Category Archives: Local Holdings

It has taken 5 years but I finally have all the posts imported into a WordPress install. You wouldn’t think it would be quite so hard but it seems like no blogging system does well when you reach a number over 3,000.

Anyway, that part is done. Next up: coming up with a functional new design. Hopefully, that will be something on the order of less than half-a-decade.

I have meaning to do this for a while… but no time like the present. But the site may look a little odd for a little while.

In anticipation of our upcoming Gaming Night, we ordered something called the RedOctane Afterburner Metal Pad because we carefully listened to the admonishment of Stephen Abram last summer. The box has arrived. I will post some more pictures as we get closer to the event.

Google Maps and Google Earth have been great to explore the last year or so when it comes to visiting other places but pretty useless in our humble little area. I could look in on the places I had visited in Seattle but everything local was just a blur. This morning, I was testing a link from Google Calendar to a local location and I had a pleasant surprise. I can actually see my library now. This should definitely come in handy when I am giving people directions.

I just completed an application for a Community Library in Caring Grant. It all came together fairly quickly (nothing like trying to complete a grant application while a hurricane seems to bearing down) but I am pretty pleased with it and have high hopes when it comes to the judging process. In case you are interested, you can check out this pdf of the narrative portion. Overall, I was very happy with the entire process as the idea didn’t even originate with me but it seems to have been well received at all the relevant levels.

Well, for the fifth time in three years, we are activating shelters locally. It is not expected to be a big event, but one never really knows about these things. I will post more later; hopefully, not a great deal later. Update: Other than me losing a whole night of sleep sitting around in an elementary school cafeteria all night, it was pretty much a non-event. We didn’t even get the rain that was promised.

My little home town (where I still live) does not often receive national attention. And I can’t ever remember it making the International stage.
bq.A city council in central Florida has rejected a by-law that would have been among the strictest local legislation in the US against illegal immigrants. Members of the Avon Park council voted 3-2 against the by-law, or ordinance, after a heated five-hour debate. – BBC Personally, I was not very persuaded by most of the arguments against the ordinance (not that there were not valid arguments, but I didn’t hear any of the speakers I saw making them). Ultimately, though, the city would have spent a fortune on court costs if the vote had gone the other way. And now the debate returns to the federal level, which is where it should be. And Avon Park can slip back into obscurity once more.

I have been in Seattle the last few days, soaking in the city a bit before I get started with Gnomdedex. I feel like I barely scratched the surface on places to see, but there is always next time. I did some pictures at the Space Needle the other day that you can view if you like. And, of course, no self-respecting librarian would come to Seattle and not visit the spectacular Main Library downtown. An added bonus: the free wi-fi there worked much better than at the hotel. Anyway, if you ever get the chance to visit, don’t hesitate. You will be glad you did.

Please take a moment and compare this photograph of me taken at the Grand Canyon with this photograph of me taken here a few minutes ago. And note the dates. In the second photo, I am modeling my new official county logo shirt. I still have a long way to go, but I do feel like I am making some progress.

We are having an interesting afternoon right now. The town is overloaded with people for that single big occurence in our area, the 12 Hours of Sebring. One key aspect of that is that this is the one weekend a year that there is not a hotel room to be found (and those that were are much more expensive than usual). A short while ago, a major brush fire broke out. I uploaded some pictures I just took from the library parking lot. I haven’t seen that much smoke since the last time I watched a shuttle launch. At least one Red Cross shelter has already been activated (and longtime readers will remember, most of our shelter workers are “volunteers” from the library staff). It may turn out to a big deal or it may not. Only time will tell.