Since the forecast in Melbourne was for 37 degrees C (it ended up reaching 37.8), I considered going to the state library for the day to study. After another sleep in, I decided against this plan because:1) Chris and Amanda's apartment wasn't too warm
2) I didn't have a lock for the laptop and
3) My pepsi max supply was also at Chris and Amanda's.
About lunchtime, I decided to wander into town on the quest for food and trashy magazines to read on the plane. I wandered down Albert (which turns into Lonsdale), and then realised that I was only a block from the library... so I decided to visit.
The state library would have to be one of my favourite places in Melbourne. The first time I visited it I spent a long time admiring the old books on display (while the others all went to check out the Ned Kelly suit of armour upstairs, which I briefly looked at and then returned to the old books). This has become a favourite memory of Karen and I: after I made the mistake of telling her about a I dream I had where she exclaimed "I'm sick of you and your old books!" it became a favourite line of hers.
Upon entering the library today, I was very pleased to discover that the old book exhibition I had thought was temporary (Mirror of the World) is actually a permanent feature of the library. After wandering around the library for a little while (including the LaTrobe reading room, which is where I had planned to study because of the awesomeness), I headed upstairs to visit the old books. The really old books are the same (as far as I remember) - the oldest I saw on display is from 1297. After spending some time admiring the REALLY old books, I continued on.
Not having the time pressures of my last visit, I was able to fully appreciate the other exhibit the level above the old books, which is all to do with Victoria and Victorian history. As well as the Ned Kelly suit of armour, there are several other interesting items on display. I was especially amused by a journal kept by a young lady in about 1916. She made many references to "mashing", which is apparently a (very) old fashioned term for flirting.
Once I had exhausted the possibilities of the Victoria exhibit, I went back to Mirror of the World. Some of the newer portions of the exhibit have changed, and I was intrigued to see a macbook on display. It is apparently the laptop which Peter Carey used when writing "My Life as a Fake and "Theft: A Love Story". Eventually, I decided that I was done with the old books, and left the library.
After purchasing the magazines (and listerine) I went back to the apartment. I'm now watching the T20 game (live from the Gabba) and getting ready for the next leg of my travels. Wednesday 14th January sure will be an epic day for me: it will last 40 hours, of which a little over 20 hours will be spent on a plane. Add in a further 5.5 hours of waiting in airports, and I'm picturing myself half dead by the time I arrive in Roanoke.
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