B is for Books
I went into a used bookstore the other day. Painted green floors, taxidermy, folk art, and books, of course, a million-trillion books all under the watchful eyes of two sisters with gray hair down their backs. It was incredible; bizarre in the best of ways.
I put enough change in the meter to last me twenty minutes and walked through a courtyard, under a yellow awning, and across a threshold into Diagon Alley. I immediately started scanning books, but it was the type of place where you tell the shopkeeper what you need and she scans the catalog she keeps only in her mind and says, “You’ll find Chekhov on the third aisle, bottom shelf, next to the book on how to make dim sum.”
As practical as I am, there is a large part of me that is mystical, prone to woo-woo. This store brought out the woo-woo. I don’t know if it was the sisters or the smell of yellowed paper or the large set of antlers with the scalp and skull still attached under which I stood transfixed for five minutes, but the place vibrated with energy. Even Nicholas must have felt it because after he finished playing with the blocks in a woven straw bucket he put them all away before he started in on the puzzles. My only explanation is that we were somewhere magical, because the muggle version of Nicholas can only be bribed or threatened into picking up toys.
I bought Mikey a $4 hardcover of Lemony Snicket’s A Series Unfortunate Events and walked out to the car to find the meter expired long ago. I didn’t get a ticket.
It was Tuesday
I woke up early but had breakfast late. Later, I ran a quick errand.We read Rikki Tikki Tavi, Too Many Toys, and a two year old Spider-Man book from dollar spot at Target.
We ate lunch. I had kale and chicken, leftovers. He nibbled at his sandwich and fruit, congested and uninterested. I anticipated this and only gave him half portions. I’m glad; I hate wasting food.
On the way home from school, Mikey asked if I knew the proper way to kill a vampire. That’s the game they were playing at recess and he wanted to make sure he had all his weaponry straight. I told him there is nothing wrong with kickball.
He did homework, I sold a buffet we had in the dining room. A couple from Craigslist promised to come over and they did. I’m close to getting that china cabinet I’ve had my eye on. I’m excited.
We had tofu fajitas for dinner. Mikey continued his campaign against the lowly soybean. Nico made up for his missed lunch. It was delicious, even for Mikey. He stuffed two corn tortillas to overflowing with peppers, onions, and guacamole, then ate more without a tortilla. Nico did the same, with the addition of tofu.
At 7:30 it felt like 10:30. I decided to read this book before Rules of Civility. I considered it for book club, but thought it was one most have already read.
It was a quiet day, one spent looking at the clouds. Bright and white and cold. It was nice. It was Tuesday.
Stuff Mikey Says, Vol. 4
On marketing
“I can’t believe I was tricked into reading Beauty and the Beast.”
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On sustenance
“I’m thinking…do I want to plug my arteries with a burger, or do I want Chipotle?”
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On humor
“Of course I know you’re joking on me, Dad. You joke about everything serious or dangerous.”
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On fantasies
“I’m having an awesome dream right now. It’s about Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and Mary Poppins.”
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On authenticity
“Never try to be somebody else, or else you will lose your magical powers.”
Stuff Nicholas Says, Vol. 1
On desserts
“Do you want to try mine, Mikey? It’s chocolate and flavored and good and sloppy.”
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On dinner
“Look how much rice I ate, mama. I pound that down!”
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On head colds
“Am I ever going to feel better, mama, or is this how I will always feel forever?”
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On fortune cookies
“It says, ‘Dear Nicholas, I hope you get lots of ice cream when your mama says you are no longer sick.’“
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On careers
“I don’t know what a paleontologist does, but when they do it outside it’s called field work.”
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On dreams
“Mama, can you put ‘Go to Super Bowl’ on my life list?”
Until Monday
We are still having discussions on the Book Club and the William Morris posts, and this week has been quiet online in general, so I thought to keep it light today. Okay, we’ve also been sick all week and the boys have had fevers, which means they are piled on me like little koala bears. I love it, and haven’t done much more than sop up the affection with a biscuit.
I’m not sure what I will do with the Unstyled Life posts. They seem to have taken on a life of their own and morphed into something different than originally intended. I may keep them on Fridays or move them to another day, but I don’t think I’m ready to give them up.
A few of the plans I have for next week:
- Book Club: more discussions about what to read, deciding where to meet (it’s an online book club, so either here, Twitter, Facebook, Good Reads, etc.), creating “genre teams” to make the book selection process easier, and when to start. Some excellent points brought up in the comments so far include the ease of getting books from the library, page count, starting off with an easier read since we don’t know what we’re doing, and whether we should read a book at least one person has read and can recommend.
- William Morris: I’ll be posting something on Thursday, and hope you do, too. Feel free to leave a link to your project in the comments, so long as it is a new post inspired by the series. Some people have asked about link ups. If I get enough requests for one, I’ll do it. Let me know what you think.
- Celebrating my anniversary on the 15th. Twelve years! (Thanks for the compliments on my wedding picture. I didn’t think you could see it clearly, but a few eagle eyes spotted it immediately.)
- Updating my Unread Library list. I have a ton of books to add. A few may make good Book Club material, like Skippy Dies, The Wildwood Chronicles, Book 1, and…uh, I can’t remember but I know there are a few. I need to think about how to add the books. The list is getting a bit unwieldy.
I really wish the boys were feeling better. The Mister and I can hardly wait to take them to this.
