freak show

Where I spend the majority of my day!


Ok, I've thought about posting about the weirdness that has come to commence in the library. My new address should be 2nd floor of the George T. Harrell Library, 1st row 4th cubicle on the right, if you come in the main entrance, left if you come in the back way when the library is closed.

My row is one of the busier rows on the second floor or at least it has to be one of the weirder ones. You see when you spend nearly 10 hours a day in the same place surrounded by the same people there's a comfort level that develops that probably shouldn't. I could tell you the schedules of just about everyone in my row - when to expect them in the morning, when they will take their breaks, when they will return - I tend to leave before they do, so I can't tell you when they go home to sleep. They could tell you the same about me. Anyways - on with the freak show.

I am not using names for 2 reasons - 1. in case someone from school reads this (and if you do you should be able to figure out who some of these people are) and 2. in case my nosy neighbor behind me peeks over my shoulder to read while I write about him - it will be less obvious if his name is not present.

To my left we have "coughy McGee" as Melanie likes to call him - who has a coughing issue. He coughs loud enough that the 1st floor of the library can hear him. It's not his fault though (apparently he has some type of persistent cough). He actually doesn't usually bother me too much - I'm pretty good and tuning that stuff out and he seems to have disappeared for the past few days.

Next to him is one of the normal kids in my row. I thought he was smart because he brought a chair cushion from home to sit on to make his chair more comfortable (not as smart as me - who stole a different more comfortable chair). Regardless, he still has weird tendencies - he brought slippers to the library. They live under his desk. Not pictured below - but you can see he is very organized with lots of figures taped up.

Across from him you have little Miss Messy. She accumulates diet pepsi cans, water bottles, starbucks coffee cups, etc on her desk. Do realize that the garbage can is a few yards away - if that. I don't know how you can work in a dump. Her stuff tends to fly all over the aisle and the new addition as I look over now appears to be a gallon jug of ice tea! - this has overflown into her 2nd cubby next to the first one. See below - please note I included the gallon of ice tea!

Directly behind me is probably the most interesting character in my row. When you think nerdy, socially awkward medical student, this is the image that would pop into your head. Everything on his desk is perfectly arranged. He collects books for fun. Everyday is a new adventure with this one. He has a Napoleon complex or war generals or something - because he likes history books and I've seen stapled packets on his desk of generals - like little biographies or something. He talks to himself. Not always quietly either, I might add. There tends to be an occasional - "YES!" when he gets a hard question right. Or the new one is "dumbass" when he misses one. I unfortunately miss half of the excitement that happens. Mel fills me in, she sits to his left. In addition to the random outbursts - arm movements are included with the occasional pushing back of the chair & standing up in triumph!?
He snacks on croutons. I thought that's what was in a bag in his backpack the other day, looked like cubes of bread and I thought they crunched when he ate them, but I couldn't be 100% sure.
Well, Mel and I confirmed this morning before he arrived - yup their croutons and he just finished them off a few minutes ago - definitely crunch. - below his normal looking cubby


Are you ready for more?.... I have yet to witness what I am about to tell you, but Mel has witnessed it nearly daily for the past week or more. (Thank goodness my back is to him) He takes off his shoe, looks inside of it (examining it for I'm not sure what) and then he takes his pen and scrapes the inside of his shoe. Scrape, scrape, scrape. Not sure what he is getting off. Weird - yes, and when you think it can't get worse - it does....He smells the pen. Then onto the next shoe. We can't make this stuff up if we tried.

This is what finally pushed me over the edge and made me write about this - today I heard the sound of someone clipping their nails. I couldn't tell the direction it was coming from and I wasn't 100% sure I was hearing things correctly. Well, when Mel went to leave there were nail clippers on the cubby a few down from me and some pieces of nail left. Uhhh.... clip your nails at home or.... do it in the bathroom? Not at your desk!

Now I can't say that I'm perfectly normal either. For my blog I have become that girl who takes pictures in the library! Well, actually I took them in the morning before everyone else arrived -so no one actually saw me take all of these pictures. But Priscilla (my nerd) - she keeps me company and Rich visits my desk at night and places her in different positions doing different things (another post for another day) - so I guess I'm the weird girl who sits at her desk with a stuffed animal? Hey... it could be worse!
my desk!