In the past two weeks, I have managed to convince myself that I can wear jeans all the time so long as I’m wearing a cardigan. I think I have some terrible logic going on there. For all of the harping I do about professional communication and dressing professionally, I really haven’t been practicing what I preach so loudly.
*sigh*
Time to suck it up and make a trip to the mall.
Dress for the job you want, right?
The Scotiabank Giller released the longlist today. Thank you Scotiabank for telling us what merits truly great literature because we can’t decide on our own. Anyone feel obligated to read these books now?
I’ve often wondered why people who are inherently anti-social creatures enter into the library program. We’ve all heard the stereotype of the librarian as a quiet, introverted, bun/beard-wearing (hopefully not at the same time, but, if so, okay…) person. By nature I would say that I’m freakishly social, by which I mean I LOVE being around people. I can have a completely packed social calendar for the week, and I’m 100% happy. I rarely need time alone to “recharge,” and find myself fueled by others. Sometimes, I think that’s why the library (and lately teaching) has been a good fit for my personality. Not a day goes by where you can avoid talking to people and dealing with their various issues, be it a coworker or client. I love listening to what people have to say (for the most part), and helping find the information they’re looking for. Although being “on” all the time in the classroom can be exhausting, it’s fun to be talking to people all the time and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy the attention just a bit (only-child syndrome, perhaps).
That being said, being alone can be a little more interesting…I often don’t quite know what to do with myself (despite the ever-present need to clean/grade/prep/sleep). With the impending absence of television in my life, how will I fill the void of time? Dare I read more? Take up a new hobby? Actually blog? Spend MORE time on Facebook? I don’t think it’s possible…
Anyone want to hangout tonight? 
P.S. I would like to add to Michelle’s various bus rants, stating that if you think not being able to get a seat is bad, try regularly seeing your students on the bus and grappling with the “do I talk to them, or do i ignore them?” issue…and then, then when you decide that perhaps it’s best to leave them be, have them come up to you looking moderately hurt and commenting on your frequent iPod usage on the bus. I would take not getting a seat to have a taste of sweet, sweet anonymity…
It’s been almost two weeks since I’ve updated this thing. In the interest of not becoming one of those people who never update their blog, I’m going to seriously contemplate shutting her down. Being outside of the library community has given me little to blog about, unless I should be posting my seemingly endless rants about teaching and the foibles of my students. We’ll see what the next couple of weeks brings.
having a homework assignment due every, single day. I’ve never felt the pressure to be “on” so acutely as I do now. Wow…just wow.
Lately, I’ve felt caught between two worlds. I’ve expressed my concern to some people that I’m feeling utterly disconnected from the library community, yet I don’t really feel like a teacher either. Don’t get me wrong, I’m thrilled to be teaching (tomorrow!), but when I’ve spent the last year of the life preparing for something else, it just feels plain old weird. It’s still a shock to think that one year ago, I was headed to my very first library school class, and, now, I sit here preping to teach my very first communications class. The world operates in very interesting ways.
So, I’m trying to think of ways to stay connected to librarianship, while keeping myself immersed in teaching, and here’s what I’ve come up with so far:
1) Stay active in the professional organizations to which I belong: OLA, CLA, SLA. (*maybe I should ammend that to get more active with SLA, since I haven’t explored the full benefits of that particular one). That reminds me…
2) Renew association memberships!
3) Keep using the library. I tend to forget it exists sometimes when I’m wandering around Chapters contemplating all of the books I could buy.
4) Read blogs of fellow librarians to see what’s new in the community. There are so many great library-related blogs out there, that I’ll never lack for entertainment, even when I’m lacking time.
I’m off to delve into the wonderful world of classroom prep! Did I ever mention learning how to use Power Point was perhaps one of the most useful things I gleaned over the last year? Countless presentations in library school actually have practical application in the real world–who knew?
