h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Having fallen over talking with Barton and PC at around 10:30 this evening, one might wonder why it is now 2:24am and I am up here posting....

shaking like a leaf, I might add.

For those of you who have been here, remember the wall of books that we USED to have in our bedroom?

(For those of you who haven't seen our bedroom, the former bookshelf wall was 12' long and stretched from floor to ceiling. Each shelf was precisely the height of a paperback book.)

I say used to have because a few minutes ago I was awoken by a very loud series of sounds of groaning wood and a paperback 'waterfall' followed by Barton bursting out of the bathroom to find out if I was ok.

The shelves decided to rip themselves loose, spewing out books even better than PC . The only things that are holding it up is a smaller bookshelf that is still attached to the perpendicular wall and the cocktail table that got temporarily moved in front of the shelves over a month ago.

We started to pull off books and have filled several large trash bags. Barton has decided that the shelves are not going anywhere else tonight. They are at about an 80 degree angle at one end and nearly upright at the other. Most of the books are still on them.

Pushing books aside, he has now gone to bed. I, on the other hand, am going to sleep (?!?!?) in the guest room. If and when, I stop shaking.

Oh well. They needed alphabetizing.

It could have been worse. The stereo wall is just on the other side of the book wall

I see what's happened here. The shelf has reached the Goo Event Horizon, the point at which speculative fiction reaches critical mass and tears a hole in the fabric of theoretical space. Particles of hypothesis start to collide and the energy released creates a pulse of intense frustration at not understanding the universe at all, especially where physics is concerned. Glad you're ok (are you?)

>They needed alphabetizing.

Hold that thought

Or maybe it was the Straub that broke the Gemmell's back, sending it tumbling like a house of Cards.

Sorry, I'll stop

Everyone is ok. It just gave me a terrible fright and made a monsterous mess...not that the rest of the house is any better.

The only way to get to the dresser safely is to walk over the bed...and waterbeds aren't made for walking.

Oh well, just one more thing that needs to get done. I thought it felt loose last week, but Barton told me no. Guess I was right for once (did it have to be now!!!!)

I just wanted to let you know, love, it's still not loose. :-p

I'm not going to fix it yet, because I want you to measure the angle and write a brief essay on the difference between 80 degrees and 30.

Barton

[*]

Ok....so staying out of your bedroom this weekend!!!

Glad everyone is ok though.

A brief essay on the difference between 80 degrees and 30. by Richenda

50 degrees

the end

What really cracks me up about it happening (since no-one was hurt or anything) is that when I was picking out some books to borrow a couple of weeks ago, I'd commented on how much I'd like shelves like that for my books. When I'd said that my landlord would kill me if I put that many holes in the wall, Barton explained that there was only one nail holding the whole thing up... and then Richenda said she was just waiting for the whole thing to come down on the bed one night while you guys were sleeeping... I'm thinking we should have all spit on the floor for sure once you'd said that!

Needless to say, if I do fashion a similar shelving unit for my books, I'll be sure to use more than a single nail to support it. Of course, my current arrangement's no better... simply a half dozen or so columns of books, stacked about five feet high or so each and balancing most precariously. Can't even imagine what to do with the four cartons of books in my closet. That's why the really valuable ones are in my built-in.

I'm thinking I won't be hiring Barton to engineer the new and improved storage system.


Oh, and I just have to say that "the Straub that broke the Gemmell's back" is THE funniest thing I've ever heard! How do you come up with this stuff off the cuff, Krispy? I love that about you.

BTW..a picture is worth 1000 words.

I took pictures this morning. Anyone interested, drop me a line at my hoo address, richendamorgan at yahoo dot com. I'll reply back from my real email address.

PC and Krispy...your pictures are already on the way and H'venlee will see it in person today.

It is impressive!

It is scarey!!! I am just happy it didn't fall all the way.

Hmmm...nope....not into cleaning tht much.

And I thought I had alot of books!

There sure are a lot of books there! The first time I was in the bedroom, it was how I'd always imagined heaven would be... surrounded on all four sides with books, glorious books!

Richenda, I never got that pic (I did get those other ones you'd sent though, thank you!), could you send it to me again when you get the chance? I'm wondering if my imagination is doing the mess justice.

Happily, in my current apartment, I have on room for the bed, and use the master bedroom for the books. Pretty much all that room has is wall-to-wall bookshelves (the cheap, in a box kind from wal-mart that are 6 feet high) and a small table for my computer. And a papasan chair in the middle of room (no wall space left over) for reading in.

I used to live in an apartment that just had one big bedroom, but having all those books in my bedroom was not a good thing for the asthma. Books pretty much universally equal dust. Especially that many of them.