Adjusting to the time difference between New York and San Diego has been a bit of an adventure. I keep forgetting to call my family to let them know things are okay. When I look at my watch and see 8:00 pm and then reach for my phone I realize it is 11:00 in NY, I promise to call first thing in the morning. The time change is kind of cool though. Waking up 7:00 in the morning San Diego time when your body thinks it is 10 is just heavenly.
Enough talk about the time difference though. I headed to the Conference center this morning thinking I would get my badges and tickets, write a blog post and figure out my day. While I was standing online, I glance over to my right and who do I see… none other than Mychal. That’s right, THE Mychal Threets looking at the swag wall. Did I fan girl? Yes, yes I did. Was he as wonderful? He was just as he portrays himself on his social media accounts. We chatted for a few minutes. I am so grateful that our profession is filled with people like him.
Registration is complete. Fangirling is complete, Blog post is complete. Now to tackle which sessions I am going to attend and get ready to fan girl some more over Trevor Noah’s opening. I need to make sure I am there extra early because I am sure the line will be long. ALA annual is starting out to be a fantastic conference and so far, all I did was register.
Conference Blogger Arlene Laverde (she/her/hers) is a very recent (July 1, 2024) NYCPS retiree. She has been the school librarian at Townsend Harris High School in Queens NY for ten years and worked in various high schools and elementary schools in Brooklyn and Queens. When in school she never considered librarianship as a career. She started as an elementary school teacher and accidentally fell into the role as a school librarian. She hasn’t looked back since. She is currently serving as co-chair for the AASL 2025 National Conference in St. Louis and will be attending the Morris Seminar in Denver, Colorado this September. She’s looking forward to the Newbery-Caldecott-Legacy Banquet, as well as not only reconnecting with friends from around the country, but meeting new ones throughout the conference. Now that she is a retiree, all things are possible and looks forward to exploring her many interests, as well as the continued fight for library advocacy. Twitter handle: @THHSLibrary
Please note that as a guest post, the views expressed here do not represent the official position of ALA or ALSC.