Training=Bleh, Interaction=Good
So it was another morning that didn't get off to a good start, even though I got to sleep in a little bit because I was going straight to the training to meet up with Dr. Red. It wasn't worth going to school only to turn almost right around and backtrack to a hotel not far from my home. Of course, right before I left, I noticed that one of my shoes had a tear in the woven fabric and looked ratty. I got them on clearance over the summer and had worn them only twice so far. I was too busy running to stuff Advil and "feminine protection" (that's a chartreuse flamethrower, fellas) into my purse to do anything about the shoes.. I also drove right by the entrance to the hotel hosting the training, because they changed the name on the sign.
Also, in my haste, I forgot the power cord for my laptop. The battery didn't even last two hours into the training (aaagh!), which was really frustrating when the first half of the training turned out to be more basic than the claimed "refresher." I mean, there was a point where we had to interrupt the one trainer after said trainer unknowingly suggested a method of copyright infringement. (Said trainer also was getting snippy with us by the end of the training, just for asking a bunch of questions. We need to know this stuff to serve our library community--is that a crime?)
Fortunately, because Dr. Red had remembered her power cord and had snagged us some seats at the back of the conference room so she could plug in her laptop, I felt more comfortable asking questions of her, and when one of her really cool librarian friends also in attendance came and sat with us, we were able to make the best of things. Dr. Red even sort of liveblogged the second half of the training and took a hilarious picture of herself looking bedraggled and frustrated, to add to it. (I totally want a Macbook now.) It did get interesting for us at the end, when they finally got to the new features we'd wanted to see.
But what really made it good was getting a little one-on-one time with Dr. Red outside of the constantly-abuzz library. Tonight when I checked my e-mail I saw there was one from her sent very early Wednesday morning after she'd reached her destination for her conference. (Yes, she had to come to training after being at a conference in another part of the country the day before and getting in very late that night. Amazing.) The e-mail was a little note of reassurance that I was learning things and doing all right, and that I shouldn't feel discouraged. So it would seem my sniffles from Tuesday were still on her mind at the end of a very long day. It was a very touching note. Of course I was a little embarrassed and almost hoping we could go on as if it hadn't happened, but maybe it was a good thing. It brought out a little more vulnerability in both of us, and it just might have helped make our time today a little easier.
And I have a feeling there's going to be a running inside joke about "clicking the print button to print" for the rest of my time at the high school library.
Also, in my haste, I forgot the power cord for my laptop. The battery didn't even last two hours into the training (aaagh!), which was really frustrating when the first half of the training turned out to be more basic than the claimed "refresher." I mean, there was a point where we had to interrupt the one trainer after said trainer unknowingly suggested a method of copyright infringement. (Said trainer also was getting snippy with us by the end of the training, just for asking a bunch of questions. We need to know this stuff to serve our library community--is that a crime?)
Fortunately, because Dr. Red had remembered her power cord and had snagged us some seats at the back of the conference room so she could plug in her laptop, I felt more comfortable asking questions of her, and when one of her really cool librarian friends also in attendance came and sat with us, we were able to make the best of things. Dr. Red even sort of liveblogged the second half of the training and took a hilarious picture of herself looking bedraggled and frustrated, to add to it. (I totally want a Macbook now.) It did get interesting for us at the end, when they finally got to the new features we'd wanted to see.
But what really made it good was getting a little one-on-one time with Dr. Red outside of the constantly-abuzz library. Tonight when I checked my e-mail I saw there was one from her sent very early Wednesday morning after she'd reached her destination for her conference. (Yes, she had to come to training after being at a conference in another part of the country the day before and getting in very late that night. Amazing.) The e-mail was a little note of reassurance that I was learning things and doing all right, and that I shouldn't feel discouraged. So it would seem my sniffles from Tuesday were still on her mind at the end of a very long day. It was a very touching note. Of course I was a little embarrassed and almost hoping we could go on as if it hadn't happened, but maybe it was a good thing. It brought out a little more vulnerability in both of us, and it just might have helped make our time today a little easier.
And I have a feeling there's going to be a running inside joke about "clicking the print button to print" for the rest of my time at the high school library.
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