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
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Right now, I'm debating making a second mug of coffee. I just finished my usual travel mug and, with the gray weather outside, it feels like a hot beverage sort of day. It's always interesting how the weather influences our cravings. Something about cold and misty gray days makes me feel productive but only if I've got the right beverage beside me. Here's what I am working on.
For the past few years, we've let the kiddo put together her own March Madness bracket. She doesn't give a whit about the teams and she has no concept of seeding, but she does have strong opinions about mascots. Each year, I download a picture of every single mascot. Then, I pull up the image of the mascots for each game on my laptop. She tells me which one she likes best. It's not a winning method, but it is a lot of fun. We generally do it over dinner and I try my best to not sway her choices. While there are a lot of dogs, wolves, birds, and questionable Native American mascots, there's usually one or two random outliers. I, personally, was a big fan of St. Peter's peacock. Kiddo, on the other hand was delighted by Long Beach State's shark. It was an immediate favorite and she had this 15-seed team taking the championship. Spoiler alert - they will not be the champion. How do you pick your bracket?
After almost two weeks of zero overnight wake-ups from the kiddo, the streak ended today. But, I'm grateful that this wake up came at 6AM and not two or three in the morning. Still not good, but not the worst. Hopefully, we can start a new streak of full nights of sleep tonight. Here's what else I am grateful for:
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
This morning, I had a crown replaced. For whatever reason, it takes forever to get me numb. In fact, it took two rounds of shots. But, once I am numb, I stay numb for a really long time. It's been nearly 5 hours since those shots and my face is just starting to get feeling back around the edges. Fingers crossed I'll be able to chew and talk normally by dinner time. Here's what I'm working on:
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?
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:
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