PART ONE: Other libraries.

So I made it to my public library, and OMG! This new place is amazing!  They just moved it to a new, larger facility down the street from the original location, and I got to admit that the new building is fantastic! It even still has that new building smell! I'll definitely have to explore after writing this long awaited blog.

As Rick mentioned in his blog about his public library, it definitely feels weird being here and probably being the only college student graduate here (parents and the librarians don't count).  The high school students just got out of school within the past hour and a bunch of them are here homeworkin' it.  They've got about a week of school left.

I'm also like the only one with a laptop, which is totally different from UP since everyone brought their laptop with them. Sometimes the whole top balcony you could just see heads peering over laptops. It was always funny when Rick and I would notice a whole row of Macs...haha!  Kinda like this:

That was taken that one night with the dirt cups...hahahaha good time! ;)

Alright...so wow! Just noticed the stained glass windows here, and the image is books! How cool! I swear this library just got a whole lot cooler by moving to this new location...






So to start off this finale, let's glance at some other libraries locally (Portland area) and around the country...then bring it back to UP.

Remember when I kept going to the Multnomah County Library to do research for my capstone?  I really enjoyed going to that library and looking at magazines from the 1940s.  I know Rick really wanted to come with me for a field trip to this library, but we never got the chance.  One day buddy...you'll see the County Library.  It's really easy to get to, even from the Max - Bus 35 to Red, stop at like 10th.  Something like that.  Anyway, most of the time I drove down there (thanks Colin!).  Thank goodness there was a parking garage only a block away.  So here's the library:

Other libraries that I've seen include...

1. Harvard University - Widener Library
That one had a real interesting story, combining it with the Titanic. Crazy huh?  Didn't get to see the inside of that, but it was just cool being there.





2. Boston Public Library
Didn't get a chance to go inside this one either, but when I was in Boston for NACA Nationals, we passed by it a couple of times. It looked like a huge library! Looks pretty magnificent at night, eh? I'm not sure how it comes with the next one on this list...




3. New York Public Library
I didn't go to New York this year, but I did go to the New York Public Library when I was there during Spring Break 2009.  It was amazing!  They have a mini-museum, where my cousins and I learned about Art Deco, an art style that was particularly popular in the 1920s and 1930s.  You can see Art Deco all over NYC, especially in the Empire State Building and Rockefeller, since those skyscrapers were established during that time period.  Ah! LOVE HISTORY...guess that's why I was a history minor! Anywho...it was neat being there too!

4. McGill University in Montreal, Canada
During the summer of 2009, I studied abroad in Montreal, and sometimes my friends and I would head over to the library to hold some legit study groups.  I only went into one room in this library because it was HUGE, and I couldn't find the other rooms.  Anyway, this room had a study room in the MIDDLE of the room. It was blocked off with sound proof glass!  My friends and I liked to quote Anchorman when we were in there. hahaha Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of the library. :(

5. UCSD
I forget which library I was in, but there was a TON of places for people to sit and do there homework.  Since I came to visit the week before finals, the place was CROWDED. Seriously. Every spot was practically filled.  I wonder if people who didn't even know each other were sitting at the same table...? Anyway, there were these cubbies with computers and were like the only spaces open, so I busted out my homework there.  Seemed more like a gigantic study area rather than a library. Where were all the books?

So of all these libraries, none of them had the same community feeling that the library at the University of Portland had.  Sure, our library wasn't top of the line like some libraries, but it was good enough for what it was.  It became like a second home to me, especially during my final semester at UP. 

I ended up spending more time there in one semester than any of my previous semesters at UP. I can't even fathom how many hours I've spent in the library.  It's so crazy, but nevertheless, I've really enjoyed it.  :)

This is the beginning of my closing posts to The Adventures of Rick and Tarra. Stay tuned for the next part.

Welcome back to Portland!

It's 10:33 p.m., and I'm super tired. I mean seriously, my body thinks it's like 1:30 a.m. Darn jet lag. I felt like a zombie walking to the library tonight, but I felt that I needed to have some library adventures with Rick, since he went almost a whole week without me.

So yes, we are reunited on the second balcony and took a snazzy picture in the library!

Awesome, yeah?? The glasses are straight from NACA Nationals! Yeah, Boston! Woot! :)

I kinda miss the East Coast, even though we had beautiful weather here today. I guess I just liked taking a break from school and being on CPB business. It's pretty awesome!

On the other hand, my friends miss me a lot when I'm gone. I really had no idea how much of an impact I had on the community here at UP. It's pretty amazing.

My friends abducted me last night as a way of welcoming me back. They blindfolded me and carried me away in a car with "so and so" - whoever that is. I was pretty much terrified the whole time, even though I was with people I trust. "So and so" ended up being Colin. I kinda figured that out when Kristina said his name and when he touched my knee. I also figured out that we were going to VooDoo Donuts, but they said we weren't. Where else are you going to go in Portland around midnight on a Wednesday? I'm pretty sure that's like the only place open...well, maybe. Anywho, point being...it was an interesting way to be welcomed back home! Thanks! :)

Alright well, better get back to work before I crash in the library. I hope I get over this jet lag ends soon. As fascinating as it is, it's kinda detrimental to my studies.

Oh so Rick got a new ID card because he lost his other one in Kristina's room. He got a new picture and everything. And then...Kristina found his old one. Oh well...he has a better picture now. YAY! Check it out...

Alrighty then, I'm gonna go read. Let the adventures continue! ;)

P.S. Yawns are contagious. Just think about it. You know you want to yawn now.

Commenting from the East Coast...

So while Rick has been having solo adventures in the library, I've been in Boston! Sad times to be separated, but not really...!? I mean seriously...look at all the people he keeps running into in there! Sheesh! I really miss our adventures, and it's only been one weekend.

Anywho, I'm living it up at NACA Nationals...haha...riiight! It's SNOWING right now!

Whoa!...it's pretty awesome! I have so much to share, but I have to get ready for an educational session that I'm attending.

Well, happy Mardi Gras! Have fun today folks! ;)