Work stuff: I’m now working primarily in technical services/collection development. Going back to my roots! Thankfully, this part of my roots does not involve updating digital library records all day long, every day. That drove me crazy. I like maintaining access and making sure that everything is running smoothly–I think there’s a part of me that likes having tasks with endpoints that I can cross off a to-do list. “This journal isn’t accessible” –>”this journal is available” makes me feel accomplished. I’m also leading a small team of folks to work on a technical services project. Lucky for me, they are all smart and willing people, so coordinating the project is not painful at all. Training is also a part of my work life, but it’s no longer a major focus of what I do–still some EndNote/Zotero, a lot of PubMed/CINAHL/miscellaneous databases. It’s always good to pick up new skills, but I’m a little bummed to be spending less time training. I’m an introvert, so I find it draining, but I also (surprisingly) really love it.
I was just profiled informally for my departmental newsletter (not just the library, but the larger department that we are part of). I managed not to sound like a complete bubblehead, but am definitely nowhere near as serious as most of my coworkers. Oh well. There’s never any use pretending to be someone that you’re not.
Life stuff: I am moved across town to Inglewood and am planning a garden. I am also extraordinarily lazy when I’m at home, so we’ll have to wait to see whether or not said garden actually materializes. Second, I did get a car! I got a Hyundai Elantra, which is spacious and lovely and so modern, at least when compared to my old-but-beloved Miata. Fortunately, the Miata retired to Florida to live with my parents, so it’s not entirely lost to me. Third, the decoration of my bizarre extra living room (the Black Lodge or the lodge room) is continuing. I’m going for a “Victorian-era Lady Explorer” vibe, we’ll see how that goes. I already have too many huge wooden masks and maps.