Currently Reading The Book Thief By Markus Zusak see related

Feeling In-Betweeny

• My sister got married and I was a hot maid of honor. (see the proof here! http://korbel.peterpawinski.com) Lots of other stuff happened on account of this--my babcia came from Poland for a month and a half, my uncles came in from SoCal, and I saw relatives I haven't seen in a reeeally long time.
  
• My mom moved down to the south 'burbs and poof!  there goes my childhood home.
• Ben and I roadtripped to Charlotte and back up through Nashville, So. IL. and finally back home.
• Ben and I moved in together and haven't killed each other yet!
• I'm not working at Circ Desk anymore--which is a relief, but also sad.  There were definitely parts of the job I loved.

July!

Hey y'all!

The theme for this month has been: move around everyone else's crap in anticipation of moving my own on August 1st.  My mom is completely moved out of our house, and we closed this afternoon.  Apparently it went pretty well, and the closing on her new pad is tomorrow.  My sister bought a condo in Chicago around North and LaSalle (it has a killer view of the skyline and lake from the roof) and I'll be helping her move in a week and a half. 

Then, Ben and I are taking the plunge and moving in together on August 1st.  Wowza.  Lots of feelings on this subject here, but overall I'm excited about it.  I've already begun to mentally plan a house warming kegger.  We're also going to get a doggy once we've settled in.    I can't wait for doggies!!!

I finished one summer class and have about 3 weeks left in the other.  Then, I have two more classroom classes, a practicum, student teaching, an online portfolio, and my APT test to get done, and then I'll be a certified school media specialist.  Wahoo!  Then I can find a job and read to little kiddies and teach information literacy! 

Our trip to Charlotte, NC is also still in the works, and we're planning on heading down for a long weekend in early August.  It should be really wonderful to see Ashley and Lukasz since I haven't seen them since April.  On the way back we're going to stop and visit Momoo and Papa, Ben's g-parents in Southern Illinois.  They live on a really lovely lake and have a pontoon boat for pontooning  and there's lots of deer and catfish and fun things to look at.

Speaking of funny animals and stuff, yesterday morning I was sitting in Ben's car, parked on the street, waiting for him to be ready to go, when I heard a rustling noise.  I left the door open for some air flow and thought maybe something fell out.  So I looked down, and looked forward and saw a beaver, or some creature of the like, waddling down the curb and into someone's yard.  It freaked me out, 'cause it probably waddled right past me, like two feet below my ankles, and if I startled that creature at all, it could have attacked.  Ok, it wasn't a beaver, but it definitely was the size and shape and waddleness of one.  Ben doesn't believe me, but I swear it happened.

Ok, enough for now.  Have a good rest of July, peeps!  Do zobacenia!

Annette

Er...June?

Hi!

It's June 23rd, which means it's just about time for my monthly blog post.  As usual, lots is going on--lots of real estate transactions, which means lots of heavy lifting.  Classes are going strong, and are pretty interesting and fun, which is certainly the best combination.  Ben and I are looking forward to cohabitation, which begins August 1st, and a roadtrip to Charlotte, NC to visit Ashley and Lukasz, and Momoo and Papa on the way back. 

Library work is funny, and as I do it longer, the more I separate out what I can't stand about it, and what I completely love about it.

I love when you can tell a patron something they never knew about the library, and what it can do for them, and get them really excited about what this place can do for them.

I love handing over delicate books imported from China, Italy, and nowhere'sville, Iowa to an eager patron.

I love helping students find just the right book for their report due tomorrow, and convincing them that the library can do incredible things for them.

I love being able to give someone a tour of the Main Stacks for the first time and watching the wonder in their eyes when there are FIVE TO SIX MILLION BOOKS BACK THERE!

I love that anyone can virtually access any piece of information out there in the world, and how that makes us ALL equal at the library.

I don't love bureaucracy, people who don't take responsibility for their job, and patrons who don't see the beauty in all-you-can-read free books.  There are probably more disloves but really overall, I do love being a librarian.

Have a good rest of June!

Annette

Currently Reading Don't Look Down By Jennifer Crusie, Bob Mayer see related

May Thus Far

Yo Yo!

Well, there is a lot to catch up on, isn't there?  First, I'd like to direct you all to this dude's Flickr- and this picture in particular.  Ben and I went to a wedding this weekend, and this photo captures what I want in a wedding, and in a marriage, for that matter:  delicious pizza.

So, last week was my birthday and graduation, and the fam, and some of Ben's fam came down to watch and help me celebrate.  It was nice, but the weather was sucktastic, and like every birthday I've had since my 18th, it's rained.  Whatev's.  So now, I'm 24, and can no longer pull off the "I'm young and dumb" act.  Let's face it:  I'm an oldie.

I got an award at graduation, which was super awesome.  My very favorite faculty member, Dr. Betsy Hearne, presented it to me, and said some really kind things.  It feels good to have my Master's degree.  My two older sisters both have advanced degree's--one a J.D. and the other a M.Ed., and I think it says a lot about us and our parents, who didn't have the opportunity to get their college degrees.  I'm pretty proud of us.

We're moving forward in selling my mom's house and it's been on the market for a week.  So far, there's been a number of showings, and I'm really hoping someone will bite soon, so the uncertainty can go away!  I'm not really sad about this, even though it is my childhood home.  I feel I should be, but I'm hoping a new home for my mom will mean a new start.  My dad is also selling his condo and moving into a house, and it looks like my sister will be buying a place in Chicago, too, soon!  Real estate is so hot right now! Okay, that "so hot right now" joke was funny nearly a year ago, but nonetheless, I hope someone out there got it, and thought it was funny.

Ok, I'm beginning to bore myself.  Laters, taters.

Kocham ciebie,

Anetka

Hi!

Ok, that exclamation mark up there is not really genuine.  I'm sorry for not being upfront with you.  I'm sorta worn out from the weekend (manual labor at mom's house), and am working an eight hour day today (which is only 6/8ths of the way through...), so, I'm really not feeling like my chipper self.  BUT, I rest assured, because I know that I have vacation time coming my way.  And by vacation, I mean, I will only have one class, and a couple weeks off from work.  Wahooo!

Okay, so in other news: I met Roger Ebert on Friday!!!  The only person who reads this blog (Leah) already knew this, but I have to recount the story for historical purposes anyways.  SO, I was working at the Circulation Desk like every Friday between 11 and 2, and I look across to my colleagues at the Information Desk (Lucy and Liggles in particular), and I see Mr. Roger Ebert, alumnus of the University of Illinois!  Lucy comes over and asks if it'd be alright if Mr. Ebert could show his grandchildren the Main Stacks and I say, "Bring it on, Rog!" Well, not word for word, but you know.  So, Roger Dodger comes over, and signs me an autograph, and one for the Circ Desk, and Lucy gives him a Stacks Tour.  My brain is like...a really fast thing, and I thought it'd be a good idea to whip out some Illios (the yearbook) from back in Rog's day, so he could show his grandkids how super cool he was as the editor of the DI (newspaper).  He was mucho appreciativo and pleased that I thought of the Illio.  Then, he left, and I was excited for the rest of the day 'cause I get majorly starstruck. 

Last Thursday Ben and I celebrated our fifth anniversary.     We had a very nice sushi picnic in the park, and did some other fun errandy stuff, and had a lovely dinner at Silvercreek.  I'm not going to get too shmoopy poopy here, but I love my guy a whole bunch, and I'm thrilled about our half-decade-averrsary.

Enough blogging!  T minus 98 minutes til I go home! 

xoxo,

Annette