Laura Woods

@woodsiegirl

Book lover, tea drinker, trainee Yorkshire lass. She/her. Librarian and PhD student. Interested in gardening, feminism (intersectional or gtfo, trans women are women), scifi, books and cats.

605 Siguiendo2182 Seguidores2934 Publicaciones

YouTube Bluesky

¿Es tu perfil?Reclámalo y woodsiegirl.dirty.social es tuyo.Reclamar perfil

Laura Woods@woodsiegirl· Jun 26

I keep looking at my Met Office app to reassure myself that there is an end in sight. Two days to go!

Screenshot of Met Office app showing temperatures are due to drop from Sunday

Laura Woods@woodsiegirl· Jun 25

Melted cheese 🧀☀️

A black and white cat lying in the shade on some decking boards. His name is Roquefort, hence the cheese comment.

Laura Woods@woodsiegirl· Jun 24

Bought a new handheld fan for the train, and it seems pretty great but I was honestly tempted to return it immediately when I opened the box and saw this twee nonsense on the inside 🤮

To the Spontaneous Souls

Wind isn't just air. It's a vibe. It's the beat dropping at a festival. That perfect hair flip at the beach. The rhythm of your walk down the street. We built this to capture that moment.

Not just to cool you down, but to keep your style lit. Clip it on. Step out.

Laura Woods@woodsiegirl· Jun 20

Average person submits 0 objections to library books. Objections Bruce, who has no life, is an outlier adn should not have been counted.

Bluesky post from @heykellyjensen.bsky.social, which says:

"ONE person, Bruce, is responsible for nearly every book banned in this district over the course of the last *several years*."

This is quoting a post from Florida Freedom to Read, which says:

"Clay County Schools updated their objection tracking this week.

73 objections were filed this month (tied to one man). 69 of the titles were removed or restricted.

Example: Chicken Soup for the Preteen Soul (ages 9-13) was restricted to High School shelves."

Laura Woods@woodsiegirl· Jun 13

Having a lunchtime birthday barbecue with my twin, and my niblings have awarded me the highest of birthday privileges: Colin's face 🥰 My twin (their mum) gets the bum 🤣

A slice from the front of a caterpillar birthday cake (it's probably the Aldi knock-off rather than an official M&S Colin), with a solid white chocolate face

Laura Woods@woodsiegirl· Jun 7

What's your sign?

Old sign in the Leeds Library, which says "For the sake of those who wish to read, it is requested that NO CONVERSATION be carried on in this room."

Laura Woods@woodsiegirl· Jun 7

Huh, so apparently I was on a podcast I don't remember recording? Glad to hear it was "fire", shame I was apparently in a fugue state for the recording...

$Screenshot of a spam email. Subject is "That ArtiFact: Books, Art, Culture episode was fire" Email starts: Hello Laura, Just caught your interview on ArtiFact: Books, Art, Culture -loved it! Quick question: are you planning to do more podcast appearances in the near future? I ask because what you shared would resonate with a lot of other audiences. The challenge is most people don't realize how much time it takes to find the right shows, craft personalized pitches, and handle the coordination. That's exactly what PodPitch solves. We're like having a personal booking agent, but at a fraction of the cost. Our users typically land 8-10 interviews per month without spending hours on outreach. If you're interested in scaling your podcast presence, I'd love to show you how it works. Takes about a few minutes. Worth a quick look to explore?$

Laura Woods@woodsiegirl· Jun 7

Roquefort now has full run of the outside, which he's enjoying very much. He has figured out the cat flap, but much prefers to be let in through the big patio doors like a gentleman. So whenever I am sitting downstairs, I regularly look up to see this sight 🥰

A black and white cat, staring directly into my soul from outside a patio door

Laura Woods@woodsiegirl· Jun 3

The first of the flowers I've grown from seed have bloomed, so I picked them to encourage more flowers and made myself a cute little posy in a jar! Sweet peas and oxeye daisies 🥰🌱💐

A little jar filled with pink and purple sweet peas and some short oxeye daisies

Laura Woods@woodsiegirl· May 30

Roquefort update:

A black and white cat exploring a garden

Laura Woods@woodsiegirl· May 29

This is long but well worth reading! This paragraph stood out to me (it's in response to a section of the chat logs submitted to the court, showing that a junior solicitor, "LA", had asked "tell me what s173 and s174 say please")

It is concerning that LA appears to have asked the AI what these sections said, rather than reading an authoritative online resource or book, and does not appear to have checked the AI's response. Had LA done so, it would have been readily apparent that the AI was producing nonsense and was unreliable. It perhaps betrays a misguided faith in the AI on LA's part but, if that is so, I cannot understand why LA did not heed the AI's later warnings about the need to check the provisions to which it referred.

Laura Woods@woodsiegirl· May 19

NO BAD CAT GET DOWN FROM THERE 🙈

A black and white cat balanced precariously in an open window.

Laura Woods@woodsiegirl· May 18

This is a cat check point: relinquish your most recent cat picture on your phone.

A black and white cat on a fluffy white blanket. His eyes are closed and he looks as peaceful and content as it is possible to be.

Laura Woods@woodsiegirl· May 5

A beautiful visitor to the garden this morning 🦊🥰

A red fox sitting in a pool of sunlight at the bottom of a very messy garden.

A red fox sitting in a patch of sunlight in a garden. He is looking to the side and has his eyes closed, as though he is enjoying warming his face in the sun.

Laura Woods@woodsiegirl· Apr 22

Ooh this is pleasing 🥰

The name Laura spelled out in satellite images

Laura Woods@woodsiegirl· Apr 22

I'm away from home for a few days this week, so my partner has been texting me regular Roquefort pics. I thought Bluesky might enjoy these as well? 😻

A black and white cat in the loaf position, on a cushion which is itself on a black leather sofa. He is looking just to the side of the camera with slightly narrowed eyes, the cat equivalent of a relaxed smile.

A close up of a black and white cat's paws on a windowsill. You can see the black splodges on the backs of his otherwise white front paws. A fringe of belly floof is also visible at the top of the image.

A black and white cat is up on a kitchen surface, where he is absolutely not allowed to be. He is watching something intently through the window.

A black and white cat's face from a low angle (he is probably standing on the photographer's chest). He has a precious little pink nose, glorious long white whiskers, and from this angle you can see a black spot on his white chin.

Laura Woods@woodsiegirl· Apr 6

Done with scritchies 🥹

A black and white cat, resting his little triangle chin on his front paw as he takes a well-deserved nap after some intense head scratches.

Laura Woods@woodsiegirl· Apr 6

Aw yisssss, head scritchies 😻

A black and white cat tilting his head all the way back to really lean into the head scratches. His little pink nose and the black spot on his chin are visible.

Laura Woods@woodsiegirl· Apr 4

Good luck to the Artemis II crew.

Laura Woods@woodsiegirl· Apr 1

Missed this furry little dickhead 😻

A black and white cat on the footrest of a black sofa.

Laura Woods@woodsiegirl· Mar 31

Sheila starting her keynote with some truths 🤣 #lilac26

A slide that just says "information literacy is a thing"

Laura Woods@woodsiegirl· Mar 31

Sheila has given us souvenirs from her keynote! These are definitions of information literacy provided by her students #lilac26

When I first thought about IL, my understanding was how people know how to learn. For me, it was reading, searching through books, videos, podcasts as well as other forms such as even interviewing people for certain information. I also knew it was a very contextual and cultural practice for example in an academic setting, people would more likely look at a variety of predominantly written sources which are relevant to a specific topic or theme.

In other settings such as a research lab, there would be more emphasis on practical work, such as studying bacteria cultures and looking at blood (obviously depending on what the research is). What I have learnt, however, reading and watching the video, is that there are different IL 'behaviours'. This is something I had never thought about before; the way people sought for information and reacted to it was different, from delving deeper into a topic, to completely avoiding a topic.

In this way, we can evaluate the ways information value changes for certain individuals and organisations based on how they react to it.

Laura Woods@woodsiegirl· Mar 30

We've got an introductory talk now from Michelle Rawlins, who is talking about Sheffield's Women of Steel - proudly featured on this year's #lilac26 logo!

Michelle, a white woman with curly hair.

Laura Woods@woodsiegirl· Mar 30

The Cold That Will Not Die is still in full effect, so I'm rocking 2020 fashions for #LILAC26!

Laura Woods@woodsiegirl· Mar 22

He has discovered a new favourite spot, on the windowsill in our home office, where he can keep us company and watch the birds on the hedge outside. When we start work at home he'll follow us in, jump onto the windowsill, and stare meaningfully at one of us until we lift the net curtain up for him 🤣

A black and white cat on a windowsill, behind a net curtain.

Laura Woods@woodsiegirl· Mar 22

We thought he might start to get interested in going outside now the weather is getting warmer, but nope! We actually left the kitchen door wide open a couple of days ago, he sat there for almost an hour watching the outside world but went nowhere near it. Too cosy inside!

A black and white cat peering inquisitively at the camera

Laura Woods@woodsiegirl· Mar 22

Aw, he's doing great, thank you! Unbothered, in his lane, thriving 😻

A black and white cat curled up on an unmade bed.

Laura Woods@woodsiegirl· Mar 18

Ok last one. Not putting in the original text, I feel like most of my followers should be able to guess this?

To pivot or not to pivot? That’s the ultimate leadership challenge. 🚀

Is it more strategic to embrace the grind and weather the market volatility? Or should we disrupt the status quo and tackle our pain points head-on?

Let’s be real: burnout is just a permanent "out of office." We’re all looking for that perfect work-life balance, trying to mitigate the daily stressors that come with the territory. It’s a goal we’re all striving for. 🎯

But here’s the catch: the fear of the unknown—that "undiscovered country" of a career move or a total rebrand—can lead to analysis paralysis. We end up staying in our comfort zones rather than scaling new heights. 🏔️

We let overthinking kill our momentum. Our "bias for action" gets diluted by too much deliberation, and high-impact initiatives lose their ROI. 📉

Don't let your resolution fade. It’s time to stop talking and start executing. Who’s with me? 👇 #Leadership #GrowthMindset #Innovation #Entrepreneurship #ActionOriented

Laura Woods@woodsiegirl· Mar 18

This one might be my fav

The "litany against fear", from Dune. It reads:
I must not fear.
Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past, I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain

Linkedin-speak translation of the Litany Against Fear:

Mindset is everything. 🧠

I’ve learned that fear is the ultimate growth-killer. It’s the "little-death" that leads to total stagnation in your career and personal life. 📉

But here’s the secret: I don’t run from it. I lean in.

I face my fear head-on. I allow it to pass over me, through me, and I use it as a learning opportunity. 🌊

Once the challenge has passed, I perform a deep-dive retrospective to analyze the path it took. 🔍

And you know what? When the fear is gone, only the results remain. 🚀

Are you letting fear hold back your ROI today? Let’s discuss in the comments. 👇

#GrowthMindset #Leadership #Resilience #ProfessionalDevelopment #OvercomingFear

Laura Woods@woodsiegirl· Mar 18

💀