Wednesday, July 15, 2009

The Big Read in Virginia

While cleaning off my desk I found the Spring newsletter for the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities. And although I’m a little late to the game, I learned that the next featured novel for the upcoming “Big Read in Virginia” will be A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J Gaines.

As soon as I read this, I went to http://www.jmrl.org to see if they had any copies available and put one on hold to pick up after work today. Each year during the Virginia Festival of the Book I see several events sponsored by The Big Read and Jefferson-Madison Regional Library does a great job keeping the community informed about “Big Read” events.

So with the beautiful summer weather, I think it’s time to take advantage of the perfect poolside activity and just sit down to read this book. Maybe now I will be ahead of the game and be able to participate with the rest of community for the “Big Read in Virginia”.

The “Big Read in Virginia” will be celebrated starting in September 2009 through May 2010. Although further information isn’t available just yet, keep an eye on http://jmrl.org/bigread.htm and http://www.virginiafoundation.org/bookcenter/ for upcoming related events.

Friday, July 10, 2009

thank you, and goodnight

Finishing the Fall issue’s cover story this morning, a profile on airport executive director Barbara Hutchinson, was bittersweet. It’s been an amazing 11 months working on Charlottesville Woman, but today is my last day; I’m off to D.C. for a new adventure as a publicist.

Things I will miss most about Charlottesville:

Arch’s - The Best Ham Sandwich + angel food cake/cake batter/sugar cookie yogurt with strawberries and Reese’s cups. Amazing.

Sephora adventures - It’s a store full of makeup, and the closest one to my new diggs is 40 minutes away. But more importantly, lip gloss isn’t as fun when your friends aren’t there to smear it on in the name of magazine research.

Fishbowl office - Our teeny 6x12 foot office, overrun with Dr. Pepper cans and Origins gum balls and hair products might be a bit too small for three girls on tight deadlines, but it’s just the right size for dance parties.

My ladies - just to say it outright, Charlottesville would be zero fun without Bethany and Adrianne (and regular cameos from our art department dudes, Brandon and Donnie). They made all the late nights more than worth it, often it was the best part of the job.

Stay tuned to the Charlottesville Woman twitter account, @cwmag, and the blog for updates from Bethany and the new Special Sections editor, TBA. And, of course, the next issue of the magazine - look for it in The Daily Progress on August 5.

You stay classy, Charlottesville.

Monday, July 06, 2009

more Women With Nails

If you’ve ever suffered with a leaky faucet, or want to get in on the Charlottesville/Albemarle $30 rain barrel rebate but don’t know the basics of rain water harvesting, mark your calendar for the next Women With Nails workshop from The Habitat Store. From 8:30 to 10 a.m. on July 25, Paige Mattson, owner of the Blue Ridge Eco Shop, and Terry Hernon, president of Upstream Construction, will give DIY presentations on these topics - just in time for drought season.

As always, the goal of these Women With Nails seminars is to educate women, both homeowners and renters, about their own home maintenance (but guys are welcome too!). Women With Nails is totally free and open to the public, and there’s no need to RSVP or register. You can also come for just one topic. The Store will open at 8 and the first presentation will start at 8:30. Each topic will run about 40 minutes with a 10 minute break in between. The store encourages everyone to arrive early to get settled and be in your seats by 8:30.

The Habitat Store is located at 1221 Harris Street, near downtown Charlottesville. Please contact Carla at 434.293.6331 or with questions or to suggest future workshop topics. Bookmark their website, www.cvillehabitatstore.org, for news about workshops in August and November.

Page 1 of 1 pages