Full Circle

Thanks, everyone, for hanging around while I take part in August Break and adjust to life without a full-time office job.

I just had an amazing weekend, celebrating the wedding of two friends and connecting with friends from high school I grew apart from before I even graduated.  But it was moments like this...

...that made me consider that, while I did grow apart from them at one point in my life, I still need them.  And I feel like I've come full circle.  In the best way.

Overall, a really wonderful weekend.

Not My Moving Day...

...but the Soul Twin's Moving Day!  She and Brian are moving to NYC TODAY!!!!  They're moving to Brooklyn and, despite my disappointment that they're not moving into the apartment next to ours, I couldn't be happier!

Note: my posts this month are part of the August Break 2011 started by Susannah Conway.

SLJ Day of Dialog; or The Day I am Over-Chicked

The news is officially out: I am going to be on a panel at School Library Journal's Day of Dialog, which will take place before BEA begins. Here is all the info:

Panel I: THE BLOGGER, THE BOOK, AND THE BUZZ

Are bloggers having an impact on what we read, what we add to collections, what we recommend? Here what avid bloggers Liz Burns (A Chair, a Fireplace, and a Tea Cozy), Laura Lutz(Pinot and Prose), Cheryl Klein (Brooklyn Arden), and author Libba Bray have to say about it.

Moderated by Betsy Bird, SLJ blogger and librarian, New York Public Library

We'll be on from 9:15 - 10:15 a.m...which is wicked early for me to get from Queens to Brooklyn. Dang. The magic day is Thursday, May 28th.

So a few years ago, I did something awesome for the Husband...I don't remember what it was now. But Adam shook his head and said, "Dang, I am so over-chicked." I was, like, "What is that????" He explained that it was a phrase he picked up at work, and it is meant to describe a man who is with a woman who is just waaaaay too awesome for him. Or, for instance, when you see that couple out on a date and she's dressed up smash-bang beautiful-awesome...and he's the schmuck in jeans? Yep, he's over-chicked.

So I'm feeling insanely over-chicked on this panel. I mean, have you seen this group?! I'm over-chicked big time. It will take everything in me not to start laughing in the middle of it all and exclaim, "What am I doing here?!?!"

Nevertheless, I'll keep it under control, make sure to look really cute, and have a great time. With this group, I expect lots of sarcasm and laughter...not to mention that I'll learn a crapload of new stuff, I'm sure.

Be there or be square, dudes.


* Anyone else see the spelling error in the panel description? It's torturing me slowly and painfully...please change it ASAP, SLJ...before I lose it...

YAY! WEDNESDAY!

Last week’s so-so NYT dining section has long since been put in the recycling bin and been replaced by this week’s really fantastic one. Here’s the round-up:

• A group called Sustainable Table is promoting local, sustainable agriculture by doing a cross-country road trip in a bio-fueled tour bus; they’ll end the trip in NYC with the Farm Aid concert on Sept. 9th. The article talks a little bit about the changing role of Farm Aid – that it began in the 80’s mainly to help corn and bean farmers from losing their land. Ironically, we now promote moving away from those commodity crops and Farm Aid is working to save the “family farm” where the crops are diversified and sustainable agriculture is practiced. It’s crazy to think about the changes in the past 20 years – we’re so clearly a country in need of some kind of food culture.
  
  
• Wanna hear something weird? Apparently residents in the Lower East Side had issues with Whole Foods opening a wine shop in their neighborhood. So what did Whole Foods do? They opened a beer room where they stock some 300 beers and you can get 64 oz. jugs of the stuff! Am I the only one that sees this as being…odd? Wine, NO! Beer, okay? I see no logic behind this. Anyone have any explanations?
  
  
• There was also a review for a restaurant in Prospect Heights called Franny’s – sounded completely intriguing. Except that it’s in Brooklyn. Worth the trip from Queens? Highly unlikely. But I’ll still keep it in mind…you never know.
  
  
• And lest you think this whole post is about food, on the back page of the dining section, there was a full-page ad for the NYT's “Times Talks” series. And guess who’s doing a talk? Philip Pullman! It’s called “The Golden Compass: A Conversation with Philip Pullman.” And it isn’t sold out. You know which talk is sold out, though? Ben Affleck. Seriously? Sheesh.