mail myself to you

[pauraque_bk]

I shipped some of my books to _hannelore. This is very exciting! (Yes, me rambling about the minutiae of moving far away is going to carry on until August. I've never moved more than an hour away before, sue me.)

Obviously they're books that I don't read/use all the time, or I wouldn't be sending them so soon, but they're books I care about and want, or they would have gone to the donation pile. So it's meaningful to me, because I r a book geek.

Almost all the little kid books from my kidhood are long gone, but I do have some amount of older-kid and YA books left, the ones I liked. I have to admit it's exciting to think about _hannelore's son reading them when he gets older. I was keeping them solely because I liked them; I never had aspirations of having kids. But now, with the reality of it, it seems very different from the vague concept of "kids" that didn't interest me at all. Hannelore Jr. is a real human being whom I like. It might be different if I didn't know him, or if he was just a baby.

Life is occasionally interesting. >:D

Comments

[bethbethbeth.livejournal.com]

I'm excited on your behalf. :)

(and I've moved books from the midwest to California, then back to the midwest then to New York then to England then back to New York. The books must stay with me omg!)

[pauraque]

Oh good, it's not just me. :D

[lilacsigil.livejournal.com]

I've moved continents and, every time, the first thing sent ahead was the books! I've left electronic goods and clothes behind (a big deal for me, because I am a highly unwilling shopper) just to bring more books.

[pauraque]

Oh really, where did you move from?

[lilacsigil.livejournal.com]

My parents' house in rural Australia ---> Japan ---> university housing in Melbourne, and later university housing in Melbourne ---> Japanese university housing ----> Melbourne share flat!

[pauraque]

Interesting! Why did you go to Japan the first time?

[lilacsigil.livejournal.com]

I went to Japan to teach English at a high school for a year straight after I finished high school, staying with host families. I'd studied Japanese in school (my school was so small as to only have one language option!) and my school had a sister school, in Okazaki, near Nagoya. Then I studied more Japanese at uni, and part of the course was an exchange to Tokyo University for a year, which was awesome fun. Both times, though, I ended up with a lot of books! In fact, some of the larger Japanese bookshopss had better English language selections than Australian bookshops, especially in the SF/F range.

[kaptainsnot.livejournal.com]

I think that's pretty exciting, the thought that you can share your books with him some day, stringing across a little connection to a you he didn't even know, so to speak.

As for moving, my friend had to rent the largest U-Haul and pay someone to drive it from Chicago to LA a few years back, stuffed with nothing but books. It explains the lack of furniture, or should I say the furniture made up of books. Good thing he doesn't have a new son to look forward to, or that might have been two.

[pauraque]

I've been pretty brutal in culling books that I don't think I, Hannelore, or the kid will really read. With a few exceptions (rare/expensive), I can always get the books again if I change my mind!

[kaptainsnot.livejournal.com]

Right. I guess this is a good time to take inventory, then. I need to go back and have a good look at the shelves one of these days (because that 1 dollar bookstore nearby isn't helping).

I've always wished I were one of those one-backpack kind of people. It's a pretty romanticized idea in my head.

[pauraque]

I don't know if I'd go as far as one backpack, but I'm definitely happy to clear out the junk. Since I've always lived in the bay area, I've never had to get rid of the stuff here in my mom's house.

[aunty_marion]

Oh god, the books, the books....

I'm currently trying to clear most of my flat so I can have the kitchen remodeled (I'm in a council flat, so I don't have to pay for that!). And the main thing so far is The Books. I have just packed box no.24, and I estimate I'm under half-way. And 10 LARGE bags of yarn have gone into storage at a friend's, and at the weekend I have friends coming round to help me start on the rest of the living room and then the kitchen.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_hannelore/]

hannelore jr. :P

don't forget I'm donating mah harry potta so we can have your cooler editions!