April

April was a whirl. wind. Let's do this.

Something I read: I've been reading lots of Tess Gerritsen this month. My good friend Curran recommended the show Rizzoli & Isles to me, and when I found out it was based on a book series I thought I would check out both from the library! I took the first title, The Surgeon, with me to a conference and was definitely awake into the wee hours of the morning finishing it by the hotel light. I'm now working my way through the sixth title in the series... they're not my favorite books, but they lean heavily on the thriller/suspense side, which I do enjoy. Also, the first book came out in 2001, and I find the cultural references, though made in earnest, often have a way of providing some comic relief to otherwise rather intense stories.

Something I watched/listened to: Okay, this has been a month of Rizzoli & Isles! Best friends homicide cop and medical examiner? This show is literally right up my alley. I've been getting the DVDs from the library and am already on the fourth season. Also, I do think the show is better than the books -- the characters are less abrasive and more likeable, and the storytelling is more dramatic and relational and less about actual medical and forensic details, which is fine by me.

Something I cooked: I didn't cook that much since I was traveling quite a bit this month. But, I did contribute homemade bread and roasted asparagus to our Easter party and both were a hit. I let the bread rise for less time this time around, so it didn't flop over the sides of the pan :) And I've actually been making that asparagus every week and I do not kid when I say that straight out of the oven they're practically as good as fries (if you know me at all you know how big of a deal this is). But also they're 400* so maybe not straight out of the oven.

Something I did (at home): I changed my air filter? Because apparently that's something you're supposed to do? So now the air coming into my apartment is cleaner, which is good.

Something I did (at work): I met lots of cool authors and illustrators in Hattiesburg! I spoke on a panel at TLA in Austin! I demonstrated online resources for teachers and students at a local school's faculty inservice! I raised butterflies with my after-school program! I got our SRP fliers approved for electronic distribution through the ISD! I ordered all of the books our local schools need for Summer Reading! And more! April was a very busy month and it is just the beginning of the snowball!

Something I want to do next month: This is a work thing, but I really want to visit every school in our district to pitch Summer Reading. I have about half of the visits scheduled already, but I still need to sort out the rest! It will be a lot of driving around and a lot of early mornings, but I really want to get as many kids and families as possible into our new building this summer.