Clash of Ideals

Greetings folks!

I thought I'd kick off my (real) blogging in 2011 with something nonsensical:  a discussion of the ongoing Cola War in the library.

A few weeks back, I wrote about the nature of caffeine usage in the library.  I didn't go into much detail at the time, but the majority of caffeine consumed in the library comes in one of two isotopes:  Pepsi or Coca-Cola -- and therein lies the conflict.

The library is in the midst of a Cola War, and has been for some time.  In many superficial ways, it's like any other ongoing war.  There are a few gung-ho combatants on either side, separated by many people who are indifferent (or have a mild preference for one side).  Civilians are often drawn into the war regardless of their wishes.  There are often silly battles fought for dubious goals, and the likelihood of having a clear winner is low.

==The Battle==

In the early days of the war (August 2008), a prominent member of the Red Army quit the war.  Her loss was mourned, as the ranks of the Red Army were depleted.

The newcomer on the battlefield officially pledged allegiance to neither side, and indeed, patronized both.  However, it quickly became clear he was sympathetic toward the goals of the Blue Army.  In the weeks and months that followed, this new entrant stepped up the Blue campaign through the use of extensive propaganda.

In March 2010, the neutral head of the peacekeeping force between the warring sides retired.  Unaware of the newcomer's sympathy towards the Blue Army, the committee named him as the interim commander of the peacekeeping force.  This act set the stage for the final defeat of the Red Army.  However, a combination of apathy and budgetary constraints limited the commander to brief skirmishes against the Red Army combined with an ongoing propaganda campaign.

This state of affairs continued unaltered until November 2010.  At that time, the interim commander joined the ranks of the Blue Army and stepped down to make way for a new commander.  She quickly professed her total support for the Red Army.  The forces of the south have risen again, and the battle continues on.....

==Reality Goggles On==

When I started working at the library in 2008, I was replacing a Coke fan.  Originally I was a Pepsi fan, but then switched to Coca-Cola when Vanilla Coke was released.  When Vanilla Coke was taken off the market (truly a sad day), my preference drifted until I ended up consuming both brands roughly equally.  Even though I still drink both, I'm officially a Pepsi fan while working at the library.

When I started at the library, Rebekah was an ardent Coke fan, and it was fun to bug her about it.  The high point was when Michelle (one of our pages at the time) and I placed a skeleton in Rebekah's chair before Halloween.  The skeleton had a can of Pepsi taped to its hand and a sign around its neck that said "Even the undead prefer Pepsi".  I continued making signs in this style for a variety of objects (a mummy, a roll of bubble wrap, and a stick horse).

As interim head librarian, I made a number of jokes about making Pepsi the official cola of the library or approaching Pepsi for sponsorship (after which we'd have to ban Coca-Cola from the library).  Of course, none of these jokes even came close to coming true.

Paula was hired as head librarian in November 2010, and last week I learned that she's also a Coca-Cola fan.  She joked that when she's at restaurants and they ask if Pepsi is okay, she says "Well, it's not okay, but that's how things are."

So I guess what I'm saying is that we *won't* be painting the library in Pepsi colours any time soon.