Saturday, January 07, 2006

Zenformation Mail 2006:
Happy Holidays, Bitchy Librarians, Porn, and Veteran Reader's Advisory


* NOTE - These are e-mails I've received via the Zenformation Professional. I reserve the right to NOT answer questions about my personal life but may answer them privately. I will only post e-mails and responses that specifically ask me to post a response; however, no advertising or hotlinking will be allowed.
E-mail text is unedited (other than identifiers) and some content may be objectionable to some folks.
- Jason,
AKA The Zenformation Professional


HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM A READER:

Iv never written before but i just wanted to wish you an happy holidays and thanks for keeping my roomate and i entertained last semester. i see you [on the Miami U. campus] all the time and never made the connection until i saw you in b-dubs. do you know i've never met anybody who reds your site? lol...i guess i'm smart enough to figure out that you're a real librarian. i hate facebook too. wow...i need to get out more. anyway i'll buy you a beer next time i see you Uptown.

- OXFORD, OHIO, Jan. 2, 2006


Well, I'm not surprised you haven't met anybody here in Oxford; only a handul of people probably would admit to reading a blog anyway :) Hey, thanks for reading and looking forward to the beer. - ZP

LIBRARIANS AND ADULT ENTERTAINERS...

hey i know where you work and was wondering if this porn chick has ever been to oxford to see you? two guys in my frat claim swear they saw a chick that looks just like somebody they've seen in a porno with some student worker from the [my] Library at Starbucks. was that you? are you going to be like doing this porn chick? dude i'd be all over that shit. What do other ppl at your work think about it?

- CLEVELAND, OHIO, Jan. 3, 2006


Hmmm. Not exactly a topic at meetings at work - at least meetings I'm attending. No clue if my colleagues know and I really don't care. Thay probably wouldn't care one way or another. There's a rumor mill at every place of employment; I have, however, heard several rather bizarre ones about me recently. (I've apparently slept with half the MU population - undergrad, grad, faculty, and staff.)

Yes, "J." has visited Oxford a few times. And yes, she has a taste for Starbucks. Maybe. Oxford is an extremely tiny place. As for "doing" anybody, if you've read for a while, you probably realize I'm not going to answer one way or the other. - ZP

ONE PISSED-OFF LIBRARY READER:

I just wanted to drop you a quick note to say that I will be dropping you from my bookmarks folder at work. I find your behavior an embarrassment to the LIS world and representative of everything that's wrong with our profession. The things you write about have no bearing on my professional life and do absolutely nothing to improve the image of librarians and library staff. While other LIS and NexGen bloggers are writing about real issues, you write about hanging out with exploited women, trying to get laid, and political issues that have no bearing whatsoever on library advocacy.

I must say I'm extremely disappointed with the direction this site has taken; it had definite promise. Instead of advocating serious issues and providing much-needed insight for NexGen librarians, you choose to link to college students and talk about your musical tastes.

- LOCATION WITHHELD, Dec. 31, 2005
Wow. That was harsh. Let me say that there are many library-related uses for web tools like blogs, Wikis, and the like. But, honey, if you think I started this blog back in May to somehow better the image of librarianship or to serve as an outlet for preserving the L-World's status quo, then it's probably for the best you're removing me from your bookmarks.

I'll go on the record here and say that I think that L-World bloggers like Kendrak's Attack, Library Bitch, The Hot Librarian, Library Tavern, The Well-Dressed Librarian, the Subversive Librarian, DIY Librarian, and the other "personaprofessional" blogs I list in my Blogroll are probably more in touch with the holistic nature of the information sciences than the majority of librarians. Let me also go on record as saying that when Katrina hit last year and devestated libraries and museums across the Gulf Coast, it was L-bloggers like Rochelle at Racoon+Tinfoil who put aside the everyday library bruhaha to help get information out faster than the professional news agencies.

Librarians and staff are human beings, first and foremost. We all have our interests outside of work. My life is my life. You forgot to mention that I also post on information poverty, something that is obviously out of the realm of mainstream librarianship. - ZP



STUPID "REPUBLICAN" PAWN???

I find your recent post endorsing right wing zealot/con-artist Kathleen Parker to be another example of how the NeoCons are attempting to discredit progressive blogger journalists. How is pushing your Republican agenda any different from what the Progressive Movement is pushing? We have children dying in Iraq and pushing this kind of biased attack makes you nothing more than a pawn of the GOP.

- HOUSTON, Jan. 1, 2006
You don't read this blog often enough. When did I become a pawn of the GOP? Is there some new Extreme Left massive hallucinogen no one told me about? As for "Progressive," "Conservative," "Liberal," etc., journalism...welcome to the new guilded age of the party press.

For the record, um, I'm not a Republican. And yes, there are children dying in Iraq. Unfortunately, I think politicos on the Right and Left seem to have forgotten that there is a whole world of killing going on around the world, in places like the Sudan, Ethiopia, Liberia, Nepal, Central America, etc. And, in the U.S., the wealthiest people in the world, continue to make funny faces at each other based on political leanings, fiddling like Nero, watching the rest of the world go to hell. - ZP



IRAQ WAR VET SENDS SOME LOVE:

dude thanks foor giving me the link to your web page. please feel free to repost this. this is really neat stuff. it was so nice talking with you in Cali the other day. hope you made it back in one peace.i can't believe how much you've changed and i can't believe how odd it was running into you the other day. saw some slotown whacko called you mr. johnson lol. thanks for the coffee and letting me vent a bit. it sucks getting back to the states and having ppl want to judge me for serving my country. i want to screa sometimes when i hear some of the bulklshit stuff going around. like i said, unless you been there you don't know what its really like. i served my country to make the world a safer place. i'm not going to criticize the government or anything but coming back to a country full of whiny liberals and batshit conservatives who don't give a flying mionkeyfuck about the people who volunteer their lives to keep them safe to bitch. i know it was a while ago and i'm sure you don't remember me but i'd love to have something along the lines of what ou said to send to some buddies of mine. PS I haven't been able to put down that book you recommended. youre right i needed some perspective. we havent always been this fucked up...or maybe we have.

- LOCATION WITHHELD, Jan. 6, 2006
Man, hanging out with one badass Iraq vet was probably the highlight of my trip! Talking to you reminded me of why nobody should ever forget the men and women who serve their county. Hope you had a safe flight as well. I'd never turn down such a request - will post sometime this week. I'm glad you enjoyed the book. You may also want to check out Joseph Ellis's His Excellency and Founding Brothers. - ZP

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Re: bitchy librarian:

Holy shit, dude. Talk about your streotypical librarian. After volunteering at a library back home last summer, I realized yeah there are definitely cool librarians and definately uncool librarians. Personally, I think you do a fine job portraying librarians. I know I look at male librarians differently these days. Well, I look at their crotches to figure out what kind of special collections their hiding ;)The porn thing is kind of bizarre but I had a class last semester with a girl who's mom was a stripper. Nice girl.

Re: Iraq Vet:

That's really awesome, J.! I hope that bitchy lib chews on that for a while...aren't librarians supposed to help people find good things to read?

Anonymous said...

Hmmm...

Methinks you achieved a higher plane of disdain than I.

I guess I have to work on it...

http://www.taozenchi.com/bcpblog/?m=20060103

Anonymous said...

You know this is the most interesting Nexgen blogs I've read in a long time. So you're dating an adult entertainer? Are you an academic librarian? Public? Special? Just curious...
I don't think it is fair for someone to judge a person based solely on what they write. And I know from firsthand experience that libraries are indeed rumor mills, esp. for single folk.

The ZenFo Pro said...

All:
First let me apologize for the choppy writing. Was in a bit of a hurry. I've been swamped at work lately, so editing has fallen off a bit...


Megan:
You know, I never completely realized the potential for sexual innuendo in the L-World. LMFAO...thouh I'm sure there are libs who might find this appalling, I think librarianship needs a good sexual stereotype. No problem with college students staring at the crotches of male librarians...just remember that Special Collections require permission and care when handling to preserve the "material" for future generations ;)

As for house dancers and other adult entertainers who are performing to work their way through college, I say more power to them. I've known women who've used working in a strip club as a means to pay for everything from childcare to tuition in college - smart, normal girls who aren't "sluts," "whores," or "tramps" but are now doctors, lawyers, and even librarians.

Re: the Iraq Vet...I hadn't thought about it that way....thanks!

Bob/Anon:
Lol...your "fan" mail is a bit more civil than mine. I used to debate for hours hether or not to post something, for fear I'd get this random e-mail filling my in-box with everything from Bible verses to "private" BI sessions in dorm rooms, and towards the end of last year, I was getting paranoid about the potential for harsh judgments - namely by local student readers and other libs. Part of my New Year's resolution is to quit censoring myself to appease cyberspace.

Jessica:
Thanks for stopping by! And thanks for the compliment! No, not romantically involved with J., just friends...or something. Not sure how to describe it. I am indeed an academic librarian (there...that should make it easier for people in SW Ohio to figure out where I work :) Thanks for the affirmations, too.

Unknown said...

To the vet and any vet who can see this you have my respect and heartfelt wishes of gratitude. You have the dedication to be put into whatever situation our government tells you to be in because you made a commitment. I have had friends go over and come back I have a dear friend over now. I can't begin to imagine the things you have seen and experienced and I wish that people would realize that if they are going to be pissed at someone do not take it out on the brave men and woman who would go anywhere and do anything to save you ass so you can sit on your high horse and bitch. The next time they want to bitch about any freedoms that are not being protected they need to be on the front lines.

Ok off the soapbox. As for you J as always I respect that you post what you feel. A blog is a place for whatever you see fit. I have known you long enough to know that there is no personal agenda and that you gave up on trying to save the world but have resolved to speak your mind and reach those who are willing to listen. I feel sorry for those who are to close minded to realize that by you being straightforward enough to post some of the things you have in the past and will in the future you are giving people the same rights you wish to protect which is to have the freedom, confidence and ability to speek their mind in whatever fashion they so choose.

Stay you.

Me

Smurf said...

Poor Jay, what is it with you offending people? I think you are one of the sweetest and smartest people I know... some people are just looking for a reason to get offended... be like a duck and let the water just roll off your back. You are an awesome guy and have lots of awesome things to say. Some of what you have to say can be a bit strange, but you are J... lol... that is you... dont change or limit your expression because they are trying to get offended... just my opinion.

Anonymous said...

Egads! It's the attack of the BunHeads!

I wonder if that's the same one who ripped on me? It's almost a carbon copy of the email I received a few months back ... except for the "this site had promise" part. I don't think the title gave any illusions ... yet they wrote it anyway.

Too many idiots out there to count, dude. But if they weren't there, who the hell would we laugh at anyway?

Peace J,
G

Anonymous said...

I just wanted to say I totally love your shirt today. Don't like the shoes though. The letters are must get annoying. Hope this isn't annoying. She's a business major. She thinks you're hot. Me? Boyfriend-bound. But you seem like a decent guy. And I like the fact that we have people in this stupid town who are open and honest enought to talk about real issues not related to eating disorders, gucci, or other stupid shit.

B.

P.S. - not a stalker just saw you walking through the music library and wanted to say hi :)

Cooper said...

Now that I know you are a republican pawn I will have to stay away. :0

Wow, I go away for a short time and the whole blog world is on some kind of redo phase. I have much catchign up to do.

The ZenFo Pro said...

Kfig:
Hey, I wouldn't say I've completely given up on trying to save the word ;) Thanks for the support!

Smurf:
For some reason, I've had this knack for offending people. Yup. No more limiting my expression to satisfy others. Part of my New Year's Resolution :)

G:
Too many strange folks indeed. At least she was courteous enough to send a message ;)

Anon:
Aha! I finally catch one of a library reader in the act (Yeah, I recognized my own page on the screen as I walked through Amos the other day.) As for the shirt, yeah, gotta love holiday gifts.

Alice:
Oh, you know me...regular ol' Karl Rove here ;) Redo? You? I see the new textured, bikini-clad photo...take it HI was enjoyable, eh?