Book and Back

Old Man's War - and more recent book purchases

I just finished reading Old Man's War. If it weren't 1:32 AM I'd be tempted to start right in on the next volume, The Ghost Brigades - except that I don't have a copy yet. Meanwhile up in Iowa, Sara (no h) has one, a signed copy she intends to read very shortly. But the title was sold out when I got to John Scalzi's signing up in Phoenix a week and a half ago. No matter. I'll probably spend a gift card or gift certificate on a copy - again, very shortly.

The book isn't exactly pristine at this point, but the dust jacket helps.

Sara and I were talking briefly tonight about our preferred book formats. She goes for paperbacks, but I prefer hardcover for anything I care about. It holds up better to the rather hard use books tend to get from me. Note, for example, all the stains on the book cover above. But once the dust jacket is back on, assuming I don't mess that up, the book looks fine.

The same isn't true of paperbacks, usually. I remember buying a boxed set of Narnia paperbacks when I was about 18 years old. Several of the titles fell apart the first time I read them, whole chunks of glued pages just falling out because the books were so poorly made. I'd replace the book, and the new copy would do the same thing. So I switched to buying them in hardcover. Never looked back, really.

Have I mentioned about my back to you folks? I don't think I have. Sunday evening I pulled a skillet out of the cupboard, which sent a pot lid sliding to the kitchen floor. "Wash it!" came John's voice from the next room. I'd already shoved the lid back in the cupboard, but I bent down to get it out again and wash it, and that's when my back went out. No reason: I didn't twist in some odd position, I wasn't lifting anything heavy, nothing, just me being fat and lacking exercise. That was enough.

Anyway, unlike that intestinal thing with fever I had a week ago, there's nothing about a mild backache that precludes my sitting at work dong cut and paste (or whatever). I kind of expected my back to be a little better by today, though, and instead it seems to be slightly worse. At lunch today I went to a Walgreen's and looked at massaging seat covers/cushions. They had one that was about $90 after rebate, and one that was on sale for $15.95. Guess which one I bought. It was rather pleasant sitting at work the rest of the day after that, except for the hard bulges of two motors in the part I sit on. Odd, that.

Now for two more B words: Bath and Bed!

Karen