The public library stop being a place of solitude and quiet, a welcome retreat into the recesses of ones mind, uninterrupted by woeful distractions, such as obnoxious young kids galavanting around, and even elderly people having loud and very uninteresting chats in the aisles? I can hear a TV at least 75 feet behind me (Teen Age Mutant Ninja Turtles). I can hear multiple conversations between who knows who about who knows what. There was someone a few minutes ago right behind me, sounded like they were hacking up a damn hairball. 

I remember, perhaps a long time ago, when the library was a venue of respect. Respect for those who might be pondering life’s important questions, Maybe doing research on a topic for school. Maybe researching something that just caught your fancy. Maybe just a place to hang out and read a book you had been thinking about. And you could expect to do so in relative peace and quiet.

One thing is certain, this library is no longer such a haven for quiet thought. This place has apparently become a baby sitter for some peoples kids, and a place where striking up long winded and loud conversations is commonplace. There are a lot of things I miss these days. Sub dollar gas, a thriving economy, good sense in our elected officials, appreciation of all things scientific by the public at large, and a damned quiet library among many.

I guess it only gets worse as we move on down the line, watching time drift by like a raft on the river. Things we used to take for granted becoming obsolete or non existent. Disappearing forever into the void of time. Forgotten. Some of us see these things fading away, some never notice. Some see what has become lost, and some of us hate to see them go…