Introducing your new Creative Content Station!

I have an Apple computer at home for audio-visual work and have been using Macs for that last ten years. You may not own one yourself, but you’ve probably seen one and remarked about how cool they look. You also might’ve said something like, “Wow, that computer is pretty, but I could never figure it out.” Well, now Macs are more user-friendly than ever, and more powerful, and more fun! Come see for yourself at our library, where we’ve just installed our Creative Content Station. This machine blows mine out of the water ten times over.

The Station consists of a brand new beautiful iMac (yes, it’s huge) with software capable of creating high-quality movies, editing photos, creating original music, and uploading your finished products to the web. In addition, we’ve got a digital camera, a video camera, and audio equipment for public use to help make your artistic dreams a reality. It’s also a perfect machine to help people get accustomed to Apple computers, as they are only getting more popular.

So come check out our new Creative Content Station. Let’s make some MOVIES!!!

This Week at Watha T. Aug. 25 - September 1

Good Morning Neighbors!

Here's what we've got going on this week at Watha T.

Monday, Aug. 25

4:00 p.m. - Anime Club & 3 Minute Japanese

Tuesday, Aug. 26

10:00 a.m. - Rock-Along with Casey

Wednesday, Aug. 27

10:00 a.m. - Story Time for preschoolers with Miss Tracy
6:00 p.m. - Youth Chess Club
6:00 p.m. - Classic Movie Series - Laurence Olivier's Hamlet
7:30 p.m. - Knitting Group

Thursday, Aug. 28

9:45 a.m. - Mother Goose on the Loose, for infants and toddlers

Monday, Sep. 1

Closed for Labor Day Holiday

Take a Bite Out of National Sandwich Month

Celebrate National Sandwich Month in August

The sandwich is 245 years old. It was in 1762 when John Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich, asked for meat to be served between slices of bread, as he wanted to avoid interrupting a poker game and also didn't want to get his fingers greasy while holding the cards. Smart, huh?

Check out this short timeline of the sandwich at http://www.foodtimeline.org/foodsandwiches.html

Choose from many different bread selections and get creative when making your favorite sandwiches, by merely adding a few extra ingredients, whether it's a flavorful cheese, or even jalapeno peppers.

One of my savorite sandwiches is a combination of bell peppers, grilled red onion sauteed in oyster or hoisin sauce, sprinkled with shredded spinach with tiny mango pieces all between two slices of greasy, buttered garlic bread.

Today is August 20th. What's your favorite sandwich? There's still time...

No More Bugs!

It is very sad, but Catch the Reading Bug, the summer reading program, is now officially over. We, here at the WTD, had a great time this summer. Here are some highlights from summer 2008!

Washington National Opera

Mr. Derby's Jam Session

Daniel Barash "The Shadow Puppet"

Maryland Science Center

Madama Butterfly and Butterfly Gardens

Dr. Adamski "Of Book and Bugs"

And new programs were started...

Anime Club

Mother Goose on the Loose

Rock-Along with Casey

Mother Goose on the Loose!

It's Thursday morning, and you know what that means--Mother Goose on the Loose! Leave your strollers at the door and get ready for some fun!

[ Traffic Jam! ]

This interactive early literacy program for toddlers helps get pre-reading children ready for reading through music, movement, and more. And it keeps growing and growing, much to our excitement. Take a gander at the looks on these happy kids' faces.

[ "The more we get together...." ]


[ Lots of happy kids. ]


[ Winnie the Pooh and Tracy, Too :) ]


We hope to see your bright shining faces every THURSDAY at 9:45a.m.
Bring your little ones and your smiles and we'll bring the rest!

This Week at Watha T. Aug. 18 - Aug 24

Good Morning Neighbors!

Here's what we have in store this week at Watha T.

Monday, August 18

4:00 p.m. - Anime Club
6:00 p.m. - Movie Night - Gremlins

Tuesday, August 19

10:00 a.m. - Rock-Along with Casey

Wednesday, August 20

10:00 a.m. - Story Time for 3-5 year olds with Miss Tracy
6:00 p.m. - Youth Chess Club
7:00 p.m. - Adult Book Club: Jennifer Government by Max Barry

Thursday, August 21

9:45 a.m. - Mother Goose on the Loose for infants & toddlers
3:30 p.m. - Teen "Any Book" Book Club
4:00 p.m. - Watha T. Idol Karaoke

This Week at Watha T. Aug. 11 - Aug 17

Good Morning Neighbors!

Here's what's coming up this week at Watha T.

Monday, August 11

4:00 p.m. - Anime Club
(Note: Today, the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya will be replaced with Lucky Star episode 1. Haruhi will resume next week.)


Tuesday, August 12

10:00 a.m. - Rock-Along with Casey
1:30 p.m. - Catch the Reading Bug


Wednesday, August 13

10:00 a.m. - Story Time for 3-5 year olds with Miss Tracy
6:00 p.m. - Youth Chess Club
7:30 p.m. - Knitting Group


Thursday, August 14

9:45 a.m. - Mother Goose on the Loose


Saturday, August 16

10:00 a.m. - Chess Club
1:00 p.m. - Buggy Summer Saturday

"Of Books and Bugs"

Today Watha T. Daniel-Shaw Interim Library had Dr. Adamski, an Entomologist from the Smithsonian Institute, mesmerize kids of all ages with live bugs, a story of a very hungry caterpillar and slides. This was the highest turnout Watha T. Daniel has had so far for a Saturday program. Towards the end of the program Dr. Adamski let the audience touch and hold live "hissing cockroaches". Some of the kids were hesitant, but others could not wait to touch a cockroach. Two children let the cockroach crawl up their arm and another two put it in their hair. I even held one in my hand. Below are pictures from this buggy program.

My Hand!

Watch Our Garden Grow

On July 19th, Watha T. Daniel-Shaw Interim Library had the Washington National Opera back to do an interactive program about the opera Madama Butterfly. We learned about the different aspects of an opera, the story of Madama Butterfly, a fan dance and a cool butterfly craft. After the program was over we all went outside to plant butterfly gardens for the library.

We planted to long planters and two small pots with flower seeds. We also decorated the planters and pots. And oh has our garden grown! In the first 48 hours both of the long long planters started showing growth. Little sprouts were popping up everywhere. There have been some causalities as well. The two little pots did not make it. One was knocked over and lost all its dirt and seeds in a storm. The other small plant has just plain gone missing. Since the two planters have an abundance of seedlings, I will weed them out into the small pot we still have. Here are some pictures from the day we planted and today. Watch our garden grow!

First Day:

Today:

I will keep everyone updated on how our garden is growing!

Author Talk: John Umana

Wednesday, August 6
7:00 p.m.

Tonight at Watha T. , local author John Umana, will give a public presentation about his book "Creation: Towards a Theory of All Things" concerning the debate between evolution theory and intelligent design, and speculation about life on Mars and other worlds.

Stop by and check it out!

Into The Wild

Into the Wild
by Jon Krakauer
Villard, 207 p.
92 M1197K


I feel like I'm the last person to have read Into the Wild, so it seems kind of odd to review it here on the blog. But I feel compelled to talk about it.

Into the Wild follows the last year in the life of young adventurer Christopher McCandless. Following in the footsteps of Thoreau and John Muir, McCandless divests himself of all the trappings of modern life and heads off into the Alaskan wilderness to live off the land. Armed with a hunting rifle, a ten pound bag of rice and book about indigenous plants he makes a fairly successful go of it, until tragedy strikes around day 100.

As a journalist Krakauer spends a lot of time going through McCandless' past, his journeys across America, his attempts to live deliberately and alone, and the people whose lives he touched with his passion and joie-de-vivre. And that's what I found so moving. Christopher McCandless reminds me a lot of myself, and many other people I have known in my life. A young idealist with strong moral convictions, eternal optimism, and an industrious attitude toward life.

For those who liked this book you may want to read other titles of a similar vein, here are some suggestions:

Walden by Henry David Thoreau
The original experiment in American intentional living

A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson
A recount of a man's journey on the Appalachian Trail

The Call of the Wild by Jack London
One of the books that inspired McCandless to take the Alaskan journey

The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears by Dinaw Mengestu
For those who want to walk out the door and leave everything behind

This Week at Watha T. Aug. 4 - Aug 11

Good Morning Neighbors!

Here's what we've got in store for you this week at Watha T.

Monday, August 4

4:00 p.m. - Anime Club & 3-Minute Japanese
6:00 p.m. - Transformers The Movie


Tuesday, August 5

10:00 a.m. - Rock-Along with Casey


Wednesday, August 6

10:00 a.m. - Story Time With Miss Tracy
6:00 p.m. - Youth Chess Club
7:00 p.m. - Author Talk: John Umana discusses his book Creation: Towards a Theory of All Things


Thursday, August 7

9:45 a.m. - Mother Goose on the Loose
4:00 p.m. - Metamorphosis: Making Makeup


Friday, August 8

3:30 p.m. - The Dark Crystal


Saturday, August 9

10:00 a.m. - Youth Chess Club
11:00 a.m. - Dr. David Adamski's Bug Show
1:00 p.m. - Metamorphosis: Customizing your Tee Shirt