HOW DO YOU SAY

How's this for proof that libraries are not dying: on a cold, snowy Tuesday morning on which pretty much everywhere else in the county had decided to close, the library was open. And not only was it open--it was packed. The thought process must go something like "Oh shit, snow. Must panic until toilet paper and library books are acquired." Although it's more than that. I didn't fully realize the impact that libraries have on communities, despite being a semi-regular library patron for all of my reading life. In just a few weeks, I've helped a man apply for a job; showed some elderly women how to send and receive text messages; introduced a kid to a series I loved as a kid; walked a lady through the basics of downloading books to her new eReader. The library sometimes stays open as a "warming center" for the homeless and those without heat. Parents and grandparents use the library as a sort of daycare center for not-too-young children. Thanks to lib...

I don't know what this is going to be about, but based on previous experience I can promise that it will be harrowing and bewildering. Perhaps, at turns, entertaining. A couple things we should consider: 1. This blog needs a new name. And I can't take the pressure, man. I'm sure my friends could help because they're all linguistic geniuses--just in the last few days I have been dubbed a "mythical Banshee of the Lake" (new boyfriend, drunk) and "a lightning rod for awesometude" (best friend). Whoops, guess I just inserted my own rave reviews. I'll think of something, but I care too much so it might take a while. 2. This blog is an immigrant. All it has ever known is being a lonely stranger in Italy. Please be patient as it gets its footing in a place where everything is familiar and expected and people do supremely ridiculous or baffling things less often than one would hope. We're not in Italy anymore, Dorothy. Ah, culture. Haven't ...