The Magnetic Draw of the Affordable Hardback
Friday, the 27th of January, 2006 - 14 past 7pm.
Current Song ~ "Happy House" by Siouxsie & the Banshees.
To my profound astonishment, the OU informed me today (in a letter dated the 14th of January - how charmingly optimistic) of my tutorial information, including the fact that my Cumbria-based tutor is indeed doing tutorials in London.
Needless to say, these tutorials are taking place in - you guessed it! - Camden. I don't envy either of us the commute, but I can at least take comfort in having less in the way of travel expenses...
In other news, having resolutely stood by my decision not to spend any more money this month for, oh, ten minutes or so, I succumbed to the magnetic draw of the January Book Sales.
I have three great weaknesses that prevent me from being quite the thrifty budget-conscious person that I like to think of myself as: music, hosiery and books.
This can, I think, be put down to the fact that they are the three things that I can justify spending money on.
Music, in the form of scores, workshops and the occasional concert, is obviously Terribly Necessary To My Future Career. Oh yes, even that sheet music for baritone soloist and lower-voice choir. I might have such a choir one day, and it's best to be prepared!
Hosiery must be good quality, for the cheap stuff tends to develop myriad ladders if you dare to do something so unreasonable as try to wear it, thereby making it a false economy.
Books... ah, now we come to the ultimate in tenuously justified spending, for books are inherently valuable as research materials - if not in the short-term, then at least a few years down the line when one is bound to develop a sudden desire to read up on, say, the history of the pennywhistle.
When this day comes, one will invariably turn to Wikipedia, but hey, it's nice to have a back-up plan if there's an ill-timed powercut.
Books also have the serious advantage of often being dangerously easy on the budget. The last book that I acquired was purchased for the princely sum of one pound. I wasn't entirely sure what it was about, and I still have my doubts as to whether I'll ever read it, but who can argue with a quid for something that might potentially be interesting?
The January Book Sale that I had in mind when I started this entry was rather more budget-unfriendly than that.
However, it did include the bagging of a copy of Grainger on Music (a collection of Percy Grainger's essays, usually �37) for under a tenner.
The mere recollection warms the very cockles of my heart, it really does.
(I also found an inaugural lecture entitled Perceptions of Angels in History, and two Rebecca Clarke choral scores, so it really was a good day for my personal interests.)
Now I must away to post this; not merely because it's shockingly belated already (today is the 15th of February), but because I want to be up with the larks so that I can see if a certain set of books is still on sale.
Maybe I'll dredge up some self-control next month...
Lily
