Plug it in.

(not to be sung to the elfishly cheerful Glade commercial)

How is it that a library in a large research university of, oh, I don't know 30,000 or 40,000, whatever students can have so few blasted plugs? Were they suffering the effects of plug inflation the year they built the library? Have there been no sales on plugs and/or wiring since then?

You would think that the edifice of an entire 100' wall made up of study cubicles and tables would have at least ONE plug on it, wouldn't you? Oh no. You would be incorrect. Why would there be plugs in the most fabulously quiet part of the library? (I guess we know why it is so quiet and why Georgia and I, in fact, had to unstack chairs and create our own little study area.) Just as a point of trivia, the 300'-400' wall running perpendicular to our first wall appears to only have two plugs on it. And those plugs would be running a copy machine that no one uses and some sort of card reader machine that goes with copy machine.

Actually, I am being a little irate and irrational here. They are in the process of making an office in the back corner of this area, which is approximately 6'x12'. Would you like to guess how many plugs are in this office? No fewer than 12. Whilst we were diligently studying and blistering our little synapses, the workmen decided they had had enough and it was time to leave, right around the time that my battery wilted away as the weak, pansy thing that it is. The workmen kindly told me that indeed the plugs were live in this area and it would be fine for me to use them to recharge said floral battery. Trying to be good citizen, I foolishly went to the front desk and inquired if it would be okay to do this as I had no hidden plans to colour on the walls or soil the carpeting in any way. Was this inquiry met with a positive response? Oh no. It was as if I had asked if I could pitch a tent and build a campfire on which to brew coffee, which would then be flung on the newly installed windows.

'But there are lots of plugs on the top floor...(But I don't want to go to the top floor) there is a whole wall of them!!!' Right. On the opposite 100' wall on the top floor, would you like to hazard a guess as to the number of plugs?

Five would be the correct answer here. Five? Reeeeally? WOW! That is an amazing number!

After settling my seething nerves (and dealing with the fact that it was noisier and stuffily warmer upstairs) a fairly good deal of work was persuant. Which is a positive thing since I meet with my supervisor tomorrow in grovelling submission, hoping that I am not talking rubbish :)

Anyhoo, it has been an overall good day and I have rewarded myself with four Gingernut cookies and a glass of milk. But if you are looking for a plug in the ASSL (Arts and Social Science Library -- they have obviously just added the 'L' out of propriety), you know where you can plug it.