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My next big project
By Meredith Farkas | September 30, 2008
I often tease my husband about his need to always be involved in a project. He’s always got to be working on something outside of his “day job”, whether it’s cleaning out his storage room (better known as the troll room), digitizing his parents’ slides, digitizing all of our documents, or creating the most awesome whole-house DVR system ever. Usually there are things that I’ve asked him to do that he abandons for doing his projects, which is why I feel I have license to tease him about it frequently.
The more I think about it, though, the more I realize how much he’s rubbed off on me. For the past three and a half years, there has barely been a moment when I haven’t been involved in some project or other. It started with the ALA 2005 Chicago Wiki, went on to Library Success: A Best Practices Wiki, then the book, then HigherEd BlogCon, then Five Weeks to a Social Library, then the crazy speaking schedule, then teaching at San Jose State. This summer was the first time I felt like I had time to take a breath. And it was really nice. I finally had time to get my house in order. We’ve lived here for three years and I’ve barely had a moment to get things organized how I like it. So I really focused on that and on culling my collection of junk I don’t use anymore. It was nice to focus on home and family.
My next project is one I’ve been planning on taking on for a long time, but was waiting for the right moment. While it took a lot out of me, I really enjoyed the whirlwind of the past few years and don’t regret a moment of it. I love speaking at conferences, writing, teaching, etc. and I don’t think I’ll ever stop doing those things. But I’ve gotten to the point where I’m ready to slow down. I’m at the point where the thought of speaking in far-flung places like Chile and London just don’t seem as appealing as they once did (and you don’t need to tell me I’m stupid for turning down those opportunities; I’ve already heard it). I just really like being at home.
So after ALA Annual, the time seemed right to start on our next project: a baby. And I’m happy to say that we’re right on schedule with this project, expecting a miniature version of me and Adam in early April, 2009. We couldn’t be more thrilled! And while I’m really going to miss seeing my friends at ALA Midwinter, Computers in Libraries, etc., I’m ready to make sacrifices for my little one. I may actually be at Annual since Adam’s family lives in Chicago, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned from friends who are parents, you never know what life will be like after baby, so I can’t make any promises.
If you’ve noticed that I haven’t been posting much over the past few months, this is why. I’ve been feeling pretty miserable — nauseous and exhausted beyond anything I’ve ever felt. I’m not complaining since feeling like crap in the first trimester is usually a sign of a healthy pregnancy, but it’s been difficult even to put in a full day at work, much less do anything beyond that. I’m coming out of the first trimester now, so hopefully I’ll be entering into those halcyon days of high energy, good appetite, and “glowing” (I wonder what I’ll look like when I glow). Hopefully that will lead to better posting frequency, but again, no promises. If I’m not feeling inspired, I’m not going to write “filler.”
Needless to say, the blog is going to continue. I am not leaving my job or my engagement in the professional dialogue. I’m sure I’ll be less involved for a good while, but I plan to go back to speaking and writing (though with a drastically reduced schedule) and will definitely keep up with the profession.
With my new focus on home and non-library-related projects, a brand new blog has been born. /var/log/farkas is a collaborative project between me and my husband, Adam. I’ve been bugging Adam forever to get his own blog, because he has such interesting insights on technology (he’s really the brains of this operation) and does so many cool organizational/productivity projects that others might be interested in replicating. I also have been wanting a blog to post about things that aren’t library-related but still interest me, be they technology-related or not. I don’t want to have a “baby blog” or a “mom blog”, but I wanted to have a space where I could post some news about my pregnancy and the baby so I don’t annoy the heck out of 99% of the people who read this blog. So I’d say that the blog is about everything Meredith-related other than libraries with a heapin’ helping of Adam’s absolutely frightening brilliance and great sense of humor thrown in.
It was a hard choice to decide to have a baby when I feel like I’m on an upward trajectory, career-wise. But what I realized is that there is never a perfect time for a baby, and you can spend your entire life waiting for that “just right” time to come. And when I saw the baby moving around on the ultrasound last week, it was very obvious to me that this totally beats a speaking gig in Chile, London, or even on Mars.
Topics: Vermont, about me, blogging, career, speaking, writing | 45 Comments »
September 30th, 2008 at 2:00 pm
Congratulations, Meredith and Adam!
September 30th, 2008 at 2:04 pm
Yay! Excited for Meredith and Adam? Check! Subscribed to new blog? Check! Happy for the soon-to-be-larger family? Check!
September 30th, 2008 at 2:06 pm
Mazel Tov, Congrats good luck and I think I speak for everyone who knows, reads and admires you that we are all very very happy for you. And we want at least one picture.
September 30th, 2008 at 2:13 pm
Congrats to you both! Look forward to news along the way and seeing pictures when young Farkas is born!
September 30th, 2008 at 2:17 pm
Congrats! Babies are awesome! I found the book “Baby Bargains” useful when trying to figure out what gear to buy.
September 30th, 2008 at 2:26 pm
Thanks folks!
Oh yes, there will be many, many picture (though definitely not as many as Jason Griffey takes!).
Anna, thanks for the tip. That aspect seems the most daunting since there’s so much baby crap that you just don’t need but it’s hard to know what is or isn’t essential.
September 30th, 2008 at 2:43 pm
Here’s one piece of baby gear you don’t need.
September 30th, 2008 at 2:49 pm
Wow, Stephen! That has to be one of the creepiest baby-related things I’ve seen so far. And I thought that marital industrial complex was bad!
September 30th, 2008 at 2:53 pm
Is this the place to sign up for the pool? I got April 4, boy, eight pounds, two ounces.
Most sincere congratulations and best wishes. Stock up on sleep now.
September 30th, 2008 at 3:05 pm
Congratulations to you and Adam! I’m so very happy for the both of you!
September 30th, 2008 at 3:10 pm
Oh! That’s such wonderful news. Congratulations to you both!!
September 30th, 2008 at 3:10 pm
Congrats! My brother & SiL (the proud parents of 8 week old twin girls) are swearing by the Happiest Baby on the Block http://www.thehappiestbaby.com/ – I know nothing about it, so can’t give my own opinion.
September 30th, 2008 at 3:27 pm
Steve L. is correct. Sleep now. Both of you. Don’t worry about each bump and stumble. Kids are incredibly able to move on quickly and find the next cool thing. And when you or your husband experience the thrill of opening your mouth and your mom or dad coming out..Welcome to the club!
September 30th, 2008 at 3:49 pm
I know diddly squat about babies, but I hear they are time consuming but worth it. I’m rooting for a girl.
September 30th, 2008 at 4:56 pm
Congratulations to you both
Looking forward to reading your new blog! I’m always interested to read how active librarians balance family and work (+projects, +writing, +speaking etc) so I’ll be interested to see your take on it and what works for you.
September 30th, 2008 at 5:01 pm
Congratulations to you both, that’s very happy and exciting news. A child will change your life and your career, but it can always change again as your child gets older. I know mine did and still is!
September 30th, 2008 at 5:02 pm
Congratulations to you, Meredith and Adam!! I’ve already subscribed to the new blog
September 30th, 2008 at 7:41 pm
Congratulations to you both! What fantastic news. Any thoughts on the littlest Farkas becoming a librarian?
September 30th, 2008 at 7:57 pm
Congrats to you both!
September 30th, 2008 at 7:59 pm
Congrats! That is wonderful. I will second the Happiest Baby on the Block. That made things a lot easier for us with both of ours.
September 30th, 2008 at 8:03 pm
Ohhhh! Yay!
You guys will have one cute baby! Glad to see you taking time for important things like this guys. You will be great parents too! 
September 30th, 2008 at 8:29 pm
Congratulations! So thrilled for you both. I have no regrets about the conferences and speaking gigs that I turned down to stay home with our little guy. They grow so quickly, enjoy every moment! Perhaps we will get a tweet during CiL that your little one has arrived!
September 30th, 2008 at 8:37 pm
congratulations! How wonderful! I think you’ve made a great choice on cutting back, especially since there is a baby involved!
September 30th, 2008 at 9:08 pm
Congratulations!!! I hope you and Adam have a very healthy baby.
September 30th, 2008 at 9:27 pm
Congratulations! That is awesome!
October 1st, 2008 at 7:36 am
Congrats! So awesome!
October 1st, 2008 at 8:12 am
Congratulations and best wishes to both you and Adam! Both of the books recommended above should be good guides for you. Most important of all — keep in mind that happy, relaxed parents= happy baby… which makes life easier for Everyone involved!
October 1st, 2008 at 8:12 am
Mazal Tov!
October 1st, 2008 at 9:45 am
Oh wow, congratulations to you both! What wonderful news.
October 1st, 2008 at 11:08 am
Congratulations! That is quite a BIG PROJECT!!! All that creativity and commitment…that’s going to be one lucky little Farkas.
Best wishes!
October 1st, 2008 at 12:03 pm
Wow, Meredith, big hugs and hurrahs to you and Adam! What marvelous news
and enjoy discovering what glowing is like!
I can second ellbeecee’s bro & SiL: Happiest Baby on the Block made a huge difference for us. Heartily recommended!
October 1st, 2008 at 1:55 pm
Congratulations, Meredith! Best of luck in the future, and subscribing to the new blog!
October 1st, 2008 at 3:20 pm
Awesome! Congrats! I’ll miss seeing you as much, but like you said, some things are just better…
October 1st, 2008 at 3:22 pm
Fab news. A baby, child, is the best “trip” you can take.
October 1st, 2008 at 7:24 pm
oops, hit send before saying I’m glad Meredith “birthed” her latest LJ article (written with Chrystie Hill), on the challenges of innovation in libraries, prior to deciding to cut back. It’s the cover story for October 1! “What We Need.”
October 2nd, 2008 at 9:42 am
What fun news! Congratulations to you both!!
October 5th, 2008 at 5:36 am
Oh congratulations Meredith. I concur with the “sleep now” brigade. Also suggest going to the movies spontaneously, camping, and having long uninterrupted conversations with Adam.
You probably won’t need anything from here either
http://www.bulletproofbaby.net/
October 6th, 2008 at 11:22 am
October 7th, 2008 at 12:09 pm
WOW congrats!! I’ve been sending you happy baby thoughts. You will love it. And hopefully it means that Maddie will have a new playmate at future ALA conferences (love ALA camp!).
October 10th, 2008 at 8:08 pm
I wish you the happiest and healthiest pregnancy ever, Meredith!
Much love to the three of you.
Elise
October 11th, 2008 at 12:00 pm
Hey Meredith,
I’m catching up on my blog reading here, so just reading the big news. How exciting! Congrats to you and Adam. Hope to see you in Chi-town this summer.
October 14th, 2008 at 12:10 am
I missed this post the first time around and just saw the reference in your latest post. Congratulations!! I know I’m kind of biased, but I really think that there isn’t anything more amazing then having a baby.
October 15th, 2008 at 2:10 pm
Congratulations… my husband and I are also expecting (for us #2 is coming in Feb.), and it’s definitely a good idea to slow down a little… for now. And sleep. It will never happen again.
October 15th, 2008 at 2:58 pm
Meredith, congratulations! Of the six faculty members I was an Elluminate assistant for in the spring, you are the second to announce her pregnancy…(the other one is expecting twins!) Was it something I said?! I am in the process of creating a blog for LIBR 240 and am adding you to my blogroll. I love what you do here.
October 16th, 2008 at 10:59 am
Meredith, I don’t know how I missed this…but congratulations to you and Adam. Get plenty of sleep now ’cause you’re going to miss it for the next 18 years (I haven’t slept in 13 years and I’m tired).