Hotels in Europe (well, Switzerland and Italy, at least) don't have alarm clocks. The clock is in the TV, if at all.
Getting connected to the Internet is expensive.
Elevators are small.
Bring more books than you think you'll need. I finished the two books I brought early. Funny thing about Europe -- the bookstores don't have any books in English. Weird, huh?!
Husbands work really hard and really long hours when they're there.
It's much easier adjusting to the time change coming home (Europe to US) than going over (US to Europe). I had the best night's sleep I've had in 2 weeks last night. But then I was wide awake at 5 am this morning....
This whole idea that you don't tip waiters in Europe really isn't true.
Getting in from dinner on Wednesday night at 11:30 pm is early.
Nothing is open on Sunday. NOTHING.
Is it weird that I craved sushi while I was over there?
NBA games make the sport highlights on BBC and CNN. Not a mention about US professional football though.
What the heck is cricket?
What a weird show.
Bidets.
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Sorry, I Only Speak English
Matt is blogging about our Italy vacation adventures last week over at his blog so I won't duplicate efforts.
Matt is hard at work in Geneva, Switzerland this week and next week. I'm here this week with him getting to eat dinner at some of his favorite places and trying to do the tourist thing solo.
Yesterday, I took it easy, slept late, read, met Matt for lunch, etc. Today, however, I ventured out. Went to lunch on my own and then caught local bus 29 to downtown Geneva. I was going to try to catch a bus to do a 2 hour city tour but couldn't find the depot location. Still a good afternoon, though, and I got my Geneva and bus legs. Managed to catch the bus back and wind up where I wanted. Hurrah! I plan to head downtown again on Wednesday and Thursday and explore old town one day and see all of the international organizations the next.
But I had to share what happened today.
Crossing the street, I catch a gentleman in his 40s (I'm guessing) looking at me. He walks up to me and starts speaking Russian. Yep, Russian. In Geneva, Switzerland where most everyone speaks French. So, of course, I say, "Sorry, I speak English." Then he starts speaking English and explains that he is currently studying Russian and, looking at me, he thought I was Russian. Don't know how many of you out there know this, but my Dad's father was 100% Russian - my great-grandparents immigrated from Stebnik near the Carpathian Mountains in the 1800's.
Okay, so the interaction only gets more bizarre from there. After a few moments of pleasantries, he asks me if he can talk to me about the Lord. And proceeds to witness to me for a good 15 minutes. Really. Seriously. And I listened. I didn't feel threatened or anything. I think he just decided when he woke up this morning he was going to witness to at least one person. And I just happened to be the person he picked, probably because he thought I was Russian.
Anyway, anybody else just find it bizarre and ironic that I travel thousands of miles from Kentucky which is in the heart of the Bible belt to be witnessed to about the Lord in Geneva, Switzerland?!
Matt is hard at work in Geneva, Switzerland this week and next week. I'm here this week with him getting to eat dinner at some of his favorite places and trying to do the tourist thing solo.
Yesterday, I took it easy, slept late, read, met Matt for lunch, etc. Today, however, I ventured out. Went to lunch on my own and then caught local bus 29 to downtown Geneva. I was going to try to catch a bus to do a 2 hour city tour but couldn't find the depot location. Still a good afternoon, though, and I got my Geneva and bus legs. Managed to catch the bus back and wind up where I wanted. Hurrah! I plan to head downtown again on Wednesday and Thursday and explore old town one day and see all of the international organizations the next.
But I had to share what happened today.
Crossing the street, I catch a gentleman in his 40s (I'm guessing) looking at me. He walks up to me and starts speaking Russian. Yep, Russian. In Geneva, Switzerland where most everyone speaks French. So, of course, I say, "Sorry, I speak English." Then he starts speaking English and explains that he is currently studying Russian and, looking at me, he thought I was Russian. Don't know how many of you out there know this, but my Dad's father was 100% Russian - my great-grandparents immigrated from Stebnik near the Carpathian Mountains in the 1800's.
Okay, so the interaction only gets more bizarre from there. After a few moments of pleasantries, he asks me if he can talk to me about the Lord. And proceeds to witness to me for a good 15 minutes. Really. Seriously. And I listened. I didn't feel threatened or anything. I think he just decided when he woke up this morning he was going to witness to at least one person. And I just happened to be the person he picked, probably because he thought I was Russian.
Anyway, anybody else just find it bizarre and ironic that I travel thousands of miles from Kentucky which is in the heart of the Bible belt to be witnessed to about the Lord in Geneva, Switzerland?!
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Learning 2.0: Mashup Editors
Okay, seriously, people have way too much time on their hands. Give me a call; you can help me clean my house!
One of the first things we learned about with this lesson is how "creative" types have come up with lots of different ways to find photos on Flickr thanks to mashups. Over at 11 Craziest Ways to Browse Flickr Photos we learned about tools that will let you search for photos on Flickr using song lyrics, RSS, and lots of other crazy ways. The one cool one looked to be the one that let you search by color, which I bet could be useful for someone looking to match colors for a website, etc.
Next, I'm suppose to actually try to create a mashup of my own. Hmm, yikes. I'm going to have to think about this. Stay tuned.....
Update: I surrender! I can not think of a mash-up to create. Seriously.
One of the first things we learned about with this lesson is how "creative" types have come up with lots of different ways to find photos on Flickr thanks to mashups. Over at 11 Craziest Ways to Browse Flickr Photos we learned about tools that will let you search for photos on Flickr using song lyrics, RSS, and lots of other crazy ways. The one cool one looked to be the one that let you search by color, which I bet could be useful for someone looking to match colors for a website, etc.
Next, I'm suppose to actually try to create a mashup of my own. Hmm, yikes. I'm going to have to think about this. Stay tuned.....
Update: I surrender! I can not think of a mash-up to create. Seriously.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Learning 2.0: Mashups
One of most interesting, and confusing, web 2.0 tools we learned about was mashups. Mashups are basically taking one tool and combining it with another to create a whole new product..
There are several sites out there that list many mashups. In exploring those sites, I came across one that interested me immediately: Access Denied Map. What this map does is highlight websites that have been banned or blocked and where this happened. It was fascinating to see what sites are being blogged (Blogger and other blogging sites were very common) and where they are being blocked.
I definitely see the potential of mashups in education. The possibility of combining Google Maps and Flickr for an exploration of mountain top removal; LibraryThing and Blogger; the possibilities are endless!
There are several sites out there that list many mashups. In exploring those sites, I came across one that interested me immediately: Access Denied Map. What this map does is highlight websites that have been banned or blocked and where this happened. It was fascinating to see what sites are being blogged (Blogger and other blogging sites were very common) and where they are being blocked.
I definitely see the potential of mashups in education. The possibility of combining Google Maps and Flickr for an exploration of mountain top removal; LibraryThing and Blogger; the possibilities are endless!
Learning 2.0: Podcasts
Wow, there are a lot of different podcasts out there! More than enough for any type of interest or profession.
I looked at two podcast directories to try to find some podcasts of interest to me: Podcast.net and Podcastalley.com. I definitely liked Podcastalley more as it at least seemed easier to search to me and had more library-related topics.
I did locate a podcast which I have been hearing about for a while called Uncontrolled Vocabulary. Lots of different librarians, from both public and academic libraries, participate in a conversation about libraries and library issues. What could be better than that?!
I looked at two podcast directories to try to find some podcasts of interest to me: Podcast.net and Podcastalley.com. I definitely liked Podcastalley more as it at least seemed easier to search to me and had more library-related topics.
I did locate a podcast which I have been hearing about for a while called Uncontrolled Vocabulary. Lots of different librarians, from both public and academic libraries, participate in a conversation about libraries and library issues. What could be better than that?!
Friday, November 9, 2007
Midland? Hmmm....
My friend over at It's Not Easy Being a George took an accent quiz. So I had to take it too. Here's what it said about me:
Try it:
http://www.gotoquiz.com/what_american_accent_do_you_have
| What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Midland "You have a Midland accent" is just another way of saying "you don't have an accent." You probably are from the Midland (Pennsylvania, southern Ohio, southern Indiana, southern Illinois, and Missouri) but then for all we know you could be from Florida or Charleston or one of those big southern cities like Atlanta or Dallas. You have a good voice for TV and radio. | |
| The West | |
| The Inland North | |
| The South | |
| The Northeast | |
| Philadelphia | |
| Boston | |
| North Central | |
| What American accent do you have? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz | |
Try it:
http://www.gotoquiz.com/what_american_accent_do_you_have
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Learning 2.0: Lost in YouTube
I did it again. I'm lost in YouTube. I go and look at this, then this, then this, and before I know it, it's been an hour.
I decided I'd try searching Berea College on YouTube to see what, if anything, is there. Wow. Tons of stuff. And let me just say that "these kids today" must have more money then we did when we went there. There's no way I could have been able to afford a video camera or even a digital camera when I went there. And they're complaining about $30 paychecks. When we went there ..... But I digress.
On the first page of hits, I discovered some clever videos produced by the College's PR office. Like this one:
But then, I discover so much more. Video from the Library's student Christmas party (ah, I remember it well). And then, a video of two girls talking about "You Know You Go to Berea When..." It's funny how still very similar a lot of these are. These same girls also appear to have a series on YouTube they call "10 Random Questions."
YouTube is definitely a site for fun. But I think the opportunities of use by academic institutions, faculty, and libraries is enormous. It's a great place to go to find video to use in the classroom, to link to websites, etc. But it absolutely a great place to SHARE your original videos, lectures, presentations, etc.
I decided I'd try searching Berea College on YouTube to see what, if anything, is there. Wow. Tons of stuff. And let me just say that "these kids today" must have more money then we did when we went there. There's no way I could have been able to afford a video camera or even a digital camera when I went there. And they're complaining about $30 paychecks. When we went there ..... But I digress.
On the first page of hits, I discovered some clever videos produced by the College's PR office. Like this one:
But then, I discover so much more. Video from the Library's student Christmas party (ah, I remember it well). And then, a video of two girls talking about "You Know You Go to Berea When..." It's funny how still very similar a lot of these are. These same girls also appear to have a series on YouTube they call "10 Random Questions."
YouTube is definitely a site for fun. But I think the opportunities of use by academic institutions, faculty, and libraries is enormous. It's a great place to go to find video to use in the classroom, to link to websites, etc. But it absolutely a great place to SHARE your original videos, lectures, presentations, etc.
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