The filtered San Diego Library

No it is not a view from the  Hyatt or the Sheraton Hotel. It is from the Penthouse floor of the new San Diego library's ninth floor. Today I brown-bagged it with a tuna sandwich, two tangerines, and several walnuts. I saw the Tijuana mountains, the Imperial Transit station and even a Padre hitting a home run.
  Visitors from everywhere marveled at this work of art. A few kids from its charter school sat down and ate their lunch with me. To my right was the Sherman Heights and Logan Hills areas. The prior week I ate at Lolita, just around the corner and the Mission restaurant. This week I needed to save up for a tooth extraction and to make copies of my book, in hopes it would be published.
   Yet the main reason I go there is for the California room. Most of the patrons file into this room to research their ancestry. For me, why just give me a microfilm machine and its accompanied digital computer.It feels like driving a car through the thirties.
   My biggest qualm with the library is there seems to be no dress or conduct code. Why in my day in the 40's you would be thrown out if you misbehaved. Some of the floors are noisier than the others. There is always a parade of people socializing on different floors.
   It just does not feel like a real library. Yet there are up-to-date internet computers willing and able to serve you. You must ignore the noise. It feels like a Farmer's market, but instead of vegetables, you have books.
  The fourth floor offers me the opportunity to browse and read some of my favorite stories. My favorite when teaching English were Wilma Cather, Bret Hart and of course Mark Twain. I read after reserving a computer.
  You are given two hours, but not necessarily at the same time. Your library card number and password logs you on. I have had to move several times as the folks next to me were either too loud or coughing too much.
   Several employees told me the library opened too soon, but dead lines are dead lines. My major qualm is an obdurate librarian in the California room told me in a stern voice not to use the microfiche internet. I told her "no" and that is when she returned with her hired gun, the manager of the California room.
   "I will no longer use the internet if you give me a paper saying it is the rule."
   He returned with the paper. Not only that, but from week to week how long you could stay on the new digital computer changed. None on the staff knew much about this computer. Now for one itching to embellish and corroborate his stories about football in the thirties, it would save time to work the internet while operating the newspaper film. DA DA.
   To make matters worse, When you print something from the computer to the printing machine, it does not come out clear. The California General told me it was impossible to e mail his boss, the director. He interrupted my viewing about the 1936 Roosevelt win against Landon.
   "In no way can you write to the director. We have too many filters to screen you out!"

I thought about Roosevelt's New Deal and our new Obama health care. It is too bad Obama used too many filters. Just maybe his health plan might have worked.