Category Archives: awareness

I can’t dance, but I can Gangnam.

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Last fall I went to my first college football game. Nothing big like Notre Dame or Ohio State but a Division 1 game featuring The University of Cincinnati Bearcats. Needless to say it, was a fun and great experience hanging out with some buddies and enjoying a Bearcat victory. Then all of the sudden, about midway through the first quarter, one of those dance music songs started playing during a timeout. You know, they do that sometimes to get people off their butts and shaking them in some way. I ignored it like all those other tunes because quite frankly I can’t dance and don’t want to. You will not see me doing the YMCA on the Jumbotron during a TV timeout at any sporting event. I am actually there for the game and not the music and dancing. But then I noticed everybody riding the pony during this song and thought, that’s a new one. I dismissed it and, quite frankly forgot it altogether.

So quietly this song, “Gangnam Style” (which I found out later is what it’s called from a coworker), is taking over my subconscious. It has now permeated through everything – MLB, NFL, Cyclones hockey, the library! – and is taking over my life. I find myself just randomly dancing “Gangnam Style.” If you don’t believe me, ask my family or even my coworkers. The song is stuck in my head forever, just like that classic, timeless Rebecca Black song, “Friday.”

The real question about this Korean music sensation is, is this only a Macarena-type fad, or is it here to stay like the YMCA or the Chicken Dance? It’s hard to say but the YouTube video has over a billion views -  that’s ONE BILLION – and if my information is correct, it is the first video to do so. I guess 1 billion people can’t be wrong. I say, long live PSY and “Gangnam Style.” I’m actually doing it right now and I’m terrible at it.

Post Apocalypse Depression

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Well, I guess we made it to another new year and we avoided the apocalypse yet again. I don’t know about you, but I am extremely disappointed with this fact. I mean either I was going to become a zombie (unlikely), or I was going to hunt zombies (probably). Either one would have been great. THANK YOU VERY MUCH MAYANS and your false prophecy of doom! I guess you have now made yourselves completely irrelevant to much of modern society and it is time your ancient society fades into oblivion just like all those other societies that no longer exist and we can no longer remember.  As a consequence, like after Y2K, we are left with a pre-apocalyptic world. Thanks for getting our hopes up with your calendar that ends for no reason.

There are, however, a couple of things I liked about 2012, and since the world did not end, you can check them out from the library.

1. Music…Cat Power, Mumford and Sons, Alabama Shakes, fun., Norah Jones, Lumineers, Of Monsters and Men.

Then. Movies….The Avengers, The Bourne Legacy, The Pirates, The Amazing Spider-Man, One for the Money.

C. Books….Unholy Night written by Seth Grahame-Smith, Doctor Who: Shada: The Lost Adventure by Douglas Adams written by Gareth Roberts, The Walking Dead: The Road to Woodbury written by Robert Kirkman and Jay Bonansinga.

Finally. TV Shows…..Once Upon a Time, Justified, Mad Men, Burn Notice, The Walking Dead.

Not necessarily in that order. So if you are frustrated with your pre-apocalyptic world and need something to take your mind off the regular everyday mundane world, those are just a few of the things that you can find at your friendly neighborhood library. It is okay if you don’t like the things I listed above, just stop reading my posts. Right now. I mean it.  You are now dead to me…dead I tell you. Really, just find something you do like, that would be great.

Book Suggestions by E-mail

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Wouldn’t it be nice to browse the library’s bookshelves from home, maybe in your jammies, drinking a cup of coffee?  You can have that experience by subscribing to our NextReads eNewsletters, a free service that delivers book lists on a variety of genres and topics directly to your inbox.  Like mysteries, DYI, Christian fiction, or picture books?  Then we’ve got an eNewsletter for you!  What about fantasy, business, or romance?  There are eNewsletters featuring these topics too.  Do you enjoy reading the most popular books?  Then have the New York Times bestseller lists sent right to you.  To start receiving NextReads eNewsletters, visit our website, create an account, select which eNewsletters you’d like to receive, and break out your bunny slippers.

I want my Barbie Dictionary!

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Does anybody use a dictionary anymore? I mean the book, where you have to open the pages and have some semblance of the alphabetical order and maybe a slight grasp of how to spell the word you are looking up. You can’t replace the good old ink-and-paper, handy dandy dictionary (some aren’t so handy dandy; Webster has gotten a little bloated). Sure, you can now use the internet to look up the word you want (try dictionary.com). Most computer programs, if not all, have spell check. Even Words with Friends tells you that mess of letters you tried to play is not an acceptable word. So, I guess the good old dictionary is being replaced. I mean, I don’t own one.

Upon further review, it seems as though the dictionary is branching out. Trying new things. Exploring new concepts. Gradually sneaking up on you until all of the sudden you notice it again. Like an old friend that never really left your side even though you made new friends like the computer or spell check. Lo and behold, It’s not just for words anymore…..

Star Wars has given the dictionary an all-new identity with their line of visual dictionaries found at the library. (I own all of these, of course)

There is also, the believe it or not, the Math dictionary (I’m not sure what that’s about, never read it, never will. I am assured it does exist).

Or  the Lover’s Dictionary (okay, I think this one is more a work of fiction rather than a dictionary).

Let’s not forget the Dictionary of Wholesome Foods (I have no idea what that means, but I did not see a Big Mac in there anywhere).

Even baseball has its own dictionary (apparently there are a lot of baseball-specific terms because it is a very thick book at almost 1000 pages).

And then, my (and I assume everybody’s) favorite dictionaries are The Curious George Dictionary and, of course, The Barbie Picture Dictionary.

Okay, so there are a lot of dictionaries out there. Plus, dictionaries are smart to diversify  from just defining words and whatever else they were doing (balancing tables). So, head on out to the library and check out latest fad…dictionaries. That’s right, it’s a thing now.

November is Picture Book Month

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This year marks the second celebration of Picture Book Month.  “In September 2011, I had the idea to create a campaign, an international initiative designating November as Picture Book Month,” said Dianne de las Casas, a children’s book author and storyteller.   Clermont County Public Library has an assortment of great picture books for you to choose from by great authors such as Mo Willems, Laura Numeroff, Jane Yolen and Eric Carle .

For more information on picture books and their authors, visit one of our 10 branches and talk to one of our Youth Service Librarians.

To hear great picture books and other stories read out loud, you can also visit one our many story times at our branches.  Check out the online calendar for more details.

For more information about Picture Book Month, visit the website

 

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Radio Friendly?

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With all the hubbub about all things London (they had some kind of sporting event somewhere in that area or something), I thought it appropriate to share a little London music. The band Mumford and Sons may not be known by everyone but they are slowly gaining international notoriety, including here in the states. Their debut album, Sigh No More, even garnered a couple of Grammys. So, in what may be a ploy to gain more fans, the band has decided to release another album called Babel. Both are available or soon to be available at CCPL. Their rootsy approach to music can certainly be compared to Americana even though they are British.

Meanwhile, if you are waiting for the new Justin Bieber CD, Believe, to become available to check out or that other Canadian Carly Rae Jepson and her catchy song “Call Me Maybe” to finally arrive at you local library or heck that Josh Turner guy that sings country music, try Mumford and Sons. They may not be in a constant rotation on your favorite radio station but you may find you just might like them.

If you find yourself liking the awesomeness of Marcus Mumford (that’s the Mumford in Mumford and Sons, but the other guys are not really his sons) and his merry friends, then there may be some other bands you may enjoy that might be at the library. For instance, The Black Keys, who are from Akron, Ohio, which is not England. Maybe try Band of Horses, who are also American. Or something new and not British like the Lumineers.  One more non-Brit, you may like who is absolutely fantastic is Ray Lamontagne. Besides, it doesn’t hurt to check out new music at the library; it’s free (as long as you return it on time), so why not try it?

We all like different music and we all have different tastes. There are a ton of different musicians and music you may have never heard before but may come to like. Those were just a few suggestions; go to the library and find your own new favorite artist.

How Not to Train for a 5K

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eric trains for a 5kAt the beginning of the summer, let’s say around May, my friend asked me if I wanted to run a 5k. I obviously said no. Then he said it was the Warrior Dash complete with obstacles, plus you get a fuzzy warrior helmet and other swag, and bonus, the proceeds go to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. So I reluctantly agreed.

So in May I started running…. OK, I will not call it running, more like slow jogging, but not even fast walking. Let’s just say I got off the couch and moved my legs in a forward direction. I made it about a quarter mile and that was it. I was in trouble; I wasn’t really sure what 5k stood for but I was pretty sure I had a long way to go and a short time to get there.

Meanwhile, this so-called, quickly becoming my not-friend said, Let’s run in another race called the Mudathon. Me, being the genius that I am, said, what the heck, I won’t be able to finish the one, might as well not finish two. By the way, these two races have a two-week window between them, and both were set for August.

That gave me plenty of time to stretch my legs out and find all those 5ks that are out there (I guess that is 10ks now).  So let me tell you, it takes a lot to get off the couch and train in any way, especially since the only time I normally run is away from somebody chasing me, which occurs rarely or in some kind of sport, but let’s face it, my sporting days are mostly behind me now. About a month into my training and not feeling like I was getting anywhere, I said to myself, wait a minute, I am smarter than this; I work at a library and I am sure we have books on training or getting in shape or something like that. Lo and behold, we do. I found a book called Galloway’s 5k and 10k Running.

After months of grueling training, the fateful day had arrived. Despite the 12:30pm start time and the middle of August date, the weather was perfect for the Mudathon. No rain. No humidity. A slight breeze. Plus a temperature in the mid 70s. A better day would be impossible. Well, except I had to run.

Not just run: I had to navigate 40 obstacles (for course map just click). I guess that is what I signed up for….but I am not complaining because I had a great time. My favorite part was floating down the lazy mud river; my least was the monkey bars. I cannot tell you how many bales of hay I had to leap over; it had to be in the thousands. (video)

Two weeks later was the Warrior Dash. At the end of this one was fire that you had to leap over. To train for this, I jumped over a candle in my living room every time the electric went out this summer, which by the way was a lot. There were far less obstacles in this one which made it easier (course map), but there was some swimming involved which increased its awesomeness! I hate to admit it but for this one I sort of wore a kilt, but so did some of my friends. Also, I’m not reluctant to share with you that wearing a kilt is awesome. I think I am going to wear it all the time. My only worry was losing it on the course in the water or it getting caught on fire.

The best part of the day for me was the camaraderie between runners. Everybody helped each other, either physically or with motivation. I can also report I did too, except for the ladies who had on Pittsburgh Steelers garb; I only heckled them (Who Dey!).

All in all, I had two great weekends with great friends. I met some really cool people and didn’t get injured at all (a little second-day soreness but that’s it, maybe third day as well.) If you have a chance to participate in these or events like this, do them: you don’t have to run or jog, think of it as a hike. As for my training, I can run a 5k, but when doing these events, it is also important to work on the upper body as well because you will be pulling yourself over various objects. If you don’t feel like you can make an obstacle, somebody will help you, or just go around it. The main thing is to bring a buddy and meet some new friends; what more could you ask for in a weekend?

The End

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So far, 2012 has gone off without a hitch. No zombies, no rapture, the poles have not reversed, and the sun has not exploded. But there is still time for these things to occur, so get your disaster kits ready because it is going to be a long and scary apocalypse, especially if the zombie thing happens.

For my money, the best investment you can make is to go to the library and find the various books that we have on our shelves about survival and apocalypse, then read them and maybe even practice some of the lessons that are contained in these helpful books. Obviously the library is the best resource for all your 2012 apocalypse needs. If  you are looking through those books and said apocalypse occurs you can always use the books for fire or a hammer or something like that. (Don’t really do that, those books need to be returned to the library in the condition they left, even if zombies are the only ones working at the library upon return.)

Moreover, the government is selling off its unused cold war missile silos for very reasonable prices. It seems to me that an abandoned missile silo would be a great place to ride out any kind of apocalypse that may occur. Some of them may be fixer uppers, but what else are you going to do in this late stage of the game? December 21st is approaching faster than you think.

If you can’t afford a missile silo it is best to learn some survival skills that can get you through the end of the world or just in case you are lost in the woods. Here are some excellent survival books for those just right occasions. Click here now.

With all this doom and gloom upon us, it is also good to know that we have experienced and survived these things before. Who can forget Y2K? That was a close one. Thankfully all those computer geeks fixed that bug before everything shut down and caused mass hysteria. Here is an awesome list of past end times that we as people survived.

Lets not forget all the disaster, end of the world movies, that we all enjoy. Wikipedia has a great list of such films (just click on that link in the previous sentence to see it). I am sure we have many of them here at the library, so you can see what is going to happen and prepare accordingly.

Whichever way the world decides to end (zombies), it is always good to be prepared. There is no better place to get yourself prepared than your local library. (Except for maybe Fin, Feather and Fur Outfitters; have you ever been to that place? It is unbelievable; it is like a super amped up Pro Bass Shop.) I guess I’ll see you later, unless we are all dead, in which case I might just eat your brains.

 

 

 

Celebrate Earth Day with Documentaries

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Sunday, April 22 marks the 41st Earth Day. Whether it is learning about the number of bags American use every minute or journeying across the earth or learning about the demise of the electric car, I am a fan of documentaries. Grab your library card so you can place holds on the following list of Earth Day-related documentaries!

Bag It – Americans use 60,000 plastic bags every five minutes that we then throw away. But where is ‘away?’ Where do the bags and other plastics end up, and at what cost to our environment, marine life and human health? Follows ‘everyman’ Jeb Berrier as he navigates our plastic world. Jeb is not a radical environmentalist, but an average American who decides to take a closer look at our cultural love affair with plastics.

Earth – A remarkable story of three animal families on a journey across our planet – polar bears, elephants, and humpback whales. An astonishing and heartwarming film filled with adventure, suspense, and humor as it captures rare footage of nature’s wildest and most elusive animals.

Dive! – Inspired by a curiosity about society’s careless habit of sending food straight to landfills, the multi award-winning documentary Dive! follows filmmaker Jeremy Seifert and friends as they dumpster dive in the back alleys and gated garbage receptacles of Los Angeles’ supermarkets. In the process, they salvage thousands of dollars worth of good, edible food, resulting in an eye-opening documentary that is equal parts entertainment, guerrilla journalism, and call to action.

Fresh – Celebrates the farmers, thinkers, and businesspeople across America who are reinventing our food system. Each has witnessed the rapid transformation of our agriculture into an industrial model, and confronted the consequences: food contamination, environmental pollution, depletion of natural resources and morbid obesity. Forging healthier, sustainable alternatives, they offer a practical vision for the future of our food and our planet.

Frozen Planet – The Arctic and Antarctic remain the greatest wildernesses on Earth. The scale and beauty of the scenery and the sheer power of the elements, the weather, the rough ocean, and the ice is unmatched anywhere else on our planet. tells the compelling story of animals such as the wandering albatross, the adelie penguin, and the polar bear, and paints a portrait that will take your breath away, at a moment when, melting fast, the frozen regions of our planet may soon be changed forever.

Human planet – Following in the footsteps of Planet Earth and Life, this epic eight-part blockbuster is a breathtaking celebration of the amazing, complex, profound, and sometimes challenging relationship between humankind and nature. Humans are the ultimate animals – the most successful species on the planet. Each episode focuses on a particular habitat and reveals how its people have created astonishing solutions in the face of extreme adversity.

The last mountain – The fight for the last great mountain in America’s Appalachian heartland pits the mining giant that wants to explode it to extract the coal within, against the community fighting to preserve the mountain and build a wind farm on its ridges instead. Robert Kennedy Jr. joins the fight to preserve the mountain

Plastic Planet – The effects of plastics and their manufacturing on human health and the environment are discussed by scientists, manufacturers, consumers and government officials.

Revenge of the electric car – By 2006, as many as 5,000 electric cars were destroyed by the major car companies that built them. Today, the electric car is back with a vengeance. Without using a single drop of foreign oil, this new generation of car is America’s future: fast, furious, and cleaner than ever. It’s not just the next generation of green cars that’s on the line, it’s the future of the automobile itself.

Solartaxi – The story of an epic, 18-month adventure that spans the globe in a homemade car powered exclusively by the sun. Louis Palmer and Solartaxi meet princes, movie stars, politicians, and scientists, but most importantly they encounter ordinary people and show them that locomotion using only the power of the sun is possible.

New Year Resolution: The Walk

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It’s that time again when promises are made to make a life change. 

Consider a different perspective when exercise is in the equation.

Set the alarm 15 minutes early.  Don’t think.  Get up, and throw on your “hamper” clothes.  Put on a comfortable pair of walking shoes. Don’t think.  Check the temperature.  Grab a coat, hat, gloves, rain gear, or whatever is necessary for the weather.  Don’t worry about your hair or face. Depending on where you are bring a flashlight, a cell phone (for an emergency), and possibly mace.  Don’t think.  Don’t listen to music.  Open the door and GO!  Start with a 10 minute walk.  Don’t think!  For the first 5 minutes let yourself complain about anything and everything – muscle aches, sore joints, the cold, the heat, the rain, the spouse, the children, the boss….. now, STOP and breathe the fresh air.  Look at the sky.  Smell the earth, a local bakery, or flowers.  Feel the frost, the rain, the wind, the snow, the sun on your face.  Listen to the birds.  Look at the houses you pass by, the gardens, the decorations, the rhythm of the traffic and people at a particular point in time.  Let your senses experience the morning as it is, not with what you have to do that day. Connect with reality in a fresh, stimulating way.  Before you know it you’re back home, ready for that hot cup of coffee and ready to think!

The key is to just do it and to do it for YOU.  Don’t think.  Just move.

Before you know it you’ll watch for certain flowers to bloom again, for the feral cats to stake new territory, for the lonely dog in a back yard to welcome you, for the pinks, blues and oranges of the sunrise, and of the gentle, soft breeze on your face.  You’ll soon want to explore a little further, investigate a new area, or solve a problem.  That’s when a new novel, a how-to book, a just released movie, or a favorite musician’s latest CD will inspire.  That’s when you check out the library!

Don’t think, just do it for you.