a day in the life of the toronto reference library

whenever i am at a library i like to find little nooks to sit in, surrounded by stacks of books/books left on random shelves by previous readers and a comfortable chair and a thin layer of musty, literary, secret nook dust. i especially like it when there is a small, awkward window near it so i can peek out into the world when i am looking for a moment of cranny release.

but today i was drawn to the openness of the main lobby, to the communal sharage of space. also, i was digging the bright red carpet by the west-facing window, a colour i conventionally, obsessively shy away from. so i compromised my nookness with the main lobby pull and sat by the first floor window that looks out over yonge street. i was uneasy at first, my OCD rattling and viciously gnawing at the bars inside the temporary cage i had designed in my brain. but i was comfortable and i was enjoying watching all the interesting people on the street in front of me. and there was a heater to my right and a potted tree behind me, which made it feel... homey. or something.

and then there was yelling. in the main lobby. and then someone threw a chair. at another person. then everyone was yelling. and the police came. everyone in the communal section around me started moving and swearing and voyeuring. most of them left.

my cage crashed.

i moved.

stupid red carpet.