I’m in the library. As I have been for at least two hours. Not necessarily studying. I have a huge gap between classes today because discussions do not begin the first week. Gap from 9:30AM to 7PM. Yeah, it’s pretty bad. But I have a Spanish placement test today that I forgot I should have been studying for like, over the spring break. The point of the placement test was to get placed into the most advanced class of the first series of Spanish. I have taken 2 years in high school and no one told me you needed 3 to graduate at a UC school. So, here I am, stuck with having to take language all over again, unless I can get placed pretty high. Of course, a lot can go out the window in 2 years. I should have studied! I think it was a subconscious effort to “forget” to study for it.

So anyways, I’ve been trying to brush up some Spanish while I’m here. My test is at 5PM. Yes, although studying at the library too much can drive you crazy, I’ve got a real crazy person to talk about.

I was on the third floor sitting at a nice couch, until I was disturbed by a woman in a couch next to me. She seemed to be on the phone laughing hysterically and whispering. At times she’d quiet down as if she was listening to the person on the other line, or hush the person while laughing and saying “Please, I’m in the library.” This went on for at least half an hour to an hour and it was really starting to bother me. So I glanced over at her and I might have an idea of who she is.

Last quarter while studying on the third floor of this same library, there was a woman who would walk along the bookshelves, speaking nonsense into her cellphone. Really weird stuff like, “Look, I’ve had a great life with you, but it’s time to move on. Stop harassing me. Don’t bring my family into this.” etc etc. Mixed in there would be sentences of nonsense. She was extremely loud and I couldn’t figure out why she was doing that in a library. Then finally she returned her cellphone to a student and thanked them for letting her borrow it. That wasn’t even her cellphone! If it had been me, I would have been very uncomfortable after she ran away with my cellphone for who knows how long, loudly speaking nonsense into it. I’m sure the student felt like that, too. My boyfriend and I are pretty certain she is a hobo (if you are unfamiliar with this, yes, homeless folks sometimes frequent public libraries) who is not right in the head.

Now that I think of it, earlier today when I saw her again on the couch, her hysterical laughing was paired with loud whispers that didn’t sound like words at all.

I hate to think she’s going through some sort of dementia or schizophrenia. It’s not going to be pretty down the line…

Note to self: avoid third floor.