I'm in my third month of employment at Penn State. It has been a whirlwind of 90 days -- the weeks fly by and the weekends are nearly long enough for all the adventuring myself and my new friends would like to do. I feel settled even though I'm still adjusting to my Sunday-Thursday hours.
Now that I'm three months in, I've had a chance help undergraduates find information and to teach a few library instruction classes. I feel that I'm getting the experience I need as a new professional and the support I need to succeed. I'm also now starting to think about myself as a professional and the things I need to support my practice: a teaching philosophy, a teaching style in the classroom, and better articulating where my expertise lies. For me, part of understanding myself as a professional means reflecting on the experiences that shaped me.
Read moreAfter two years of dabbling around but not directly with 3D printing, I finally got my chance today. I've had a complicated relationship with 3D printing; struggling to find a community of people who are interested in moving beyond the "wow" factor of 3D printing to the purpose and function of the tool. Or perhaps struggling to find a community where my inexperience and awareness that I'm not stellar with spatial movement is not a barrier to my participation with the tool. In many ways, my two years dabbling around 3D printing allowed me learn all the programs and various facets of the tool WITHOUT actually trying it myself.
Read moreI just completed my first "new normal" week of working. This position requires a shifted schedule, coming in on Sundays and having Friday and Saturday as my weekend. It's not a bad gig, and I find the days go by much faster than a normal 8-5 sort of schedule (but it's all relative you know).
It is an adjustment to begin work around 1 PM...
Read moreToday not only marks my move to my "normal," Sunday-Thursday hours at the library, but also the start of my eighth week at Penn State. In some ways, it has felt like I've been at Penn State for a lot longer than eight weeks and other times it still feels so new and fresh. I'm happy at this job, which is really all I can ask for.
Read moreFour years ago today, my mom passed away. She fought an incredible battle against terminal lung cancer for two full years. Usually on the anniversary of her death, I shy away from saying anything. It feels like such a private event, a time when I really bask in all that she was to me and all that I miss about her not being around. My brain goes through the timeline and I find myself transported to 2010-2012 and all the various events around her sickness. The feeling of going home, of seeing her change, of seeing myself and my family wrestle with this news. Then I think of all the wonderful things about her and all the ways she made me better. It’s a day of mixed emotions to say the least.
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