This didn't scan so well (click on it to see a larger version)...

...but it's a page from a Russian Quantum Mechanics book I was assigned way back in 1978, at SUNY Stony Brook. Originally published in 1966, this printing was from 1969. It's kind of neat in that all the formulas and symbols were hand written. I liked studying this text. It felt less intimidating, more homey. The orange cardboard cover also spared all expense; but they only wanted $6(! who says college has to be expensive?) a copy. No ripoff, just DIY ethic, as applied to physics textbooks.

As we continue renovating the house, I was trying to come up with some clever idea for a decoupage, or tile decoration, for the guest bath. I remembered this text. Maybe a tub surround, made from the pages of A.Y. Davydov's textbook? I'd have to destroy the book.

OK, perhaps this isn't a winning decor concept. What would Martha Stewart think? Maybe I should save the idea for a neighbor, if we ever go on Trading Spaces. I have one specific neighbor in mind...