The Wanderlust Librarian | Drive the car , unload the car, and tune out

Camping is one of those little luxuries that everybody should try at least once. I started my camping career pretty late in life. It was about 10 years ago and my friend invited me and Scout to spend a long weekend in Bodega Bay. Having never camped, I brought a borrowed tent and an additional (borrowed) sleeping bag.

Camping: evoking memories of singalongs by the campfire, s'mores and the woods, waking up and looking grungy (and liking it!)

This looks like a house. Seriously. There's a side table. :/

Glamping: real beds, a couch, a heater and something resembling a living room under something resembling a gigantic tent

I've done my share of tent camping. I'm proud to say I've learned to cook outdoors (thanks to my friend inviting me to many camping trips and cooking alongside an amazing chef), pitch a tent (albeit with help) and build an effective campfire (thanks YouTube!). 

Our (tent) cabin in the woods

The beds were comfy! 

A while back, I went to the Big Basin Redwoods Campgrounds in the Santa Cruz Mountains with my daughter Scout and our friends Emma and Taylor. It was a long ride but worth every foresty minute. As the crow flies, it's about 40 minutes outside of San Jose...but as the car rides 25 miles per hour around windy mountain passes and blinding sunlight, it felt like 2 hours away from creation! It was one of the only times I've felt nauseous driving. Like a small child, when I got to the campsite, I was cranky, hungry... and needed a nap. Luckily, I was met with a tent cabin. A no frills wooden structure with 2 queen beds and a wood burning heater. Emma and Taylor had arrived before Scout and I did so they had set up a lot of the standard camping things.   

This left us time to do other things like cook great food and hike. This bloggess did NOT go on a hike with her friends and offspring. I stayed behind and cleaned camp. And read Gone, Girl. And napped. And made a sandwich. And napped. 

Oh.. and I scared away a big crow that was trying to attack our food. When it flew towards me, I ran away. 

C O O K I E!!! 

Camp oven! 

Lizzie brought her trusty camp oven. It's an amazing metal box that goes over the camp stove. The stove heats the oven and you bake things as you would at home. We had biscuits for breakfast and dinner and she made a huge, warm cookie that we had for dessert by the fire. It was fabulous. It broke the monotony of the smores that most people enjoy (we had them on another night). 

New Polaroid pictures are teeny tiny! 

Camping is always about relaxing in the quiet, having fun and enjoying the company of friends and family WITHOUT smartphone interruption. It was hard to not have pictures to share at the very moment things happened, but we survived. Taylor brought a Polaroid camera. Yes... they're back! We were able to take pictures of us and give them to the Camp Host next door as a Thank You for being so sweet to us over our stay. 

Our pictures are few but the memories are abundant! Take a camping trip nearby! The library has some fantastic books to help you plan your outdoor adventure.

Outdoor adventure is...outdoors! 

Do you have any camping tips or questions about our trip? Leave them in the comments below. 

xoxo

The Bloggess

The picture is blurry, but the food was fantastic! 

Trees. Awesome. Smell. Good. 

Scout on a log. Over a bog. Being weird. 

A pretty waterfall on the hike

The Wanderlust Librarian | And there shall be Comic-Con

Another ComicCon year has passed and I was able to fulfill a fantastic dream and go to this magical place with my daughter, Scout! This year was a little different than previous years. First off, there was no Doctor Who panel (ludicrous given the fact that the new Doctor, Peter Capaldi, was to make his debut a scant few weeks AFTER the Con). Secondly, we were making the trip by car. 

By. Car. 

Keep in mind that the only way I had traveled to San Diego was in an airplane. Last year, I did this as a bucket list item upon arrival. 

The drive was long and full of traffic. And traffic. And some weird car issues that I'd rather forget (like those stupid hotel nachos). On the bright side, Scout and I had a proper road trip, enjoyed an overnight with friends in Los Angeles and listened to a ton of David Sedaris thanks to OverDrive and the library's audiobook collection! We took some time to stop and have some fun to and from San Diego. 

Drinks are the best reason to stop! 

Someone needed to get their energy out. 

I don't want to cheapen my experience at ComicCon by telling you that it was fun. It was more than fun. It was simply... amazing. 

The picture doesn't really show just how close she is! 

No, Michael Rooker... YOU rock!

We spent a lot of time going to panels at Zachary Levi's Nerd HQ. It's at Petco Park. It's free for anybody to go and enjoy. There are tons of free video games, picture opportunities and lovely views of the Padre's ballpark. I spent many happy hours off my feet in a stadium chair enjoying the breeze. One of Scout's big deals was being able to attend the Walking Dead panel there. For the bargain basement price of $22, she sat withing feet of the cast as fans asked questions about the show. It was worth it to not sleep outdoors for the panel at ComicCon the next day. The questions were asked in an intimate setting as opposed to a 3500+ seat auditorium. During a free panel at Nerd HQ, Scout was able to get Michael Rooker (Merle Dixon-Walking Dead) to pose for her. For $20, you can get a picture with one of the parade of stars coming to do panels at NerdHQ. Scout got her picture taken with Zac Levi !

Yeah. She went crazy before and after
this picture was taken. 

There were a lot of free things to do if you weren't able to snag a ticket to get into the ComicCon proper. Outside of Petco Park, the parking lot was taken over by many booths and MORE free stuff! Out of the many booths behind the stadium, I really enjoyed a couple. Every Simpsons Ever advertised the showing of every Simpsons episode and gave out free blue (Marge hair) cotton candy and donut pillows. There was a Hello Kitty Experience which allowed you to take a picture with the iconic Sanrio character and get free nail art! All of this was free!!!

It wouldn't be ComicCon without the costumes. Cosplay (as defined by the Oxford dictionary) is: the practice of dressing up as a character from a movie, book or video game, especially one from the Japanese genres of manga and and anime. Many people also dressed up as their favorite television characters. 

 I love this Up cosplay. Kevin is a girl! 

People get darn creative!
I love this DeadMaus/Nyan Cat mashup!

         

Stars from the show, "Heroes of Cosplay"

Movies, television and video games are heavily promoted at ComicCon. From booths to bags, posters to pins, there was never a lack of free items for one to snag. I met and discovered a lot of amazing artists at ComicCon. They had booths in an area called Artists Alley. Some of my favorites are: 
Katie Cook, Patrick Ballesteros, Karen Hallion, and Pascal Campion

I have a friend who is an expert (to me) on comic book art. He took me around to every booth and we looked at every bit of art. My friend talked to a lot of the artists and I appreciated the work they did and how iconic they were in the comic book stratosphere. It was one of the best walking days I've had. I learned a lot about comic book history and appreciated the talent that was at the show. 

Mockingjay had a huge presence at ComicCon.
Scout rebels against the Capitol! 

ComicCon is the perfect place to advertise
new games....and pose with them! 

Selfies in spaaaaaaaaaaaaaaace! Our hotel had a free photo booth to advertise
the show Ascension. As  you can tell, we took full advantage of it. 

Security was a large presence in the hotel entrance and lobby. The entrants had to go up to the 4th floor pool entrance (our floor!!) to get to the party so it was easy to loiter around and sneak a peek before the celebrities went into the fete.

Scout and Matt Bennett

Saturday night was a huge night for Scout and the other kids in our room. It was the night of the Entertainment Weekly party. With good eyes and polite asking, Scout got a hug from Norman Reedus from The Walking Dead (Daryl Dixon), a dark (not visible at all) pic with Matt Smith (Doctor Who) and Matt Bennett (Robby Shapiro) from VicTorious. Scout wants to add, "If you want to take a picture with a celebrity, make sure to call them by their REAL name and not the character they portrayed. 

This didn't mean that I didn't see anybody noteworthy! I had my share of elbow rubbing. I had to be quick on my feet and ready to ask at a minute's notice. I was starstruck by the passing by of Orlando Bloom, so my friend took a quick picture. 

Andy Serkus (voice of Golem) and
Orlando Bloom walking around.

This year was made extra special by having Scout with me. It was truly a dream come true for me and an amazing experience for her. Should you do it if it's your dream?

Yes. 

Like I said, even if you don't have a ticket to go into the convention center, there is SO much to do in and around ComicCon. 

Until next time, SCIENCE! (and a picture of me with Grant Inahara).

I ran out of line just to take picture with Grant Inahara from
Mythbusters!! 

The ride home made us sad.

The Wanderlust Librarian | Making words in a new place

I recently moved. I packed boxes and left a place behind. I said goodbyes to people I enjoyed seeing on a regular basis and cried when that final day arrived. 

Luckily, I didn't move too far. I moved to the Ripon Library.

The drive for me is a scant 10 minutes more down scenic country roads. Ripon, as a city, is charming and cute. The library? Super adorable. There's a small town feel of people knowing each other. For me, a girl with a shoddy memory, learning names has been hard, but I'm trying! Faces are much easier for me.

Getting used to a new place, ANY place is always an adjustment. It's a learning curve that I was ready to embrace. Of course, with all things, you also want to make it your own. One of the ways I've done that here is to take up the "Word of the Day" torch from my friend, fellow library blogger, and Ripon branch predecessor, Tara.  

I was told that the Merriam-Webster app (for Android or IOS) had a "Word of the Day" that would be put on the board daily. This would be one of my new tasks. When first approached about this, I thought "Maybe I won't be able to do it as well as Tara did. Maybe I'll write all weird like I do on the chalkboard. Maybe... MAYBE nobody will read it and everyone will make fun of it." 

I'm always paranoid about people reading my writing. Always. In fact, I'm paranoid about you reading this right now. 

No, I'm just kidding (maybe I'm not).

This was my very first board: 

Readers, it was meant to be. My friend (whom I was going to see in a a couple days) was from Michigan. I also knew what this term was from a Kickstarter campaign to create a new board game. Another SSJCPL blogging friend, Lori had once held her hand up to me when I told her my other friend was from Michigan. She was the one who supplied the Fun Fact you see on the board. 

My co-workers loved it. From then, I started to integrate the Fun Fact into all of my boards. Of course, I did take ONE liberty on the word of the day when it was my birthday. I chose a word with great significance to me. 

You'll always get the same format from the boards:

• Word
• Type of word / pronunciation 
• Definition
• Sentence with the word
• Fun Fact
• (once in a blue moon) a drawing

For me, it's a joy to share these words. They're fun and surprising for me, too! Everyday, it's like unwrapping a present when I press the "Word of  the Day". When I write them, it's like I'm sharing that gift with everyone. Some days, the words reflect how I feel. Other days, they're just...impractical. All days, they're worth my time and a labor of love. 

If you're interested in seeing more of my boards, follow me on Instagram! 

Word adventures are out there! 

xoxo
The Library Bloggess

Enjoy some of these boards!

The Wanderlust Librarian | Levi's Stadium

Scout and I got a chance to visit Levi's Stadium for its inaugural game. But it wasn't for the 49ers.... it was for a different game of football. It was for a soccer game for the San Jose Earthquakes Vs Seattle Sounders! 

Military show skydivers came down onto the field
with the biggest flag I've ever seen! 

You're reading the blog of a girl who doesn't watch a lot of American football. In fact, the reason why we went was only to see the match. We had some great seats and for the inaugural game, there were a lot of people who just showed up in Niners gear. We sat near a handful of people who were not familiar with soccer. It was breaking our hearts that a lot of the people there were there JUST to see the stadium and not the soccer game. 

Here is my fast review of the stadium: The seats were comfy, there was ample row space and the seats were awesome! If you get a chance to go to a game there, definitely make it happen! 

Enjoy the pictures! 

xoxo

The Library Bloggess

Scout's so excited that we're here! Go Earthquakes! 

Guys, we made the big board!!! I was so excited! 

A mash up of some field shots. 

The Wanderlust Librarian | SF Giants, sudoku and me!

Obligatory artsy fartsy hotel picture

Recently, I had a chance to to have a mini-staycation of my own in Dublin. Even though it's only 45 minutes away, it felt worlds away from the familiarity of my house. My best friend, Lizzie, was going to see a Giants game on Saturday night. On Sunday afternoon, Lizzie and I were going to meet other friends for another Giants game. Lizzie didn't want to have to come back to the Valley so she and I decided to split the cost of a hotel room in Dublin so we could take the BART back the next day. 

I worked until 5 that night and knew that an evening of decadent nothing awaited me. It's rather exciting to get to stay in a hotel after one gets off work. I knew that Lizzie wouldn't be out of San Francisco until at least 11:00 P.M., so what to do? 

First off: dinner. What was I going to do for dinner? The area I was near was Hacienda Crossings . As you can tell, there were tons of places for dinner. I opted for... hotel nachos. It was a bad choice. It's not worth talking about anymore. After one of the worst meals I've ever had, I went to the bookstore. 

Don't panic, I only bought 1 book

Ah, the bookstore. My beacon. My muse. My best friend in the dark, dank memory of hotel nachos. DANG IT, I mentioned those stupid nachos again! It was time to turn my night around with a book. Some of you may think, "A book? She lives works at the library! Why would she buy a book?" 

Valid questions, all. 

Recycling my pictures
is how I live! 

I use only pens when doing sudoku so I can't cheat. I made
a teeny boo-boo at the bottom where I wrote another number.

Easy answer. I needed a new sudoku book. Library rules dictate that you shouldn't write in ANY book, so I decided to get one I could doodle in. Okay, not DOODLE... but write in. Permanently. My night was saved!!

I made sure this picture was big. See what I ate breakfast next to? Gorgeous!

The next day, Lizzie and I took an early BART ride to the City to enjoy wares at my favorite place, the Ferry Building. I'm sure that nobody truly knows just how much I love this place (click here). We had breakfast at Il Cane Rosso. There was nothing wrong with how perfect everything was. I say again, it's the best Sunday trip! If you haven't gone, GO GO !! 

Softly scrambled eggs over toast. So eggy, so buttery,
absolute perfection on a plate. 

A non-berry, fresh peach jam on thick, fresh toast! 

After a hearty and satisfying breakfast, Lizzie and I finally started on our way to the ballpark. We took a Pedi-cab and it was so fun! It's a great way to feel like you're part of the City and get an exciting ride!





The weather at the ballpark was beyond amazing. The skies were an alluring blue, the sun was blazing up in the sky and there is no finer view in all the world than baseball and the San Francisco Bay in the background. We were lucky it was Pixar Day! Disney AND the San Francisco Giants? It's a fantastic day! 

Not including the baseball game, which takes up a nice long time, we really spent a nice half a day on the East side of City. If that's half a day, you know there's more in store discovering the rest! 

A cool lemonade at the ballgame. It's a MUST for me! 

He's my absolute favorite! 

Don't let numbers scare you, sudoku is a fun number puzzle where math ISN'T involved!! Learn more about it in these books. Don't worry, it's easy to learn and once you've got it, it doesn't take much to work towards harder puzzles! 

Everything 15 Minute Sudoku Book
and 
Master Sudoku


It's still summer, so take yourselves out and enjoy that lovely weather on the Coast. Take your time, take some great pictures and soak in all of the best things in your life! 

Until next week! 

Your favorite library bloggess! 

The Wanderlust Librarian | Keep me away from Japantown!

Places that make my heart go pitter-pat:

Office Depot. 

Staples.

Office Max. 

I know it sounds weird, but I love office supplies. At a young age, my parents always encouraged me to write letters and Thank You notes. When we would visit Indonesia (often for 2-3 months at a time), I would buy pens, notebooks and stationery from Japan (readily and cheaply available to me!). My friends would often get gifts of erasers shaped like food, cool pencils (with fun designs and no erasers) and fun papers with cartoon animals on them upon my return to the United States. Needless to say, this obsession did not wane as I grew older. 

In fact... it grew. 

My friends often make fun of me because I carry a pencil case in my purse. No, not a metal one...but one with a zipper. I believe that one should always have a writing utensil at the ready. 

See? A pen (and some pencils) for
EVERY occasion

My motto: 

A pen for every occasion!! 

They may make fun of me, but my friends also know they can count on me for writing tools. 
One of my favorite places to go is Japantown. I can always count on a delicious meal and adorable things to look at. This trip to Los Angeles was no different. My favorite (and ONLY) Japanese bookstore I love the most is Kinokunia. This bookstore chain has locations in major cities around the United States but I've only visited the Los Angeles and San Francisco locations. The offerings in the stores are the same: Japanese books, toys, DVDs, stationery and tools for writing. 

Ginger Broth

Fried rice for breakfast?
Acceptable in Asia!! :D 

It's hard to be an adult. Especially an adult who likes cute things. Kinokunia was the apex of my office supply love. No... I take that back. These weren't merely office supplies... they were my destiny and my desk just HAD to have them all! Look at what I was up against! 

Asian notebooks!!! 

Books of tiny book-related stamps! 

I am proud to say I only spent about $30 that day on some little things for friends and a cloth bag for me. This doesn't mean that I won't be back to spend more money, it just gives me a little space between all those cute things and when I return to assess IF I really need them. Try to contain yourself when you see how awesome everything is! 

 Bookmarks: cuter than a
napkin, but more expensive!

Every. Color of Pen. I drool.

Japanese Pens

Pen cases for every occasion! 

Holy cow... MORE STAMPS! 

Zentangle is awesome!
So are these pens! 

So MANY cute sticky notes!!