A Blog Post for Dave Finley

So, a few people have asked me to keep my blog going, but I think my biggest fan (according to my Dad) is Dave Finley! So this one's for you, Dave.

I know I promised to finish postings about Australia when I got home. Well, I haven't exactly broken that promise, as I'm still home and my trip is over. But I will admit that I've been taking my own sweet time. Sorry! The holidays were a bit hectic, and the Seattle Public Library is completely reorganizing, which has impacted me directly in an extreme way. But I hereby promise to TRY to post once a week. We'll see how it goes!

In post-Australia news, both boxes of stuff that I sent home to myself via seamail arrived relatively intact! I had wondered how that would go. So I've been sending out everyone's Christmas presents this month, which has been really fun. Also, the children's books I received as gifts, and also some that I bought, arrived in the packages, so I've done two Australia story times. The kids loved them! Many children's librarians in Australia that I met recommended a series called "Aussie Gems". I figured if Aussies were recommending them, then they had to be true to the spirit of Australia. They were such hits at story time, that I've ordered the entire rest of the series from my friend, Nella, who works at Fuller's Bookshop in Launceston, Tasmania (http://www.fullersbookshop.com.au/launceston.html). I also had photographs of Aussie animals and Aussie money for the kids to see, and I used the song that Nancy Stewart wrote specifically for our trip to Oz (http://www.nancymusic.com/SOM/2009/walkin-in-the-outback.htm). The whole thing was a blast, and I've packaged it up as a kit for other SPL children's librarians to use.

In other news, a friend and I went on the Tour de Chocolat, a chocolate tour of Seattle (http://www.sschocolatebox.com/center/event.php?event_id=45). Oh, my heavens to Betsy. It was so fun, and so delicious, and I am just awash in chocolate!

I'm currently sitting in Barnes & Noble, and it is filled with people reading, shopping, doing homework, and working on laptops. Pretty much the same thing they do at the library, so why is it so much quieter? Seriously, except for the music, it's like a tomb in here, even though it's full. How does that happen?