Right now at the Mississippi Library Commission we’re working on weeding through our collection. For all of you non-librarians out there, “weeding” basically means removing the books that are worn, outdated, or are otherwise not welcomed. This may seem like an easy task but it’s actually pretty difficult. Take for instance a book I found today; Melany Shapiro’s Bonanza: The Definitive Ponderosa Companion. Now, if we thought about this book practically, we may decide it needs to go. I mean, Bonanza was cancelled way back in 1972 and, to be fair, only a few diehard fans would call the show timeless. But, after reviewing Ms. Shapiro’s book I found it offered a good deal of useful information. Here are some things I learned about Bonanza.
Pernell Roberts (better known as Adam Cartwright) released a folk album titled “Come All Ye Fair and Tender Ladies.” Also, Mr. Robert hated Bonanza. He described Adam as “one-fourth of a character” (13) and demanded that his future TV wife be played by an African American. Surprisingly enough, NBC rejected this idea.
Like Mr. Roberts, Lorne Greene (Pa Cartwright) released several records with his most famous being Ponderosa Party Time which featured his TV sons. Mr. Greene also starred in other hit TV shows like Mission Galactica, Battlestar Galactica, and plain ole Galactica. He died of pneumonia in 1987. Tragically, he was still Canadian.
Bonanza featured several guest stars including Adam West, Gary Busey, Death Wish star Charles Bronson, and Lee Marvin. Also, Michael Landon met Victor French on Bonanza and the two later starred in the always popular Highway to Heaven series.
I’m sure you can see now how difficult it is to remove a book like this from our collection. What if I took this book off the shelf and a patron came by and wanted to know what the 363rd episode of Bonanza is about? Well, since we’re keeping this book you can happily learn that:
Episode 364 is called “The Weary Willies”.
“The Ponderosa becomes home for the Weary Willies, post Civil War drifters, much to the anger of the Virginia City folk. When Angie, an aristocrat’s daughter, becomes friendly with Billy, the Weary Willies’ leader, her father and boyfriend are furious. Angie is attacked, and Billy faces trial for attempted murder. Guest stars: Richard Thomas, Lee Purcell, Lonny Chapman, and Elisa Cook. Directed by Leo Penn." (147).
Shapiro, Melany. Bonanza: The Definitive Ponderosa Companion. Nipomo, CA: Cyclone Books, 1997.
The Mississippi Library Commission is committed – through leadership, advocacy, and service – to strengthening and enhancing libraries and library services for all Mississippians.
JavaScript disabled or chat unavailable.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Have Your Smelling Salts at the Ready.
You may find this shocking, but sometimes -- only on very rare occasions -- I like to look at things on the Internet...things that are not exactly library-related. When you get over the shock, visit some of the following websites, why don't you?
Letters of Note posts letters from famous people -- scans of the letters, plus transcripts in case of messy famous people handwriting. Letters are so personal that you can't help but learn something new when you read them. This one from David Bowie is one of my favorites.
Word Journal gives you handy definitions of words you probably haven't heard before. You'll have to go there to find out what "griffonage" is.
Missed Connections is a new favorite. Sophie Blackall reads the "missed connections" columns, where people post messages to people they felt a fleeting kinship with (usually on public transportation), then illustrates them.
Don't be afraid of the name: Sexy People posts funny Olan Mills-esque portraits of people from the past. Like this gal:
Fancy Fast Food makes me gag a little, but it's still pretty fascinating. These people buy regular old fast food, then transform it into new food using no new ingredients. Click here to see how a meal from Steak 'n Shake ended up as beef stroganoff.
If there's anything you've recently found that you want to share, leave a comment for us!
Letters of Note posts letters from famous people -- scans of the letters, plus transcripts in case of messy famous people handwriting. Letters are so personal that you can't help but learn something new when you read them. This one from David Bowie is one of my favorites.
Word Journal gives you handy definitions of words you probably haven't heard before. You'll have to go there to find out what "griffonage" is.
Missed Connections is a new favorite. Sophie Blackall reads the "missed connections" columns, where people post messages to people they felt a fleeting kinship with (usually on public transportation), then illustrates them.
Don't be afraid of the name: Sexy People posts funny Olan Mills-esque portraits of people from the past. Like this gal:
Fancy Fast Food makes me gag a little, but it's still pretty fascinating. These people buy regular old fast food, then transform it into new food using no new ingredients. Click here to see how a meal from Steak 'n Shake ended up as beef stroganoff.
If there's anything you've recently found that you want to share, leave a comment for us!
Thursday, January 21, 2010
A Far Cry from the Hotty Toddy Potty
The water is flowing again at most homes and businesses in Jackson, but it was a different story a week ago. This time last week, I was here at work dreading the prospect of having to use a porta-potty. We were open for business for much of last week, and like every other place around here, we were without water. The solution? Portable toilets and hand sanitizer.
I’ve never used a porta-potty, not even the Hotty Toddy Potty at Ole Miss. I didn’t have to use one last week, so I feel like I dodged a bullet. Everything I’ve ever heard about porta-potties (except the Hotty Toddy Potty, of course) has been bad. My mother never let me or my sisters use them when we were little. And whenever the subject of porta-potties comes up in conversations with others, someone always mentions how gross they are. One of the things that had the biggest impact on my attitude toward chemical toilets was the movie North Country with Charlize Theron. There’s a scene where Theron’s character is inside a porta-potty when her co-workers, a bunch of jerks, tip it over. She crawls out covered in the contents of the potty, some of the vilest nastiness you can imagine. Seriously, it was one of the most disturbing things I’ve ever seen in a movie, and it sealed the fate of my porta-potty attitude.
Being the history nerd that I am, the whole water crisis made me think about how people survived before indoor plumbing was the norm. My parents have told me about their experiences with outhouses, but it should come as no surprised to you that I’ve never actually used one. Dottie Booth, the author of Nature Calls: The History, Lore, and Charm of Outhouses, is part of a movement to preserve existing outhouses and a make a record of these disappearing structures. New ones are no longer being built because of environmental issues, so this movement seeks to preserve the history of outhouses so that they aren’t forgotten after the bulldozers have done their job.
While charming isn’t quite the word I’d use to describe an outhouse, I can definitely understand the urge to study them and at least record their existence for history’s sake. Booth incorporates the memories of former outhouse users throughout the book, which was one of the best aspects of the book for me. One user, Betty, told of how she felt that something was watching her one night when she was in the outhouse. When her husband took a flashlight out there to investigate, he discovered a big raccoon inside! (11)
Booth’s book is loaded with history. In one section, she discusses the predecessors to toilet paper as we know it today, which didn’t come along until the early 1880s. People used all kinds of soft materials, including dress patterns, newspapers, mail-order catalogs (before they were printed on glossy paper), and even corn cobs (thank goodness for Charmin). (27)
And then there are the rules. Oh yes – there are rules to using an outhouse, at least according to Booth. Here are some highlights from the long list:
- Don’t shoot animals in the privy.
- Taco, refried beans, sauerkraut, and herring eaters, use neighbor’s privy.
- Knock twice for emergency, and if you hear someone running on the path, get out quickly. (16)
Note: That third rule may not apply if the outhouse is a two-seater (or three- or four-seater).
After doing a little research and thinking it over, I realized that porta-potties would probably be considered a luxury compared to what people had to deal with in the old days. A porta-potty would probably seem fancy to a person whose only bathroom was an outhouse. Even so, I’ll still avoid them like the plague (unless I absolutely have no choice).
Booth, Dottie. Nature Calls: The History, Lore, and Charm of Outhouses. Berkeley: Ten Speed Press, 1998.
North Country, Warner Brothers, 2005
I’ve never used a porta-potty, not even the Hotty Toddy Potty at Ole Miss. I didn’t have to use one last week, so I feel like I dodged a bullet. Everything I’ve ever heard about porta-potties (except the Hotty Toddy Potty, of course) has been bad. My mother never let me or my sisters use them when we were little. And whenever the subject of porta-potties comes up in conversations with others, someone always mentions how gross they are. One of the things that had the biggest impact on my attitude toward chemical toilets was the movie North Country with Charlize Theron. There’s a scene where Theron’s character is inside a porta-potty when her co-workers, a bunch of jerks, tip it over. She crawls out covered in the contents of the potty, some of the vilest nastiness you can imagine. Seriously, it was one of the most disturbing things I’ve ever seen in a movie, and it sealed the fate of my porta-potty attitude.
Being the history nerd that I am, the whole water crisis made me think about how people survived before indoor plumbing was the norm. My parents have told me about their experiences with outhouses, but it should come as no surprised to you that I’ve never actually used one. Dottie Booth, the author of Nature Calls: The History, Lore, and Charm of Outhouses, is part of a movement to preserve existing outhouses and a make a record of these disappearing structures. New ones are no longer being built because of environmental issues, so this movement seeks to preserve the history of outhouses so that they aren’t forgotten after the bulldozers have done their job.
While charming isn’t quite the word I’d use to describe an outhouse, I can definitely understand the urge to study them and at least record their existence for history’s sake. Booth incorporates the memories of former outhouse users throughout the book, which was one of the best aspects of the book for me. One user, Betty, told of how she felt that something was watching her one night when she was in the outhouse. When her husband took a flashlight out there to investigate, he discovered a big raccoon inside! (11)
Booth’s book is loaded with history. In one section, she discusses the predecessors to toilet paper as we know it today, which didn’t come along until the early 1880s. People used all kinds of soft materials, including dress patterns, newspapers, mail-order catalogs (before they were printed on glossy paper), and even corn cobs (thank goodness for Charmin). (27)
And then there are the rules. Oh yes – there are rules to using an outhouse, at least according to Booth. Here are some highlights from the long list:
- Don’t shoot animals in the privy.
- Taco, refried beans, sauerkraut, and herring eaters, use neighbor’s privy.
- Knock twice for emergency, and if you hear someone running on the path, get out quickly. (16)
Note: That third rule may not apply if the outhouse is a two-seater (or three- or four-seater).
After doing a little research and thinking it over, I realized that porta-potties would probably be considered a luxury compared to what people had to deal with in the old days. A porta-potty would probably seem fancy to a person whose only bathroom was an outhouse. Even so, I’ll still avoid them like the plague (unless I absolutely have no choice).
Booth, Dottie. Nature Calls: The History, Lore, and Charm of Outhouses. Berkeley: Ten Speed Press, 1998.
North Country, Warner Brothers, 2005
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Attention! Calling All Poets Laureate!
While we were on our extended Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, one of our Meebo patrons asked for information on Mississippi's State Poets Laureate. Mississippi's first poet laureate was appointed by Governor Ross Barnett in 1963. Life-time appointments are now made by the legislature. These are Mississippi's poets laureate:
Howell, Elmo. Mississippi Scenes: Notes on Literature and History. Memphis, TN: E. Howell, 1992. Print.
http://www.loc.gov/rr/main/poets/mississippi.html
Maude Willard Leet Prenshaw 1963-1971Be sure to go to the Library of Congress's state poets laureate pages for more information on these Mississippi poets. Last but not least, we managed to dig up a mention of a 19th century poet laureate. According to Mississippi Scenes: Notes on Literature and History, Samuel Newton Berryhill was "recognized as Poet Laureate of the State" (23) when his Backwoods Poems was published in 1878.
Louise Moss Montgomery 1973-January 1978
Winifred Hamrick Farrar July 31, 1978-present
Howell, Elmo. Mississippi Scenes: Notes on Literature and History. Memphis, TN: E. Howell, 1992. Print.
http://www.loc.gov/rr/main/poets/mississippi.html
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Don't Flush!
Life in Jackson, Mississippi has been a bit dirty the last few days. If you don't live in the area, be sure to catch up on the latest dealing with our bursting water main problem! I am happy to report that my water has almost returned to its normal clear and sparkling self. (I'd put it at a beige right now.) The biggest inconvenience for me involves the toilet. Mine is still down for the count!
By the way, have you ever thought about how many words there are out there for the facilities? Americans use the restroom, the john, the washroom, the bathroom, the can, the powder room, and the comfort station. The British, on the other hand, prefer to visit the toilet, the lavatory, the WC (water closet), the loo, the bog, or the karzy (Allen).
It turns out that many of our pipes here in Jackson are made of cast-iron. While they make repairs on over one hundred water main breaks, our work crews will slowly replace these old pipes. Did you know that cast-iron pipes were used for the first time at Versailles? They were not in general use because the weight of carriages passing caused them to burst (Daumas 455). This little problem was fixed later on!
It also seems that Jackson is not alone in its colorful water.
Daumas, Maurice, ed. A History of Technology and Invention: Progress through the Ages, volume 3. New York: Crown Publishers, Inc., 1979. Print.
"toilet" Pocket Fowler's Modern English Usage. Ed. Robert Allen. Oxford University Press, 2008. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press. Mississippi Library Commission. 13 January 2010.
By the way, have you ever thought about how many words there are out there for the facilities? Americans use the restroom, the john, the washroom, the bathroom, the can, the powder room, and the comfort station. The British, on the other hand, prefer to visit the toilet, the lavatory, the WC (water closet), the loo, the bog, or the karzy (Allen).
It turns out that many of our pipes here in Jackson are made of cast-iron. While they make repairs on over one hundred water main breaks, our work crews will slowly replace these old pipes. Did you know that cast-iron pipes were used for the first time at Versailles? They were not in general use because the weight of carriages passing caused them to burst (Daumas 455). This little problem was fixed later on!
It also seems that Jackson is not alone in its colorful water.
...in the period from 1855 to 1860 the water supplies of large cities continued to be of dubious quality. London's was reputed to be the worst-even after filtration it retained a yellowish color. Paris water was taken from the Seine at Chaillot, downstream from the river. Water from this source was 'heavily saturated with loathsome matter' (Herve Mangon) (Daumas 458).I have never had "loathsome matter" in my water. Really, we're not doing half bad!
Daumas, Maurice, ed. A History of Technology and Invention: Progress through the Ages, volume 3. New York: Crown Publishers, Inc., 1979. Print.
"toilet" Pocket Fowler's Modern English Usage. Ed. Robert Allen. Oxford University Press, 2008. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press. Mississippi Library Commission. 13 January 2010.
Friday, January 8, 2010
Vroom, Vroom
My husband and I are currently in the process of shopping for a new car. Shopping is supposed to be fun. You get to go out and look at lots of shiny new things, while repeatedly whispering “ooh” and “ahh” over the course of the day. At first, shopping for a car was like this when we began our hunt two months ago on a Carmax lot. We now spend our evenings pouring over carmaker websites and sifting through owner reviews on sites like Edmonds.com, and we spend our weekends trekking across car lots. Car shopping starts out so simple and innocent and fun, but then the process grows like wild kudzu until it consumes all your free time. You’re elated once you think you’ve finally found “The Car” – then a spate of bad reviews from current or former owners sends you scrambling again.
Basically, shopping for a car has become a giant research project. Lucky for me, we have several resources in our collection and the Library Commission that can help me navigate this jungle. From what I’ve found, it looks like I’ve got my work cut out for me.
One of the first books to catch my eye was The Savvy Woman’s Guide to Cars by Lisa Murr Chapman. It’s aimed at female car owners and buyers, but really the information is good for members of both genders, so guys, don’t let the title drive you away (hee hee, pun intended). I skipped chapter one, which covers the basics of how to fill your gas tank and check your tire pressure, and headed straight for Part IV of the book, which deals with buying and/or selling a car. I zeroed in on the section “How to Decide Which Car is Really Right for You.”
See, I’ve been driving the same car for nearly 10 years, a 1997 Ford Escort, and consequently, I’m easily impressed by everything new cars have to offer. This is an example of how my visits to the car lot have gone thus far:
Me: (after test driving one of these new models) Hmm, it’s got a smooth ride and great gas mileage, but my music is important to me. I don’t know if I can get by without a cassette deck to play my iPod through.
Car Salesman: Well, this model comes equipped with an auxiliary jack. All you need is a cord to connect your device to the vehicles sound system (flashes slick car salesman grin)
Me: (eyes wide) Really? Cool! Where do I sign?
I’m impressed by everything, from cruise control to tilting/telescopic steering wheels and seats with height adjustment, which is a blessing for those of us who are vertically-challenged. (I’ve spent the last decade sitting on a pillow just so I could see over my steering wheel).
I should take notes from W. James Bragg’s book In the Driver’s Seat: The New Car Buyer’s Negotiating Bible. Bragg breaks down the shopping and buying process, step by step, and arms shoppers with strategies they can use to save money and headaches. Especially relevant (for me at least), is the advice he gives in chapter four about maintain emotional detachment at dealerships: “Heavy breathing should be reserved for more appropriate occasions. In car stores it leads only to heavy payments” (15).
No more gushing in the presence of the dealers. Got it. But I can still gush all I want in private. (That moon roof and that remote start feature are sooo nice …)
http://www.edmonds.com/
http://www.lemonaidcars.com/
Bragg, W. James. In the Driver’s Seat: The New Car Buyer’s Negotiating Bible. Random House, 1993.
Chapman, Lisa Murr. The Savvy Woman’s Guide to Cars. Bantam, 1995.
Basically, shopping for a car has become a giant research project. Lucky for me, we have several resources in our collection and the Library Commission that can help me navigate this jungle. From what I’ve found, it looks like I’ve got my work cut out for me.
One of the first books to catch my eye was The Savvy Woman’s Guide to Cars by Lisa Murr Chapman. It’s aimed at female car owners and buyers, but really the information is good for members of both genders, so guys, don’t let the title drive you away (hee hee, pun intended). I skipped chapter one, which covers the basics of how to fill your gas tank and check your tire pressure, and headed straight for Part IV of the book, which deals with buying and/or selling a car. I zeroed in on the section “How to Decide Which Car is Really Right for You.”
See, I’ve been driving the same car for nearly 10 years, a 1997 Ford Escort, and consequently, I’m easily impressed by everything new cars have to offer. This is an example of how my visits to the car lot have gone thus far:
Me: (after test driving one of these new models) Hmm, it’s got a smooth ride and great gas mileage, but my music is important to me. I don’t know if I can get by without a cassette deck to play my iPod through.
Car Salesman: Well, this model comes equipped with an auxiliary jack. All you need is a cord to connect your device to the vehicles sound system (flashes slick car salesman grin)
Me: (eyes wide) Really? Cool! Where do I sign?
I’m impressed by everything, from cruise control to tilting/telescopic steering wheels and seats with height adjustment, which is a blessing for those of us who are vertically-challenged. (I’ve spent the last decade sitting on a pillow just so I could see over my steering wheel).
I should take notes from W. James Bragg’s book In the Driver’s Seat: The New Car Buyer’s Negotiating Bible. Bragg breaks down the shopping and buying process, step by step, and arms shoppers with strategies they can use to save money and headaches. Especially relevant (for me at least), is the advice he gives in chapter four about maintain emotional detachment at dealerships: “Heavy breathing should be reserved for more appropriate occasions. In car stores it leads only to heavy payments” (15).
No more gushing in the presence of the dealers. Got it. But I can still gush all I want in private. (That moon roof and that remote start feature are sooo nice …)
http://www.edmonds.com/
http://www.lemonaidcars.com/
Bragg, W. James. In the Driver’s Seat: The New Car Buyer’s Negotiating Bible. Random House, 1993.
Chapman, Lisa Murr. The Savvy Woman’s Guide to Cars. Bantam, 1995.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
I'm A Quitter!
I started smoking almost seventeen years ago. This New Year's Day, I applied my brand-new, on-sale, store-brand nicotine patch and placed myself on the merry road to healthier living. Now on Day Six of my smoke-free life, I have to say that breathing freely is extremely satisfying. (I could have cheerfully murdered someone for a cigarette, however, the night my car got a flat tire!) I was delighted to discover the following smoking nugget in Cat Flaps and Mousetraps: The Origins of Objects in our Daily Lives.
Learning to live without an addiction is certainly difficult. One of our faithful readers left this thoughtful advice as a response to my last post:
So informative yet frightening to learn that I've been adding gas chamber poison to the environment!
Another comment appears to have been written by a staunch smoking supporter:
I think Bandit would appreciate this lovely sentiment expressed by Fran Lebowitz in Drinking, Smoking & Screwing: "Smoking is, if not my life, then at least my hobby. I love to smoke. Smoking is fun. Smoking is cool" (192).
I miss you smoking, I do, but I think I miss my alveoli more!
http://www.cancer.org/
http://www.quitline.ms.com/
Nickles, Sara. Drinking, Smoking & Screwing: Great Writers on Good Times. Chronicle Books, 1994.
Oliver, Harry. Cat Flaps and Mousetraps: The Origins of Objects in our Daily Lives. Metro Publishing, 2007.
The first observations of smoking were made in 1492 by Rodrigo de Jerez while on Christopher Columbus's expedition to the Americas. To him, natives appeared to be drinking smoke from something shaped like a 'musket formed of paper'. Rodrigo indulged in a puff or two of tobacco that had been wrapped in palm. However, when he returned to Spain he was imprisoned for having scared people with the smoke that poured from his nose and mouth! He served a seven-year sentence, and when he got out of jail smoking pipes and cigars had become common in Spain (5).You must admit that having to smoke outside because of restaurant bans is nothing compared to seven years in the slammer!
Learning to live without an addiction is certainly difficult. One of our faithful readers left this thoughtful advice as a response to my last post:
Elisabeth, in your effort in quitting I recommend you call the Tobacco Quitline, 1-800-Quit Now. My wife is a counselor over there and using a program like theirs (or some others) is statistically shown to really help improve the odds of quitting effectively. -BSquaredThe Tobacco Quit Line in Mississippi is an excellent smoking cessation tool. Be sure to visit their website to learn more about the hazards of smoking and how to implement a program that will work for you. I must admit that my favorite nugget on their website is the list of chemicals found in cigarette smoke.
Another comment appears to have been written by a staunch smoking supporter:
Although the anti-smoking lobby has been highly successful at waging a jihad on those of us who continue to smoke, I believe the public has lost sight of some of the many advantages of smoking. Nicotine has been proven to boost short-term memory, and even more importantly, numerous medical studies indicate that smokers are less likely to suffer from Alzheimer's disease. Just Google it to verify. And for those of you who want to feel good about smoking despite its social taboo, I recommend watching the indisputable masterpiece Casablanca to see the proper ways to look cool while smoking. -BanditI've never been a huge fan of Casablanca, but I have always been partial to the way Rod Serling strode out at the beginnings of The Twilight Zone. With the utmost gravity, he would deliver a line or two, and then take a drag off his Viceroy in a move guaranteed to kill as many alveoli as possible. Very cool! Very sexy! As for the supposed positive effects attributed to smoking, I invite you to read a list of short and long term (detrimental) effects of of smoking on cancer.org. My short-term memory is starting to suffer, but my sense of smell has already begun to improve. I can smell all you smokers now!
I think Bandit would appreciate this lovely sentiment expressed by Fran Lebowitz in Drinking, Smoking & Screwing: "Smoking is, if not my life, then at least my hobby. I love to smoke. Smoking is fun. Smoking is cool" (192).
I miss you smoking, I do, but I think I miss my alveoli more!
http://www.cancer.org/
http://www.quitline.ms.com/
Nickles, Sara. Drinking, Smoking & Screwing: Great Writers on Good Times. Chronicle Books, 1994.
Oliver, Harry. Cat Flaps and Mousetraps: The Origins of Objects in our Daily Lives. Metro Publishing, 2007.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
