We're only 6 weeks into the semester and students are already ghosting me on scheduled appointments. While I enjoy having the time back, I desperately miss helping students in person. It's just so much easier to do reference when you can read someone's facial expressions (even with a mask on). At least my most recent ghosted appointment rescheduled. We shall try again!

Here's what else has my attention.

WORK

• Our library is prepping for an upcoming remodel, that means we are split in two locations. Our second location (soon to be our only location) is in a building newly acquired by the University. While the building is next door, it's not the easiest to navigate to from our main location. Today, I took myself on a little field trip and put together a quick walkthrough video. Doing this introduced me to a new video editing app, Splice. You have to pay for it, but I made the video using the free trial and I am tempted to ask my employer to pay for me to have permanent access.
• Our University is holding bi-weekly town halls about our COVID response and other updates. I've been mostly attending to jump in with answers about the Library, but I've asked a few questions of my own.
• A professor asked me to update an existing video for her class. As I was working on that, I realized it would be a lot better as a few smaller videos that I could reuse in other areas. She was game for that plan. I ended up making a video about the library this semester, getting started on your paper, and brainstorming keywords.
• Still managing and handling the logistics for our webinar series.
• I went on a binge and wrote most of the blog posts I need for work this week. Just two more to go, but one of them I need to solicit input from the rest of the staff.

PERSONAL

• I cooked with tofu for the first time and it was a success! Even with our toddler. I'm hunting for more tofu recipes. Please feel free to leave your favorites in the comments.
• Still working on adding categories to my archives of blog posts. You can see which ones I've already gotten to over in the sidebar.
• We have confirmed our family photo session date! I can't wait to see how these turn out. Our kiddo loves to look at herself when we take pictures, so this event could come with some extra cat herding.

Hue 1968: A Turning Point of the American War in Vietnam
Mark Bowden

My reading pace with non-fiction is a glacial crawl. I try so hard to read every detail and remember every fact that my pace is about 15 pages an hour. Luckily, Mark Bowden has a way with writing non-fiction like it's cinematic fiction so my page per hour count jumps up a little bit. 

​Bowden is my favorite non-fiction writer and I’m (slowly) working on his entire bibliography. A book about the Vietnam War is not exactly light reading, but fall feels like a good time to finally start this 600 plus page doorstopper which has been sitting on my bookcase for several years.


Also, complete forgot to post that I started (and finished reading) Well Played by Jen DeLuca last week. It was a delightful rompy romance.

It was a good week for book recommendation emails.

If the weather pattern is any indication, fall is (finally!) here.

Let's ignore the fact that global warming is lengthening summer to the detriment of all other seasons, and just relish this cooling time of year. It may be "basic" but I don't care. I love fall. I am that woman wearing a scarf, carrying a pumpkin spice coffee (not a latte - never lattes), and shuffling her feet happily though the fallen leaves.

Here is why I love fall:

• Goodbye DC humidity.
• The trees change into a riot of glorious colors.
• Apple cider donuts.
• No more mosquito bites.
• Open windows all day and night.
• Wearing long sleeves but pushing the arms up to my elbows and being perfectly comfortable.
• Football and hockey are back.
• Back to school vibes (and supply shopping)
• Feeling like it's a good time to start a long non-fiction book.
• More slow cooker meals.
• Wearing a hoodie and yoga pants and curling up under a blanket on the couch to veg with a binge watch, binge read, or the internet.
• Those cute little tiny gourds and pumpkins.

What do you love (or hate) about fall.

Capital Weather Gang officially declared summer over. I am here for it. We've got the windows wide open and cool (dare I say cold) breezes is flowing in. Bring me fall foliage, apple cider donuts, and the chance to wear a jacket!

Here's what else was good this week.

• Our kid ate tofu! Thought she would go for the noodles but - no - she wanted the tofu. Fine by me.
• Speaking of the tofu. This is the first time I've cooked with it and it turned out great!
• We tried a new local restaurant, Cracked Eggery, and it was tasty. It's probably going to be dangerous that this is just down the block from us.
• I ran a mile straight without stopping. Progress!
• A couple of professors sent me kudos emails for things I've put together for them. 
• Our IT manager finally banished the tech gremlins in my office that made computers go wonky. He set me up with a new PC AND a second monitor. I love it so much.
• It rained a lot this week. I'm very grateful that we have a car to drive to and from daycare on those days.
• Did some scanning and filing this week which meant I got to enjoy some of the kiddo's art that she made months ago. 
• I love when I get to load up the dishwasher with a ton of random things because I know we're going to run it. I just emptied our sink into the machine since we'll run it after dinner.

There is one thing that is dominating my time more than any other right now... pandemic parenting logistics.

I cannot begin to tell you how mentally exhausting it is to figure everything out. This week, we had to shuffle two full-time working schedules while trying to get an appointment for our kiddo for a runny nose. A RUNNY NOSE! Our daycare - who we love and do not fault - has to follow the guidance set down by the oversight/licensing department. That means any runny nose leads to a kick out, which leads to needing medical clearance before our kid can return. FOR A RUNNY NOSE! This became even more difficult with the K-12 schools being back in session because it applies to everyone. So, getting an appointment is exponential harder. Even our pediatrician's office agrees it needs to change. They're seeing kids who don't need to be seen. It's also a slow financial death - one co-pay at a time.

I could vent about this for ages because the regulations need to change to a runny nose PLUS one other symptom.  But I digress... here's what else has my attention.

WORK

• As a faculty member, I have to submit a tenure package at the end of each academic year. One part of that is a document with our yearly goals and objectives. I just drafted and submitted my document for the 2021-2022 academic year.
• I conducted my annual review of our social media policy. Only a few changes this year.
• I hosted the second webinar in our fall series. This once covered our asynchronous course, Library 101.
• Still teaching classes. (Yeah!) The recent classes have all been online. I don't love talking to black boxes, but at least the students are asking great questions.
• I submitted a proposal to speak at Computers in Libraries 2022. It seems so far away...
• The survey for our study on how faculty develop their research assignments closes soon. I sent out more marketing blasts and it helped us snare a few more takers.
• It took our IT guy several days (cause my new office has gremlins) but I finally have an updated computer AND two screens! I missed my second screen so much.

PERSONAL

• I finally got around to scheduling a family photo session. We were gifted the session with our wedding photographer during our baby shower. Fingers crossed the weather holds!
• It's been a few months since I updated my book tracking and readings lists. Head on over to the Reading List page to see what I've finished recently.

I'm trying not to laugh/cry that the book I added to my TBR this week exemplifies my Monday.

It looks like our office is going to stay open for the long haul. (I had serious doubts with the delta variant floating about.) So, I decided, it was time to replenish my desk snacks. 

During a lunch break, I walked to the grocery store across the street, grabbed a basket, and started wandering the aisles.

I grabbed my favorite first - Cheez-Its. (Yum!) Then I added a pack of mixed flavor sandwich crackers that was on the shelf nearby. Next, a can of original Pringles went in to the basket. I also added some soft baked belVita bars (banana bread and oats & chocolate) to serve as backup breakfasts and emergency cookies. Then, two small boxes of Rip Van Wafels (snickerdoodle and chocolate brownie). 

I wanted to add a bag of candy for the dish on my desk, but we all need to eat those mints that are still in there. (Seriously, come visit me and get some of those butter mints. Just ignore that they're in pink baby shower packages...)

This haul of (mostly) carbs and sugar joined the granola bars and trail mix packs that I already brought from home.

As I was filling my desk drawer, I realized that my preferred desk snacks all have a few things in common. They are shelf stable, one-handed food, that can be eaten without any dishes, and leave minimal mess. Maybe just a few crumbs or salty fingers. 

Hopefully, I won't have to haul all of these snacks home again. For now, I'll be happy that I don't have to dart away from my computer to satisfy that singular crunchy/sweet craving that tends to befall me around 3pm each day.

What's your favorite desk snack?

Our kiddo skipped some naps at daycare this week. This made her cranky. It made us cranky because we are not ready for her to give up naps just yet. Then, later in the week, she took a nice long nap. That evening was an enjoyable frolic for everyone. 

Here are my other good things from the week.

• Our salmon share arrived - on time - and everything was still frozen!
• I dumped the dry ice from our salmon delivery in the sink. There was still some chunks hanging out when I went wash dinner dishes and it felt like I was working in an evil laboratory.
• One morning, I got to read on the couch with a cup of coffee while everyone else was still asleep.
• I had laundry on my to do list and I came home after work to find that the husband had tackled it already.
• It looks like our University will stay open, so I loaded up my office desk with some choice snacks. Mmmm... Cheez-its.
• Twirling around to toddler songs in the kitchen with my kiddo.
• Saw the red panda at the zoo! Red pandas are my favorite.
• Dropped off two bags of donations for our building's collection.
• New sheets on the bed. Always a delightful treat.
• I painted my toenails purple.

I stared at the blank section of this screen for the past five minutes trying to figure out what to write. I've got nothing. That should tell you where my head is at this week.
​
Here's what is holding my attention at the moment.

WORK

• This morning, I finished sending the last of roughly 525 individual emails to every faculty member at our University. It was a labor intensive project but I think the response has been worth. I've had more conversation and follow-up from these emails than with any previous outreach project. Doubt I will do this all that often, but it may be feasible at the start of each academic year.
• One of the side projects that came out of the email project was creating requested departmental resource guides for some of the tiny sub-programs we have. I was happy to fulfill those requests.
• I prepped an outline and slides for the next webinar in our fall series. Also doing more marketing on this.
• Prepping to teach a few upcoming classes. I've got a fun one about digital media research tomorrow and one on psychology next week.

PERSONAL

• Our quest to get a new Comcast cable box is (mostly) over. They shipped us FOUR incorrect boxes before the husband requested a fee-free visit from a technician. The tech arrived in the appointment window (huzzah!) and was done in 15 minutes. Now we just have to make sure all the charges related to the boxes are removed from our bill...
• Did a quick weeding of our belongings so that I could time it with our building's donation pick-up day. I also made a note of some items we should consider downsizing if we don't use them by the end of the year. Looking at you mini-elliptical... 
• I am still looking for a new sofa table. I will find something one day, dammit!
• I decided that I need to add category tags to all my blog posts. I'm slowly going through my archives to get that done. You can revisit past posts using the column on the right (if you're reading on my website).