no boundaries

I hate to say it about a place I like so much, and spend so much time in, and intend to spend oodles more time in the future, but there are a lot of odd people at the State Library. What makes an old man talk in coughs as he reads through old newspapers on microfilm? And no, I'm not referring to myself though I do sometimes worry that I do things like that too and don't realise. I felt like I was in some kind of experimental comedy film from 1970 directed by Eric Sykes when I found myself walking far out of my way around some desks in the microfilm reading room to avoid a very large basket-trolley which had come to a stop while the lady pushing it stared off into the distance. She roused herself and pushed it a little further to come to another thoughtful stop exactly between me and the printer, which was where I was headed. Once again, she was staring into the distance. Perhaps some tragedy had befallen her, perhaps she was thinking it's 4:30 if I can just stretch this trolley thing out a little longer I won't have to do anything else before the weekend.

Then after a while you start to feel paranoia about all the other people using the library, like for instance everyone.

Yesterday I was in a different library and a nice woman asked me nicely if I could show her how to thread the microfilm. I must look like I know this kinda shit. So I showed her and about 30 seconds later brrrrspttltltltltltl she'd wound it off. She tried unsuccessfully to wind it back on. So I did it for her a second time and shortly afterwards you guessed it, brrrrrsptt etc. This time, however, spoiling the Eric Sykesness of my story, she managed to put it back on by herself. Then she asked me where she could get a lens that allowed her to zoom out more. Which really wrecks the story. Though I was expecting a Candid Camera -style denouenment which is yet to come.