Lost in (cyber) space

When I was a kid I thought everyone had large piles of books at home. Mom did and that's were I grew up. What books could not be fitted in our bookshelves were stored in misc temporary places like; the floor next to and infront of the bookshelves. On and under sideboards. Next to the TV. Piles. Everywhere. Dusty, but nice.

My grandma's house was kept more tidy as she never had to bring home the bacon, her job was frying it. Still there were many books and National Geographics magazines. Whenever us kids weren't busy bees keepin ourselves occupied, she'd point us to the magazines or bring out some new cool book we hadn't seen. Some times she'd just sit with us (11 cousins hanging around her house, sometimes all at once) for a moment pointing at the globe lamp, telling us stories about which relative lived where, or where she'd like to visit next time she could travel. And sometimes I was allowed to tag along when she went visiting one of her 7 brothers who was seen as a bit of an odd fellow, as he never married.

This brother wasn't exactly the most outgoing person, but I adored him. And he treated me with respect. His apartment was a bit scary to a 6 year old me, cause he had bookshelves all around the walls, all the way up to the ceiling which was 4 meters up! And they were all overloaded.

I found him remarkable because he could focus on one specific task, no matter how much noise we made around him. He'd still read his book, do his crossword puzzle or simply enjoy his coffee looking at the garden. A unique skill in our extended (and naturally chaotic) family. Most family members found him odd because he spent very little money (but had a lot), did lots of charity for the church (when he could have been paid), ate only what he needed (when the food was so good), spent time mending his garments (instead of buying new ones). Oh, I'll stop here cause this man is too big to fit in here.

Aaaanyhew, when I asked him what his job was, he told me that he spent most days inside of a Library. This seemed like a magical place to me when he said they had even MORE books then he had, bookshelves even higher than his and they would lend me books for free.

When I started school, we visited a Library - and I was hooked. I'd go to the library as much as possible but rarely bringing books home cause I'd get lost just looking around. Also very interested in how they always knew where to find a specific book in this large place. Tonight I found my self - again - getting lost in this magical virtual library which now is constantly at my service. Tonight I ended up here, searching for English words trying to describe what I mean by saying "Girls are not like normal guys" which probably don't make much sense to you. More to come perhaps.