I've been just terrible about blogging this summer. I keep starting posts, then not finishing them. Or finishing them, then deciding they are not worth posting. I never blogged about my amazing trip to GeekyCon nearly four weeks ago, and my visit to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter for the Open at the Close event-- which mostly involved drinking unlimited amounts of butterbeer in Diagon Alley at 1:00 AM. Aside from that event, the Con itself was fantastic, too! I attended some really interesting panels, met some wildly creative people, reconnected with favorite artists, and discovered new artists to admire. I fell in love with the artwork of Casey Robin (check out her etsy shop!), who was as nice as she is talented. Most excitingly, I finally got to meet Mary Kate Wiles in person-- she is one of my favorite actresses (check out her YouTube channel!). I listened to interviews with screenwriter James Moran, with the Hillywood girls, and with Anthony Rapp. I bought a Hermoine time-turner necklace in the marketplace for only $5! And on the last day, I went to Disney World. Because really, how could I be so close and not visit? A few laps around the World Showcase were just what my heart desired. The potato-wrapped snapper at Flying Fish Cafe didn't hurt either, nor did the Polynesian Pearl cocktail at Trader Sam's Grog Grotto.
In the ensuing weeks, I've taken a short jaunt to the Outer Banks for Zan's family beach week, and this past weekend Zan and I visited Natural Bridge, VA. For my birthday, my friend Kay gave me a night's stay at the Historic Natural Bridge Hotel. The package came with tickets to the bridge itself, and to the caverns nearby. Additionally, Zan and I spent an afternoon at Virginia Safari Park, feeding tons of animals and even petting a kangaroo! It was an incredible weekend.
Most of my time, of course, I've spent processing my collection at Special Collections. I will be wrapping up that project soon-- in fact, my last day of full-time employment is Friday. After that, THE WORLD! Err, no... after that, I'm a little uncertain. Change is definitely in the air: from the cooling days and the sun setting noticeably earlier, to the sudden end of the pattern of my days. I feel a bit like I'm on a ski jump, the kind that let off suddenly into mid-air, leaving the skier flying through the sky-- whoosh! I'm trying to look at it as a fun adventure, to remain calm and even a little zen, but I've always been too nervous to try skiing. I have some fun adventures lined up for the autumn (including a presentation at an academic conference in the UK), and I have some ideas for new projects that I hope take off, but I feel like I'm mostly making it up as I go along. I suppose what I need to learn is that everyone feels like they are making it up as they go along, cobbling together days and activities and hoping for the best.
Before I go, quick book list (if I can remember them): a long while back I read Jade Green by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, an old favorite from middle school. I've read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (to prepare for GeekyCon, of course). I read all of Jenny Trout's hilarious/troubling recaps of 50 Shades of Grey on her blog (she read that one so I didn't have to-- thank goodness), which prompted me to read Trout's novels The Boss and The Girlfriend (written under her pen name Abigail Barnette). I also read an incredibly sweet debut novel by Natalie Lloyd called A Snicker of Magic. It's a children's novel (think Newbery Award age) with a lot of heart. The writing is so unique; I can't even explain it. As for audiobooks, I finished listening to Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton, Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, and then pretty much mainlined My Antonia by Willa Cather. Currently, I'm nearing the end of Felicia Day's audiobook You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost) and I'm re-reading Alice's Adventures in Wonderland in order to revise my conference paper.
Until next time, which hopefully won't take another month... gonna get better at this...
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