It's a really long time since I've had time for this. But of course, that truly isn't an excuse... The holidays have come and gone (and of course I'm still paying for some of it.) I'm getting used to the new job and discovering how much free time I don't have have at work anymore...I've managed to get myself into the Employee Wellness Program and go to (or try to get to) group fitness classes during lunch during the week. I've discovered just exactly how much MORE you work in a class with an instructor than when you work out at home with a DVD. By the time I can actually walk again from my last class, it's time to go again. But it's something that needs to happen. The personal trainer that I met with won't let me lift anything lighter than 5 lbs anymore. It doesn't seem like much, but apparently it's all I can take right now! On the machines I'm lifting 30-50 lbs depending on the muscle group, but in the class with the continuous reps and free weights five is all I can take...
I've started teaching again this semester, more Biology Labs and this week was the first upper-level English class, an adventure, but it went pretty well.
The biggest news is that the job is really cool (playing with books all day!) and on top of that I get to go to conferences. I got to fly to the MidWinter session of the American Library Association in Seattle. The conference sessions were interesting and I got to see a little bit of the city while I was there. Just enough to really want to go back...I've been to the Space Needle and eaten at a restaurant on Elliot Bay. I've been to see the Pike Place Market and managed to see the Troll in Fremont (which is the center of the universe, by the way.) I got to play around in Archie McPhee's for a bit before having to return to Texas - which oddly was colder than Seattle.
I managed to pick up a huge stack of Prepubs (advanced reader copies that they give away like candy during the conference) and can highly recommend several things. First is Melissa Marr's Wicked Lovely - which will end up between Emma Bull and Charles De Lint on my book shelf. By far and away the best modern twist on the fey court that I've read in a while. The Princess and the Hound by Mette Ivie Harrison is nice, and World Weavers: Gift of the Unmage by Alma Alexander is really good as well. I've also just finished Maria Snyder's second book Magic Study (not a prepub, a library book) which is very very good. The first book Poison Study ended in frustration and the second installment was well worth the wait. Now, sigh...I get to wait for the third book...
They give away (besides free books) all sorts of prizes, iPods were everywhere and there was another cruise raffle, but sadly no one I know got that one. I did manage to drop my card in the fishbowl at Absolute Backorder and end up with a lovely basket of Godiva that came UPS to the library today. Amanda had great fun laughing at the people who never appear back in our corner, but were willing to show up for chocolate!
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