Reblogged from BA Expat:

Changing or improving your life doesn’t have to be a long, frustrating, drawn-out process. I’m always in search of the smallest changes that yield the biggest returns, and below is my collection of quick tips that can make your life easier, more fulfilling, or just less of a pain in the ass. Try one or two of these and tell me how great they worked. Zack’s Not-So-Secret List of Simple Ways to Increase Happiness, Productivity, or General Awesomeness …

This blog post really resonated with me this afternoon, so I decided to share it AND find out what happens when I hit the “Reblog Post” button in WordPress!

It’s been a busy week for technology in my neck of the woods! On Monday, my library department got new computers (with Windows 7 Enterprise, a new-to-us operating system)! We’ve been pretty busy recreating settings, shortcuts, bookmarks, and things like that. It’s been a combination of frustration and fun! Each day this week has gone a little more smoothly than the one before, technologically, for the group. It seems like we’re hitting our stride again.

Yesterday, I had my second shadowing shift at the Research Services Desk, and ended up sitting at the Mac station there at the Desk. (There’s a Windows computer on one end of the desk, and a Mac on the other.) I haven’t had much experience on Macs, so I enjoyed working on it, and seeing how various programs run on it. An interesting difference between the two computers at the Research Services Desk is that Aleph, our ILS (integrated library system) does not work on a Mac. That means that only the Windows computer at the Research Services Desk has the Aleph modules on it, but not the Mac. Does every reference question require a closer look in the Cataloging or Acquisitions modules? No, but it actually came in handy once during yesterday’s shift. So, I’m interested to how having a Mac at the Research Services Desk will be helpful (besides my learning how to use it!) this semester.

Clipart from Clipartheaven.com

Our study group from last semester is planning our weekend study session for the upcoming test, and it’s reminded me what a busy time of year this has become! I just took a few minutes to update my Outlook (at work) and Google calendars, to help me keep track of things. I also upgraded my “Remember the Milk” (https://www.rememberthemilk.com/) account to the Pro version a few days ago, something else to help me stay on top of deadlines!

Clipart from Clipartheaven.com

Before I started grad school back in August, I decided to call and make all my “annual” appointments, so that I could feel good about getting them out of the way before school started. I was able to see every doctor I needed to see (the dentist plus the girly stuff) but one before the start of school. My plea for a dermatology appointment in August fell on deaf ears (“No emergency? Well…” ) Their first available non-referral appointment? February 2, 2012, today! I finally got the last of my checkups done today, and this dermatology appointment was my least favorite. Oh, the dermatologist was very nice, but she decided to remove a funny-looking mole right in the middle of my back! Sweet. Three new stitches, and an appointment to return in two weeks to have the stitches taken out. I should get the pathology report in about a week.

So, I’m a little grouchy tonight, but, ya know? I’m glad I made (and kept) the appointment. My dad’s youngest brother, Uncle Bill, died of melanoma a couple of years ago, a young 66.

My favorite appointment to keep now is the dentist, believe it or not! Partly, I guess, it’s because I don’t have any dental issues right now, so it’s always a “wellness” appointment with a teeth cleaning (warding off the expensive stuff!). By the way, I love how my teeth feel after they’ve been cleaned! And since a person’s smile is one of the first things you notice about them, I want my teeth to be in good shape. Of course, it helps that my dentist is really nice, too. (If you’re in Durham and need a dentist referral, let me know!)

So, don’t be afraid to go to the doctor while you’re well. In fact, it’s much better that way! In fact, treat your medical visits like you would a research question at the Reference Desk. Do your homework to find the best doctor(s) for you, and check in with him or her on an annual basis, at least. (And if you’re there in the fall, get your flu shot!)

The two most common questions were for directions to one our meeting rooms, and where’s Lost and Found, but there were plenty of others. One of our patrons came up to the desk and said he had to write a recommendation for someone, and wondered if either one of us had any experience with writing recommendations. Since I’ve written several recommendations in the past year for past cataloging interns, I really enjoyed helping with that question! Another patron called and asked a question about Duke’s 2012 football schedule! I wish I could’ve taken that one!

We also had some questions about book locations, computer and printer malfunctions, where to find buildings around campus, and where paper towels could be found. In addition to observing (and occasionally helping) with questions, I also got to see the system the librarians use to keep track of reference questions for statistical purposes.

It’s been several hours now, and I’m still smiling over my time on the research services desk today! I think the semester-long experience will help me keep the patrons in mind as I continue my behind-the-scenes work as a copy catalog supervisor in Technical Services. I can’t wait to learn more!

This is one of the coolest parking garages I’ve ever seen! I just had to share! Happy Friday.

There’s a Food Lion right across the street from my apartment complex. Majorly convenient, I got into the habit of running to the store before or after work whenever I needed something, including quick and easy food items. In addition to cooking convenience, I’ve typically bought smaller quantities of things because I have to carry whatever I buy up two flights of stairs to our 3rd floor apartment. Great exercise, for sure, but I’ve tended to buy fewer items more often.

Well, grad school is obviously taking more time, so I have less time for other things.  Grocery shopping, even though I’ve gotten into the habit of doing it often, is not one of my favorite things.

Well, the past few days have added a new twist to grocery shopping! I’ve decided to retry a “plant-strong” diet (I like “way of eating” better), so I’ve been looking at recipes in an effort to branch out and try different foods. Lordy, I don’t know where some of those ingredients are in the store! Not only that, I don’t know what some of the ingredients look like! Ha! It’s taken four grocery store trips to three different stores to find everything for the first two recipes I selected, and that’s with the assistance of several grocery store employees! (“I’m so sorry we’re out of that salt-free chili powder!”)

I’m home now after another grocery shopping round (back to Whole Foods), but too pooped to cook either recipe! And I’m writing instead of studying at the moment! BUT my last grocery shopping stop of the evening was at BJ’s Wholesale Club,  and I think it was worth it, because that’s where I started formulating my own grocery shopping streamlining plan.

I’d already started buying some non-perishable grocery items from Amazon (believe it or not!), but I’m thinking that buying in bulk (from BJ’s, Walmart, and other stores) is one answer to my problem of too many grocery store stops.

It turns out that BJ’s also has vegetables and fruits in bulk too, but I’m going to have to find my way on that issue. Frozen veggies and large bags of carrots (one of my favorite snacks now) work fine, but I also want to take advantage of fresh, local vegetables and fruits too.

I’m sure that part of my grocery shopping crankiness right now is that eating better is taking more time, mostly because grocery shopping is taking more time. (I’m also missing my winter comfort foods!) In addition to buying in bulk when I can, I think I’m going to start looking at websites for my local grocery stores and farmer’s markets for information on stock and pricing. Maybe I’ll start making notes on Evernote, too, to help me remember where I find items I like at a good price.

It’s beginning to feel like I need to use some of my librarian-in-training skills in the grocery shopping and better eating arenas!

How do you streamline your grocery shopping? I’d love more ideas!!

Clipart from Clipartheaven.com

1) Harry Truman’s Excellent Adventure: The True Story of a Great American Road Trip, by Mathew Algeo

I’m reading this book via the Kindle app on my iPad, and I’m enjoying the book so far. I like the idea of road trips, and I’m enjoying learing more about Harry and Bess Truman through their post-White House travels.

2) Sentenced to Death (A Booktown Mystery #5), by Lorna Barrett

This book falls into the “cozy mystery” genre, and I do enjoy mysteries a lot, by and large. The protagonist in this book/series, Tricia Miles, owns a mystery bookstore called Haven’t Got a Clue in the fictional town of Stoneham, New Hampshire. It’s a breezy read, but I’m not sucked in to the storyline yet. I’ll probably get hooked in over the weekend, though!

3) You are What You Eat: The Plan That Will Change Your Life, by Gillian McKeith

This book has a lot of good tips about eating differently and well. While some of the tips seem a little far fetched,  there are plenty of good ideas so far. My biggest complaint is the design of the book, which has a fair number of pages with different colored text on different colored backgrounds. Sometimes it’s a little hard to read. But the information’s good enough to work through that.

4) Organic, Inc.: Natural Foods and How They Grew, by Samuel Formartz

I’m enjoying learning more about the organic food industry in this book. What’s intrigued me most so far is how organic food has become a pretty big, competitive industry in some respects.

5) Walter Kempner and the Rice Diet: Challenging Conventional Wisdom, by Barbara Newborg

Since I did the Rice Diet at the Durham campus for a number of months, I heard quite a bit about Dr. Walter Kempner, who was a Durham icon in his day. I’m enjoying learning more about him, though I’ve skimmed some parts of his early life. I’m looking forward to the sections about his life in Durham.

My biggest professional development activity of the semester will be shadowing at the Research Services Desk at Perkins, the main library at Duke. I’m really looking forward to observing and learning more about reference and research services in person!!

Meanwhile, I have tomorrow off from work for Martin Luther King, Jr., Day, so I can take my to-do list a little more slowly over the next couple of days.

In other news, I think I’ve unraveled the red tape that is employee tuition reimbursement, so I faxed my forms and supporting documentation to Human Resources before 5:00 today. Whew! One less thing to worry about, and it feels good to have that done as I head into the Martin Luther King, Jr., holiday weekend. Something else to cross off my to-do list!