Veggie Month: Green Onions -- and One Book, One San Diego

Can I get a "Ground Hog Day" do-over?

I had plans for today's vegetable. Big plans. Big bok choy plans. But the day got away from me.

Some short article assignments. Lunch with Marc, V, and V's mom at Spices. A long trainer session with the Olympics. (The DVR is a remarkable thing. By fast-forwarding through figure skating, a marginally motivated triathlete can--literally--spin for hours without getting bored.)

And then I headed off to the One Book, One San Diego kick-off event.

During the video introduction, an African girl spoke of making samosas with her family. Which are pastries that can be filled with--among other things--potatoes, onions, and peas. I just may attempt one of these for a veggie later in the month.

In talking about Outcasts United, Warren St. John said it's been his experience that the diversity training that's so pervasive in America doesn't work. Rather than formally talking about and celebratig people's differences, they should instead simply find a commonality, and work together on it. In the case of these refugee kids in Georgia--and the longtime Georgian residents--that commonality is soccer.

Outcasts United isn't an easy read--because its issues aren't easy--but it's worthwhile. Especially if you're a San Diegan; read it and be "in the know."

(A hazy, non-flash Warren St. John.)

So I'm backtracking, and using the green onions from lunch for today's vegetable:

(Cashew nut and tofu curry, spice #2.)

In tomorrow's post, at Marc's request: I will differentiate between fruits and vegetables.

More than Auto Manuals

I first met Mark-Elliot Lugo, Curator of the San Diego Public Library’s Visual Arts Program, in August while on my whirlwind thirty-six-in-thirty-six tour. It was day twelve, and I had barely entered the gallery when Lugo emerged from his office and welcomed me. He didn’t know who I was or why I was there—or that I’d post a review of the Pacific Beach/Taylor branch later that day on this blog—but generously gave me an overview of the gallery’s then-current exhibition. I have to assume he’s this welcoming and helpful to everyone who enters the gallery.

Last week, Lugo was kind enough to meet and talk with me again at the PB branch.

The job of curator seems a perfect fit for Lugo, but it wasn’t a job vacancy that he applied for. As a San Diego librarian, Lugo had watched the PB library being built in 1997 and thought it looked more like an art museum than a place simply for books. Lugo got the go-ahead to curate an art exhibition to mark the branch’s opening, and the program grew from there into something permanent, and unprecedented in our nation’s library systems. Initially, Lugo’s biggest fear was that the art wouldn’t be worthy of its exhibition space. “Really bad art could ruin this building,” he says.

The inaugural exhibition featured work by Italo Scanga, a prolific artist who taught at my alma mater and who also, incidentally, attended my husband’s high school. Scanga died in 2001.

After 150 shows, Lugo’s fear of subpar art has gone unrealized. The program focuses on mid-career San Diego artists; Lugo has little desire in finding a young artist and giving them a platform that they perhaps have not yet earned. Instead, Lugo has exhibited artists like Joyce Cutler Shaw, UCSD Medical School’s Artist-in-Residence; and Harold Cohen, an artist who creates work with a self-designed computer program that seeks to capture a person’s creative instinct.

Lugo has also shown artists who’ve worked most of their life with little or no attention, and who haven’t sold a painting in years. When Lugo tells such an artist that they’re going to have a solo show, and that they should begin working on a body of work for the exhibition, he sees, “In despair, a renewed sense of vitality.” Some artists, he says, will sell more work through their one library solo show than in the rest of their life.

San Diego taxpayers will be happy to know the Visual Arts Program is self-sustaining. Art from each exhibition is available for purchase, and the library takes a percentage of each sale.

The exhibitions have garnered attention from the art world outside of San Diego. A few weeks ago, Janet Koplos, Guest Editor of American Craft magazine, visited the gallery unannounced while in town for a museum talk. After viewing the Jeff Irwin exhibition, she asked Leah Ollman, a nationally known art critic, to write an article on the show. It will be the Visual Arts Program’s first national review.

Not only does the Visual Arts Program give artists a platform to show their work, but it exposes San Diegans to really innovative art—people who, in Lugo’s words, may “just be coming in for an auto manual.”

The gallery’s current exhibition of Beth King’s work runs through February 15, 2010.

Lean Times

Everyone's a critic, especially when it comes to politicians. And while I, too, enjoy taking jabs at elected officials, I must commend our Mayor on his revised budget. The city's $179M shortfall is unprecedented, and cuts have to be made. As everyone knows I'm a library groupie, and am always interested in how the city's finances will impact the thirty-six locales. Last week, Mayor Sanders proposed pairing up some libraries and having them open on alternate days. Which I thought was pretty creative. Today, a revised budget was unveiled, and instead of closing some branches for full days, hours will be reduced at all branches to thirty-six per week. Of course this doesn't make me happy, but it seems like an equitable way to save money and minimally impact the system. Last year's proposal to close some branches was extremely unpopular.

The budget crisis will also affect the library system by changing the overdue fine collection process from three US mail letters to one before sending the library user's account to collection. I wonder how many overdue books it would take to reap $179M in fines?

Coronado Library

Today I met my friend Nancy, a Coronado resident, for lunch (I recommend the Gorgonzola Tartine) and a tour of her library (I recommend everything).

This library was originally a small building (see above photo) but has been expanded out several times. The last one incorporated two 1938 Alfredo Ramos Martinez fresco murals. Originally, they were painted on the walls of Orange Avenue restaurant La Avenida Cafe, and transferred to the library in the early part of this century. "El Dia del Mercado" incorporated several cafe doorways, and the Coronado library's front desk was designed around these same spacing parameters. (Check out photo below).

While browsing the stacks, Nancy and I came upon a series of signs with arrows and the word "Playaways." Like good sheep we followed the arrows, and arrived at a shelf of single-unit audio book players. Which are pretty darn cool, because you'd never again check out a CD only to find it scratched. The San Diego libraries don't have Playaways. Coronado's one up on us.

This library is so geared to its small community that it doesn't just take suggestions, it has a suggestion notebook. Patrons write out their opinions and staff then type them up along with a response, and print out and incorporated them into a notebook. My favorite suggestion came from a patron who asked that markers be put back on the rose brushes out front, because "there is one rose bush that I just love, but can't identify". The library staff responded that this idea had been discussed in the past, but has not yet been enacted. I love small towns!

Nancy asked that I mention the "library neck" that seems to afflict a good deal of patrons in libraries the world over. Its symptoms include squinting eyes, a slumped chair position, and a pronounced tilt to one's neck as they devour their tome. I'm not sure what's to be done about it--computer use results in a similar affliction of "telescope neck"--but I'm sure there are worse problems to have.

Pictures:

(El Dia del Mercado.)

(Canasta de Flores.)

(The teen area. Since it was early afternoon, this section was dead.)

(After the library, Nancy took me to Jim Morrison's childhood home.)

2009 "One Book, One San Diego" Title Chosen

I'd like to thank the good people of San Diego for voting for the same book I did--Outcasts United. I will soon be racing all of you to the book stacks to borrow a copy. But don't worry, I was raised better than to push. Although my brother did teach me how to hold my own (elbows out) several long years ago in a Smashing Pumpkins mosh pit.

The press release is available here.

The Bidding Will Start at...

(Hopefully, this empty lot will soon be our new central library.)

For some people, it's action movies. For me, my thrills come from city council meetings. I attended today's session to support getting an updated construction bid for a new central library. The ninety-minute session was a nail biter, with Carl Demaio asking tough questions of whether library funds could be instead be used to pay down the Petco Park debt, and Tony Young wanting to ensure that local construction companies get the work. In the end, the council voted 6-2 in favor of keeping the library project moving.

During the public comment session, it was humbling to hear people speak. There was SDPL Foundation's Chair Judith Harris, the Friends of the SDPL's President John McAllister, and a former Executive Officer from the New York Public Library--people who've dedicated a good portion of their lives to libraries. And then there were students from a local charter school, one of whom said she didn't want to be in college by the time the new library was built. This construction bid is no guarantee that the library will be built. But, least for today, the hard work of these people has not been in vain.

Julian Library

Julian Branch County Library
Visiting Time: 1:00-1:30 PM
Did I get lost on my way? No. Bryan drove. And we had Marc's Magellan.
Book Checked out: None. Just browsing today.

Book Selection: 3 bookmarks
Seating: 3 bookmarks
Staff: 4 bookmarks
Architecture/Atmosphere: 3 bookmarks
Total: 13 bookmarks

So I've visited all thirty-six city libraries in thirty-six days, and I thought I was done. But I simply enjoyed myself too much to stay away. Today, I combined a trip to Julian with my first San Diego County Library.

Julian's library is about a half-mile out from the main street, which is a great way to work up an appetite for pie. I looked around the library with Bryan and some friends but didn't check out a book (although if I'd signed up for a county library card, I could've). But I would've felt too bad returning the book to a city branch, and having the Circuit truck it all the way back to Julian. There are plenty of books in my city to keep me busy.

I spoke with the Assistant Branch Manager, Patty, who told me the library opened in 2004, on land donated from the high school, which sits next door. Previously, the library had resided in a one-room house in town on 4th Street. There is a lot of local art showcased throughout the library, in the form of murals, sculpture, and framed art. In case you were wondering, the library does indeed have a full section about local history, Apple Days, and cookbooks.

Patty told me that she started at this library 12 years ago as a volunteer, and in time moved into her current position. Here's her local tip: Soups n' Such is the best place in town to eat. And here's my tourist tip: while the pies is Julian are awesome, the ones down the road, in Santa Ysabel, are just a good and don't have a line. And Marc and Veronika's tip: the rosemary and olive oil bread at Dudley's can't be beat.

Photos:

One half of a gate that divides the foyer from the main library.

Cozy and cabin-like, no?

Children's area mural painted by a local artist.

San Diego Public Library--Vote Next Week!

(Good looking building, huh? Some think it's so good looking that it deserves to be built.)

Sometimes, I'm disappointed that I don't live in a more "hip" city. San Diego doesn't have a thriving arts community. It doesn't have fabulous theatre shows seven nights a week. Writers on book tour only pass through our fine city sporadically. None of our waiters are really actors. And you can't even drink on the beach anymore.

But it doesn't have to be this way. We San Diegans can change our city. Building a new central library--which will not only better support the thirty-five branches, but create a cultural center for arts programs--can be a significant step.

There is a lot of misinformation circulating about the proposed new central library. Its erection will NOT divert monies from the fire department, from Parks and Rec, or other services. If we build this new library, $80 million will come from the city's downtown redevelopment agency. $20 million will from a library construction state grant. Because this library is also going to house a new high school, another $20 million will come from school bonds. There are also significant philanthropical funds.

If you support a new downtown library, you can let your council member know with a quick email. There's even a handy webpage to help you find your council member.

You can find out more information about the new central library on this page of the Library Foundation's website.

It Ain't Your Mom's Book Club

Books bring people together. All sorts of communities--prisons, colleges, talk shows, cities--have figured this out and have instituted reading programs. In 2002, I read The Laramie Project along with other University of Maryland students, faculty, and staff.

In 2007, San Diego instituted its One Book One San Diego program. I read--and was profoundly affected by--Enrique's Journey.

The 2010 book will soon be chosen. You can vote by going here.

The candidates:

Dreamers of the Day (Mary Doria Russell)

Outcasts United (Warren St. John)

Song Yet Sung (James McBride)

Lights Out

Today, my electricity went out. Whereby I mean my library card expired.

I couldn't log in to my library account, and it was like I was suddenly left without power, water, or some other equally crucial utility. Like my DVR.

This had happened a few years ago, and I just had to go to the library, show proof of residency, and my card was reactivated. Before this, I hadn't known that library cards actually expired.

Here are a few other things you might not know about libraries.

With a San Diego city library card, you can go to ANY branch library and check out books. I got this question a lot during my thirty-six-in-sixty-six. "Doesn't your hand get tired from filling out all those card applications?"

And once you check out a book from any branch, you can likewise return the book to any branch.

I'd always admired the Del Mar library from afar, lamenting the fact that it wasn't part of the city of San Diego. But then I got an email one day from Chula Vista's head librarian, who told me that, with proof of California Residency, I can get a Chula Vista library card for free (out of staters can check out books, too, they just have to fork over a mere twenty bucks). So I checked, and with San Diego residency, you can get a SD County library card that's good for Del Mar and the thirty-three county branches. The Del Mar and Chula Vista libraries are now both on my list of places to be visited.

So I did visit all thirty-six libraries in thirty-six days. But if all I wanted were the books, I didn't have to venture past my local branch. You can request a book from any other branch and have it transferred to a branch of your choice for pick-up.

Postscript

Like so many things in life, I couldn't have predicted what I'd see and learn before taking on this "thirty-six libraries in thirty-six days" adventure.

San Diego, like most of California, is a car culture. You get in your car, you drive somewhere, and you get out and go about your day. You don't have to interact with many strangers. Spending so much time in local libraries got me out and into our city.

I had no earthly idea how big San Diego is. Really. I'd always thought the southern parts of the city were Chula Vista and National City, and the eastern parts were El Cajon. I drove on the 905 and 94 for the first times.

And I could never have expected my navigational skills would improve, although they did, if only just a little.

I read books that I didn't know I wanted to, but am so happy I did. There was The Driver, which was lacking in grammar but made up for it in adrenaline. And My Antonia, which I am absolutely positively going to go back and read all the way through. And A Woman Alone, which made me want to go on vacation.

I found out that, when you love your job, it shows. I had hoped this would be the case with librarians, but I wasn't sure before I set out. After all, they have government jobs at a time when governments' budgets are being drastically reduced. But every librarian whom I asked about their job responded that they loved it.

How am I faring in these first two days after finishing this project? I've gone to my local branch twice.

Here's what I want to say in relation to September 11. Libraries are so ubiquitous in San Diego, that you almost don't question their presence. But like I was saying yesterday, things can become so routine that they're taken for granted. So many other countries don't have a single library, let alone one every ten miles. It's just one reason that makes us all so fortunate to be Americans.

#36: Carmel Mountain Branch

CARMEL MOUNTAIN BRANCH

Visiting Time: 2:15-1:40 PM

Did I get lost on my way? Nope!

Book Checked out: Cooking in Style the Costco Way

Book Selection: 3 bookmarks
Seating: 2 bookmarks
Staff: 4 bookmarks
Architecture/Atmosphere: 3 bookmarks

Total: 12 bookmarks

Whew. I made it.

Bryan accompanied me to this library so I didn't have to cross the finish line alone. Despite the poor quality of my exterior photo (so many of these wonderful libraries don't lend themselves to a single exterior shot, unless you don't mind standing in traffic, or have a ladder), this was an awesome library to go out on. Bright, airy, and with windows all the way to the ceiling. And, as Bryan pointed out, chock full of tutors and their pupils.

I spoke with a clerk named James, who referred me to the children's librarian named Heidi. She told me the library was built about twelve years ago, when this area of San Diego was developed. When I told her that I loved all the natural light, she said every window can be opened, if so desired. Usually, though, they prefer to keep them clamped shut with the A/C on.

A perk of this library is its proximity to Costco. After leaving, we celebrated there with frozen yogurt. A good, Jewish friend of mine refers to Costco as his Mecca. I might say the same of libraries, although Costco would still be high on my list of holy locations.

Which leads into my book choice: Cooking in Style the Costco Way. What does "cooking the Costco way" involve, you ask? The book is a collection of recipes that can be made with Costco brand ingredients (or ingredients from any grocery store, I'm sure). Later this week, I am going to attempt the cheddar risotto.

Tomorrow, I will have thoughts on this library journey as a whole.

Pictures:

(My thirty-sixth door.)

(I was about to choose this book when I found the Costco one.)

(Nice study areas. Although some chairs might be helpful.)

(Outdoor patio.)

#35: Central Library

CENTRAL LIBRARY

Visiting Time: 9:30-11:15 AM

Did I get lost on my way? Nope!

Book Checked out: It's a DVD actually. And it's titled "Learn to Drive Stick Shift"

Book Selection: 4+ bookmarks (It has everything a gal could want)
Seating: 1 bookmarks
Staff: 4 bookmarks
Architecture/Atmosphere: 2 bookmarks

Total: 11 bookmarks

I approached this library with the mindset of Hearst Castle. You can't see it all in one day, so just pick a tour and enjoy what you do see.

Turns out I was able to see most of this three-story library in a decently detailed fashion. The big disappointment was that The Wangenheim Room (rare books) didn't open until 1:30. But not to worry, I will be back.

I did spend some time in the Genealogy Room, which has books on the history of all fifty states, prominent American families, and extensive records of US immigration. I looked for my father's family, but the best I could find was a Panic who'd settled in Illinois.

Even cooler was the Art, Music, and Recreation section on the second floor. Here, I found filing cabinets filled with folders of pictures. I asked a librarian named Vic what their purpose was, and he said stage designers or artists sometimes consult the images when creating a set, painting, or sculpture. Brilliant! He said with the advent of the Internet they're used less often. But they are still used, because there was a stack of folders waiting to be refiled. Some photos come from newspapers or magazines, while others are cut from books being taken out of circulation.

The Mini that Bryan and I ordered (which, by the way, has gone from "On Order" to "Scheduled for Production" to "In Production" to "Awaiting Transport!") is a manual, so he's been teaching me how to drive his manual car. (This weekend, I became a hill driver extraordinaire.) And while Bryan's a fine teacher, extra resources can't hurt. So I checked out a fifteen-minute video on the principles of stick shift driving. It was a tough decision between this and the Romance Reader's Handbook. (I told you, this library has everything!)

The video demonstrates manual driving principles in a Mini Cooper, which was pretty cool. But the DVD was really scratched, rendering most of unwatchable. Proof that digital can't replace old-fashioned books. At least not yet. The video was shot in San Diego, though, so many of the jerky frames I did get to see were of Mission Beach and Point Loma.

I don't like to get into the politics of things, but if you want the latest scoop on building a new central library, go here.

Pictures:

(This is what I call selection.)

(Empty shelves for 519-530. Which means room for more books about astronomy.)

(A picture from the "Bowling Alley" folder. Which was came after "Bowling" and before "Bowling History" and "Bowling on the Green".)

#34: San Carlos Branch

SAN CARLOS BRANCH (You gotta have friends)

Visiting Time: 12:20-12:35PM

Did I get lost on my way? Not with Bryan as my driver.

Book Checked out: Good Work: When excellence and ethics meet (Howard Gardner, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, and William Damon)

Book Selection: 2 bookmarks
Seating: 1 bookmarks
Staff: 4 bookmarks
Architecture/Atmosphere: 1 bookmarks

Total: 8 bookmarks

We are almost there! After this library, I have just two more to go. Thanks so much for accompanying me on this odd, exciting trip.

Bryan and I had originally planned to hit the Central library today. But I wasn't sure I was up to such a challenge on a Sunday. Some people are intimidated by their bosses; I'm intimidated by multiple-story libraries. I think I'll be ready to take it on come Tuesday, when it will be my penultimate library.

The San Carlos branch felt like my elementary school's library. Pretty basic and utilitarian. But, of course, its guts--its books--are as good as the ones in the swanky Mission Valley branch. Bryan checked out the magazines while I looked for my book of the day. Today my interest was piqued by Good Work. Who doesn't want to feel good about the money they earn?

While I was reading this book, a Russian couple came in. I looked up and smiled at the man, who then loudly replied, "Hello." Then he and his wife went to the Russian language section, where they proceeded to argue about books. Too charming.

The clerk who checked out my book said there was no timeline for the construction of the new San Carlos branch. But check back in a decade or so, and they may have broken ground.

Pictures:

(Where the new San Carlos library will be. In one or two decades.)

(Beautiful, no?)

#33: Paradise Hills Branch

PARADISE HILLS BRANCH

Visiting Time: 12:20-12:35PM

Did I get lost on my way? Nope

Book Checked out: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (J. K. Rowling)

Book Selection: 2 bookmarks
Seating: 1 bookmarks
Staff: 4 bookmarks
Architecture/Atmosphere: 2 bookmarks

Total: 9 bookmarks

Not much was going on at this library. The building is a small rectangle, with tables in the middle and bookshelves around it. For a second I thought I was back at the Allied Gardens, so similar are these libraries on the inside. As I drove to this branch, I didn't see many "hills" in the vicinity. And "paradise" is a tough name for any neighborhood to live up to, and this one was no exception. Maybe it's just me, but I'd rather live in a place called "Average," and have the place outshine its name.

I borrowed the first Harry Potter book. I wanted to see what the fuss is about. I didn't get too far into the story, but if time allows, I'll keep reading.

Whatever. If you want to see something really interesting about San Diego, check this out.

Picture:

(I love me a good homophone.)

#32: North Park Branch

NORTH PARK BRANCH

Visiting Time: 11:00-12:00PM

Did I get lost on my way? Nope

Book Checked out: Turning the Pages: San Diego public library history, 1882-1982 (Clara E. Breed)

Book Selection: 3 bookmarks
Seating: 3 bookmarks
Staff: 4 bookmarks
Architecture/Atmosphere: 2 bookmarks

Total: 12 bookmarks

This library is busier than Starbucks on a Monday morning. There were people reading magazines, people reading books, people in the stacks, on their laptops, on the library's computers, kids in their section. The place was hopping.

I can't go through all the San Diego libraries without learning about them through a book. Today, I checked out a book by one of the library's longest-serving librarians. It was really cool to read references to many of the city's branches and be able to think back over this month and say, "Oh, yeah. City Heights. The one with the bookmobile." I felt so in-the-know.

Picture:

(Looking towards the children's area.)

#31: Valencia Park/Malcolm X Branch

VALENCIA PARK/MALCOLM X BRANCH

Visiting Time: 2:00-3:00PM

Did I get lost on my way? Nope

Book Checked out: Innumeracy: Mathematical illiteracy and its consequences (John Allen Paulos)

Book Selection: 3 bookmarks
Seating: 3 bookmarks
Staff: 4 bookmarks
Architecture/Atmosphere: 3 bookmarks

Total: 13 bookmarks

I knew it would happen sooner or later. On today's library trek, I ended up at a branch I'd previously been to. Of course it was nice to be back, but it threw off my catch-up-from-last-weekend schedule.

Before erroneously showing up at Oak Park, I checked out the Valencia Park branch. I am beginning to think that the single biggest impact on a favorable library atmosphere is a high ceiling. This branch feels open and airy, bright, and a place you could study (which many people were doing) or read for pleasure (which I was doing).

This pleasure reading concerned the problems that arise in a society that either doesn't value or doesn't bother with getting statistics correct.

From the introduction:

"I remember once listening to someone at a party drone on about the difference between 'continually' and 'continuously.' Later that evening we were watching the news and the TV weathercaster announced that there was a 50 percent chance of rain for Saturday and a 50 percent chance for Sunday, and concluded that there was therefore a 100 percent change of rain that weekend. The remark went right by the self-styled grammarian, and even after I explained the mistake to him, he wasn't nearly as indignant as he would have been had the weathercaster left a dangling participle."

So writers and mathematicians aren't so different after all.

Paulos' story of the partygoer's error reminded me of Wednesday's ESOL class, in which a student asked me whether the word "studying" were a gerund in this sentence:

"She's in her room studying."

I didn't know. (In my defense, I've been scarred by two years of Latin and its inane use of gerunds and gerundives).

The professor and I figured it out, though. "Studying" is part of the present progressive "is studying" and simply split by a prepositional phrase. Occasionally, it is good to be called out for not knowing something. Because when you find the answer, you won't want to forget it and again risk embarrassment.

Pictures:

(Awkward photo of center computer terminals. From here, a small ramp leads up to half of the book stacks.)

(Fountain near the entrance.)

("Paleolithic Outcroppings" [according to a sign] in the branch's parking lot.)

#30: University Community Branch

UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY BRANCH

Visiting Time: 11:45-12:30PM

Did I get lost on my way? Nope

Book Checked out: The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exúpery)

Book Selection: 2 bookmarks
Seating: 1 bookmarks
Staff: 4 bookmarks
Architecture/Atmosphere: 2 bookmarks

Total: 9 bookmarks

I came to this library knowing what I wanted. Over breakfast, I'd told Julie how I'd enjoyed reading a ghost story to Bryan in Spanish ("¿Dónde está mi d-e-e-e-d-o?"), and she'd told me how much she'd enjoyed reading The Little Prince in a college French class. The La Jolla branch didn't have a copy, but the UC one did. Reading this book makes me want to grow my own perfect, single rose. So far, the only two books I've read cover to cover in this library marathon have been juvenile/children's books. And no, I'm not embarrassed about this.

I must say I was underwhelmed by this branch. Of course, its books are as good as the ones in the swanky La Jolla branch. But there were only four padded chairs, the rest being hard wood. And then there was the disagreeable patron who was unhappy with his computer's wireless connection (I think?) and let the staff know it. I like to think my days at Starbucks have improved my eavesdropping skills, but I couldn't for the life of me figure out what his beef was. To be fair, I'm not sure the staff understood either, and quite possibly not even the man himself. Can't we all just get along? Maybe tomorrow I'll check out something about Rodney King.

So I took this charming children's book home, and read its second half in peace (and heat!) in the backyard.

Picture:

(Unfortunately, these are the best seats in the house.)

#29: La Jolla/Riford Branch

LA JOLLA/RIFORD BRANCH (You gotta have friends)

Visiting Time: 10:30-11:30AM

Did I get lost on my way? Nope

Book Checked out: Fly-fishing for Sharks: An angler's journey across America (Richard Louv)

Book Selection: 3 bookmarks
Seating: 4+ bookmarks
Staff: 4 bookmarks
Architecture/Atmosphere: 3 bookmarks

Total: 14 bookmarks

This is the type of library one could spend an afternoon at. Three levels, lots of cushioned seating (pictures better than mine can be found here), and plenty of space to spread out. The branch was built in 1989 and expanded in 1994. Parking in this park of La Jolla is tight, but a librarian named Deborah told me library staff has an alley they park at. It reminded me of when I worked nearby a couple years ago, and sometimes had to move my car several times a day, because all I could find was two-hour parking. Ah, barely-above-minimum-wage work.

I ambled through the basement stacks for quite some time before settling on a book about fishing. It took all of my might (and the public accountability of this blog) not to break my rule of only borrowing books by authors I've never read before and check out Bill Bryson's Africa Diary. Or The Deltoid Pumpkin Seed. But wait until next week, when my library excursions are over. I'll be coming for you, Bryson and McPhee.

Pictures:

(The only bummer about this library is that almost half of the adult books are in the basement.)

(Reading area on the third floor.)

(Covered reading porch on the ground level with fireplace and water fountain. This room was open-air before the expansion.)

#28: North University Community Branch

NORTH UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY BRANCH (You gotta have friends)

Visiting Time: 4:15-4:45PM

Did I get lost on my way? Nope

Book Checked out: Take this Advice: The Best Graduation Speeches Ever Given (Sandra Bark, editor)

Book Selection: 3 bookmarks
Seating: 3 bookmarks
Staff: 4 bookmarks
Architecture/Atmosphere: 3 bookmarks

Total: 13 bookmarks

Librarians have told me how great this branch is. It didn't disappoint. And apparently I and these librarians aren't the only ones who feel this way, because this branch was hopping. It's set in a new part of UTC, amidst megalithic apartment buildings that were burned down by ecoterrorists in 2003.

I tried to find a humor book, but everything was either politically related or involved bodily functions. So I ended up with a compilation of college graduation speeches. Tonight, Bryan is going to hear Will Farrell's 2003 address to Harvard, and Mary Robinson's 2004 speech to Emory graduates.

Pictures:

(DNA? RNA? A divining rod? I'll have to ask Bryan tonight.)

(Adjacent to the library is a dog park!)