iPalimpsest

Forget gay marriage. Spain, the Roman Catholic country, got it before us. Now, we want the government to finally recognize our status as a single person: Kenny Jate Lyons-Baum.

Kenny graduated from Grinnell College with a BA and completed an MS in Library and Information Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Kenny is currently enrolled part-time at NYU's Wagner School and works full-time at The New York Public Library. Kenny really enjoys running and vegan cake. Sometimes Kenny struggles internally when looking at the CD collection and trying to decide between Ani and Christian Death, but Kenny always finds balance with early Madonna albums. Kenny also has a difficult time deciding between rainbow and chocolate sprinkles, but doesn't everyone?

Disclaimer: This is a joke and anyone who call either of us Kenny or Jate will be summarily punished.

Posted by kate at 11:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

During lunch I went to the corner grocery store near work, and there wasn't any real food. All the juice had high fructose corn syrup, all the packaged snacks were either not vegan or had hydrogenated oils, or in most cases, both. There were sodas, cereal (high in sugar and corn syrup), nothing at all organic, nothing fresh, and pet food. There were some ramen-like, cup of noodles soups, but nothing vegetarian, and a wide selection of candy. In the neighborhood we have a ton of stores like this, fast food stores like McDonalds, some pizza places.

It's not even about money, it's about access to fresh foods. If you really look hard, you can find a farmer's market a couple days a week, but otherwise, it's all about junk food. This isn't fair. It's not like we need a variety of locally grown, inexpensive organic food on every street corner, but when it's easier and cheaper to buy "apple juice" (with corn syrup and water and artificial flavors and colors) than an apple, there's a huge problem!

Posted by kate at 7:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I love how Sarah is back to blogging, even though it's because her company doesn't allow them access to personal email. In any case, I'm hoping she updates the pictures of her super-cute kid Will, because he's nearly two years old now! And I hear she could easily have tons of great puppy pictures, and pictures of the kid and the puppy together would probably suck at least an hour from my workday, too.

So Sarah-- I'll reply by blog, so you can read our communication on weekdays. You have a handsaw? Is it electric? It's the electric part that really scares me. I haven't a clue how to install anything that can't be cut with scissors (maybe I could handle a box cuter, maybe) and my guess is that even though our kitchen is smaller than most closets, it would probably cost more to have tiles installed than to fly you to NYC (which alas, is also about as much in our budget as an elephant that dispenses icecubes).

We did borrow a kitchen-remodeling video from the library, but it just wasn't inspiring.

In other news-- how could someone who considers plastering her floors with Hello Kitty stickers move halfway across the country from us? We miss you! Selfishly, I wouldn't be so sad if you stay with this organization, if it means more posting and updated pictures of Will!

Posted by kate at 9:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Feed them moist food in addition to dry food. Yes, there are probably other reasons your cat might be peeing on the floor, and you could change their litter, their litterbox, have them tested for urinary track infections, try to toilet-train them, follow them around after they eat until you see them start to squat and then, while screaming, toss them into the litter-box (this is the most time consuming but very effective unless you turn your back for even a second).

We'd read so many possibilites but only recently did Jenny pick up a book that suggested a dietary problem/ deficiency could make them pee on the floor. So, we tried switching up their food and adding moist food, and it seems to work!

Posted by kate at 9:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We've been apart five days now, the longest since 1998. I've learned that it's really difficult for a person to dye their own hair (but surprisingly easy to dye the cats' hair, and the rugs, towels and bathroom sink). It's really difficult to cook good meals for just one person because everything in stores is really sold for two. A bunch of asparagus, bag of carrots-- almost everything, is perfectly rationed for two adults. Yes-- I tried the leftovers the next day option, but I don't think my diet was nearly as varied as it is with Jenny, and I wound up eating potato chips (vegan!) for quite a few lunches.

On the social end, I'm much, much chattier with my co-workers. With nobody at home but the cats to listen to my stories about blisters (marathon training again), cat poo (and why would I talk with the cats about their own poo anyway?) and cat vomit, my co-workers are getting an earful of way-too-personal information.

Also, I know q-tips have two sides because it should be one for each ear, but whose ears are so dirty? Jenny and I usually share (we each get one end), and now this week, how many q-tips have been wasted? Too many.

When I do see Jenny, and she finds out I blogged that we share q-tips... what will happen? Maybe she'll be so happy to see me after our week apart that she won't care?

Posted by kate at 10:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Public librarian organizational culture includes us all trying to one-up each other with urban-legend like tales of things we've found at the library. I've heard everything from the dead patron in the bathroom to razor blades and used condoms tucked away in books patrons are returning. I've heard of bags of poop and garbage cans full of poop. Honestly, I've smelled garbage cans full of poop-- it's not an urban legend. So, here's a new one-- mixed into a bag of CDs someone donated to the library was a large plant leaf, a box of crackers and a few used sanitary napkins. Now, I'm not saying whether it was me who found this, or in what library system it happened. I'm just saying that if you're going to donate stuff to your library, don't send them your used sanitary napkins.

Posted by kate at 7:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Now that there's peeling 25-year old linoleum (flat sheet not linoleum tiles) around the perimeter of the fridge, I've been looking into new floors. Since the kitchen is about 3 feet wide by 5 feet long, it seems like putting down new floors should be really cheap. If tiles cost even $10/sq foot and it only took 5 sq.feet to cover the kitchen (should I bother putting tiles under the fridge this time?), that's $50 in floors. Of course, this assumes a DIY skillset that I'm sure Jenny and I both lack. I also discovered that cork seems like a really environmentally good alternative to wood (and much more durable for kitchens) and that linoleum tiles can be really, really cheap, like 99 cents/ square foot (so, maybe it would cost $10 to redo the floors). There's this click-lock cork floor that goes right over your current floor and doesn't require glue, but it looks like you need a hand-saw to cut the tiles! I'm relatively sure that I don't want anything to do with a handsaw given that lighting candles makes me worry about buring down the apartment.

Yesterday this inspirational speaker (Steve Santagati) spoke to staff at the library about goal setting and living in the moment. So, I'm thinking of just ripping up the floors and trying it myself! But maybe I'll wait until Jenny gets back from DC.

Posted by kate at 8:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Last year at exactly this time Jenny and I had put down a tuition deposit for law school, had visited and were looking for apartments, and then we realized that somewhere along the way, we'd forgotten why we'd gotten onto that path. The application process for law school is so insane that somewhere along the way, even though you have to write entire essays on why you want to go, you forget why you've applied and only focus on trying to get in.

So we realized that we actually liked librarianship and especially public librarianship and that this second graduate degree was really only to make us better at what we were already doing.... maybe we would practice law, but maybe not. Then we thought about what other librarians do, and realized that a bunch got their MPAs, so we looked into that.

And that was a perfect match! If you're thinking about law school, or some graduate degree, and you're interested in the non-profit sector, I highly recommend it. I also highly recommend Wagner.

Posted by kate at 8:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We woke up at 3:15am, were out of the apartment by 3:35, at JFK by 4:15, so Jenny could standby for the 6am flight to DC, to make a 9:30 meeting, and amazingly, it all worked. She's there. I'm at work. It's the longest we've been apart since the fall of 1998.

Posted by kate at 1:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

About a week ago the refrigerator stopped being cold. At first we were in denial and thought maybe it was just the hot weather and we put the ac on full blast hoping it would cool down the fridge. After a few days we accepted the truth and started hunting for a new one. Now, our kitchen is tiny and we're really restricted by size-- we measured and we measured again and finally found one that fit. It was delivered today. It all seemed so easy.

Then, today the delivery guys disconnected the ice dispenser from the old refrigerator and it turned out the shut-off for the ice-dispenser line was broken and they had to shut off the water for the kitchen sink! In the meantime, the kitchen completely flooded. They put in the new fridge and then said the new ice-dispenser was back-ordered and there was nothing to connect the old line to. And then he said "the nipple" wasn't the right size anyway. Whatever that means. So, they left saying their job was merely to deliver and not to troubleshoot.

So, I'm covered in under-the-old-fridge streaks of dirt and up to my ankles in water. The new fridge is slightly more narrow than the old one, and apparently, whoever installed our old kitchen floors just cut around the fridge rather than putting floor under the old one... so there's this really dirty old-tile moat around the perimeter of the fridge. And of course, the water is cut-off from the kitchen sink.

This sucks. I got in the super and he said he could replace the pipe (because there's a hole in it!!) but that he couldn't do it until Monday.

This sucks.

Posted by kate at 4:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

From the NY Times:

More than a year after gay marriage became legal in Massachusetts, Gov. Mitt Romney said Thursday that he would support a newly proposed amendment to the state Constitution that would overturn that right. . . .

"It would apply to two elderly sisters living together, an uncle taking care of a handicapped nephew, or even adults taking care of elderly parents," he said.

Mr. Mineau is sick and twisted if he thinks my relationship with my same-sex lover is anything like my relationship with my grandmother. Hello: SEX. Now, I love my nana but NOT LIKE THAT.

Posted by kate at 4:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The New York Public Library now offers free audio books to download. The downside is that they're not made to work on an iPod. Though the CNET article is titled "N.Y. library audio book project snubs iPod" this is actually something that many libraries are dealing with. This Library Journal article expains more.

Posted by kate at 1:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Jenny is spending next week in DC for Presidential Classroom as a volunteer instructor. The library sent her for the Science, Technology and Public Policy program. After I leave her off at the airport on Saturday morning at 4:30am, I'll be really sad, but I am proud that the library picked her to go!

Posted by kate at 3:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Those who know me know that I will most likely go to see this movie. But really, who names their production company Seed Productions?

Posted by jenny at 11:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

If zombies took over Amazon, it might look something like this. I especially love the Business & Investing section. Anyone up for "Land of the Dead"?

Posted by jenny at 5:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)