Susan's Space

Chocolate Biscotti

2008-03-26T10:24:00.002-04:00

I needed something sweet, but not too, something crunchy, something chocolatey and something easy....so I made Dorie's Chocolate Biscotti. Brings back some delightful memories....

In the early 80's my husband and I were living on the top floor of a Brooklyn brownstone and I loved to bake and would share my creations with a very old Italian woman who lived on the floor beneath me. She was wonderful and made some fabulous food. One day she brought me her homemade biscotti and I was hooked...it was the traditional type with almond extract and chopped almonds. I loved the texture and taste and asked her how to make it. In her elderly scrawl she printed the recipe with some accompanying illustrations so I would know how to form a log for the first baking and then how to cut them for the second baking. I had always thought there was some secret formula for making these, not something as simple as cutting the partially baked dough and then baking again. Like learning how to do a magic trick!

So Dorie's biscotti has cocoa and espresso powder (2 Tablespoons) and chopped almonds and mini chips. Sounds like a winning combination to me, and it was. And the fact that these cookies are so hardy means that they will taste as good days later. Makes me very happy.

Tuesdays with Dorie

2008-03-22T12:02:00.004-04:00

Well I am back into blogging. After purchasing Dorie Greenspan's new baking book six months ago I have been trying out some of the recipes. My last one were linzer tarts...they were fabulous.

I just learned about a new blog called "Tuesdays with Dorie" where the participants all try a recipe a week from the book. Sounds good to me, so here goes.

LATI Project

2007-10-12T10:33:00.000-04:00

I am working on my LATI project and excited about the fact that it will fuse two very important parts of my life....my involvement with Hospice and my work at the library.

23, my lucky number!!!

2007-08-20T20:34:00.001-04:00

Most days I have thoroughly enjoyed this technological roller coaster ride. I especially appreciated the help I received both on-line and in person from FCPL staff. Banging one's head on a keyboard can be productive when a sympathetic soul comes to your rescue.

My suggestion....please consider some real people interactions every few weeks. Setting up a few opportunities to come together and ask questions, play on-line, and practice would be so helpful. I think many of us experienced lost cyberspace hours when we saw no progress and felt great frustration. And then there are those "Eureka" moments (usually followed by a "now how did I do that again?" question.)

What's next for me? Bloggers Anonymous? No I am not that hooked, but I will continue to use many of these tools. Who knows I may even take on 43 things.....it might even become my new lucky number.

Technorati

2007-08-19T22:58:00.000-04:00

As you can see from this cut and paste below I did successfully configure and claim my blog but I couldn't seem to copy the info I needed from the site....so here is something....

Your blog claim has been successfully configured.
My Claimed Blogs

Susan's Space
http://susansub.blogspot.com
Authority: 1
Rank: 2469418

I learned that technorati will help me tag blogs, but at the moment I am feeling a little overblogged.......

Pod Search Tools

2007-08-19T22:28:00.000-04:00

Podcast.net's categories were so broad that I had trouble finding what I wanted to listen to. I listened to "Rabbit Bites" which was accompanied by video and there were voices superimposed on twitching rabbits. (Yawn!) The range is certainly broad....from a discussion of how one defines god to how to plan a wedding.

Podcastalley.com was much more user-friendly. I was able to listen to a restaurant review by Frank Bruni of the NY Times. It was nice to hear a voice since I normally only read his column. I did find that many of the items could not be opened and heard.

Yahoo podcast was my favorite. It provided me with a list of most popular and most listened to and I liked that. There is so much out there that it was nice to have a place where the choice was limited for me.

Podcasting

2007-08-16T15:30:00.000-04:00

I have been listening to podcasts for a while....NPR is my favorite, especially "This American Life". I rarely have the radio on when it is initially aired so it is great to be able to catch up on my time schedule. In the past I have listened to them while sitting at the computer, but I did download one on my MP3 player. Just have to do more.

With all the ways we can create our own playlists of music and talk why listen to someone else's selections?

Say Good Bye to the Old Library!

2007-08-16T15:08:00.001-04:00

Downloadable audiobooks

2007-08-16T12:31:00.000-04:00

Got an MP3 player for Christmas and hoped to be more proficient in using it by now, but I am learning. I registered at NetLibrary and downloaded a book and then couldn't find it on my player. How could I lose such a big item on such a small item? Then I found it but kept playing the same first chapter over and over. That got old fast.

A few months later I tried again. This time the book "Julie and Julia" was not available on NetLibrary so I put it on hold and got an email that it had arrived. I successfully downloaded it....what a big head I had that day...and then got a device from Radio Shack to play it on my radio. Only problem I am having now is lots of static and an inability to stop and restart the book. So I guess that is progress.

I really liked NetLibrary and hope to use it a lot more in the future.

Wallace and Gromit

2007-08-16T12:21:00.000-04:00

I really like You Tube. My daughter sends me all the latest cute cat videos and other funny items. I especially like the fact that I can replay a news piece that I missed on the original air date.

Since I referred to claymation in a previous post I thought it fitting to share some Wallace and Gromit with musical accompaniment.

Zoho and Web 2.0

2007-08-16T11:29:00.000-04:00

Zoho was a good experience for me. I sent the document I created back and forth to my personal and library email and it was very easy to use. I think that some people who don't like opening up word attachments would like the alternative of opening up the URL. I think this would work for any of my volunteer activities where we might need to create a brochure or letter where everyone gets to provide input.

When it came to the Web 2.0 Awards list I wasn't as enamored. I checked out "Say So" which is an on-line support group for parents. I much prefer kvetching to people at the playground (when my kids were small), but I guess if you are housebound this could be a good site. The other thing is that I read a number of those scary stories about what potential pitfalls your kids can be engulfed in. Didn't find that very helpful....like those email alerts that your friends send to you and 5, 000 other close friends.

I checked out Peer Trainer....a lot of people complaining about their weight or trying to get you to check out their new business or inspiring you to lose.

I prefer a face to face with a friend or even a stranger who might be sitting next to you on the train....too much time conversing with a screen.

Library 2.0

2007-08-16T10:24:00.000-04:00

After reading some perspectives on Library 2.0 I felt so optimistic about our future. I think that there is a perception that the library will be phased out as more material becomes available on line and that the computer will rule. But it's really about how we shape the information....like sculptors with amorphous clay....I see morphing claymation figures (think "Wallace and Gromit"). And it's not all about us librarians. Everyone is empowered, everyone has a perspective, everyone has a say.

And I really could relate to the "retreat space for thought leaders". I am nestling into that leather chair right now.....Bring on those "sensory treats".....I can't wait.

Wikis are not Wicked

2007-07-26T13:22:00.000-04:00

Are there really that many people who are interested in the information I impart on the

new pages in the Sandbox? I doubt it, but it is fun to think my musings are that important. I did share the address of a favorite breakfast spot in NYC so if you love cheese blintzes like I do you may want to check it out.

http://marylandlibrariessandbox.pbwiki.com/Best+Breakfast+in+NYC

Also, thanks to James I created a Simpsons' avatar....but couldn't get the entire picture...just the head, don't know why.

In my explorations I found BookLoversWiki and it had great reading recommendations, many of which I added to my ever-growing list.

http://booklovers.pbwiki.com/Princeton%20Public%20Library

I also enjoyed visiting Merlin where I was able to read librarian blogs and learn more about technology. Here is one....

http://harfordparticipants.blogspot.com/

Photo taken by Dorie Greenspan during visit to France

2007-07-10T16:19:00.000-04:00

Does anyone look like her?

2007-07-10T15:38:00.000-04:00

I think I could do without this technology. One thing this world doesn't need is more Barbie images.

Library Thang and Rollyo

2007-07-10T10:45:00.001-04:00

One more account to create, one more list to compose, one more thang to do......

On Library Thang I created a list of the books I enjoyed in certain genres and hope to use it to help patrons when someone comes to me 15 minutes before closing and says, "Can you recommend anything for me to read?" http://www.librarything.com/catalog.php

I did not find Rollyo easy to use. Maybe when you are introduced to so many new thangs you get tired of trying to find a reason to use them. I like Google searching and find it meets most of my needs. Maybe I need to revisit at another time. http://rollyo.com/susankloc/

What a way to start the day

2007-07-06T15:57:00.000-04:00

So how do you like my cup of joe?

I tried using Del.icio.us and found that I really liked it. Being able to find my websites on another computer is very helpful. I have added it to my toolbar and use it a lot.

http://del.icio.us/Skloc

I registered for RSS feeds on my home computer and I like the idea of having the newest posts in an abbreviated form so I can quickly scan it and see what is worth reading. This especially helps in looking at the NY Times and NPR sites since there is so much new material every day.

Feeling Creative

2007-06-27T14:08:00.000-04:00

I love changing colors and fonts in my blog.....in fact I do it a few times a day. Makes me feel like an artist. Who knew that blogging would bring me closer to Mary Cassatt?

A photo worth sharing

2007-06-27T13:21:00.000-04:00

My daughter Emily is part of Engineers without Borders at UMD. Their project was to bring water from a mountain stream to a remote village close to the Burma border. The villagers, professional engineers and students completed most of the project in early June and here is the result. A wonderful reminder of the good that is being created in our world.

Technology......you talking to me?

2007-06-27T13:08:00.000-04:00

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

The more I read everyone's blog the more I realize how technologically-challenged I am. I have a digital camera and I take lots of photos with it...but don't ask me how they get out of that little box. I have an MP3 player and have downloaded one "This American Life" episode from December but by the time I get it to play on my radio....had to buy this converter thing from Radio Shack....I only get to hear the first few minutes because I am usually fumbling with the wires and realizing that I am going to crash my car because I am too distracted.

So I do appreciate technology....especially the internet because it is the only way to plan a trip or find a great recipe or read mindless material on the celebrity of the week or watch You tube videos.....yeah I really like that, especially the ones my daughter sends me with weird or cute cats in them....now I am not only sounding technologically-challenged, but stupid.

Hooray for technology.....it keeps me amused, fed, and enlightened.

Time to Play...Please

2007-06-19T11:24:00.000-04:00

Hmmmm....I would say that "beginning with end in mind" would be my greatest challenge. Sometimes the end I think I am working towards changes along the way and I meander off the path. Easiest is play.....I think we all need more of that in our life.

Journey of a thousand miles......

2007-06-08T14:52:00.000-04:00

Me blogging? Brings me back to the old diary days when the only thing that prevented my brother from reading my entries was that incredibly secure lock on my little pink plastic repository of my most private reflections. But here goes.....