Wednesday, February 08, 2006

Five Great Mysteries Behind This Blog...
Another FAQ to Pass the Time

I've gotten a lot of e-mail since I started this sucker back in May 2005. Over the course of a few months, the style of writing has changed, the content, and there have been several different layouts.

I figured I'd better do an updated FAQ because I've started getting those pesky "you're not really a..." type e-mails again.

1. What I Do Professionally:
I am currently a librarian in southwestern Ohio, with an MLIS from Louisiana State University. I'm presently debating pursuing a Ph.D. in information science/intelligence studies and a Masters in Construction Management upon completion of my current position. While some library personnel specialize in building collections, building resumes, and building more bureaucracy, let's just say I specialize in building libraries - that's as detailed as I'm going to get. I don't work with books, databases, or do anything even remotely traditional in terms of being a librarian. There are, at last unofficial count, only about a dozen librarians in North America who does what I do for a living.

2. Why I Don't Talk about Librarianship Much:
Well, because most of the professional literature covers in such nauseatingly boring detail. I'm a firm believer in the principle of "go where the user is." Some people get a lot out of reading literature; I have to directly observe behaviors, mannerism, study speech patterns, and see levels of discomfort/comfort for myself to get an understanding of user needs. I've met folks at conferences who are completely right on in terms of understanding users but have no clue how to interact with the ones in their own back yard.

3. Why I am so Concerned with Political Issues in Places like Sub-Saharan Africa:
My research interest. I have no push to publish right now, so I do it as a hobby. It is my firm personal belief that finding practical solutions to the social and digital divides on the global, national, and local level is the key to achieving a more stable international climate. No human structure on this planet exists in a vacuum, especially not libraries, archives, museums, and other information repositories.

4. Why do I not post about the more everyday things in your life:
I post about whatever comes to mind when I'm sitting at a keyboard. Sadly, I try to blog about what goes on in my daily life. I'm more careful, I think, than most bloggers about posting personal information because:

(a) I've had a total of two cyberstalkers.
(b) Posting about hanging out with an adult entertainer became a major distraction at work, as apparently quite a few people witnessed she and I out and about here in Oxford.
(c) Yes, I know a few famous people, thanks to my media days. I've interviewed quite a few of them. I've been to cocktail parties with them. I've even had one buy me breakfast. My own brief 15 minutes felt like an eternity because I didn't respect my own need for privacy.

I'm also acutely aware that, unlike a lot of bloggers, there are locals who read this site, who know who I am and where I work. That's fucking creepy sometimes; other times, it's kind of neat and even downright amazing.

I'm very well-aware that my life is somehow interesting to some people, but I like to keep some things private. I don't blog about work-related business; if I do, it's rather inconsequential stuff.

5. Why I write so much about relationships and don't give sexual details:
Because healthy relationships fascinate me. Quite frankly, women fascinate me. I've spent a good portion of my adult life in and out of extremely dangerous, unhealthy relationships, so I'd kind of like to get a n idea of what, exactly, I've been doing wrong for the last decade and what, exactly, I've been doing right.

If you're waiting for me to start giving intimate details beyond simply implying certain activities, it's not going to happen. And I'm never going to blog about certain things, especially if they would embarrass other people involved.

And while this may sound pretty arrogant, I've never had any physical problems regarding intimacy. I may not know how to read signals or figure out the whole relationship thing, but I figured out the secret to mindblowing sex a long time ago - communication. Hell, everybody has to be good at something.

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow. Sex and libraries. I think I'll have to read your blog more often. I thought you were lying when you told me you were a librarian. Nope. No physical problems whatsoever. communication isn't the only thing you're good at dude.

:0)

~ An Old Um Pal

Anonymous said...

Here's a fucking clue mr. mysterious-

Paso Robles Inn. Car Show. Hotel room. Rob Zombie. And i never went out to get fucking ice or was passed out and i know you think i'm a tweeker. and i know everything and still don't know what the fuck jen saw in you.

The ZenFo Pro said...

Yeah. Got the e-mail. No worries. On it.

And thanks, seriously, for the courtesy, chica.

Lol...this has to look so bizarre to anybody reading this, so I'll delete it in the morning...

Old pal?!? Okay, dear ;)

Cooper said...

I shut down my blog in a second if any weird pathetic past life people came stomping around.....

Weirdly interesting job in a way anyway.

Anonymous said...

I blog and try not to write about work. I'm a librarian type (not certified/glorified). Not a big deal, right? Could be pretty anonymous? But my branch library is in a shopping mall--NOT normal. And since I'm very "out" about my geographic location, revealing myself as a library worker would essentially tell every co-worker I currently have exactly who I am. So I try to hide my librarian ties. Makes things tough. But, on the other hand, I understand exactly what you're saying here. Will check back again.

The ZenFo Pro said...

"Old Pal":
If ya come back this way again, hey, thanks, seriously, for the phonecall. You and I don't see eye-to-eye on a lot of things, but I do respect you as a person even though I disagree with some of the things you do with your life. We're all people here, and trust me, there are people in higher ed. with less common sense than you have. Degrees are like assholes these days - everybody seems to have one, and most of them are full of shit. My education level has nothing to do with any of the choices I make.

For anybody totally confused by this, see FAQ No. 4.

Alice:
Lol...I've come pretty close to shutting the blog down, but generally, I can handle it. But I finally installed an IP tracker for my own safety. And I think I've finally chased off the Facebook people.

As or the first few comments, yeah, they're kind of wierd. Its a sad statememnt on me personally I guess that people who know me from the real world have to leave a v-mail, e-mail, and post to the blo to get me to return a phonecall.

T.'s actually not a bad person and I'm actually kind of flattered she would post...fortunately, her online presence requires descretion as well...

Interesting? That's being polite, chica ;)

Kristy:
Hey thanks for stopping by! Lol...no worries, either, about the "certification" either...the only people who care about the difference are librarians and library school profs.

Oh lord, I hear ya. I have quite a few colleagues who know who I am and my library has gatecounts higher than most urban libraries. I actually could care less what my coworkers think about my personal life - being a straight male librarian in his 20s makes me an easy target for gossip already.

It does make it tough when it comes to posting. I end up deleting more stuff than I actually post some days.

I have more patron problems than anything else - apparently I do well in the local 16-22 year old female/ freethinking student market. No clue why. I can't even get a date in this town, yet I get random e-mails from local readers asking me to be their dates to some college formal - complete strangers.

I did have a local college faculty member give me some encouragement lately - and he picked up the bar tab.

Most of the local readership I've met tends to be simply shy I think. And I think the fact that I'm no bullshit stone-faced at work most of the time tends to scare people.

Please stop by again!

Anonymous said...

Now you know why I keep my blog entries fairly innocuous. :-)

As for my past...I doubt anyone cares enough to look me up!

Miz BoheMia said...

"...I figured out the secret to mindblowing sex a long time ago - communication."

Right on amigo... they do say the biggest sex organ, the best erogenous zone, to be the mind but some skill doesn't hurt either!

Loved the post. Don't know why anyone would want to know someone else's intimate details and I cannot believe they would email you about it!

Anonymous said...

Always great when we find out more interesting facts about our fellow bloggers... :) YES... "everybody has to be good at something"... :)

SeizeTheNite said...

"That's fucking creepy sometimes; other times, it's kind of neat and even downright amazing."

That sums up my feelings about blogging very well...you never know who is reading and in a way, thats the beauty of it.

Kudos for recognizing your talents, maybe you have a future in a new industry...
:)

Unknown said...

Your courgage and conviction have always drawn me to you. I lived with you through the "dark times" we learned and grew together and I can honestly say I have some very fond memories from that period.

You never did fit into a mold but neither did we. That is what made us work. I admire your courage to post what you believe, feel, experience. What you do is not who you are and those who know you realize that you are amazing.

Those who know you know how to find you and know that you will always be there to offer a hand, advice, or just listen. Never change.

I will always love and cherish our friendship.

me

Deb Sistrunk Nelson said...

A sexy librarian with scrupples, intriguing interests and a great writing style. I love it!

The ZenFo Pro said...

MM:
Well, its kinda hard to match a sock monkey to the person behind them ;)

MizB:
Exactly, chica! Who the hell cares about a damned Cassanova kiss? Sex is 90% mental and emotional. No clue why people e-mail me the things they do. Not just here, but in my real world life.

Shayna:
Of course ;) And I don't know why I'm so resistant to talk about things like sex. Lord, that's how we all got here ;)

STN:
Exactly. Its very cool and scary at the same time. Yeah, that industry has been knocking, actually...trust me, I'm so pale my ass glows in the dark. I can't even go skinnydipping anymore, planes end up trying to land near me ;)

Kfig:
Thanks.

Bell:
Hey, thanks for stopping by! Feel free to drop a line or two at any time. I have a rather thick skin, so if I say something that really pisses you off, feel free to blast me :) Lurk,post, or do whatever ya want.

DCS:
When the hell did I become sexy? Did I miss a memo somewhere? Dammit ;)

Deb Sistrunk Nelson said...

You're a babe magnet. Live with it. ;-)