Right now, I am sitting in a
Barnes and Noble. I know that really, I
should be trying to support my local bookstores and things of that nature, but
there is something about Barnes and Noble that just puts me immediately at ease. Perhaps it is that I can walk into a Barnes
and Noble and walk out without buying something and not feel too terribly
guilty because they won’t really
suffer from my lack of a book purchase. Also,
free wi-fi, and relatively cheap access to soda and the like.
But really, it’s the
familiarity of it all. No matter where I
am—Virginia Beach, Roanoke, Shelton—I can drive to a BN and really feel like I’ve
been there before. My first time in the
store it might take a few moments to get situated as to which section is where,
but once I’m in between some shelves or bunkered down in an arm chair, I really
could be anywhere, whether I want to be closer to home, or further away. That’s a good feeling.
To change the subject
completely: I’ve just looked up and realized that there are outlets on the
ceiling. Why would they put outlets on
the ceiling? What’s the point in that? Who is breaking out the ladder to plug
things in and dangle them through the room?
Jumping back: I could continue to ramble about the wonders
of BN, or other bookstores of choice, but I’ve found throughout my life that
there are bookstore people and non-bookstore people. Bookstore people know the feeling—the breath
of fresh air and the calming wave that just walking into a bookstore
provides. Whether they agree with me or
not about chain stories, they still know the feeling and can relate to it. Non-bookstore people just think I’m crazy,
and no matter what I do, I would never be able to explain it to them. So, I’m not going to waste my breath (typing
time?). I just hope they have something
that makes them feel as good as bookstores make me feel.
<3
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