New Year (almost)

Here comes the New Year.
2010 promises to begin with a bunch of changes in my lifestyle.
Foremost is the fact I'll be less employed once my bookstore closes "sometime in January." The Borders honchos still haven't told us when. It'd be nice to have a closing date.

Stay tuned.

December Weather

Brrr,
Cold below zero and a foot of snow here in Omaha. Way below the average temps and way above average snow.

Global warming my #%#!

Black Friday

Whew, Black Friday & Black Saturday are over and done with. It wasn't as crazy as past years. We stayed busy until around 2:00 in the afternoon on Friday. The Nebraska Cornhuskers were playing the Colorado Buffaloes in an important game for both teams. Kickoff at 2:30. Did that event empty the mall? Not sure. It did get rather quiet though. Saturday was just not busy. Hmmm.

Sometime during the weekend I realized this is my last Black Friday as a Borders Bookseller. That's makes me a little sad. And a little joyful.

Time to reinvent myself. Go, Brain, Go!

Smile

A grandfather was delivering his grandchildren to their home one day when a fire truck zoomed past.
Sitting in the front seat of the fire truck was a Dalmatian dog.
The children started discussing the dog's duties.
"They use him to keep crowds back," said one child.
"No," said another. "He's just for good luck."
A third child brought the argument to a close.
"They use the dogs," she said firmly, "to find the fire hydrants."

Book Blog

I've started a book blog!

Go here: Baldcavalier's Book Blog for my reviews of books and views about the industry.

Store Closing

ANN ARBOR, Mich., Nov. 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- As part of Borders Group's ongoing strategy to right-size its Waldenbooks Specialty Retail segment and emerge with a smaller, more profitable mall chain in fiscal 2010, the retailer will close approximately 200 mall stores in January, leaving approximately 130 mall-based locations open. Full press release here.

That includes my store. Been there 11 years now. So Happy Freakin' New Year!
I'm trying to keep a good attitude and professional manner. Not so easy to do some days. I almost verbally flamed a stupid customer the other day.

She told me one of our signs said Ford County by John Grisham was supposed to be released by now and where was it? She was raising her voice. I was standing within 6 feet of her. Standing next to a vertical floor display of the books. Facing her. She was facing me. I said, "Right here ma'am." I handed her a copy of the book. She said loudly, "I don't want it now!" I calmly took the book back, replaced it in the display, and told her to call for me if she needed any more help as I turned and walked away. Gritting my teeth.

I'm sure not going to miss shoppers like her. BTW she didn't buy anything.

Stay tuned!

Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

Time for some thoughts about this "blockbuster."
OK, the book set a one day record for the most books sold on release day. Kudos to Dan Brown.

Here's my take.
The Da Vinci Code was fun to read 'cuz you could work the puzzles as you read. And was rather controversial. In my humble opinion it wouldn't have sold nearly as many copies if the church folk wouldn't have made such a stink about the contents and ideas set in the novel. It's fiction for (insert favorite deity) sake!

In The Lost Symbol you can't (at least I can't) work the puzzles as you read because of the symbolism is rather obtuse to the general public. But that's OK. Brown keeps the action moving along rather well and his hero solves the puzzles pretty quickly. Plenty of nifty misdirection and twists too. I enjoyed the action.

Without spoiling the ending, I'll say that, after thinking about the solution to the whole premise, Mr. Brown has made nice to the church folks he pissed off with The Da Vinci Code. Kind of a sell-out if you ask me.
'Nuff said.

Back to reading Sci-Fi and what is now termed Urban Fantasy.

Primo Alaskan Coffee

Yeah, from Alaska. Wow, can these folks roast some beans. I've a world class buddy who took a cruise up north with his lovely lady. Lo and behold, they thought of me and sent some java my way. Check out the web site of Raven's Brew Coffee. I have Deadman's Reach. Fantastic dark roast. No bitterness. Hearty and tasty.

Icbkr says the Resurrection Blend is also smooth and tasty. Trust him.

Sippin',
Greg

Cricket Broadband

Yesterday I purchased Cricket Broadband. Special deal on $25.00 activation, free month, 40 bucks a month thereafter. Plus tax. Call it 41. No darn contract!

Installed it today. Went slick as goose snot. Took about 2 minutes and I was connected to the wonderful world of the internet. The whole set up loads from the usb modem/flash drive. I was just simply, flat out, freakin' impressed.

This is cool. I can use it on whatever computer I care to. Laptop, desktop, mail it to a buddy & he can use it, any future 'puter. Sweet! Well, as long as there is Cricket coverage.

HA! Take that Cox cable!

[snickering]

Heraclitus

Out of every 100 men, 10 shouldn't even be there.
Eighty are just targets.
Nine are the real fighters, and we are lucky to have them, for they make the battle.
Ah, but the one,
One is a Warrior,
And he will bring the others back.
-Heraclitus, circa 500BC

Fantastic Fiction Site

As a bookseller, I get questioned each day about books. Well, of course. It's what I do. The most asked question is, "In what order should I read the books?"

If you ask this question, I have the answer. Go to Fantastic Fiction. The folks maintaining this site are flat out fabulous! They maintain published book lists, small bios, upcoming releases, and a slew of other info about fiction authors. A great reference for collectors and readers.

PayPal vs Charity

I have been aware of eBay's policy of not allowing the sale of firearms and certain parts of guns for some time. Their business, their policy, that's mostly OK with me.

This situation, however, really pisses me off. PayPal, owned by eBay, is now forced to comply with that policy (paragraph 2). Even if the sale of a raffle ticket for a pistol is going to help a disabled veteran! The Soldiers' Angels charity was using PayPal to sell raffle tickets. They lost use of their account for a while.

Note that the transfer of funds was for a raffle ticket. Not a gun. Not a gun part. The winner would have to comply to the federal and state laws that apply. Nothing illegal here. Just folks trying to help disabled veterans. Just as a reminder, those veterans put their lives on the line protecting and serving the owners and employees of PayPal and eBay.

PayPal and eBay should be ashamed.

From the Mouth of Babes

Like every other retailer in this country, our store has had a display featuring Michael Jackson for the past few weeks. Mind you, I think he was quite an entertainer. I also think he was a mighty weird fellow. Anyway, I was standing near the display the other day when I overheard teenagers say:

Her: "Hey, Michael Jackson books."
Him: "Yeah, so what?"
Her: Picking a magazine and flipping through it, "Look at the pictures. Don't you get it? I was so amazed."
Him: "What do you mean?"
Her: "I didn't know he was black when he was a kid."

I burst out laughing and walked away.

Fiddle About

I fiddled with the layout. Still learning how to use the tools here.

Trivia question: What rock group used the lyric "fiddle about" in a song?

Draco Tavern & Ringworld by Larry Niven

I was as a loss for something to read this afternoon. Nothing on my unread shelf grabbed me. I walked over to my bookcase where the "keepers" stay. My collection of Larry Niven's books caught my eye. Aha, The Draco Tavern! An anthology that makes me think. Just what I needed. After each short story I just have to look away for a moment or three and reflect. Did two loads of laundry while reading.

Well, I finished Draco Tavern along with the laundry. I've always loved the works of Larry Niven. His Known Space novels, especially the Ringworld adventures, have always given me a sense of awe. So, now I'm reading Ringworld for perhaps the fourth time. I still feel the, "Oh Wow."

So you want a Kindle, eh?

Amazon has snatched the copies of 1984 & Animal Farm from Kindle owners. Here's one report.

Heh, heh. George Orwell said we'd have no privacy and Big Brother would be controlling our lives. I think he would have found it hilarious and disturbing that Amazon did exactly what he postulated. For whatever reason. Amazon as Big Brother. I laugh out loud.

Greg

Celebrity Deaths

Ed McMahon died last week. He was a great entertainer, but prior to his stage accomplishments he was a distinguished Marine Corps fighter pilot in WWII earning six Air Medals and attaining the rank of Colonel. He was discharged in 1946 and was later promoted to the rank of Brigadier General in the CA Air National Guard.

Farrah Fawcett died last week after a long career in Hollywood as an actress. After she was diagnosed with cancer, she became an activist for cancer treatment and devoted her last remaining years encouraging people to seek treatment. She documented her plight on film and used it to encourage others to stay positive and upbeat despite their diagnosis and suffering.

Michael Jackson died last week. He was perhaps one of the greatest singers of modern time. He will also be remembered for his eccentric lifestyle that included sleeping with a chimpanzee, living in a carnival-like atmosphere at Neverland, his fascination with Peter Pan, and his numerous masks and costumes. He also admitted to finding pleasure sleeping with young boys and paying out millions of dollars in settlements to the families of these boys despite being acquitted by a court on one allegation of sexual molestation.

QUESTION 1- Which of the above did the House of Representatives declare a moment of silence for? (Hint - It wasn't the first two.)

QUESTION 2- Which of the above's family received a personal note of condolence from President Obama? (Hint - It wasn't the first two.)

Now you know what kind of leaders it takes to honor a pervert.

Dr Suess Quote

Be who you are and say what you feel,
because those who mind don't matter,
and those who matter don't mind.
- Dr. Suess

Lightning Bugs

For cat owners. Or those owned by cats.

Try this. Get lightning bugs to land on your windows or patio doors. Then get them to light up. This buggy mating ritual fascinated my two for half an hour yesternight. Hell, it kept me amused for just as long watching the cats jump and try to swat through the window when the little butt-light went on. Time well spent by all of us.

Bookseller

For those of you who don't know, I'm a Bookseller. I enjoy dealing with the public at a "brick & mortar" store. Specifically, the Borders Express store in Omaha, Nebraska. Been there for for more than 10 years.

Once upon a time it was a Waldenbooks store. We got a paint job, new carpet, and I got a different name tag. Same books, same booksellers. FYI: Waldenbooks, Bretantos, and Borders are all part of the same corporation. (Psst, all the links go to the same place)

I also sell books online through eBay, Amazon, and elsewhere (note the links on this site).

Having said this, I've opened myself to "censorship" by Borders Group Inc.
There's an item in the employee handbook that says I shouldn't badmouth the company in public forums.

OK. At least not until I feel the need.

Snickering,
Greg

Horse Soldiers - Book Review

Read this.
It's the story of Special Forces Teams heading into Afghanistan right after 9/11 to kick the snot out of the Taliban. Poor guys. We have the best technology in the world and couldn't support them well. Those big studly fellas ended up riding small mountain ponies, some had never been on a horse before. Hence, the title. But they could call in heavy air support!

Wonderful story written like an adventure novel, not dry history. Yet, there is humor, cheering, and tears. Sometimes reality sucks.
Highly recommended.

Loyalty

I have a problem with people who bullshit me and expect loyalty in return.
The essence of loyalty is reciprocity.
If you're loyal to me I'll be loyal to you.
Bullshit me and I'll bullshit you.
That's the deal.

Got it?

Blog the First

Well, after many years of having a website on Yahoo's Geocities, I'm forced to create something new. Yahoo has decided to no longer offer free websites to their members. Bummer.

Hence, here's my new strand of the web.

I had pages and pages of stuff there many of my friends enjoyed. I'm going to (eventually) move many of those things here. Be patient. The move will take time and occur only as I take the time and as the whim strikes me. Drop me a line if there is something you would like to see here.

Until the next time,

Greg