See This?

This is what I'm seeing tonight.



Oh yeah. Tribeca Film Festival. Not just for French-movies-about-boring-white-people-who-kill-themselves-in-the-end-because-life-is-pointless-in-the-face-of-ennui  anymore.

Flat Stanley: Promoting Literacy By Being in my Pants

So like a week ago, I was all "let's run around a convention center in a strange town for four days with little sleep, water, food, and respite. And also, semi-insult/become new twitter BFFs with Bill Willingham, become Batgirl, and do some other stuff that I can't remember now."

Yeah. Remember that? Good times.

But more important than the fact that I am Batgirl (only just slightly) is that I had a little man in my pants.

That's right, Flat Stanley came with me. I was both happy to see everyone and had something in my pocket.

And other people were happy to see us, too. See? I have photographic evidence.

Follow the jump for a photo dump. (Rhyming skillz yo.)

Mary Russell: Fictional Character You Should Totally Love

So my folks used to have this rule when we went to the bookstore-- I could get one crap book (defined by my father as anything I could read in less than three hours) for every serious book (defined by me as something my father wanted me to read that I totally knew would be mad boring).

This led to a lot of me reading Nancy Drew books hidden inside "The Black Pearl." Bwah ha ha, take that parental system of promoting literacy. I totally played you.

But bottom line: whatever crap boring book I had to pretend to read to get The Beekeeper's Apprentice when I was in 5th Grade? Totally worth it. Because that's where I met Mary Russell.

Big Damn List of Things To Do

It's big. And scary And I'm totally wrapping myself in a Brown Coat of Comfort until it's all over.

1) Thesis-- Due on May 18th

2) Thesis (Rough Draft)-- Oh crap, when is this due? Crap, crap, crap.

3) Archives Paper-- 15 pages on folksonomies and the rise of social networking archives, which requires a brief meeting with my archival-BFF.

For all that I love Ben Alexander, I'm an idiot for taking one of his classes at the same time as my thesis. A masochistic, big idiot.

4) The God of the Hive-- Came out today. Guess what's going on the back burner for the next twelve obsessive hours of reading? If you guessed "Everything," you win a prize. I'll figure out what when I'm done reading this book.

5) Getting the IRB form signed-- Eventually, Professor Kibirige and I have to sit and have a talk. I'll bring ladyfingers and tea. It'll be great.

6) Archives Presentation-- Tomorrow. Which of course means it'll actually get pushed back about two weeks, but still. Presentation. Tomorrow. (It's about comic books. Rock on.)

7) Clean My Apartment-- Seriously. It's starting to get a little stinky.

Dear IRB Board

I recognize that I previous mentioned that we are not BFFs, but I would like to inform you of an upgrade in your status.

While I still loathe you with a passion, we are now friends-who-talk-about-each-other-behind-their-backs.

Yes, I know, I am excited for this new stage in our relationship as well. But seeing as how you approved by IRB form, only for it to arrive and inform me that I have until April 27th to obtain my faculty adviser's signature and return it in person to your office, I think this new status is warranted.

You evil, pain in my butt, hopefully almost out of the way thing.

Kiss Kiss,

Clair

Things That Are Awesome Today

They're making a movie called MacGruber. Which looks awful, but is obviously a parody of:

Which, okay, so I never really watched. But you know what happened after MacGuyver made some stuff out of rubber bands and paperclips?

He met aliens and stuff.

And had fantastic biceps and posed a whole lot with them bulging out and stuff.

Like this. See? That's awesome. You know that guy could totally beat you up, while being snarky and attractive and awesome.

Yeah. Awesome.

Good choice Hollywood. Good choice.

This Really Happened

THE SCENE: 
A picturesque day in the village. Children play, yuppies yup, librarians bounce in blue dresses, high on the possibility of changing the world.

Old Man (seeing me texting on cell phone as I walk): "These young people today. Don't know where they're going!"

Me (channeling my inner Holly Golightly, turn happily on my heel and grin): "My dear sir, I am going straight to the top!"

Old Man: *grumble grumble old guy stuff*

Me: *beam*

I Live. Furreals, guys

So I am alive and home safe and all those other awesome things.

C2E2 left me sore and achy and happy and all sorts of things that a major event that involves a grand total of 20 hours of sleep over five days leaves you. There will be pictures and posts and descriptions when I don't feel like curling into a ball and sleeping away the rest of April. But until then, this is what you need to know:

• I am vengance. 
• Bill Willingham is now following me on Twitter. Yeah. You know I just got a little cooler.
• I am the night.
• I have a giant poster of Kick Ass waiting to be framed.
• I.
• I have a The Losers t-shirt on right now.
• Am
• I have the business card of the President of Avatar, Inc. in my bag (and his booze in my bell-ay.
• Batgirl!

*cough* the librarian *cough* *cough*

Thanks to Gene Ha and $20. Rock.

A Post... from the PAST! OMG!

By the time you read this, I will be sitting in a hotel with a buncha people I adore trying to figure out which one of my gray Reed Staff shirts to put on for C2E2.

That's right-- THIS IS A POST FROM THE PAST! Time travel rocks.

I will be preparing myself to take pictures of Flat Stanley with a lot of Storm Troopers. I will have a camera with fresh batteries loaded and ready to go to take pictures of a lot of people wearing the most baller costumes in the history of geekdom. I will be wondering if I should wear my fanny pack to the convention center, or suck it up and carry a giant purse around.

I will be psyched outta my mind. You should be too.

My Birthday

Falls at the same time as the start of National Library Week.

...

I am so meant to be a librarian, holy crap.

It's like some epic fairy tale, only instead of my birth corresponding with a solar eclipse that will reveal the next leader of the realm through prodigious use of an emerald and some elves, unless the evil queen with the amazing decolletage (which is a fancy name for boobie cleavage, doncha know) manages to kill the green fairy and cast the land into eternal darkness, it corresponds with Library Week.

Fantastic.  Happy Library Week. May all your book talks be bright.

Also Coming to C2E2: Flat Stanley

So unless you haven't been paying attention, you terribly unobservant person, you will have noticed that there are only two places on the planet that I am currently willing to do free work for:

1) Reed Exhibitions
2) Teen Central 

Because not only do both volunteer experiences give me great friends and warm fuzzy feelings, but both are heavily entrenched in one thing: Geeks.

So with the approach of C2E2 and my upcoming volunteer awesomeness-time happening in less than 48 hours, I am proud to announce another guest who will be attending Chicago through the courtesy of Clair's two feet: Flat Stanley.

The major premise of Flat Stanley is this: So there's this kid, right? And he's got neglectful parents who don't secure his bulletin board to the wall tightly enough, so in the middle of the night it falls on him.

Instead of making him horrifically ugly, or giving him grounds for an emancipation law suit, it crushes him flat! Like paper and stuff! So now Flat Stanley can go everywhere paper can and it's awesome!

Then some teachers got involved and started the Flat Stanley Project, where students make a Flat Stanley, write a journal for him, then shove him in an envelope with the papers and send him off somewhere far away and exotic to learn more about other cultures and encourage literacy.

This combines three of my favorite things-- travel, literacy, shoving things in envelopes. I'm sold.

Miss Beth is interning at Teen Central, where all the women are strong, all the men are good looking, and the children are above average. And knowing that I'm going to Chicago (because I've been talking about it obnoxiously for about six months now) she helped the librarians make a Flat Stanley, laminate him, and give him to me to take pictures of him with people dressed as Spiderman!

There is no shortage of these folks at C2E2. I predict epic awesomeness.

Passover Part 2: Why is This Night Different From All Other Nights?

 So now that you know what Passover is about, here's a brief run down of what your favorite Chosen Person did last Monday and Tuesday that probably left them hung over for work on Wednesday.

 Passover is all about celebration. Every Jewish holiday can be summed up by the cliff notes of "They tried to kill us, they didn't get us all, let's eat."

And that's what we do.

New Thing I Hate With a Passion in NYC

By new thing I mean something people have always done and just irks me especially today. You understand.

Jerks who do this:

Yeah, that's right Mr/Ms Imma-Lean-Up-Against-A-Pole-In-A-Crowded-Subway, I'm talking to you. That pole is for everyone. Not just you. You are not the owner of the pole. Instead of your bulging back taking up this pole, five or six people could be awkwardly crowded around it. Instead, we're all just silently glaring at you hoping you lose your balance and smash into the guy in front of you.

There's a Chris Rock skit my mom likes to quote where he says that the overall job of father is to keep their daughters off the pole.

Dear New York: Keep Your Citizens Off the Pole.

Passover Part 1: What is All This?

For my non-Chosen-People friends out there, I'd like to take a moment to explain to you a bit about Passover.

He's Not All Bad

Darth volunteers at the ASPCA twice a week. Coincidentally, the Alliance doesn't discriminate based on planet or origin or race.

Enter Lieutenant Fuzzybuttons.