I went to the local library to see if it had the book Glove Affairs, about which I heard first on NPR.
I'm reading that sentence I just wrote. It sounds kind of like, y'know, stilted. Maybe "which I heard about" rolls off the tongue better, but I figure I got "NPR" in the sentence -- better do official English, rather than the vernacular -- whatever.
So, I was telling you, before being so rudely interrupted, that I went to the local library, hoping to get that book. My affair is with a particular catcher's mitt, by the way. That aside, I checked on the computer first, and it seemed as if the library didn't have the book; but I don't get to the library much and thought that I might be doing the computer thing all wrong. I went up to the check-out desk and asked if the book was available. The woman told me to go to the reference desk. Aaahh. Reference desk. These librarians -- if the books are hidden in weird places, then they will never lose their jobs to ... ahem, computers.
I asked the woman at the -- and while I am writing this, it occurs to me that there were no men working there, except the guy on the ladder changing the fluorescent light in back of the check-out desk (what's with that?) -- I asked the woman at the reference desk about the book. She apparently didn't hear me correctly because she asked me if it was about the Titanic. And I said that it was about baseball gloves, not boats; and she typed some more stuff into her computer; and she said the library didn't have the book.
Like I said before, I'm, at best, a library irregular; so, I figure that I'll have to get the book by "inter-library loan." She wrote the name of the book down on a little slip, took my name, e-mail address, and phone number, and said that the "lady" who handles acquisitions would call me and let me know when the book would be in.
Is this how libraries work now?
And earlier this morning:
Wife: What kind of car is that?
Me: Chrysler Crossfire.
Wife: What does it cost?
Me: 32 to 35,000.
Wife: Reminiscent of an old Corvette.
Me: Made in Deutschland -- fine German engineering.
Wife: Chrysler products have always been pretty good to us.
Me: What about the steering wheel falling off.
Wife: Oh, yeah, there was that.
Our local library has at minimum two men working there. I know this because one of them is the evil man who turned me in for destroying one of the books. I did NOT destroy the book. I would NEVER destroy a book. I am a LOVER of books. And the other man stands out because to our family he is known as a Grinnellian... My husband went to Grinnell College in the 80's and everyone who has that Grinnell College in the 80's "look" about them is dubbed a Grinnellian. HE is a GREAT librarian. Anyway, hope you find your book!
Posted by: Crazy Girl at October 29, 2003 11:58 PMWe don't have great libraries here so I try to avoid them wherever possible. If I really want to read a book that is worthwhile, I end up buying it and adding it to my "library" at home.
Posted by: Michelle at October 30, 2003 03:48 AM