God Willing

This will be a short one tonight, because I am working on Louise’s computer. Not that Louise doesn’t have a very fine computer, it is just that I am more than a little frustrated at having to use it. You see, there is a little friction between my computer and myself. I want it to work and for some reason it thinks that it is retired. I have tried to explain about the need to give a lifetime of service to the society before you can retire, but the damned machine just doesn’t want to hear it.

I have given up until tomorrow and hopefully a good night’s sleep will somehow clear my brain of the fog and allow new insight for tomorrow. I would settle for a lotto win and then I could buy a new computer and take an axe to this mother, which has given me nothing but grief for the past year or so. Just a moment while I picture myself getting medieval on this black plastic, silicon and steel box…yeah…yeah…that’s it…do it again…

Okay, I am back and in somewhat better spirits. I know what I will be dreaming about tonight. I haven’t heard from Louise, so I don’t know how her weekend is going, but I do hope she is having fun.

Today was the 100^th anniversary of the Calgary Public Library. I am a member and a user of our library and feel that it is probably the best return on the dollar that you will ever get. You can read any book you like, from the newest best seller to any of the classics, watch the latest movies or TV shows and listen to all of your favourite bands CD’s, all for less than the price of a book.

I have had a library card since I was in grade school and the Bookmobile would park at the Parkway Plaza once a week. The librarian would ask what kind of stories you were interested in and after you told her she would recommend some books that you might like. If she didn’t have the book, she would reserve it for you and it would come the following week. Oh, the anticipation!

Our schools had libraries, but for the most part I only used them for research. I loved the smell of the library and the bookmobile in particular. In Toronto, membership in the library was free. I was talking to Maegan today and she told me that it is still free. She mentioned that when talking to friends about having a user fee for the library, they were almost universally aghast. Even the fiscally responsible ones are adamant that the library should be free. People are funny…and cheap.

I figured that with it being the 100^th anniversary and all, I should at least make an appearance. When I showed up, there were a couple of brightly coloured ribbons strewn around the building, but that was it for decorations. No balloons! No cake! No patronage gifts! No freebies! What there was however, were thousands and thousands of books, CD’s, DVD’s, magazines and reference material which has given me more pleasure over the years than anything else in my life.

Happy Birthday Calgary Library, may you have many more birthdays and God willing I will be here for every one.