Wow
Sometimes that is all that needs to be said. But I'm not going to stop there. What a terribly wonderful day today was. It rained all day long. It was gray and gloomy and I was so happy. I worked my first eight-hour day since I began working at Barnes & Noble. And it was wonderful, as well. I was cashiering, and you know, some of my customers really made my day. I recall walking around bookstores and seeing books that I never thought people would buy. I mean, of course there are people who buy them, but I never knew that I would come across someone in the "real world" who would buy them. Today, a man came up to the counter with two books about owls, frustrated because he didn't know which one to purchase. I immediately melted in my shoes when he chose one. How often do you see a normal, average Joe buying a book just about owls? And how often do you see a fifteen-year-old kid that looks like he spends most of the day playing video games or basketball, purchase a book for nickel collectors...all the little slots for various nickels. Oh-my-God. And I love it when I meet men--anywhere--that sincerely know their wives/girlfriends enough to buy them something so specific and quirky as a book about mushrooms. It seems obvious that people have their passions and that you can't judge what they love by how they look, etc. But it is so refreshing to know that they don't just go to the internet to pursue their passions, but that they still manifest physical literature into their passions. It is so interesting--like a sociology experiment--to see what types of books people buy and who they buy them for. Amazing. I love it.
As domesticated as it sounds, I cannot wait for Len to come home tonight (around midnight) so I can make us grilled cheese and soup (for a rainy day) and tell him about my day. All those customers...it drives me wild to know that they walk away with their purchase not knowing that I am standing there wishing that I can show them my messy heart beating in my hands...for them. And this heart goes out to Len, my boyfriend, my best friend, because I know that when he is sipping his soup and eating his gooey sandwich, that my story will make his day, as well.
Yesterday, after class, I went to the Te Cafe reading series with two guys from class (John & Kevin are their names). The reading featured Michael Wurster (considered to be Pittsburh's "poetry Buddha") and another man whose name escapes me. We have never heard of these men, but they were interesting. After the reading was an open-mic for anyone interested. Kevin (pursuing his MFA in fiction) insisted that we all read something of our own). So, because of him, I read at my first ever open-mic. Yay. I read a recent poem (heroic couplets) about my mother called "The Pull". It still needs revising, but it was the only thing I had on me. Kevin read some of his poetry and John wasn't interested in reading, which is okay. It was exciting and I loved it. It was a nice little cafe, too.
Tomorrow, Len and I are going hiking (hopefully) and in the evening, we'll be going to Pittsburgh's jazz poetry concert. Exciting.
But for now, folks, I am going to indulge in a privilege granted to me for working at Barnes & Noble. I am allowed to borrow (for two weeks) any hardcover book. So, I am going to read Randy Pausch's The Last Lecture. He was a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon University, just down the road from the university I attend. It's a short book, so I'll probably finish it tonight/tomorrow.