LisaF's blog

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This breezy, cloudy morning reminds me of when my grandmother used to take me and my brother fishing.  She said that the fish were more likely to come out when it wasn't so hot.  And wouldn't today would be a lovely day to go sit under a shade tree and stick a line in the water?  Oh!  and here's a neat tip - if you don't bait the hook, then you can just drift off and take a nap, and the fish won't bother you.

The United Way is sponsoring the Eastside High School Spring Beautification Day on Saturday, March 24th from 9 a.m. until noon.  This is a great opportunity for you to enjoy the fresh spring air and to do something good for your community. 

In order to volunteer, you need to sign up. 

During the past year, local teens have been raising animals, making clothes, and perfecting their favorite recipes.  Why? To exhibit them at the Alachua County Youth Fair & Livestock Show, which takes places March 2 - 6 at the Alachua County Fairgrounds. 

The cowboy has always been part of the mystique of the American West.  Self-reliant, and answering to no one, the cowboy has developed a bit of a reputation as a daredevil.  And no wonder - they are frequently called upon to be brave and reckless at a moment's notice.  A calm herd of cattle can turn into a stampede in a matter of seconds, and if the herd isn't contained, then the cattle may be rustled, or go over into a deep gully or into a river that they cannot swim.  If any of these things happen, the rancher doesn't get paid, and the cowboy who contracts out to him doesn't either.  Add to this the elem

Black History Month got its start in 1926, when Dr. Carter G. Woodson began commemorating the second week of February as "Negro History Week".  This was to coincide with the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln.  The efforts of Dr. Woodson, one of the first academically trained African-American historians in the United States, are largely responsible for the observation of Black History Month.

Everyone has a story.  This includes you.  Liz Coursen believes that yours is worth documenting in the shape of an autobiography.  Not only that, she's also convinced that it is entirely possible for a regular person to not only write an autobiography, but to also have a successful book tour.  She will speak about these two subjects on Saturday, January 21st at District Headquarters.

The University of Florida HealthStreet and 3 Rivers Legal Services have teamed up to offer a Holiday Money Workshop on Thursday, December 13th, at 5:30 pm. The workshop will be held at 2124 NE Waldo Road, Bldg 1628 (ECOB), Suite 1200, Gainesville, FL 32609. Parking is free.

This is a great FREE opportunity to get a handle on your financial situation before you get overwhelmed by the spending frenzy that frequently occurs during the holiday season.

Learn about the benefits and pitfalls associated with layaway, check cashing, payday loans, and pawn shops. 

The Matheson Museum is hosting an Urban Forestry Workshop at 3:30 pm on December 7, 2011. 

Did you know that the Alachua County Library District offers free access to Foundation Center Directory Online AND to the Foundation Grants to Individuals Online?  These are available exclusively at the Headquarters library in downtown Gainesville.

Was walking by the new books area here at Library Headquarters the other day and came across The Mindset Lists of American History by Tom McBride & Ron Nief.  Now, I'm from Texas, where high school football is the state religion and practically every high school history teacher is a football coach.  Suffice to say that my grasp on American history is, um, limited. 

But this book is really cool - it takes a number of seemingly random years from 1880 through 2026 and tells what historical facts were true for that year's graduating class.

Here are a few examples:

1898

Why can't you visit Payne's Prairie after dark?  Well, as the sign near the Sink succinctly puts it, "After dark, if it moves, it's food."  Presumably the folks at the Florida State Parks don't want to fill out paperwork every time somebody gets bitten/eaten by an alligator.  Whatever.

Neither did I.  But according to the American Bar Association Journal, there are at least 10.  And you might have actually heard of some of them.

Does Daredevil ring a bell?  There was a movie made starring Ben Affleck back in 2003.

And who could forget She-Hulk? 

I just read on CNN that there is a new product that is essentially a caffeine inhaler.  As one who has been known to eat instant coffee because she was so sleepy that she couldn't wait long enough to drink a hot cup of coffee and let the caffeine kick in gradually, this girl is super-excited to see how this product works.

Jim Miller of NewsOK has a Savvy Seniors column wherein he offers tips for senior adults who are caught in house fires. 

Did you know that individuals who are older than 65 are more than twice as likely to die in a house fire as someone younger?  And that individuals who are over the age of 84 are more than 4 times as likely?  This according to the U.S. Fire Administration.

Yes, technically you could go to the Halloween store or to a big box store and drop as much money as you wanted on the perfect costume for your young'un.   But where's the fun in that?  Plus, they won't be able to wear it again next year AND do you really want your kid wearing cheap plastic?

Here's an easy one:

The Alachua County Genealogical Society exists to bring together individuals who are interested in exploring the histories of their families.  And if you go back far enough, there is a good chance that you will find somebody interesting.  And if you come across somebody on your family tree who is extremely difficult to research, there is a chance that somebody back then was trying to hide something. 

Bring your non-messy (by which we mean those that don't require liquids, paints, gloppy substances, and/or open flames) crafts to Library Headquarters on Sunday, October 9th, from 2:00 - 4:00 p.m.  Hang out with cool crafters.  Learn a little something.  And afterwards, wander back to the stacks to get your fix of craft books. Most of them are in the neighborhood of the 745s. 

Hope to see you there!  We'll be doing this on the 2nd Sundays of October - December, and if it turns out to be popular, we will consider making this an ongoing meet-up.

A devil's advocate is a person appointed by the Roman Catholic Church to prepare in writing any possible objections to an individual's beatification. 

In The Devil's Advocate, Al Pacino plays attorney John Milton, who is actually Lucifer in disguise. There's a great line at the end of the film:

Professor Leslie Harris, historian of race and slavery at Emory University, will lead two different public events in Gainesville.  One of these will be held at the Millhopper Branch Library on Sunday, October 9th at 2:00 p.m. and the other will be held on Monday, October 10th at 7:30 p.m. at the Smathers Library, 1A, University of Florida.

Martha Stewart is, of course, the domestic doyenne.  But before Martha, there was Mrs. Beeton.  Her magnum opus was Beeton's Book of Household Management.  The Alachua County Library District has a first edition facsimile that we keep in our reference collection; however, if you can't make it downtown, the text is available for free