Me-Time

THIRTY MINUTES FOR ME

            It is not very often that I actually have thirty minutes to spend by myself.  Working with seventh graders all day, coming home to my own seventh grader not to mention my husband, dog, and mother-in-law, does not give me very much time to spend alone.  I told my family that one of my assignments was to do something for myself for at least thirty minutes.  They were told that during the thirty minutes my phone would be off and it would be if I had moved to Timbuktu.

            I decided to take the thirty minutes of me time to go to one of the parks in my development.  I left my phone in the car and chose a bench away from everyone else to just sit alone.  I took the time to enjoy the beautiful sunshine and peacefulness of my surroundings.  I enjoyed just watching the wildlife around me.  I watched a family of ducks swim around on the pond.  I enjoyed watching the ducks follow each other around and quack at each other.  I also was able to watch a pair of sand hill cranes (which I like to call pterodactyls because of their size) dig for food while yelling as loud as they could.  They make the most amazing sound I have ever heard.  There were a few squirrels running around.  The squirrels in Florida always make me laugh.  Being from Ohio originally, I am used to plump squirrels, and the squirrels here are so skinny.  I enjoyed watching the birds that dive under the water to eat.  I am just amazed at how long they can stay under and how far they go before they come back up.  I was also happy to get to see an alligator swimming along.  He wasn’t bothering any of the other creatures, just catching some rays.

            I really do enjoy the wildlife here in Florida.  Again, being from Ohio, I am used to cardinals, robins, wrens, and other small creatures.  I just find the creatures here to be unbelievable.  They always make me smile.  I find watching them to be one of the most relaxing things to do around here.  I could have sat on that bench for hours, but at last, it was time to go back to reality.  I enjoyed my thirty minutes of “critter-watching” and found it to be one of the most relaxing things I had done in a very long time. 

           

Harper Collins E-Book Controversy

The E-Book Controversy

The use of e-books has grown exponentially with the growth of technology. In fact, e-book use has grown over 36% in just the past year. Recently, HarperCollins Publishers began enforcing new restrictions on its e-books, requiring that books be checked out only 26 times before they expire. Assuming a two-week checkout period, that is long enough for a book to last at least one year. This has caused quite an uproar in libraries across the country. I do not believe that the rule is fair to libraries or patrons of libraries. There should not be limits placed on the number of times an e-book can be checked out, just like no limits are placed on actual books that are checked out. One positive that has come out of this whole controversy is that people are more engaged in the topic and are discussing it. This has increased the amount of circulation in libraries which means more and more people are reading. Many people are not even aware that e-books are available from libraries for check out. The controversy with HarperCollins has increased this number also. Although controversy always has a down side, this controversy has accomplished a great goal...getting more people to read. 

In the end, I do not agree with the rule from HarperCollins.  Whether the book is a hard copy or an e-book, it is still a book and limits should not be placed on the number of times it can be checked out of the libary.

http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/home/889452-264/harpercollins_puts_26_loan_cap.html.csp

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/15/business/media/15libraries.html

Cathy's Key

The first thing I noticed about this site was has "busy" it was. I actually found it distracting to manipulate because of the graphics. That may be a function of my age. People who are younger may enjoy the look and feel of the website.

I do like that it is very interactive and believe this would appeal to a wide variety of people. The move towards more virtual learning has been growing. This site, I believe, is just a small look at what is going to be coming or that may already be out there.

No Technology!!!!!

I have no problems being without technology for 30 minutes or longer. I actually quite enjoy it sometimes. I love going somewhere with my family and we leave the phones in the car and just enjoy each other. People sitting at dinner with their family and texting is one of the things I find very annoying (even if I'm not involved).

I also love to sit on the couch at night with no television, no phone, no computer, and just reading a book. A real book made from paper, not on any device.