Demise of Bookstores

Insanity last evening on American Idol.  When Casey Adams appeared as the one with the lowest number of votes, the shock began.  The Top 10 goes on tour this summer.  Would this mean that he wouldn't be able to go.  He began to "sing for his life" when he was interrupted.  Was this planned (after all they were almost out of time)?  All eleven members were included on the summer tour as Casey was saved by the judges' peremptory save.  Next week TWO elite members will be (?) eliminated from the contest.  This show was either planned to be full of surprises (like Stevie Wonder performing for Steven Tyler's birthday AND Hulk Hogan appearing to "wrestle" two of the guys), or it was a test for the mettle of the judges to prove their worthiness.

Why is it that we are always surprised at how old someone else is?  Did we really think that they didn't age while we did?  Those of us with kids know how fast they grow up.  Also, can anyone really remember the time between 45 and 55?  It goes by in a flash.  A few evenings ago we watched the premier show of Dancing With The Stars and realized that the token old star  for the season was Kirstie Alley.  We could not believe that she is sixty, in spite of the fact that we will be there in a matter of months ourselves.  I remember her best in "The North and South" TV mini-series.  Her extremely light colored blue eyes haunted me for weeks.  That was in 1985.  Many actors that played in the series are already deceased (i.e. Patrick Swayze, Johnny Cash, Gene Kelly, David Carradine, Robert Mitchum, Jean Simmons, and Elizabeth Taylor).  So for sure it isn't a stretch for her to be sixty.  It is just that the juxtaposition of ourselves versus our memories sometimes don't allow our judgment and "guesstimation" to work properly.

If you are as paranoid as I am about Facebook and the tremendous risks users are taking, then you should read this guide. Please don't take me for a "naysayer" with regards to Facebook.  My issues are with security and many companies making money from our innocently shared information.  Don't be naive- investigate before you share- because you can't un-share once you have!

I think of myself as having a pretty extensive vocabulary, but a while ago I joined a site that sends me a vocabulary word a day.  These words I have heard, but they are really hard for me to put to use.  For example: bumptious, kismet, fugacious, prescience, largess, truckle, interregnum, and quaff.  These are unusual enough that my editor puts little red squiggly lines under them- as though they were spelled incorrectly.  Why don't they ever remove words from our language.  One would think that if some words fall low enough into disuse that they would, but I've never heard of it.  English is a very difficult language.  One of the main reasons is that there are so many words to express the same thing.  It has way too much baggage... Every year, the dictionary companies add new words (coined by our ever changing culture).

It hurts to see all the bookstores (except one) close in Santa Barbara. We had two Borders (one close to my house and one downtown) and a Barns & Noble.  It hurts because those stores brought much pleasure to many people AND got them out of the house and maybe to get some studying done.  I feel as though I'm being forced to shift paradigms.  It is the beginning of the end of an era. Borders was a huge store with a large selection of books, children's books, DVDs and CDs, as well as magazines, newspapers and what I'll call doo-dads.  Their prices weren't always the best, but their business wasn't always just for purchases.  People liked to gather there and peruse.  It was also a good choice for Christmas presents.  The music went first.  It dwindled down to just a few rows of CDs.  iTunes killed 'em and they didn't move fast enough to a paradigm to sell electronically.  Next the DVDs went.  Why buy when I can get Netflix for cheap?  Now with the advent of numerous readers and tablets, less and less people are searching for a book in person.  Nobody is perusing magazines when they can get them online.  The world (my world) is changing faster than I want to let it.  How can you fight change when you are not left with any choices, but to capitulate? People that have readers or tablets are very happy with them.  It is a means for absorbing content, but not really for generating it.  I am reluctant to change.  I like to peruse and maybe read a few dust jackets before I buy.  I guess I'll be hanging out at the library...until they close too.  Sigh...

A father and son went fishing one day. After a couple hours out in the boat, the boy suddenly became curious about the world around him. He asked his father, "How does this boat float?"

The father thought for a moment, then replied, "I don't rightly know, son."

The boy returned to his contemplation, then turned back to his father, "How do fish breath underwater?"

Once again the father replied, "Don't rightly know, son."

A little later the boy asked, "Why is the sky blue?"

Again, the father replied. "Don't rightly know, son."

Worried he was going to annoy his father, he says, "Dad, do you mind my asking you all of these questions?"

"Of course not, son. If you don't ask questions ... you'll never learn anything!"

Short Summary Of Every Jewish Holiday

1. They tried to kill us.
2. We won.
3. Let’s eat.

There was a middle eastern king that was having money problems and decided that the only way to stay afloat was to sell his valuables. He managed to sell everything off except for the Star of the Euphrates. This was the most valuable diamond in the world.
He took it to a pawnbroker who offered him 100,000 rials for it. “What?” said the king. “I paid one million for it! Do you even know who I am?”
The pawnbroker said, “When you wish to pawn a star, it makes no difference who you are.”