ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

There appears to be a big old fashioned multi-class Hope College Theatre Department Reunion Extravaganza in the works for next summer. In less than 24 hours it went from a nostalgic post to a facebook event to an official date.

I will most likely not be in town for the weekend that has been decided upon. The library is paying for me to go to ALA in Chicago that weekend.

I have gone into fits of rage over not being able to attend a concert because of a work conflict. And yet, for some reason, I am kind of sort of really excited about the opportunity to go to ALA and am kind of sort of not that disappointed I won't be in town for what will probably be the event of the season.

It's not that I wouldn't love to see all of these people whom I communicate with via facebook just about every day. And if it's possible for me to attend even one event of the weekend, that would be nice.

I cannot put my finger on why I'm not disappointed. Maybe it's because I don't really feel as though I have a choice. I mean, it's effing ALA. And the library is PAYING for it. For me. A non-librarian. To go. It really is a once in a lifetime opportunity for this guy who is seriously considering her next career move to be something in the food service industry. It's an honor. And for me to say "Gosh, thank you employers so much for this opportunity but about 100 people I used to know 15 years ago are going to be in town that weekend and I'd rather stay in Holland and get drunk with them."

Yeah. I can't do that.

And more importantly? I don't want to. I'm a library nerd who loves to talk about libraries more than just about anything else on the planet and the thought of interacting with thousands of people who are like me? The prospect of meeting some amazing superstar librarians I follow on twitter or read their blogs? Having the opportunity to hear authors speak?

Yeah.  I've got to do that.