(yeah, I'm just gonna backdate a bunch of things I never finished)
I want to write about Thursday's show, because it's one of those nights that reaffirmed some of the things I like about stage managing (fixing on the fly, knowing people trust you to work out problems, being okay with losing years of your life through stress), but I've just come from my fourth trip to Borders liquidation sale (now 50-70% off!), and I'm a little caught up in the emotions.
I think it's that line--toward the bottom--of "our spirits have been trampled on." I love books and movies and music, and my friendly neighborhood Borders (both at Kirby and in the mall) have been part of that fix for all five years I've been in Texas. It's where I've gone when I need to step out of work for a few minutes to clear my head. If I love a miniseries off Netflix so much that I need the next disc right now. I stood in line for the midnight sale of HP7 at the same Borders I was standing in today, in a similarly "all the way around the store" sort of line. Just like then, I stuck up conversations with the people in line around me (the dad with the infant who likes books "if they're chewy" and the mother-daughter team who kept handing their piles back and forth to grab something new), but it was about how we were sad to lose a place where we could come in and find a new book, etc.
And I know I should support independent booksellers and blah blah blah. But, you know what? I'm busy. I have limited means to get around. And I don't always know exactly what I want...which helps when you have a great big place to rummage through. If I was looking to pick up a book AND a MOVIE and a CD, I could walk out with all three from Borders rather than jumping around at multiple locations. I hope I'll fall in love with some great small bookstore (there's apparently one a few blocks down from work) and have many grand memories of it in the future. And I hope they take on some of those Borders employees that have complimented my purchases, recommended other items, and generally made pleasant small talk as I sat in their chairs, reading my next favorite book.
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2 comments:
You made me cry, as I can totally understand what you are talking about. Bookstores and libraries have been my refuge when I needed a moment away, or a place to hide out, and I brought you and your brother along on my journeys. Books have brought magic into my life since I was in the 4th grade, and to think that someone else might miss out on that magic because a bookstore isn't going to be there, makes me sad.
Hannah's Mom
I do love the mention of enjoyable random conversations - not an advantage I had considered to a local bookstore. But then I'm rarely in them. But that is how I feel about taking buses, actually - people always want to tout that they're green, or save you gas money, or something. But I want to see the "have-an-enjoyable-conversation-with-a-random-stranger-whose-space-you-are-forced-to-invade" advertisement. I haven't seen one of those yet - that's the real reason to ride a bus!
Well, OK, maybe that advertisement wouldn't go over all that well.
(Sorry I just read this post!)
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