Back in Denton

Actually, this is my second day back in the office, but I'm only now sane enough to post. The whole Anaheim/Abilene/Austin thing kind of threw me for a loop the last two and a half weeks. I'm whittling down my to-do list, but being as I have another week-long trip (Interagency in DC) at the end of the month, IFLA in Canada in August, and a personal trip to NYC at the end of that month, I doubt I'll make dramatic progress on my projects until September. Whew.

I primarily wanted to say that I now have all the Austin trip photos up, or you can just view the TLA ones. Take note: there has been no cropping or editing of any kind yet, so these are a bit rough.

I'm still working on the ALA photos... in fact, I didn't even finish editing/uploading the photos from my vacation-y time on day 1. Sigh. All in time.

Amidst my myriad projects are a couple of more recent and short-term things:

• propose and prepare an OPAL on designing a GovDocs website
• prepare a proposal (and/or article?) related to one or two aspects of Gaiman's Sandman
• draft a new copy of the Texas Depository Library contact list (then send it out to our state list-serv for further corrections)
• prepare this year's UNT Libraries Albino Squirrel Calendar
• design this year's Denton Reads promo materials
• go through my long list of possible articles, and pick at least two to begin writing

If I list more than that, my ears might start smoking, so we'll leave it there, as the projects that are most immediately on my mind.

Anyone else feel like the summer that was supposed to be their downtime ended up being more stressful and/or busy than the spring was? I had about two weeks of relative peace and quiet, but that's it.

The Peril of Digital Collections

You know you're in trouble when your current institution is digitizing the yearbooks of your alma mater. Yes, UNT is digitizing not only UNT yearbooks, but also Hardin-Simmons ones. I'm doomed.

• Yes, yes my hair was down to my waist my freshman year. And yeah, I looked about 12 years old.
• And here's proof of my nerd-cred: president of both the art fraternity (for two years) and the english fraternity.
• I was also apparently a Who's-Who (really?), but didn't show up for the photo--though my pals James, Dave, and Kathryn did.
• And finally, a record of my time as a resident assistant my last semester, one of my best college experiences.

Ah, the memories...

...Where Am I?

I'm kind of wondering this myself. I didn't so much unpack my ALA suitcase so much as stuffed Alex's dirty laundry from his St. Petersburg trip into it, and we took off to spend the holiday weekend in Abilene. We had high hopes of doing laundry while we were there, but ended up sitting around playing video games and trying to stop our heads spinning in between business trips.

We got back Saturday, and Sunday I had to get up and do the laundry in order to re-pack for the business trip I'm currently on, TLA Annual Assembly in Austin. Got here Monday and am leaving tomorrow(--I think; is it really Wednesday?). I'm on the Conference Programs Committee, so it's a lot of proofing, discussing, lias-ing with my groups, and finally scheduling. It's been a nice trip and I've had fun, but I am quite ready to get home and get re-acquainted with my husband. (After all, I've got a full two weeks home before I'm off to DC for Interagency).

At this rate, it almost--almost!--makes the Fall semester seem less intimidating. Sure, I'll have fulltime classes again, but maybe less travel. Maybe. One can hope. I love travel, I love being involved in professional groups and getting things done and learning... but man, it will be great someday when my life's purpose doesn't seem to be redefining the word "busy."

On the other hand, my husband is convinced that it's simply a part of who I am, and that if I had evenings without homework or articles to read or write, that I'd have a mental breakdown. He may be right.

I must say that I am learning the value of the word "no," however. Slowly, to be sure, but I am learning to wield its power. After all, I've got to make time to get home and discuss Battlestar Galactica with my husband--there are some things in life that are just non-negotiable.

To Take, Or Not To Take?

That's my dilemma at each conference. Do you take the entire bulky program book with you each day, in case you find yourself needing to change a session--or do you go by the pocket planner, which has titles, times, and locations, but no helpful blurb to enable your decision?

I generally just take the pocket planner. I highlight the main session I think I'd like to attend for each time slot, and then circle 2 - 3 "backup" programs of interest for each time. However, I'm running into the problem this time that my backup programs are often located so far from the original program, that if I change my mind right before a session starts, I'm out of luck. Or I simply can't re-examine the blurb to determine if it would be worth hiking two blocks or getting to the session ten minutes late.

Actually, the personalized schedule you can print out from ALA is pretty compact--mine, including the 2 - 3 alternate sessions for each time, was less than two pages. Since it's already small, it might be nice if we could choose to print the session blurbs in the same document.

Another option would be to include a map of the entire area--the conference campus--and highlight all housing and all conference meeting/program locations. I looked and looked for this info in the conference guide, but didn't see it. (Let me know if it was actually there--I may have just been blind.) Since I tend to stay in non-ALA sponsored hotels and walk a lot to/from conference, an area map is helpful--and it lets me know ahead of time when conference sessions are too far away from other locations for them to be feasible in my schedule.

All right, well I just enjoyed a video chat with my husband, and got a bit of work done using the convention center's wifi, so I'm off to find some lunch and an ATM. Then I'll probably work some more until my next session--I have state library association business that I really need to take care of before I'm back Monday evening.

Saturday

No creative title tonight... I'm just too darned tired to think more.

I went to four programs today, and they were all really interesting, but the best was definitely the LITA session on Information Technology and Information Rights of the Individual, with four scifi/fantasy writers. The highlight was that Cory Doctorow spoke (allow me a fangirlish "squee!" here), but each of the authors were fantastic: Eric Flint, Vernor Vinge, and Brandon Sanderson. In addition, Tor Books generously handed out bags with catalogs and a book by each author to the first 150 people (there were easily 400 in the room). I got there 45 minutes early, and thus got one of the prized bags and a seat on the second row. Plus, the authors generously stayed after the program to autograph everyone's copy. I scored waaay better at that one session than the time I spent in the Exhibits Hall today!

But the best part was simply hearing them all speak on the topic. I took notes, so I'll be posting them a little later, along with my notes on the other sessions of the day.

I don't think I'll be posting more photos until I get home, though--I simply don't have time to keep up with my content at the moment.

Suffice to say--if you get a chance to hear any of those four authors speak, go!

Happy Hour

Met quite a few other librarians today, wandered through Downtown Disney, caught up with my husband, who is now back in the States, got a bit of work done, and met up with the GODORT crew. I stayed to chat quite a bit longer than I had planned, caught up in a conversation about (what else?) shared regionals. It was particularly nice to be able to chat for quite awhile with Jesse and Ellen.

The venue this year was, I thought, quite a bit better than '07 in DC. It was still a bar in a Marriott, but this one was much roomier, and there was a lot of seating, which made it easier to navigate, as well as hold actual conversations.

I had briefly considered going to the Gaming event after the Happy Hour, but I ended up staying later than expected. I've also got to look over my schedule for tomorrow one last time, so here I am, back at the laptop.

In Anaheim!

Well, after leaving my house at 4:30am, flying out at 6:40am, getting to LAX at 7:40 (California time), and then spending a fun, long day sight-seeing around LA, Hollywood, and Santa Monica... I'm wiped out.

I did manage to pick up my registration materials at the Convention Center--I'm always glad when I can get that done the day before conference truly begins. Since the shuttles weren't yet in operation, I walked the 1.2 miles there and the 1.2 miles back... which was pleasant and gorgeous, but perhaps not the best situation in which to wear high-heeled sandals. Ah, well.

I've been going through the program guide and exhibits guide this evening, and I think I'm about done for the night--just want to see if I can manage to edit and upload a few photos to my Flickr account first.

Observations thus far:

• wish the shuttles ran on the preconference day, although I'm sure it's not cost-effective
• am very pleased to have free wifi not only at ALA, but for once in my hotel room (usually I just get wired connection for free, staying at Marriott locations)
• also very pleased to have had my Residence Inn room upgraded for free--I'm in what they call a "penthouse suite," which is insanely roomy, particularly for one person. I have three--yes, three--closets in this place.
• I have far too much "extra work" to be doing in the evenings when I'd rather be vegging, having fun, or editing/uploading photos. Meh.
• I've already met several interesting and fun people; Matt from Melbourne with Biblioteca (shared the shuttle ride from LAX), and a woman from Library Journal with whom I swapped thunderstorm stories.
  
• I'm already sunburned on both shoulders... and now get to spend four conference days toting my laptop backpack on those very same shoulders. That was spectacular planning on my part...

This isn't even all of the selected photos from today.... but it's a start.