Images that make me smile and remember

  A tree in Frankfurt, by the river, while it was snowing… Trip around Germany with my son, January 2015. ❤️ 
  
Flying above the clouds ❤️ flight to Melbourne, March 2016. 

 New Caladonia, Christmas Day 2015 a hike down to this cove, wow! 

  
I think I will always be amazed at Stonehenge… July 2015 

What images make you smile? 

 

Run, walk or crawl…

Happy New Year 2014!

I have been a bit slack with this blog. There I said it. I’d like to say I plan to blog more often, but I don’t know that I will.

As you may or may not know, I started trying to get fitter just over a year ago (November 5, 2012 to be exact). I didn’t have any specific goals in mind… just to get fitter and healthier. When I started, I couldn’t run 300 metres. A few weeks ago I ran 2 km without stopping to walk! I’m also running (and some walking still) 5 km ParkRuns most Saturdays now! I’m getting more sleep, I’m drinking more water, I’m tracking my activity levels (time active, steps and distance) with a FitBit, I’m eating more fruits and veggies, eating less processed foods and taking measurements every so often. So with just over a year of these lifestyle changes you would expect to see something on the outside wouldn’t you? I would. But I don’t. Well, that’s not totally true either, I have lost a few cm here and there, and gained half a kg!

It’s very frustrating! So a few weeks ago I’ve turned it up another notch… I’m now aiming to get 60-90 minutes a day of activity. It’s not really soon enough to tell if that will make a difference.

I’m starting the New Year off with a 5km ParkRun. I’ll report back in a few months to let you know how it’s all going!

Fitness Goals for 2014:

• be able to run an entire 5km run
• lose 5-10 cm off my waist, belly and butt
• continue drinking more water, get up to 1.5 litres a day average
• to feel better in my clothes

I am determined! I will get there running, or if I have to walking, I’d rather not crawl though!

Planning

Are you the kind of person that is spontaneous, or the kind of person that likes to plan things to the nth degree?  Are you somewhere in between?

I’ve noticed that my planning style has changed over the years, I used to be very spontaneous, then I became very pedantic and wanted everything planned well in advance. I’m now somewhere in between…

So why am I writing about this topic? I’m stuck. I am in a “whatever happens happens” mood at the moment, when I need to be in a “get out the list and get everything organised right now” mood!

At least I realise I need to change gears. Maybe that’s the problem… my bike is on it’s stationary stand, and the gears haven’t changed in a while.

What needs to get done ASAP? A lot of things!

• 3 more sewing projects need to be completed by Thursday night
• An abstract needs to be submitted for a conference, and a second abstract needs to be finished to also submit for the same conference
• I have a job application to complete also by Thursday
• then there is the long list… with 41 days to complete them all!

Luckily I have learned to thrive under pressure, and there is a good chance that everything will get done when it needs to be done. I just wish I had planned to get some of it done further in advance. Maybe next time!

Joy

Last month I went to Thailand for the first time. I went for several reasons…

• I love to learn about other cultures
• I was attending a conference (IUHPE)
• I had never been there before

I was energised by the people I met! I was fortunate to see many displays of local culture, the foods, the crafts, costumes and dance.

When was the last time you danced?!

Planning for 2013 and the next conference is…

Planning is important if you want the best chance of things going properly.

I have lots of travel planned for 2013, and several conferences that I’m planning for!

NLS6 is coming up next month! It will be my first NLS (New Librarians Symposium) and I am getting very excited about it! Those of you who know me, are probably thinking “why is she going to a NLS??”… and I know why you are thinking that. I’ve been working in various libraries since 2002. Wow, I just realised that’s over 10 years now! But you may not have realised that I haven’t been a “librarian” for nearly that long, in fact it has only been 2 and a half years.

I have another reason to be excited about NLS6, I’m going to be a speaker! So, if you are coming to NLS6, please come by and introduce yourself to me! Also, I’d love it if you’d come listen to me speak… the more the merrier!

Reflections

It’s important to reflect.

I find reflection done too long after an event sometimes a bit hazy, like the reflection in a fast moving train!

Alternatively, reflecting soon after an event can reveal many ideas and thoughts. Recording these reflections can serve as a reminder later when/if the memories fade.

The EAHIL conference that I recently went to, in combination with several days with a colleague in person (as opposed to our normal online conversations) were extremely inspiring to me! I came back to Australia with a renewed sense of direction and an enthusiasm that I hope lasts until the next conference! More on that in another post!

The books I bought in Italy

We traveled to Italy recently, Roma and Milano to be exact. Not my first time, nor will it be my last…

As a librarian I am drawn to books, not surprising I know. This trip was different though, I not only sought out bookstores, but I wanted to buy books too. Why is this different to the other trips? This time I bought not one book, but two. In Italian. A language I am ever so slowly learning. This is my sixth trip to Italy, yet I can barely speak the language. I can ask for a cappuccino, say please and thank you, oh and this trip I learned how to say our room number! But that is not good enough for me. So I bought two books, and I’m hoping that as I read through them that I will begin to understand the Italian language better. I also am hoping that my daughter will be curious enough to want to read them…

What books did I buy?

If you have any other suggestions, other than podcasts and CDs, that would help me with the language I’d love to hear about them!

Have you learned another language? Which one(s)? How proficient are you at that language? How old were you when you learned it?

I learned something today!

To get ‘credit’ for an image in Pinterest, it needs to come from your website/blog so that it can link back to that. If you just upload an image from your camera, like I did over the weekend of the Brisbane Square Library, it simply states “uploaded by user” but doesn’t mention who the user is (or worse yet the photographer/designer/creator)! That is ok when it’s on your own board, but once it is pinned to someone else’s it still says “uploaded by user”! So, I will be deleting my previous image, and linking to this one!

If you would like to see my Pinterest boards, please come visit at http://pinterest.com/bsheim/ you can have a look around. You will have to create a (free) account if you want to create your own boards.

Whoa, is it too much?

“Whoa, is it too much?” That’s the question of the day.  The answer might surprise you!

It is time to reflect over the past 3 months! First the history of the project.

Late last year I was toying around with an idea that had been bouncing around in my head off and on for several years. “What’s the best way to find health awareness dates for events that happen throughout the year?”  Several times I had gone to Google to see if I could find a comprehensive site that listed the months (like National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month) or weeks (like OCD  Awareness Week) or days (like World Aids Day).  Each time I started looking, I found that the sites that listed multiple events each had something useful, and something that annoyed me (broken links, old events, no links at all, etc).

I knew then it was time to do something. What to do? Make my own site? I had lots of questions though, I hadn’t built a ‘website’ in over 15 years. That was a family website many many years ago (close to 15 years ago when you had to learn HTML) and also another life and country ago!

• I first asked a close friend to look at the document I had started to put together, to see if the format made sense and to get her opinion on the project
• The decision was made to include health awareness events for the US, Canada and the UK
• I asked medical librarian colleagues that I had easy access to, and found one in particular that was not only encouraging but also knowledgeable and supportive and who recommended the blog format
• Though it was not a work project, I did seek input from my manager at work, who suggested I purchase a domain name to add credibility http://healthaware.org/  is the new domain
• A Google calendar was created; though it’s not mobile friendly, if viewed as agenda or by day it’s relatively easy to follow and it’s searchable by country (because country info is listed after each event title)
• I spent between 20 minutes and 3-4 hours a day searching for credible links to the events I found
• The more I looked, the more I found that a comprehensive site was needed
• On January 22 I ‘published’ the first page of my project which I had named HAPI (Health Awareness Project Information)
• Soon it was apparent that to get this information to the people who would benefit most from it, I would need to do more…
• A Facebook page was created http://www.facebook.com/pages/Healthaware/157047567745370
• Another medical librarian colleague, this one in Serbia, contributed the health awareness events for her country, from a site that is in Serbian, Hungarian and English (Thanks Ana!)
• Mobile app development began, using http://mobilecp.conduit.com
• An icon was created, as well as variations to use in various locations/formats (Thanks Guus!)
• A Twitter account was created @Healthaware_org and I use the hashtag #HAPI
• A Pinterest board was created http://pinterest.com/bsheim/healthaware/
• The passion that has developed over this project has opened doors for me.  Both as a person and as a medical librarian
• Other medical librarians have been contacted to see if they are interested in contributing to this project
• Public librarians have been contacted to see if they are interested in contributing to this project and I am curious as to whether they are able to use the site as a tool to deliver health awareness information due to their ideal place in the community
• I was chosen to present at the Intelligent Information Symposium in Sydney in May about this project and the international collaboration that has occurred http://intelligentinfo.com.au/
• I was chosen to lead a discussion on developing websites and mobile apps at LibCamp Queensland last weekend where lots of good questions were raised and discussed http://www.libcampqld.com/
• Now I ask the questions “What interesting questions have come up through this process?” “What have I learned so far?”  “What do I need to make this project better?” “Where can I take this?” “What is the best possible outcome for this project?” … next time!

Oh, and to answer the original question, “Whoa, is it too much?” the answer is no! There is still more that can be done, should be done and will be done!

Where do I find the time?

I’ve been asked this question quite often lately… “where do you find the time…”.

I’ve been developing a website/mobile app/facebook page/twitter account/pinterest board for HAPI (Health Awareness Project Information – http://www.healthaware.org), submitted an abstract (accepted!) for the Intelligent Information Symposium in Sydney, agreed to sit on a panel discussion at a class at QUT and submitted an application for a Churchill Fellowship.

Recently I’ve also finished 3 baby quilts and 3 wall hangings that I sent with my husband who was travelling overseas.

Yes, I have been busy!

So how do I find the time? For the most part I have to say that most everything I do, is because I am passionate about the activity. I make time for these things.

How many hours of the day do you spend not actively working towards a goal? How much time is wasted in your day? How much time do you spend on what could be considered work related things (self-improvement, networking, exciting projects, continuing education) outside of your work hours?

I do those kinds of things, most if not all, outside of work. Why? Because I am passionate about them, I know they will benefit others, and for that reason they also benefit me.

It’s all about time management… oh and I don’t spend a lot of time on housework! lol