People Suck. Like... seriously

Before I begin to rant about this day in stupidity, I would like to thank Alice once again, this time identifying the sudden, jolting pain in my chest that popped up while I was talking with her over AIM as costochonditis, as opposed to any number of things that could be implied by sharp pains on the left side of the chest. Apparently it was this jackass I was playing basketball with who thought it was required to throw his shoulder into my chest repeatedly whenever he was on offense. In any case, thank you again, Alice.

Anyways.

Thanks in part to the aforementioned inconvenience visited upon me last night, I didn't sleep much. So when I was woken by the phone at 10 AM, my chest still shouting at me with pain, I was not in a good mood. As it happened, that was not going to change any when I picked the phone up.

It was some librarian diva from the Malden Public Library, telling me that my brother, who was there to attend a field trip with the rest of the kids in the summer reading program, could not go to the museum because he was an hour behind on his summer reading log. It should be noted that he wasn't behind on the reading itself, just on logging it, which is utter bullshit. But that's not even the point. My parents were at work. For all they knew, I was at work too. The expectation that someone was able to pick him up was ludicrous, especially since I was never listed as a contact. Had no one been contacted, they would have just left him there. I tried explaining this to the librarian, who merely told me that she was just following policy.

That's what really got me.

With a news media that plays for shock and awe and sappy human interest stories over real news, a pop culture mainstream almost completely devoid of merit, and a public education system that has been continually watered down, the library is fast becoming the last bastion for intelligent thought in the public domain. We send our children there in the hopes that it helps them escape the cruel fate of becoming a mindles mouth-breathing automaton. One would think that a librarian would provide a better example than the abject defiance of common sense in favor of written policy.

I tried to explain this to the librarian as well, but she simply said that obviously the policy had worked because I was there. Feeling a circular arguement coming on, and not wishing to teach the children around me any new words, I merely expressed my shame that an institution that I cherish so very much would employ an apparent nihilist. Then I came home and spun the song below, followed by Tool's Aenema, for reasons of obvious poignancy.

Well, as I'm writing this my chest pain is fading, which is good. I have some grunt work to do, followed by some less-grunty work for which I'll actually be paid, so I'm gone for now. I leave you all with these ever-wise words from the late, great Dr. Hunter S Thompson

Don't take any guff from those swine.  Remember, if you have any
trouble you can always drop a line to the right people.

Ciao