A change

It's all change around here. We're in the midst of redecorating the study/den (I can't decide which is the best name for purpose without sounding pompous). So I decided I could keep that decorating momentum going and do a little layout change on here too. How do you like the new banner? I'm not totally happy with it... I don't think purple is quite how I want it to stay. The sweet pea picture was the only one I was happiest to show off for the moment, so for now purple it is. I can't decide on the colours for the study/den either. Green is a definite, but to accent in blue or pink is the question. Pink would be very feminine and I'm not normally very feminine. I like the freshness of green, pink and white (the walls will be white) - but would that seem cold in the winter? However, dark and light blue with green is nice and a bit more practical (we have a blue futon in the room and my teapot and coaster are dark blue, light blue, green and white striped... and yest they are the source of this colour scheme option). The idea of practical is what is putting me off I think; sometimes I just get tired of being practical. On the other hand, I don't want to decorate twice.

I thought today might be a good day to add a little info about my blog title. Why student4life? When I joined a message board a couple of years ago I was just in the middle of the first year for my Masters course in library and information studies and felt like I had gone back to the begning of things, being a student again. I loved it and disliked it. Still do. I love learning and discovering new things. I'm so tired of feeling like I can't get on with life because I'm still studying about how to do it. So student 4life is both a declaration of wanting to learn for my whole life and a feeling of desperate fear that I will always be studying, feeling guilty that I'm not as studious as I mean to be, and never have free time again. It's a double edged sword that reflects the joy and guilt of study in my life, but mostly it's just who I am... a student for, of and in life.

Splurge: to spend money for fun

The day before yesterday I splurged on some new digital scrapbooking supplies from Scrap Girls because I was inspired to make a blog header for a friend of mine. Thankfully she loved the surprise. I like crafting and doing random fun stuff for friends, and finally I can do that again. I don't do that enough. You see I live nearly 4,000 miles (on average) from most of my friends. I have friends here, in Cambridge but not nearly as many as I made in the 22 years I lived in the USA (reasonable considering I've only spent 7 years here). I have been making a calendar for a friend here. I do it month by month and she's loving it. I design the pages on the computer, print them and give them to her. She enjoys them and I delight in making a friend happy. Few things are better in my opinion.

So now that I know how to make a blog header - and more importantly how to add a blog header to a blogger page - look out for some redecorating around here.

Don't give up

I know it's a little early to give up on blogging, I only started this week, but I was. I wondered if I should really be taking the time, if I really had enough of something interesting to say, if I was just using it to avoid studying, etc. But this morning a lovely person, someone I've never met or heard of or knowingly crossed paths with in any way left a comment on my first ever post. How wonderful! For now I'm going to consider it a much needed sign to carry on.

And I'd like add to anyone who may be browsing at someone's blog. If you want to say something to agree, politely disagree, or just to encourage... go for it! That's why it's a blog and not a journal.

New variation on a previously new theme.

Although I think I gained a pound overnight because of it (and I know I gained a pound because I weighed in on the Wii this morning) I'm still marveling at the wonder that was chocolate, rum and raisin bread pudding last night. We were having Mexican food last night, which here means flour tortillas and salad with all the trimmings, so I suggested we have our favorite Mexican pudding... chocolate and tequila. However we don't have any tequila in the house, the last bottle we had gave us headaches. Instead of making a special trip to the store we decided that rum and raisin sounded good, and we always have rum. Always. It was lovely. Neil is so adept at bread pudding and he used just the right amounts of the extra flavors, in my opinion. Unfortunately there is a lot of pudding because he's not so good at portion size - so I may be gaining another pound tonight. Oh dear, and tomorrow is goal day too. Don't think I'm going to make it. I suppose to be a good blogger I should have taken photos to post on here. Guess that's going to take a little bit of practice. Perhaps I'll start leaving the camera out of the bag so it's more accessible. That's one of those tricks I heard about getting more candid shots of one's children, but how do you know where the camera is all the time?

In the beginning...

I suppose most, if not all, blogs start with an explanation. A reason that random mutterings and thoughts are being posted for anyone and everyone to see. But I can't say I know completely why I'm starting.

I seem to spend quite a few moments each day catching up on the blogs I have bookmarked as interesting to me. And I admire the freedom, the sharing and the adventure of blogging. So I suppose this is my attempt at being part of that and hoping that at some point my blog might be listed as of interest to someone.

I haven't a strict plan for this blog just yet. I suppose I'll write about my interests: librarianship, freedom of information, reading, gardening, digital scrapbooking, crafts, music, traveling, adventuring and life. I tried a discussion blog before but I never received enough responses to keep it of interest (to me or anyone else). I might try that again here and there though, because I like conversation. For the moment, let's see where the adventure takes us.