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Monday, March 31, 2014

Opening Day




It's finally here...Major League Baseball Opening Day 2014!

Though a few teams have already begun their schedules, today is the day that most squads will kick into full gear.

That includes YOUR 2014 Minnesota Twins, who travel to Chicago to take on the rival White Sox at 3:10 p.m. today.



The great thing about Opening Day?  Every team starts off with a clean slate...0-0!  Some teams will inevitably come out of nowhere and challenge for the division title (our Twins?!), while others predicted for a World Series berth will fall hard (are you listening, Tigers?).  Anything can happen at the dawn of a new baseball season.

Thursday, March 27, 2014

Save Us, Sly...

If you have been following any sort of world news in recent weeks, you probably know that tensions involving Russia are at levels not seen since the cold war.

In fact, there are new reports just as of today about this very topic:

Russian Troop Buildup

There seems to kind of be a game of chicken going on, with NATO sounding alarm bells and Russian President Putin ignoring most of them.


Yet, yours truly (merely a humble librarian by trade) has a solution to the entire mess: another "Rocky" movie.

Seriously.

Remember Rocky IV from 1985?


In perhaps the greatest propaganda film ever made, Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) clashes with the "Beast of the East", Ivan Drago in an epic boxing match held in the depths of Russia itself.


After a ferocious battle in which both combatants (though starting off as bitter enemies) gain a mutual respect for each other, the victory (Rocky) gives an epic speech that resonates right through the screen...


You can credit "diplomatic relations" all you want, but I'll say that that speech did as much to knock down the Berlin Wall as anything.

So, here we are dealing with Russian tensions again.  Both sides are wary of each other and seemingly on the brink of a more major conflict.

Sylvester Stallone has been kicking around ideas for another Rocky film.  What better time to revisit Drago?!


Are you listening, Sly?


Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Duck...Duck...Huh?

When I was a kid (growing up in MN), we played a game in elementary school called "Duck, Duck, Grey Duck".  The premise was simple: One person was "it", and would walk around the outside of the classmates sitting in a circle.  Most students would get a tap on the head and a "duck" designation, but as soon as a "grey duck" was found, pandemonium reigned, as that student would have to jump up and try to catch the "tapper" before he/she ran all the way around the circle and jumped into the vacant seat.

It was a fun game.  Not quite in the realm of "Heads-up, Seven-up", silent ball, or the parachute/mini-scooter days of gym class, but still enjoyable nonetheless.

Yet, apparently, we are the only group of elementary learners who play this sacred duck-based game.  Among others, it is commonly known as "Duck, Duck, Goose".  While supposedly the exact same game, my upbringing begs to differ.

This guy agrees with me: Duck Controversy

How did you play this iconic childhood game?!


Tuesday, March 25, 2014

New eBooks On The Way!

Just today, we put in an order for 11 more FollettShelf ebooks for students to enjoy!  We are hoping they will be available sometime either late this week or next week.


Here is the list of new titles we will be receiving:

1984 (Orwell)
Because of Winn-Dixie (DiCamillo)
Heavy Hitters (Lupica)
Oddball MN: A Guide To Some Really Strange Places (Pohlen)
Peter Pan (Barrie)
The Encyclopedia of Me (Rivers)
The Giver (Lowry)
The Scorpio Races (Stiefvater)
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (Tolkien)
Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (Tolkien)
Percy Jackson: The Last Olympian (Riordan)
Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters (Riordan)

Monday, March 24, 2014

Giving New Meaning To "Religious Movie-Watcher"!

When it comes to movies, Hollywood has never been shy about cashing in on a good book.  Just look at Harry Potter, Twilight, The Hunger Games, and recently-released Divergent as proof.

Right now, however, there is a glut of Christian-themed movies either in theaters or hitting them soon.  Considering that the Bible is widely considered the most-read single book of all-time through the ages and contains a number of dramatic stories, it is actually strange that Hollywood hasn't jumped on that bandwagon even sooner!

For instance, right now a general re-telling of Jesus Christ and his death/resurrection story from the Bible is playing:



Another movie that just hit theaters is one in which the concept of God is put "on trial" in what looks to be a college classroom.  While not expected to even put up a fight against the opening weekend of Divergent, it still managed to carve out a decent audience:



This weekend, the story of Noah and his ark get the big-budget treatment:



Closer to Easter, a movie based on the best-selling book "Heaven is for Real" will begin playing:



Even further out, mega-star Christian Bale will take on the role of Moses in another Biblical epic:

Exodus Movie

No matter what your views on Christianity or religion in general, the fact remains that those types of stories will be out there for the general public to see for the remainder of 2014.  I've already seen "Son of God" (thought it was "pretty good") and I'm really excited for Noah & Exodus.  It will be interesting to see if they live up to the hype.

Friday, March 21, 2014

Divergent

Today, the biggest YA book-turned-movie since "The Hunger Games" hits theaters:



If you see it over the weekend, we'd love to hear your thoughts!

Thursday, March 20, 2014

First Day of Spring!

Today, March 20, 2014, is the first day of meteorological spring.  Of course, we here in Minnesota know that spring is by no means defined as a date/time:

(This picture was taken in Minnesota on a May 2nd)

That being said, generally-speaking the worst is going to be behind us at this point.  Those days of chiseling your car out of the driveway each morning and sliding to a (hopefully) stop at each intersection are probably in the past.  We might get a few more snow-related events coming through the area, but gradually warming temperatures and a higher sun angle will keep us from being encased in the white stuff for too long each time.

As such, the Star Tribune released a sort of "Tribute to Winter: 2013-2014 Edition" that I thought was kind of neat:


We are almost to the point where we can confidently say "we made it through another one"!

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

One Down, One Up

One Down

Metrodome Demo

Almost done tearing down the Dome.  Looks like parts of it could end up all over the area!

One Up

MOA Expansion

Just when you thought that the Mall of America couldn't get any bigger...surprise!  Supposedly, it will nearly double in size once the whole project is completed.  Maybe they should put in a bicycle lane or something in order to see the whole place in a day!

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

March Madness, Indeed

On St. Patrick's Day 2012, the temperature hit 80 degrees in the Metro Area...

2012 80 Degrees!

On St. Patrick's Day 2014 (today), we will probably get anywhere between 4-6 inches of snow (even more if you are north of the Metro).


Monday, March 17, 2014

3 VERY Popular Movies Are Now Here!

Movie Update:

Right now in the Media Center, we have three VERY popular movies that are quite new.  They are...

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire




The Book Thief




Ender's Game



These movies will likely be over $20 to purchase and have long wait times at public libraries, but we have them here for you!

Friday, March 14, 2014

Happy St. Patrick's Weekend!

For those of you who may be celebrating St. Patrick's day over the weekend...

Minnesota Twins Limericks




(I just played this song with the Fridley City Band!)

And two great Irish-themed movies...




(The Quiet Man)




(Far and Away)

Both great flicks to get you in the Irish spirit!

Have a great weekend St. Anthony!

Thursday, March 13, 2014

Hurray For New Technology!

Just as of today, we received some new technology here in the Media Center that we wanted to share with you...


15 new Chromebooks!

They come in a charging cart as well:



The Chromebooks cannot be checked out to individual students, but teachers/staff should have received an email about the procedures for using them.

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

On Tonight's Episode Of The Twilight Zone: A Missing Plane



In a story straight out of Rod Serling's "Twilight Zone", the case of the missing Malaysian jetliner just keeps getting stranger.

Missing Jetliner

Early last Saturday morning, a plane departing from Kuala Lumpur was supposed to arrive in Beijing.  It never made it.

The strangest thing, though, is that it hasn't been heard from since.  In this day and age of GPS technology and all other kinds of satellites flying around, one would think that a huge jet couldn't just "disappear".

Did it land in another country?  Unlikely, but still a possibility at this point (plus, what happened to the 239 people on board?).  Did it crash into the South China or the Andaman Sea?  Probably the most likely explanation, although no wreckage has been found as of yet.  Did it get caught in some sort of trans-dimensional plane of existence or a black hole?!  Maybe if this were a Stephen King novel.

Eventually the plane will be found.  It will probably be crashed in a large body of water, unfortunately.  Until then, it remains a mystery of the highest (i.e "Twilight Zone") order!

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Bracketology: So It Begins


Football is over.  Baseball is still meaningless.  Basketball is just getting to the point of effort being seen.  Hockey is just kind of cruising along.

Basically, this is a slow time for sports fans.  Around mid-March each year, though, the sports world gets shaken up by the annual March Madness NCAA tournament.


I'm not even a big fan of basketball in general, but I've loyally filled out a bracket for probably the last 15 years.  It is just too much fun not to!  Though skill does play a role in selecting which teams will advance, there is enough luck involved that even the most rank amateurs can fill out a bracket and win their classroom/office pool.

Will you go for the favorites...or the Cinderella story?  Do you like the standards (Duke, North Carolina, etc.), or are you a fan of "new blood" each year?  NCAA basketball has probably the most interesting championship setup (the huge bracket) of any playoff scheme every conceived.  Though some teams will gripe about missing out while others will thank their lucky stars just to be in the big dance, once the tourney begins it is a spectacle like no other.


Of course, if you think you have perfection running through your veins this March, try the Yahoo! Sports Bracket Challenge, where a perfect bracket would net you a cool billion (yes...with a "b"!) $$$.


Brackets can be joined now, while the teams will be announced on March 16.  What have you got to lose?!

Monday, March 10, 2014

Back At It






At least it is 40 degrees and snow isn't packed down on the roads anymore!