Yeah, I haven't posted on here in a long time. The fact is, I have too many blogs, and I am about to add one or two more to the mix (one public cooking/food blog, and one anonymous blog for spleen venting on very unpopular topics). So, I think it's time to say farewell to Vox.

I created this blog as a "clean" and not-too-much-information blog for friends to read, and as in intro to blogging on Vox (or elsewhere) if they were interested. But the fact is, they weren't interested. It's been my experience that the "average" person isn't into blogs - either reading them or writing them. You need to either be a techie of sorts, or a writer, or a hardcore reader, or an artist, or SOMETHING to be into this whole blogging scene - and my friends simply aren't. Which is fine and cool. But because I know few people that don't already read my other blog venture over here, there's kinda no point.

For those who are interested in my life as a librarian (or links to cool new technology and library stuff), feel free to check out http://coollibrarianblog.blogspot.com. For general info, visit http://home.coollibrarian.com. And, if you have the stomach for the real me, including all the swearing, bitching, moaning, and Too Much Information, you can drop me a line or a comment, and I will send you the link to my personal blog (the one I actually update).

Peace Out.

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I have an interview today for a YA position, and I all I feel is tired. Don't get me wrong - I am happy at the prospect of being able to pay my bills, but other than that, I am simply tired of the whole job-hunting process. It's especially tiring when the answer is "no" - like it apparently is at the last job I applied for - so, yeah, keep your fingers crossed for me so that I can stop looking for a few minutes.

And, if any of my friends are reading this, please check in and say hi.

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My BFF has a very thoughtful post on her blog concerning the tragic events at Virginia Tech. Please have a look, because my post on said subject will not be nearly as eloquent.

I normally shy away from posting about current events or topics that are near and dear to me (here) because once I get going, the post is 10 pages long. Sometimes I feel like I should comment on certain things lest I come across as a self-absorbed ass mitten, but to be honest, some things upset or anger me so much that I simply don't know where to start (or end).

So, here are my thoughts on this, presented in random list form, to keep me from rambling (or to keep my rambling at least readable):

• I do not think that headlines screaming MADMAN and EVIL help, or explain, anything. Cho was severely mentally ill, and if anything such exploitive use of language only serves to discourage people from seeking help for themselves or loved ones. Sadly, getting help for mental illness of any sort still carries a horrible stigma in this country, especially for men/boys who continue to be raised believing that asking for, or needing help of any kind undermines their "masculinity."

• And when are people going to understand that inflicting this stigma on their sons/husbands/fathers can lead to grave consequences for everyone? I'm going to state the obvious here - the perpetrators of mass violence, and especially shootings, are overwhelmingly male. In fact, I cannot think of one female mass shooter in recent history. I do not say this to "blame" men solely for the violence problem we have in this country, but rather to point out that men and women deal with mental and emotional turmoil in different ways. Women are more likely to get the mental help they need in the first place, and if for some reason they don't/can't/it doesn't help, they are more likely to turn their issues on themselves (in the form of cutting, eating disorders, self-destructive relationships, or suicide). Not that this is better, mind you, but it is simply "different."
  

• Along the same vein - can anything realistically be done about the bullying problem? It was just released that Cho was bullied and tormented in school, and this should come as no surprise. The profile of "shooters" almost always includes this type of victimization (and when men are victimized, they tend to lash out). On the one hand, bullying is something that happens so across the board that it seems like it would be hard to "stop" it - and most bullied people don't end up killing their classmates. But on the other hand, I don't know that people fully understand how devastating it can become to some kids. I speak from experience on this one. In grammar school I was teased mercilessly for the color of my skin and the fact that I was "gifted." As the only brown person in the smartypants classes, I was shunned by the white kids and beaten senseless, on a DAILY basis, by the Black kids for being a "race traitor." After I was beaten with my own violin case (NOTHING says "dork" like being beaten with your own violin case) I was released from school 5 minutes early every day so that I could "get a head start" and outrun my "fans." And no, I never thought about killing them - but I did think about killing myself (see above).

• Did anyone catch this? The gist is that the young men on campus should have tried to take Cho down - and he cites the heroes on Flight 93 as an example that others haven't learned from (and other have cited the 73 year-old Holocaust survivor who barricaded the door to a classroom and lost his life in the process). But what people are forgetting is that the college students in question aren't actually MEN yet. And while, theoretically, courage should know no age limits, the reality is that in order for these kids to have tried to stop a disturbed and enraged person who is shooting everyone in sight, they would have had to have been prepared to meet their maker - and how many 20 year-olds do you know that are all set with that? Outside of soldiers, not many. The heroic men on Flight 93 at least had some time to think, strategize, and make peace (if possible) with the likely outcome. I strongly believe that this "males MUST be fearless" attitude is bullshit, and contributes to how shit like this happens in the first place.

• Guns. I don't like guns, and I certainly don't think anyone (outside of law enforcement) needs a semi-automatic weapon. But turning THIS event into a political soapbox on gun control isn't the right move. Bottom line, if he couldn't have gotten the guns, that detail wouldn't have stopped someone as ill as Cho- Timothy McVeigh proved that.

• I feel sad for everyone - the victims and their families, the frightened students (everywhere), Cho's family - and I feel sad for Cho. For whatever reason(s) he lead a sad, tormented life, the system let him down, and now he's as dead as the people he killed. The whole thing is heartbreaking.

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Christie Brinkley! Ha!

I wonder of anyone is reading this blog...

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Most of you know that I have moved, yet again. The building we were living in was sold to developers who will make it into condos for rich folks. Yay. So, we moved two blocks up the road and around the corner. Soon, there won't be an apartment in Bristol that I haven't lived in.

I have been working on the apartment the past couple of days, and it's looking pretty good. I am really loving my new digs in general, and the living room in particular. Even though the room is smaller, and a slightly odd configuration due to an alcove, it looks much more like a living room than the set-up in Ghetto Wonderland. I have the pictures on the wall, and today I bought some fabric to recover the cushions on the couch - at, of all places, Wal-Mart, for five bucks a yard - psyched! It was exactly what I was looking for.

To call the living room eclectic would be an understatement, but I have to say that it looks more together than the tacky creations on some of those "design" shows. I was able to move my 50s/60s Danish Modern couch (very similar to pic) into this apartment (FREE from the library!), and found an awesome Danish Modern lamp (the lamp in this pic is exactly like mine!) of the same period and in the same wood finish in someone's TRASH. The couch cushion on the bottom is bare and will be covered in a green fabric. The pillow cushions for the back and sides were missing, but I salvaged the cushions from the ghetto couch and they fit perfectly (saving me a fortune in custom upholstery). The fabric is a Hawaiian print. The fact that I don't know how to sew anything more than a straight line will make this an interesting project.

The bedroom is set-up, and I plan to paint it once the weather is warmer and I can leave the windows open. The comforter cover was a 12 dollar IKEA purchase. I have also fallen in love with several bedspreads and quilts from the Company Store, but right now that's not in the budget.

The office is still a disaster (naturally), but once that's done, I'll feel like I can spend my summer relaxing and not worrying about where I'm going to live next.

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OK, I have had this Vox blog for months, and I am just now getting around to posting.

Since people who read my other blogs my or may not stumble over here, I guess I will say that this blog, aside from being an exercise in using Vox, is intended as the update blog for my friends and family. Anyone is welcome to hang out and read, but don't be surprised if the content is recycled, somewhat.

Hi Friends and Family!!

Many of you don't blog (that I know of), though I highly recommend it. If you don't currently blog but think it might be fun, this Vox thing is actually a pretty good way to get started. It's easy, free, and you don't really need any tech skills. Try it out. Add me to your neighborhood. While you're at it, get a flickr account so that you can share your photos online - flickr is the best web tool out there, in my opinion. Another key blogging tool you'll want to check out (if you decide that you'd like to read this, or any other blog, on a regular basis) is an RSS reader. I suggest, for simplicity's sake, Bloglines. However, if you are a Google fan and a Gmail user, you may prefer Google Reader. What the hell am I talking about? Read this for a quick tutorial. Basically, it's a place where you can "subscribe" to a blog and see the updates automatically. Trust me, it's a good thing.

So, anyway, as I go along with this Vox blog, in addition to my posts about the goings on in my life, I will be adding things to the "sidebars" - the lists on the sides of the blog - photos, audio, video, etc. Sidebars are often the best part of a blog, so be sure to take a look at them, click on the items/links, and see where you end up.

I hope you'll have a good time reading this crap, and I really hope that you'll check out blogging for yourself. I've already  pulled Kris into blogging - you're next!

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