NO LUCK!

Okay, so I've had a pretty unlucky coupla days. And it all pretty much centers around the stupid Mildenhall library... Want to hear all about it?! Of course you do, or else why in the world are you reading my inane blogging?!

SO, for about a week, I have been trying to hunt down the last Harry Potter book so I can re-read it. I had Kurt look at the library for me but not being the aficionado that I am... he came back with the 6th book instead of the 7th.



This is what happens when you have minions... they are often not as competent as you'd like. It is a burden the powerful have to suffer... Strangely enough I think Voldemort would second me on this.



Anyhoo, I graciously decided to forgive Kurt. The 6th book is actually the next movie to come out and I wanted to read it eventually anyway. So, I read it. It was very good. I'm looking forward to the movie. But what I'm still REALLY looking forward to it reading the last book... still.

I woke up on Saturday and thought, "What a lovely morning! Jax and I should walk to the library and get the last Harry Potter book!"



Things started off well... we decided to ride our bikes to the Mildenhall library. Half way through our journey there...



Yes, rain in England- if you can believe it! No problem... you come to expect this sort of thing. I whipped out the rain coats I was carrying and off we went. That is when the pavement started to get uneven...



Between the raincoat, puddles and uneven pavement Jax kept falling off his bike. So, here I am walking two bikes, in the rain with a bleeding child.

But we made it to the library. You might think this is where things pick up... but you'd be WRONG! We get there, shed our rain soaked jackets and I start searching for the card catalogue. There isn't one. So, I have to bother the front desk guy. The exchange is as follows:

Front Desk Guy says, "Do you have a library card?"
Soaking Wet Me said, "No, I need to acquire one."
FDG say, "You need photo ID and proof of residence."
I say, "I don't have that... didn't think you needed ID for being able to READ."
FDG says, I will paraphrase, "Then you aren't getting any books today SUCKA!"
I cry quietly and die a little inside.

I call my friend and neighbor Jo to come and collect Jax for me, who by the way is not any more pleased to be leaving the library with no books than I am. Jo really saved the day on this one...



Poor lady wasn't even out of her jammies yet! She kindly lent me the 5th book to tide me over. So I was alright. I woke up today, my day off, the last Monday of school... and it's sunny again! I thought to myself, "I'll drop Jax off at school and then hit the library!" Grabbed some ID, proof of residence and a DNA sample should they need it and off we went. Walked all the way to the library and whatever do you suppose?! THAT'S RIGHT FOLKS-



Frick.

Who the heck is closed for business on a Monday of all days?! I'm beginning to imagine there are conspiracy theories at work here...

So, I decided to walk to my friend Kris's house. Now, Kris has Jo's copy of the last Harry Potter book. He's had it for ages and hasn't finished it. I've been trying to get it off him for ages! I decide that if I bang on his door he'll have no choice but to hand it over. As I walk along I begin to notice that I have accidentally put on the flip-flops that give me blisters after walking long distances.



I get to Kris The Slow Reader's home and, of course, he isn't there. I call him- no answer. Someone must have tipped him off. The windows to his house are open. I sit and ponder whether there is automatic prosecution for breaking and entering in this country. I wonder if I should ask the neighbor who is eyeing me conspicuously whether she might supervise my B&E so as to witness I only leave with the book for which I came. I picture headlines that read, "Harry Potter Nerd Arrested for Theft...".

I limp home to spread news of my tragedy. Defeated.

!!!UPDATE!!! After taking a SECOND journey to Kris The Slow Reader's house and having to arrange a meeting time with his flatmate... to my chagrine I found that the book Slow Reader had was in fact the SIXTH NOT FINAL BOOK!! It was the wrong one!!!!!!!!!

So, I arrived angrily at my house. My family only saved from my ire by the fact that we encountered an ice cream van on the way home... I called around to the bookstore on base. They shut in 2 minutes. Unless I had a time-turner it wasn't gonna happen. So, I made one last desperate call back to the base library. The very nice lady informed me they WERE open and they DID have the book I wanted and she set it aside for me... I went and got it.

I AM VICTORIOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!