It's a bird; it's a plane; it's The Noise Guy?

It might be easy to guess from his name what Charlie "The Noise Guy" Williams is known for: his ability to make noises! And not just any noises. He can imitate, a bird, a plane, a flushing toilet, a ukulele, an electric guitar, ocean waves, splashing water, bubbles, and almost anything you can name! The Noise Guy started off by showing us just a few of the noises and sounds he can make, then read the entire alphabet with a completely unique sound for each letter! The audience was invited and encouraged to participate as The Noise Guy taught us all how to make some of the sounds ourselves. 

The fun didn't end there! We were treated to a reading of Flush: An Ode to Toilets (written by The Noise Guy himself!) about a boy who's just learning to use the toilet and is having trouble getting used to all the different steps involved in going to the bathroom, not to mention all the different types of toilets he encounters! What was already a giggle-inducing book became even funnier thanks to all the additional sound effects! The book and The Noise Guy support the "Literacy on the Loo" campaign, which really doesn't need much explanation, but you can click the link to find out more.

As our visit drew to a close, The Noise Guy invited us to use our imaginations to think up different actions and objects that a tennis racket might be. Lots of creative ideas were shared and the range was pretty impressive: everything from a beaver's tail to an electric guitar to a frying pan! And of course, there was a different sound for each idea. The Noise Guy was very entertaining, very silly, and lots of fun to experience. If you missed his performance, don't worry! There's lots of exciting programming coming to Govans as the summer moves along (check out the Aquarium on Wheels presentation of "Puffin: Little Brother of the North" this Thursday at 3:00 pm!).

Have you ever wondered who runs an Anime Convention ("Con")? I’m not sure how many people know this but an anime convention is completely run by wonderful and glorious volunteers, who have a love for all things manga and anime related. They give up their time, sanity and need for sleep to help but on a "con" that will (hopefully) run smoothly. I was able to be apart of the process, I was a staff member for KATUCON 16. Katsucon is a fan convention for anime, manga and Japanese culture enthusiasts. It is an annual three-day event held in or around Washington, D.C. Katsucon is traditionally held in February over Presidents Day weekend. I was apart of the Operations (Ops) team a.k.a Oops, it was a 24 hour service for ALL THREE DAYS.

If you are wondering what Ops handles: Imagine you are at the rave given by the con and due to all the heavy back beats of the thumpa thumpa and the zany lyrics from the opening theme of your favorite anime playing, you have been dancing up a storm. You decide to quench your thirst with some refreshing water. When you notice there is no more water left (OH, NO!). What do you do? Well, you inform someone working at the rave that there is no more aqua and they inform Operations and we make sure you get the water and continue to enjoy the rave. Operations is an important part of a con, we make sure whatever you need gets done. We are connected to the medical team, volunteers, security, and the hotel liaison. We are 24 hours, we have no breaks. We are awesome. So whenever you are at a con, stop by the Operations Department and give them a high five or chocolate to help them stay awake. Trust me they will need it, ‘cause around 3 a.m. things start to get loopy, they do weird things like have a Pokémon battle over the intercom system with medical and volunteers. I'm telling you loopy.

Rock out and read a book!

Miss Kelly

Hello to everyone. Hope you all are faring well in the snow and snow removal efforts. We are back at the Govans Branch and looking forward to seeing you. On Friday, February 5, the day of the first storm we were as busy as the super market here. It was great to see.

If you experienced computer withdrawal during the storms come on up and check your e-mail, view pictures of the snow on-line, pay those bills, or get going on your homework. We now have Wi-Fi at Govans. Bring your laptop and try it out.

Its time to stock up on more books, cds, and dvds for the winter is not over yet.

This morning I participated in a workshop to hopefully become more skilled at and comfortable with blogging. You'll be hearing from me again soon.

On July 16, 2009 the Govans Branch had a very successful program called “Celebrate National Ice Cream Month.” Fifty people attended the program where we discussed our favorite ice cream flavors, the weirdest ice cream flavors ever created, and our favorite ways to eat ice cream. The children had fun coloring jumbo sized pictures of ice cream cones and sundaes and topped off the program with a make your own sundae bar. The toppings that were the most successful were sprinkles and gummy bears. We all screamed for ice cream!

 At the Govans Branch Mother Goose on the Loose (MGOL) program, we have included a fun component known as "Dance Time." It is self explanatory, music is played and we dance. There are powerful benefits in dancing, it is fun, it relieves stress, and it just makes one happy. It allows one to live in the moment, and when parents dance with their child/ren nothing can be better. With that said, here are the top five "Dance Time" songs of the Govans Branch MGOL, in no particular order.  Enjoy!!

1. Give It Up by Marvin Gaye
2. Dance to the Music by Sly and the Family Stone
3. Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) by Sly and the Family Stone
4. Boogie Wonderland by Earth, Wind and Fire
5. Tank! by The Seatbelts