So yeah. The alarm went off at 3:45 for the 4:00 presentation Monday, but I was up at 3:15. Just couldn’t get back to sleep.
The nice thing about the awards announcements taking place virtually: it went a lot faster. The entire thing was over in forty-five minutes, or about half the time it usually takes. A convention hall full of amped librarians can really drag things out with their hooting and cheers.
I very quickly posted on IG and FB the winners of the Caldecott Medal and Newbery Medal. Turns out Tae Keller, whose When You Trap a Tiger is the Newbery recipient, is a local girl from Hawaii. Went to the School That Must Not Be Named, which I decided still counts. I can’t believe the local news hasn’t covered this yet, two days later as I write this. Because of where she went to school, you’d think the whole state would know by now and a certain former president of the United States would have given her a phone call.
I went back to bed for another three hours of sleep before work.
Work was a little frustrating. I couldn’t focus, and my work was slow and not very good. I did submit my contributions to the staff newsletter, with edits on other people’s content, so it wasn’t like I got nothing done. Still, not my best day.
My plan was to go to bed early, then get up around one or two and work all night to finish some stuff. I didn’t exactly get to bed early. Instead I crashed in bed without putting myself properly to bed, waking up past one in the morning, then did some chores, then did some work. The thing I most needed to get done I submitted at about 3:45. I got to bed at about six in the morning. At least I did that. It was a first draft of my mid-year self-assessment.
Breakfast-slash-lunch was instant ramen with a mountain of bean sprouts and five or six small heads of baby bok choy. Dinner was kimchi stew, still my favorite dinner these days. I don’t think I did any snacking.
There was some Netflix chat in the Suzanne-Julie-Cindy group text. Also some talk of parents growing weed. Sharon and I texted a little about work. There’s been some turnover and people are talking. I have absolutely no grounds on which to disbelieve or believe the talk, so I’m not believing. Crush Girl and I traded some texts about the weather, which was insane Monday. So much rain. I also texted her very early in the morning about the Newbery.
I traded some IG DMs with a friend who’s a librarian (I think) at the School That Must Not Be Named. Wife of one of my best friends teaching at HBA. Because the teacher friend’s not on social media and the spouse is, I actually interact with her way more than with him. It helps that we share a love of children’s literature.
Somewhere on this island is a single, mid-forties to mid-fifties woman who also got up early to catch the Newbery announcement as it happened. She should reach out to me; we could be made for each other. Also anyone who needs someone to connect with in these days of insanity. Don’t go through this crap alone. Leave a comment and I’ll send you some contact info.