My blog is mostly dedicated to ranting and groaning at my fellow human beings at the stupid sh*t they do. B*tching, denouncing, attacking, grumbling, bellyaching, and criticizing can all be found here.
And, of course, you'll find the objecting and defenses of the accused. Those you can ignore, because they're not really important.
And, of course, you'll find the objecting and defenses of the accused. Those you can ignore, because they're not really important.
Stories Part 3: Libraries; The Storage of Knowledge
That's right, here comes another. Just another segment in my little "Stories" side series to my regular cussing and ranting. Of course, that's not what this is about, so let's stay off that topic.
I was in the Beloit Public Library on Saturday, and as I sat in the back where the huge windows are and gazed out at the city with my notebook in front of me, I thought of the connection between cities and libraries. Both can be huge or small, with varying numbers of occupants: some too big for their populations and some needing to grow to fit their increasing inhabitants. That's exactly what had happened to the library I once knew and loved. It was a small little cove hidden away on West Grand. It was cozy and warmly lit, not matter what day it was. It was quiet, and seemed to welcome you in no matter who was actually there to greet you. I loved sitting by a window and read manga or something.
But then they decided it was time to move. The library was moved across the city to Riverside and set on Eclipse Boulevard. And it's in an old mall. And you know something? It still feels like a MALL! GONE is the cozy and warm lighting, and the quite study tables, replaced now by sterile lighting, and "sound-proofed" rooms for people ro read in while the main part of the library is filled with sqealing children and their single mothers trying to study FOR THEIR HIGH SCHOOL FINALS!
... Alright, so there's a little bit of shouting going on here. But it just feels so alien to me, that's all I'm trying to say. I used to go there and stay hours at a time! Now, all I want to do is check out and leave, getting as far away from it as I can as quickly as I can. It was my sanctuary, and now it's uncomfortable to even think about it.
If only I could go back to what it once was, you know? But, it is quite larger, which means there's more room for my favorite types of literature. I was able to check out the final books of the Pendragon Adventures as they came out, and read the whole Harry Potter series again before everyone else checked them out, even though their placing of these novels confused me some. I was able to read more mangas and check out more hit movies, so it's not all bad. I've spent some time of the summer I wasn't with my girlfriend exploring it, memorizing the placing just as I had with the previous building. From the mangas in the Young Adults and Children Section to the Economy Studies deep in the Reference Section.
I was in the Beloit Public Library on Saturday, and as I sat in the back where the huge windows are and gazed out at the city with my notebook in front of me, I thought of the connection between cities and libraries. Both can be huge or small, with varying numbers of occupants: some too big for their populations and some needing to grow to fit their increasing inhabitants. That's exactly what had happened to the library I once knew and loved. It was a small little cove hidden away on West Grand. It was cozy and warmly lit, not matter what day it was. It was quiet, and seemed to welcome you in no matter who was actually there to greet you. I loved sitting by a window and read manga or something.
But then they decided it was time to move. The library was moved across the city to Riverside and set on Eclipse Boulevard. And it's in an old mall. And you know something? It still feels like a MALL! GONE is the cozy and warm lighting, and the quite study tables, replaced now by sterile lighting, and "sound-proofed" rooms for people ro read in while the main part of the library is filled with sqealing children and their single mothers trying to study FOR THEIR HIGH SCHOOL FINALS!
... Alright, so there's a little bit of shouting going on here. But it just feels so alien to me, that's all I'm trying to say. I used to go there and stay hours at a time! Now, all I want to do is check out and leave, getting as far away from it as I can as quickly as I can. It was my sanctuary, and now it's uncomfortable to even think about it.
If only I could go back to what it once was, you know? But, it is quite larger, which means there's more room for my favorite types of literature. I was able to check out the final books of the Pendragon Adventures as they came out, and read the whole Harry Potter series again before everyone else checked them out, even though their placing of these novels confused me some. I was able to read more mangas and check out more hit movies, so it's not all bad. I've spent some time of the summer I wasn't with my girlfriend exploring it, memorizing the placing just as I had with the previous building. From the mangas in the Young Adults and Children Section to the Economy Studies deep in the Reference Section.
Oh, and just as a little note slipped in: How f*ucking stupid is it that we have a book that outlines every military strategy enacted and planned since the Revolutionary War and for any possible "situations" that might arise? Why don't we just call out our moves like a chess player to the damn Taliban? Sure, i can't take it out of the Library, but that's like handing over our strategies to the Terrorists on a plate rather than a platter, especially when there's FREE INTERNET ACCESS in there! 
That place definitely isn't the haven had I had once called my second home. If only they had kept the nice carpet and soft lights... I was so at home... so long ago... (it moved over last summer, ha ha.)
That place definitely isn't the haven had I had once called my second home. If only they had kept the nice carpet and soft lights... I was so at home... so long ago... (it moved over last summer, ha ha.)
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