There are RULES in the library!

Anger then hunger then sugar and now I feel blah! So much for making a hearty dinner!

I lost my temper ten minutes before leaving work on Friday afternoon. There is probably a statistic somewhere that indicates that this is the worst time of the day to tick someone off.

Busy children's department. I have been on reference on the adult desk all afternoon, dodging the perv. Finally a half hour at my desk in the back before leaving. The phone is ringing of the hook outside on reference though, so I head out to answer it an get sucked into a long question vortex. Finally escaping and heading to my haven in the back when I see two 13 year old girls chowing down on an enormous bar of chocolate in the picture book area. I breeze over, planning on quickly saying something...

"hi, just to let you know, food isn't allowed in the library"

-no response-

I stand rooted looking at them.

-eye rolling-

Girl A deliberately takes another piece off of it, followed by the second girl.

I continue standing there.

"You can pack it up or go outside."

They start muttering, still stuffing face, fooling around and beginning to consider putting it away.

"Fine, whatever, we're going to leave!" (said with spite)

Me (internally) OOoooh please don't go bitchy girls, please stay!! What will we do without you!

Cell phone rings.

Girl B directly in front of me picks it up and starts telling someone that they're getting kicked out of the library.

She turns away and continues talking.

"Annnddd, there are no cell phones allowed in the library. You need to put it away or go outside."

Girl B continues talking. Girl A is rustling around with chocolate.

"EXCUSE ME, but cell phones are NOT allowed in the library." (loud voice, I can really project)

Girl B stands up and has about a foot on me. Somewhat incredulous.

"You need to close the phone and say goodbye. There are RULES IN THE LIBRARY." Girl B's jaw drops.

OOOooh gosh why did I say such a stupid thing. I'm being totally honest here, reader, this is the geeky thing I said when all the blood was exiting my brain in anger."

I stride away.

Girls mockingly cry out "ooooh there are rules in the library! what a retard! ooooh rules oooh rules!"

Now during the RULES in the library part, a head librarian from tech services happened to walk by and surely heard the mocking as well. Ooooh. And the librarian who was suposed to answer the phone and deal with food and such while I soaked up some peace and blooody quiet, was an auxiliary, soft spoken and probably horrified at my display of unbridled emotion.

Anyways, this is an honest blog. I know I broke every rule in the "customer service" handbook and the library school teen inclusiveness mantra! There aren't really any excuses. I was angry. I am human and now I can think of a thousand more effective ways to deal with it. Though I can hardly believe how evil they were. I hate rudeness! Those are the type of girls I imagine peer pressuring and kicking the ass of the baby-librarian I once was. And I was a multi-coloured hair skater girl at that age (which pre-Avril Lavigne, was not not not the best choice in a gangster school)....These girls will grow up to be the people that pass the line for the bridge in the wrong lane and then cut in....the mom's who steal my homemade egg shakers from storytime rather than let their darlings shed one tear leaving it behind....

Anyways, if they're so cool, why are they at the library afterschool on Friday night. Hell, I'm paid to be there!!!!