Today I went to the library for the first time in at least four years. Why so long? I realized I need to spend less on books. I read a lot, and I buy a lot of books to support this habit. However Christmas and a semester's worth of nickel-and-dime expenses have depleted my funds. While they have not yet fallen to emergency levels, I know I need to cut expenditures if I am to survive until next summer. Borrowing rather than buying books is an easy sacrifice.
I was in the mood to spend my last week of vacation reading a graphic novel; either the first or . Both are praised as some of the best comic storytelling in existence, but I wasn't sure if I would like either of them. They seem a bit dark for my taste. As I said, I also didn't feel that I should spend the money.
The library it was, then.
"Where might I find the graphic novels?" I asked the distracted lady at the circulation desk. She looked at me quizzically. "The bound comic book collections. Ones by Neal Gaiman or Alan Moore, in particular." I explained.
"Oh I'm sorry. The entire computer system is down today. It's been a real mess," she said. "Those would probably be in the young adult section."
I, a nearly 21-year-old college student, walked sheepishly into the brightly-colored children's wing of the library. Another librarian pointed me toward the young adult room behind a pregnant lady and her hyper son. There was a small boy reading a Transformers comic at a miniature pink table nearby. I found the Sandman book and walked quickly to the checkout. My card was expired. I expected this, but I foolishly failed to realize that the computer problems would prevent me from getting a new one.
"This is why I buy books," I thought to myself as I left emptyhanded.
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