nicaragua Liberation Day 1979
Burmese Martyrs' Day

Famous July 19th Deaths
1374 - Petrarch
1692 - Sarah Goode - hanged for witchcraft as a result of the Salem Witch Trials
1692 - Susannah Martin - hanged for witchcraft as a result of the Salem Witch Trials
2009 - Frank McCourt - author of Angela's Ashes

I Write Like

According to the analysis on my last blog post:

I write like
Douglas Adams

I Write Like by Mémoires, Mac journal software. Analyze your writing!

Dancing With The Stars Season 11

As all of you know, I love celebrity gossip. If you didn't know this then we don't hang out enough. I mean, where would I be without my odd viewpoints on the lives of celebrities. They lead much more interesting and scandalous lives than I would ever have the nerve to live so why not dissect it.

So, with these almost sickly need of celebrity news it is no surprise that I am one of those Dancing With The Stars geeks.

It's a show that can pluck dying career celebrities and give them a new start or take virtual nobodies and turn them into stars. Hello Giles Marini, I'm talking to you. Being the naked guy in the Sex and the City Movie might have made the DWTS producers notice you but it was the show itself that made you a name known in almost every household in the country.

Let's not forget about the little jump in notice it has given to other notable celebrities (Melissa Joan Hart was the star of an ABC Family film and is now working on a new series staring Joseph Lawerence), athletes (Louis Vito was virtually unknown before but had tons of fans cheering him on at the last Olympics), and rumor-mongers (Kate Gosselin now has a new show and another in the works).

And that brings me to the next upcoming season of DWTS. Many people are speculating who might be the next picks for the new season. I love the viewpoints of this person. And so, with his suggestions and my own thoughts I will now unveil my dream candidates for future seasons of Dancing With The Stars...

JOHN STAMOS

I know it won't happen this year with him guesting on Glee (SQUEEEE!!!!!) but he's one I would definitely like to see shake things up on the dance floor. Just coming off a scandal is always a big draw too! PS John Stamos aka Uncle Jesse and a suppossed sex scandal... could he get any better? I less than three him.

DICK VAN DYKE

Who would not love to see this guy step it up and amaze everyone with his dancing abilities. Let's not forget his skills on shows like The Dick Van Dyke Show and Mary Poppins. I want more Dick Van Dyke in my life. And ok, I'm not sure about how well he could dance at almost 85 but I have faith in him.

MARY TYLER MOORE

Then, let's not forget the other half of the lovely couple from The Dick Van Dyke Show, Laura Petrie aka Mary Tyler Moore. Mary hasn't done a lot in recent years except for things like her humanitarian work, animal protection work, etc. I would love to see her come back with a vengance and dance her feet off at almost 73. Plus, with diabetes, she could turn into an even bigger spokesperson. I would LOVE to see her on the show sometime soon.

BONNIE HUNT

Bonnie Hunt. One of my favorite people no matter that she hasn't had a so called big role in a while. With her recently wrapped talk show Cousin Bonnie would be a perfect choice to make an impact on DWTS. Let's not forget the woman is hilarious. Think of all the great one liners and teasing comments she could give her partner. I would love to see her matched up with Maks. I would love to see her matched up with anyone as long as she's on the show!

LINDSAY LOHAN
You knew it was coming. Sad but true, I still like LiLo. Yes, I even use her shortened nickname. But coming off her trial and her 90 day/most likely two week jail time, this girl will need something to do to lift her spirits and her career. I could see her making an impact on the show and hanging around for a while. Let's just hope she can get her jail time out of the way quickly, learn her lesson, clean herself up permenently, and get herself on DWTS.

JESSICA SIMPSON

We all know this girl needs a new break or recharge in her career. After the very public divorce, weight issue crap, break-ups, and other issues I can see Jessica showing up somewhere like DWTS. Or, another good idea? Ashlee Simpson? I would be good with either.

SOMEONE FROM THE CAST OF LOST

Lost is over and the cast is all moving on to bigger and better things. Ok, well maybe not. Some of the cast might need another lift in their careers or even something to help them break away from their Lost character past. Let's take a look at who our choices are:

*Ben Linus aka Michael Emerson - could use DWTS to break out of his evil leader role

*Sun Kwon aka Yunjin Kim - After playing the Korean wife for the last 6 years she could use the show to show her spunky and sexy side.

*James "Sawyer" Ford aka Josh Halloway - who wouldn't want to see him in a suit or shirtless or just dancing. I'll take it.

*Hugo "Hurley" Reyes aka Jorge Garcia - I'd just like to see him do something a little different.

*Vincent the Dog aka Madison - oh wait... I've gone too far.

MATT LEBLANC
Who wouldn't like to see one of their favorite Friends stars on Dancing? And out of everyone in the cast that could use a little time in the spotlight, Matt LeBlanc is really at the top of the list. I mean, Courtney Cox Arquette has her new show, Cougartown (which rocks by the way), Jennifer Aniston has movies, Matthew Perry has his new upcoming show and a movie in the works, David Schwimmer is producing, and Lisa Kudrow has little side projects here and there. So if not Matt, probably Lisa would be a good pick but Matt totally gets my vote.

MATT LAUER

Matt Lauer, Where is this guy. He had his little scandel this last spring but other than that he has not been on the map anywhere. We need to see a new side of Lauer and Dancing with the Stars can give that to its contestants. I mean, last year's contestant, and #3 girl, Erin Andrews got a jump from her tomboy past and some distance from the key-hole peeper scandel. Matt, it's your turn.

BRIAN WILLIAMS

Brilliams! I LOVE this guy! Don't ask me why. Maybe it's the cameos in movies and tv shows like 30 Rock to Sesame Street ("Squid, squid, squid, squid squid")or slow jamming the news with Jimmy Fallon. Maybe it's just the fact that this guy is incredible but B-Willy is one of those guys that could pretty much do anything and I would be ok with it. I know he probably won't be on since his career is pretty much booming but he makes my list.

CANDACE CAMERON BURE

Candace Cameron would be a fantastic addition to any season's cast of DWTS. After playing DJ Tanner for so many years she could use a new role to get her into a major public light to show everyone she's still out there. And I'm not talking about her role on the ABC gymnastics show Make It Or Break It. Not that I don't absolutely LOVE her on that show but I would love to see her do more. And while we're adding her we might as well put Jodie Sweetin in the running too. And maybe Mary Kate Olsen and Ashley Olsen too. Ok... maybe not.

TONY SHALHOUB
With Monk wrapped up this last year is there any reason Monk would not need something new? A change? After playing an OCD brilliant detective for the last nine years this could be just the thing to help Tony Shalhoub to break out of his old role.

DAVID HASSELHOFF

Haha! Heck yeah! Let's sign the Hoff on for some Dancing action. We all know this guy could use some positive publicity. After the drunken cheeseburger, leaving America's Got Talent, and all his other hijinks, we could really use a little look back at what made Hasselhoff so great back when he was on Baywatch. OR it could be just really funny and entertaining. Either way, it's a win.

SARAH MICHELLE GELLER

After just having a baby and not having a big career move in a while, Sarah Michelle could use a break, something to bring her back into the spotlight. And people coming back after having a baby usually do well. I mean, look at Brooke Burke. She won her season and is now co-host of the same show she previously won. So, SMG has been on my list of hopefulls the last couple of seasons.

KIRK CAMERON
What every Dancing With The Stars cast needs is an 80s heartthrob to round out the cast. My choice would have to be Kirk Cameron. He's kind of become the Christian prototype and I would love to see him get a little bit of that Mike Seaver action going on to show everyone he isn't the boring Christian but a much more interesting Christian. A win for both sides. And if Candace Cameron Bure is on the show we could have a brother-sister fued the likes of Donny and Marie.

TOM SELLECK

This would totally make my year. Who DOESN'T love Tom Selleck aka Richard from Friends aka TOM FREAKING SELLECK. He definitely needs to bring his mustached self back to tv. PS He was in the film, Killers, this year and it was amazing. Tom Selleck for DWTS. Enough said.

Any other ideas?

By the bye, here's my cast wish list from last year from my livejournal with videos and photos. Good times.

Question of the Day

If I'm a "Librarian By Day", what does that mean I am by night?

Blog Share

For all my friends who are fans of the Twilight series and cats (or not. I guess you could enjoy making fun of Twilight: Eclipse as well), check out this blog post. It's Eclipse told through LOL-cats. Enjoy!

A Double Rainbow Weekend

I don't know about the rest of you, but I had a great weekend.

It started off with not having to work on Saturday (!!!). I mean, how often do I get to do nothing all morning on a Saturday? I slept until noon then got up to take a bath and shower and read. From there, I just relaxed until 4:00 when I went to a surprise 50th birthday party for Eric Lowery.

Eric is a friend from when I went to the Methodist Church. He was always one of the leaders and a big goofball who acted like one of the kids so we all liked him. It was great to get to go to the party for him and see some of the people I don't really get to see anymore.

After Eric's party, Beth, Laura, and I headed to Bloomington to celebrate Beth's 27th Birthday. We ate dinner at Friday's and went shopping and finished the night off with Coldstone. Everything was delicious, the company was good, and we had a great night.

Sunday, after church, we headed home to prepare some food and go to a cookout at Uncle Dan and Aunt Lynn's. The whole family was getting together since my Aunt Jayne and cousins Beth/Liz and Matt were visiting from Texas. I haven't seen them in a while and we all had a great time playing bags, bocce ball, eating, drinking, playing with the little kids (Kaden and my cousin Jocelyn's son, Connor), and just hanging out and chatting. We also all, in Steffen gathering tradition, ganged up on teasing and beating up on my cousin Matt (he's 18 now but he's still the youngest of our generation - not counting Katie who is like 7 and live in Texas so we never see).

Cousins Kaden and Connor play in the pool

Kelly, my mom, Uncle Dan, Aunt Jayne and Grandma at the cookout.

Beth, Aunt Jayne, and Grandma with a bocce ball group in the background.

Matt, Beth, Sarah and Connor. Matt is sporting his girl pants and a cupcake belt while drinking his fruity girly drink. Don't worry. He was teased mercilessly.

And of course, Josh beating up on Matt. Beth got in on the action too this time while Sarah, Aunt Connie, and Nate watch.

It was quite the party. We even had someone pee in the yard. And ok, he was only 1 1/2 but still. That's something. It's not every party that someone urinated in the yard.

And then, to top it all off, Sunday, the 11th was Zoe's 10th Birthday! I can't believe she's that old! It's not possible! It seems more like she's 6 or 7 at the most! But we celebrated my girl with gifts of treats, a fancy feast appetizer snack, puff balls (her fav toy), and a catnip scratcher. She loved them all. Here's a photo of us taken on her 10th birthday. She looks quite happy.

As if the events of the weekend were not enough to make it fantastic, thanks to Nathan Fillion, via his twitter, I was shown the hilarity of the Double Rainbow video. "Full on double rainbow all the way!" "What does it mean?!?!" Enjoy.

It was his goal to get everyone using the phrase "Double Rainbow". As in, "This weekend was so double rainbow", "It was a such a double rainbow movie that it was almost a triple rainbow", and "Nathan Fillion is so double rainbow for bringing this into my life." So, go forth and double rainbow. It is your new mission in life.

It's The End Of The World As We Know It.... *insert music here*

At work the other night, Lisa and I were talking about the oil spill and end of the world predictions. With oil still gushing and further cracks appearing leaking oil into the gulf as well it seems like this situation will never be repaired.

Lisa mentioned that in Revelation, there is a passage that many people believe the BP oil spill reflects. Here it is, Revelation 8:8-11

(8) The second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a huge mountain, all
ablaze, was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned into blood, (9) a third
of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were
destroyed.
(10) The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star,
blazing like a torch, fell from the sky on a third of the rivers and on the
springs of water— (11) the name of the star is Wormwood.[a] A third of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter.
(12) The fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them turned dark. A third of the day was without light, and also a third of the night.

So, to decode what is being said, the mention of the sea turning into blood is something that many people see as a reference to the oil spill since the oil on the water does make the Gulf look like blood on the water.

Then we have the creatures of the sea dying, obvious with all the dolphins, turtles, fish, and other Gulf animals washing ashore dead and dying.

Finally, for the second part of verse 9, we have the ships being destroyed. To go back to the Gulf situation, there is a bubble of methane building up beneath the surface that, if it bursts, could create a massive tsunami that could go 200 miles inland (Louisiana, Texas, and other Gulf regions would be wiped out). For another option, the sea floor under which plenty of oil had previously inhabited, could cave in because of the pressure of the water on top of it, and cause a massive tsunami. Or maybe we'll have two. Either way, I'm kind of glad we live in the middle of Illinois. And, either way, a lot of ships will be destroyed.

Verse 10, comet or meteorite? The alignment of the plants back in the dinosaur age happened around the same time that a massive meteorite struck the earth possibly killing off all the dinosaurs and other prehistoric life. As we speak (or you read this), the planets are started a partial alignment (Uranus, Jupiter, Mercury, the Sun, Venus, Mars, and Saturn with Earth perpendicular) that will culminate around July 11th (Happy Birthday Zoe!). This will cause water swelling, earthquakes and other similar fun things. P.S. Full planetary alignment will happen in 2012.

And for the rest of the portion of Revelation posted above... well, I'll let you use your imagination.

So, as to the part where I believe all this stuff? I don't know. Maybe in part because the planetary alignment and effects of all the geological changes, there have to be some effects but to say the end of the world? I guess we'll find out. But, either way, Hold on to your butts.

Oh, and to make you feel a little better about the whole situation, there has been an idea to nuke the oil leak area to help stop it. Reminds me of the whole "Good Idea, Bad Idea" with Mr. Skullhead bit on Animaniacs.

Blog Share

I had to share this blog post from author, Shannon Hale. She talks about grammar, the prescriptivist vs descriptivist viewpoint and other grammar rules. Shannon Hale's blog

Now, I am a descriptivist. Language is always changing and outdated rules and ideas should be changed or gotten rid of in order to keep up with the current trends and ideas. I don't mean that it should be okay to add a 'btw' into a scholarly paper or something of the like, but certain rules (I'm talking to you "not ending the sentence with a preposition") should be changed. We don't all speak or even write like Jane Austen, Mark Twain, or any of those classic authors anymore so why should we keep outdated grammar rules going? I say, end your sentences with prepositions and have no shame!

To quote Tracey from 30 Rock: You shouldn't end a sentence with a preposition at.

Here's my favorite part of Shannon Hale's post:

Apostrophe misuse is a major one, though I admit it doesn't annoy me so much as entertain me. There's a business called Snyder's Brothers Meats. I like thinking about this Snyder character, who has nothing to do with the meat business, but he must be some heck of a guy that his brothers love him so much they named their business after him. Those brothers of Snyder, so diligent in their meat shop, so mindful of their vegetarian brother.

Summer Reading 2010

Summer Reading has been overwhelming my life lately. The theme this year is Scare Up A Good Book and I've been striving to make it fun for the teens. We even decorated the teen section this year. Here's one of the endcaps...

Along with the theme, I've had some great programs this summer and pretty steady attendance despite the fact that our lock-in plans were aborted by the board (a whole nother story).

I've also been working with the high school's Summer Reading program, Readapalooza. They have three required books this year and meetings to go along with them. I was a little hesitant at first, thinking they were trying to steal my thunder (much like the bookstores and Aaron Schock) but have realized that it's a great place to pull in other and older teens.

Here's what we've done so far at the library this summer besides our regular monthly WABoT (Washington Advisory Board of Teens) and ANIME meetings:

• Movie Night: Coraline
• Craft: Goth and Monster Sock Puppets
• Serengeti Steve's Reptile Experience (http://www.reptileexperience.com/)
• Paranormal Investigator Chad Lewis (http://www.unexplainedreseach.com/)
• Book Club: Chasing Brooklyn by Lisa Schroeder
• Movie Night: Haunting in Connecticut
• Scary Stories in Glendale Cemetery

Next up is our Fear Factor Food event where the teens will be encouraged to try some odd or interesting food options. I'm trying to do a mix of so called normal foods that they might not have thought of trying (soy milk, sardines, anchovies, sushi), foods they wouldn't try on their own but might with a group of other newbies (octopus, squid), and foods that are weird and new (crickets). I also got some different flavored baby foods for fun. Let me know if you have suggestions. The event is this Thursday. Hopefully all goes well!

Our final even is going to be at the end of the summer. We're taking a group to the Peoria Zoo for a Behind The Scenes Tour. It should be a fun summer as long as everyone keeps showing up.

I do wish more teens would realize the library isn't a boring, quiet place full of dusty books and realize it's a fun, exciting place filled with activity and discovery.

The effort continues...

I've been feeling the urge to start a new blog lately. I have one on livejournal but need a change. That blog seems like old Emily. And while I'm still very much in tune with that old Emily, I need something new. So here it is...

We'll see how it goes. Usually, I post sporadically with a run of posts for a couple weeks followed by a dead time of a couple months or more but maybe this time it will be different. Or maybe not...