Thursday, January 7, 2010

Another Library Nightmare

The other night I dreamt that I had gone to the library during a break from work to pick up my books on hold, and the librarian for whatever reason wouldn't give them to me. Instead, she handed me a blue ticket that said they'd be ready in half an hour. I frantically tried to explain that I didn't HAVE half an hour -- I had to be back at work, but she wouldn't budge.

Suddenly I'm in the Starbucks next door to the library, which isn't even close to reality; both libraries that I frequent are stand-alones or by a post office, but there IS a kind of creepy Starbucks* near my office and that's the one I dreamed about. So I'm in line at the Starbucks and the librarian shows up, dragging a metal cart filled with books -- the books I want! -- and she STILL WON'T GIVE THEM TO ME. She rolled them in with her to taunt me, and also so they wouldn't be out of her sight, and I wanted to just grab them off the cart but I couldn't. I was filled with anxiety and impotent rage when I woke up.

This is not the first time I've had anxiety about suddenly being banned from libraries.

* It's creepy because there is a flashing neon fish tank/sea world depicted in the office space above, including a pink octopus that wiggles. It's completely bizarre, but The Ames will back me up that it exists, and there is something wrong about it.

4 comments:

  1. Nooo! Being denied your requested books is a nightmare.

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  2. I have to agree - being banned from the library is definitely the stuff of nightmares! Horror!

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  3. That is horrifying!

    A few weeks ago I got to the library too late to pick up my requested books and discovered they had SENT THEM ALL BACK to their libraries. So there I was with all three of my kids and I had to go searching through the stacks to find something to read. My kids were crazy and several of the library-goers gave me the stink-eye, but I made it out alive. I am a book-requesting junkie.

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  4. I love that this prospect gives us all chills. I can't believe they sent them back, Natalie. Such a bummer!

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