October will be spectacular!
Backstory:
Several months ago Wendy, the library programming, publicity, and outreach person, began discussing a program series on Death and Dying to take place this October that would involve Hospice, spiritualists, bereavement specialists, culture people, funeral directors, and a documentary about the Hallowell Singers. I think it's a great idea and for some people would make for a meaningful and thoughtful series. However, as I said to Wendy at the time: not for me. Hospice is an incredible organization they were there when I was 7 months pregnant and my father was dying of cancer at home; these other organizations and people do incredible things - but the bottom line is that there is no way I'm touching these subjects with the public, I get way too emotional about it and the last thing I need is a shot of me getting weepy in the paper. I said that I would help with publicity, put up flyers, set up/clean up the program room, but I was uncomfortable with it and wouldn't be able to really be involved.
Staff meeting a few weeks ago:
As most of you know, I'm a chronic insomniac and the less sleep I get the more my brain starts firing up in weird directions and the less the filter between my mouth and brain works correctly. So I think weird things and then I say them and often find myself either funny or offensive. Wendy was discussing the Death and Dying program in detail when my brain took her subject and made an independent leap and I found myself saying: "So, would it be in poor taste for me to do a zombie book group?"
There was a pause for a moment but then Tracy and Wendy both said that would be a really cool thing to do and began throwing out a few other ideas to go along with it (Day of the Dead, for example). Whhhaaaa? Really?
Present:
I'm having so much fun putting this October program together I feel compelled to keep asking Wendy, "I'm having a lot of fun....are you sure this is appropriate?"
The October Plan:
There are two different programs, although one of them is being adapted as both a family program and a middle school program.
The Family/MS program will revolve around Ray Bradbury's book "The Halloween Tree" and for each week I get to focus on some piece of the book - one week we'll do mummies (and mummify apples), another week we'll do Day of the Dead (and decorate sugar skulls - I've got someone from School for International Training coming over who said she was going to do something cool around it). I'm taking my birthday week off - at least a few days of that week. Then for the book group part we'll have a small chat and then watch the animated movie. So, that program - adapted for the groups will be on Monday nights for families and Thursday afternoon for the MS crowd.
The teen program......oh, I'm having waaaaaay too much fun here. Zombies!! Beginning in September I will be signing people up for a game that (I'm hoping) will last all month: Humans Vs. Zombies - I started telling the teens about it the other day after we went and saw Hairspray at the Weston Playhouse and I got calls from some parents that night asking if *they* could sign up too!
What is this zombie game? muahahahaha...click here for my rules. omg...this is going to be awesome. Seriously, click it, it is merely a .pdf of a slightly-needs-to-be-smoothed-a-bit flyer that I'll be posting about the game and the zombie book group (oh yeah, we're reading World War Z by Max Brooks)
We're also going to do a zombie movie thing (of course had to work in Dead & Breakfast and Shaun of the Dead), and the anime club will be watching horror anime for the month.
I'm beginning to realize that I've done it to myself again......expect a post in November (as I've done every November since starting this thing) that will run along the lines of: "Wow that was fun....it is all over.....why the hell do I always over-schedule myself every October?"
This is going to be epic.
posted by Sam @ 1:32 PM
1 comments
