La Minute Philosophique

Ever felt like sometimes, whatever you do is like doing a Monet's Haysatcks 5.000 pieces puzzle, when one piece is missing: laborious and absurdly pointless?

Maybe it's time to take a deep breath, and go for a break.

Typical 'Studious' Day at the British Library

7.00 am: Bloody evil alarm clock rings.

7.25: "Daaaarling? [my Man] Get up."

7.35: "Darling. GET UP!"

7.40 > 8.15: quick shower + fixing sandwich for lunch (= student and broke; this is an euphemism). Breakfast [1/2 bagel + peanut butter; 1 slice sunflower granary bread + mmmNUTELLAAAA; 1 bowl maple'n'pecan cereals + soja milk + greek yogurt; tea ; apple juice.

8.15 > 8.20: teeth brushed; shoes jumped in; scarf'n'coat wrapped in.

+ I grab: laptop + batteries (regularly forgotten), earphones, big massive writing pad, pencils and pencil-sharpener, and usual useless stuff. Check 3 times that I have my British Library pass.

8.21: outdoor, at last! Mmmm should be careful not to be too enthusiastic. something seems utterly wrong (like: 'I have forgotten something critical'); and days like this my mood tends to be just like British weather: Schizophrenic.

8.21.38'': SHIT! "Daaaarling? Would you mind being sweet enough to run back home, I forgot my Oyster Card?" [= Londoner's indecently expensive Travelcard, with ultra silly name. Probably due to some kind of advertiser's delirium after consumption of illicit substances while creating the new Transport Fro London marketing strategy].

8.23: "Thaaaanks darling you are SO sweet" (darling sweating and desperate to recover his breath)

8.35: SHIT! Just missed the 8.34 to Charing Cross (this is the story of my life. Missing THE crucial train every morning)

8.45: In the _PACKED_ train to Cannon Street. Stopping every bleedin' stop on that bleedin' line. Every time the train slows down I get propelled to some guy's smelly armpit. Grrrr, starting to be in a bad mood.

9.02: Change at London Bridge to catch the Northern Line to Kings Cross. SHIT! Service Suspended! Technical failure I guess? Whatever.

9.32: after zillions of changes, lots of cursing, and mood getting worse and worse, finally arrive at the British Library. The Saint of Saints. Aaaaah, I can smell the whiff of knowledge getting past my nostrils. Yeeeah, mood getting better. Sun's shining. Birds singing. Temperature exponentially raising in my happy to happier mind.

9.35: after leaving my stuff in the over-heated lockers, I'm now getting to the door of the section 'Rare Books and Music ' (perfume of knowledge getting even more bewitching). SHIT! My library pass is in the locker.

9.37: Let's replay it: at the door. I'm cool. Not annoyed. Not bothered. It was just a passing wispy cirrus.

Find nice seat, end of row, no-one at my left, still no-one at my right (although April is super-busy-crowded-stinky at the BL). Not too close to help desk (they are such noisy buggers there). Mmmm light's working. Switch on laptop. GODDAMMITT forgot my earphones (I thought I took them though.... ?). The happy opening music of Windows announces my computer's awakening to the world. People stare at me nastily. Why do I have to alienate myself from the room after five minutes? Stratocumulus rushing in my direction.

9.47: Get to help desk. TRIPLE SHIT! Getting to bad cumulonimbus on the scale of my mood scaringly going down. and down. and down: forgot to pre-order my books on the internet before coming. It's going to take 70 bleeding minutes before I get even the shadow of a book now.

9.51: Well.... what shall I do now? Obviously, I brought no books, no notes, nothing with me. Mmmm try to get my mood - and motivation - better. Ok, I'm gonna reorganize my computer's desktop.

9.52: Gosh, I should have slept more. Keep yawning. Misty surroundings.

9.56: Shall I re-organise my favorites on i-tunes now? Sunny intervals.

10.26: I'm bored.

10.27: Yopla! on the internet looking at stuff on ebay. Global Warming.

10.42: Jeeez. So much useless, pointless, ugly, OBNOXIOUS stuff on ebay. Sigh.

10.53: "NO, We still don't have your books. It says '70 minutes' Can't you read?!".... "But?.." Whatever. Weather degrading. Stormy and occasional lightning. Bollocking Shit.

11.11: HOOOORAY!!!! I have my books.

11.28: Jeeez.... does this have to be SO boring?

11.46: Yawn number 17. /if I count only the post- 'help-desk-visit-number-three' ones. I stare blankly at people. Hoping that someone's clever culture might strike me via winking communication? Obviously the ONE who stares back - angrily - is the one looking like some kind of dirty avatar of Rasputin after a bath in cow's poo (Monkey tells me that one says 'cow's pat', not 'cow's poo') . Ok, ok, I'm reading.

12.12: "scrooouitch" says my stomach. "shut up, stomach!" I reply.

12.28: Goddammit. I NEED to eat.

13.44: Back in the Reading Room. Mmmmm a bit sleepy after lunch. Hazy intervals.

14.36: Guy seating in front of me keeps snorting REVOLTINGLY. It's SO rude. Am I stormchasing or what? First diplomatic cough. Snorts again. I raise an eyebrow. Snorts longingly. Launch eye-signals at people around. Snorts yet AGAIN. I loudly cough back...

14. 44: I just CAN'T concentrate. This is properly DIS-GUS-TING. Severe thunderstorm.

14.53: Attack. Grroar! "'Scuse me? - eyebrow super-raised. Cruel pout. Slight ironic smile - Could you please snort a little bit more discretely?" -- Bollock would be proud of his favourite asocial Nunuche. The guy shruggs. And leave after a few minutes. YAY, Victory, I feel like doing a Sioux Dance.

15.22: Yawn 173-bis. ZZzzz?Tropical moist vs knocking heat. I need a coffee break.

15.59: End coffee break.

17.00: YIPPEE! It's time to jump on the tube to join my darling at the train station. Glorious sunshine. (I will NOT miss the 17.36).