Around this time, last year, I would be getting ready to go to the library. It would be cold, really cold. Pittsburgh City, snow all around. Strange time to go to the library, you would think. Well, not if you were working there.

My shift was from 12 to 3, weird hours, but nothing that I couldn’t manage. When you have the escort service to take you home, it never is a problem to stay late at campus. So, I would start the walk from my building at 300 S Craig around this time at 11:30PM towards Hunt library. The streets are generally empty at that time of the night, especially on weeknights. Sometimes, I would brave the chilly winds and make it to the library after a lot of struggle.

Eric, my supervisor would go for his break when I take charge of the front desk. Not surprisingly, the undergrads and grad students at CMU work late into the night. After an hour of checking out books and clearing the drop box, I would go to the 2nd floor or the 4th and start shelving books. This is the boring part. After toiling for an hour, I go down and then am free to do my own stuff while helping out folks check books out.

Then, I would do the rounds at half past 2 reminding people that we close in half an hour. Then, at 3:05, when I’ve made sure everybody’s left the library, Eric and me lock the library and we leave. It gets really cold at that time of the night.  Then, the walk back to 300 S Craig. It’s sometimes scary especially when the wind is howling. I get into the Escort shuttle and I’m at home by 4. Then, sleep.

Missing Pittsburgh, missing the hours spent at the library, missing the lonely walks on the cold winter night, missing the good ol’ times. :-(