What I Read This Week: May 8, 2016

This week was gross. The weather was gross. My hockey team played gross. The pollen coming into our apartment and leaving our floor green because the AC is not yet on and we can't close the windows is gross. It all left me pouty.

On the upside of things... I was extremely productive at work. My social media posts for finals week seemed to go over really well with the students. I submitted an ACRL conference proposal. My list of things to do this summer (both fun tasks and stuff that simply need to be done) is growing... and I'm looking forward to all of it. AND! I made it back to the gym and got to listen to some awesome podcasts (The West Wing Weekly is awesome).

So, the good and the bad was well mixed this week. At least the sun said hello for a little bit on Saturday.

But the weather was still very, very gross.
  • Work
    • American Libraries, May 2016 - The bulk of this issue was the rather dry library systems report. Luckily there was a great article on weeding. I am very pro weeding (particularly because we have off-site storage), but you have to do it right. This article shows how open communication about bulk wedding projects is key. I also enjoyed the brief piece on bringing bike desks into a library. I think I can pedal and type at the same time?
  • Magazines
    • Washingtonian, May 2016 - The cover story was a list of great cheap eats in DC. It was fine, but I mainly skimmed it since
      most of the restaurants are driving distance for me.  I enjoyed the articles on how to be a Nats fan and the inside look at Madame Secretary. The story that struck me the most, however, was about the "mansion murder." This took place in my neighborhood and I run past that house regularly during my workouts. (shudders) I also think it would make a decent story for Serial
    • Cooking Light, June 2016 - I love delicious summer recipes, so everything in this issue looked tasty to me. (As a side note: I particularly enjoyed the layout of that feature. It was simple, clean, and easy to follow.) This issue highlighted new work in our gut biomes that I always find interesting. 
    • HGTV Magazine, June 2016 - I actually kind of loved this issue. I've never said that about this magazine before. The bulk of the pages were devoted to painting including recommendations of what to do and what not do depending on what it is you are painting. I also loved all the colors splashed across the pages here. Finally, I ended up taking pictures of three different pages so that I could track down the images to pin later.
    • The Atlantic, May 2016 - I didn't think I would get a chance to finish this issue in a week, but I forgot about how much pre-game there was for the Kentucky Derby. I finished off the last third of this magazine while waiting for the big race. The
      main feature article ("The Secret Same of the Middle Class") was enlightening and more than a little heartbreaking. It's scary to think how close to falling off the financial edge a lot of people are. Right after that article was a piece on pay day loans that made me wonder what would happen if further regulations were enacted. I also enjoyed the pieces on Warren Buffet's son and how Iraq is still a mess. Finally, I would be remiss if I did not mention the fiction piece, "The Wall". Normally those are my least favorite part of hte magazine, but this one was very well done and made me want to go outdoors and appreciate that I can see grass whenever I want.
  • Books
    • I'm still working my way through In The Unlikely Event. I'm enjoying the book, but man are there a lot of characters to keep straight. This is a book I should have started early during read-a-thon so I could read the majority of it in one sitting.
  • Other
    • I read this fantastic piece on The Chronicle of Higher Education's website Vitae. It's called "The Men Who Email Me" and I think it's an important piece for all female writers to read.
    • The New York Times posted a rather long story about Britney Spears and her conservatorship. I'm a fan of Spears music (I am a girl of the late 90s and early 00s), but the ramifications of long-term conservatorships was simply fascinating. 

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