I have a confession to make. I love going to conferences, but I hate most keynotes. They always start the event and, in the case of library conferences, there's generally one each morning. Rarely do I enjoy them. Generally, keynotes tend to be big blue sky speeches. They are full of large ideas and positive energy. You're supposed to leave feeling uplifted from all the rah-rah attitude. As much as I love this energy and forward thinking progress, these blue sky speeches are usually full of generic platitudes and vague concepts. Or, if not blue sky, the keynote is basic generalities. Maybe it's because I'm fairly plugged in to my profession and the world in general, but these keynotes tend to be content that I either already knew or could have read in a one-page memo, Or, the keynotes are examples of people doing truly amazing things.... with A LOT of money my organization does not have and will never get. I love hearing about the innovations but this kind of keynote is hard to translate down to organizations without the same level of resources. Every time I go to a conference, I drag myself to the keynotes because I know I should be there, but my internal snark level is high. What's your conference hot take?
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It's almost cherry blossom time! I don't know if we'll make to the Tidal Basin this year, but the smattering of trees in our neighborhood are starting to pop. It's lovely. Here's what else made me smile:
Once Upon a Broken Heart Stephanie Graber I'm nearing the end of this young adult novel. It's a pretty typical romantasy set up but it's not typical at all. The romance isn't a real romance. I am also getting the sneaking suspicion that this will not have a happy ending. I love that twist. I'm glad this is a trilogy because I love the world that Graber developed. There is so much going on and she releases the world building in dribs and drabs. Why is every conference center so darn cold? I've taken to bringing a pashmina to act as a blanket because keeping my coat on is not a enough. I get that things can get warm when a lot of people are around but, if most of the audience is bundled for winter weather, you've gone too far. Here's what I'm shivering through:
Every year, I try to give my digital life one good deep clean. Generally, I find it easy to delete, remove, and unsubscribe from things that I no longer care about or need. I love freeing up all that memory - both on my hard drive and in my brain. And then I get to my TBR boards on Pinterest. (See my personal and professional boards.) Try as I might, I can't ever seem to remove books from these lists. I go in with the best of intentions to remove things that no longer interest me and I fail every time. Some items have been there for years and, still, I can't remove them. Even when I'm close to hitting delete, something about the cover design, title, or subject matter strikes my fancy again and it remains on the list. Even with oldest books, I'm intrigued all over again. I think I just love the possibility of it all. One day, I will be able to sit down, hot beverage in hand, and enjoy that particular book. This week, I had to submit my annual faculty portfolio. This is in addition to the promotion portfolio I submitted several months ago. It's a lot of work. It frustrates me every year. This year was no different. But, it's always a good reminder about just how much I've managed to accomplish. Plus, gathering all my "evidence" requires me to deep dive into my email. This includes my folder of happy emails. About two years ago, I started saving all the positive feedback students and faculty send me. At first, I did this so I could "prove my impact" in my portfolio. While I still do that, I mostly use this as pick-me-up on hard days. I like to open that folder and read all the good messages. Even re-reading just one message can help improve my day. Do you have a happy emails folder?
I came to the office today not because of work but, rather, because we treated ourselves to a professional house cleaning. Friday, I normally work from home but I am more than happy to give that up if it means I get to return to a beautifully clean space. Here's what else made me happy this week:
I read a lot of books with my kiddo. Kid Reads is a biweekly look at what we've enjoyed recently.
*Books shared here are affiliate links for Bookshop.org
I always think spring break will be an "easy" week and it never is. The students might not be here but I try to cram in too many projects. At least I got to have some fun with drink umbrellas. Here's what I'm working on:
This week I (finally) got to book my travel for a work conference in May. It's out on the west coast which always presents a dilemma. Do I get up before the sunrise so I can minimize delays and arrive at a normal hour but show up exhausted? Or, do I sleep to a reasonable hour, leave in the afternoon, but arrive quite late? So far, I've always opted for option A. For some reason, I prefer getting up at 3:30 in the morning to make those 5 or 6AM flights. I like knowing that my plane is already there and that I have a better chance of making my connections. Then, when I arrive on the west coast, I have the chance to settle in and, just maybe, sneak in a few hours of sightseeing. But, I always end up struggling to stay awake past 8PM. At my last west coast conference, I fell asleep at 8:30PM and awoke at 5AM the following day. I never really did settle in to the time change. Getting up that early makes for some very long conference days. I generally break down and get an afternoon coffee for an energy boost which is something I rarely do. Do you prefer early flights or later flights?
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