Last Friday I went to my local library to pick out some new novels and I saw a sign for the "Needles and Hooks Needlework Club" that meets on the 1st Wed of every month at 7:00 pm. I'd seen the signs before but never made it to the club. I realized that today was the 1st Wed of the month and decided to make a point of attending. I was looking forward to making some friends, or at least connecting, with people who live in my neck of the woods and being able to stay out a bit later since I wouldn't have a long drive home. If I liked the folks at the club I could even go on school nights!
As I was driving over there this evening I was recalling all the fun stuff I did at the library as child/pre-teen. I lived in a small suburb of NYC and I loved our library. The Warner Library was a cool place! First of all it's an old stone building that just smells like a library - a mix of dusty books, clod tile floors, high ceilings and old furniture. Many of the rooms were oddly shaped with intricate narrow halls and staircases winding through the stacks of books. The main door, that I think was merely decoration had these awesome intricate carvings. When we'd go my mom would browse the tall metal stacks of "grown up" books and I'd head down to the children's section. It was one of the only places I was allowed to venture on my own. I would head down the big stairs to the lower level and check out all the books. I knew exactly where all my favorite authors were and I would often go right to the Beverly Clearly books and pick one to read for the thousandth time. One of my favorite things was the giant baseball mitt "chair". It was huge! You could fit maybe 4 kids in it. I recently saw an identical one on an episode of King of Queens! I distinctly remember getting my 1st library card - you had to be able to write your own name and just as soon as I could do it, I got my very own library card!
The library wasn't just for books, we did all kinds of other things there too. Saturday afternoons they would show Disney movies on the big reel-to-reel projector way up on the 3rd floor where people usually didn't get to go, this was in the days before VCRs so seeing a movie for a 2nd time or not in the theater was a treat (funny because now seeing a movie in the theater is a treat!). I remember watching Bambi and Snow White here. It was especially cool because parents didn't have to stay, it was one place where we kids could just hang out. I also saw Slim Goodbody there - anyone remember him? When I was about 10 they started having craft classes. I learned how to cross stitch, my "craft of choice" to this day, at the Warner Library. Only fitting that I should find comraderie at my local library today.
Only, for now, I didn't find much in the way of comradrie! I got to the library early to check out some books and pick up some holds. I couldn't find the Needlework Group so I had to ask. The nice librarian opened the room and explained that likely I'd be the only one, seems the group is very "spotty" in the summer. So rather than get comfy with my stitching I pulled out a book I'd just checked out to read until someone came or until no one came.
I was about to give up and go home when a nice lady showed up. She was knitter and needed help with a project. She too had never come to the group. We had a very nice chat - she's a high school counselor and likes crafts so we instantly hit it off.
We chatted for awhile and then her cell phone rang. It was her sister so she answered it and proceeded to have a long conversation about her grandma's house and the roof caving in and so on and so on. I'm just sitting there. We hadn't pulled out our stitching and I'd tucked my book back into my bag. I was just sitting there. What is the protocol for that situation? I mean there was nothing holding me there - we were two strangers making small talk, yet getting up and leaving didn't seem right, esp since she was sitting between me and the door and I had this big bag of books to hoist up on my shoulder. I waited it out and then we chatted for a few mins more before we both got up and left.
We both agreed to come in Aug, so here's hoping there will be a bigger group then. If not, oh well, I tried! :)
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My take on cellphone etiquette: If you're having a "real" conversation with someone, and your cell rings, politely say "excuse me" and see who it is. If it's someone unimportant, keep talking and let voicemail get it. If it's someone I need to talk to (i.e. my son), I'd quickly wrap up the convo and tend to the phone call. In any case, it's beyond r-u-d-e to keep someone hanging like that.
I COULD read a more negative vibe into it and suggest that she didn't think much of your convo .... with people like that, you quickly get to see just how you rank in their social food chain (ref. Kate/Susan's dad and "Frank").
Sometimes I want to yank the cellphones out of their hands and see how far I can throw 'em.
Library: Plenty of memories. I just might blog about my own.
-TG
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