The past few weeks have been fun, busy, exciting, stressful… Let me count the ways:
Earlier in the month, I worked my first shift at the co-op. I opted to do a receiving shift, wherein I arrive at the store before it opens to receive shipments, arrange and display produce, label produce, and check prices. Other than the basic duties outlined in the job description, I didn’t know what to expect. Turns out, it was really fun! Because the store was closed, it was easy to get work done but also to get to know the other members working with me. It was a good group of people and I look forward to my recurring Saturday morning shift. I’ve also been shopping at the co-op more frequently and eating a lot of delicious fruit and veggies. (Part of the reason I like my shift is that I get to shop after I’m finished, right as the store is opening and the produce shelves are still stocked!)
The following day, June 3, I participated in the Tour de Brooklyn. It was a 20-mile bike tour through my home borough with over 2,000 other cyclists. Needless to say, it was crowded and there was a lot of stopping and waiting. I managed to be caught on camera before the start, though! Crews from the local newschannel NY1 were there, covering the tour, and I can be seen in the background, fixing my hair, at about the 0:45 mark. It’s a low-quality video and you can barely even make me out but I’m there! I can now say I was on TV. Hehe.
On June 8, I gave a presentation at SUNYLA 2012: Fashioning the Library of the Future. I talked about my project creating library video tutorials while I was employed at Lehman College. I had a good turnout and thought my session went really well, with a lot of input & discussion from the audience. For those who are interested, my slides are available on the conference website or by following this link directly: From backstage to center stage: Librarians as actors in video tutorials (PPT).
While all this was happening, though, I was also nervously preparing for a job interview. I was selected to be interviewed for a new position, Instruction Librarian, at my current place of employment. This is a huge deal as this is an exciting opportunity for me to work at a college I like with colleagues I admire doing work I find incredibly interesting, challenging, and rewarding. I was interviewed by a committee of my library coworkers yesterday and hope to move on to Phase II of the interview (wherein I give a short presentation, on a topic yet to be determined, to my colleagues in the department) in the coming weeks.
Since interviewing is stressful, I took the day off and, because it was absurdly hot (95°F!), spent it eating ice cream, napping with my cat, and then going to see the New York premier of Sleepwalk With Me at the BAMcinemaFest with Alex. It turned out that our seats were kind of amazing–if all we wanted to see were Ira Glass and Mike Birbiglia talking about the movie. (In the photo on the left, Alex and I are in the second row right in front of the podium. I’m behind the girl in the pink-ish top at Ira’s feet.) However, they were very unfortunate for watching a movie because we were so close and so far off to one side. I spent the evening craning my neck and seeing distorted images projected on the screen. But! It was a fun movie and a great experience nevertheless. I’ve been a fan of Mike Birbiglia the comedian for a while now… and now I consider myself a fan of Mike Birbiglia the film writer, director, and actor, too. (Oh! And while waiting to get into the theater, I spotted a familiar face but couldn’t quite place him. Later figured out that it was John Mulaney. Makes me wonder how many other comedians, actors, and celebrities were at the premier that I just didn’t notice. I’m bad at spotting famous folks.)
I’ll be back in the BAM opera house next week for Radiolab Live: In the Dark. I hope our seats are better, although it’s all so relative, it’s hard to know what to expect ahead of time.
