A Curse for True Love Stephanie Graber I'm a little past halfway in this last book of a series I've greatly enjoyed. The writing itself is just fine but I adore the fantasy, fairytale world. It's so complete that it feels real. Graber has designed a narrative with rich history and culture. Reading the story is immersive and I'm excited to dive back in every time I open the book. I'm going to miss this world and these characters when it's over.
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There is a white board in my cubicle. Each semester, I write out my top three priorities and then list a few minor *bonus* projects I want to work on. Over to the side, I list out a calendar of big events and deadlines. It's helpful to see this every day, but can also be a little dispiriting. I still have two open priority projects and the odds of me finishing both of them in the next month are non-existent. I've decided I'm going to focus on one. Progress on something is better than nothing. Here's what I'm working on:
I work at an academic library. Until this morning, we had not received one single question about eclipse classes. Today, between the hours of 9AM and 1PM, I had nearly a dozen. Why were so many people calling my library? Whelp, most of the public libraries in our area spent the last few weeks handing out free eclipse glasses. When they ran out, people started to call us. One person even said, "I thought I was being sneaky by calling an academic library." It's eclipse glasses right now. It's going to be tax forms until next week. Depending on your area, the library may hand out toiletry kits for the unhoused, arts and crafts bins, COVID tests, government forms, Narcan, museum passes, or any other myriad of things. The library is more than books. When a moment like the eclipse happens, people are reminded of that. Why the library? It's simple. We are a known place for people to come and get information they need. Sometimes that information takes the form of an object. Libraries, particularly public ones, are well placed to serve the needs of a specific community. They know what's happening. They know what people need and want. They understand the positives and the negatives. Sometimes, it's just as simple as they are there. The library is a place where people provide help. This is National Library Week. Show your local library some love because, yup, they can probably do that. This week, my University offered opioid overdose and Narcan training for anyone who was available to attend. While this has not been an issue at our library, it is a concern for every library. The training was presented be HIPS, a local harm reduction non-profit, and it provided a comprehensive look at this issue. I am going to share my (lengthy) notes from the training. I have removed the DC specific information but I guarantee there is a local organization near you that would be happy to provide training. Whatever your views on the drug crisis, it's never a bad decision to save a life. (Note - Narcan is the brand name for naloxone.)
I don't like going to the dentist. It always feels like a hassle. The kiddo, on the other hand, gets excited about it. At her pediatric dentist, they have TVs in the ceilings AND she gets a toy at the end. If I was rewarded like that, I might not mind going to the dentist as much either. Here's what 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
It has been raining for days. I miss the sun. This gray weather better clear out before the eclipse. I know DC is not in the path of totality, but I want to see something. Here's what I've been up to:
About a week ago, my colleagues and I received the peer-review comments for an article we submitted to a journal. At first, they were overwhelming. There was a long email with each reviewer summarizing their thoughts and recommendations. Attached was a track changes edition of the article. At first glance, it was daunting. We were happy the reviewers recommended publication, but it looked like we had a lot of revisions to complete. On second review, after I reminded myself that we did not have to take all the suggestions, things didn't look too shabby. We sat down, made a list of revisions, and got to work. My main job was taking the track changes document and completing a line edit. I like doing line edits, so this wasn't too bad. To show my work, I left comments for my colleagues when I opted NOT to accept a revision. Let's just say one reviewer was nit-picky. Their revisions were mainly stylistic and not substantive. As I line edited, my comments became more and more sarcastic. It's a good thing only we will see these notes. They say you never want to see how laws and sausage are made. I would add peer-reviewed scholarship to that list. What part of your job is messy?
Despite being tired and not in the mood, I pushed through and completed a workout this morning. I bribed myself with new episodes of the Serial podcast. It ended up being a great way to start the morning. Here's what else made me happy:
Healing Through Words rupi kaur I just finished this two nights ago (and have not picked up a new book yet). kaur is a poet whose words always hit me hard. I thought this was a new book of poetry but it's actually more of a writing workbook. She uses poetry as the basis for journaling for self-care. I like the structure. The work is not easy but she describes things in a way that makes it manageable. I grabbed this book from the library but I may buy my own copy so that I can actually do the writing exercises. *Books shared here are affiliate links for Bookshop.org |