Industrious and Ambitious
This blog-posting business is more difficult than I first assumed. I thought it would be just listing off the random stuff that floats through my head on a daily basis. It turns out that I am more void and less aware than I had hoped. It seems that quite a lot of my daily brain power is used sitting vacantly staring with my mouth slightly ajar. I am not a fan of self-help books but out of sheer desperation this week I visited my local library to investigate any literature that might help me shift my writers block and general inability to get things done. I had not been to a book depository since the JFK incident so was unsure of what to expect.
The air was filled with the musty but sweet smell of decay that I remember from my youth. The same haggard looking centenarian librarian was sitting behind the counter. His eyes locked on me the second I walked through the door and he winced as every plodding step echoed around the cavernous building. I cleared my throat to speak and in the quiet of the library it sounded like a gun shot. At this stage I was completely overwhelmed by the situation and gave serious consideration to turning on my heels and running for the door, but the man spoke first. It was one low and monotonous “Yeeessss?” I explained that I had not been in the library for a number of years and I was wondering if he could point me in the direction of the self-help books that might deal with my writers block. For once, I resisted the urge to explain about my blog.
I had never given much thought as to why we have libraries I just assumed that they were something in a community maintained for the benefit of all. As we inched our way down the aisles at a snails pace the keeper of books explained to me about Andrew Carnegie and his vision for public libraries – “industrious and ambitious; not those who need everything done for them, but those who, being most anxious and able to help themselves, deserve and will be benefited by help from others.” I took this to mean that the old man was impressed that I had the good sense to consider the public library as a place for education that would inspire me. This lofty opinion of myself was quickly destroyed when he handed me a stack of books and suggested that they seemed to be about on my level.
As I sit at my desk on a beautiful spring morning surrounded by books with titles like The Dummies Guide to Nose Breathing, The Idiots Guide to Chewing with your Mouth Closed and How to Sit in a Chair, I am saddened that my trip to the library has yielded no inspiration for a blog post.
Now where did I leave my camera…..
Centenarian Librarian F100 // Tri-X
Literature? F401x // Fuji Superia 200
Inspiration F100 // Ektar 100
The second photo almost gave me a hear attack but it sure is a great photo!
*heart
Thank you for the nice compliment. That guy is a kitten really.
It give me a shock too but caption really made me laugh!
Thanks Kathryn, glad you liked it.
If that’s writer’s block, I want some of it!
Thanks Esther, I tried 3 times to comment on your blog this morning with no luck..
Another witty and easily readable post. Excellent.
Thank you David, it is always nice when you stop by.
Your pursuits in overcoming writers block are well worth reading about. I love that you went to library and almost chickened out.
Of course the librarians in Dublin are apparently somewhat intimidating…
They are not as intimidating as the late fees I had to pay from my last trip….
Way too funny – the second paragraph cracked me up especially! And beautiful spring morning? Already?
Glad you liked it Marina, Yep spring is here – going to the botanic gardens today to gather evidence….
you are quite enthralled with those Botanic Gardens aren’t you? Or is it the cafe that’s luring you back?!
I think you found me out, it is a really nice place for a lazy breakfast on a Sunday morning. Eat breakfast, walk and take pictures, have coffee and cake….
I hear ya – I always check out the dining spots, hungry or not.
Ya gotta know where the cake can be found.
The “Inspiration” shot was great!
Thank you.
I hate the way libraries are being filled up with computers.
I think it is a bit of a doubled edged sword, it gives people access to PC’s and the internet that may not have it but in turn reduced the need for paper published books.
My own local library has a make shift art galley and also lends out video games. I think it is doing everything it can to make sure it is still a valuable part of the local community.
Excellent blog post, very enjoyable read – keep up the “writer’s block”!!
Thanks James, glad you enjoyed it.
Libraries – like second hand book shops – love them….
We have a shop in York that still wraps the books you buy with brown paper and string; something about that gives me a warm feeling (sad I know) but maybe nostalgia for the slower things in life.
Irish Wit, Other peoples love letters, Years of Women’s Letters and Wicked Irish Wit….. I won’t ask.
Good post.
David.
David, it seems like me and that shop in York would get on great. I am a big fan of the library and second hand book shops.
Yep a whole shelf in the Library is given over to “humour”……
any chance you’ll be posting an accessible summary of “How to Sit in a Chair”? i’d be very interested …
I am working on one at the moment.
To be honest, “How to Sit in a Chair” is badly written and I am having trouble engaging with the main protagonist. There is one hell of a twist at the end…..