Friday, November 11, 2022

I Think It Is Friday, So I Am Thanking the Great Whatever to Process the Week That Just Was, Including Seeing @NealShusterman in Madison

I'm not even sure how everything worked so smoothly yesterday. I was at my computer on the porch until 11 a.m., stuck in traffic until about 12:30 p.m., made it to campus for a grant meeting, learned I had to do grant reporting, arrived to a department meeting just in time, left for home to meet someone to fix/repair/replace my garage door opener that blew out with the door wide open, finished that installation in the nick of time to ride with Gino and Isaiah to Madison, Connecticut, sat to be entertained, inspired, and intrigued by GLEANINGS, Neal Shusterman's 4th book in the SCYTHE series, and then became super excited by a new series that arrives next Fall.

Yes, I'm content, and I didn't even have the new virus that will appear in his upcoming novels. 

Phew. That's a Friday in Crandall world, even if this morning I'm quadrupled booked with appointments, and have much to accomplish this weekend before the NCTE conference in Anaheim, California next week. 

Gino, one of Chitunga's best friends, works in the funeral industry, so I loaned him the first book during Covid and he quickly was addicted. I was with Neal Shusterman at the North Texas Teen Book Festival in March of 2019, when we all learned we were going to be staying home for a little while -- much longer than anticipated. After I heard Shusterman speak there, I knew I needed to jump into his books, and listened to several on audio, during my 8 mile power walks to Short Beach and back. The first three were on audio books, but #4 I have autographed and in hard copy. I look forward to every page.

LOVE his shout outs to Nic Stone and Laurie Halse Anderson during the signing (and look forward to seeing both of them very soon, I hope)

But this morning, after I canceled a brunch, walked the dog, set a game plan for writing for the day, I am thankful that all was pulled off and we made it home safely. I knew I had precious cargo in my car, and am glad both Gino and Isaiah are home safely, too. 

Great evening...how can I not be content?