I like to travel. Actually, what I like is being someplace new, exploring things, eating great good, seeing the sights - all that good stuff. I actually hate the travel leading up to being in a new place.

I've never been a big fan of flying but even driving has it's downsides... it's just so long. So, whenever we are travelling, I always get stressed out and anxious. I'm worried that I'm going to forget something, that I'm packing too much, that something will go wrong en route... like that one time we ended up in Iceland for a night... unplanned. 

Now that we have a kiddo, all those worries are compounded. As long as I'm doing something, I'm usually able to push my anxiety to a back burner. But I can really be a hot mess if I'm just sitting or even get a whiff that something may be remotely amiss. (My husband is a very patient human and I love him.)

Planning to get out of town this weekend - even though it was only 3ish hours away - had me on the verge of a panic attack for a week. Now that we're here, it's fine. Too bad we leave to go home early tomorrow morning...

Please tell me I'm not the only one.

In a few hours, we're getting on the road to spend the long weekend outside of the city. While we're not going far, I've been doing a bunch of quick checks on the weather, hotel updates, and local attractions. So much more planning needs to be done when you're traveling with a toddler. I'm grateful that we're not going any further than we are. 

Here's what else I found myself looking up this week.
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• Pepper steak - A show we were watching mentioned this dish and I had no idea what it is. Now I want to eat it.
• Poison Ivy - We're going to be spending a lot more time outdoors and I wanted a refresher on what the itchy plant looked like.
• Pronounce "Nacotchtank"- I'm going to do a land acknowledgement in my webinar next week. I wanted to be sure how to pronounce the local community name.
• Common first words - I started a list of words our kiddo is saying. Since I was having trouble remembering them all, I wanted to see what other common first words I might have missed.

Our upstairs neighbors are currently doing something that involves a lot of banging. It's not all that loud, but it keeps moving and the bangs themselves are intermittent. I am very curious about the project they have going on. It's definitely more than hanging pictures and less than installing new floors. Building furniture, perhaps?

It's weird what we find entertaining when working from home.

​Here's what else has my attention at the moment.

WORK

• This week is our library consortium's annual conference. I presented my session yesterday. Now, I am simply enjoying my time as an attendee. What's nice about this conference is that it's all local so the issues are VERY applicable to what I do. Also, I get to wave at some of my old colleagues which is nice.
• I'm finalizing my slides and notes for my Core webinar next week. At some point, I'll have to stop futzing and just turn them in to the host committee.
• During the summer, I try to write one post a month for our library's blog. I drafted the list of what I want to write, so I am chugging my way through that.

PERSONAL

• We're planning and packing for our Memorial Day weekend trip. I need to remember that the car only has so much space...
• My order of cascatelli finally arrived! Now I'm trying to find a great slow cooker bolognese to use as our first recipe. Open to suggestions!
• There's a file on my desktop simply labeled "To Review." Once a month I try to go through and rename, sort, read, etc. anything in there. I haven't done it in a few months, so I decided to make some headway in it this week. It's mostly adorable pictures of my kid that I downloaded from our daycare's app that need renaming and archiving. 

The Montessori Toddler: A Parent's Guide to Raising a Curious and Responsible Human Being
Simone Davies

Our kiddo is in full toddlerhood now. That means I need more patience and to understand how her brain works. This book, so far, has done a great job of sharing why toddlers act the way they do and how to capture their innate curiosity and desire to help. It's also just a really pretty book. Lots of white space, beautiful illustrations, and lovely layout. It's designed more like a handbook that you can pick and choose to read as you wish.

I finally remembered to add Nikole Hannah-Jones' book to my list.

This week, I got to prick my finger for science.

Months ago, I signed up to be in the Join the Fight COVID-19 community research project. Every day, I complete a quick survey about symptoms, mask wearing habits, and COVID results. It takes less than 30 seconds to do. The study is a part of a nationwide effort to better understand the symptoms and spread of COVID.

I was lucky enough to be chosen for the cohort of people to complete monthly serology tests. The finger prick I gave myself this week is my third one... but the first one after I was fully vaccinated. I can't wait to see my reactive results go from "negative" to "positive."

I am a firm believer in science - but usually this has meant reading, attending lectures, and watching videos. This is the first time I am an active participant in a scientific study. My contribution is small but I know that it is helping us better understand and get a handle on this pandemic.

It's not to late to join! You can learn more about the DC area study and sign up here.

Our kiddo was home from daycare for a few days with a stomach bug. I am patting myself on the back for not going too down a Google rabbit hole of her symptoms. (Pediatrician said it was just a common stomach bug.)

Here is what I did look up this week.

• What temperature does salmon need to be cooked to?- Asked Alexa and she gave be a long answer when all I needed to hear was 145 degrees.
• Is corn a vegetable?- The husband and I were debating. While it's culinarily used as a vegetable, it's botanically a grain.
• What's the word for when you're really thirsty? - I forgot "parched."
• When do kids get birthmarks? - I have a café au lait birthmark on my back. I was curious when those usually appear.
• Fried Rice Spice Mix - No store near us had fried rice seasoning in stock. I looked at a few recipes to make my own.
• Dino Trail - Someone I follow on Instagram posted about their visit to the Dino Trail. I was curious about how far away it was because I think the kiddo would have fun.
• Inimitable - I needed the definition. 

The pivot to summer is happening. My meeting and teaching schedule has eased immensely. I'm also looking at which personal projects I want to prioritize over the next few weeks. The transitory periods are always so weird, but they provide a nice break before I dive in to other projects.

Here's what has my attention at the moment.

WORK

• At the end of last week, I wrapped up my attendance and presentation at LOEX. It was a GREAT conference, but the scheduling (hour on, hour off) made it hard to get any other work done.
• I spent quite a bit of time working on my outline and slides for my presentation at our library's annual consortial conference. A colleague introduced to SlidesGo, and I had a lot of fun adapting a gorgeous template for my use.
• I am also working on an outline and slides for my Core Webinar. The outline is mostly done and I hope to have most of the slides done before my test run on Friday.
• I turned my random list of summer projects into Trello project cards. Now I can get to work on them.

PERSONAL

• I created and distributed the May issue of our condo's Green Committee newsletter. It focused on reuse and there a few fun ideas I will be trying myself.
• Our house plants needed some love so I aerated the soil and trimmed out some dead foliage. 
• I am nearing the end of my 5K training app. I've hit the straight run workouts and they're going okay. I know I am slower than the distance so, when it comes to running the actual 5K, I might need to throw in a few supplemental workouts to get ready.

I will forever be on a quest to add quick and easy meals to our repertoire.

I was told that DC would be inundated with cicadas by now. While I have seen some of the exoskeletons and tons of holes in the ground, I have yet to see one live cicada. I know they’re waiting for warmer weather but I’m getting impatient.

First, I want the swarm to just be over and done with. People have been complaining/scared/excited about this for months now. Let’s just do this already!

Next, I am excited to see if I can get one in my hand to show my kiddo. This will be her first brood and it’s a fun chance to teach and show her new things.

Third, I don’t mind the cicada noises. It reminds me of summer and those long days when the sun sets late.

I know my opinions aren’t shared. These bugs don’t bug me at all… unlike mosquitos. Mosquitos can just get out.