Stupid Electronic Systems

I went to the library the other day to pick up the fourth Twilight book. Finally, it was ready for me. Ok, I shouldn't say finally since I only put in my request for the first book ohhhh two weeks ago, but I get impatient when I'm waiting for a book.

I have a system at the library. The wee ones are only allowed to check out four books at a time. This makes it pretty easy for me to know where our books are that need to be returned and also to be sure that I don't accidentally forget to return one.

Now that Mister Man has his own library card, I've upped it from four total to four apiece. It's worked out fairly well so far. The library has a new system of electronic self checkout where you can look up info on your account as you check out.

My new system is to check out the new books, then look at how many books I have checked out. When I did this after checking out Breaking Dawn, I was mildly alarmed to see eight books checked out.

How do I have eight books checked out? Did I accidentally check out Mister Man's books on my library card? Fortunately, you can not only see the number of books checked out but -- if you pretend you're going to renew them -- you can also see the specific titles.

I skimmed through the titles quickly. Four books for Little Miss. Check. Breaking Dawn. Check. Love and Logic Book. Check. The Kings Man (a Sharon Kay Penman book I had gotten the last visit). Check. The Devil's Brood. Uhhh, what?

I looked more closely at it. The books were all due on May 26. Except The Devil's Brood. That one was due May 14. Uhhh, I only checked out books for myself one time. The Devil's Brood isn't my book!

How can I return a book I didn't ever check out? I began hyperventilating, imagining the fees the library would charge to replace the book. Stupid self-checkout. I must have somehow forgotten to click "Done" at the end of one of my sessions with the wee ones and someone had checked out a book on my account, obviously intending to steal it.

I hate people. What's wrong with them that they would do this? And how stupid was I to forget to click the button that ensured no one else could check out a book under my account. I so wish they were still using the system where the librarians checked out each person.

I stewed about this the whole way home. I woke up in the middle of the night freaking out about it. Yes, I know it's silly, but this is how I deal with things I've done "wrong."

This morning I finished The King's Man and started the next book in the pile. It took me about three chapters before I realized that I was reading The Devil's Brood.

Oh. Yeah. I remember now. I chose two Sharon Kay Penman novels when I checked out books. That way I had four books, too, just like the wee ones. Two novels of hers, the Love and Logic book, and Twilight.

Yeah.

I guess people aren't so bad after all.