balloon artist

My talk to Donna Pruett, Balloon Artist. She performed for kids in the library last week.

 

How did you start doing this?
I saw it, I like it, I start playing with it. Once you figured out several twists, you can do almost anything. If you interested in ballooning, it comes easily to you.


Where do you buy your balloons?
I order them off the Internet from LaRocks Fun and Magic, they are in Charlotte area in NC. They have catalog online.

Are you from here?
No, I'm Australian. 


I hear a bit of accent.
I hears yours too. I saw your license plate, I like it.


What do you tell people when they ask you "Where are you from?"
I tell them "I'm from my mother, and where are you from?" (laughing)


I'm a full time balloon artist. I do it for 30 years, full time. I work for myself, I have no employees. I can do any kind of event that has a need for balloons. frizzbb@yahoo.com.


This is my 15th years working with North Carolina libraries. I have 60 Summer Reading Shows this summer, for two month - June and July. I'm on the road a lot. I live near Boone. I'm thinking about moving toward Winston. But I don't know if I want to leave the mountains... I really love what I do, and I do it for 30 years.


What's the best part of it?
Kids, and laughing, and playing! And the worst part is driving (laughing). I get to go to competitions. National and international, when two thousand of us get together and show off new sculptures and then we vote. Last time I went - it was in Boston.  I did National in St. Lois, then in California. I'm trying to bring it to Charlotte or Raleigh. 


There are a lot of people from all parts of the world participating in this competitions, and it's a lot of fun, we get really crazy!

Good Night

I'm (including my userpic) in today's Winston-Salem Chronicle talking about the importance of... good night sleep :)
http://www.server-jbmultimedia.net/WinstonSalemChronicle/sitebase/data/editions/201480/img/large/2638104_large.htm

"Bark point Ramblers" concert on the library lawn

Book sale and "Bark Point Ramblers" concert on the library lawn!
More pics: (click here)

Tatyana Seamon from Kostroma: Artist's Reception

Very nice art exhibit!

Artist's reception November 11, 2011 

(11/11/11 what a date!) 

Friday, 3-5 p.m.

in Walkertown Library. 

2969 Main St Walkertown NC 27051

Please come and meet the artist and learn her creative secrets. 

Talk to Tatyana and other Russian people in the are. 

Enjoy free refreshments and music!

Speaking the Love Language

Dr. Gary Chapman came to the Walkertown Library for a talk about his book "Five Love Languages". We had a great evening! He is such a busy man - a pastor, a NY Times bestselling Author... But he found time to came to Walkertown, to talk to local people about the meaning of love.

i am in love with my new library!

Today was my first day in Walkertown Branch Library. I am in love with my new library! It's beautiful, and people are wonderful over there. Look at this community quilt (second picture shows close up). What a great project!

new job

I will be working as town library manager in Walkertown, NC starting tomorrow, Monday, February 14th. I am leaving Central Library after more than 10 years of work there. I am looking forward to new opportunities.

'Golden Gates' from St Petersburg

Russian Golden Gates

We had a great concert in the library. "Golden Gates" came from St Petersburg, Russia, to give one show. They ended up giving two shows one after another! People came from everywhere to see them, and I hate that not everyone could get in and enjoy the concert. It was high energy folk performance, very entertaining and educational. I made a little speech before that show and announced the end of 'cold war' :) Everybody got relaxed.

Vitaliy Bezrodnov was so funny and skilfully engaged the audience. Kids had a blast! Click on the picture to view the slideshow.

It was the most attended indoor event in the library history. The door counter got broken (someone knocked it down) and we have no 'leg' numbers, but the numbers of books checked out skyrocketed that Sunday :))) Funny outcome of Russians being in town.

Russian Club in the library

I am super-happy to announce the start of the Russian Conversation Club in 2011! The first Class is this coming Saturday January 22 at 2 pm in Central Library. Join us for one hour of free Russian Conversational for beginners of all levels. Olena Crawford, a native speaker and professional second language instructor, will conduct the Club in 2011.

art and wood

I came to the library and got instantly happy - the art works by my friend Stan Gilliam were on the walls! He uses woods (and some paint) to create things that remind my Russian folk objects. May be I like wood, trees, everything wooden looks to me and feels alive, able to breathe, live. Stan's art works are bright, cheerful, and different. A year ago I asked him to show his wooden pieces in the library. Year gone, and - here they are! I love them.

photo © Natalia Tuchina 2011 use only by artist's permission

Principles For Communicating With People

1. All People are motivated. We cannot motivate them. We can only guide them by their motivations.
2. People do things for their own reasons; not for yours or mine. Show people what they want and they will move heaven and earth to get it.
3. People change because of pain. When the pain of staying the same becomes greater than the pain of changing, people will change.
4. The key to all effective communication is identification. When something becomes personal, it becomes interesting.
5. The best way to get people to pay attention to you is to pay attention to them. Little things mean a lot.
6. Pride is a powerful motivator. Everybody is proud of something.
7. You cannot change people; only their behaviors. Attack the behavior; not the person.
8. The worker's perception becomes the supervisor's reality. What they see is what you get.
9. You consistently get the behaviors you consistently expect and reinforce. Reinforcement can be positive or negative.
10. We all judge ourselves by our motives; but we judge others by their actions. Any of us can do anything we can convince ourselves we are justified in doing.

© Nido Qubein
www.nidoqubein.com.

Russian Review November 2010

today in the library

Learn French

I have met a very nice person from Europe - Elesebeth Olsson. She agreed to volunteer at the library and conduct French Conversation Club for those people who would like to learn French language. The first class is October 3, 2009.

French

You are invited! Please let us know if you want to attend. Scroll down the flyer to see the information.

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