Looking for a (quiet) place to happen...

Lately, I have in search of a quiet place to sit and do some writing and thinking. Not that my self-absorbed scratchings (or key-tappings) amount to anything more than just that, but I find it relaxing, kind of therapeutic and, dare I say, constructive. The problem is that I really need to be in a place that is devoid of distractions. This means that I cannot do much at home. There are far too many other things to do for a life-long procrastinator like me. When we lived at UBC (and at other times in the past) I used to take myself off to Koerner Libary and hide in a carrel on the 4th floor (Silent study: Literature).

Silent study at Koerner Library

In my other life I think I would be a librarian. I enjoy libraries and being surrounded by shelves of books. And, as I discovered long ago, unless it's time to cram students don't really have much use for them. But I have always loved the quiet; the tip-tapping of computer keys, the soft squeak of a highlighter pen, the occasional cough, or sigh, the shuffling of paper, whispers here and there; a general hush on all movements and sounds, "small, private noises which only served to define the silence" to quote Terry Pratchett. Time seemed to move a little slower. If I took a break I could stare out the window at people meandering in library square, or I could walk up and down the aisles and randomly select books with curious titles like, "Consuming fictions : gender, class, and hunger in Dickens's novels." (okay, that is technically procrastination). There were no other distractions like buying coffee or snacks. Open until 11pm. All printers and machines that have annoying beeps situated downstairs. Help desks and talking areas located on the ground floor or lower floors. Perfect.

I shouldn't make excuses, but breast cancer came along and my life got tilted and, though it has been months since the radiation treatments finished, I just haven't yet got back into the groove. I've hardly managed to do anything creative at all. Of course summer came along (more excuses), and I've been busy with the kids (blah blah). Essentially, I have been lazy.

So in the spirit of discovery I have been looking for somewhere local to sit for a few hours. The other week I thought I would try Calhouns on Broadway. It's a cabin-style coffee shop/restaurant that appears to be used mostly as a library or a place of study. Open 24 hours and used by enough people to create a kind of white noise. It seemed to be the answer to my search. If I go to a smaller coffee shop then I will inevitably be distracted by the conversation of the few people there...because I am nosey and will eavesdrop. I set out at around 7pm, enjoying the walk along Broadway; the end of day bustle as stores closed and restaurants slowly began to fill. However, when I entered Calhouns I was surprised to find it completely full. Every single table was taken up by people with laptops and crowded with scattered books and papers. No sign of anyone actually buying anything. No wonder UBC library was so empty! Not one free table. Apparently, Calhoun's is relatively empty at around 3AM. Given that I am up many a night at 3AM (it's my favourite time to worry) I should probably just go there. My anxieties could be accompanied by a tasty bite to eat and a hot beverage in quite pleasant surroundings. Something to think about.



Calhouns most of the time...

The interior of Calhoun's....at 3AM!

But that evening (and probably every evening) there was no space for me. I had to slope off to Kitsilano library. Local public libraries offer a certain charm  (I enjoy most libraries), but for various reasons they are not conducive to quiet "study". They also close early at 9pm and they don't usually provide areas for quiet study (the central library is an exception, of course). Another problem I find with the local public library is that they also seem to appeal to a curious mix of people who under other circumstances I might possibly try to avoid. For example, I find it difficult to concentrate at my shared (ugh!) table when the other occupant suddenly breaks out into manic chuckles, stops abruptly to glare at me with a crazed look in her eyes, before burying her head back into a well-thumbed gardening magazine. And even my ipod cannot drown out the sound of the nearby man in a shabby brown overcoat, hunched over some kind of package, snuffling and chewing open-mouthed on what I can only assume is food. Or the person at the other end of the library noisily clearing his sinuses. Nor the smell of the "computer guy" who is always crouched over one of the computers playing role-playing games (and I've seen him at UBC library too); emanating the kind of unwashed staleness reminiscent of a teenage boy's bedroom. And let's not forget the Loud-Irrelevant-Question-Asker, "THE KEY IS GONE AND THE WASHROOM DOOR IS LOCKED...IS THERE ANYONE IN THERE?" sigh...I think I will have to go back to UBC, which means driving...or biking. It would be good to make it a routine again. A resolution for the new year then. Although, I suppose even spending time looking for a place to go is a form of procrastination. I am hopeless.


Koerner Library, UBC