Okay, the Internet didn’t really eat it. And not even the Internet, but Firefox. It crashed while I was looking up highball and daiquiri recipes. Not because I wanted to drink–okay natch, I do want to drink–but only because I was reading about drinks. Which makes me want to drink. (Also reference the Good Eats bar show I saw this week, I want a homemade mint julep or a real Hemingway daiquiri.)

Sadly, I also had about 15 tabs open with interesting things to blog and share with you. This was after reading about 50 pages on 1880-1910 higher educational reform. I needed a break. I’m thousands (literally, actually, thousands, actually) of posts behind on the blogs I “follow.” Follow is a poor term. Have linked into Bloglines and never read anymore so they sit at 200 new messages all the time. Tonight I fixed a bunch of those by marking them read (and assuming sometime in the near future I’ll read the new posts that come after tonight.) The rest I actually did read, and was going to recap them for you in a swarmy post that was well thought out, well linked, and a lot of fun to write and read.

[ And right here is where I presume most of you will quit reading. Eric's already bored. If I were you, I might not keep reading. After all, THERE IS A MONSTER AT THE END OF THIS BLOG. ]

I had web pages talking about how well the Illini are doing, after hitting our 20th win (eat that Linney!) and taking one from Wisconsin (a.k.a. Whisky – see a theme?) on the road last night. I have a feeling I am going to regret not getting Big10 Tourney tickets. (It’s not too late to make Spring Break plans!)

I had a few posts on the technology sufferings of the United States, how other countries have 45Mb/s bidirectional broadband for $7/mo and we pay 7 times that and don’t get a 7th of it. How cell phones technology is great, and still sucks. (Yeah, that’s it, I’m boycotting by sticking with my 1990s technology phone. It got two compliments this week: how comfortable it is against your ear, and how secure it is that most of the buttons are worn clear.)

I may have mentioned hockey this weekend, with fights and ejections and goalies whose parents apparently bought insufficient contraception. And multiple visits to Firehaus, which inhabits R&R’s old space, with similar features — but is entirely different. The 25% lunch discount to UIUC staff is great, and the burger was good, so I’ll return. (Also during the night life, where I can, you know, drink.) Going back into R&Rs was like reuniting with an old friend that you hadn’t seen in a while, and although you were mostly the same, you were entirely different — which is both scary, fascinating, and familar. I’m pretty sure that’s reflexive; the bar probably feels the same way about me. Except now there are no sharkbowls, and Wednesdays are cheap whiskey night. I guess we *have* grown up.

I could have said something about the bloggies nominations, and me noticing that some of the blogs I read and hold in high esteem are listed. I *am* trendy in the blogosphere. Even if I didn’t read some of them, I’d heard of most of them, and that implies some level of what-is-hip-ness.

The Academy Awards nods were out, all for movies I have yet to see. I’m through the ‘crap’ part of my Netflix queue, and have finally stumbled upon 2003 movies that won or were nominated in 2004. NetflixFan Becky is sad she’s less than 2 movies per day for January. I would be happy with two a week. But I did watch City of God last night. (Bonus to the questionable-quality movies I just finished is they weren’t much longer than 90 to 110 minutes. These are more like 130-150.)

I am somewhat fortunate in that when I turn off the TV to focus on reading (and then unwinding from the readings,) my friends will still get a hold of me to tell me to turn on the TV. Thanks to Chrissy and Beth (well, it could have been Marc on Beth’s account, but Marc rarely calls me sweetie) for clueing me into basketball I needed to watch. Road wins are fun, even when they’re Iowa and Dukey.

Sports in HD are good. Mom bought a new TV this week, so I won’t be without when I go south. She’s pumped because she gets to see the Olympics in HD. I’m excited because she gets to see her first SuperBowl in HD. I still remember watching it at Nate’s in 2001 and *wanting* that TV. Now everyone’s going HD. (And adding great new words to the vernacular, such as “standard definition face” and “real definition.”) Speaking of that, I have Superbowl squares to buy if anyone’s interested.

We were going to chat about mashups and how that’s changed web-middleware, creating a marketplace where information and its forms are the cash and commodity. Web 2.0 is many, many things but it’s also a framework where you can make the information work for you. And then provide it (free) for people who want to use it. It’s about crazy ebb and flow and I dig it!

I might have wanted to say that in my class discussion about legislating information, and talking about the “analog hole” (which could also be a great band or porno name,) a girl across the circle of desks pointed that techies can defeat any technology, it’s what they do. Honestly, I’m not sure which came first – me looking up from scribbling in my tabletpc, eyes sweeping around the room, to see who was looking at me — or everyone looking at me that made me look up. Either way, she seemed embarrassed, and corrected herself. I just laughed and nodded acknowledgement – she’s right, and right to look to me. It’s just funny being “that guy” to those people. (Sidenote: I hope “that guy” in their minds is more like Dilbert–jack of all geekdom, master of none, fun in a self-deprecating way–than Trinity, the one who hacked the IRS d-base and saves Neo’s ass all the time.) The other thing I’m going to try hard to do in Friday’s lecture is not talk; not comment or raise my hand on anything. Just sit and take notes. Tony understands that can be hard, but I think maybe at this point it’s better to be thought the fool than to open my mouth.

Besides, I can always blog my thoughts later. I guess I need to wear the “I’m blogging this.” shirt to class. I wonder if that one will go over as well as the Google jersey. (Or maybe someone needs to come over and print me more warning labels … although I have verifiable evidence that breaking-dvd-encryption deCSS-apparel can snag a wife.)

But, since the tabs are gone, I know I’m forgetting things I wanted to say. The Uni High library blog was proud because they finally have a Fiction section — apparently something that doesn’t work well in the University research-based cataloging. Move over Dewey — roll over if you have to! (Note, I have no bias on any cataloging/classification schemes until I take the cataloging class, and probably at least one metadata one.)

So, yeah, that’s a small part of all the things I can’t blog about because technology failed me. But I had to still post what I could remember, since I’m a librarian. I can’t withhold information. In other news, it’s perfectly okay for the university to withhold my email…. but that’s another story for another time. I’m getting a drink. If you made it this far, give yourself a drink too.