Calling All Committees

After one of the most miserable travel experiences to date (and I swear, I had a zen-like calm about me through the thunderstorm that soaked all of my clothing, the sardine-like gate area at Logan, and even the ground stop in Baltimore that left us sipping half-cups of warm VitaminWater on the tarmac; it was that two hour drive from LAX to my hotel that pushed me over the edge) I’ve finally made it to Anaheim and the grandeur that is ALA. And by “grandeur,” I mean “gigantic sea of orange tote bags.”

(Earlier the Sig Fig asked, “Are there a lot of glasses? And buns?” She’s allowed to ask this question because she’s an archivist. Sadly, I reported, there are very few buns.)

I’d planned to hit YA Literature, Graphic Novels, and Books on Popular Culture: How Do They Attract Reluctant Readers? this morning, particularly lured by the presence of Barry Lyga on the panel, but alas, arriving at my hotel at 2:30 in the morning (that’s 5:30 Boston time, kids) I had to prioritize sleep. Thus, my first stop after registration was YALSA All Committee, where I am now. (Well, probably by the time I post this I’ll be somewhere else, because I can’t seem to access wireless in the Marriott. But I promise I’m typing this while sitting at a committee table.)

For all y’all who are newbies like me, All Committee is a large ballroom filled with tables. Each table is for a committee, from Professional Development to Research to Website Advisory, where I’m sitting. (I’m sitting here largely because I’ve latched onto Linda Braun like an eel, and she’s the incoming board liaison for this committee, if I understand things correctly.) While the president (and past president? And incoming president? There are a lot of presidents running around!) stressed that visitors are welcome, I would highly recommend going with someone you know and just plunking down at a table.

Right now the committee work seems to have wound down—at our table, at least, no incoming committee members happen to be present, not even the incoming chair, so that’s a little awkward but everyone seems to be rolling with it. Now Linda is videoing us all on our favorite books of 2008 (or books we’ve liked), which led into a discussion of Thirteen Reasons Why.

Off soon to Millenial Leadership!