Back from Vegas, indulging my love of books

I managed not to accumulate too much dead weight in Vegas
But I did come home with a load of books
That's A. A. Milne's The House At Pooh Corner on top

I'm back from the wild, wild west! I knew Interbike would be an intensive week, but it proved to be even more exhausting than I'd anticipated. Instead of getting up early to race on Saturday, after arriving at my parent's house at 1:30 a.m., I slept in -- to 11 a.m., the latest I've stayed in bed in a long, long time (without sensual inducement, anyway).

To make up for my laziness on Saturday, I thought I'd get up early to race on Sunday morning -- it wasn't even that early, just 7:30 a.m., instead of 5 a.m., as would have been required on Saturday -- but when the alarm went off, all I could do was whimper, pull the blanket over my head and go back to sleep.

Now, happily ensconced on my sofa on the Emmatian triangle, I've had a minute to reflect on the whole trip. Aside from being exhausting, it was a very productive -- I met a lot of new people in the industry, solidified relationships with folks I'd only known via the phone, checked out lots of cool new products, and thought lots about directions we can take the Gear section in the next year. And, of course, where else but Vegas can you line dance, sing karaoke, pay $8 for a PBR, and ride a mechanical bull, all in one bar? Right?!

Sadly, I didn't get the chance to gamble. Hopefully I'll make better use of my time next year.

Of course, I also had the chance to spend a little time with my Mom, who recently broke her ankle and is laid up at home. Although it was nice to see her and keep her company, my time at home was also marked by time contemplating my parent's upcoming downsizing -- they're planning to convert their house into two units. Fiscal ramifications aside, it also means that the family has to consolidate a house full of crap. Fortunately, I'd already thrown out a lot of the vestiges of my childhood when I moved to Saratoga in 2007, but more stuff remains. Mostly books.

So, today I filled a box with some of my favorite books and lugged it home to PA. Of course, I'm out of book shelf space, but it does feel good to have some of my favorite works here under one roof with me. I've not got my complete Vonnegut, Wolfe, Kerouac, and Kesey collections, among other books. It'll be a few more trips before I move the rest of the books, but it was a good start. More than that, as a true bibliophile, it was a fun way to dig through my shelves, look at titles I haven't seen in a while, feel the worn spines against my palm and flip through dusty pages. When the box was full, my hands at taken on that wondrous scent that stayed with me all the way home to Emmaus.

On a related noted, I don't think I'll be hauling my Hardy Boys mystery novels west to PA, so shout if you want them!