It was 103 F today.
Well that was just not fair.
I braved the sweltering heat of the day to visit the PCC Library, in hopes of enjoying the AC for several of the hottest hours and procure a few tomes by my current favorite wise old wizards, Hawking, Sagan, and Dawkins.
But when I get to Sylvania, and find myself standing in front of my beloved college haunt, I see a sign announcing their summer hours: "June 23rd - September 7th: Closed". Now, that's not unreasonable, when I think about it. Traffic is minimal for these few months. However, I confess myself terribly disappointed.
I was also terribly hungry, so I spent a dollar on some yogurt-covered pretzels (bad idea, the yogurt melted to the color and consistency of diaper rash cream within minutes) and resolved to spend the rest of my tip money at Powell's so as to soften the blow. The silver lining is that I now in fact *own* these books, instead of just reading them on the borrow. That's part of why I've never really cottoned on to libraries, I much prefer to own the books I read.
However, it left me rather limited in selection of what I could purchase, having only $11 left of my original fat wad of tips from last night. The one of which I was certain was Brief History of Time, and I found that one for $7.50, used, hardback. Which left me just $3.50 with which to locate a Sagan or Dawkins book of interest. I wound up with the cheapest Sagan book I could find, Broca's Brain. I'll save Demon-Haunted World and Pale Blue Dot (both of which were in excess of $10 even for used copies) for when I really need a pick-me-up.
I did not do the massive sell-back I was planning on, because I didn't feel like going through all my books this morning. A daunting task, I assure you. Besides, my mom decided she wants to look through my collection and buy the books she wants off me instead of letting me take them to Powell's.
Now I've got a splitting headache from too little food and too long in the sun, and the effects of the cold shower I took when I got home were short-lived.
Simon just caught a bird. He killed it pretty quickly this time. No feathers flew. I'm torn between being mad at him for killing another of my mom's favorite finches, and wanting him to be able to hunt for himself if he has to, and fascination with the dead finch. After watching and reading so much about various animalia and their unique adaptations, I couldn't help but examine this little specimen - pull out its delicate wing for the spread of the feathers, examine the shape of the beak. Then I flushed him down the toilet with a modicum of ceremony.
And on that uplifting note, it's teatime.
I braved the sweltering heat of the day to visit the PCC Library, in hopes of enjoying the AC for several of the hottest hours and procure a few tomes by my current favorite wise old wizards, Hawking, Sagan, and Dawkins.
But when I get to Sylvania, and find myself standing in front of my beloved college haunt, I see a sign announcing their summer hours: "June 23rd - September 7th: Closed". Now, that's not unreasonable, when I think about it. Traffic is minimal for these few months. However, I confess myself terribly disappointed.
I was also terribly hungry, so I spent a dollar on some yogurt-covered pretzels (bad idea, the yogurt melted to the color and consistency of diaper rash cream within minutes) and resolved to spend the rest of my tip money at Powell's so as to soften the blow. The silver lining is that I now in fact *own* these books, instead of just reading them on the borrow. That's part of why I've never really cottoned on to libraries, I much prefer to own the books I read.
However, it left me rather limited in selection of what I could purchase, having only $11 left of my original fat wad of tips from last night. The one of which I was certain was Brief History of Time, and I found that one for $7.50, used, hardback. Which left me just $3.50 with which to locate a Sagan or Dawkins book of interest. I wound up with the cheapest Sagan book I could find, Broca's Brain. I'll save Demon-Haunted World and Pale Blue Dot (both of which were in excess of $10 even for used copies) for when I really need a pick-me-up.
I did not do the massive sell-back I was planning on, because I didn't feel like going through all my books this morning. A daunting task, I assure you. Besides, my mom decided she wants to look through my collection and buy the books she wants off me instead of letting me take them to Powell's.
Now I've got a splitting headache from too little food and too long in the sun, and the effects of the cold shower I took when I got home were short-lived.
Simon just caught a bird. He killed it pretty quickly this time. No feathers flew. I'm torn between being mad at him for killing another of my mom's favorite finches, and wanting him to be able to hunt for himself if he has to, and fascination with the dead finch. After watching and reading so much about various animalia and their unique adaptations, I couldn't help but examine this little specimen - pull out its delicate wing for the spread of the feathers, examine the shape of the beak. Then I flushed him down the toilet with a modicum of ceremony.
And on that uplifting note, it's teatime.