The overdue library book queen

Why do I have such a hard time returning library books on time?  I thought I'd reformed this year, but no.  There's an overdue book sitting on my desk right now.  This habit of mine goes all the way back to junior high, if not earlier.  I can remember holding on to books months past their due date, patiently waiting for the next fine free day at the library.  The last time we moved, I actually found an old library book at the bottom of a cardboard box.  Due date: 1985.  That's right, I never returned it.  I guess that means I stole it.  Now it's sitting in some land fill (it was a book on skiing technique from the 70's and very outdated).  I'm a bad library citizen.

When I moved to Seattle and applied for a library card, I decided that I was going to make a fresh start and return my books on time.  I did pretty well at first, until I went into labor and the pile of books I'd checked out a few weeks before sat in a corner of the dining room for at least a month if not more.  After paying a hefty fine, I vowed to stop.  Once and for all.  I was either going to return my books on time or stop using the library all together.  So, I decided on the latter.  I started spending more money on books and JJ would often ask me why I didn't just use the library. 

Well, after a few years I decided that I wanted to try again.  I enjoyed the library too much to stay away any longer (I love browsing through the non-fiction stacks and pulling anything that looks interesting), and it was a great place to find books for Kiku.  I knew the solution to my problem was to get organized.  The Seattle libraries give you a single print out with the due dates for your books, dvd's, etc. rather than stamp each one individually.  This means that in order to keep track of them, I need to mark the due dates on my calendar.  The system's been working well for the most part, but it does get a bit confusing when I renew books online and the due date is adjusted.  Even so, I've returned most if not all of my books on time for the past six months.

So why is there an overdue library book sitting on my desk?  Why can't I remember to return it?  I play by the rules in other areas of my life - I pay my taxes, parking tickets, and bills on time.  It could be forgetfulness, or laziness.  Or maybe, just maybe, it's the rebelliousness in me.  My need to shirk authority.  I guess some parts of us never quite grow up.