My brain still hates me. Last night, it tried to surprise me by the insomnia torture rather than the nightmare torture. So I was awake at around 3:30 this morning, when Marine surprised me by following through on a text he had sent me earlier that said he was coming home. I almost didn't believe it when he came stumbling into my room to wake me up. Good thing I was already up.
We sat around for a bit, talking about what's been going on in the last week and a half. I admitted to having briefly doubted his existence.
We talked for a while, but eventually the valerian root I'd taken kicked in, and we both fell asleep.
My brain was pissed at me for forcing it to sleep, and immediately went to its last resort when it can't torment me with insomnia: nightmares. I don't remember what exactly I dreamed about, but seeing as I spent most of my lazy Sunday watching dinosaur documentaries, it probably wasn't pleasant. I remember being scared in the dream, and swinging my arm to hit someone or something in front of me.
I was awakened when I felt my hand collide with something soft.
Marine: WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?
Me: Huh...?
Marine: What the f*ck just happened?!
Me: Oh my god! I am SO sorry! I was having a bad dream!
Marine: What did you do?
Me: Um...I accidentally smacked you in the face.
Marine: ...go back to sleep.
He didn't talk to me for the rest of the night.
Anyway, that little anecdote has absolutely nothing to do with my next topic: WORK! Yay work! Except I don't love my job when I have to deal with people who insist on being dumb. Yes, I understand, some people are unfamiliar with the library and/or our systems, and questions that may seem simple get asked a lot. I have no problem with that. It's my job to help people. What I DO have a problem with is people who seem utterly incapable of any kind of thought process whatsoever insisting on asking me the same questions repeatedly, expecting my answer to change.
One of my numerous jobs is to ring patrons up for multimedia items (posters, color copies, copies of non-standard sizes, etc.).
PROCESS:
Step 1) Patron asks person at multimedia desk to make their copies/posters/whatever.
Step 2) Person at multimedia desk makes copies/posters/whatever.
Step 3) Person at multimedia desk gives patron a receipt.
Step 4) Patron brings receipt to me at the circulation desk.
Step 5) I make a photocopy of their receipt.
Step 6) I file their receipt.
Step 7) I ring them up.
Step 8) I give them the photocopy of their receipt.
Step 9) Patron brings receipt back to multimedia desk.
Step 10) Patron receives posters/copies/whatever.
Yay!
Fairly easy process, right? You'd think. But this is how the interaction between a patron at I went once we reached Step 8:
Patron: They said I had to bring something back to them.
Me (assuming that "they" are the people at the multimedia desk): Yes, just bring that receipt back.
Patron: How will they know it's mine?
Me: Because of the receipt. They gave you a receipt.
Patron: But you took it.
Me: But the one you have there is a photocopy of the same one.
Patron: But how will they know it's mine?
Me: Your name is on it.
Patron: So what do I take back to them?
Me: The receipt I just gave you.
Patron: So what do I give them?
Me: That receipt.
Patron: You took my receipt.
Me: I had to file it. But you have a photocopy. It's a photocopy of the same receipt.
Patron: So what do I do?
Me: Give the people at the multimedia desk that receipt and they'll give you your poster.
Patron: How long will it take?
Me: I don't know. It's probably done by now. You'd have to go over to the multimedia desk and ask them.
Patron: I don't have time for that.
She stuffed the receipt in her bag and walked away, shaking her head like she didn't believe me. Because I had every reason to lie to her? Lying to her benefited me how?
I love most of my library patrons to pieces. I know the people who come in all the time. We laugh and talk and I ask them how their kids/spouses/pets/jobs are, they ask me how my pets/family/job is/are doing. We talk about Doctor Who and Sherlock Holmes and equal marriage rights and whatever subject they happen to be checking books out on. But some people...I swear, there should be a quota for stupidity and once it's used up, I vote that they should be banned from the library.
SHE didn't have time for that? Does she think I did?
I hate it when people think the world revolves around them. What about the rest of us?
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