Kissena Library is very proud to launch our new Social Networking tools. Through social networking we can reach our users on their convenience. Our users are very busy people, we know this! That is why we are happy to provide useful information, at your fingertips, through the web. Our reference librarians are happy to post informative instructional tutorials through our Youtube page and you can keep track of our upcoming events through our brand new Facebook page. If you are searching for a good book to read, why not try our reader's advisory group on Goodreads? Additionally, you can discuss hot topics, book club reads, and community concerns with other users of Kissena Library by connecting through our new social media tools. We hope you enjoy these new features and we encourage any thoughts our suggestions for reaching you, our users.

Time for Mount Holyoke

Time is the strangest thing about Mount Holyoke. People come and go here so fast. I thought I'd never get my Bachelor's and suddenly I opened my eyes and it is time to leave.

Peakin in Beacon

Last week I finished my summer-long internship at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum / Foundation. The summer, for me, was mostly spent riding trains. My roundtrip commute was about four hours daily and at times I felt really sad that I was not experiencing some of the things it seemed my fellow interns had. At six I was out the door, running to the subway to make sure I didn't miss my connecting train at Penn Station. I did not socialize much outside of the office, not because I didn't like everyone I met but because I got home around 8:00 PM or after, had to find time to eat, study for the GRE and go to bed. I was reminded of my life before I went back to school. Some people have tried to say "yes Jackie, welcome to the real world." I think some of them have forgotten that I didn't start college until I was 26 years old. Real world? I've already lived the real world of working to survive, scraping pennies to buy my dying mother cancer medication, waking up and going to bed in a life like Bill Murray's in Groundhog's Day. I lived a daily life of little respect where I felt inadequate from my co-workers and longed to push myself academically and grow as a woman and human. I have done all of these things and more and the recent experiences I have are surely why I ever got an opportunity to intern at the esteemed Guggenheim Museum in the first place. I still feel honored to have been part of the amazing organization but saddened that I was not living closer to my office.

As I left my last day in the office on Thursday all of these emotions came over me. I couldn't believe it was over and I wanted to feel more and learn more. The next day we were to go to Dia Beacon, upstate in a section I once knew in my life before the age of eleven. Growing up in Putnam County, my concerned yet misguided mother insisted that the public schools were not good and chose to send my sister and I to private school (big mistake financially) in Yorktown Heights. My friends came from all over including surrounded towns and Peakskill, Mahopac, Poughkeepsie, Fishkill, etc. We were to arrive at Grand Central Station and meet by the information clock by 8:30 AM. This meant I was on a 6:30 AM train out of Long Island. Even so, I missed the train by one minute! Instead, I had to wait and travel the MetroNorth by myself an hour later. During the train ride I gazed out the window following the Hudson River Valley as memories from my childhood filled my vision. I remembered birthday parties from kindergarten, nature walks with my mother, and back to school shopping trips for navy penny loafers. I couldn't help but feel that my life had come full circle. Also, I had never understood why my parents moved us out there. We had no family there and they both seemed to hate each other growing up so I resented upstate and saw it as a barrier separating ourselves from the life of Manhattan or my family in Fairfield County. Now, I was on my journey to say goodbye to a community of friends and peers that I grew to know as other art and museum guru's and thank the Guggenheim for this experience. I was carrying the passion of art my mother passed on me and the memories of all the museums she took me to. I started to wonder what she would have said if I could have called her on the phone to tell her I was working for them. I don't think pride would even begin to sum up the way she would have felt.

Later... (I'll tell you later).

Guggenheim Summer

As my Spring Semester came to an end, I found it surprisingly more difficult to maintain other aspects of my life - well, the social media side of life. Everything was put on hold while my academics took top priority for me until the end of May. Immediately after I started my summer internship at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum for the Development department. Although I am already trained on doing many of the things I have had to do for my assignment, I have had exposure to Raiser's Edge software and now am a confident user. Additionally - I am so impressed with how nice everyone I've had to work with are. My supervisors are very down to earth and my fellow interns are really nice as well. I admit that I was really intimidated at first - not because of the work, but fearful that there would be a certain sense of pretentiousness in the air but I really haven't found that at all - quite the contrary! Everyone has been quick to help one another, and many of us have become friends and manage to make plans outside of the offices. Every friday is our cultural day where we go to exhibitions, museums, galleries. The people we are meeting at these places are so informative and always explain their career paths and previous experience. This summer is stressful - I have very little time to myself and am taking the GRE's next month, but I know I will be so grateful for this all in the future!

Cutting Edge

Yesterday I headed into the city (rather late) to have my dear friend cut my hair. Since we were young we were always sharing our style tips and hair passions with one another. From crimped and teased to pink and bobbed to long and brown and cropped and blonde, we've had a lot of hair styles over the past fourteen years. I was so excited when she decided to go to cosmetology school and am still more excited to see how her skills will evolve. I don't mind being a guinea pig as long as it's to help someone I care about! And guess what? I didn't cry! Thank you C.

Guggen Time

I am home in New York for this week for my college's spring break. It couldn't have been better timing! I just found out on Thursday that I will be a working full-time in the Development division of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. Today we took the day off from work (real work and school work) and visited the museum. Who ever heard of a museum open on Mondays? Awesome, huh? I was excited to take advantage of the new exhibition, The Great Upheaval. We discovered, however, that Craig dislikes Kandinsky. I guess the Gugg is sort of the worst museum to go to if you don't like Kandinsky but I believe he had fun nonetheless. Some of my favorite highlights were many of the Delaunays, Braques, and Duchamps. I was probably most moved by Picasso's Woman Ironing. Witnessing this work is haunting and paralyzing. I can't believe I'll be there all summer! Yowzers!

Don't Gimme No Lip Balm

About six months ago I was sitting around a dining table with friends and I made an announcement that I had a deep confession to make. All friends diverted their attention to me and listened carefully as I admitted that I had never, not even once, finished an entire tube of Chapstick. What had happened to all of tubes? I acquire at least two dozen a year between buying them on my own, gifts in christmas stockings, and accidentally stealing my sister's or boyfriends. My relationship with Chapstick (and all other lip balms to be accurate) is similar to how my relationship with lighters used to be when I was a full-fledged smoker. I would acquire lighters left and right, usually by unconsciously stealing them from other people, and I'd never finish them - so what gives?

Ok back to Chapstick. Where did all the tubes go? Did the sock monster steal them along with all my missing socks too? Ever since this confession it has been my goal to actively use my Chapstick in the hopes of reaching the end of the tube. I am happy to announce that this Saturday, March 12, 2011 I reached the bottom. I was twisting the end of the canister and suddenly it kept twisting and nothing was rising. I stick a pin into it and it stopped.

New goal: to finish ALL random Chapstick tubes that I have in my possession, which could easily take the next five years. I will not accept any new tubes from now until then. Wish me luck.

Eyes In the Back of My Head

What is it worth?

Purple Cats

Brown Bear Brown Bear What Do You See?

I see an Izzie staring at me. This photo was taken during my family's visit to Mount Holyoke and the Eric Carle Museum. Apparently, my twenty-month old niece's favorite book is Brown Bear, despite not really being able to pronounce the words. She recites the book by memory, only by humming the melody of the rhymes. It is amazing to watch children and consider all of the things they have jam packed in their memories. She has also gotten to that age, of course, where I'll probably have to be extra careful with everything I do for she will remember anything I say and hold me to it. I can't wait to see this munchkin this week!

Halfway There

We have officially made it to the halfway point of the semester. Spring break is in full swing, however I will be working tomorrow at the Carle until 5:00 PM. I don't mind, of course. Afterwards, I will sit in the car for 3-4 hours, listening to some of my favorite albums. What's in store, you might ask? I will definitely be in the mood for Violator [Depeche Mode], any or all LCD Soundsystem albums, possible Japanese Whispers [The Cure]. Too many choices, unfortunately, paralyzes me when I am trying to sift through an IPod on I-91 and I end up listening to nothing all while trying to come to a decision.