Don’t get me wrong. I love being new places.

I just hate the stress of travel. The packing. The second-guessing. The staying up too late. The getting up too early. The worry that I’ve not left enough time to get to my gate. The concern that I’ll be sitting at the gate for hours.

Pittsburgh is a lovely city. I’m a little worried that the event I’m running tomorrow will be a flop, but other than that, I’m looking forward to being there. I’ve written down info for three local yarn stores. I’ve checked the baseball schedule (the Nats will be in town, so, at the very least, I’ll be watching the game on tv). I’ve printed out directions and have contemplated places to eat today and tomorrow morning.

I’ve eaten and am halfway done with my tea. I’ve packed a knitting project and two books. My outfit is sitting on the chair. I still have to shower and to run to Rite-Aid for some Mentos and some extra cat food. But, other than that, I’m ready to go.

I just wish I were already there.

And then back again.

See you tomorrow night, after I return.

Three beautiful things from the end of June:

1. Grateful to have me home, Della sleeps on my arm and Jeremiah curls up on my pillow above my head.

2. The first day of the conference, I go to lunch at Warehouse Cafe (which is closing because of the increase in their property taxes, so this is also a sad thing). Not only do they have a yummy vegetarian option, but they also understand that a panini machine is meant to cook the sandwich instead of just to create lines on the bread. A rarity in these parts.

3. When Bill, Jana, and I go out to eat Monday night, Bill identifies the scent in the restaurant hallway as that of Pez. Unusual, but strangely comforting, as well.

The American Library Association meeting was a successful one, both from a work perspective and a personal one.

On the work front, I found this to be the first national conference we’ve attended where librarians en masse seemed excited about our consumer health materials. Whether that was due to overwhelming attendance (and thus merely a larger version of the core audience who had always appreciated our free materials) or to a shift in professional perspective on the topic, I cannot say. But I can say it was very exciting to have to return to the office three times in order to retrieve more material. I hope the books come in use to library communities.

On a personal front, the grand total for the weekend book acquisitions ended up at 21 (including gifts). I paid a whopping $9 to purchase three of the books I wanted for gifts, but otherwise everything was free. I’ve started one of my new books already, but probably won’t get to finish it until next month, so look for a review of it and others at the end of July. (I currently have four other books I’m currently in the middle of reading…)

I also got to have dinner with Bill and Jana of Unshelved. It was a nice, laid-back evening of conversation and Ethiopian food and I came away after dinner feeling more relaxed than I have in a while. (So relaxed, in fact, that I dozed off in front of Trader Joe’s while reading my book after I stopped to buy milk and bread.) As always, I’m impressed by what nice people Bill and Gene know and look forward to meeting Jana, their store manager, again.

The only regret of the weekend is that I missed meeting Maggie, who is hosting the Southern Reading Challenge, which I’m taking part in this summer. Hopefully, I’ll get to catch up with her at some future conference.

I’m feeling a little sleepy tonight (at least that’s what I’m guessing I should pick up from dozing off in front of Trader Joe’s after dinner and then again in front of the tv), so I thought I’d be lazy and just post a meme that Paula tagged me for over the weekend:

The rules: You go to Wikipedia and type in your birthday (only month & day). Then you write down 3 events, 2 births, 1 holiday, and then you tag 5 friends.

Events

• 1843 – The event that inspired the song “Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!” is held.
• 1859 – Oregon [where I was born in the following century] admitted as the 33rd U.S. state.
• 1984 – British ice dance team Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean win gold at the Olympic Games in Sarajevo for their free dance “Bolero.”

Births

• 1894 – Jack Benny, American actor and comedian (d. 1974)
• 1934 – Florence Henderson, American actress

Holiday (I opted against the obvious Valentine’s Day)

• Bulgaria – Trifon Zarezan (Wine-grower’s Day)

No one asked, but the following deaths also occured on my birthday:

• 1975 – P. G. Wodehouse, English writer (b. 1881)
• 2003 – Dolly, first cloned mammal (b. 1996)

I don’t tag people, but I’d enjoy seeing what your results are, either on your own blog or in the comments, if you’re interested in playing along.

Because people are still out and noisy at 3:30 a.m. Usually that only happens on the Friday or Saturday of a full moon, but I don’t think that coincides with tonight. Must be midsummer night’s eve, which was tonight, affecting everyone.

I seem unable to get myself dinner when I am by myself. Usually I rely on Rudi to rustle up some evening grub, but when he’s not here, it falls to me to make sure I eat — healthily and at a reasonable hour. So far, I’m 0-3:

• Thursday night, I ordered a pizza at 11:15.
• Last night, I ate a half pint of blueberries and a bowl of ice cream.
• Tonight, I fried two eggs at 11:30 after deciding the ice cream I ate earlier ought not to be it for the night.

I wonder how poorly I’ll eat tomorrow night…

At least Monday night I now have plans with one or both of the Unshelved guys, so that’s one evening I know I’ll make a responsible choice. Maybe I’ll have to invite other people out to eat every night until Rudi returns…