library binge read

the library site says that they do have Ocean Vuong's On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous, but it is "niet beschikbaar voor uitlening". does that mean you can only read it on-site? i wonder if i can binge-read it in one sitting, it's only 246 pages.

one problem: every single seat in the library is permanently occupied by a student with a laptop. i know that the entire Point of libraries is that they're for Everyone, but it still annoys me that so much of it is taken up by students who are just there to study, who really get in the way of us library members with library cards who want to, y'know, borrow books, and maybe sit down for a moment to read a few pages to see if a book is worth borrowing, for example.

niet beschikbaar

turns out niet beschikbaar voor uitlening really does mean that the book isn't beschikbaar. library binge-read didn't happen, didn't find most of the other things i was looking for either. i did pick up two poetry collections (hankin vähän kulttuuria), one of which (by Борис Рыжий) has the Russian originals and Dutch translations side by side. now how do i mark the language of that one in my list of books? (probably just NL, since i don't understand the Russian well enough to really be able to say that i read them.)

the fancy new culture & community centre that the library is now located in is certainly nicer and gezelliger than the old library, but it's so crowded and department store-like.  i constantly feel like i'm in the way there. i mean, i always feel like i'm in the way, but i felt less in the way in the old library than in the new one.

ville à pied

je préfère de loin me déplacer à pied plutôt qu'à vélo. pour commencer je déteste la circulation et j'en ai peur et il est plus facile d'y faire face à pied, pas encombré·e d'un lourd engin qui ne va que tout droit, soit trop vite soit trop lentement.

en plus, j'ai le temps de regarder autour de moi, plus remarquer. j'aime regarder telle maison ou tel immeuble et me demander comment il serait d'y habiter (comment il serait de vivre, d'exister)... ça me donne le sentiment d'être là et d'être présent·e dans la ville.

par contre, je n'aime pas flâner. j'ai toujours le sentiment que je ne suis pas censé·e être là, je suis un·e intrus·e en permanence. il me faut un prétexte pour justifier ma présence.