last day of work :(

I will miss you, oh apron coated with stalagmites of glue, oh glue monster with your bone folder of doom, oh various squeaks and creaks of mechanical devices, oh righteous indignation at others' mistreatment of books (ok so I'll never stop having that), but I will miss you, oh Jean-Jacques Rosseau book that I passed on my way to and from work, oh drawers of board and scraps, oh vats of glue, oh preservation lab. I will miss your inhabitants most of all, I think. Book conservation can happen anywhere with the right materials, but it is Andrea, Leah, Donna, and Thu who give this lab its laughter, its disgust at certain presidents we won't mention by name, its friendly conversations, its patience, its skill.

Thank you for allowing me to be a part of it all.