Library Musings: Public Secrets

My favorites are the “campers.” These intrepid scholars have the ability to concentrate and remain in one spot for hours on end. They get really know how to get comfortable, by taking off their shoes, sometimes even socks, and many layers of coats and sweaters. They also bring things to surround themselves at their work station, drinks, food (although technically prohibited), cell phones, iPods, books, notes, etc. There is a guy across from me who is very hardcore and has an entire gallon of water in a jug. Some people even bring their own laptop and sit it on the table in front of the desktop and just use the space.

It is most intriguing to find peoples secrets in a public place. Once in the media center (floor 1 ½) I saw a guy watching porn. He seemed really embarrassed and tried to minimize the screen as I walked by, but I had already seen it, and just had to shake my head and smile slyly. Another way to find secrets are to open documents saved to the desktop of the library computers. I enjoy reading forgotten first drafts of papers, but the best thing I have ever found were two documents encrypted in Wingdings. The first was saved as "What just happened," which begins: "What just happened? What just happened? Now, I’m panicking. What just happened? Find myself close to crying in a library, but I can’t. Not with all these people watching. Someone might think they care or something. They don’t."

The second, "taming complete," was more sinister. This excerpt is representative of the entry: "Last night, I think I decided that man has all of me. A man thrusting inside of me and all I could think of was His displeasure. Sexual sensations alone my nerves and I felt no pleasure from it. I did not orgasm. All I could think of was His anger and His disappointment. He now has my body. The taming is complete and he never had to touch me."

I still don’t know what to make of them; whether they are attempts at creative writing, actual journal entries, or just a joke. The fact that they were saved in Wingdings suggests that perhaps the author wished to conceal the contents of their document while typing it up. I often wonder if the author is sitting next to me, or if I will ever again find anything as strange.