Weekend self-care open thread—Ladies and gentlemen, Bettye Lavette!

So, I have an intern under me through mid-April. He's a very nice guy, and will make a great librarian. But one of the things which shocks him about me is—no false modesty—the breadth of my knowledge of seemingly random, esoteric matters.

As I keep impressing upon him: you can be a good librarian and have a relatively limited range of interests. But if you want to be really great at your job, become a sponge. Seek out knowledge and experience wherever you can find it. Learn about arcane crap which might give you an insight in how to provide information to a patron. Be endlessly, joyously curious.

It's this curiosity which led me to the music of Bettye Lavette. She's one of those musicians who has lived life to the full, finding a flowering in her latter days. The soul in her voice is something which has to be heard to be believed. She runs in the tradition of Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald. I discovered her many years ago via a music subscription service whose name I now forget and I'm sure is long gone, fallen to Apple Music or Spotify. For this weekend's self-care, I present the music of Ms. Bettye.

Let some sweet soul into your lives this weekend.

As always, love yourselves and those around you.