Bed Bugs and Library Books - Gives Me the Heebie Jeebies

While I work on my next blog entry about the re-branding of High Fructose Corn Syrup and listen to my cat cry - I'm pretty sure he wants food but he just ate the last morsel, I saw him, he doesn't have to have an endless food supply for goodness sake! He'll get food before I go to bed, then he won't wake me up before 5:30 for more.

Anyway. Where was I?  Oh yeah. While I do those things I decided to pop off a little entry for the day about something that's been on my mind on and off for over 24 hours (the HFCS one will take a little longer).

Yesterday I went to the public library, and when I got home I unpacked my small haul of books and placed them next to the sofa for easy access, in case my first decent into muscle relaxer dementia proved to be a tough hall.

As I quickly scanned the titles, determining which one I could read with the least amount of available brain function, I was reminded of a bed bug conversation I had had recently, and we're not talking about the board game, a conversation sparked by the recent rampant bed bug problem sweeping the city - sweeping all big cities really. (they're in high end hotels too ya know - and in movie theaters, yes, movie theaters!)

I don't remember who the conversation was with but I do know it went something like this:

"Bed bugs can live in books you know".

Short and sweet and to the point.

Whose idea is this. Terrifying bedtime stories.

And we're not talking about just in cute pop-up children books....





As I stood staring at my little pile of library books I contemplated the journeys they had made before they ended up neatly stacked on my carpet.  Whose house had they been in?  What rooms?  And more importantly was there anything living in them I should be worried about.

I have to admit, I am only mildly worried but it does give the heebie-jeebies - and the thought of contracting bed bugs in my book collection (or anywhere) kind of makes me want to cry.

If you don't believe me about bed bugs and books, let me direct you to this New Yorker Book Bench blog entry: Don't Let The Book Bugs Bite

Bed bugs, they can live in books you know.