January 24th - Trae

I'm a bookworm, which means that one of the great perks of working for a university is access to all of the materials that they have here.  Movies and records and journals and articles, and of course stacks and stacks of books, all at my fingertips.

I've gotten to know a few of the librarians quite well.  They'll request items for me (mostly comic books), and we'll chit-chat about how things are going in our respective areas.  We'll talk about our favorite movies or if a new book has come out that we have to read.  In another life, I was a librarian, so I consider them "my people."

One of the librarians I don't get to see too often because he works the midnight to 8am shift here on campus, and I am am usually not here during those hours.  So when he got off of work yesterday, Trae, the librarian in question, and I sat down to talk before he went home.




Trae

Trae grew up in the area and has been working at working at HPU for six years.  He started here on an internship for a year, and then moved to working full time.  He attended Guilford College for his undergraduate degree, and then went to UNC Greensboro for his two masters degrees (one in Conflict and Peace Studies, and the other in Library Sciences).

Lars: What made you go into being a librarian?

Trae: It was a stop gap on the road to something else, to be honest, but I really enjoy it. I skipped a few grades growing up, so I graduated early. My original intention was to be a couples and family counselor, but I realized no one would come to me because I was too young.  I didn't have the life experience on my own so I wouldn't be taken seriously.

I got a scholarship for the library sciences degree, so I thought okay, I'll do that next.  It has helped me with research skills towards possibly working on a PhD one day.  I'd like to get back to that counseling role, because I have zero interest in teaching.

We talked about my own experience in working here at High Point University, and it came up that Trae thought that I was a professor.

Trae: Wait, what? You're not a professor? You talk and explain things that way, I really thought you were.

So I have found my calling.  I'm not actually going to get my PhD or become a professor.  Instead, I'm just going to make people think that I have or think that I am.

As I mentioned, Trae works the night shift at the library. 

Lars: What's that like? Was it an easy transition to make?

Trae: I've always worked the night shift here, and it took me about a month to get used to it.  I like not having to deal with traffic on my way into work. I keep a similar schedule as first shift people. I usually make all of my meals, so that's what I'll do first when I go home.  I'll catch up on TV from the night before.  Then I'll have some chamomile tea and get to sleep around 2pm.

I like that I'm doing something a little unconventional. The library at night is a different place. I'm my own boss at night. I get to make all of the decisions, which is nice. And I feel that I am uniquely suited to work with those late night students hopped up on Mountain Dew and not at their best. I can use my peace and conflict background to bring them back to center.

What's your favorite joke?

Trae: I don't really have a favorite joke, but I do like this classic line.  So Bette Davis and Joan Crawford had a feud for decades, and they hated each other  After Joan Crawford dies, Bette Davis was asked how she felt. 

And she said, "You're only supposed to say good things about the dead. Joan Crawford is dead. Good."

What's a meal that reminds you of home?

Trae: My mom makes mac and cheese differently than other people and it's different than any other mac and cheese that I've had before.  She uses chicken stock instead of boiling water, so it makes it really creamy and thick, it's so good.

Will the world be better or worse in 20 years?

Trae:  Better. Yes. More than likely better.  I think that there will probably be a series of natural disasters will finally push us towards dealing with climate change. It'll too hard to ignore. The fact that there is a debate on it now incenses me to no end. It effects everyone and everything. That shouldn't be politicized.

What's the most significant event that took place last year?

Trae: I turned 30. And that meant that I got to leave behind a lot of stuff from my 20s that I didn't want anymore. I got to look forward to the next phase of my life.  My life will still be eventful but in less harrowing ways, which I'm really looking forward to. It's nice to look back from my last significant birthday, which was 21, and see how much I've grown, That makes me feel better about growing older.

Our conversation turned to recommendations for books and movies and TV shows (as it should with any librarian).

Trae: I read a lot of comic books, but I'm trying to get more into novels again. I had a conversation with a coworker about this the other day and I decided that I need to be reading more novels.  It comes from looking for more challenging TV.

Something I haven't got into but I know that I should is Twin Peaks.

Lars: You haven't seen Twin Peaks?! You've gotta check it out.  It always amazed me that a show like that was on broadcast, network television, it looks nothing like what was on at that time.  And now they're making a new miniseries of it!

Trae: I know, I've got cultural FOMO, I've got to check it out.

Trae: I've actually got a short existential question for you.\

Lars: Let's hear it.

Trae: Ok, what killed my love of reading novels was Atlas Shrugged.  I'm reading it and the whole time I'm thinking "I hate this, I hate this, I hate this."  So, my question is, what makes a good book?

Lars: Wow, that's a good one.  I've gotten to a point in my life where I will give a book a shot for a chapter or two.  But if it doesn't hook me in pretty quickly, I put it aside.  I have a finite amount of years and an infinite amount of books, so I need to make sure I'm using my time wisely.

I think it's the dialogue and the characters that make something worth reading. If I can believe the dialogue, if it's interesting or exciting or different, then I'll keep reading.  And if the characters are interesting or exciting or different or I want to root for them, then I'll keep reading.

Lars: Do you have a book that you've read recently that you would recommend?

Trae: The Devourers by Indra Das.  The author is an Octavia Butler Scholar and I've been reading all her books so I thought I would give this one a shot.

This is a gross simplification, but it's about pansexual werewolves...

Lars: You had me at pansexual werewolves...

Trae was incredibly dry and witty and was a blast to talk to.  He gave me great recommendations (I've already checked out the podcast he loves about a son who reads his father's poorly-written, erotic novella chapter by chapter and it's hilarious). He also gave me insight into what goes on here at the university after I go home.

He gets to witness students that are stressed out and at their wit's end.  They're trying like hell to finish up a paper that is due in just a few hours, or they're pulling all-nighters to study for exams that could decide their fate in a certain class that could have implications for if they graduate on time.  It's good to know that there's someone like Trae there at the library desk, to offer counsel, advice, and maybe a wise crack that can help bring those students back off the ledge.