frantic yet happy

Lately I feel like there's just not enough time in the day. I try really hard to stick to my 40 hour week, but last week I worked closer to 50 hours, which is ok, except I haven't worked out since before I moved and haven't been cooking as much as I should and dammit, my pants are fitting a little snugger!

I love my job, I just wish the days were longer, or could go by a little slower so I could everything I needed to done. I guess if that's the worst complaint after my first month and a half, I am good. :)

So, what have I been doing lately? A lot. I am really proud of all I've accomplished since I started! And the team I work with is phenomenal and always so willing. Lately I've:

• Weeded the Reference collections, Adult's and Children's, because do we really need 13 dictionaries? Fortunately I was able to donate a set of encyclopedias to the local high school, since the set I wanted to get rid of is more current than theirs. Also, I learned from Sticks High librarian of a local yokel who takes books you can't get rid of, and he takes ANYTHING. Awesome!
• Met with someone from the Art Dept. at Sticks College; talked about students painting a mural in the Children's Dept. as a possible Thesis or semester project.
• Ordered ordered ordered--we're finally caught up and I am so proud of how quickly new materials are going out as soon as we've gotten them in, that means I am picking things that folks want. Yay!
• Set up a display for November/December
• Met with the Teen Book Group, held monthly at Sticks High School--so glad the librarian there is doing a Teen Book Group, I can't even wrap my head around starting one of those any time soon!
• Begun reviewing books for the Tween book group
• Attended my second Adult Book Group; secured two authors to Skype future 2013 Book Groups! FREE!! I said FREE!! I just happened to see something online and clicked it and both authors have personally emailed me back and confirmed dates!! How cool is that! The authors: Susan Orlean, Rin Tin Tin; Carol Anshaw, Carry the One: A Novel.
• STORYTIMES! I'm doing 3/week at the Library, just started 3/week at Sticks School. I can't wait until we hire a Children's Librarian in the spring. I love storytime, it's one of my favorite things about being a librarian, but they take up a lot of time--the school visits took over an hour and a half! And on top of that I am starting storytimes with a local preschool, 1/week in December.
• Applying for grants for our AV collection, also looking for grants to help us replace our ancient computers--much more work than I ever thought possible.
• Reading reading reading: catalogs to get prepared; professional magazines; blogs; BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS! (I do this in my free time otherwise I'd get behind on everything else).
• Social networking: This broad doesn't tweet, but I do Facebook up the wazoo, and have spent time trying to get that to be a more productive tool; also just launched our Goodreads page where I review/rate new books. YAY! 
• Met with the manager at the Sticks Senior Apartments; set up first dates for December fun activity for seniors there; set January date for Senior Book Group.
• Currently working and biting my nails over our 1st Annual(?) Silent Auction fundraiser. Before Halloween I typed and mailed letters to over 60 local businesses, requesting donations; got the info onto our website, FB page, the local paper. Fingers crossed. So far the items are slowly trickling in, but I am hopeful (yikes!) I feel like so much rests on this for me because I feel like I need to prove myself worthy or something...I hope this feeling wears off...curse of being a youngest child...? Need to seek therapy...? 

And yet, with all this craze, constant go go go go go go, I LOVE my new job. L-O-V-E it. I love the crazy mad dash everyday; love the weird interruptions; love the conversations that arise. I love Sticks. I am so afraid of waking up from a dream. So happy.