So anxious, in fact, that when I arrived at 9:40, there were already forty or fifty people waiting for the clock to strike ten. Most of them were sitting or leaning against the walls, but I noticed that there was one older man at the bottom of the roped-off steps. When a glanced again, a few moments later, I saw another had joined him. This pattern continued until, at 9:59, there were about twenty vecchi biting at the bit, all wanting to be the first to open their newspaper. Because who wants to read a newspaper already crinkled by someone else? (This question only pertinent for those who want to read a newspaper, of course...)
In all seriousness, though, that crowd made me realize that I don't think I'd ever see that in the States, people so anxious to read that they'd line up before the library opened. Hmmm...
Ok, enough seriousness. A couple other notes about books, Bologna, and ...school. I was at the library that morning to get some books for my classes in order to make copies of them. It's a common practice in Bologna, as it is usually cheaper than buying the books and well, college students... But you have to be attentive when you go to the copisteria as to whether they follow the rule that you can only copy 15% percent of the book. Being Italy, most won't.
The other note: Because so many students use the library for school books, sometimes the aforementioned objects are in less-than-pristine condition. My International Relations professor once proclaimed that writing in a library book is a mortal sin. Well, if that's true, whoever had this literature book before me should be expecting a spot in one of the lower circles of Hell. It is so marked up with highlighter, pen, and pencil that I don't know if I'll be able to read it. Speaking of that, maybe I should stop writing and go try. It is a school night, after all...
Signed,
the Sengenblogger
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