b00k

[Miriel]

Just because something isn't a big investment doesn't mean you shouldn't treat it well. Maybe you'd maltreat a low-end camera, Miriel, but I'd probably try to at least take a little care of it, because then it could go to someone else. You're supporting local economy, yes, but you're also filling landfills and denying just a little more the opportunity to read the people who can't afford to buy new books.

Lol. Ok.

You can do whatever you want with your books. As far as I'm concerned, my books and I have a very happy relationship. Books are meant to be read, and during the course of many many readings, the books are gonna get messed up. Maybe if you only read a book once or twice, you can maintain pristine condition, but most of my books I've read 5+ times. My copy of the Silmarillion has been read like a dozen times, and it's lovingly battered. My books go everywhere with me. I carry them in my purse and I don't bother to wrap them in tissue paper or anything just to make sure the edges don't get bent. Hell, some of my books have gotten wet from bathtub mishaps. I'm not prissy with my stuff. Things are meant to be used. Nor do I throw away any of my books. I still have my withered copy of Little Woman from when I was a kid. I'll never throw it away, even though I have a new copy. It's a relic from a time when I used to take my books on camping trips and read them from inside a tent. The only books that have ever left my possession ares ones that I've donated to a local after school program.

And yeah, my point and shoot is MESSED up. That's what happens when you take it with you while ziplining or cenote diving or hiking through the jungles of Mexico. You'd be surprised by how resilient cameras can be. I've dropped my in the ocean before and it still worked, although it was funky for awhile. But hey, I'd much prefer my things get beat up during the course of using it and enjoying that sitting very still while very carefully holding my things to make sure they don't get damaged in any way.