Youth Events in January

John Adams Community Meeting on Traffic Safety Proposal (January 8)A community meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. to discuss a proposal for restricting traffic to right turns only onto Rayburn Avenue during peak traffic times. The meeting will be held in the John Adams Elementary Media Center (5651 Rayburn Avenue). For more information, contact Laurel Hamming, ACPS Educational Facilities: Planning, Design and Construction Office, at 703.461.4168.

Princess Wonderland (January 26)The T.C. Williams High School Fashion Marketing students will present Princess Wonderland from 3-6 p.m. in the cafeteria at the main campus (3330 King Street). Girls ages 3 through 10 are invited to dress as their favorite princesses for the event, which will feature games, food, arts and crafts, and photos with a princess. Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 the day of the program. A portion of proceeds will go toward the Scholarship Fund of Alexandria; the remaining proceeds will support the Fashion Marketing Club’s projects. For more information, contact Teresa Chavis.

Author Talks at Beatley Central Library

The public is invited to attend the following Beatley Central Library Author Talk Series at 5005 Duke Street, Alexandria, VA 22304: 

Author Talk With William Burton McCormick, January 30, 2013 at 7:00pm Author of the recently released book, Lenin’s Harem, McCormick will discuss his experiences researching and writing his historical fiction thriller set in Latvia during the time of the Russian Revolution. Lenin’s Harem is the story of the Latvian Riflemen. “Born to an aristocratic life of wealth and privilege, but driven from the family home by resentful Latvian peasants, a young German struggles to survive and protect his love from the brutalities of a domineering brother, class struggle, war, and communist rule. The attention to historical detail and depth of introspection are worthy of Pasternak or Solzhenitsyn. Enthralling, reads as true as my grandfather’s letters.”--Daniel Wagner, former Dean of the CIA’s Sherman Kent School for Intelligence Analysis 

Author Talk With Tom Young, February 20, 2013 at 7:00pm “Author of the new bookThe Renegades, Young brings Lt. Col. Michael Parson back to the heart of Afghanistan for more action in his suspense-filled military thriller. His precise, evocative prose brings a far-off war into sharp-edge focus while honoring the heroic servicemen and women who fight against extraordinary odds.” --Publishers Weekly (starred review) “Real-life experience translated into page-turning fiction.” --Kirkus Reviews “A brutal, true-to-life novel about war in Afghanistan.” --National Public Radio “Young plunges the reader right into the thick of the Afghan conflict.” --Examiner.com An “extremely well-written” novel that “revolves around two people who are trying hard to do the right thing under incredibly brutal conditions.” --Library Journal 

Author Talk With Bob O’Connor, February 27, 2013 at 7:00pm   O’Connor gives an account of the lives of the 103 black soldiers at the prison in his book US. Colored Troops at Andersonville Prison. In honor of Black History Month, we are pleased to host the author and historian.

365 - a year in pictures

My project 365 is over as of today and it was a GREAT project!  It was hard some days to post something, other days there were lots of things to capture and picking just one was difficult.

I learned a lot about my days- what I do and what my family does.  Sometimes the littlest thing becomes interesting or the most boring of activities brought the most joy.  I also gained an appreciation for the things around me, I opened my eyes and looked around a bit more than before.

I'd like to keep this project going, but I think I will amend it for 2013.  I'll just post pictures every once in awhile, when I feel there is something to share or something special catches my eye.

Happy New Year and Welcome 2013.