What I've been up to lately

I am currently listening to Basia Bulat singing "I'm forgetting everyone," but don't worry, interwebs peeps, I haven't forgotten you! I definitely owe you an update, though. It's just been a madhouse, especially with the lead-up to this past week's Freedom to read week event. Now that that is over (a recap post forthcoming, too), I can turn my attention to other projects, like CLA Conference, reading for pleasure again (the BOYCA shortlist is out!), waiting for the roads to clear enough to run outside again, catching up with friends over coffee, visiting Montreal at the end of the month for a friend's seemantham (super excited!), and writing shelftalkers at work.

So, here's what's been on my plate at work recently. There are some really exciting initiatives starting to get off the ground. When I'm not doing this stuff, I have been lying on the hallway floor while the Husband makes dinner, frolicking with my bestie around town, at LANCR meetings or out with friends for drinks, at VerseFest, or reading books for BOYCA (done!) and IMPAC (almost done) consideration. I AM SO SICK OF CAN LIT (poetry of Dennis Lee, Paul Tyler and Suzanne Buffam excepted. Sorry, rest of Canada).

So, what's up at Carlingwood? I'm glad you asked!

• Our Reading Buddies program is building steadily, with help from two volunteers who are my former students
  
• I got to do a Family (Evening) Storytime when several Children's staff were off work! I might be losing my edge, though. I had a great time, but underplanned and ran out of material right before the end. I also have forgotten parts of several basic songs. #fail.
  
• I am tackling epic ongoing projects: getting better sound in the program room, weeding adult nonfic to shift some collections around, and trying to deal with our pigeon friends (DON'T ASK)
  
• I have been reaching out and meeting with community partners in the 'hood.
• I have also been supporting my incredibly talented team as they present at Children's team meetings, get training to be eReader champions, and help me develop our seniors' services.
• We've been working on pushing through some security upgrades (card readers rather than keys, a better front door) and smaller security issues have been solved (we have a phone in the program room now, and quickly discovered we had to disconnect it from the speakers when I interrupted a colleague's storytime with my "We're closing in 15 mins" notice. Sorry, A.S.!)
• Most importantly, we're doing SHELFTALKERS! Hooray! So far, the teens have been outpacing me, but I will catch up.