This Library Is Closed

The morning began quite normally. By the time I got up, last night's storm had passed...though gale-force winds remained. It was too windy and still a little too wet to rake leaves, so I decided I would volunteer at the Oaklyn Library today. I had oatmeal for breakfast, watched The Care Bears' Nutcracker, and headed out.

At least, that was my original plan. When I arrived at the Library, there was an orange sign on the door that said "CLOSED Until Further Notice." I had no idea what was going on. I hadn't heard anything about the Library closing. I thought they'd earned enough money to stay open. I peered inside. It was dark, but otherwise, everything looked perfectly normal.

I didn't get it. What happened? My digital alarm clock was blinking when I woke up this morning. Maybe the electricity hadn't gone back on in that part of town. Or there was a gas leak. Or something broke that was really important, like the heat or plumbing.

I went for a walk down Kendall Boulevard instead, but it didn't get my mind off the library. I went to the best place I could think of that would have information, Doria's Deli. I bought water and asked Mr. Doria if he'd heard anything about the library closing. Yes he had. Apparently, according to him, it had something to do with one of the volunteers drinking with their friends in the library during their shift and getting caught.

That's one of the dumbest reasons I have ever heard to close a library, especially one that's as important to the community as the Oaklyn Library is. They should prosecute the volunteer and his friends, not the library. It reminds me too much of when I was a kid in elementary school, and the teachers would punish the whole class when one person did something stupid. It isn't right, and it isn't fair. You don't punish a group when one person did something wrong. You punish that person.

I ended up spending most of the rest of the afternoon editing the Bowery Boys story Lauren and I are working on instead. I had leftovers for lunch and watched more cartoons, then headed to work.

Work was busy for most of the night, up through about 6:30. I put candy away after that.

Actually, the big deal tonight was the beginning of a "new" program for the baggers. They now have to ask people if they want help taking their food to their cars. Um, that has always been part of their job. The company is just making a bigger deal out of it now.

Otherwise, there were no major problems, and I was in and out.