library woes

So, my student card expired in October, meaning I couldn't check out any new books or renew ones I currently had checked out. After a month of asking people to ask people about how I could get my new student card (which, technically I should have had in September before the old one expired!), I finally found out that my card had been waiting for me at the Service & Info Student Center all along. Walked up there yesterday and got it. When the person looked at my passport, went to a box of alphabetical files, drew my card out of the "U" section, and said "There you go", I was a bit worried - the simple physical act of handing over didn't give any indication that my student info had been updated with the fact that my card should now be good until September of next year.

Sure enough, got home, log into my library account, it still says expired. Contacted the library to ask what to do - they say I can come into any library branch, and ask for a new card to be issued (despite the fact that all the website say that the student card doubles as a library card, and no separate card is needed). So I did that this morning - as I thought might happen, they didn't issue me a separate card, but just updated my data. Hooray, now I'm going through October of next year. Went up to the office, logged into my account, and renewed a whole slew of overdue books. Went to request a new book, one which I REALLY NEED to have during the next two weeks, as I'm preparing a talk for 1 December for which I need to quote from this book.

And I'm told "you can't request this because you have too many loans." I have only 50 books checked out. Previously, I'd had 70+ without any problem. Grab some books, go downstairs, return them, send another email to the library saying "Hey! What's up?" Finally am able to request the book I need (I should get it tomorrow, but right now it's still not listed as being retrieved from the stacks, and that's a bit worrisome). Got a response to my email to the library - as of 20 November, people are limited to 50 books at a time.

HOW ON EARTH DO THEY EXPECT ME TO DO ANY RESEARCH WITH ONLY 50 BOOKS AT ONE TIME?!! This is SO frustrating. It seems like at every turn, the library system here is making it harder and harder to actually access any of the information that they have. I'd been finding the 120 day borrowing limit irritating enough, compared to the 3 year limit I had in Madison. And now I can only have 50 books at a time? If I was checking out just logic books or just name/heraldry books, that would be fine, but I have two very active and very disparate research interests in my life, and I want to be able to get books for both!

The email I got says that you can appeal the limit, and once I figure out how to do so, I'm going to. But in the meantime, I'm extremely frustrated and irritated at the whole system.

bizarre kitty

Pretty much from the first day I brought Slinky home from the humane society 5 years ago, she's been a one person kitty. Oh, she'll allow pretty much anyone to pet her for a few moments, especially if they're telling her how pretty and soft she is, but she sleeps with one person, sits on one persons lap, and snuggles with one person, and one person only.

The funny thing is, who that person is changes. For the first year and a half, the only person she had any regular contact with was me. Then Joel appeared. She very quickly decided that when he was around, his was the preferred lap. She'd still sleep with me at nights, but that's 'cause he wasn't around.

When we finally moved in together a few months after marrying, he became her person even more so. If she wasn't on the papasan chair, she was on his lap at the computer. At night she'd sleep on his pillow, and usually, after the lights were off, would carefully groom his hair for a few minutes before settling down.

Our first few months in Amsterdam things were in upheaval for both kitties, sleeping-arrangements-wise, and though they both previously slept with us, neither joined us in bed after we moved until the middle of winter, when I think it finally got cold enough. At this point, Slinky spent most of her time not on laps, but on the couch. Sometime in the middle of spring, she reverted back to having me as her person. When we're at our computers or at the table, it's always my lap she wants to sit on (despite the fact that things are currently arranged so that when I have my keyboard draw pulled out, there simply isn't any lap available, whereas Joel always has space, and quite often when she jumps onto my lap I summarily dump her on the floor). She sleeps with me most nights, and only allows me to pick her up. Every once and awhile she'll climb between us in bed, but usually the arrangement is wall, Joel, me, Slinky, edge of bed.

When I'm gone, if it's cold enough, she has no scruples about switching people - Joel said while I was gone those five days last weekend, she sat on his lap regularly and slept with him at night. Pretty much from the moment I got home, she's stopped sitting on his lap and gets cranky quickly if he tries to pet her.

What a bizarre little kitty I have.