This Week at the Library April 30 - May 5

Monday 
2- 4:30pm "Used Book Sale"
The "Friends of The Cypress Park Library" holds a small book sale every Monday in the community room. This one isn't as big as the one they hold Saturdays but it's just as important and proceeds fund library programs and some materials. Please join us.

3:30-5:30pm "Grandparents And Books"
Books come alive for kids when they share the fun of reading with GAB library volunteers. Grandma Sara will be here.

Tuesday 
2-3pm "Infant/Toddler Story Time
Miss Alicia will read stories to the children and we’ll also be making crafts. This free program is intended for children 12 years and younger.

Wednesday
12-1pm "Adult computer class"
Adults, join us for a beginner's guide to the internet. Patrick will teach you the basics of web browsing, word processing and how to create and access your email account. Bring your questions. Patrick will supply the answers.

4-5pm "LACMA Family Art Program"

Children and families join us and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art for our art weekly family art classes. Learn about various artists and learn art through various mediums.

Thursday
4-5pm Today's "Teen Art Hour" will be an Introduction to Origami. Have fun learning how to make the basic folds that lead to all the beautiful Origami classics like the Crane, San-Bow, Fortune Teller and many others. 

Friday 

12-1pm

Books comes alive for children when they share the fun of reading with GAB library volunteers. "Grandpa Allen" will be here.

Saturday 
11am-2pm  "Cinco de Mayo Parade" 
Come out and join the Cypress Park community as we celebrate
Cinco de Mayo with our annual parade and festival. T he parade begins at the Cypress Park recreation center, makes it's way down Cypress Ave. to Rio De Los Angeles State Park where the festival will take place. There will be food, rides and free concerts. Click here for our post on the parade.

12-2pm  "Grandparents And Books"
Books come alive for kids when they share the fun of reading with GAB library volunteers. Grandpa Allen will be here.

Latino USA: A Cartoon History

 

"Latino USA: A Cartoon History" written by Ilan Stavans Illustrated by Lalo Alcaraz

        "Latino USA: A Cartoon History" was originally released in September 2000 and is a really good book. This book was written by Ilan Stavans (The Hispanic Condition: The Power of a People) and illustrated by Lalo Alcaraz (creator of the daily comic strip "La Cucaracha"). Lalo's cartoons make it easier to absorb all the historical information this book provides by making it fun and entertaining.   
         "Latino USA: A Cartoon History" is being re released in paperback very soon so we thought it's be a great to spread the word and we were very lucky to score an interview with it's illustrator, Lalo Alcaraz.


Art: Lalo, It's been about 12 years since this book was originally released and a lot has happened in the world since. How excited are you for this re-release and what thoughts come to you when you hold the book in your hands?


Lalo: Only 12? Then we have to change the misleading "15 Year Anniversary Edition" on the cover. This time around it was much easier to work on this, since we added 50 pages, and not the whole enchilada, or other Mexican dish. The first time around, I really hadn't worked on such a big project, so I must admit that I was pretty bad on meeting deadlines. But now I'm GREAT on meeting deadlines, right?


Art: Yeah, sure. *shakes head no* 


Art: The book's author, Ilan Stavans who also wrote, "The Hispanic Condition: The Power of a People" has called you his "Artistic Soulmate". What was it like working with him and have you kept in touch?

Lalo: We work well together, I'm not sure about the Artistic Soulmate thing, though we do wear matching sweaters when we speak on the phone. Actually, it was great working with him, as he usually took my suggestions and implemented them in the script, or let me draw my character disagreeing with his POV, etc. LOL!

And yes, we stay in touch, we just got another book deal to do yet another cool history book, so it looks like we are gonna be in touch, esp this summer. I got a lot of pages to sketch!

Art: You and Dr. Stavans covered a lot of historic events and important people ranging from Columbus to Selena and Bill Clinton to  Edward James Olmos. Was there an event or person that was not included in the book or that you wished you could have included or done different?


Lalo: I learned sooooo much working on this book, there almost isn't enough room in my already large cabeza to fit all this knowledge about Latinos in the USA...I don't think we left much out, except Edward James Olmos secret flight to Mars. WHOOPS


Art: You've been cartooning for a long time. What's it like when something like a "re-release" of your work comes along or you come across work you did a long time ago? 


Lalo: I try not to look back. I've been spending a lifetime learning about deciding when something is DONE.


I know you're nowhere near retiring but do you ever stop to think about how long you've been in the game?


Lalo: Can't I retire soon? Damn. You now what's changed, its the internet! I get to use that to propagate my toons all over the planet.


Art: I know the past couple years you've come out with Calendars. Are there any plans in the works to release another book?





Lalo: I've done calendars for like 20 years. I hope to do one for 2013, if the Mayans allow it. Bookwise, I am plotting an editorial cartoon treasury, and am currently writing a kids book about a little brown kid who likes to draw cartoons and to annoy his sisters.

Lalo Alcaraz, (at our branch) reading or admiring his work? (Read the post about his visit here) 

       Art:  Lalo, I want to thank you for your time. I know you're a very busy man. Congratulations on the re release of Latino USA: A Cartoon History. You know I'm a fan and I'll be picking up a copy for myself. Please give my regards to Daniel D. Portado and Mexican Mitt if you happen to see them. Thank you.


Lalo: Daniel D. Portado just asked me when you will be Self-Deporting yourself, you seem to be holding up Self-Deportations in your area. Also, Mexican Mitt, who is hot off his big win as the number juan funniest fake politician Twitter account, says he doesn't know either of us.


Art: Daniel, I'll have to look up how many vacation days I'm allowed for "Self Deporting" then I'll choose my vacation errr deportation spot. I hear Jacksonville, FL. is nice this time of year. 


@MexicanMitt, if you're reading this, CONGRATULATIONS and you're always number Juan in my book.





@LaloAlcaraz will be at LunaSol Mexican Vintage in Whittier on Fri., May 4th at 7pm. He'll be signing copies of "Latino USA: A Cartoon History 15th Anniversary Edition", posters, mini originals and Pocho.com stickers and La Cucaracha artwork. Basically if you bring it he will sign it. There will be FREE comida (food), Art, live music by "Los Hot Boxers" raffles and mucho mas!  


  

2012 Cypress Park Cinco de Mayo Parade

   Show some love for the 90065 by joining us on Saturday, May 5th at 11am for our Cinco de Mayo parade. We'll be making another appearance in this year's parade so look for us in the Los Angeles Public Library van. 

   This year's parade route will begin at the Cypress Park Recreation Center and head north on Pepper Ave. making a left on Cypress Ave. It will continue passed our library and it will make a left on Future St. leading to a festival at Rio de Los Angeles State Park.  

   Previous year's guest have included former Los Angeles Dodger and hometown hero, Bobby Castillo, Aztec dance group, "Xipe Totec" and actress, Rose Portillo, Councilman Ed Reyes and many more. Who will be here this year? Join us and find out.  

We'll be tweeting during the parade and we'll update this post within a couple days after the parade with pictures and videos that we take during. We hope to see you there. :) 

Burbank Middle School warming up for the parade.

Alexia Teran (right) of the Greater Cypress Park Neighborhood Council

Friends of the Cypress Park Veterans group

The cars of "Dino's Bomb Squad" are always a crowd pleaser.

A few of the cars of Dino's Car Club

Member of "Xipe Totec" Aztec dance group

Member of "Xipe Totec" Aztec dance group

Xipe Totec performing one of their dances. 

           

Burbank Middle School at the end of the parade. 

What is CicLAvia?

What is CicLAvia?

I asked myself the same question and was not prepared for the great adventure we experienced through the streets of downtown Los Angeles.

CicLAvia temporarily removes cars from L.A. streets - and the streets fill up with smiles!

     With three hugely successful CicLAvias (10/10/10, 4/10/11 and 10/9/11) under our belt, we are currently preparing for the April, 15 2012 CicLAvia. 10 miles of streets were car-free from 10 AM - 3 PM on Sunday October 9th 2011. In 2012, we’re doing the initial route again, and adding new spurs to El Pueblo/Olvera Street and South LA, for a total of ten miles.
     Ciclovías started in Bogotá, Colombia, over thirty years ago as a response to the congestion and pollution of city streets. Now they happen throughout Latin America and the United States.  From http://www.ciclavia.org/about/

     As we entered the streets of Olvera Street already people were gathered at 9am listening to various speakers and supporters of CicLAvia.  It was not until after Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa spoke that I was informed of the partnership of Bike Nation with the city of Los Angeles, Venice, Playa Del Rey, Westwood and Hollywood.  It is a bike share program that plans to have 400 stations and provide 4,000 bikes for rent.

     I had not come prepared with my bicycle but my friends and I noticed bike nation was renting out bikes for an hour for free! So as excited cyclists and pedestrians made their way to the starting line, we put our names on a waiting list.  Fifteen minutes later we were on our way down the streets of downtown!  What an exciting feeling of being able to ride down the streets with no cars.  We made our way to the 1^st St. bridge and while my friend and her child turned back, her husband and I rode up the bridge.  I admit it was not easy, but I was not going to miss the opportunity of riding the bridge that connects Los Angeles to East Los Angeles.  From there we made our way back and after returning our bicycles we walked back to downtown to enjoy a dessert at Syrup on Spring Street. 

     I recommend everyone to come out to the next CicLAvia on October 14, 2012.  It is a free event and a great opportunity to visit downtown without getting stuck in traffic.  Take the opportunity to see the beauty of the buildings and historical sites and enjoy some great hidden eateries.  Mostly take the time to share a great day with family, friends and especially your children. 

Tony's Two Cents

Hey, you guys, its Tony again.

                        So … I’ve recently listened to an album called

“Pull Up Some Dust and Sit Down” by Ry Cooder. I know its not the same type of music as my last post but I have to listen to a lot of different types. I found this album different and I thought it was all mixed genre songs. It's WAY different to me because I’m used to listening to different types of metal and alternative music NOT a mixture of Country and Spanish. I like some Spanish songs but I don’t really listen to it. I also found the verses in his songs a tad too long BUT the lyrics tell a great story. It’s like a story beneath the song. I found this album to be a great change of pace from what I normally listen to but it's still not something you'll find me listening to often. I have to give him props though. Ry Cooder has won four “Grammy Awards”. He also started his band in the 70’s and is still going on today. One song I thought was really cool is called "Dreamer". This song is about the Ruelas brothers who are famous in the lowrider community for starting Duke's car club. One of the most well known in Los Angeles. "Dreamer" is a nice tribute song. 

     I’m really no that fond of his music but he has another album my dad listens to called “Chavez Ravine” based on the neighborhoods that once existed where Dodger stadium is today. 

    Chavez Ravine is an entire album based on the culture and the neighborhood of Chavez Ravine. I like this album because:

1. It puts history into a cool set of songs

2. Has some Spanish songs to show the type of culture that was popular there

3. Finally, the lyrics are accurate with the history of Chavez Ravine.

    Some people might think, well who would want to write a set of songs based on an old school city. If you take a moment to think about this question you might say, “It’s all history!” People might not have known that Dodger Stadium used to be a little town. I knew about it due to research and my dad. But I’ve never heard someone bring back history into music. If I were you I would get on to Wiki Pedia and search about Chavez Ravine. It’s an interesting story based on the story of an old buried city. Listen to the lyrics of “Chavez Ravine”, which is the main song of the album and listen to the lyrics. The lyrics don’t give you all the facts on Chavez Ravine but that’s why you need to research. I hope you guys take this post into consideration and please research. Please leave me a 2 sentence summary about what happened between the Dodger baseball team and The Chavez Ravine Community. I'd recommend both of these CDs and you can get them at the branch or ask the librarian to order them for you. Until next time.

Bye.

Anthony Meza is a regular patron at our library. He enjoys playing video games but making music is his main interest. He plays the drums for his school band. You can keep up with his short stories at imaginefreely.wordpress.com. 

Tony's Two Cents

       Anthony spends a lot of time in our library and because he himself is a drummer he can usually be found in our Young Adult music section. He's agreed to review some of  the CDs that can be found and checked out here at the branch and share his opinions with other teens and, well, anyone reading this blog. We'll be posting "Tony's Two Cents" every Tuesday. Let us know what you think. 

   

     Let me start off saying that “A Day to Remember” is a really good band. I prefer it as hardcore metal (genre) because I think that's where they are at their best. Their songs are a mixture of singing and screaming and that's what I like. My of my favorite songs is “My Life for Hire” on the “Homesick” album. If you were to listen to this song, you might find their music to be a little too aggressive but that’s how they define their emotions. My personal rating is a 5 star. Go check this CD out for yourself at the Cypress Park branch!

Have you ever felt depressed but happy at the same time? If you have, you have to check out “Mastodon”. Their “Crack the Skye” shows an alternative mood throughout the whole album. I thought they were pretty cool but not as cool as A Day To Remember but hey, at least they even have their own style. Mastodon always works at a fast tempo so it makes the whole mood of the song change really quick. What I found to be really cool about this band is that one of the guitarists uses a banjo in some songs. I was really surprised because I bet you haven’t heard a banjo in an alternative band besides “Mumford and Sons”. I say you check this cd out…. NOW!!!!!!! :)

Anthony Meza is a regular patron at our library. He enjoys playing video games but making music is his main interest. You can keep up with his short stories at imaginefreely.wordpress.com. 

A trip to Central Library

    Some of you know me. My name is Art and I'm a Clerk Typist here at the branch. You can usually find me at the circulation desk but I recently went on a field trip. "Where to?" you ask? Well, I went down to Central Library and stopped in to check out Children's Literature. I had such a great time I decided to write about it. I also wanted to share things that I found out with anybody reading this. Check it out.

    Our Children's Librarian, Alicia, called Diane, a librarian in Children's Literature and told her I'd be stopping by. Diane was kind enough to give me a behind the scenes tour when I got there. We started off with the staff workroom. I've only worked in branches so I was in for a big surprise.

These stacks open and close by turning the wheels. I had never seen anything like this. 

There are approximately 235,000 items in Children's Literature. 

 I had never been to "Children's Lit" (as the locals call it) but I've heard many stories. You see my wife's grandfather, Dudley "Willie" Williams, worked in the dept. from 1986-2003 and passed away in 2005 so this was a must stop for me. Diane worked with Willie for many years and had plenty of good stories to tell me about him. She showed me a prop he made for the Saturday puppet shows.

Willie went home one day with an idea and returned to work with this prop the next day. 

Be sure to catch a puppet show here at the KLOS Theater on Saturdays. 

     Diane gave me the heads up on many cool things they offer at Children's Lit like class tours. There were 387 class visits between 2010-2011 which brought 7605 students through the dept. That same year they had a total of 126 programs which brought in another 8,466 people.

     Here's something you might not have known. World Penguin Day is April 25th and in honor of this special day, Children's Lit will be having stories, songs, poems and a puppet show in the KLOS Theater on Saturday, the 21st. How cool is that?

Children's Lit is a beautiful place filled with a awesome book collection and a very nice and helpful staff. I'm so glad I chose to visit (on my day off as a matter of fact). I can't wait to visit again.

This Week At The Cypress Park Branch Library April 16- 22

Monday 
2- 4:30pm "Used Book Sale"
The "Friends of The Cypress Park Library" holds a small book sale every Monday in the community room. This one isn't as big as the one they hold Saturdays but it's just as important and proceeds fund library programs and some materials. Please join us.

3:30-5:30pm "Grandparents And Books"
Books come alive for kids when they share the fun of reading with GAB library volunteers. Grandma Sara will be here.

Tuesday 
2-3pm "Infant/Toddler Story Time
Miss Alicia will read stories to the children and we’ll alsobe  making crafts. This free program is for children up to the age of 12.

Wednesday
12-1pm "Adult computer class"
Adults, join us for a beginner's guide to the internet. Patrick will teach you the basics of web browsing, word processing and how to create and access your email account. Bring your questions. Patrick will supply the answers.

4-5pm "LACMA Family Art Program"

Children and families join us and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art for our art weekly family art classes. Learn about various artists and learn art through various mediums.

Thursday
4-5pm Today's "Teen Art Hour" will be an Introduction to Origami. Have fun learning how to make the basic folds that lead to all the beautiful Origami classics like the Crane, San-Bow, Fortune Teller and many others. 

Friday 

12-1pm

Books comes alive for children when theyshare the fun of reading with GAB library volunteers. "Grandpa Allen" will be here.

Saturday
10am-2pm
The "Friends of the Cypress Park Library" will be holding a used book sale in the community room. Previously enjoyed books, tapes and CDs will be available ranging in price from .25 - $1. Please join us. Proceeds from the book sale go to fund special library programs and events and materials. 

Dìa del Niño y de Libros / Day of Children and Books

Many Children, Many Cultures, Many Books

Muchos niños, muchas culturas, muchos libros

What is Dia del Nino Dia del Libro?

The following is an excerpt of what & how dìa was founded & how it is being used in libraries & schools to promote literacy & make it a fun event for children and their families. 

Celebrating Children and Books: El dìa de los niños/El dìa de los libros by Pat Mora and Rose Zertuche Treviño

What might sound lighthearted—planning a literacy celebration that involves children and their diverse families—has serious motivations. Can we dream big enough to want a nation of readers? Can democracy thrive in a country with serious literacy challenges? Are all the children in our schools and libraries discovering that books are fun, comforting, and also serve as sources of information, ways to make sense of the world?

These questions matter deeply. "Bookjoy," the private pleasure that true readers savor, is something to share, and every child deserves to find a good home in books. This desire prompted the founding of El día de los niños / El día de los libros (Children’s Day / Book Day) more than 10 years ago. Along with energetic and committed librarians and teachers, I wanted kids and their diverse families to experience literacy in all their home languages as fun and welcoming.

On a sunny, desert day in March 1996, while visiting the University of Arizona in Tucson, I learned about an annual tradition of celebrating April 30 as El día del niño, the Day of the Child. Hmm, I thought, remembering my own children’s question: "Why do we have Mother’s Day and Father’s Day and not Children’s Day?" Hmm, what if literacy advocates linked a celebration of children with a celebration of literacy, and together we created El día de los niños / El día de los libros?

With the support of librarians, especially members of the National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish-Speaking (REFORMA), by 1997 cities including Santa Fe, El Paso, and Tucson held their first, now annual, celebrations.

Día is currently housed at the  Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), and administered in cooperation with founding partner REFORMA. Thanks in part to additional support from the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, ALSC's Día Web site offers librarians complimentary tip sheets and bilingual brochures as well as the opportunity to register their events or search for events in their area. In addition, the Texas Library Association received funding for an online tool kit. (For links to these resources, see  Día Web Connections).

Día’s Goals for Cypress Park Branch Library

       My name is Alicia M. Rodriguez and I am currently the children’s librarian at Cypress Park Branch LAPL.  As a child of a Mexican mother I was raised celebrating Dìa del Niño on April 30^th every year.  I remember my mother would pick me up from school early and both her and my father would take me to the children’s museum or the zoo and the day consisted of me being pampered with gifts and a day of fun! I have brought this tradition to the library I work for and thanks to Pat Mora I have adopted literacy into my program. 

As a children’s librarian at the Cypress Park branch library each year in April, I have a special Dìa event where I read stories, sing songs, and just have a great time with the kids that visit our library.  I also provide parents with resources on how to help their children become better readers to make reading time a fun time at home or on a day out.  We provide an information guide on the various events at our library for adults, teens and children.  The goal is to promote literacy and celebrate children. We use various mediums to reach out to our community in order to provide them information.  Outreach by visiting surrounding schools, community centers, recreation parks, and local businesses.  We provide them with flyers in person or through email, or we fax our information.  We also use social media such as, twitter @cypressparkLapl,

our blog www.cypressparklapl.blogspot.com , http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cypress-Park-Branch-Los-Angeles-Public-Library/277042792349983 , and www.lapl.org

The library as a center of our community brings together literacy and families.  We provide programs to encourage parents to read to their children and make it a time to learn and most importantly a fun time to share great stories with their children.  Before children leave the Dìa program, I provide each child a book and toy.  Each year, I think how can I make our Dìa event even greater? This year I plan to add face painting!  This year our Dìa will take place on Tuesday April 24^th from 2-5PM.  I hope you will join us for this fun filled event!

       And I am currently seeking donations of toys to give to the children.  If anyone knows of any

company that would be kind enough to help us that would be great!                      

Plaza Familia

     Plaza Familia is a bilingual magazine filled with lots of valuable information focusing on educating and raising healthy families. With 80 percent of our neighborhood's population being Latino, being able to offer this resource to our neighbors excites us more than we can say. 


   With a publisher like @AnaRC and post contributions from noted bloggers like @JuanofWords and @ToughCookieMom you know every issue is one not to be missed.

    Pick up a FREE copy at the reference desk on your next visit to the branch and let us know what you think and don't worry if you can't make it into the library because you can always download the latest issue of Plaza Familia magazine from here.


Plaza Familia can also be found and followed on Facebook and Twitter. 


We'd like to thank @Mzelma for introducing us to Plaza Familia and allowing us to share. 


Cypress Park, we look forward to your input and enjoyment of this wonderful magazine. 

A Beast on The Open Mic

   
      We're happy to announce that our Open Mic event is back and our special guest this time around is non other than Jim Marquez. Jim is the author of self published books like From: East Los, Pieces Of L.A. and East L.A. Collage just to name a few.

     
     We wanted to celebrate the release of his latest book, Beastly Bus Tales, by inviting him to be our special guest on Friday, May 18th from 3:30-5pm. He'll be reading from his new book and will have some copies available for purchase and signing at the end of the program. 


     You might remember an interview we did with Jim a while back titled "A Beastly Conversation With Jim Marquez". If you haven't read it and would like to, you can read it here. 

Bronwyn Mauldin is the creator of GuerrillaReads, the online video literary magazine and author of  The Streetwise Cycle . Bronwyn's writing has appeared in  CellStories ,  The Battered Suitcase ,  Blithe House Quarterly ,  Clamor  magazine and  From ACT-UP to the WTO  (Verso). She's also a programmer and host for Indymedia on Air on KPFK radio. 

  The Streetwise Cycle is a series of nine interconnected stories about people living unexpectedly interconnected lives on the streets of Los Angeles. It's a view of the city, as seen by the people who live on it's streets.

    We want you to remember this program's open to everybody. We want to offer a space where you can freely express yourself and we encourage you to share your love for poetry, music and/or story telling with everyone in attendance. We hope you'll join us. 


Updated 5-19-2012

Jim's Marquez' book, "Beastly Bus Tales" is available for check out here at the branch. 

Jim Marquez and Bronwyn Mauldin talking shop before the program began. 

Jim Marquez playing to the audience in the room and on the net.

Bronwyn Mauldin reading from her book, "The Streetwise Cycle".

Check out a copy of Bronwyn Mauldin's book, "The Streetwise Cycle" here at the library.

You can also catch a recording of this program online at  www.livestream.com/cypressparklibrary. 

     

Gustavo Arellano visits Cypress Park Library

"Taco USA: How Mexican Food Conquered America" by Gustavo Arellano

Gustavo Arellano, the man behind the nationally syndicated column "¡Ask A Mexican!", the author of  the wildly popular and controversial book by the same name and it's follow up, "Orange County: A Personal History", about his personal ties to the O.C. and the changes it's made from a bucolic paradise of orange groves to the land where good Republicans go to die.
  
  In his latest book, "Taco USA: How Mexican Food Conquered America", available April 10, Mr Arellano serves up a combo plate of the History and Culture of Mexican food in this country, uncovering great stories and charting the cuisine’s tremendous popularity in El Norte.


  Taco USA addresses the all-important questions: What exactly constitutes “Mexican” food in the United States? How did it get here? What’s “authentic” and what’s “Taco Bell,” and does it matter? What’s so cosmic about a burrito? And why do Americans love Mexican food so darn much?


Please join us June 7th at 6pm as Gustavo Arellano will be here in the branch answering all these questions. He will also be bringing along copies of his new book, "Taco USA" that will be available for purchase and signing at the end of the program. 

This program will also be streaming live online at http://www.livestream.com/cypressparklibrary so if you can't attend in person please join the program there and ask questions using Livestream.com's chat feature. We'll ask for you and broadcast the answer. 

 UPDATE: 

             We're happy to report that our visit from Gustavo was a HUGE success. Not only did he fill every seat in our community room but after he sold and signed EVERY copy of "Taco USA" he brought with him guests in attendance were happy to order copies from him to be sent out as soon as he could. 

             He spoke to the over 50 people in attendance for over an hour about the topics he covers in "Taco USA" and the whole time he had the audience (in house and online) eating out of the palm of his hand.
            If you didn't get a chance to attend, you can watch the archived recording here. 

People actually signed in online to be lectured by Gustavo Arellano. Cool!

I make everyone take a picture with me. Just one of the perks of the job. :)