Books..and the Batcave

Driving home from Williamstown the day I graduated and moved out of my dorm, you could feel the car sagging towards the road, weighted down by all the books in the trunk. I'd thought about selling my textbooks, but considering the ones I'd read, it didn't seem out of the question that I'd want to consult them again. (Considering the ones I hadn't read, I figured I could devote some of my future free time to rounding out my education on music theory and constitutional law and some other subjects I'm not sure why I pursued).

All my books now live in New Rochelle, along with thousands of others. I love these books. Several date from my parents' youth, and bear price tags in the neighborhood of $0.39. Then there's my Nancy Drew collection, all the books (and Cliff Notes for the books) Charlie, Nell, and I had to read in school, collectible books (my mom's first edition of The Corrections), and some pretty embarrassing books (an unauthorized biography of Miley Cyrus? Where did this come from?)

Arriving in New Rochelle late last night, I went looking for Raymond Carver's Where I'm Calling From. This would have been easier if my family operated on the Dewey decimal system, as I have encouraged them to do from time to time, but I knew better than to hope for any kind of organization, and I actually kind of love scanning through all the books in the house; pilfering from the family collection is largely how I've started to build my modest personal library.

Eventually I found the Carver book (behind the stereo speaker! Of course!), and in the process had the distinct pleasure of rediscovering all that the basement of borderline hoarders has to offer.

On any given day, you are likely to find in the Johnsmeyer basement:

1. Nora's 8th grade bio flash cards. Just saving these in case I decide I want to pursue a career in entomology (wouldn't want to have to redo all that hard work). Grasshopper: Phylum - Arthropoda, well-developed digestive, circulatory, respiratory, nervous systems, excretory organs. I know what you're thinking - as an entomologist I'd probably have to know all about the earthworm and his gizzard, too, which is fine because I have a detailed card explaining all about this thick-walled grinding organ which crushes food via mechanical breakdown by sand.

2. Definitively non-essential reference books all entitled "The Essential Guide to ____". Favorites include "The Essential Guide to World Aviation" & "The Essential Guide to Storms and Hurricanes" & "The Essential Guide to Kentucky Crafts". Snoooze.

3. Weapons cache - police baton, sword (broken then repaired with duct tape), baseball bat (gilded in gold spray-paint, because why not?), boxing gloves.

3. Mom's hidden Christmas presents.

4. Charlie and Alex.