Whitman Reunion: Part 1

Wow. This reunion has been so exciting, I haven't even been able to actually live blog it. Right now it's Sunday and I'm at one of the only public computers in the Penrose Library. Charlie and Jeff and I just checked to see if the same Rothko print is down the cafe, and it is. (We also saw David Beckley down there and kind of awkwardly said hi to him.) Remember when the trees outside that cafe were just little babies and Alden was making jokes about that yellow block sculpture? The trees are so big now! You can barely see the yellow block sculpture.

Jeff and I are about to go back home. We ended up picking Christian up at the rest stop and so we're going to take him home, too, I guess. I don't really want to drive all the way to Olympia, but I haven't figured out if I'm going to tell Christian that. Suggestions?

Before we go we're going to stop at the Iceberg and get milkshakes. Today I taught Darrell how to use Facebook so he could stalk the freshmen he knows who go here now. Libby and Darrell are having lunch with Parke right now and Jimmy is holding auditions for In One Room. As it turns out, one of the best people to catch up with is Claire Willett because she talks fast and makes a lot of jokes. Last night we saw a T-Tones reunion concert. I could probably write an entire blog post about that, so I'll save it. We went on a mini wine tour of Walla Walla. We crashed a college party on Friday night that was next door to the Haven. Alden and his Sidecar friends took their shirts off approximately 45 minutes into the party. Jeff tried to help an awkward freshman make friends at the party. I got drunk on 4 stolen beers and felt terrible all day Saturday. We saw Cullen's movie about D&D L.A.R.P.ers. We went to the green. We ate stinky cheese at the place where Grapefields used to be. We talked to Anna Batie. Darrell got sad that Joe Hickock (Heecock?) isn't going to be a doctor and is instead teaching SCUBA lessons in Kaua'i. Charlie says the best part of the reunion was seeing people who got fat and pregnant.

This is all very stream of consciousness because I'm in a hurry. In fact, we are leaving right now! A more thoughtful Part 2 may be coming your way soon.

Whitman Reunion: Prologue

Though I graduated just four short years ago, I'm already being called back to my undergraduate alma mater for a reunion. It's for the classes of '02, '03, and '04 (a so-called "cluster reunion") and at its root is probably some kind of scheme to get us to donate more money to the alumni fund. I'm actually pretty happy for an excuse to go back to Walla Walla. I want Jeff to see where I spent some of my most formative years, and it's such a nice little town. Also: Wine tour! Woo woo!

Jeff and I were supposed to leave at 4, but we're running behind. I just heard from Darrell, who's on his way to pick up Libby and then head out. I also heard from Christian this morning and his car apparently broke down somewhere on I-90. Oh noes! Hopefully he'll be picked up by Alden or whoever he can get ahold of. If he's still stranded by the time we come by, we'll save him (and Rose, who's travelling with him, I think).

Charlie has his own troubled story, which is that he thought he could stay with his 86-year-old aunt in Walla Walla, but he forgot (for three months) to call her and as of last night he still didn't know if it was cool for him and his friend to stay there. So Charlie may be forced to find shelter with some poor, unsuspecting freshman. Some things never change!!!!1 JK/LOL.

Hold on, my phone is ringing.

...

Ok, it was Christian. He said he got a tow truck to take his car back to Olympia and he talked to Libby and Darrel. So whoever gets to him first will pick him up, I guess. Gotta go. The race is on!

I Got a Job! Part Deux

So I had a difficult decision to make last week. My boss at the Engineering Library offered me a 9-month gig right after I found out that a Seattle children's librarian job will be opening up soon.

This triggered a debate between the two halves of my personality. One half says, "You are in no position to turn down a job, young lady. You have student loan payments to make and the economy is on the express train to Recession Town." The other half says, "Life is about taking chances! You will get the job of your dreams if you persevere! Just keep subbing and praying, girl!"

The debate raged on until my guilt complex convinced my idealistic notions that having health insurance is more important than holding out for the job of my dreams. To put it in terms of cliches, "Follow your bliss" lost out to "A bird in hand is worth two in the bush."

So this is where I'll be spending my 9-3 (I'm only .75 FTE) until June:

It kind of makes me think of Meg talking about "fuck you architecture."

Kaua'i Vacation Pics

Check them out!

Highlights were: the sun, the beach, and the crazy luau fire dancers.


I also really enjoyed eating papaya for breakfast. It's best when you squeeze lemon juice on it.



And, finally, in case you did not know, I will inform you that Kaua'i is bursting with wild chickens. They're lousy with them.

Even though our trip was at least 80% relaxing, I'm still exhausted from it. My head is pounding and my legs feel rubbery. I'm signing off. Mahalo and aloha!

Step One: Get job. Step Two: Take a vacation!!!!!!!!!!11

Working full-time for almost a month has worn me out, folks. I mean, do people really do this? Sit at a desk for 40 hours a week? I mean, I just finished grad school so I'm used to working full-time, but I'm not used to working working full-time. Ugh.

It's time to go away, and having never been to Hawaii, I figure that's about as good a place as any. So Jeff and I are off to Kauai on Saturday. It's his birthday and our anniversary, so we've got some celebratin' to do. Woot!

What I really want to talk about, though, is how a patron just shushed me in the library. Me, the librarian. I was talking to this kid about The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time (the kid thought there were chapters missing from the book and I explained that the chapters were numbered using only primes) and we're laughing and a woman in mom-jeans comes up to me all sour-faced and is like "[Ahem] Can you quiet down?"

Apparently, this lady missed the Library 2.0 Revolution. Nowadays, the public library is not just about quiet studying, it's about community-building and social interaction. Okay?

I totally lowered my voice, though. I felt a little embarrassed, and an old worry that used to haunt me in graduate school returned: Am I too loud to be a librarian?

I got a job (sort of)

So I'm not some big shot librarian with an office and ongoing responsibilities. But I do work at a reference desk and get paid like someone with a graduate degree (NB: a humanities graduate degree). I'm a substitute librarian! I get the call, I spring into action.

It's actually pretty interesting because I get to be at a different library every day and meet a ton of library people. Library library library. The obvious difficulty is that every branch is different and I have to start all over every day. Darrell said subbing is good when you're starting out because it gives you a chance to absorb a lot without having to commit. Sort of like playing the field before you settle down with one person for awhile.


In other news, today is my niece's first birthday! Happy birthday, Amelia!

My Review of A Streetcar Named Desire at the Intiman

For my birthday Jeff got us tickets to see A Streetcar Named Desire. I knew I hadn't seen the movie, but I thought I'd read the play. About 20 minutes in, though, I realized I hadn't ever read the play and then spent the rest of show feeling slightly embarrassed that I didn't know what was going to happen.

It was a really good show, too. Excellent performances, great set, etc. I hated Stanley more and more and felt worse and worse for Blanche as it wore on. And then suddenly it was nearly over and I realized I did know what was going to happen! She hadn't said that famous line yet! And I knew what it was and she said it and it ended. Redemption.