Sunday, November 4, 2012

Halloween & CLA

So, fun week/weekend. At work we had our halloween party and people had fun costumes. I was a penguin.

We also got delicious catered Chinese food, and candy. There was a costume contest and the winner was the guy who dressed up as a revolutionary.

This weekend was the California Library Association General Conference, CLA for short, here in San Jose. I had a great time.


I went to a session on social media, a panel of mystery/crime authors, some lovely receptions where I met some new people, and a little evening amusement called CLA Battledecks which mixed slideshows and improv. I also saw lots of fascinating posters from different companies/libraries and enjoyed perusing the exhibit hall. Great weekend, and I still had time to meet with my study group and finish all my homework.

Here's a picture of a bunch of "swag" or fun exhibit hall freebies I got. Some flyers, bookmarks, pens, post-it notes, candy, a free picture of myself as a "Library Scientist"...

 ...and some books, including a free one I picked out about pirates.

I also bought a book by one of the authors at the panel I attended. She writes crime novels set in Paris, and she actually goes to Paris on a regular basis to do research for her novels. She signed my book for me, too :). I will be reviewing the book here when I finish it. At the suggestion of one of my new conference friends, I think I will occasionally start reviewing books here on my blog, because I really want to get back into reading more and that would give me the motivation to do so.

Happy November!

12 comments:

  1. Once upon a time, in a far away galaxy, there lived a smart galactic librarian who takes great pics and writes interesting content...

    Buenas dias amigo/Bonjour mon ami...what an interesting post this week! Sounds like exciting times, Jen, woohoo! Keep the fun times rolling...enjoy your day you guys.

    If only the Pittsburgh Penguins of NHL fame knew they try to steal ya from your hometown San Jose Sharks....You shared the 1st (the revolutionary costume) and 2nd place (individual who dared to dress as the boss) costume winners, Did Wonder Woman capture 3rd prize?

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    1. Wonder Woman's costume was great, but there was no third prize. Still in a way everyone was a winner because we got free lunch! :)

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  2. Bonjour mes amis américains!

    Perfect definition of “our” Jen , Alan... she certainly does a great job here! By the way Jen, you look smashing as a library scientist dressed in a lab coat! Yes, Al it’s not a “Wonder Woman” costume, however it’s pretty fetching! (AL and his Wonder Woman, are you blushing? Hahaha)

    Well, last night I stayed up and watched CNN - the Presidential election coverage...WOW was it ever close!

    You know what guys, I will not miss the coverage on the news. Yes, we get a lot of coverage here where I live. One “good” thing that I heard this morning on CBC, they said because President Obama has been working with our Prime Minister Harper, this will benefit our country....by further continuing the good relationship.

    I felt a bit sad for Governor Romney though, it must have been difficult...unfortunately someone has to lose... Enough about politics...but first Al, I loved your post at 2012 “Back to Back!” ----->http://af12.webs.com/apps/blog/show/19819536-back-to-back- Good stuff!

    Talk later guys... gotta run!

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    1. Hi Meesh, I am sure there are a lot of mixed reactions to the results of the election, but I'm sure we're all going to hope for the best.

      Haha, that was a funny picture to have taken. They had me stand in front of a green screen and I got to pick the background and choose whatever props I wanted. They had some plastic axes.. going a little too mad scientist there.. and some crazy wigs, and things like that. So my version was relatively tame. :)

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  3. Good Morning, Jen! Bonjour Meesh! Merci for your thoughtful visit and encouraging comments here about that post. Suspect a great deal of Republicans like me were initially disappointed with the outcome on Election Day, but after all is said and done, we are all Americans, and our focus should be upon cooperation and promoting the best interest of the people instead of squabbling over petty politics and divisiveness etc.

    Just dawned upon me that my cheekbones are suddenly feeling warm, so good thing I'm behind this keyboard on the other side of your computer screen, trying to deny/ward off this blushing/rougir moment as I think of your Wonder Woman comment...hahaha

    So, this is a good place to call a time-out and regain my composure...there's beet red and then there's RED-red!

    Missed ya this week, Jen. Back next week to see what's next on tap here at your Epic Treats. Have a safe/wonderful weekend you guys.

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    1. Hi Al,
      My schedule is busier than ever... I'm going to have to try to figure out a way to pull off 60-hour workweeks for the next couple months.. but I guess it'll work out somehow.
      Have a nice weekend too! I will be catching up on work/schoolwork.. that's about all I have planned.

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  4. Allo my friends!

    Jen, I forgot to tell you...last weekend I watched the greatest movie on TV... not sure if you ever watched it ... the movie came out in 2009... it’s called “Julie Julia”
    My best friend read Julie Powell’s book “My Year Cooking Dangerously” which became part of the screenplay that was written and directed by Nora Ephron (one of her last movies) ... anyway the movie/book is autobiographical which I love and very funny with a bit of romance as well.

    It’s about American Julia Child's story of her start in the cooking profession in France and it is intertwined with a blogger Julie Powell's 2002 challenge to cook all the recipes in Child's first book. Meryl Streep plays legendary Julia Child and Amy Adam plays Julie Powell.

    Here’s the trailer to the movie----> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjvJHsJD8ic If you have not watched it, I urge you to rent the movie and watch it at a friend’s. (I realize you do not have a television or perhaps read the book) I am sure you will be able to relate with the storyline Jen...I immediately thought of you Jen, when I watched it.

    You know what? I have a hunch Al would like it too... the aspiring writer part in him ( sidebar I also read your post http://writeword.blog.com/?p=114 “Finding Time to Write…” also beautifully written my friend)

    Anyway, here’s the plot to Julie,Julia-----> http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1135503/plotsummary

    Sorry to go on about a book/movie... but I will go back to the Presidential election... I agree with you Jen, there’s mixed reactions on the outcome. I do love what Al said in his post at 2012 ... in his scenario ,the teacher encouraged her students (who lost their vote) to think of some positive attributes of/about the pet they voted against, in order to recognize the positives... “Brilliant” and that’s the key.

    As I mentioned I watched the election coverage on television...however what really impressed me were the speeches that came after...I hate the thought of Governor Romney fading away. He loves your country and wants a remedy within its financial woes. This is his forte. I recognized within your President’s acceptance speech, that he recognizes this within Romney.... you know what would be nice?

    That’s if your Prez would find a place in his cabinet for Governor Romney.... I will not hold my breath, however I feel your country should “unite” in order to become “ONE” again.. Oh well I am not a political expert or a pundit but that’s how I see it. Time will tell, the Americans are resilient folks! If it makes you guys feel any better, the economy is grim/problematic here as well in Canada.... I believe gas prices are even higher over here.
    http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2012/10/23/well-being-index-canadians.html

    Anyway, have a great weekend guys....PS Al, don’t worry you will not have a “rougir” moment when yoou read this...BUT I cannot promise that I will never do it again Hahahaha I do love to catch yoou off guard at times... I can’t help it LOL Yes, I’ve always admitted that I am a brat.

    About the Wonder Woman costume reference, that had Al blushing... I have a sneaking suspicion and within Al’s defense that it has little to do with the skimpy costume (ahem although kind of nice eh?) ... Seriously Jen, I do believe it had to do with the actress who played the Wonder Woman “Diana PRINCE” character..... raven haired/blue eyed beauty Lynda Carter----> http://salvagedstars.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/lynda_carter_gallery_1.jpg

    Am I right, Al? Psssst Al, I just realized, you had another super-hero in your life (your personal broccoli eating saviour) also called“Prince”?! Uh ohs... Holy! You were indeed a Wonder Woman fan! I best quit now..... come back Al.... no more teasing my Alan!<------(said with my fingers crossed....LOL)

    Have a wonderful and safe weekend guys!

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    1. Hi Meesh! I have seen that movie, it was a good movie. I wish I had more time to try new recipes. My housemate has been cooking me dinner this week, because he knows I'm starting to get overwhelmed with my schedule. One night he made cheeseburgers, and a couple other nights we had stuffed pasta shells. I think this started on Wednesday... the other nights I just threw together some tacos, haha.

      Wonder Woman is pretty, I hope my hair starts growing more quickly so I can have long hair like her again!

      Have a nice weekend my friends, my housemate and I are going to the mall because he wants to get some clothes. :)

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    2. Hello Jen!

      Nice to see that you have survived the grueling 60hour work week. It’s super that your housemate is considerate and has been helping out by cooking meals...Isn’t it something when someone else cooks, how wonderful it tastes...yes, even a simple meal such as cheese burgers/pasta shells is like an expensive meal! Sharing the company is also nice.

      I agree, Lynda Carter aka Diana Prince/WonderWoman was and still is a very attractive woman http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2000082/Lynda-Carter-shows-shes-got-Wonder-Woman-youthful-looks-59.html .... I think there have been other actresses who played the role of Wonder Woman, to me ( I am sure Al also agrees) Lynda Carter *was Wonder Woman* ...simply the best!

      I just thought I drop in to say...hello. Hope your much deserved time-off was enjoyable! Talk to you guys later!

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    3. Yep, I survived Meesh! It was very tiring but I had a little time to relax and recharge over the weekend.. went to Whole Foods and got some healthy stuff.. now I'm ready to do it all over again, haha.

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