30 Days meme - Day 18 - Whatever tickles your fancy
Hmmm, what to post today?
The last few days have been somewhat stressful thanks to having care of the family dog in my hands. I think my parents' absence throws her off; she doesn't want to go in her cage at night, and she doesn't always do what she's supposed to when I walk her. (As in, when I had a full day of work yesterday and walked her in the morning, she didn't pee. I was worried so I skipped lunch to come back home and walk her again and she *still* didn't pee x.x My brother let her out an hour later and she did then. I just hope she didn't go in the house.) But she's been good so far today, so here's hoping ...
Have I ever written about the weird homeless guy at work?
So, there's a homeless guy who comes fairly often to the library where I work. He is tall and dresses all in black (always the same outfit, apparently), with a cap to pull down nearly over his eyes (which he hides behind sunglasses anyway) and pants that are nearly falling down. This much, aside from the sunglasses, wouldn't really be strange. But, the way this man carries himself ... there's just something off. He stumbles and shuffles aimlessly around the library for hours. He moves like he doesn't quite know how to use his legs (or maybe is just trying to keep his pants on).
The first time I encountered him, I was downstairs alone in the children's department. He wished me a happy holiday when he came in (even though I think it was already after New Year's) and proceeded to stumble from row to row, picking up a book here and there to flip through it without reading it. It took him what seemed like an eternity to move around the room (30 minutes? An hour?). To be honest, I was paralyzed with anxiety. I suppose there's a human sense that tells us when there's something "wrong" or "off" about a person, because that's what I was feeling. I don't mind at all when adults come into the children's section to look for books. But this guy obviously was not looking for a book to read, and that just made me nervous, in no small part because I was down there alone. Eventually another librarian came down and the guy left shortly after. I talked to her about the guy, and she said he had come down in the past. And, the head of the children's dept didn't want him down there, because she was not comfortable with the way he was watching a group of kids playing there once. Well, heck, I wasn't comfortable with the way he was hanging around, so that was fine by me. When he comes down when I'm at the desk downstairs, I simply say, "Sir, this is the children's department," and he thanks me and leaves.
After that day, I heard plenty of stories about him. One lady said that he had come to her church's evening service and someone saw a cockroach crawling around the hood of his jacket (she was also the one who said he was homeless; makes sense to hang out in public places if your only aim is staying warm. My mom thinks she saw this same guy hanging around at a local bank too). Another said that a patron told her the guy was peeing on himself in the stacks (which is completely disgusting, but may or may not be true. Either way, it is true that the guy smells terrible enough that I would believe it). I also heard that he kissed one of the pages on the cheek, but apparently she knew him (somehow?) so it wasn't as revolting as I imagine it could be. (Regardless, when he's around I am very careful to stay well behind the counter at all times.)
Even though he is no longer allowed in the children's dept, he does spend plenty of time upstairs in the adult dept, browsing shelves (again, not taking any real interest in any books), staring at the computer catalog (and not looking anything up), and often watching us at the desk ... which always creeps me out. The other day he overheard the other circulation clerk use my name and proceeded to use it himself. Kimochi warui yo!
Oh, well. At the least, he seems to be harmless, though he is/was probably on drugs, I would guess. Something certainly makes him strange.
Still to go:
Day 19 - A talent of yours
Day 20 - A hobby of yours
Day 21 - A recipe
Day 22 - A website
Day 23 - A YouTube video
Day 24 - Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 25 - Your day, in great detail
Day 26 - Your week, in great detail
Day 27 - This month, in great detail
Day 28 - This year, in great detail
Day 29 - Hopes, dreams and plans for the next 365 days
Day 30 - Whatever tickles your fancy
Aaaaand my laptop shut off suddenly again tonight, just as I was about to post this. So that's why I didn't come back on AIM. Not cool at all D:
The last few days have been somewhat stressful thanks to having care of the family dog in my hands. I think my parents' absence throws her off; she doesn't want to go in her cage at night, and she doesn't always do what she's supposed to when I walk her. (As in, when I had a full day of work yesterday and walked her in the morning, she didn't pee. I was worried so I skipped lunch to come back home and walk her again and she *still* didn't pee x.x My brother let her out an hour later and she did then. I just hope she didn't go in the house.) But she's been good so far today, so here's hoping ...
Have I ever written about the weird homeless guy at work?
So, there's a homeless guy who comes fairly often to the library where I work. He is tall and dresses all in black (always the same outfit, apparently), with a cap to pull down nearly over his eyes (which he hides behind sunglasses anyway) and pants that are nearly falling down. This much, aside from the sunglasses, wouldn't really be strange. But, the way this man carries himself ... there's just something off. He stumbles and shuffles aimlessly around the library for hours. He moves like he doesn't quite know how to use his legs (or maybe is just trying to keep his pants on).
The first time I encountered him, I was downstairs alone in the children's department. He wished me a happy holiday when he came in (even though I think it was already after New Year's) and proceeded to stumble from row to row, picking up a book here and there to flip through it without reading it. It took him what seemed like an eternity to move around the room (30 minutes? An hour?). To be honest, I was paralyzed with anxiety. I suppose there's a human sense that tells us when there's something "wrong" or "off" about a person, because that's what I was feeling. I don't mind at all when adults come into the children's section to look for books. But this guy obviously was not looking for a book to read, and that just made me nervous, in no small part because I was down there alone. Eventually another librarian came down and the guy left shortly after. I talked to her about the guy, and she said he had come down in the past. And, the head of the children's dept didn't want him down there, because she was not comfortable with the way he was watching a group of kids playing there once. Well, heck, I wasn't comfortable with the way he was hanging around, so that was fine by me. When he comes down when I'm at the desk downstairs, I simply say, "Sir, this is the children's department," and he thanks me and leaves.
After that day, I heard plenty of stories about him. One lady said that he had come to her church's evening service and someone saw a cockroach crawling around the hood of his jacket (she was also the one who said he was homeless; makes sense to hang out in public places if your only aim is staying warm. My mom thinks she saw this same guy hanging around at a local bank too). Another said that a patron told her the guy was peeing on himself in the stacks (which is completely disgusting, but may or may not be true. Either way, it is true that the guy smells terrible enough that I would believe it). I also heard that he kissed one of the pages on the cheek, but apparently she knew him (somehow?) so it wasn't as revolting as I imagine it could be. (Regardless, when he's around I am very careful to stay well behind the counter at all times.)
Even though he is no longer allowed in the children's dept, he does spend plenty of time upstairs in the adult dept, browsing shelves (again, not taking any real interest in any books), staring at the computer catalog (and not looking anything up), and often watching us at the desk ... which always creeps me out. The other day he overheard the other circulation clerk use my name and proceeded to use it himself. Kimochi warui yo!
Oh, well. At the least, he seems to be harmless, though he is/was probably on drugs, I would guess. Something certainly makes him strange.
Still to go:
Day 19 - A talent of yours
Day 20 - A hobby of yours
Day 21 - A recipe
Day 22 - A website
Day 23 - A YouTube video
Day 24 - Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 25 - Your day, in great detail
Day 26 - Your week, in great detail
Day 27 - This month, in great detail
Day 28 - This year, in great detail
Day 29 - Hopes, dreams and plans for the next 365 days
Day 30 - Whatever tickles your fancy
Aaaaand my laptop shut off suddenly again tonight, just as I was about to post this. So that's why I didn't come back on AIM. Not cool at all D: