Some Random Thoughts (or Questions) about Facebook
By Kay Carlsen
Having recently opened a Facebook account only because of a request from a high school classmate who wanted to start an alumni group of our graduating class, and being new to the social networking scene, I have a few observations.
If I spend a lot of time on Facebook, will I be capable of anything other than random thoughts?
How much information do I really want about other people’s minor illnesses? Do you suppose I could contract the stomach flu through Facebook? I sure hope not, but it seems to be making the rounds.
How do people who have 946 friends keep up with all of them? I have 34 right at the moment, and occasionally that seems like more than enough.
What’s the idea of poking someone? I always thought that wasn’t very polite. I must admit, I don’t quite get it, but I obviously don’t have everything figured out yet. That includes the chat feature, although I have used it a couple of times.
The number of people I know on Facebook is quite amazing, and they include people of all ages - from my 15-year-old granddaughters to my 80-something-year-old aunt.
Is there anything very interesting about what games people have been playing and what their score was? I have a hard enough time being interested in what the Vikings are doing, or not doing, as the case may be.
What is it that compels me to log unto Facebook every time I get a e-mail message telling me what someone has posted on my wall or commented about one of my posts? After all, the e-mail tells what they said. Then once I’m on there I spend 15 minutes checking on other people to see what someone else may have written to them.
What is truly interesting to me is seeing the web of relationships that connect us all. I know a certain number of people, and they know a certain number of people, who in turn, know even more people. As the English divine John Donne wrote nearly 400 years ago, “No man is an island entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main.” While in a sense it is true that all this technology can isolate us, it can certainly be used as a tool to keep us more connected with our relatives, friends and acquaintances around the world. Who knows what old friend or acquaintance I may discover tomorrow? While I suspect John Donne had no inkling of how we’d be communicating in 2010, I think he might have approved.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
February at the Art Center
February is here, and with it comes some great news - the Fosston Library is regaining its Saturday hours. Beginning February 6, the library will be open every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Open hours during the rest of the week have not been cut.
Here’s some more good news - the basement is looking better and better after last spring’s flood damage. The floor was painted during Christmas break, thanks to some volunteer help, and carpeting has been installed in the entry off the ramp entrance.
The Fosston Community Library Arts Association held its annual meeting January 13. Paula Swanson was elected to the board to replace Mark Hendrickson, was term was finished. Betsy Anderson, Ric Sorenson and Scott Wilson all agreed to serve for another term and were re-elected. Bonnie Stewart was elected as our new president, with vice-president Scott Wilson, secretary Keri Mireault and treasurer Betsy Anderson all agreeing to serve for another term. Other board members include Orland Aspen, Carol Hagen and Kay Carlsen.
Paula Swanson, our newest board member, has lived in Fosston from nearly 17 years, but she is originally from Duluth, where she grew up and worked as a nurse for several years. Her husband Darren is a doctor at our local clinic, and she has three teenaged children - Sam, Ellen and Libby. Her hobbies include reading, knitting, quilting, travel, and outdoor activities. She says she wants to be involved and more active in promoting the library and the arts center. We welcome Paula to the .
A big thank you to Mark Hendrickson for sharing his time and talents with us, and also to Lori Balstad, who has served on the board for a number of years, and who was one of the members who were instrumental in getting the new library built. Lori is also stepping down. We really appreciate everything she has done
` The Hot Reads for Cold Nights program is in full swing with 43 participants signed up so far. The first weekly prize winners were Arlene Brinkman and Donna Storrusten. It’s not too late to sign up. Remember, to qualify for the prize drawings, all you need to do is read four books - no book reports required.
If you think you might like to join Facebook, but are unsure how to go about it, there will be a special help session on Tuesday, Feb. 9, at 2 p.m. at the library. Learn how to set up an account, upload photos and send messages. I recently joined Facebook myself, and I’m finding it pretty interesting. Do you know there’s Dogbook and Catbook, too? I didn’t until our daughter-in-law put their dog on Dogbook.
One more item of note - the library has tax forms available.
Here’s some more good news - the basement is looking better and better after last spring’s flood damage. The floor was painted during Christmas break, thanks to some volunteer help, and carpeting has been installed in the entry off the ramp entrance.
The Fosston Community Library Arts Association held its annual meeting January 13. Paula Swanson was elected to the board to replace Mark Hendrickson, was term was finished. Betsy Anderson, Ric Sorenson and Scott Wilson all agreed to serve for another term and were re-elected. Bonnie Stewart was elected as our new president, with vice-president Scott Wilson, secretary Keri Mireault and treasurer Betsy Anderson all agreeing to serve for another term. Other board members include Orland Aspen, Carol Hagen and Kay Carlsen.
Paula Swanson, our newest board member, has lived in Fosston from nearly 17 years, but she is originally from Duluth, where she grew up and worked as a nurse for several years. Her husband Darren is a doctor at our local clinic, and she has three teenaged children - Sam, Ellen and Libby. Her hobbies include reading, knitting, quilting, travel, and outdoor activities. She says she wants to be involved and more active in promoting the library and the arts center. We welcome Paula to the .
A big thank you to Mark Hendrickson for sharing his time and talents with us, and also to Lori Balstad, who has served on the board for a number of years, and who was one of the members who were instrumental in getting the new library built. Lori is also stepping down. We really appreciate everything she has done
` The Hot Reads for Cold Nights program is in full swing with 43 participants signed up so far. The first weekly prize winners were Arlene Brinkman and Donna Storrusten. It’s not too late to sign up. Remember, to qualify for the prize drawings, all you need to do is read four books - no book reports required.
If you think you might like to join Facebook, but are unsure how to go about it, there will be a special help session on Tuesday, Feb. 9, at 2 p.m. at the library. Learn how to set up an account, upload photos and send messages. I recently joined Facebook myself, and I’m finding it pretty interesting. Do you know there’s Dogbook and Catbook, too? I didn’t until our daughter-in-law put their dog on Dogbook.
One more item of note - the library has tax forms available.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Good News!
It appears that the Saturday hours at the library will be restored some time in February. Watch for an official announcement.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Auction for the Arts
If you missed the Auction for the Arts, you can still see what the refreshment table and the stage set looked like.
Sorenson Gallery
Here are a few of the woodcuts currently on display at the Sorenson Gallery. Artists who created these works are Jean Gumpper and Gordon Mortensen. 
January at the Arts Center
While it seems to be just a year or two since people were all in a dither about the calendar turning over to the year 2000, here we are in 2010. There’s been a lot of happenings, both good and bad, in the last ten years, and there continues to be a lot of things going on at the Fosston Community Library Arts Center.
In the Sorenson Gallery, the current show, which will be on display through Feb. 5, is Woodcuts & Engravings. Assembled by James O’Rourke, director of the Rourke Art Museum in Moorhead, this exhibition includes works by Gordon Morensen, Deborah Mae Broad, Charles Beck, Jean Gumpper, and James O’Rourke. There’s some wonderful pieces in this show, and many of them are available for purchase, if you received a Christmas bonus that’s burning a hole in your pocket. If not, just come in and admire them - there’s no charge for that.
The Daisy Hagen Auction for the Arts, held on mid-December, was once again a huge success, raising about $10,000 for the FCLAA. All the volunteers who worked on this event deserve a huge thank you, as do all those who donated items to be auctioned off and those who purchased them. (And if anyone did all three - there will definitely be stars in your crown!)
Now that the holidays are over and the cold weather seems to have settled in, it’s time to check out a book or two and participate in Hot Reads for Cold Nights, the adult winter reading program, which began Monday, Jan. 4. Pick up an entry form at the library and for every four books you read, you’ll have a chance to win some great prizes.
If you’re wondering what to read, here’s a suggestion: Nothing by Trouble by Susan May Warren is the featured selection for this year’s community read event. Warren lives in Grand Marais and writes Christian romance/suspense. Some of here earlier books include Happily Ever After and In Sheep’s Clothing.
Wednesdays from 4-5:30 p.m. will be Family Fun Time at the library, now through Feb. 10. There will be board games, puzzles, crafts, and movies - activities for all ages. It should be fun.
The annual meeting of the FCLAA is scheduled for Wednesday, January 13, at 7 p.m. All FCLAA members are welcome - come and find out what the FCLAA has been doing this past year. There will be coffee and goodies.
The writer’s group took a break in December but will resume now in January. The plan is to meet the third Thursday of each month. For more information, you may contact Alison Melgren at 218-289-4969.
In the Sorenson Gallery, the current show, which will be on display through Feb. 5, is Woodcuts & Engravings. Assembled by James O’Rourke, director of the Rourke Art Museum in Moorhead, this exhibition includes works by Gordon Morensen, Deborah Mae Broad, Charles Beck, Jean Gumpper, and James O’Rourke. There’s some wonderful pieces in this show, and many of them are available for purchase, if you received a Christmas bonus that’s burning a hole in your pocket. If not, just come in and admire them - there’s no charge for that.
The Daisy Hagen Auction for the Arts, held on mid-December, was once again a huge success, raising about $10,000 for the FCLAA. All the volunteers who worked on this event deserve a huge thank you, as do all those who donated items to be auctioned off and those who purchased them. (And if anyone did all three - there will definitely be stars in your crown!)
Now that the holidays are over and the cold weather seems to have settled in, it’s time to check out a book or two and participate in Hot Reads for Cold Nights, the adult winter reading program, which began Monday, Jan. 4. Pick up an entry form at the library and for every four books you read, you’ll have a chance to win some great prizes.
If you’re wondering what to read, here’s a suggestion: Nothing by Trouble by Susan May Warren is the featured selection for this year’s community read event. Warren lives in Grand Marais and writes Christian romance/suspense. Some of here earlier books include Happily Ever After and In Sheep’s Clothing.
Wednesdays from 4-5:30 p.m. will be Family Fun Time at the library, now through Feb. 10. There will be board games, puzzles, crafts, and movies - activities for all ages. It should be fun.
The annual meeting of the FCLAA is scheduled for Wednesday, January 13, at 7 p.m. All FCLAA members are welcome - come and find out what the FCLAA has been doing this past year. There will be coffee and goodies.
The writer’s group took a break in December but will resume now in January. The plan is to meet the third Thursday of each month. For more information, you may contact Alison Melgren at 218-289-4969.
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