'unless otherwise directed'
petunia
::31 jan 2007 :: 06:13pm
i own a lot of things. like, a lot. books clothes music purses groceries appliances i just have a lot of stuff. i wonder what it is that compels to surround myself with so many possessions. it seems contradictory that i don't consider myself to be materialistic. maybe my concept of materialism is just off. i don't covet a lot of fancy things or bust my ass to have things to brag about. i just am more comfortable surrounded by stuff.
i've been trying to be thriftier with my book habits. maybe that's not the most optimal place to develop better spending patterns, but it's been quite awhile since i have left B&N with a bulging handle bag. i enjoy re-reading and have been trying to discipline myself into re-reading 4-5 books i already own before buying a (one) new one. it seems to be working. i enjoy old favorites and relish the selection and devouring of something new.
in my younger days (what, am i 80?) i was a bit of a library freak. in the 80s when the world went plastic, my library card was always so cracked and worn that my mom gave me a little plastic case to keep it in. as an adult i haven't been to the library in ages. i don't even have a library card here in staunton, which is almost an embarassment to admit, not only as an avid reader, but as a reading specialist, for goodness' sake.
i am rough on books, though. i almost always tote one with me in my purse (one of the reasons necessitating my large-enough-to-smuggle-a-small-child bags). i eat when i read, i take books to the gym, and they also accompany me into my beloved bubble baths. my books rarely stay pristine. i'd like to think that subconsciously i don't borrow books from the library because i wouldn't be able to treat them as well as i should, but somehow i'm just not that…good.
r and i joined the library in la when she moved in with me. and then we rejoined as soon as we settled up here. for a while, we went pretty much every sat morning — it was the library, the bank and the post office.
recently, because of work, i think, i slowed down with the reading, and thus, the library. im trying to work through some of the books that stacked up on my shelf unread while in la. there are far more than i would like to admit.
also, i will admit to the gs taking up large amounts of my time, esp reading time. oops.
but yeah — join the library stat. i cant believe i went so many years without belonging. so many books borrowed instead — my shelf growth has slowed a lot. which has been of major import to me since moving.
join join join.
Reed gets excited every week to go to the library. We usually get about 10 books or so for the week and he just runs through them. It makes me thankful that libraries were conceived long ago, as I don't know if as a society we are civic-minded enough to proceed with such a venture now, especially when all the 'proud to be an American's are moaning about taxes.
ray — books aren't for a-readin', they're for a-burin'!
a-burin'?
i completely plan on drilling the awesomeness of libraries into my own kids one day. and actually do strongly encourage my students to go there. it seems sadly hypocritical.