But, obviously, books are better than movies, so it's time to get back to the libraries. I actually went to the Paerdegat Branch (can't pronounce that) last Wednesday, but every day since then has been reasonably busy, so here we are. I was hooked on the Peanuts collections, as the early strips are so well drawn and entertaining, and have an interesting point of view on the 1950s, pointing out how anyone could have not been happy in that perfect time, so after finishing the first book, I needed more. Not to mention the awesome dream about Minnesota (Charles Schulz is from St. Paul) they inspired in me, complete with snow and Brian Eno music. Then I remembered I had been looking at Don't Let's Go To the Dogs Tonight, so I found the one branch that had both books I needed, and it was way the hell out there.
Branch: Paerdegat
Location: 850 E. 59th St. at Paerdegat Ave. South
Transport: 2 to last stop, B6 bus for the rest
Books: The Complete Peanuts 1953-1954 by Charles Schulz; Don't Let's Go To the Dogs Tonight by Alexandra Fuller
Date: Wednesday, January 10, 2007
This was an interesting trip. Out in the Flatlands, or maybe it's considered East Flatbush, there lies the Paerdegat Basin. Right near that, of course, is the Paerdegat Branch of the library. To get there, I took the 2 train all the way out to Brooklyn College (by the way, that stop has every fast food chain on the east coast in walking distance from it, including a Popeyes/Wendy's combo), then got on a bus for a mile or so. The neighborhood was interesting, not what I expected but still a bit depressing. It didn't feel dangerous, had a good amount of trees, but it was still kind of desolate, even with all of the houses. They were decent sized, but many were very dirty and had barred windows and doors. I was there in mid-day, which may be why it didn't seem like a bad area; certainly, at night, it could be one.
The library was nice, a cozy single level but definitely well stocked and staffed. In addition to having what I needed, they had a wealth of material on Ancient Egypt, a topic Dave was fairly interested in. He gave me a mission to spice up the hunt, and while all he wanted was a book on the subject, I actually sat down and did the research. So now here they are, for the first time anywhere: my findings on the daily lives of Ancient Egyptians.
They mostly operated with a barter system, with sacks of grain often functioning as currency. Their houses were made of mud bricks that baked in the sun, and as time when on they inevitably collapsed. They were also dark, with little airflow, due to the lack of windows. Because of this, the Egyptians often ate and even slept on the roofs. Guests were generally not invited beyond the main room of these houses, and being sent to the back of the house was considered a punishment, as the kitchens were there, and these would often get unbearably hot due to the large brick ovens they used. Lice and fleas were a common problem, and as a result they shaved their bodies and kept very little hair on their heads. As for deodorant, the Egyptians would roll incense into a ball and rub it into their armpits. The streets were very narrow, barely wider than a man's wingspan, and they filled up with rotting garbage quickly, as there wasn't really a waste management system.
Regarding food, the staple diet for the average Egyptian was bread, beer, and some vegetables, and maybe some fish. Meat was a luxury since there was no way to preserve it, and it had to be consumed quickly. The beer was made mostly from barley, and wine was made as well (from grapes). The first paragraph came from the book The Ancient Egyptian World by Eric H. Cline and Jill Rubalcaba. It was all right, but the second one (where the food info came from) seemed more complete; it was The Handbook to Life in Ancient Egypt by Rosalie David. They are both published by Oxford University Press, so consult 'em! If you wanna.
Well I guess that's it except for the pictures.
The wide view!
The close-up!
And you can't really tell here, but the hours of operation sign has no hours, only graffiti. They never even tried to put them on in the first place! Weird.
I think I can handle another update in less than a week. Let's hope so anyway. Thanks for watchin'!
4 comments:
1. (Responding to the previous entry) It was 70 degrees there in January... It's been pretty cold here. Are you the one in the desert, or is that me?
2. Speaking of Egyptians and beer, today I learned about Egyptians and beer at the Carlsberg/Tuborg factory. There's one of them here in Israel and apparently beer was a very common drink all over the Middle East. I tasted the different kind of barleys used in different kinds of beer.
3. You're going to know Brooklyn so well by the time you're done.
Man, sweet find with the egyptians, I feel so much better knowing that now...far out. Good hunt, but you'll be hungry again.
You should have read those Peanuts books while you were still in St. Paul. You could have read them while sitting next to one of those Charlie Brown statues they auctioned off.
I exclusively read books while sitting next to statues of characters from the book. I never read. (A lie.)
oh, right. YOU like it. well...it...I...it's not the worst thing I've ever seen, ok?
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