School's out for Summer (BTT)
- Do you have any old school books? Did you keep yours from college? Old textbooks from garage sales? Old workbooks from classes gone by?
- How about your old notes, exams, papers? Do you save them? Or have they long since gone to the great Locker-in-the-sky?
I made some bad choices as an undergrad, mostly because I was flat broke. I sold back a lot of my books. Well, I sold all of them back except for my English books (with the exception of some of the bigger survey books). I don't regert selling back most of the books (for the GE courses), but I do regret getting rid of my upperclassmen history books (although I did keep a few). What can I say...I needed the cash. I have ALL of my books from grad school (since by then it didn't matter if I was broke or not...). My husband, however, has all of his textbooks and still buys them at Half Price Books, which I don't understand.
Old notes. This still really puts a thorn in my side. Hi, my name is Trish, and I'm a pack rat. I saved EVERYTHING from school. But then after I graduated and it was looking like I wasn't going to go back to school, my mom talked me into just throwing everything away. She said it would make me feel freer. Well, it did for about .5 seconds. :) I have ALL of my notebooks, handouts, quizzes, everything really, from my grad years (including the papers that my students wrote--not sure why I can't part with those). Pack rat I tell you. I really wish I had my old undergrad English notes at least--because I've revisted many of the works and will continue to do so.
In terms of books, I never get rid of books and I don't even like lending them out all that often because I don't get them back (don't even get me started on this!!). One day I'll probably be buried in books, but I just can't bare to part with any of them. I don't go to the library for books because I like to be able to revisit if I want to (you never know...).
Great question!!
6 comments:
I know what you mean about loaning books out - two of my favorites were loaned out to help friends not have to spend money on books, and I never got them back. :(
I tend to be a packrat, too. It's so hard to balance -- I know the more I keep, the less I will likely go through and look at -- yet it is so hard to get rid of things.
Barbara H. @ Stray Thoughts
I would have to draw a line if dh started buying textbooks!
I didn't keep my textbooks, but my sibling did. Some of their stuff are still in closet *grin*. But they never find any use for it.
The only things I did keep is some of my notes and poem that I wrote for school assignments. I would have problem throwing away things too, but when mom thrown them away I didn't feel like I missed it :) Thanks for visiting my blog, Happy BTT!
Julia-Yen
I was really glad, during my undergrad years, that I'd kept papers and notes from high school; they made a good foundation for things I wrote in college.
I buy textbooks too; as a teacher, I use them for additional resources. But sometimes I buy them ... just because ;)
The thing about textbooks, depending on the course, is that the material is dated. Even my Criminal Law books are now outdated by changes in the law.
Of course, English books may be different and literature books would never be out of date, would they?
Thanks for dropping by, Trish. And I need to add that your Book Awards Challenge is giving me fits trying to come up with a list. That's a good thing, btw.
cjh
I am almost a pack rat myself. It's just that my parents talked some sense into me and out of circumstances, I can't keep them. Sad.
I feel with Barbara too. I loaned some of my favourite books and never got them back. SIGH. I still loaned them out to others, with the hope that they are good people who return books after they're done.
Happy BTT and have a good weekend! Thanks for popping by mine. :)
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