Stinky Book Update

My perfume-infused book has been in the deodorizing chamber for a month, but my on-board stench-o-meter is not calibrated to detect any change in the level of noxiousness.  That change will occur given enough time, as the offending molecules are adsorbed into the charcoal medium.

The effectiveness of the protocol has been demonstrated for me numerous times, most recently inside the cab of my new-to-me pickup truck.  On the long drive home from the DC-area dealer I noticed the faint but definite residual odor of tobacco smoke in the truck, which had I noticed it earlier it would have been a deal breaker for me.  Anyway, as soon as I got home I bought four bags of lump barbecue charcoal and set them in the back seat of the truck for the past four months.  Slowly but surely the charcoal gently removed the stench from the space.  Last week Mrs. Barn and I journeyed over the mountain with nary a whiff of the detestable odor.  So, I have every confidence that the book will emerge relatively un-pungent at some point.  What I do not know is exactly when “at some point” will occur.

But back to the book itself.  While the book has been inside its deodorizing chamber I was noodling another copy of it on-line.  Much to my astonishment a copy of the book in nearly pristine condition for a mere fraction of the expected price.  It was an important lesson for me, namely that sometimes a hard-to-find book turns up on ebay.com for sale by someone who does not really have a working knowledge of the value.  $17.50, shipping included (it is a ten-pound book).

The outcome is a near perfect circumstance; I get to enjoy the book while undertaking an odor-scrubbing exercise in real time.