Oops. Forgot my Logos report for last week...and it
was a busy week too. The joint was jumping when I arrived. Mike
was ringing up one customer and another, in a wheel chair was lined up to
buy a Currier and Ives book. I wish I knew why Mike insists on calling
me "Mrs. Sykes." But I won't be able to pursue that because Sandy will
be back and it will be so good to see her again, though Mike is a nice,
affable guy.
The Pete Seeger doppelganger was there when Mike left and he
bought a nature book on rivers.
Another guy bought a book on utilitarianism and a book of
letters.
A guy asked the price of a very big, thick, heavy book on
the history of modern art and as pleased to learn it was only $8 (so he
bought it)
The train rider from the last two weeks I worked raced in
and found another book to read, again threw money at me and raced out the
door to catch his train. I didn't even catch the name of the book.
A couple bought a book called "Memory Wall: Stories," which
I assumed was stories taken from people visiting the Vietnam memorial, but I
discovered that this is by the author of "All the Light We Cannot See" (one
of our upcoming book club books). Amazon describes it as "Anthony
Doerr's new stories are about memory, the source of meaning and coherence in
our lives, the fragile thread that connects us to ourselves and to others.
Every hour, says Doerr, all over the globe, an infinite number of memories
disappear. Yet at the same time children, surveying territory that is
entirely new to them, push back the darkness, form fresh memories, and
remake the world."
I checked the clock and I had only been there 30 minutes and
had made 7 sales in that time. Surely a record.
I guy who reminded me of one of our Piñata
kids came in and asked if the noise of the kids outside bothered me. I
told him I hadn't even noticed. He bought 2 Faulkners.
A guy with a giant rolled up rainbow umbrella and a plaid
backpack in. He wore the kind of rumpled, oversized pants my colleague
often wears. He browed around for a very long time, but then left
without buying anything.
"Eliza" came in, as usual in her multi-layered outfit, with
her baby, who must be about 6 months old now, asleep in a front pack.
She was drinking coffee, didn't stay long, didn't buy anything, and left
early.
3 girls who looked like they might be in high school came in
together, each wearing what were obviously very heavy back packs. One
had a shirt with a peace sign on it. They looked around for less than
a minute before leaving.
A guy bought two books by Saul Bellow. His purchase
was $10.31 and because he was rummaging in his pockets after handing me $20,
I asked if he had 31 cents, which he did not. As I was making his
change, I told him my McDonald's story (about buying something that cost
$2.99 and having the person, when I handed her $3, ask me if I had 99
cents).
There was a tall grey haired man with a nice grey beard was
standing at the Old Books section, bouncing his head in time to the music
coming over the overhead speaker. He wore a khaki jacket and a
messenger bag slung over one shoulder. His rumpled jeans were too long
and dragged on the ground. He had an odd gait, leaning back with his
hands in his belt looks that gave him a "swagger." He didn't buy
anything, though.
The Antiquarian came in and left right away because the grey haired man was
at the old books shelf, but he came back later and bought a book, then
showed me his latest "treasure," a heart-shaped crystal pendant with a human
hair rolled up inside. He was very proud of it and pulled it out of a
little velvet bag in his pocket.
A balding guy came in with a History of the United States from the bargain
books outside and said he "couldn't pass this up."
A guy was looking for "Autobiography of a Yogi" by
Paramahansa Yogananda (I looked
that up) but checked biographies, self-realization, and religion and finally
said "Well, we gave it a try..." and left.
My friend came in at 4.
He looked around for a long time and had about decided that there was
nothing for him this time, when suddenly he showed up with a thick stack of a
7-volume set of books on Japan. He's a real Japan-o-phile. He
remembered seeing this set in a different edition elsewhere, so he asked if
I could hold the books for him for a day while I checked out whether he
wanted it or not. But in order to put it on hold for him, I needed to
get his last name, so now I know both his first and last name. And,
thanks to the internet, I had confirmation about where he works and what he
does. We have more in common than I realized.
A guy came in looking for a
book by Nazar Afisi ("Reading Lolita in Tehran.") I told him I didn't know
if we had it, but mentioned that I had just seen her that week on "Finding
Your Roots," a program he had seen too. We both are apparently big
fans of the show. He was sorry not to find her book, but did pick up a
coffee table book on British landscapes and his wife bought a book about
activities for families in California.
A woman came in looking for a
specific biography, which she did not find, but we talked about Logos and
Doctors without Borders and she mentioned president Al-Asad in Syria.
She mentioned that he had been a doctor but had obviously forgotten his
"hypocritical oath." I thought that was funny. She ended up
buying a book called "The Spiral Staircase" which had the subtitle of "My
climb out of darkness" and is apparently the story of a young woman's
spiritual journey following 17 unhappy years as a nun living in a convent.
I'm always fascinated by real life nun stories.
(I love being able to look up
information on books that intrigue me on Amazon after I get home from work!)
A mom came into the store while
her young son stood out on the sidewalk pounding on the window.
Fortunately she did not stay long.
Susan said we made $277 for the
day, which is a respectable amount on a day when rain is threatening.
