What You Have Become

At Starbucks this morning, I overheard a man talking on his cell phone. First he made a business call. Then he called someone else, and said he was at Starbucks before heading into a nearby medical building for his first radiation treatment. He said he had to start his treatments now, because the cancer was so far along. Then he made another business call, and proceeded to talk about one of their employees. It seemed that the guy on the other end wanted to can her, but this man kept saying "Nah, she's doing all right."

I'm not saying he had any type of religious conversion, but I wondered if his cancer had changed how he treated people. Maybe the diagnosis had made him realize how caught up he'd become in corporate life.

Like how something can change so much, but gradually this change becomes routine, and you forget where you used to be. I am thinking of my neighbor who's always screaming at her children. Surely there was a time when their house wasn't filled with curse words? Does she ever think of it?

Thoughts on my library journey are coming. I need one more day of perspective.

#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.)