Goodbye, Britannica

[poliphilo]

We didn't get a lot done yesterday. The excuses were (a) that we were knackered from the day before- when furniture got moved around- and (b) that time was limited, what with us having to attend Ma-in-law's birthday party, starting mid-afternoon. Ma-in-law is 79.  We bought her a pair of slippers which turned out to be two sizes too big.

Yesterday's biggest coup was to throw out the set of Encyclopaedias I inherited from my grandfather. They had served their turn.  I used to consult them- but that was before the Web came along. They were dated 1960 and their leathery spines had been scratched by cats and nibbled by rabbits. We didn't junk them. They went into a charity box. If they turn out to have a market value (which I doubt) let Oxfam have the benefit.

We came home from the party and watched Celebrity Come Dancing. We love it how John Sergeant- the political journalist- a sly little teddy bear of a man who can't dance for toffee- keeps getting retained by the votes of the viewers, while more accomplished performers of less character are thrown off. The judges- dance professionals of one kind or another- are getting so cross about it, they splutter. I say, hooray for the bolshiness of the great British public! Of course, none of this matters in the least.

Comments

[idahoswede.livejournal.com]

I don't know that I will watch Strictly any more after this week-end. I loved Cherie Longhi's dance and as much as I enjoy John Sergeant as a person, I'm there to watch dancing and he's not it! Takes away my enjoyment even of his cheekiness knowing that he will continue. So another programme I enjoyed gone down the tubes - it's not easy being fairly picky at what one watches.

[pondhopper.livejournal.com]

I've been glancing at our own ancient Britannica but haven't decided to get rid of it just yet. It holds a lot of memories of when the net didn't exist and I daresay a lot of the information is still valid. I remember when it was a primary resource for our daughters' school projects and I can't quite bring myself to toss it.
I'm too sentimental.

[heleninwales.livejournal.com]

My Dad (in his 80s and a dancer all his life) gets really annoyed that the best dancers don't necessarily win.

ETA: My Dad's only dances for fun and exercise, by the way. He's never even competed as an amateur, but he knows what's good and what isn't.

Goodbye, Britannica: Buckeye version

[internet-sampo.livejournal.com]

In the late 1960's, when I was eight, my parents bought a Britannica set, leather spines and a nice wooden bookcase. No cat scratches or rabbit nibble marks, but one of my hamsters did pee on one volume.

I took that set to graduate school, when I moved to Ohio, Minnesota and then back to Ohio. Six years ago, when we moved from the big house in Ohio to the apartment in New York City, we had to finally get rid of them.

I cut out a few pages and saved them in a zipper bag. One of my enduring memories of the set was it's smell. Sometimes I open up the bag and take a whiff, for old times' sake.

[idahoswede.livejournal.com]

Like your father, I have never competed, but I love to dance, I do have a sense of rhythm and I know what's good and what isn't. Some very large men can be quite light on their feet and a joy to watch. John Sergeant is not one of them. Amusing, yes, but I didn't tune in to see a vaudeville show, I want to see dancing.

[kishenehn.livejournal.com]

I have a Britannica set from the mid-1960s, that once belonged to my parents. I refer to it perhaps once a year at the most, but I just can't bear to get rid of it ... it's far to stately-looking.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

We watched an earlier season of the show, but hadn't bothered with this one until the Sergeant thing became an issue. I can't pretend to be interested in ballroom dancing as such. The only dance I can perform with any confidence- and I haven't tried for decades- is the Twist.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

We needed to free up shelf space or- more correctly- floor space. Britannica was a great institution in its day- but the future of the encyclopaedia is online. :)

Re: Goodbye, Britannica: Buckeye version

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Old books do smell good.

I have books that still smell of my grandfather's tobacco- even though he's been dead for nearly 30 years.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Ours looked good too- until the livestock got to work on it.