Early June Plus the ALA Annual Convention
We’ve been back for a week from our luxurious two-week vacation. I learned a few things while we were gone: I really like spending time with the kids, I don’t get enough sleep during our normally scheduled life, and if you don’t do any work for two weeks, there’s a TON to do when you get back!
First, a few preliminaries.
June 1
Benjamin had been taking out his hearing aids and chewing on the molds, so he needed a new set. His terrific audiologist suggested that we get molds made in Batman colors, so we chose black, yellow, and blue. (The yellow ended up coming out sort of green, but they’re still really cool!)
June 3
June 4
June 11
June 12
Phoebe took golf lessons last summer at Broadlands Golf Course and really enjoyed them, so we signed her up for two more weeks this summer.
June 16
June 23
Friday, June 23, I left on a 6 a.m. flight to Chicago for the American Library Association’s annual conference. My old friend Bill Schroeder picked me up from the airport, and we spent the day driving around and chatting, catching up on our adult lives. It was really fun to see him. The opening reception in the exhibit hall was from 5:30–7 p.m. that evening, so I checked into my hotel and changed into professional clothes. It turned out that the McCormick Convention Center is 5 miles from the hotel where we were staying, so we had to build in almost an extra hour to get there on the shuttle. After the reception, I went out for a drink and dinner with my colleague and new friend Cleta; she was working in the Santa Barbara main office, so we’d only met once before. Unfortunately, a recent company reorganization laid her off, so we had to make the most of our time together.
June 23
Saturday morning, I was ready to catch the shuttle 45 minutes before the exhibit hall opened at 9. I had great conversations all day and enjoyed spending booth time with my colleagues, none of whom I see on a regular basis. After work, I got the chance to have dinner with Kevin Hillstrom, the reference editor for politics and issues. He and I have only met twice, but each time we’ve enjoyed a long conversation. We had great food at Pinstripes, a restaurant/event center Kevin scoped out the weekend before while he was in Chicago with his family for his daughters’ volleyball tournament. I had gnocchi with a tuna ceviche on top and a salty, intense sauce next to it.
June 25
The highlight of Sunday was getting Phoebe a signed copy of Bridge to Terabithia! Katherine Paterson was as gracious and charming as you’d expect. I also had plenty of conversations with possible authors. That evening a couple friends and I went to meet my friend Bethany (a professor of political science at Roosevelt University) at the tail end of a motorcycle and music festival. What a great time!
June 26
I finally got out for a morning run on Monday, the last day of the conference. It’s always a treat to run in a new place, especially a new place with tons of oxygen! Work finished at 2 p.m., and I had plenty of time to take the “el” to the airport for my flight to Harrisburg, PA, where Dave and Don picked me up to begin two weeks of family vacation!
