What's Your Excuse?

Here are some of our favorites:

“Our 2nd grade class is researching sea creatures that they have rescued. They have been hard at work with their research packets, but they have also been cleaning up the block, cleaning up the beach, visiting and “rescuing” marine mammals, and educating our community about how to make a difference. Whew! The books are on their way.......”
– Vanessa

“I found the most splendid book object ever in the shelves of the main branch: India's Past, a green hardcover from the early 20th century, written in high style on paper that was nice to touch. It has fun “plates” as illustrations, and loads of different little chapters and articles about various items of interest from India's past. The inside cover has one of the old “otium sine litteris mors est” sfpl insignia stamps: absolutely fabulous! Oh like an emerald pool on a hot day, I need this book on my too long shelf, dear librarians, not to read in a hurry, or even to have forever and ever, but to be able to pick up on a whim, having spotted it and feeling in the mood for its pages.”
– Ka'ala

“I was so busy reading that I never made it in to return my books!”
– Lauren

“Debating how to spend my last dollar on food or books, I have been borrowing hundreds of books from the SFPL and through its LINKs+ system to get through classes. Keeping a tight schedule already but finals come with research papers that require a lot of reading. Presentation dates do not necessarily match the period of the book use required by the Library. I really appreciate the option of an amnesty especially around the time of my graduation.”
– Halina

“I immensely enjoyed reading the book and thought it was my own copy.”
– Frederick

“I checked out some books and while I had them I cleaned my room, they were put up on a shelf in my closet and forgotten about until I went to the library to check out more books. I now have about $300 worth of fines and all because I cleaned my room. This is why my room is best left ‘uniquely organized'.”
– Kristin

“My excuse runs like a library-Greek tragedy where members of the same family try to do each other in with overdue fines and records. I found a DVD of Babe hidden within the confines of my music CDs one day that was originally checked out by my sister. We had a bad falling out before she left. Somehow she forgot to return the DVD checked out in my name and simply left it in CD shelf for me to discover.”
– Gil

“I was abducted by aliens, they just brought me back after 2 months.”
– Antonio

“In the summer of 1994 I started my first serious romantic relationship with a Jewish woman. Being a goy myself, I checked out The Jewish Book of Why. Fifteen years and three Jewish girlfriends later I still don't have the answers. But I now have the Internet.”
– Gretchen

What's Your Excuse? Submit your story here.