--Florence King

To recap, for those coming in late: I've really needed to take some books out from the campus library. I've been unable to do so, because I left The BFG, by Roald Dahl, back in the family home in Far Rockaway, over Spring Break, at the start of April. I finally got the book back yesterday.

One thing I forgot to mention in yesterday's entry is that I didn't get the book back in the condition it was in when I borrowed it. The cover appeared to have gotten kinda wet, and ended up rather warped. Lovely.

Anyway. After uploading yesterday's entry this morning, I rushed off to college, making it just in time for the start of class. Naturally, I forgot to bring The BFG with me, although I didn't realize this until I went to the library after class.

Okay, fine, I thought. I'll walk back to my apartment, eat something, pick up the book, and take it back to the campus. And that's what I did, although I made a detour along the way, as I returned in time for my English 399 professor's office hour, and I wanted to speak to him. So I did, and then stopped by another professor's office, before hustling off to the library.

So. First and foremost, they weren't happy about the state of the book, and they're going to be billing me for it once they figure out how much the repair costs are. Not an immediate problem, but one looming over the future.

Second, I had $4.30 in fines, which had to be paid before I could renew the other books I had out, or take out any more books. I had $1.50 on me, 25 cents of which was in pennies.

Not to worry, I decided; I'd go across the campus to the ATM machine, and withdraw my last twenty bucks. So, I put in my card, typed my PIN number, agreed to the 50-cent service charge, waited a bit... and then was informed that I had insufficient funds in my account. Meep.

I think I just got hit with another one of those lovely quarterly charges for letting my balance dip below $400.

Anyway, I trudged home, stopping along the way at the ATM machine at my bank, which verified that my account was down to $17.68. I'll have to go down there tomorrow and withdraw some of that during normal bank hours, so I can pay my fines, do my research, and finally write that paper on Lear and Faustus. Needless to say, I'm taking my professor up on that one-week extension.

I'm not feeling awfully good about myself just now.

I did question one correction the professor made, regarding what he claimed was an improper use of a semi-colon. (This didn't actually affect my grade, I suppose I should say.) He insisted that it was, indeed, an improper usage, and I said I'd bring in one of my reference books on the matter next time.

I looked it up when I got home, and, um, he was right. I'm not sure what I was thinking; I was pretty certain I understood all the relevant rules properly. I even used to teach them. Hmmmm.