Saturday, February 9, 2008

...why don't you throw them away?

I'm moving in a few weeks. Had to think about it long and hard, but the only thing holding me here was my husband. Strange what we do for love. I'd never wanted to move to Virginia, but now--so much of my life is here. I like the food and hick-town atmosphere. Traffic is nowhere near as horrible as I-5, and the cost of living is low. But I could use family right now, and considering how long I've been away, the thought scares me.

On one hand, I want to go back, on the other--it's a bunch of people who might ask me things I don't want to talk about, and won't go away. Friends--and yeah, Cowboy, I'm talking about you--are the family we would have chosen, substitute brothers and sisters, moms and dads. You don't get a choice at birth. It's like roulette--if you don't like it, that's too damned bad.

Outside of my constant internal gibbering, I have to move my library. Hundreds of pounds of paperbacks, hardbacks, magazines, misc paper, maps and reference books. So far I've filled over fifteen fifty pound boxes. My hall is a fortress. Everyone who looks at the boxes asks why I don't start over. Books, they say. You can buy more. My babies, I say. I know every story, every plot line, every word and picture. A couple of decades back I bought a first edition copy of Captain Blood by Rafael Sabatini. It was printed in 1920, has the original photo-play ('das 1920's modern-speak for "movie") pictures, and there's a dust jacket. The dust jacket is amazing.

Cowboy says my bookshelves look primeval, like a forerunner of other people's bookshelves, all piled in stacks where you just know someone stuck a guttering candle into a puddle of wax, and there's a pair of black fingerless gloves for those cold winter nights when the owner decided another book was way more important than the power bill.

Only another hundred pounds to go. I'm making good time.

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

You make me think of my mother's book shelves, which crashed recently. I guess packing the books in three deep wasn't such a good idea.

Kaige said...

Get.Rid.of.Books? *gasp* Blasphemy and sacrilege! Start over? *faint*

I don't know how many pounds we have. The moving guys hated us last time (and we've bought more). We now have around 300 linear feet of books on Skandia and some built-in shelving. MOST of it isn't even double stacked again. Hated that, couldn't find anything.

Never pack books in banana boxes from the grocery store. Way too heavy. Learned that one the hard way in grad school.

So yeah... I hear ya!

Unknown said...

lol--I have them packed three deep too, and the shelves are sagging in the middle. But I did find my original bookcase, buried in the midst of milk cartons and daughter-shelves. Funny how shelves go organic.

yeah, book people understand. Others don't.

Anonymous said...

Mr. Al was a mover for a while, which meant he got to see the inside of people's houses all the time. He was stunned by how many people didn't own books. At all. Most of the people who did have books had technical journals and such.

Everyone had a TV.

We, OTOH, each have our own libraries and dream of a library room.

Kaige said...

Yes, Alice, complete with one of those rolling ladders!

Unknown said...

ooooo....my dream room (that cheap built in library from IKEA with the rolling ladders and clamp-on lights in a nice cherry finish) :) A library with a bay window and some squishy cushions.

Jennifer McKenzie said...

Um, I'm with Kaige here. Books are just part of the deal.
Some people have clothes, or shoes, or Beanie Babies.
I have books.
Where are you moving to?

Unknown said...

Hi, Jodi!
I surfed in via a comment you left about Men's Pocky on Jeanna's blog.

Just popping by to say hello and to check out your blog ;)

Unhinged said...

I remember my ex-hubby crabbing about all of my books. "You don't read them all, why don't you get rid of some?" He especially didn't like my tattered paperbacks because they looked ugly (to him).

I let him crab. Let it go in one ear and out the other. Books are my number one passion, moreso than movies, chocolate or wine. Each one of those ugly, tattered paperbacks took me to a place I'd never been. My favorite of all time is now in two pieces, but I haven't been able to replace it yet. And even when I DO, I'm not throwing it out.

I've moved twice in the last three years--the first time was across the country. And I'm planning to move BACK across the country, too, although I don't know when yet. I'm not looking forward to it (so I know the time hasn't come yet).

Although I'm not sure what's causing you such grief and pain, your family should understand if you need time before you can talk about it with them. If they don't, just come right out say it in softest, firmest voice.

Are you moving back to Hawaii?!

Gwen Hayes said...

I love books...but I am better at getting rid of them than you guys are, lol. I have keepers (boxes of them, ask my husband) waiting for the bookshelves that we keep talking about but haven't gotten yet. But even my keepers would be under scrutiny if I had a cross country move.

Jeanna said...

You're going to have to make some decisions. You'll know what you absolutely can't donate or recycle or give away.

Unknown said...

I'm moving to Seattle, which means I'll finally get to go to the Emerald City Conference. And meet Gwen, and have Shelli as my chapter prez (if I like her chapter, lol)

My husband passed away a few weeks ago, Unhingey. I was pretty evasive. Denial ain't just a river in Egypt. We had twenty-eight years and for some people, that's a lifetime.

I guess it all hit home when the guy at the cemetery said, "what do you want under his info?" and I said, "I love you?" and he said, "I can do beloved husband."

Yeah he was. Beloved husband.

Unknown said...

I'm at twenty nine boxes, Jeanna. I think I dumped one off at the library. Mostly reference. The heavy ten pound tome-style. The rest...I can't give up. I'd rather give up my picture frames or desk. I can always get a new desk. :)

Anonymous said...

So you'll need a bigger truck. Big deal. Last time we moved we got the biggest Ryder truck they make, filled it to the rafters, hooked on a trailer for the car, then filled the car too. And left a huge pile for the trash collector.

Gwen Hayes said...

And I'm already devising evil plots to get you even closer than Seattle. I don't even belong to a chapter here yet.

You're a good egg, Jodi. I'm guessing he's pretty proud of how strong you've been. And I'm hoping that when you get here, you'll be ready to lean a little.

Jeanna said...

Twenty nine boxes. After giving one away. Let me bask in that.