Today I signed up, again, at the O.C. Library in Lake Forest, after not having walked in there for several decades…I remember taking our kids there when they were young, sitting around reading a while and then taking books home…No… I mis-remembered…it was their mother who did it most of the time while I worked…I took them occasionally on weekends...As I walked to the check-out desk the lady there told me I had to go stand on the red carpet and wait my turn…there were six or seven people in front of me…most of them were around my age; a few started talking to me…I hate talking to people but I was nice and answered them in as few words as possible like, yes, no, OK, sometimes, never, fiction, best sellers, I hate audio books, I can’t stand people reading to me… I wanted to tell them there’s no talking in the library…
Finally it was my turn… I have to remind myself this isn’t a Barnes and Nobel and the employees work for the County and are not always in a hurry to go anywhere…I told the nice lady we once had a card but it was years ago and we didn’t have it anymore…she looked up my name but didn’t find it in the computer… I showed her my picture I.D. and she reminded me that I had a big birthday coming up soon…I filled out a form with my name and address and when I wrote my e-mail address she said she was happy for me because few people my age had a computer and the library could email me with important messages, like, ‘your books are overdue dummy’… I wanted to tell her to shut the hell up and to just give me the freaken card…she said the card normally cost $2.00 but she was waiving the fee…thanks a lot lady…then she said being old has it’s advantages…I didn’t say a word but she was getting on my nerves…I signed the card and when I asked her where the fiction department was she was quick to point out that it was right next to the LARGE PRINT section…the bitch…
I found a couple of books, checked them out finding out that non-best-sellers can be borrowed for three weeks…I left the building, got in the car, turned off the radio and silently drove home.
4 comments:
Hooray hooray!
The library is the BEST! Imagine the money you will save on books and the friends you'll make while there too!!
It's been a while since I've been to the Lake Forest library. In fact, I do believe it was the El Toro Library last time I was there.
Yep, right behind Elmer's.
Pete, was it really that bad? Enoght already, Get a kindle!
This post cracked me up Pete! I hate to say it, but you sound like my Dad, King of the Cranky Old Farts club (He'd be the first to admit it)I think I need to send you a pin for your shirt that says something like "I am deaf"-so you can wear it next time you don't want anyone talking to you :)
Stephanie,
You crack me up too...I'd love to have that pin...
how'r all the wee ones?
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