Best Library Trip Ever

Peter E.

March 7, 2010 - 12:44 AM

Now I'm not one to exaggerate or embellish, but I am currently experiencing THE best library visit I've ever made. This is probably because my productivity is inversely proportional to the entertainment I'm witnessing, but nonetheless this Sunday afternoon is looking up.

I came to the library this morning in a glum mood, but as I began to set my things down at my normal perch on the third floor balcony, I saw my friend Mike in my periphery. Mike's finishing his "Info Hell" paper this weekend for the journalism school and I'm doing serious work on my thesis, so it's nice to actually be productive in the library with a friend (usually I don't do too well in large study groups). Thus, Mike and I settled down on the third floor balcony and went to work on our respective projects.

The next hour or so was productive writing my thesis, but then things took a sharp turn into awesome. I glanced out onto the lawn through the library's south windows to notice a band of medieval looking knights with foam bats and shields. That could only mean one thing: LARPers. LARP or "Live Action Role Playing" is basically a "real life" version of World or Warcraft or something. I don't really understand it nor do I really care to. However, it is extremely entertaining. From what I gather watching these folks battle it out for the last half-hour or so, there are some sort of rules, strategy, and teams, but in reality it seems like an excuse for these folks to let out some of their pent up nerd frustration by beating each other with foam bats, maces, and spears.

To give you an idea, there are about three different battles going on right now with tribes of about five grown men in brightly colored medieval shirts and kilts battling another tribe of five grown men in brightly colored medieval shirts and kilts. Interestingly, the people wearing simply jeans and t-shirts stick out like sore thumbs. I will tell you, it's awesome to see someone "get their legs cut off" and waddle around the grass field on their knees as a "warrior" that looks like the comic book guy from The Simpsons wails on him with a foam sword.

You are probably thinking to yourself: how does it get better than this? Let me tell you, it does. I had to take a break from the action to visit the restroom, so Mike watched my laptop as I made the trek through aisles of books to the third floor bathroom. I walked in to be greeted by sonorous snores resonating off the linoleum floor. There was a guy sleeping in the handicap stall (not actually handicapped from what I gathered). I took care of my business, but I had an internal dilemma: do I flush and possibly wake this guy, or do I not? I flushed and guessed right because this guy slept right through it. However, as I washed my hands I grew curious because it sounded like this guy was probably passed out on the floor, and I was a little concerned for his safety. So I snuck a tiny peak, you know, like one of those to see if you can see feet below the stall. To my surprise, he was seated on the toilet, pants around his ankles, sawing some serious z's. I left the bathroom and burst into laughter.

My expectations for what's still to come today at the library are up in the air because so far my expectations have been absolutely demolished, kind of like the warrior's legs/pride I'm watching right now.