Saturday in Takoma

While most of today has been allocated to school projects (having finished off a research paper’s first draft, next up are three chapters in the oh-so-riveting Reference and Information Services: An Introduction textbook), I decided I needed a quick break for an hour. It’s a beautiful day outside, and while I’d opened up all of the windows and turned off the air-conditioner, that simply wasn’t going to suffice.

So, I took a quick spin around my immediate neighborhood. Strolled down to the library and picked up my reserved copy of Canal House Cooks Every Day. I had a recent encounter with one of the Canal House Cooking books and while that’s a (hopefully) forthcoming post in its own right, it made me curious to see what their big cookbook was like. From there I headed the opposite direction down the street to Trohv, which is always worth a browse but in this case I was visiting specifically to buy the new issue of Kinfolk magazine. It’s always a pleasure to read, and knowing that this issue is all about weekends makes it even better. As I entered, I stopped and snapped a quick picture of the new construction at Takoma Central to send to Charlie. Not that I know much about building projects, but it certainly feels like it’s coming along nicely and should hopefully open on schedule next spring.

On the way home, I stopped in at La Mano Coffee Bar, which opened earlier this month. Ended up leaving with a mint rooibos tea, and two hand pies; one with peach and raspberry, the other with a spiced ground beef. Ran into one of my neighbors right as I was leaving, who was walking with her adorable daughter (who was on a sassy purple scooter).

Saturday Haul

And once I got home, I put everything down and thought to myself how much I love my neighborhood on days like this. Everyone’s out walking, there are adorable shops and businesses to visit, and there was a general air of friendliness. A couple that I saw leaving Trohv as I entered was buying a snack at La Mano, and as I walked from the library to Trohv I saw two other neighbors across the street run into one another and start chatting.

Sure, it’s not the “everything is happening all the time” nature of being right in the heart of downtown, and there’s a lot to be said for living there. But there are definitely charms that exist here, too, if you take the time to look. And now, having eaten my pies (the crust was buttery and flaky and delicious, and the insides were great too), I’m going to sit out on the balcony with my textbook and my iced tea and enjoy the great weather.

Operation: Parker Posey

Back in April, I posted an update on Facebook that I’ll quickly replicate here:

I’ve been trying to come up with a fake name for a project I’m working on that (for reasons that will hopefully become clear) I don’t want to name in public just yet. Today while driving from the gym to the office, NPR played a clip from the hysterical movie Best in Show. So in honor of that, I hereby name it Operation: Parker Posey.

That was about 90% true. The name did come to me when they played that audio clip from Best in Show. But what I didn’t mention at the time was that it made me think of another film starring Posey; namely, the film Party Girl in which Parker Posey’s character shifts from a young woman throwing illegal raves to make a living, to someone who wants to enter library school.

Party GirlWhich is a roundabout way of saying that ever since the start of the year, I’ve been working on applying to graduate school. (Researching schools, studying for the GRE, taking practice GRE tests as well as the real thing, lining up recommendation letters, filling out forms, writing essays, figuring out financing, that sort of thing.) And while I’m still waiting on hearing from a couple of other schools, barring a surprise scholarship materializing for a different college, I’ll take my first class from Wayne State University this fall as I work on a Master of Library and Information Science degree.

And now, the answers to the questions that I know I will otherwise get:

  • I’m not quitting my job, so this will be part time.
  • I’m not moving to Detroit; I’m taking classes via distance learning.
  • I’ve developed distance learning classes for the Federal Government for the past 15 years, so I’m not afraid of the idea.
  • If all goes well and in the spring I can start taking two classes at a time while still working, I’ll graduate in December 2015.
  • No, this is not a midlife crisis. But it probably will cost more than a sports car would by the time it’s all done.

Anyway, I’m looking forward to beginning graduate school in a few months, and I’m especially excited by taking some classes in digital content management. So, anyway, while there’s still a chance that the school itself might change, the fact that I’ll be starting grad school won’t be. Ta da!