A Learning Experience

I wrote the following on a little notepad I carry around at work:

Even though it was about 100 degrees outside today, the weather inside was at least below zero. I'm not sure what type of airconditioning they have at the library but it could have given an eskimo frostbite. Fortunately, though it was inordinately hot today, there was a nice breeze which invited me to go take in a little natural light and fresh air.

While I feasted on a meal fit for kings - pretzels and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich - a bold little sparrow kept inching its way closer to me. It had some sort of white growth on its beak which I can only hope was a bread crumb or otherwise I may have that bird flu the kids are all talking about these days.

As I carefully guarded my bag of pretzels from that menacing litte bird, I carefully reflected on my experiences as a library helper monkey (or a student assistant as they like to call us). I've learned a lot from this job... not really about the librarianship profession but about myself. The librarians are always throwing library buzz words like cataloguing and backspacing and needs and offers at me but I'm hardly suckling from the teet of knowledge at my work. Instead I'm getting invaluable life skills and have become more aware of myself.

The first thing is that I talk to myself a lot.

Your Hero: And take that folder and put it over there and -

Coworker: What did you say?

Your Hero: Wha? Oh... nothing. I'm just talking to myself.

Coworker gives me strange look.

Your Hero: ...Now where was I, oh yes, here we go.

The second is that I am a shameless eye rapist of the highest order. It's hot out and all the athletes are on campus for sports practices and they are just takin' it all off. But rather than take a quick and subtle glance I am there eating my sandwich staring them down so hard I'm surprised they can't feel my eyes burrowing into them. I've yet to be called out on it or gay bashed or anything like that so I suppose it's not really eye rape but I'm certain most of these meatheads would pummel me within an inch of my life if they only knew. Until then...

Time has nothing to do with minutes or hours or half hours, it is all about food. As soon as I get to work I start thinking about my lunch break and as soon as I'm done my lunch break I think about dinner. The numbers on the clock are inconsequential. I don't look at them to see what time it is but to see what time it would be reasonable to take my lunch break.

I'm sure more pearls of inner wisdom will develop as I continue to work (if you considering checking your email 10,000 times a day and text messaging your friends from the stacks, work) and I look forward to seeing all my other ticks.

2:^)