VIVA LA RESISTANCE

So it's Saturday morning, and I've talked to two people in an hour, so I find myself reading the Slam Book and this blog.

TRUE REBEL! WOO!

Dating Security

So here I sit, bored on a Saturday night rotate (Bridget is in the back doing BP) and a random girl in a blue coat comes up to the desk. First of all, she asks if Tawny was still here--which she wasn't because she left when I came in, at 8. She then started asking about work schedules in the library--asking if the shifts generally turned over at 8 and asking specifically about security. I, of course, have no idea about their schedules over at security so I told her that the schedules just depend on the area and the day. Then she asked me if I knew anything about the guy working at the East security desk--about whether or not he was single. I didn't. I didn't even really know who she was talking about. She said he was a security guard with dark curly hair and she wanted to ask him out. I still didn't know anything but I encouraged her to go ask him because I was finding this situation very entertaining on this Saturday night rotate. She left in the direction of the security desk for a while but then came back up to the desk. Apparently there was a girl standing right next to the security desk talking on her cell phone and she didn't want to ask him out in front of her so she came back to talk to me. She then tried again. The girl was still there. The next time she went to go try to talk to him he left the desk and went back in the security office. So she asked the girl security guard that was at the desk now about him. The girl said that she believed he was single and would be at the West security desk in 10 minutes. So she again came back to talk to me. After a little while we saw him arrive at the West desk and she started walking over there, but he was on the phone so she again retreated to me. Finally, he was open. She was about to go over to him when she decided to ask for the desk phone number so that she could tell me the outcome. She didn't want to have to come back to the desk again to let me know how it went. I gave it to her and she went in for the kill. I saw her standing over by the desk for a few minutes, but of course, the security guard was blocked by the wall so I couldn't see his reaction. But sure enough, a few minutes later the phone rang. Unfortunately there was a line of people at the desk so I had to help them. Bridget answered the phone in the back and came up to tell me it was for me. It took a little while for the line of people to go away but eventually I picked up the phone (I was rather surprised that she waited on hold for that long). She said that after a slightly awkward conversation, he said yes and they are going to a play next weekend.

Sarah: since you enjoy writing stories I challenge you (after your November novel is completed) to make this into a library fairy tale. Make sure it has a happily-ever-after ending! This girl showed persistence and she deserves it :)

I know, I know.

It's not a Saturday night, but this is still big news...

The computer at the handicap desk, you know, the one with the really awful keyboard...HAS A NEW KEYBOARD!

and there was much rejoicing.

Matters of Interest

It's been an odd night at Circulation, but it's Saturday night, so that should be expected.

I checked out a few books to a poor soul called Owen Owens. His parents should be shot.

I had an obnoxious girl haul three bags of books to check out onto the desk. And stand there and watched as I pulled them all out and put them back in. She did the same thing last week.

I had an enlightening conversation about Harry Potter with a girl who was working on a paper about it. We talked about the meaning of the name Voldemort and how Potter is definitely better than Twilight. Oh, and how JK Rowling will always be better, more awesome, and richer than Stephenie Meyer.

I discovered that by the end of the semester, I will have considerably more money than I expected and that the only hostel in Edinburgh that offers gender-segregated rooms is also Edinburgh's only green hostel. They are carbon neutral, not that I know what that really means.

When I was last in the back, there were two and a half carts of BP.

Everyone seems to think that Circ closes at ten. I've had at least three people ask me about it.

I met Libby's brother. He's from Ohio, so he's cool by default.

I had someone comment on the ghetto-ness of the keyboard at the handicap accessible computer. It is ghetto. And it's making my wrist hurt.

I just saw two people walk by with enough bedding for three or four beds, and I just checked out two books to a guy who looked like Chandler from Friends. Or maybe it was Joey? I don't know. I never was much of a Friends fan.

And we close in 52 minutes. And there will be much rejoicing.

Let me tell you a story about an obnoxious woman:

Awoman came in with her high-school student son. Her son forgot his ID card, and as such, we were not allowed to check out his books. This, apparently, was unacceptable to his mother (the jerk). She demanded that she apply for a library card. Her son warned her that she would have to pay, but she gruffly told him that didn't matter. In a very harried manner, she began to fill out an FOL because she didn't want to have to drive back here (it's an hour drive round trip). Meanwhile, her son filled out a 24 hour hold slip. When the mother discovered that it was a $50 donation for library privelages, she began to flip out.

"He [her son] only had to pay ten dollars!" she said.

Her son, very shame-facedly at his mother's poor manners, said that it was because he was a student. She then said she refused to pay fifty dollars and asked if I could just look him up. I explained to her that it's our policy to need his ID card to check out books to him.

"I'm his mother. Can't you use my ID card?"

Again, I explained to her that we need his ID card. I told her it was a security measure. This only made her angrier. Really, pardon me for looking out for the interest of her son's library privileges. She demanded that I look him up several more times before she demaned to talk to a supervisor. Of course, it's Saturday night, and we are supervisor-less. Again, this made her angrier. Then she looked at my name tag. "You're Sarah, right?"

I said yes ( as it was clearly written on MY nametag), and she scribbled my name down on a Due Date post-it. Then she stormed out of the library with her two sons. For both of whom I have the deepest sympathy.


So, let's take a moment to see where this crazy woman went wrong. First, she was a jerk. A really big jerk. If this weren't BYU and wasn't obligated to uphold the honor code by the picture of Harold B Lee staring me down, I'd use much stronger language. Use your imagination. If she'd been nice to me, I probably would have made an exception and looked her son up, like I did earlier for the very distrught and polite young woman who needed her books for a paper due on Monday.

Second, when you act like a psycho, people are not going to cooperate. I would definitely call her behavior suspicious and had she hung around a bit longer being a jerk, I think I may have called security because she was making me feel personally attacked. Not to mention it would have been immensely gratifying to watch her be escorted from the premises.

Third, what exactly is she going to do with my name? Is she going to call Bonnie or Jo Ann and tell them I'm following library policy too closely? That I'm doing my job too well? I sincerely hope that Bonnie/ Jo Ann tells me the aftermath of this encounter with a mad-woman.

So, if you are around when DJ, the poor high school student with braces and six or seven books to check out, comes back on Monday to check out his books, please be extra nice to him. It's not his fault his mother is crazy. And if his mom is with him, make sure you mention that it is policy to have his ID to check out books. And be really passive-aggressive about it.

Another mind-numbingly dull night at the Circ desk. I managed to complete my Charles Dickens reading and outline a six page paper and it's only 9:30. Surprised? You shouldn't be.

The highlight of the evening thus far would have to be Amber's frantic search for her misplaced library book. You might think that a good place to lose a library book would be in a library, but you would be very wrong. She looked in all the logical places (ie the front cart, the mylar desk, by the computers) and when that failed, she searched in the illogical places, namely the copier. I don't know how her book could have gotten there, but she checked just in case. She eventually found it on one of the security carts. Huzzah.

Unfortunately for me and my Saturday night compadre, that means we have a cart of BP to do.

So Jacob, my Saturday night (please take a moment to appreciate the contradiction of terms that is Saturday night) compadre, is in the back taking care of that whilst I man the desk. Quick irrelevant tangent on etymology: does the slang term 'man' (as used above) have anything to do with the word manage? When you man something are you really just managing it? Or is it a completely unrelated word? And if it is unrelated, from where does it come?

Now to take a small poll of things at the library that bother me:
1. That stupid TV. You know the one.
2. That even more imbecilic Caffine commercial. You know the one, and you want to shoot it just as much as I do.
3. People who assume that I will remember who they are and which reserve book they checked out three hours ago.
4. The large crowds of giggly girls that seem in abundance tonight
5. The keyboard at the desk computer with the chair. I think it's fifty years (and by fifty I mean ten--which is at least fifty in computer years) older than the rest of the keyboards. And it's not nearly as cooperative.
6. The fact that I can't listen to music and have to make due with the Vienna study abroad commercial music. Or that weird 'share information' commercial music. I'm not sure which is worse.

Things that don't bother me about the library:
1. The Info Commons worker is still at Info Commons. That's right. We'll have to wait and see if she makes it until we close at the very least.
2. The fact that no one is here and I can blog/read/outline a paper as I work.
3. The really attractive and friendly boy who just checked out a few books.

Things that bother me that have nothing to do with the library:
1. Boys who move WAY to fast in order to have a relationship.
2. My contact lenses--they're not happy right now. In fact, they're quite cold.
3. Looking for housing next fall
4. Having all my papers and tests drawn out over the next month.

Okay, I'm done whining. And it's almost ten, which means it's almost closing time. Cue "Closing Time" Song.

Once again, we have cause for celebration in that the TV across the lobby is OFF!!!!! These truly are the best nights in the library.

Tonight, being the night before Valentine's Day and also being a Saturday, the library was relatively uninhabited. The few people in the library were few and far between which left Sarah and I bored behind the desk. Except that we were not bored. We occupied our time coloring Valentine greetings. They were beautiful. And should probably be hung up in an art museum.

It has also been rather fun looking at random pictures of guys in Sarah's ward with mustaches--or who wish they had a mustaches. The drawn-on mustaches were the best.

Surprisingly, there were still a couple of lonely souls in the library checking out reserve books. One such person came up to check out the infamous crab book and solutions manual. He has gotten these books quite a few time and has basically figured out how to work the system. However, I am no longer going to let anyone follow his stupid games. He has gotten fines for these books (and others) MANY times and has had said fines waived MANY times. He also has appeals on a couple of books which has been on his account as "claims returned" for as long as I remember him coming up to the desk. I don't believe he ever returned those books. I think he's lying. He seems to be very good at lying since he has had so many fines waived. I'm not buying it though. He now gets to pay all fines. We made a note to that effect and hopefully all our fellow coworkers will heed the note. I believe it to be necessary. He also came up with the theory tonight that since tomorrow is Sunday and also Valentines day that businesses should make exceptions to being closed so people can go on dates. It's my personal opinion that very few people share his point of view. Hence the empty library since everyone is going on their Valentines dates tonight instead of tomorrow. They find it easy to improvise. Maybe he should have done his date tonight and saved the crab book for tomorrow or better yet--Monday. It sounds like a plausible solution to me.