A creative library, a sore hand, and a wee song
2009 August 14
- I think my public library is trying to shame me into returning my books on time. Someone, probably the person who has to chase overdues, has come up with a new and creative way of displaying my past borrowings on my online record that lets me know that they know what I know, which is that I’m a bad borrower. When I first saw it I gasped and thought “Oh god! Next to every book on the list it says “returned item was overdue.” Every book I’ve ever borrowed I’ve returned late. How did that happen? They’re going to suspend me!” Then I looked more closely and saw there were only 28 books on the list and I’ve definitely borrowed more than 28 books in my time. So, yeah, after much fluffing around on the website, what I’ve worked out is that I’ve taken my sweet time to return 28 books and rather than disperse that information amongst all the other books I’ve borrowed, they’ve put it in it’s own special table at the top of my record, just to see if that nice long list will convince me to return my latest book on time. If only intentions were actions.
- Last weekend I was storming up the road in a bad mood about something, I’ve forgotten what, when I tripped over a lumpy kerb and broke my fall with the palms of my hands. And I have to say it really hurt. A week later and my right palm looks a little scratched, but it’s awright; my left palm looks yukky and requires a plaster to keep the general public safe, and it’s still sore. If I felt like doing press-ups, and luckily I don’t right now, I couldn’t. That’s how sore it is.
- Just because I feel like it, here’s a video, and a song called Blue Smoke sung by Pixie Williams and The Ruru Karaitiana Quartet. I love it.
From jonobroome.
My son would certainly sympathise. He slipped on some rocks in Cornwall and scraped his hands and declared the injuries very sore. And one feels such a lemon falling over in public. I slid on a slippery step outside of college and couldn’t get up fast enough, looking around me at all the blank windows behind which I imagined crowds of guffawing folk. But you also remind me I have two books I MUST get back to the library because they are overdue – I think I should have a wing named after me; I’m sure I’ve paid for one by now…..
And I would sympathise with your son. My one compensation was that the street was absolutely deserted and I couldn’t see any windows behind the trees. As for overdue book fines, I fondly remember the days of the honesty box…