Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Flatlands #39, 3/19/08

Well, another month, another post. Though, oddly enough, I actually went to this library a full week ago. What have I been doing since then? Trespassing around Yale, getting into Hellboy (awesome), watching some movies like Lost Highway (awesome), and doing classwork (slightly less awesome). Not to mention the good old job, which is actually going really well. I even have insurance and all, though I recently got a couple of lists of approved and non-approved drugs. Hadn't heard of any on the approved list, but they must be better...right?

We're here, though, for the libraries! Yeah! The last books I took out were Persepolis and All The Pretty Horses. They were both fantastic. I knew a little more what to expect from Persepolis, having seen the movie, but I enjoyed the comic a bit more, it being somewhat fuller (though it was only part 1 of the whole story that was in the movie) and, well, I just really love comics. Animation's great too though.

All The Pretty Horses was just amazing. I knew, after seeing No Country For Old Men and reading The Road, that Cormac McCarthy was capable of amazing writing, both through his language and his plotting, but All The Pretty Horses still blew me away. It was an adventure story, a love story, a prison story, a story about family, and how they suffocate you: a million stories all in one. And the language was stunningly beautiful. And Eric Stolz's character in Kicking and Screaming found it erotic! Perfect! Also, lots of horses. I'll have to read more of McCarthy's work as soon as possible.

So, this library. I knew I wanted to finish the Persepolis story, so I found the branch that I hadn't been to that had said book on the shelves. And it's name was! The Flatlands Branch.

Branch: Flatlands
Location: 2065 Flatbush Ave. at Ave. P
Transport: R train to Pacific St., B41 bus to Ave. P
Item: Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return by Marjane Satrapi
Date: Wednesday, March 19, 2008

This library was nice. I shouldn't wait I week to write, because I forget a lot. It was rainy, and the bus ride took absolutely forever. I assume it's called "Flatlands" because it's on Flatbush Avenue, but so far out that it's like distant lands. Maybe that's what the neighborhood is called, who knows. It was a relatively modern branch, the building having been built in the 1950s. And don't let the fact that I only got one book out fool you, it had a great selection. Also a Snapple machine. I got an iced tea.

An interesting side benefit of this trip was the ability to fulfill my destiny. Loyal readers may remember (though it is extremely unlikely) in this post, almost a year ago, when a nice librarian named Ellen told me she was enjoying my blog, and should ask for her when i fulfilled my destiny by coming to Flatlands and obtaining the Triforce. Something like that. Anyway, for some reason, asking for this Ellen took all of my nerve. I sat reading my new Persepolis volume for a while, picking out who I thought might be Ellen, waiting, waiting, and finally I asked her if an Ellen worked there. Apparently her hours had changed and she wasn't in as much anymore and she had actually been in earlier that day (!) but I missed her. I was too flustered to leave a message. Ellen, if you're out there, hello, sorry I missed, your branch was delightful.

And we've got the pictures to prove it!



We have across the street...



and in the crosswalk. I feared for my safety! Are libraries truly the most dangerous game???

It was one of those building-locked branches, so I only took a couple of pictures. Well, three pictures really, but one of them was way blurry. It's no excuse, I know. But...it was raining! I was getting wet! Come on!!!

I finished Persepolis 2 (review next time) so expect another post soonish.