WHAT? I can't hear you over the massive front desk in Falvey.
I think a Villanova visit, calls for a Villanova Blog entry. "But Tom, you talk about Nova all the time, mostly in a bad way. Why, the special treatment"? Well, direct observations are so much more enjoyable then basic ideological mockery. And by the picture,you should have realized what this is all about. That's right! Villanova has done the campus some justice and renovated the library! Now even the though the books are from the 1960's, the library itself reflects the modern era. And what categorizes modern? Big, oversized, desks. Oh, and panels made of material. Let's discuss.

I'm not going into the ramifications of renovating the library. Besides the lack of a performing art center, and the lack of housing on campus, the priority here seems to be if you do live on campus (and the housing lottery didn't leave you homeless) you can now have usage of a fantastic new interior design theme...where sub-par educational material lies...and the staff still is a bunch of morons. Sure there's fancy new carpet and they moved some things, but has anything really changed? YES! The little old lady at the door, the gatekeeper who controls this informational homestead now can sit at a huge desk. Just enter and no longer will you have to be subjected to a normal desk. NO! Now you get a Villanova sized desk: big, inappropriate, and fake. Sounds a lot like the campus. Now the little old lady has a lair, a fortress of solitude of sorts, where she can dispense grateful nods when you show her the key, or threaten to take your SS number if you don't have it, and even raise her voice if the alarm beeps. Now you can get the fullest education knowing that yout information resource is well guarded.

But seriously, what were they thinking? The desk is circular and spans from the alcove all the way around and in. Is all that space really required for the librarian who takes a card and swipes it so you can check out? I mean look at that thing! The man in the picture is dwarfed in comparison to that behemoth. It's like a fort! Maybe they are actually hiding something back there? Bin Laden? Money? Babies? Baby geniuses that are the true source of information at the library? Whatever the case it is absurd.

What more is the fabric covered panels on the pillars. Were the marble pillars that much of an eye sore that you need to semi-cover them with grey and maroon fabric squares of various sizes? My personal favorite is the lone maroon one near the elevator; it's like padding for the mentally challenged.

Thank you Villanova for making the future of education so much bigger. As an alumnus I have the satisfaction to say that Villanova has the biggest librarian desk in the universe. And that makes my school a better place.

QUICK NOTE:I hate everyone here. Now here's a great picture!