First Week of School Stress
listening :: ^The End of America has a new album coming out this weekend so I’ve been revisiting this old, folk love;
watching :: some movies procured from the library’s “table sale”;
reading :: WE3 for book club (it was awful) and Becoming Wise;
eating :: the remnants of an iced almond milk macchiato (meh), a handful of grapes, and (soon) chicken-under -a-brick;
working :: #ASF16 and Banned Books Week materials;
cooking :: tortellini salad and chocolate cookies;
thinking :: running watches, conference planning best practices, and dumplings.
What are you guys up?
I did this to me — We are our own worst enemies
listening :: ^new jams from The Front Bottoms and You Bet Your Garden from WHYY;
sending :: back-to-school cards to my cousins and a some sibling sock creatures to a set of new siblings;
reading :: a lot of magazines and my RSS feeds (moments of Everyday Sexism);
eating :: Smartworld iced coffee and leaftover Pad See Ew;
working :: #ASF16 and National Library Card Sign-up Month;
writing :: letters, tweets, and blog posts;
thinking :: chronotope, a big announcement that had at work last week, and Santa Barbara.
What are you guys up?
Who’s this purple weirdo? Vision! I’m surprised you actually knew who that was.
listening :: Another Look podcast;
watching :: Comet (my sister has been hounding me all week to watch it) and the new trailer for Moana;
reading :: mostly magazines. My brains have turned to mush;
eating :: garlic bread and raspberry lemon kombucha (this is my first experience with kombucha – it’s weird and sour);
working :: EVERYTHING is #asf16 and #njla17 these days, with some National Library Card Sign-up Month thrown in for spice;
writing :: a lot of emails to librarians across the state (see above), encouraging notes to myself (see last week’s post), and postcards;
thinking :: Fall races, new recipes, and chronotopes.
What are you guys up?
I am not good with manga.
Two Things:
This week marks my 12th year being involved with LMTI, my 9th year going to camp, and my 3rd and final year going as a YAC (Youth Advisory Council) Coordinator.
I have a lot of feelings about this, apparently.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxEWn2tQJOM
I didn’t think that I did, until I was driving up the Parkway through the Meadowlands to the last YAC training. I thought about all of the adult volunteers, peers, and young adult leaders that I’ve worked with in the last three years.
I was surprised by the rush of feelings. LMTI means very much to me — personally and as an organization. I started volunteering because I wanted to empower young adults in the way that I received encouragement and strength as a teenager. I am a librarian today because I had adult co-workers in my high school job who spoke to and respected me like an adult. If I could encourage a young adult in that way wouldn’t that be cool? I didn’t give a thought to myself maybe learning something in the exchange.
But looking across the Meadowlands to the NYC horizon I thought about how much I had changed over the last 3 years with working with some of New Jersey student leaders — how much listening to their stories, opinions, and thoughts had changed me.
Respect and listening are beautiful things.
This month I had to make some hard decisions about my role with my action group and what I wanted for them and myself. We’re not sure about the future, but where there is passion there is possibility.
Thank you, past buds, present buds, and future buds – for everything.
I just love how romantic and upbeat this song is — exactly what one needs at the close.
listening :: ^this song on repeat (which happens to be the theme song for the rip-roaringly interesting Beautiful/Anonymous), back episodes of My Brother, My Brother and Me. You know, just some real high-brow stuff;
watching :: Olympics coverage (when I can);
reading :: still Love and Friendship, and Critical Library Instruction: Theories & Methods (Emily is BPM Omicron’s fall lecture – so excited!);
eating :: a mini chocolate cupcake, leftover blondies, and (later tonight) pasta salad;
working :: whittling down my inboxes (they haven’t been zero-ed out all summer), on all things ASF16, and preparations for camp next week;
writing :: a lot of emails to the library’s website developer, encouraging emails to other librarians, and a letter to future CC;
thinking :: completing my term as a YAC coordinator, hard decisions, the relief that comes with those hard decisions, Fall races, and blondie recipes.
What are you guys up?
Cassidy B. Charles