Thursday, October 22, 2009

The Joys of an Empty Campus

Greetings,

Ah...the beauty of an empty library. I know as a teacher I should find great joy in seeing the students flock to the library just before and during midterms. They cover all the computer and desk areas in the 'new' library and even filter throughout the 'old' library. But the young folk are noisy...yes, I know I sound old...they are constantly listening to their I-Pods so loud you can hear their music at the next study table, texting or reading texts after their phone 'sings'. So, to be quite honest, I was very glad to have the library to myself today.

After Mass at Gesu (Joan of Arc had no Mass due to break), I was able to stretch out at the Brew coffee house on campus to enjoy my lunch and sip a mocha coffee. It was nice not to worry about hurring along to allow space for the next student. Then at the library, I had my choice of computers and enjoyed spreading my papers out all around me! There were only a few other folk in the library and they were all grad students...it was so quiet...ah.

The calm of my library experience was in great contrast to my morning. It has been raining for the last couple of days out here in the East and that plus the fog created some poor driving conditions. A semi truck ended up on its side blocking all three lanes of traffic on I-43! No one was hurt that I heard of but the truck wasn't moved for almost 2 hours...now considering it fell just around 6:30 AM you can imagine the back up on this main expressway. I didn't have to be to my observation until 9 AM, but the traffic was still backed up when I hit the rainy roads and I had to criss-cross my way across town the long way. I was a few streets off at first, but I did get to school on time and found my own way there! Mind you, I do think I gave a few people something to chuckle at when they saw me checking my city map at stop lights : )

Blessings,

2 comments:

John said...

The St. Leo University north of Tampa, Florida, USA, library has large glass windows overlooking Lake Jovita. When the students are on break most of them leave campus and I enjoy one of the library’s old Benedictine monastic books in complete silence.

Sister Carol Jean said...

I would have settled into one of the library's soft chairs with a book myself, but there is no midterm 'break' for grad students and I have paper to keep developing.