Misadventures of the Monster Librarian

By the time you read this I'm either Chicago bound, or already in the city. I am sooooo excited for my 1st ALA Conference; excited for a weekend break from Summer Reading; super excited to be in Chicago! (I can't believe it's already been over a year since my last visit with the Germans!) All the swanky, big hotels were booked already by the time I decided I was going, so I'll actually be staying in the same hostel I stayed at with the Germans...fine by me, it's right down the street from Chicago Public Library's Main Branch! More details soon!

I'm exhausted. Too tired to sleep. And too hot to stay asleep long once I get there. That problem may be solved soon, as I met with my landlord yesterday and got the keys to my new apartment--a 2 bedroom, upstairs number in a house now duplexed. This place has AC units waiting for me, and frigging windows that open, imagine that! I'm so happy about getting to a quieter apartment, further away from Sticks Main Street, with less apartment neighbors, in an actual neighborhood...and that's what I'm focusing on since I can't even fathom the packing and the carrying out of one apt., to my car, up into the next apt. part. We are so busy at work with week 3 of Summer Reading happening; I'm so busy preparing and packing for ALA Chicago; thinking ahead to next week and another weekend out of town. How am I ever going to get moved?! I am trying to breathe deeply and find my zen and...I'm exhausted. *Sigh* On the happier news front, our Summer Reading sign-ups conti...

Not only are we super busy in the thick of Summer Reading--this is week 3 of 6--but now I am getting nervous and trying to get prepared for ALA Chicago. I'm excited for the roundtables/lectures/speakers, etc., it's the logistics that are bugging me out. I am riding in with a friend and fellow librarian, SmuttyNovelHound, early Saturday and am already pondering how to accomplish these things: 1. dropping SmuttyNovelHound's stuff off at her hotel 2. finding parking for my car during conference 3. finding my friend's condo post conference 4. finding parking again Sunday morning 5. making it back to the conference in time for a Sunday session that I am directly involved in, and finding parking!! 6. finding parking again Monday morning 7. getting the hell out of Dodge before the traffic gets bad when we head home Monday! I am reading all the ALA websites, stalking ALA on Twitter, but nothing prepares you for the shittiness that is parking in Chicago, ESPECIALLY duri...

Guess where I woke up? In Massachusetts at the Farm. My roadtrip is complete and I'm back to what I think of as home, with good friends and beautiful vistas in every direction. Summer here is too much! You Remind Me of Home - Ben Gibbard

Since I am going to the ALA Chicago Conference next weekend, and will be putting in loads of extra hours, my LOVELY Board approved giving me time off this week. Can I just say, I LOVE my Board, and am so thankful for them! Decided to take my long weekend at the Farm; to see my beautiful Berkshires in summer; to get together with RugbyGirl and KellyBelly and Eliza--my girls who I miss so much; to come to say goodbye to a friend who's moving on; to take a break from the flat Midwest and see the lovely rolling hills of New England again. I left yesterday and stopped en route in Syracuse, NY, where I stayed with my friend Christy--it was a nice time catching up and enjoying a couple meals together. But I was glad to get on the road today, as I was impatient to get back to the Farm; to see the sun shining down upon my beloved Farm, as my last glance of it had been a bleak and snowy day--Christmas Day in fact . When I turned on the road leading to the Farm, I was awed by how beau...

The Teens talked photosynthesis and plants and made their own plant growing mazes-- some of the kids decorated their boxes better than my house. LOL Prairie Dawn is fantastic at thinking up fun and crazy things to do with the kids, especially STEM projects--STEM (Science Technology Engineering Math) is the latest focus at libraries and schools alike; keeping kiddos involved and excited about science is always a good thing! Wanted to share two fun things she's done in recent weeks: To keep PD's identity private I had to chop this photo-- Did you know that the potassium benzoate, aspartame, and CO2 gas contained in Diet Coke when combined with the gelatin and gum arabic ingredients of the Mentos, causes a Diet Coke GEYSER!??