Feb 22, 2007

ECF - Icy Mop Edition

Outside, the weather here in Northern Virginia has warmed up considerably and that makes it a lot easier to appreciate a picture like this.

Icy Mop



Abused BookI recently wrote about the stuff I was reading and I was really excited at the response. There were so many great suggestions so I went to the library recently with the list I compiled and picked a few things up. I opened up the first book, Iron Lake by William Kent Krueger, and I was really enjoying it when I started to come across a lot of pages that look just like this one. It makes me so mad to see a book treated like this. The words that they attacked aren't even the really bad ones - you know the ones I mean - the 4 letter ones that make my grandma blush. The words that this person found troublesome were things like "shit" and "damn" and yet they were so offensive as to require total obliteration.

I mentioned it to a colleague asking "What kind of a person would do something like that?" He just looked at me funny because we both know exactly the type of person who would do a thing like that. Let's remember that I live in Virginia and, while most of my friends are left leaning like me, there are an awful lot of conservatives in the Old Dominion where there is a church on every corner. I'm mostly ok with that even if I don't agree with them but I am decidedly not ok with them inflicting their values on me. If the book is so offensive then don't read it. You have the right to put it back on the shelf. Exercise it!

I am enjoying the book anyway. Good call Kristi! I really love books that give you a sense of the place as this one does. I remeber reading the JP Beaumont series of books long ago and feeling like I really knew Seattle. (although clearly I don't) At the time that I was immersed in them I mentioned a particular setting to a colleague who'd lived in Seattle and she said it was exactly as the book said.

GOP SUXFinally, here a little present for a friend. I saw this the other day and I just had to take a picture of it. Ya gotta love anyone with the audacity to drive around with that on their tail anywhere but especially in this reddish state. I just want to know who let this plate thru at the DMV. Not that I'm complaining or anything.

7 comments:

Cursing Mama said...

You were right - I do love it!

My new book from the library (I would die if I came across a book defaced like that ...its a public library for a reason) The Perfect Play by Louise Werner.

Have a super weekend!

Melissa said...

LOL at the book. I can believe it. I live in the Bible Belt.

Carole Knits said...

You should definitely point that out to the library staff when you bring the book back.

Anonymous said...

I love that license plate. It's awesome. I wish I had thought of it. G would be so mad!!!

Elspeth said...

So what is the 1.20.09 bumper sticker thing, do you know? I saw one here, too.

Kathleen said...

elspeth - 1.20.09 is the next inauguration day and a new president will be sworn in.

Carol said...

I wonder if that person realizes that they defaced government property (a federal offense). Must be nice to have that kind of time on their hands. I would have done that in the fast paced city fashion, hmmm this bothers me, close book, put it back on shelf-done. But then again, if the author invoked that much emotion, it was a book well written;)