A Winner

Swanson, Susan Marie. (2008) The House in the Night. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

I was at the press conference when they announced that this book had one the Caldecott Medal. I'm always a little skeptical. When all of the librarians practically started doing the wave, I became cynical. What I did not know is that I had read the book before and loved it.

I went to read it today and I realized what a fabulous and beautiful book it is. The author rewrote the words of a favorite nursery rhyme into a beautiful, peaceful bedtime story. The illustrator contrasts shadowy black and white illustrations with golden light as you can see on the cover. The combination creates a serene wonderful book. It made me feel good all over. I would say it is even "virtuous, lovely, ... of good report [and] praiseworthy." Check it out from the library! Read it to your kids! It is wonderful!

P.S. I read a lot of picture books and most don't stand out to me.

Then and Now

Last year, my wonderful roommate, Laura, dropped me off at my ALA Midwinter Meeting in Philadelphia. The photo below shows where I stayed. We were 28 to a room and I was unable to sleep due to the noise of the night club across the street.
This year, I checked myself into the Hyatt in downtown Denver (at a low conference rate) and got upgraded to this room. Note the table for 6, the flat panel television, and the Murphy Bed. I even managed to be able to take naps.
I attend these conferences to fulfill my duties for a committee I am on. Usually, they put us very far away from the rest of the convention in a drab lifeless meeting room at an obscure hotel. This year they had us at the Brown Palace Hotel - one of the most luxurious and beautiful hotels in Denver. (Photo courtesy of Denver.org)
I can certainly cope with this contrast,

A Visit From Em

Emilysa decided to spend the long weekend with me. After work on Saturday we headed up to the LA temple then went out to eat. Afterwards we celebrated her birthday in style.

What future physical therapist could be happy without a jigsaw puzzle book of human anatomy?

On Sunday, we went for a drive and found Malaga Cove Park. This is one of the cliffs.

Sorry to all of you New Englanders, but it's been gorgeous and sunny here. On Monday morning we spent some time on the beach. Other highlights included a car trip to the grocery store, a round of my favorite game, Scattergories (Emilysa nearly won), and rice and beans Emilysa style.

Five Days in Review

Monday - I spent 3 hours at the Dentist. The most significant thing that I did at the dentist was read the majority of The Tales of Beedle the Bard. I'm still trying ot decide what to read when I return this week to get my fillings as it will undoubtably be a long visit.

Tuesday - The bus that i have to connect to in the morning was very late. When it finally arrived, the bus driver decided it was more important to step out of the bus and flirt with some girl than get customers to their destination on time.

Wednesday - When I went to buy a soda at a nearby gas station, some gentleman confused me with Cinderella. I was less than flattered and wanted to suggest (but of course didn't) that he find a new pick-up line.

Thursday - I went to a work meeting where we discussed the linguistic differences between "Kid's" and "Children's." I have strong opinions as you might expect.

Friday - I decided to get a massage which was probably the most relaxing 20 minutes of my week.

A Dutch Day

This morning I was running out of my house to catch the 7:46 AM bus. Half way there I realized that I had no quarters with me. Unable to make it back for money and back to the on time, I decided to quickly change my clothes and take my bike.

It was a warm sunny day (I'm not trying to rub it in.) still cool in the morning but not bad. For California there were quite a few bikers on the road even. Some were commuters and some were definitely on the road for sport. We greeted one another as we passed. It almost felt like biking was normal - first Dutch feeling.

I got to work, carefully locked my bike to the rack, and started my day. This even felt a little like my mission when at a certain point I had tons of kids swarming around me. Combine that with a few language barriers etc. and it was quite the flashback.

We closed a little late today. Two librarians hung back while the rest of us left. As I was unlocking my bike, I reached over to turn on the lights and nothing was there. They had been stolen! That was the most Dutch thing of them all ...

... until I tried stuffing my huge bike into my coworkers tiny hatchback car. It fit by the way. Suddenly I remembered many a transfer when we were attempting the same thing.

Today, I have lost two bike lights and a little faith in humanity. But I can now see parallels to two worlds that have seemed so dissimilar.

New Year's Resolutions

I've been inspired by the many New Year's blogs I've seen and am now sharing mine. Telling people always forces me to be responsible.

1) Find a dentist. I have insurance and there is no reason to wait.

2) Think about work as little as possible when I'm not at work.

3) Which leads me to this one ... Find a hobby that is not book related. I have a few in mind but I was thinking of taking a community course, finding a yoga studio, etc.

4) Lastly, eat healthy food. This involves taking my lunch to work with me and making healthy food choices at the grocery store. This will not only improve my health, but also my finances.