Back to the grind...

Well I have returned from ND and I'm back into the swing of things with school. I left Sunday afternoon after I spent the morning with Firestarters. Lunch was awesome. (I loved the pulled pork sandwiches David (Jarrett's dad) made...drool....[I love that they can cook since I can and will manage to burn the simple things such as grilled cheese....] but I digress...)

It was nice to be back up north, even though most of it was spent doing National Guard things. Even though I wasn't able to get as much school work as I had liked to do while I was up there. I did manage to get out an application for a librarian position at NDSU (North Dakota State University), which is pretty much a step away from my hometown.

The position looks like alot of fun to me. It's the Educational Services Librarian, where they: (from job description)

Subject librarians provide general and specialized reference and research services for the NDSU Libraries; provide instruction and information literacy services and support; are responsible for assigned subject collection development; act as liaisons to academic departments; actively engage in professional development and other scholarly activities; and complete other projects and duties as assigned.

I ended in the library one of the days I was back. I think it was the last day I was doing Guard stuff...not entirely sure at the moment...my days started to run together after awhile...

I was working on my Reference notebook for LS 507 and was going to leave the library to meet up with Jarrett at the university archive, when I decided I should ask the reference librarian if she happened to know more about the Educational Services librarian position.

Turns out that she did! It was actually her old position. She ended up moving up in the library structure. She talked more about what she envisioned the position to be since she's going to be overseeing it. (I was alittle shocked and alittle upset with myself over the fact that I might have smelt like jet fuel and was dressed down in a AF hoodie, and jeans....) But then again it might have gone really well. We talked about the position, other library things and other random things for like an hour and a half. I had to leave so I could meet up with Jarrett since he was done for the day at the archive. (He's doing something extremely awesome - for his Archival Photography class, he gets to go through a collection, sort them, make a finding aid and put the photographs in plastic sleeves. He was working on the collection of (uh can't remember the first name, but his last name was) Steele, who was in WWI, I believe, and was a commandant for the Army ROTC program there at NDSU back in the day.)

Jarrett was very proud of what he was doing. I felt bad that I missed getting there in time before the archive closed. I did end up seeing what he did the day later though. ...still feel bad though...

But anywhoozers, I need to get back to my schoolwork. Hard to believe that theres pretty much a month of this left!

ND State Active Duty

For the last week I have been on State Active Duty in North Dakota for the flooding for the last week. While on State Active Duty, I have been tasked with sandbagging and dike patrols. My shifts have been 12+ hour shifts, which perhaps goes without saying that some days seemed longer than they really were...

I have enjoyed doing what I've been doing for the last week. The food from Services is awesome! I was especially glad that I didn't have to break open those MRE (Meals Ready to Eat)...if you've ever had to eat them...you know what I mean...

The Salvation Army, community members and our 1st Sgts definitely were there for us walking the dikes with sandwiches and snacks. (Having spoons for those Snack Packs is important!) One of the days I've been out patrolling the dike, I let my mom know where I was and she brought some homemade soup. She was so excited about coming out that she took one of the neighbors with her. (For kicks, I let her see the humvee we were driving that day. She loved that!)

The community of Fargo seemed to like that we were out there patrolling and watching the river and getting people out where there was a need for sandbagging or watching the integrity of the dikes. The dikes have been doing well - there have been a few leaks but they have been taken care of. We were prepared if it turned into something like last year where part of the dike broke in north Fargo near Oak Grove high school. (The photo is of Mikelson Park, which is near Oak Grove school, yesterday.)

Aside from patrolling the dikes and sandbagging, I have had 3 separate interviews about what I was up to. I was interviewed by the public affairs people from my unit, Eye Witness News, Channel 5 in Minneapolis, and KVLY, Channel 11 which is a local news channel for Fargo. I have found 2 of the 3 interviews online so far. Check them out! (One is one YouTube from the Guard and the other is linked through Eye Witness News).

It's that time of year again!

For flooding! ...in the Red River Valley of the North anyway.

I had originally planned my spring break to be doing Annual Training for the Guard, Monday through Friday(15th-19th) this week. Well, as we all may know, things can change, be it personal circumstances or Mother Nature.

In my case, it's both.

It all started Sunday evening when I when I came down with the stomach bug. (Oh it was horrible!) I was laid u

p for a couple days with those friends we may affectionately call 'Chuck' and 'Ralph'.... (I am so blessed though to have had Jarrett take care of me. He even laid out a sleeping bag not far away from me the first night of having this bug,

cleaning out the bucket and cooling a washcloth for my forehead. He's the best!!) I wasn't feeling better until Tuesday afternoon.

While I was laid up with the stomach bug, I did get the bases automated recall phone messages about the state active duty. They hadn't activated the entire base, just yet, but were in serious need of personnel. By this time, I had missed 2 of the 5 days I had originally planned for Annual Training. I was in contact with my shop and let them know what was going on there. Wednesday morning, I went in to find out what could be done.

They said the best course of action was to cancel my annual training orders and put me on state active duty orders. They said being on state active duty orders I could expect to be on them for about a week...depending mostly on what the weather does actually. (That usual blizzard or winter storm out of no where tend to mess everything up further.)

Though the flood waters aren't going to be as high as they were last year, it is still expected to about 3 feet from last years crest. The crest in Fargo is expected to hit sometime this weekend. I suppose we'll see.

The first day of State Active Duty, I ended up sandbagging. Let me tell you, sandbagging is one of the best, roughest workouts one could ever get. Basic training looks more joyful than a day of sandbagging. Throwing around 30+ pound sandbags all day long definitely makes one very tired and very sore, even before lunchtime hits.

(Lunchtime there was pretty awesome though! The Salvation Army and the homeowners of whose houses we were sandbagging had food for us. The food was amazing! Lasagna, hot dogs, sandwiches, brownies, chips, fruit, an soooo much more!) It was pretty amazing to work along side other volunteers for that.

There were high school students, even as far as St. Paul, MN out helping, a

s well as neighbors, homeowners, City of Fargo works, Firefighters, and many more I'm sure I'm forgetting or didn't know were there in that particular neighborhood anyway. I love this community!

Day 2 of State Active Duty, I was tasked with dike patrolling. Jarrett, who is also in the Air Guard with me, as a crew chief, ended up with me walking dikes all day. [Photo above of me walking on the dike is from the 119th ND National Guard site.] We were on about a 6 block stretch of dike in Fargo (from Main Ave to about 6th Ave S). We were given a humvee, other supplies and told to pretty much watch the dikes for leaks/cracks or people. We need to watch the dikes to be sure that there isn't any part has water leaking out or cracking. They also dont want people out there walking on them in the event of an unstable dike or them slipping and falling down the dikes into the freezing rushing river. Even though it d

idn't seem like much, most of my day was walking up and down the dike and then kicking people off the dike. Its pretty amazing to me that even though they have announced in on the news, newspapers, have signs posted or have heard of those from last year who were arrested for doing that very same thing, are still wanting to go and walk out on the dikes... yea... evidently they must not think it applies to them? even though its for their own safety?

Aside from patrolling my section of domain and getting people of the dike, the news media was out and about. I ended up being interviewed by the public affairs people from my unit, as well as, the local news, KVLY, channel 11. At this time, I couldn't find the interviews or many pictures that were taken of me today, but I'm sure I will later one way or another.

More to come when I can update! For now, I need to get some rest and see what State Active Duty brings for me tomorrow.

Half way there....

It's hard for me to believe that the semester is pretty much half over. Taking 5 classes this semester hasn't been as bad as I thought it would be...or at least that's what I keep telling myself. As far as I know, I'm doing well in my classes but I'm ready for a break away from here.

Yay! Spring break!

Spring break is already upon us! Am I going somewhere warm? Well, that's a matter of opinion...

I will be going back to North Dakota over Spring Break and doing some Annual Training days. I have been watching the weather these past few days and see that it is getting warm up there - well above freezing (32 F). Which is nice - it means its getting to be spring up there. However, above freezing = flooding. So...Flood 2010? (Well, I got the automated recall from the Guard that they are gearing up for personnel.)

I've heard that it might be another bad flood year, due to all of the snow and moisture up there. Oh and the Red River is one of those rivers that flows North....

Last year when it started to flood, it warmed up over spring break week. This year, its the week before spring break.

What does that mean for me? Hard to say at the moment. If it starts to flood as bad as they say while I'm up there doing some annual training days, then I might be up there for a little longer than I'm planning to.

Neil Gaiman himself!

A couple weeks ago, I was able to go see one awesome author do a reading here in Tuscaloosa. Yes, Neil Gaiman himself! It was the first time he had ever came to Alabama. It was a great night, in my opinion, here in Tuscaloosa at the Bama Theatre.

Tickets for the show, even though they were free for students, they were sold out within like two minutes. (And publishers said there's no one in Alabama that would come to see him....) I some how got a ticket though! I was trilled. My first reading encounter of Neil Gaimen was actually Stardust. (Yes, the movie where Robert De Niro wears a dress...) I did get one of his novels that was for sale, Anansi Boys.

It was a very enjoyable evening with other SLISers. Even though he wasn't able to do any book signings...(well kinda). It was a lot of fun to hear him read new things. My favorite was one called "Orange" - it was a short story about dialog, where it's one sided, but you can figure out what what kinds of things were said on the other side, if you will.

As for book signing, Carly was able to get a couple of books signed. After the crowds had mostly left, she saw him exiting out the side door and was able to get some books signed.

I actually did get my newly acquired Gaiman novel signed though. (EXCITEMENT!) Again, Carly came to the rescue and got him to sign my novel. The following day, there was another reading on campus that one needed a ticket for. She was able to get him to sign there.

It's pretty exciting me to have a novel signed by the author. Come to think of it, I think it's my first novel that I OWN that is signed by the author for me. I still haven't had a chance to read the novel due to all the other readings and what not for my other classes. I will start as soon as I can though. Even though Spring Break is coming, doesn't mean I'll be able to read what I want to...

I want to be a librarian....

Awhile back I had seen this YouTube clip somewhere in my travels. Too good not to pass along...
This looks like soo much fun!!
Enjoy!



I have also found the music video to the song: Librarian by Haunted Love.

Vast Expanse

I found a video of Jarrett's band, The Vast Expanse, for the song "Missing the Stars".

He's the bass player. :)