A Pleasantly HOT Bike Ride With Indian Ghosts & TV Crews After A Vexing Library Experience Thinking About Going To Phoenix

Video Crew At Village Creek

My temperature monitoring device indicated the outer world was feeling like a 107 degrees around 5 this afternoon. The real temperature was only 96.

So, I decided to escape air-conditioned comfort and go warm up by riding my bike with the Indian Ghosts at the Village Creek Natural Historical Area.

But, before I visited the Indian Ghosts I went to my neighborhood Fort Worth Public Library because I was in dire need of reading material.

My neighborhood public library is quite nice.

Except for one thing.

Waiting in a long line to check out books. Very inefficient. I know that self checkouts have arrived in Texas, because I have seen them. Fort Worth needs to upgrade.

I was, eventually, at the head of the long library line. I sort of inadvertently started a minor revolt when I turned around and said this library needs a self check out line. Suddenly the line of waiters got loud, sharing their experiences in other, more modern, libraries, in other towns, more modern than Fort Worth.

Like Arlington and Grapevine.

I saw a sort of odd thing (picture above) when I exited the Village Creek trail onto the Bob Findlay Linear Park Pioneer Trail. There was a lighting set up for TV filming, with an old geezer, in a suit, being a talking head to a camera. This was in front of the informational memorial type installation that explains who Bob Findlay was and how he created Interlochen.

Changing the subject back to my bike ride.

I'd forgotten how pleasant it is to ride a bike when it is HOT. You stay cool as long as you are moving. But, when you stop, you're an instant sweat monkey.

I got back here to find a pleasant surprise in my email. My baby sister emailed asking if there was any chance I could join her, Kristin, Ruby Jean, Theo John and David Jay in Phoenix in December.

I think that is very doable. I have not yet met my two new nephews and niece.

Spencer Jack's favorite uncle, that being my nephew, Joey, texted me last night with a question about Dallas. So, I called him back and had myself a fine time talking to Joey.

The subject of Joey going to Phoenix, came up. Methinks maybe Joey should also go to Phoenix in December. If Joey's big brother, Spencer Jack's dad, and Spencer Jack, also journeyed to Phoenix in December, that would have only one of my closest relatives remaining in Washington, that being my oldest sister, who is currently lost somewhere in the wilds of British Columbia, trying to find her way to Alaska.

The 2nd Monday Of December With Warmer Temperatures & Fort Worth Star-Telegram Library Propaganda

The view from my primary viewing portal on the outer world on the 2nd Monday of the last month of 2011 indicates Day 12 of December is going to be yet one more nice rain-free day in Texas.

That is scheduled to change tomorrow, according to the weather prognosticators. Tuesday's temperature high is supposedly going to reach 62 degrees, with the low being 58, which according to my swimming protocols indicates I will be able to go swimming Wednesday morning, due to the 24 hour average being over 50.

I can not go swimming this morning without violating the swimming protocols, because it is currently only 46 degrees. I don't think we got over 50 yesterday.

Changing the subject from my favorite one to Fort Worth's library system.

This morning I was a bit surprised to read the following in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram...

A little more than a year ago, the city was contemplating closing libraries and reducing hours.

But after the public made it clear that it sees libraries as essential services, those branches stayed open and the hours were restored.

Now, the City Council is poised Tuesday to approve a library master plan that includes remodeling and adding facilities and possibly pairing branches with other city departments in multipurpose facilities.

The above excerpt of propaganda from the Star-Telegram  pseudo-newspaper brought to mind the following lyrics from the John Mayer song Waiting on the World to Change...

Cause when they own the information, oh
They can bend it all they want

The city "contemplated" closing libraries and reducing hours? Is not the non-propaganda version the fact that the city did close libraries and did reduce hours?

It is true the some of the public made clear they were appalled at the shoddy way the City of Fort Worth was handling its libraries.

The cutbacks have been quite noticeable at my neighborhood East Regional Fort Worth Public Library. Fewer books on the shelves, fewer periodicals, fewer hours open, fewer days open.

And now the Star-Telegram is reporting that the City Council is poised tomorrow to approve a $58 million library master plan to remodel and add facilities, among other things. If the money can be found in these troubling economic times.

Enough of that.

I wish I could go swimming now and purge my aggravation via salubrious aerobic stimulation.

WEATHER UPDATE The weather prognosticators have disillusioned me. The morning my post dawn blue sky optimism saw no chance of rain today. By 8 this morning wet drops were falling.

A Kid Locked Out Of A Fort Worth Library Seeks Wi-Fi Refuge On The Ground

You are looking out my windshield, which is why the picture looks a little unclear.

Is that a homeless person sitting on the ground?

No.

I had a couple books due tomorrow. So, on my way to the Tandy Hills I dropped the books off. Of course, since it is Friday, the Fort Worth Library East Regional Branch is closed.

As I pulled into the empty library parking lot I saw the kid sitting on the grass, headphones over his ears, laptop computer sitting on the ground.

Why this kid is not in school, I do not know. Is Fort Worth closing its schools on Fridays, like the library?

The library wi-fi must remain up and running, even when the library is closed. This was the only reason I could think of why the kid would be sitting on the ground with his laptop.

Or, since this was before noon, was the kid erroneously sitting there thinking the library was going to open?

Early Saturday Morning With The Parker County Peach Festival & My Supposedly Expired Fort Worth Library Card

The sun was just starting to light up the place when I stepped out on the patio this morning. As you can see, it is cloudy.

A lot of rain fell Friday afternoon at my location. With one extremely close, extremely loud, lightning strike.

The Parker County Peach Festival is today in Weatherford. I have gone to the Peach Festival twice. I don't think I'll be going today.

I've had some more vexation with the Fort Worth Library system. Last night I went to renew a book that is due today. The website would not let me renew.

Because my library card expires on July 12.

Why would my library card expire? All the years I lived in Mount Vernon, in Washington, my library card never expired. I think I've had this Fort Worth library card less than 5 years. It's not like a driver's license where they need to check my eyesight to make sure I am still able to read.

So, we have a town that cuts back library hours due to budget woes, yet wastes time and resources to re-issue library cards which are functioning fine?

Unlike my driver's license or a bank card I see no expiration date on my Fort Worth library card.

Very perplexing.

Fort Worth's Strange Library Priorities

I'd planned to go to the library today. To return some books and get some new ones. And make some copies of a report I'm filing with the FBI, well, some police agency, I'm pretty sure it's probably not the FBI.

As I zipped east on I-30 I passed my neighborhood library, it being the Eastside branch, I saw only 2 cars in the parking lot, thus indicating the library was closed.

I thought maybe it'd be open later, so I checked the hours on the Fort Worth Library website to learn only 4 of Fort Worth's libraries are open today.

And all Fort Worth libraries will be closed on Friday.

As you can read above, in a clip taken from the library website, 2010 budget cuts require a reduction in operating hours and services for most city departments.

This at the same time that Fort Worth's mayor, Mike Moncrief, is pushing the Fort Worth City Council to approve a $10.7 million gift for RadioShack.

Now, I'm of the opinion that library hours are the last thing you want to be cutting back on in a city that likes to see itself as the Envy of the World.

When Lisa Simpson goes to visit her Springfield library she usually is all alone in there. My neighborhood library is not like Lisa's. When it is open there are always a lot of people in there. I'll see moms helping kids with homework. All the computer stations being used. Others who bring in their laptops to use the Wi-Fi.

Where do all those people go when the library is closed? My neighborhood library usually opens at noon. You will actually see people lined up waiting for the doors to open. Opening a library is a good thing. It should be open often. And for a lot of hours.

Maybe if Mike Moncrief donated half of his conflict of interest earnings that he makes from all the gas companies that drill in his town, that he should not be taking money from, due to that conflicts of interest thing, maybe that money could keep the libraries open more often.