On the heels of the news that I am going to Egypt, MSNBC is now reporting that Madonna has been banned from entering the country. Here's hoping this doesn't effect the outcome of my visa application.

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But it has been a couple of busy days here. Let's just say that trying to get a visa for last minute travel is not the easiest thing to, and I'll leave it at that. So where exactly am I off to? I'm going here:

That's the Library of Alexandria in Alexandria, Egypt. Seriously. As long as my visa comes through (fingers and eyes crossed) this Friday I will leave for Egypt. While there I will be teaching the staff at the library about reference work. The Bibliotheca Alexandrina (I love saying that) is actually more than just a library. They have several museums, art galleries, their own planetarium, and a conference center. I think I'm going to be real sad to come back my library.

I'll only be gone for about two weeks, so it will be a quick visit. I will try to work in a visit to the Giza Plateau and the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, but I don't know if I'll have time. I will definitely spend a few minutes at the Royal Jewelry Museum in Alexandria though, otherwise Melina would probably beat me if I didn't.

Do want to know the really strange part (other than the fact that I am going Egypt)? I will have a car and driver while I'm there. It's like I'm important or something. Too weird.

And have no fear. I will be blogging from abroad. Count on it! :-)

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I have a confession to make. For the past few weeks I have had something really huge going on in my life, but I didn't feel at liberty to share it with you all. And when I say huge, I mean HUGE. Call me paranoid, but I was worried that if I said anything about it I would somehow jinx it. That's why I've been so quiet. And do you know how incredibly difficult it is to have huge news and not be able to share it? Especially when you have a blog?

But I'll stop rambling now and share my news. Back in August I was contacted about a possible teaching assignment. The assignment would mean taking a leave of absence from both my library and teaching positions for a few weeks, but the offer was the opportunity of a lifetime. I know that the phrase "once in a lifetime" is used a lot, but in this case it is so true. I couldn't say no. And fortunately for me my Library agreed. It has taken a lot of planning, but it looks like everything is finally coming together and I should be leaving here at the end of next week (October 1).

But I'm leaving the good part out. Where am I going? Who will I be teaching? Will I return? The answers to these and many other questions will be provided......

Tomorrow. :-)
4:34PM 9/22/04

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This week's picks are books I've been waiting for. One finally came out today, while the other will be out in a few weeks. Enjoy!

For Young Adult Readers...

The Grim Grotto (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 11) by Lemony Snicket
Available September 21, 2004
The latest in this series, I will no doubt stay up way too late tonight reading it. Continuing the saga of the Baudelaire orphans and their quest to locate the sugar bowl, The Grim Grotto follows the three children aboard the Queequeg submarine, which is piloted by VFD "allies" Captain Widdershins and his stepdaughter Fiona. While the Queequeg might seem like a safe haven at first, the orphans' luck quickly turns sour after they search the Grim Grotto for the bowl and return with Sunny's life in mortal danger. Of course, Count Olaf and his scheming cohorts don't make things any easier -- especially concerning Fiona -- but thankfully, smart thinking restores Sunny's health and a Volunteer Factual Dispatch yields a shocking surprise.

For Adult Readers...

The Whitney Chronicles by Judy Baer
Available October 1, 2004
I have to admit that I am more than a little curious to read this. I don't normally read Inspirational Fiction, but Christian Chicklit sounds too interesting to pass up. Her mother, sister and friends fear spinsterhood may be the fate of thirty-year-old Whitney Blake. And while she doesn't believe she'll actually end up weaving her own tablecloths, Whitney does wonder whether Mr. Right will ever arrive, despite her mom's adoption of matchmaking as the prime project of her "postmenopausal zest." Maybe Whitney needs to be more proactive. And so she starts a journal, stating her goals: "This month — lose two pounds (sensibly), stand up straight with my stomach sucked in so I appear tall and thin, don't let my mother drive me crazy (a particularly difficult project). GET ORGANIZED. Start by cleaning closets. Have friends over for dinner. Pray more, obsess less." It must be working — suddenly there's more than one man in Whitney's life. But are any of them marriage material, or is "fabulous, single, Christian man" an oxymoron?

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You know how I've been racking my brain for an idea for my scary birthday? Joel found the perfect vacation: the Rock n' Roll Cruise. Imagine spending a week cruising the Caribbean with Journey, REO Speedwagon, and Styx. Now if was seven days with Winger, Poison, and Whitesnake, I'd be there in a heartbeat. Yeah, I know. I've got crap taste in music. :-)

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Is that even a real term? Paul, you'd know. I neglected to mention that I started a mirror blog (at the request of a reader-- how cool is that?) of this blog on LiveJournal. I'm still new to LiveJournal, so I don't have all the fun links there that I have here, but I do post everything there that I post here. Well except for this post, as the people who read me on LiveJournal already know about it so there really isn't a need for me to tell them about it's existence. Anyway, if you have a LiveJournal account and want to add me to your friends list, you will find me at:
http://www.livejournal.com/users/librarydiva/

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Consider this an addendum to yesterday's New Book Tuesday. I meant to mention (and forgot) the release of Girls' Night In, an anthology from Red Dress Ink. If you like to read ChickLit or Women's Fiction, you should definitely check this book out. Some of the kickass authors featured in this anthology include:

Meg Cabot
Lynda Curnyn
Jill A. Davis
Marian Keyes
Sophie Kinsella
Carole Matthews
Anna Maxted
Megan McCafferty
Sarah Mlynowski
Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez
Jennifer Weiner
Isabel Wolff

All proceeds of Girls' Night In sales will go to War Child, a network of independent organizations that work together to help children affected by war. So there's no excuse to not go out and buy a copy! :-)

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