… the online home of a librarian in Perth, Western Australia
I haven’t been using Twitter very much these past few weeks. Just haven’t had much reason, or time to post updates. Also, the thought of posting “doing citation count”, and “still doing citation count”, and “still…” depressed me no end. I’ve much preferred to attend a conference vicariously, and learn about everyone’s hectic and interesting lives. I’ve been surprised at how much I’ve been enjoying that aspect of Twitter. As David Weinberger says: “Twitter is about the intimacy of details.”
I switched off phone updates, though, as it was very distracting to have my mobile phone constantly vibrating throughout meetings, but I might switch it on again for a while. I’ve been getting my updates via RSS, but that’s always got a slight delay to it.
I haven’t got that many Twitter friends at all (only 19!) but I don’t particularly mind as it’s still relatively easy to keep up with that number of friends. I could have more, but I haven’t added quite a few people because I didn’t recognise them at all (even after pondering their profiles) and found myself disconcerted at the thought of adding complete strangers. And yet I have added a few people who live here in Perth, whom I have not met. For some reason I like the fact that I have these ‘friends’ who live in my hometown. I suppose we do have something in common!
For a while after I started blogging, every time I wandered around the city, I looked at passing strangers and wondered if they blogged. Now I wonder if they twitter.
A bit later: M reminded me of this cartoon from Hugh MacLeod which says it all, really:
Been thinking recently about priorities and how I’m going to make enough time for all of them.
Made a list of Stuff I Do:
With family (includes Paco)
Reading
Blogging
Games
Watching tv/movies
Exercise
Quiet time
Language stuff
This is in rough order of priority, or maybe that should be order of frequency.
I haven’t added writing to this list, something I want to do more of. I had my Emsig yesterday (MPOW’s version of the annual appraisal - stands for Managing for Continuous Improvement and Growth - the MCIG, everyone calls it Emsig - sounds like an agricultural production target in a command economy or something…). The Boss is keen for me to keep writing. I’m finding that although I don’t find always the process particularly easy, I do enjoy getting my thoughts on paper (or onscreen). I volunteered to work on a couple of papers, after telling The Boss that LINT folks are working on another at the moment. Which reminded me that I was meant to have converted my two conference papers from last year into journal articles.
I don’t really have any strategies for making more time, apart from watching less tv and spending less time on games. As it is, I’m not spending all that much time on both these days.
Looking at the list, it occurs to me that I would like to have exercise as a higher priority. I don’t think quiet time is high enough on the list, either. Language stuff is too low on the list, but this might change soon, as M and I are going to be attending Dutch language class soon.
The only item on the list that is completely non-negotiable is family time, but that’s as it should be, I think.
