Ordinary Day

The ordinary acts we practice every day at home are of more importance to the soul than their simplicity might suggest. 
- Thomas Moore 
Irish poet (1779 - 1852)

I usually get up around 8 o'clock, and first things first, have to take Freedo for a walk so he can do "his business."  After that is feeding Rizzo and breakfast, usually yogurt, some fruit, and maybe a croissant from La Bou.  Library hours have been cut some lately, so most mornings I have time to get some swimming or strength training in before work.  I walk to work, and stop for a cup of coffee on the way.

Work is...well, work.  I love being in the stacks, but the patrons seem to be more and more trying lately.  All the questions I get are about how to sign up for the computers, or why they're down, or how to find something online.  Not that I have a problem with computers or anything, but sometimes I wonder when the last time these people read a real book was.  Curling up in a comfy chair with a laptop just doesn't have the same feeling.  And it seems like the more time people spend on the computer, the less time they spend on social niceties.

Today, we had an outage with our network connections.  There was a water main break down the street, and our network connection was gonna be out until at least three or four o'clock.  I had this woman, screaming in my face, because she couldn't use the computer to find information for her child's report on Madagascar.  I told her that the encyclopedia was available, and offered to show her how to search our catalog for information on the country.  She exploded.  "This is a library!  Why aren't the computers working?  Why can't I look things up?  My money is paying your salary!"  Oh, and "Do you think I'm stupid or something?  That I don't know how to look something up?  It's because I'm black, isn't it?"  God, I hate it when they say that.  No, I don't think you're stupid, and no, it's not because you're black.  I'm just trying to do my job, and that includes showing people how to find information.  I'm good at it, in fact.  Damn good at it.  I could find anything you needed to know in this library, or where to go if it's not here.

Ugh!  Some days, I can't wait to get home, and curl up with a good book.