So I was primed for a long workday, but I happened to glance at my bookshelves—and realized I haven’t dusted them since the Cubs won the World Series.
Dusting the old folks…
It never pays to ID household shortcomings, because it is now noon. My bookshelves are dust-free, the carpets swept, and the HEPA air purifier filters changed. I also fired up the shop vac to suck a layer off the book tops, considering the growth at eye level was visible from five paces.
My questions to you?
Guess I’ll be working late tonight after my son goes to bed…
This post really made me laugh, especially the option of “never. I take Claritin instead”. Too funny! I usually end of dusting every other week as my eyes gaze over at my books in my mind’s attempt to distract me from my work….
I see you’re in the “I never want to dust a book again during my lifetime,” camp. Are you suffering from some deep childhood trauma where dusting was forced on you for hours at a time?
I’m, once again, late to this party — just want to say that I’ve got several of those Joyce books too, along with Faustus. It was fun to snoop a look at your shelves. Book people can be the most boring guests at a dinner party — just because we’d rather be looking at the shelves!
On dust: I like layers of dust. It makes me feel like my books are part of the monastery library in “Name of the Rose”!
Yes, I’m always interested in what people have on their shelves. Instead of gravatars, I think we should take pictures of our bookshelves and post them as a kind of “writers/readers Rorschach test.”
A monastery library. Oh, the thrill of it all! Finding some long forgotten treasure under a pile of ancient dust bunnies. I get chills just thinking of it.
It’s the best kind of discovery when you “find” something that you forgot you had!
I think that’s a good idea about the bookshelves — maybe there’s something for a collective effort with you and I and some other bloggers. We could call it ‘What’s On Your Shelf?’ Day … with links to each other’s posts
I think that’s a great idea. Have you checked out a blog called orwell1627? You might find it interesting if you have a spare artery dedicated to Shakespeare.
I was going to ask if you’d read ‘Ulysses’ and then I saw all of the other Joyce/related books and I found my answer! 🙂 Wow. Dusting is a thankless job. Do you do it with a damp cloth to pick up dust rather than spread it around…? I have a dust allergy. Does air purifying help?
Yes, I took a semester class on Joyce, so I’ve got quite a few on my shelf. I have yet to read Finnegan’s Wake and most likely never will.
I use an olive oil furniture spray polish on a cloth. Our son’s room has a Whispure Air Purifier. It greatly diminishes the amount of dust that collects in his room. It’s a HEPA purifier so it does a fantastic job, so I would recommend it.
Jilanne Hoffmann 
Dust is important on books. It tells you whether or not a book is overdue for a reread.
Or whether I’m culturing a new species.
To your point, since I’ve destroyed the evidence, I can rest easy and buy more books because none of them are now due for a reread, right?
This post really made me laugh, especially the option of “never. I take Claritin instead”. Too funny! I usually end of dusting every other week as my eyes gaze over at my books in my mind’s attempt to distract me from my work….
That’s why one of the tags on this post is “procrastination.” 😮
Hahaha! 🙂
Ah, yes, I don’t do this nearly enough. Score one for the e-book. No dusting required…
I see you’re in the “I never want to dust a book again during my lifetime,” camp. Are you suffering from some deep childhood trauma where dusting was forced on you for hours at a time?
Dusting and vacuuming…
I’m, once again, late to this party — just want to say that I’ve got several of those Joyce books too, along with Faustus. It was fun to snoop a look at your shelves. Book people can be the most boring guests at a dinner party — just because we’d rather be looking at the shelves!
On dust: I like layers of dust. It makes me feel like my books are part of the monastery library in “Name of the Rose”!
Yes, I’m always interested in what people have on their shelves. Instead of gravatars, I think we should take pictures of our bookshelves and post them as a kind of “writers/readers Rorschach test.”
A monastery library. Oh, the thrill of it all! Finding some long forgotten treasure under a pile of ancient dust bunnies. I get chills just thinking of it.
It’s the best kind of discovery when you “find” something that you forgot you had!
I think that’s a good idea about the bookshelves — maybe there’s something for a collective effort with you and I and some other bloggers. We could call it ‘What’s On Your Shelf?’ Day … with links to each other’s posts
I think that’s a great idea. Have you checked out a blog called orwell1627? You might find it interesting if you have a spare artery dedicated to Shakespeare.
Actually, his blog is called “The Great Conversation.” His gravatar is orwell1627.
I’ll check it out, thanks for letting me know. If we can have even just 5 or 6 posts of nothing but bookshelves, how cool is that?
I was going to ask if you’d read ‘Ulysses’ and then I saw all of the other Joyce/related books and I found my answer! 🙂 Wow. Dusting is a thankless job. Do you do it with a damp cloth to pick up dust rather than spread it around…? I have a dust allergy. Does air purifying help?
Yes, I took a semester class on Joyce, so I’ve got quite a few on my shelf. I have yet to read Finnegan’s Wake and most likely never will.
I use an olive oil furniture spray polish on a cloth. Our son’s room has a Whispure Air Purifier. It greatly diminishes the amount of dust that collects in his room. It’s a HEPA purifier so it does a fantastic job, so I would recommend it.