Time flies when you're reading about MMORPGs, gaming, communities of practice, and forum posting, so around 4:30 p.m., I went out for a smokey treat and to stretch my legs. Then back to the study room I went, setting my iPhone's alarm for 7 p.m. That time comes and goes, so I set the alarm for one more hour; I figure that way I'll have time to check out the books I need and get to the shuttle parking lot and home before Rajiv gets home from work at a little after 9 p.m.
So, 8 o'clock rolls around, and I pack up all my junk again... laptop, binders, books on virtual communities.... As I leave the study room, again I think, "Man, it's really dim in here," but no worries. I head down to the 2nd floor to pick up a few papers from the printer queue, and then I realize, "Shit, it's not just dim. It's fucking DARK in here."
Apparently, I got left behind.
Come to find out, the goddamn library closes at 6 p.m. on Friday nights.
I'd been alone in the library for almost 3 hours.
The shuttles stop running at 9 p.m.
FUCK ME UP THE ASSHOLE.
I did see a little movement on the first floor, but I don't think that cleaning lady saw me. I used the self checkout machine thingie to get my two books, and if anyone from O'Kelly is wondering how I managed to check out books at 8:54 p.m. on a Friday night it's because YOU MOTHERFUCKERS LEFT ME ALONE IN THE SCARY ASS LIBRARY ALL BY MYSELF FOR ALMOST 3 HOURS!
I could have died up there.
Then, to make matters worse, the stupid shuttle had already looped past the library stop, so I ended up calling the daggone campus police to come get me. See, the shuttle lot is Lot FF, which I realized Friday is code for FUCKING FAR (see map below). And WSSU has a serious problem with keeping the campus well lit (and they wonder why there's so much crime on campus), and there was no way in hell I was walking my admittedly fat ass about a mile up the road in the spooky dark carrying a full backpack. Uh uh.
So, a really nice lady answers the phone with campus police, and she sent a cop over to help me. Campus police was actually really good about helping me out Friday, so big ups to them.
And yes, I told the cop that I was left alone in the library, and that I was scared to walk across campus because it's too damn dark. He agreed with me.
MORAL OF THE STORY: Don't go to the library alone. Ever.
Fuck you, library. Fuuuuuuck youuuuuu.
According to Google maps, it's about 0.9 miles from the library (A) to shuttle lot FF (B). Zoom out to see the letters. Doesn't look too bad when you see it from satellite during the day, but at night, this shit is spooky dark. Like, setting for a horror movie dark. Seriously.
View Larger Map
Were the library employees and work-study students so ready to go home that they didn't even bother to check that the place was empty?
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry to hear about your misadventures in O'Kelly. I can't say I didn't laugh at your story, but I don't envy walking anyone having to walk around that campus after (or during) dusk.
This was always my HUGE fear of studying in Alderman @ UVA....getting stuck in those stacks with no way out was a recurring nightmare for me during finals.
ReplyDeleteThus: I sympathize with your story...but can't help but laugh through the storytelling. You have a gift :)
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
ReplyDelete*ahem*
OK, that could have gone so wrong, and speaking as a former librarian I KNOW there were formal closing procedures for securing the building that did not get done. Think of all the shit you could have done if you were a different sort of person...all the equipment you could have stolen/destroyed/broken, just for fun...anyway, you need to tell someone!
Wait-- feel another one coming on-- HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! OK, I think I'm done now. ;'}