We have entered a new era in digitizing books. These are very old (1790) and extremely fragile. So fragile in fact that they have them in specially made boxes. Volume one is so damaged that it may be impossible for anyone to read the contents – even with digitization. Volume one has been damaged with water or some liquid that has stained the page and obliterated some of the writing. The binding has long since disassociated itself from the book and it requires very gentle handling.
As we turned each page, bits and pieces fell off and so we had year 1790 confetti on the cradle as we worked. The pages cracked when we turned them and I fully expected them to be completely disintegrated before we finished the volume. Well, what could we really expect from a book that is 232 years old? We did our best with the calibration for digitization and if this volume is rejected, it will have to remain rejected because I doubt if it could stand up to one more time being processed. Volume 2, of this series, is in much better condition. I think it is because there is more rag content in the pages and they did not crack and split or tear as we worked with them. We did work carefully just the same.
David called up with a proposal for Easter. Instead of us sending him candy from Maine, he wants to receive a $25 gift card from Walmart so that he can buy personal care items. I asked him what he meant by that and he said, well, the $25 would be enough to buy a couple of Axe deodorant/antiperspirant, a couple of Axe Shampoo bottles, 2 or 3 Axe Body wash and a few body spray by Axe. That comes to well over the $25 he is asking for – I guess he thinks we have the power to send him rubber money – i.e. money that will stretch to fit the needs. Fat Chance! The most he can expect to get is one of each of the desired items and even then he may have to add some of his own money. Heaven forbid he have to use his own money to buy himself some AXE products. I have no idea why he likes this stuff because it really smells bad to me and makes me sneeze a lot when he uses it while visiting us at Prescott. He saw a TV commercial that assured young men that WOMEN love the smell of AXE. And I suppose, in the same vein, the curvaceous blonde gracing the Porsche advertisement is an example of the kind of woman who is attracted to that kind of car and so it follows that if you buy this car, you will get a similar or superior girl friend to go with it? Another fat chance!
We went to the YMCA after the archives today and it was really really busy. It is usually this busy right after a holiday where people come to the YMCA to try to work off the goodies they ate too much of the previous weekend or holiday etc. On the other hand, the weather has been rather easy to live with and so the roads are not treacherous and people can drive and be safe. There was a hefty man replete with Five Finger Toe Shoes by Vibram, muscle shirt and wide leather belt (presumably to hold himself together?). He was ‘worshiping’ at the Heavy Weight corner. He loaded the bars with huge cast iron weights and put the metal locking device on them and then stood there for a while on the step and then when he was ready, he lifted the load about 5 inches from the resting bar, repeated it about 5 times and then heaved a sigh of relief when he put the weights down. About 10 minutes later, a lad of about 12 came by , and stood in the same spot and tried to heft the bar without the weights on it and he could not do it, but I suppose there is nothing better than trying to advance to the big boys games and toys.
It had started to snow when we entered the YMCA and we wondered if this was the SNOW STORM that was promised for today or was it just a passing fad of the weather in Maine? We will be able to tell in the morning.
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