Day 87: Winter is coming?

It happens every year, but I really do love it.

It's fake springtime!

I know that Montreal is in this weird convergence of three different climatic zones (northeastern forest, great lakes and St Lawrence lowlands and something else if memory serves), so I wasn't sure if they'd have this effect I've become so used to in Guelph and Toronto, but here it is! So here's a lesson for people not from similar climatic regions (generally speaking, humid continental, if my understanding is correct).

Lesson 86: Every year, for a week or two in March, the weather will become unseasonably warm and comfy. Sometimes even as warm as summer. There's usually some rain too, but everything just screams spring for this brief period.

But don't be fooled!

Soon, we'll be back to our regularly scheduled winter!

Enjoy this while you can... I wish I could be outside basking rather than withering away inside.

Day 66: Guess Who's Back, Back Again!

First day back! What a great break!

To summarize: I saw all my scouting friends and we went up to the cottage for an awesome New Years (though Jon had to work). I made double chocolate beer and mulled wine marshmallows and hung out with my family. I had an amazing Christmas and gave some pretty amazing gifts if I do say so myself (including the aforementioned beer and wine marshmallows). I received some amazing ones too (skates, Munchkins, and crockpots! Oh my!). I also spent so much time with my fiancé, even if we couldn't go to any parties together.

But now, time to roll up my sleeves and get back to learning!

So what did I learn today? Well, we've had a lot of "the history of books, libraries and archives" lectures, but today's had some new, interesting tidbits that I hadn't seen yet. Here are my favourites...

Lesson 62: The Printing Press not only increased literacy and the dissemination of ideas, but also allowed for the rise in use of local languages and drastically reduced the use of Latin as the written lingua franca to exchange ideas.

So in that way, my brain has decided, the Printing Press is basically the Tower of Babel.

Lesson 63: The Atwater Public Library was started by the Montreal Mechanics Institute in 1828 to "Make A Man A Better Mechanic, and The Mechanic A Better Man."

Hooray! New year, new lessons!

Now, this semester, I yet again have Tuesdays and Fridays off, so my posting will be sporadic on those days. I also had Thursday off, but decided I'd rather play it safe with the prof I know and give up my four day weekend, than take the risk with the poorly-reviewed unknown quantity and keep my four day weekend.

On the other hand, this means that you get more days of me posting consistently! So... Yay?

Day 10: and I can finally buy my books!

The last first of the semester: my first Bibliographic and Factual Sources class. Because our year started on a Thursday, and the intervening Monday was labour day, we're in our third week of classes, and just now starting one of our classes. Today's lesson is one I had already learned in undergrad, but that really proved its importance today.

Lesson 12: Never buy your textbooks for a course until you've had at least one class. You never know when the edition switch will make a world of difference. For instance, the latest edition of our primary book for Bibliographic and Factual Sources was basically a complete revamp; a nasty situation for everyone who already bought the previous edition!

Also, buying textbooks should be preceded, or followed, by a stiff drink. You need something to soften the blow of that price tag... yikes!

Day 1: I'm a Master(s Student) Now?

Wow, it's really real, isn't it! I am actually attending the prestigious school I've wanted to attend since I was 12, and if I survive, I'll come out with a Masters! A bonafide MLIS! I am on my way to be a MASTER OF THE UNIVERSE... er... Master of Library and Information Studies that is. What's the difference really? The Universe is essentially made of data. On a quantum level, everything is just bits, switched on or off. But I digress; you came for the lessons!

Since today was my very first day of (very early) orientation (preceded by an even earlier job interview), I'll leave you with two lessons.

Lesson 1) it doesn't feel real until you're deathly I'll the night before and are at risk of missing your first day. Alternatively, when you're sitting awkwardly surrounded by strangers in a lecture hall considering how soon you'll be friends with them, and terrified that won't actually happen.
Lesson 2) I can do film related work in any of the three MLIS streams: librarianship, archival studies or knowledge management.