Tonight

I made my favorite cookies tonight. This time I actually made them correctly. It shocked me how much better they tasted and cooked when I made them according to the directions, it must have been a fluke.

I had made the cookies a few days earlier, but gave them away at various stops during New Year's Eve. I ended up coming home realizing I had only saved two for myself, and that was just not sufficient. The other reason I made cookies was getting over the terror of being yelled at by the librarian.

Let me explain. You might have read my tirade about the library and the man who was asking too many questions and being too noisy. The library is a quiet, safe refuge - or at least it should be. It is not a place where I should be made to feel stupid and like I am a huge burden.

I have been struggling with Atlas Shrugged; it is long (1170 pages). Usually length isn't necessarily a deterrent, but it is also incredibly hard to get interested in. I just am struggling connecting with it. So, I checked out the book in early November with another book. Naturally, I started the smaller book first and returned it once I finished it. When I returned the book, I naturally renewed Atlas a little early since I hadn't even started it. However, before I got to starting it, I picked up two different books about gender and boys and completed them. Then, I read a historical fiction book while I summoned courage to attack Rand. I actually started reading it about a week before it was due for the second time. At that point I knew that the book would take me longer than a week, so I waited to the very last day and renewed it again.

So yesterday, after being diligent over the whole Christmas holiday, I went to the library, I was just about to start the Part III of the book (still around 300 pages to go). I had decided that since you can only renew a book twice, I would return the book and then check it back out. I handed the book in, went on the internet, looked at movies, looked at new releases and then back up to the desk. Seeing that she had scanned the book back in, I asked for it. She told me I could have it if there was no hold on it, then she handed me the book and says snidely, "You better finish it this time." I was shocked, and not happy at all. Needless to say, all I could think was, I should've paid the overdue fee and just kept it until I was done. Which made me recall my mom and her story about my sister . . . but I will leave my mom's token stories for another day.