Exploring Strange New Worlds

"What's that?" I blurted violently as I tugged Daisy toward the big glass box wherein was housed a rack of hanging meat. "Oh, it's a duck." Short pause, and then "Oh and it has a face." It was also unnaturally red. And naked. And probably delicious but undoubtedly staring right at me causing me to turn away as abruptly as I had rushed upon it. It had already been a difficult morning, and gawking at the Peking duck box at the Asian market seemed as good a way as any to cauterize the psychic wounds brought on by our trying task of distributing promotional materials to the various local middle and elementary schools regarding the library's upcoming space-themed exhibit. We had allowed for a little embarrassment at the fact of the brochures we were carrying which were so error filled as to necessitate the printing of an entire second brochure of corrections, a supplement brochure, to be attatched to the original. We were unable, however, to steel ourselves against the distressing experience of encountering the glazed eyes of one upon another slovenly apathetic school administrator to whom we had cheerfully presented a free educational enrichment opportunity for the school's students to which the school itself was required to contribute absolutely nothing. Are the schools in this town truly in the charge of so many disengaged, misanthropic Kurtz's? (Daisy, I just pluralized the word Kurtz with an apostrophe + s. This is doubtlessly incorrect, but I simply see no other way.) Well, yes, many of them are. This Spring, while on a similar promotional mission for Summer Reading Club, we encountered one principal who all but told us outright that his students were too slow to do much reading. That's right, THE PRINCIPAL DOES NOT HAVE CONFIDENCE IN THE STUDENTS' ABILITY TO LEARN TO READ. This does not mean that every school we visited left us with this kind of impression. More than a few of the folks we talked to today were, in fact, very pleasant. Unfortunately, the alarmingly high incidence of principals and secretaries to principals whose countenance screamed "We could not care less about what we are doing here" was quite enough to propel us duckward. Earlier, I had attempted to channel my negative feelings by turning the names of the schools into short, impromptu funk songs while Daisy made a stab at exorcising her demons by spilling a Diet Coca-Cola on her own head (don't ask). But I think it was the sight of the shiny red ducks at the gallows that finally snapped us out of our stupor. Currently I am at home convalescing and anticipating yet another round of this touring tomorrow morning. Wish me luck.

Today's patron interactions:

• "You could tell me if these are information books?" So asks a lady whose daughter is checking out three easy picture books such as Make Way For Ducklings. (Strange duck theme today.) When asked to clarify "information books" she said, "She got.. uh.. that packet from school that says she got to have some information books."



• "Do your computers have any pictures up in them that I could copy out?"
  What kind of pictures are you looking for?
  "Of space. And, you know, a spaceman."



• "I need to use the internet. I want to find out about adding to your house. Do you know what internet that would be under?"