Shhhh...quiet. It's a library. Even the sound of my typing seems totally and completely amplified today. Our air conditioning was apparently turned off yesterday night, something which seems a long time coming if you ask me. In our ancient building, turning off the air conditioning amounts to stopping large fans (or something similar...I'm no heating and cooling specialist) and, as such, an unbelievable source of white noise. It's noticeable immediately. I walked in the door to work today and just stopped. I started whispering to everyone. It was my natural response. It feels weird. I can hear everything...everything. The ringing phone makes me jump. I felt badly about chewing a cracker earlier as I felt it was too noisy. I think I could probably hear a cotton ball touching a piece of felt on the other side of the library (thank you Seinfeld for the reference). Now I can make-believe that I am a true librarian...the sort to shush people.
Not everyone was hip to the change in the overall noise level of the library today, however. I still had children coming in having mini-meltdowns as they played right behind my chair all day. Our big round cushion was particularly attractive today. Everyone saw a trampoline instead of a place to sit. I was waiting for someone to jump all the way through. I could literally feel my muscles tensing up all day. I had puzzles pieces tossed around in anger. Stuffed animals were subjected to unnecessary abuse during the fracas. I had whining and hitting. I had flustered parents. I had it all. And...to top it all off, one crazy group was always replaced by another. I would get all excited to hear parents declare that it was time to go, but as soon as the kids' coats and gloves were on and they appeared to be moving towards to door, another group would enter, shed their outerwear, and begin tearing into the place. My muscles never had time to relax. Sigh.
Though...HA!...nothing could be as bad as yesterday when I had a mother bring her daughter to morning storytime at 10:30 a.m. and then stay all day. The little girl is probably about two, perhaps two-and-a-half, young enough to get lunch and a nap. "Annie" saw neither of those things yesterday. It made me tired to even think about it. They finally left around 4:00 p.m. "Annie" was carried out shrieking, surprise of surprises. She had several meltdowns throughout the day. No nap will do that to kids, you know. It's a wonder that her mother does not. She stays too late with her every single week. All the other mothers have taken their kids home by lunchtime. Not "Annie's" mother. She's a trooper. She stays into the afternoon, though never as late as 4:00 p.m. before, all the time. Poor "Annie." The library isn't that interesting.
Weeeell, I had more to say but waited too long before starting this blog. The library is closing in a few minutes and I will be vacating my seat in favor of braving the cold weather on my journey home. I have about a hundred more ornaments to hang on our tree tonight. I swear, Jason and I have more ornaments after four years together than most people. Our tree is full, and I mean FULL, every year. It's a big job, ornament-hanging. Anywho, those are my evening plans. Wish me luck. Later peeps!
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