Road Map:: New York and New Jersey

New York and New Jersey, back to back with the previous entry, except in different order.

This was a time for second chances. Remember the dark and grainy pix of the New York Public Library from the previous trip? I hated them when they were first taken but now I have to say... I'm a fan.

Still here are some of me doing my solo thang.

a) New York Public Library
New York, NY (05.26.08)

Re: second pic
So does my hair look like a duck's butt or what?

b) Brooklyn Public Library: Bushwick Branch
Brooklyn, NY (05.26.08)

A family member of mine lives relatively close to this branch so my husband and I had to come check it out. :D


c) Trenton Free Public Library: Main
Trenton, NJ (05.27.08)

Two very distinct buildings...

d) New Jersey State Library
Trenton, NJ (05.27.08)

We will say that this trip through NJ inspired us to definitely get a GPS...

Road Map:: New Jersey and New York

And so, now that it's November, it makes sense to wait no longer and post previous jumpy pictures-- these from May of this year.

a) Parsippany Troy Hills Public Library
Parsippany, NJ (05.24.08)

This library was very much closed and the day was almost done but that's never stopped me. I'm so super human even my hand moves at the speed of light. (See second picture).

b) Brooklyn Public Library-- Central Library
Brooklyn, NY (05.25.08)

Man, talk about feeling tiny in front of a ginormous landscape ...

c) Pierpont Morgan Library
New York, NY-- midtown Manhattan (05.26.08)

It's amazing how both ends of this library look so very, very different.

I have many more to post so the commentary here is pretty slim. I'm positive you won't mind...

Random:: Facebook status! Oooh!

Rules (for your new Facebook status)

* Get the book nearest to you. Right now.
* Go to page 56.
* Find the 5th sentence.
* Write this sentence as status.
* Copy these instructions as commentary of your sentence.
* Don't look for your favourite book or your coolest but really the nearest.

For me, it's my friend James Kennedy's book, The Order of Odd-Fish:
Everyone in heaven will snicker and make catty remarks about my shoes!

Man, I dig this!

YA Lit Symposium '08:: Meeting a hero and keeping my dignity

Written November 9th at the Nashville Airport:

This was one of those weekends-- kinda like that "I Want To Hold Your Hand" movie I caught on TV when I was a teen-- where you're trying to meet someone... and they're consistently just out of your reach. This was no Beatles gathering, though. This was Gene Luen Yang in all his dorkilicious glory.

I loved "American Born Chinese" of course but I was really moved by "Loyola Chin and the San Peligran Order." The whole reason I came to the YA Lit Symposium was because I wanted to see him do the preconference on graphic novels. Then I registered and discovered it had already been capped and I wouldn't be able to participate. Gyaaaaahhh! Bah humbug.

After the first day of the symposium, I occasionally ran into some preconference attendees who glowed about how deliciously funny he was. Meanwhile, I growled inside. I say that jokingly, and at the same time, not really...

So all I could really do is sit in the front row of his Meet the Author session and he wound up sitting there too, but not next to me, because I'd put my stack of papers and flyers in the chair to my right. I wound up realizing my mistake, taking the papers away, and Terry Trueman sat there instead. And he is a trip. And fun. But not Gene Yang. Ha.

The rest of the conference was wonderfully informational. I got to hang out with some old friends and meet some new ones. It can be hard to function like a human being at these things. It's, like, almost imperative to network even if you feel like you're one of the few out there who isn't a part of some clique.

Ah well. Before I knew it, it was time to go home. To beat the influx of librarians trying to get to the airport on time, I decided I would miss out on the closing session and just get out early. I got the last seat on the shuttle, only to realize that the guy in front of me...

That haircut... Those cheekbones...

My first sighting of authors at TLA~ God, I was an ardent obsessive bee-yotch who just wanted a picture with a writer, even if I didn't know who that person was. Now, behind Gene Yang in a small van on the way to the airport, I was able to I guess have a librarian moment with him, however short.

Once past security and at my gate, I spotted him walking, by himself, along the American Airlines concourse. He looked just like any guy carrying his luggage. There was no "I am a Printz Award Winner" glow. No "I have librarian groupies." Just a random guy. I thought, "Aw man I never asked him if he had a copy of his book on him that I could buy and get autographed." But I left him alone.

I didn't want to be the fanatic librarian who can't resist bugging an exhausted author. I'm not that much of a newbie anymore.

Road Map:: San Antonio, TX

Yes, I haven't been posting lately, but that's because I'm finally a full-fledged librarian. And I'm uber busy! I love it!

I was told that within 3 months, some of the shine would wear off. Ha ha. While there have been some very difficult times-- ones I was not necessarily prepared for-- I'm still very much in love with this profession. More on that later.

I now present to you my latest library jumpy travails through the city.

a) Memorial Branch Library
San Antonio, Texas 10.13.08

This library is right in front of St. Mary's University and its patron base is mainly Hispanic. If you're a teen and long for chess tournaments in your community, this is the place to go.
b) Great Northwest Branch
San Antonio, TX 10.13.08

Here is yet another highly active branch-- one I was not familiar with due to its distance from my neighborhood. Alas we went on a Monday morning, when it was closed, so I was not able to partake in the viewing of library services here. Maybe next time.




b) Edmund Cody Branch
San Antonio, TX 10.13.08

This is one of 3 public libraries in San Antonio with its very own full-time teen librarian. There is a focus here not just on teens but tweens-- something that SA has been lacking thus far. A highlight from this visit was the banned books display. I've seen many of these but never one complete with a poster on why certain books were challenged.

More to come when my internet at home goes back up!

Muchos abrazos y besitos a todos!

Random:: My next profession

Wow. Talk about being typecast. Apparently this attractive young woman is only asked to do one thing for pictures: turn to the side, close the eyes, put on a mysterious smile, and have long tresses of hair whip about romantically.

I can't help but wonder though how awesome it is to be a book cover model. I could have my own signature pose... You guessed it. I could jump for every single book cover. You know you'd read it if you saw me on it!

Random:: Breaking Dawn, so far

Okay, so I'm not one of these uber fast librarians who read books in an hour. I've always been a relatively slow reader-- that is, for someone who's frequently seen with books. I could say that I prefer to savor my books, but that would be adorning the truth a bit much. I'm just not as quick.

I'm three-fifths done with Breaking Dawn but it's seriously taken over-- the way a fulfilling story does.

I know Stephenie has her own playlists on her website. I very much approve of Muse and Coldplay as partners-in-crime. However, most songs I listened to today could apply to what I've read in the Breaking Dawn storyline.

Voila the alternate playlist!

• Tori Amos: Merman
• Tori Amos: Sweet the Sting
• Kate Bush: Cloudbusting
• Kate Bush: Hounds of Love
  
• Los Tres: Cerrar y Abrir
  

Yes, this is short, but can you blame me? I've been reading the book most of the day! I can't listen to music the whole day. Ha ha.

Okay, back to the world of Forks...