Another overbooked day

[altivo]

Groomed horses this morning because the vet was coming, ran Tess out to the pasture early because I work late on Wednesday. Gary had to go sing for a funeral at his church. Then I brought Tess back in and kind of helped him clean up for his rehearsal group that was meeting here this afternoon so he'd be here when the vet came.

I took off for Rockford for yet another library group meeting. Went from there to work, which was busy right up to closing. A coworker has messed up her computer by trying to install a second version of Publisher (gods I hate that program) simultaneously with the one she had. Now neither one works and of course she's dependent on it to do her job so I have to fix that tomorrow. As if I had nothing else to do. Cataloging is piling up on my desk again because I"m pulled of to do all this other stupid stuff.

Two libraries in our group are dealing (badly) with managers who want to discard their entire reference book collection "because it looks ugly and besides it's all on the internet now anyway." Not.

Came home to learn that the vet never showed and didn't call until Gary called her. She had an emergency that kept her running behind, which is fine, I understand that. But she has a full time assistant with her. They couldn't dial the cell phone? I daren't complain too loudly though, because she is good at what she does and very reasonable too. For about $425 per horse she makes four visits a year, including all their basic vaccinations, an annual blood test, parasite check, and the works. That's really a good deal. The couple of times that we've had an emergency call, she's made it here promptly and didn't charge a fortune for that either.

Saw the fox again when I was coming in from taking Tess to the pasture. She emerged from the woods heading for the arena, saw me, and went back into the undergrowth. I hope she's hunting mice, we have way too many of those.

Hay is down drying or being baled all over this week. In fact, all the way home I was smelling fresh hay inside the closed car. Now off to bed.

Comments

[alaskawolf.livejournal.com]

i hope those managers wise up and realsie that those references are just as important in books as they are online.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

I hope so too, but I think it unlikely. This sort of "declaration" usually comes from someone who doesn't actually work on the floor with the public any more. They are concerned with "appearance" and not with substance, and they have no perception at all of the so-called digital divide.

Even if all that information really were on the internet, which it isn't in any case, we still have about half the user population who cannot or will not use a computer at all. They don't know how, they are phobic about it, or they just don't want to.

Where the information actually is available on line, a substantial amount of it is there only for a fee. Either the library must pay for access, or the end user must pay. The prices are steep.

And the interfaces for searching, reading, printing, or downloading the information once you gain access to it are often obtuse and difficult to use. Every one of them is different. If I have trouble with them after 35 years of experience as a librarian and data processing person, the average user and especially the older one, simply cannot manage them at all.

This has become a serious cultural issue in the US. Even the federal government is pushing toward computer interfaces for everything. They are telling retirees on social security that they have to fill out forms and apply for things on the internet. Those are the people least equipped to do so. Many have never used a computer in their lives and aren't about to start now. Frankly, I think it's a deliberate move to deny services. Again, "let them eat cake."

[chibiabos.livejournal.com]

Mebbe the fox could get rid of the mashed bunnies in that bale of hay.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

I think they might have been a little "stale" for that.

[songcoyote.livejournal.com]

Rural and semi-rural vets have remakably challenging jobs! I remember fondly the stories in "All Creatures Great and Small" (the books and, more memorably for me at least, the BBC series) and the perspective they lent to what such vets have to deal with.

Glad you have one you respect, call or no call :)

Light and laughter,
SongCoyote

[altivo.livejournal.com]

All Creatures Great and Small is wonderful, I agree. It's also about events as they were seventy years ago. Things have changed a bit.

Still, I agree with you about the rural vet's job. I'm sure it has rewards as well as trials. I thought I wanted to do it at one time, and I started college as a pre-veterinary student way back when. I changed programs not because I disliked the science and medical stuff, but because by itself it wasn't enough to satisfy my curiosity and hunger for more knowledge. It wasn't (no doubt still isn't) possible to fulfill the program requirements and still study language, history, philosophy and literature.

I also worked one summer in a suburban dog and cat clinic for a vet whose attitudes and behaviors gave me a very bad impression. But I knew better then and still know better than believe all vets are like that. And you're right, I have great respect for the ones we see now.

[songcoyote.livejournal.com]

Yah, I know it was 70 years ago (though it was only 50 years ago when I started watching the show ;) but a lot of the basics still hold, like having to plunge your arm up to the shoulder in a cow or horse when you're helping a birth.

One of my sweeties spent quite some time in her youth on a dairy farm and had to do all too many delightful things to cows. She has a certain (perhaps understandable) animosity towards them now.

Have fun, be well, and enjoy!

Light and laughter,
SongCoyote

P.S. Did you happen to see my sestina? I know you've been busy....

[altivo.livejournal.com]

I missed it somehow. Just went and found it, and it's quite good. You are talking about reincarnation, no? It has almost a feel of Kipling to it, though less demanding in terms of rhythm/cadence.

[songcoyote.livejournal.com]

Kipling, eh? I am decidedly flattered, as I have kippled many times, and have sung several of his poems set to music by a friend of mine named Leslie Fish. She has an excellent relationship with the Kipling estate, and has specific permission to set his poetry to music, perform it, and sell CDs of said performances. She rocks :)

The sestina is indeed about reincarnation, though when I wrote the first stanza it felt very random; the story just sort of unfolded as I wrote it.

As for the rhythm/cadence I'm surprised at your comment since it's written specifically in iambic pentameter. The cadence isn't completely smooth because I "break" a few sentences over two or more lines, but that's actually pretty typical of iambic. But... I babble. I have no need to defend its rhythm :)

Thanks for the thoughts, and have a most enjoyable weekend!

Light and laughter,
SongCoyote

[altivo.livejournal.com]

My comment about rhythm and cadence was in reference to the fact that Kipling usually has such a strong beat you could dance to it, and it sounds stilted to modern ears because of that. Your language is more natural, and thus the stresses are not always so strongly positioned.