Well that didn’t go as planned…

Ah April, when one has so many hopes and aspirations….and so many other things that get in they way of them.

I slack. Already! So early in. And yet, I am not ashamed. I spent time with old friends, I made new friends, I read books, and watched tv, took glorious walks with my dog, visited historic places and did a little work somewhere in there too. So, I’m sad I wasn’t able to blog as faithfully as I promised, but not enough to harsh my mellow as it were.

Later I might post a few pictures from the beautiful wedding I attended in Savannah last weekend. My dear Katie got married and it seems like just the other day she was banging on the walls between our closets to tell me and Holly we were laughing too loudly…

Tonight is karaoke! Leigh Anne is having a birthday and we’re celebrating with song! It’s like we live in a musical! Only I have no idea what I want to sing besides Patsy Cline’s version of Crazy (did you know Willie Nelson wrote Crazy? And if you did, did you also know that he wrote it while he was living in the Houston area?). And I can’t leave my audience on such a downer, can I? My karaoke standby, Hook by Blues Traveler is not available. I mean seriously, what is up with this place if they don’t have Hook! *shakes fist* All the songs I wanna sing are terribly sad or by dudes and not in my range or really indie (suuuch a hipster, I know), and I want everyone to like me! So many conundrums.

Day 6- Yeah yeah, I missed yesterday

I’m still in Savannah on a wedding weekend and I totally did not have time to write yesterday as I was busy recovering from the bachelorette party (we ended up at a honky tonk, felt like I was back at home). We had a lot of fun doing all the usual bachelorette stuff you’d expect. Yes there were, uh, suggestive straws and candy. We met a guy who’d (supposedly) won the lottery the week before who bought us some shots. And there was lots of dancing, including line dancing! Which meant we slept late the morning. Had a late brunch and shopped despite the cold and rain. But today is beautiful and Holly and Alex are here now! Savannah is (surprise, surprise) a really cool town. I totally didn’t realize they had an open container law and that’s both strange and cool. And I always forget that it’s the birthplace of Juliette Gordon Low, founder of the Girl Scouts. They’re doing construction at her house so I didn’t get to investigate, which just means I’ll have to come back someday.

 

Tomorrow is the wedding. At a plantation. A PLANTATION. This is going to be insanely lovely, if only because Katie is very particular and a photographer/stylist besides having the best taste ever. Pictures will be posted. And probably some Vines. 

Attempting to find a place to have dinner tonight. It is not going to be easy. There are some dietary and budgetary restrictions. We shall persevere though. This is all terribly interesting, I know. You’ll be more excited when I show you pictures later.

Day 3- Family Dinner, Lizzie Bennet, and Road Trips!

It’s Wednesday and that means Family Dinner Night! I always get psyched because A.) Free Dinner B.) my family rocks. Seriously. I don’t want to brag (though I’m totally going to) but I was hanging out with some friends the other day and we (they) were talking about their siblings and parents and I was really glad the conversation changed subjects before it got to me because I almost felt guilty that I had no real horror stories to tell about mine. We aren’t perfect and our relationships aren’t perfect. We fight and disagree and piss each other, but I genuinely love hanging with both of my parents and my both of my sisters. I spent the entire weekend at home and am still excited about having dinner there tonight. My dad will show me what things he’s made in his barn or the new/used truck he just bought, I’ll help mom and Katie cook dinner/vent about their week so far, fend off attention from all the dogs, share a bottle of wine and catch up on Castle and other tv shows and then head home. It’ll be awesome!

In other news, prompted by the kickstarter campaign and my pledge in the Pride and Prejudice Challenge, I finally got back around to finishing the Lizzie Bennet Diaries. And then kicked myself for not jumping on that train as it left the station! So many awesome things going on with this adaptation of Pride and Prejudice! The characters all have twitter accounts, apparently there are lookbooks and instagram accounts and pinterest boards and tumblrs! Basically all the things I love about the internet PLUS Jane Austen! Luckily the kickstarter is putting them all (all? twitter transcripts?) on dvd. And that’s a good thing. I hope this puts it in the hands of people who, like me, were reticent to watch 5 minute videos twice a week. Or those people who missed the social media bandwagon but still love Jane Austen’s timeless story. And this re-imagining of the story further proves the true universality of Pride and Prejudice. Even in a 2012-2013 suburban bedroom we all recognize the sharp tongued Miss Elizabeth Bennet and her practical best friend Charlotte Lu(cas). Jane is as sweet as ever and Lydia just as flighty and exasperating. But this retelling gives Austen’s characters even more depth and roundness. Through other video diaries we learn more about Lydia and Lizzie’s relationship and Charlotte is not completely written out of the story after she leaves with Mr. Collins. But I think my favorite storyline quirk is the resolution of Jane and Bing(ly)’s storyline. I don’t want to spoil anything for those who have yet to watch it, but yeah, it’s pretty great. Becky talks about it more in her blog entry from April 1, hers is a more emotional testimonial to the story’s power since she watched it from the beginning. As I should have done.

Luckily, the creators of the LBD aren’t done! Next up is a short series based on Jane Austen’s Sanditon and then in July an entirely new book adaptation will start. But we don’t know what book is next! So Becky and I were discussing it today, debating which books would be ideal for such an update and how various issues would be dealt with in a modern context. We pitched Huck Finn and realized it would be a Road Trip Vlog, and then we decided that WE wanted to make a road trip vlog! So now that’s in the works for spring break next year! Somewhere in the West. It’ll be made even better by the fact that we have yet to meet in person. So exciting!!

Recap Time!

Since I’m such a lax blogger when it’s not Blog Every Day April, I thought I’d dedicate today’s post to filling all of my many many readers in on what I’ve been up to over the past year or so (I guess longer since I didn’t participate in BEDA last year). If you follow me on twitter you will know all of these things and much more, so bear with me as I go through the highlights. Here’s my 2012, illustrated by a LOT of pictures. Because that’s how I roll.

Last February I hosted my Inaugural Galentine’s Day Crafternoon, a day inspired by Parks and Recreation’s Leslie Knope’s gathering of lady friends. We crafted and ate and drank and it was awesome. Had a second one this February and it was also great!

In March I ran in my second half marathon, the Baylor Bearathon. They call it the Hardest Half in Texas and I believe it! There were *lots* of hills, but the weather was great and I made some friends along the way!

Right after the Bearathon (literally the next day) I flew to Spain to spend 2 weeks with my sister Katie. I can’t believe that was a year ago! It was amazing, even if I never learned Spanish..

April was the Texas Library Association Conference and I took a bunch of my teens for the Texas Teens 4 Libraries Day and it was awesome. I met and became friends with author Ben Hatke! I also went on  Texas BBQ tour and ate loooots of delicious barbecue and went to the wedding of a dear old friend/ex-boyfriend.

May was pretty chill. Geared up for the Summer Reading Club. Celebrated Lisa’s 21st Birthday.

June was pretty chill too. Just met Wilson Phillips. No big. And Carnie Wilson told me I was pretty.

July was ComicCon. Look, Elijah Wood!

In August I miraculously got to see The Old 97s FOR FREE

In September I made my debut on the stage. And by stage I mean the back patio at a coffee shop during Houston’s Fringe Festival. My costar was a giant penguin. Not lying. Even if I don’t have the photographic evidence to back it up. The Cholulas also made it out to the Ranch

In October I partied with some dinos at the Houston Museum of Natural Science’s Halloween Party, while dressed as Arthur Dent.

In November I jetted off to Miami for a reunion with some college friends. Oh and I also wrote a book. But more on that in another entry.

In December Jen and I ran another half marathon, the Shiner Beer Run. There was beer afterward. And it was awesome.

In December, Bonnie and I decided to adopt not one but TWO kittens

I also got in a quick visit to see this dude and his wife in Fort Worth while also saying good-bye to my dear friends who joined the Peace Corps.

Took Mom to the symphony to see the Irish Chieftains in February.

And then Jen up and left me to move to Denver. BAH Denver.

At the Girls Only Slumber Party, Lisa and I stayed up all night. Can you tell?

Aaaaand that’s about it. Well not really. But this post has taken long enough to load in your browser so I’ll just say that was about it. 2012, even if it wasn’t the apocalypse, was a pretty eventful year. Stick around, I’m sure 2013 will be just as crazy.

 

DFTBA,
Sti

It’s that time again!

So 5 years ago…wait was it really 5 years ago? That’s what Becky is saying, and I truest her, so I’ll take her word for it. But anyway, 5 years ago, the amazing and batty Maureen Johnson decided to blog everyday for the entire month of April. A pretty ambitious undertaking even if she is a professional writer and (I presume) already writes everyday. Then a bunch of her readers/followers wanted to join in and then she matched us all up together (she must not have written anything work related in April, come to think of it). And that’s how I met the 3 lovely ladies I call my BEDA Buddies! Becky (mentioned above), Autumn and Nicola have become fixtures in my life even though I’ve yet to meet in any of them in ‘real life’. Psh, like the Internet isn’t real.

So this entry marks the beginning of 30 straight days of blogging. And though I’m crazy busy this spring (coordinated calendars with my family on Saturday and the first weekend I have free is in late May), I am committed to doing this this year! Tomorrow I’ll do a quick recap of all the exciting things that have happened in my life since last April but today I’ll go over  a few exciting things that have already gone down today (and it’s not even noon yet!).

Just after I got to work this morning, one of shelvers heard a noise while she was emptying the book drop. It sounded like a cat, so Karen and I sprang into action. When we got outside we discovered that it was a cat! A little gray kitten hiding behind our shrubbery and meowing the saddest meows. Karen went back inside to try and call Animal Control and I attempted to catch the kitty. I didn’t have a lot of luck, lacking the guts to roughly grab her I just followed her from one flower bed to another, making my way around the library. Until a random good Samaritan/animal rescuer saw me and joined me on the front lawn and together we caught her as she tried to scurry under another bush. Once she was in my helper’s arms she was completely docile and didn’t try to struggle at all. My helper even volunteered to take her over to animal control for us! I love when things work out like that!

Then an hour or so later a regular patron dropped by the Children’s Desk to say hello. His 8 year old granddaughter and I are close because I used to do storytimes at her daycare/preschool. Sydney is precociousness personified and her grandpa likes to fill me in on Sydney Stories when he comes in. Today he told me about a conversation he and Sydney had about mentors. He asked her if she knew what a mentor was and she said yes, a mentor is someone who supports you and helps you learn things you want to learn. Then he asked her if she had ever had a mentor and she thought about it for a minute and said, “I think my mentor is Christina!”

And that, my friends, is just one of the many reasons I love my job.

So welcome to Blog Every Day April, are you ready? I am!

B3DA Day 1- Introductory Notes

One of my favorite features about WordPress is the stats, this might point toward a need for validation and to be loved but I don’t really care, I just like to look at the little chart! I saw that I had 15 views yesterday, which surprised and delighted me. I hope you all keep returning, for the next month at least, because I am anticipating some crazy Texas Spring Time antics (that’s because I live in Texas, where it is not snowing you poor northern/midwestern people)!

For initiates, this is Day 1 of Blog Every Day April. The title is pretty explanatory, because yeah I will be blogging every day this month. With the help of these lovely prompts- http://becky-jean.blogspot.com/p/beda.html

If you’re new here,

Hello!

I’m Christina, or Sti, or @librariansti. I’m a Young Adult Librarian. I love my job, all things British (Doctor Who, Sherlock Holmes, Harry Potter and Jane Austen especially-in fact the name of my blog is a British reference, if you can name it in the comments you get extra points!*), reading, art, music–all that good stuff everyone likes. I love long, run on sentences, and commas, so bear with me! This is my third year to do B3DA with Becky, Autumn, and Nicola my dear BEDA Buddies who I would not have met without the insanity and unconfined strangeness that is Maureen Johnson. So thanks, Maureen (though you’ll never read this) for introducing me to some lovely people and for making me stretch my writing muscles once a year!

To all my returning friend and readers

I think my new ‘thing’ will be lots of gifs. I hope this won’t slow down your computers, you’ve been warned!

Okay, this was just a short intro into my life. If I think of more I’ll add them in later today…

DFTBA,

Christina

*These points don’t mean anything, but it’s fun to have incentives, isn’t it?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

P.S.

Also, as a companion to each B3DA entry I’m going to try my hand at the 30 Day Jane Austen Challenge from foolishpreparation’s tumblr

So today is ‘Favorite Austen Heroine’ which is, of course, a tough one.

But here she is:

Anne Elliot!

 

Say what?

I’ve blogged before about my love of quotes. I keep a few notebooks of ridiculous/hilarious things my friends have said (and I’ve even illustrated a few of them).

I also love quotes by people who are smarter and more eloquent or funnier than I am. John Green says, “Maybe our favorite quotations say more about us than about the stories and people we’re quoting.” And I like to think about that when I’m browsing through my new favorite quote site (yes, I have several, what of it?), Quotabl.es “Where the quotes live online.”

My BEDA Buddy, Nicola (@robotnic on twitter) interns for Quotabl.es, which is what led me to the site a few days ago. So fun! I really enjoy being able to add new quotes to the site. For instance, they were missing my favorite Jane Austen quote:

“Run mad as often as you choose, but do not faint!”

So I added it!

I’ve also run across a bunch of new quotes that I really love. It was the anniversary of the signing of the 19th Amendment (that gave women the right to vote) here in America a few weeks ago, so these quotes by Lucy Stone, an American abolitionist and women’s rights advocate (and total bad ass lady) really resonated with me:

“I think, with never-ending gratitude, that the young women of today do not and can never know at what price their right to free speech and to speak at all in public has been earned.”

“Too much has already been said and written about “women’s sphere”. Leave women, then, to find their sphere.”

“You may talk about Free Love, if you please, but we are to have the right to vote. Today we are fined, imprisoned, and hanged, without a jury trial by our peers. You shall not cheat us by getting us off to talk about something else.”

Also, in pertinent quotable history news, today in 1901 at the Minnesota state Fair the then vice-president Theodore Roosevelt referenced a West African proverb while talking about the Monroe Doctrine which he used as a corollary for his future ‘Big Stick’ ideology. Anyway, we all know the quote, but here it is:

“Speak softly and carry a big stick: you will go far.”

And here is a T.R. comic by the awesome Kate Beaton at hark! a vagrant

Okay, I think that about does it for me today. With the cohesive thoughts about quotes, anyway. I might like to do one in the future just about Joss Whedon quotes like:

“Remember, be yourself…Unless you suck.”

“”I write to give myself strength. I write to be the characters that I am not. I write to explore all the things I’m afraid of. “

“Equality is not a concept. It’s not something we should be striving for. It’s a necessity. Equality is like gravity. We need it to stand on this earth as men and women, and the misogyny that is in every culture is not a true part of the human condition. It is life out of balance, and that imbalance is sucking something out of the soul of every man and woman who’s confronted with it. We need equality. Kinda now.”

Because, seriously, is there any wondering why this man is so beloved?

BEDA 2010 Comes to a close

So, for the last day of BEDA I am sitting in my pajamas on my parents sofa ready to fall asleep as I’ll be getting up too-damn-early tomorrow to proctor the SATs again. Aah getting money while reading as stressed out students bubble in answer sheets, I guess it’s almost worth being at my old high school at 6:30am.

Well, somehow I’m supposed to wrap up this month of blogging daily. In some ways it feels like I’ve been doing this forever and it was easy but it also seems like we just started a few days ago. I’m definitely not ready for May. Can it stay April a little while longer?

I’m pleased with myself that I actually managed to blog almost everyday (I’m still kicking myself about last Saturday grrr).

So, I think our themes were a great success, they inspired me when I didn’t know what to talk about and I was almost never stumped (I got stumped one time for about 5 minutes)! We should definitely do it again next year. 🙂

Okay, after possibly the most boring blog of the month I go to sleep. Night BEDA, I shall see you next year. Though hopefully I will continue to blog more regularly.

BEDA 28, A bit more than a few of my favorite things

Okay, I’m fading fast, wanna get to bed and read so let’s do this. Today’s theme is favorites. I wrote about my favorite movies yesterday so today I’m just going to list some random faves as they pop into my head.

Corduroy, Birthdays, ice cream, bright colors, photography, the Dewey Decimal System, comic books, Wonder Woman, basil, Neil Gaiman, Prendergast, best friends, quotes, zebra stripes, hamsters, cheesecake, spaghetti carbonara, James Cagney, screwball comedies, sports movies, Australia, England, Doctor Who, messy Brendan Fraser, sunglasses, earrings, honeysuckle, blogs, sarcasm, bra shopping, rings, alphabetizing things, riding bikes, tv, accents, NPH, octopuses, harmonicas, the colors green and grey and yellow, gelatto, BEDA, Maureen Johnson, museums, the smell of butter, olive oil, dark chocolate, coffee, the beach, big porches, windchimes, cats, Target tank tops, and anything Aaron Sorkin. Oh Aaron Sorkin.

BEDA 23

I almost forgot to blog!

So tired and icky feeling. Won’t go into any detail because, yeah tmi, but yeah none fun.

But now I am mostly tired.

The theme for today is weather related stories. The weather catastrophes I have to contribute is hurricanes. Um.  Big storms. Lots of rain and wind and flooding and other related stuff. They can be awful. Really really awful. Ike doesn’t seem like it was over a year ago but it was. We were without power for a little over a week. Luckily the library didn’t sustain any damage and our power and internet were working so we got to reopen immediately which was a great source of comfort (not to mention, coolness and source of information) for the community. It felt great to be that for our citizens. When the crisis began winding down for the most part, I got to cover the lunch shift in the emergency info area of the PD. It felt very official.

Luckily our house didn’t fare too poorly. We had to get a new roof and the roof of my dad’s aluminum barn was ripped completely off which looked really scary, but we fared better than we have in the past.

Yeah, so that’s my weather story. Now I’m going to bed because, well you know why, I’ve already said it a few times. I’m tired.

p.s. My kids love Dr. Horrible so much, we watched it today for the 3rd week in a row. We’re thinking about having a singalong party where we all dress as characters. I want to be one of the Bad Horse chorus!