Thursday, February 12, 2009

Shhhhhhhhh

I went to the library today. Without the kids. I don't think I've been alone in a library since 1991 when I graduated from college high school. Usually, we enter it's stoic doors and head straight to the basement where the children's section is located so my children can grab books off the shelves, games off the tables and puzzles off the bookcases and scatter them in a million pieces on the floor. I had no idea how gorgeous it was up in the Adult area.

Our router broke, died, crashed at home and after 90 minutes of language I can't repeat on this blog, I decided to hit the library because the wi-fi is free. And it is closer than a drive to the local Panera Bread where I might be tempted by the creamy, fatty, broccoli and cheese soup - digressing and drooling - so I approached the reference desk to find out where the "free wi-fi" was located.

Me: "Hi. I am here because I need to connect to wi-fi for my laptop to do some work."

Her: "I'm sorry. What? I didn't hear you."

Me: (Obviously scarred by childhood memories of being told to be quiet at the library) "Oh-uh-well-uh. I just want to use the wi-fi. Can I connect anywhere?"

Her: "Yup. On this floor or upstairs."

I turned to enter "this floor" and was taken by the neatly lined books on these cathedral tall bookcases, and the deep green walls on the left and right side of the room, with light streaming in from the huge windows. There was even a conference room, a few scattered cushion chairs and wooden tables with those cool, green desk lamps like out of all of those movies where the spy's meet in the library to share government secrets at the big table with the cool, green lamps.

Once I settled into one of the world's most uncomfortable chairs I was taken on a time warp back to the late 80's and the hours, and hours, and hours I'd spend in the downtown bars library at Ithaca College and how it would suddenly be 1:00 a.m. and I'd be rushing to finish that last paper for my mid-term or final. Sitting in that library chair put a smile on my face, and a pain in my aging back, but I think I will be heading there when I need a change of scenery and a break from my home office. I just can't believe it's been 21 years since I sat at those same hard chairs overlooking Cayuga Lake:




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