Dreams and Nightmares

Last night I dreamed about our upcoming book sale.  Part of the dream was awesome - we had a huge team of really enthusiastic volunteers!  Then it started getting weird - primarily because the books started morphing into other things, like discarded exercise equipment. 

We have two weeks to finish getting ready for the sale.  I waffle between being super concerned and not being concerned at all.  We absolutely need a ton of stuff, but it's really just a matter of identifying it and dragging it upstairs.  We're doing pretty much zoned pricing (a $1 zone, a $5 bag zone) so nothing needs to be stickered.

I think my anxiety comes from how uncertain this project has been.  Every step, from writing the sorting procedure to recruiting volunteers, has been trickier than expected.  The whole project team has been learning as we go.  And there's the fact that I really, really, really want to succeed!

So the Bookstore is one of my main focus points for the next two weeks.  Practicum is finished (!) so I effectively have about 25 more hours of free time each week to devote to whatever I want.  So far it's pretty much been devoted to sleep, but I can feel in a visceral way how much more energy and enthusiasm I have at my disposal.  I'm attending the 3Ts conference in Albany on Friday, which I'm psyched about.  And I just signed up for a full-day workshop on designing instruction for adult learners. 

I'm still nervous about job hunting, but the bit of flexible time means time to work on my portfolio, which makes me feel infinitely better.  The whole of my educational and work experience - wrapped up in a pretty package with a bow!  It's nice to see that even though I spent the past few years feeling like a crazy person, I have accomplished so much.  This blog may become incorporated into the portfolio, and I would like to begin updating more often, and in a way that's more reflective on my practice as a librarian.

Oh!  We had a fabulous guest speaker in my Managing a School Library Class and I'm all fired up about the Common Core!  Lots more learning to do!