As I write this, we returned roughly a week ago from a family visit to my grandparents in Bend, Oregon (see pictures). It was lovely to see my grandmother at home again after her stroke last fall, and also to spend some quality time with Brian, who joined me for a three-day road trip to Portland (Powell’s Bookstore!) and the Oregon Coast.

When I returned to Holland I found my financial aid award letter waiting in the mail. I’ve been given over $10,000 in grant money for next year–a good third of my expenses. This still means I’ll be taking out $20,500 in loans and continuing to work part-time, but it does mean that my financial picture is becoming more clear–and feasible! Three cheers! The next thing to tackle will be housing decisions.

I’ve spoken with one of my managers at Barnes & Noble here in Holland and he has encouraged me to try and transfer directly to a Barnes & Noble in the Boston area, which will mean job continuity. I am hopeful this will work out.

Meanwhile, I’m preparing for library school in the only other way I know how–continuing to read! Which, of course, I would do anyway. I’ve just discovered the delights of author Cornelia Funke, whose book Inkheart follows the adventures of Meggie, a girl whose father accidentally reads an arch-villain out of a book. I also recently discovered, through one of my favorite feminist magazines, the Marvel comic series, about a team of (mostly female) teenage superhero/ines . . . while I’m not a devotee of the genre, I thought these were really fun and conceptually interesting as well. The taken-for-granted feminism of the relationships within the team is nice to seen in teen lit.