Friends-Only Post No. 26: Same As It Ever Was

WHERE THE WILD WORDS ARE 

A fun, somewhat frightening facet of being alive is the phenomenon wherein, once you learn about a thing, you suddenly see it everywhere.  It's as though your awareness conjures it into being -- but, haha, that couldn't possibly be right...could it?

As it says in the Bible :

A lot o' people don't realize what's really going on. They view life as a bunch o' unconnected incidents 'n things. They don't realize that there's this, like, lattice o' coincidence that lays on top o' everything. Give you an example; show you what I mean: suppose you're thinkin' about a plate o' shrimp. Suddenly someone'll say, like, plate, or shrimp, or plate o' shrimp out of the blue, no explanation. No point in lookin' for one, either. It's all part of a cosmic unconciousness. 

Anyway, one thing that happens when you do a podcast about bad books is that you become aware of certain bad books and then you see them without respite or recourse.  Here are some photos taken from recent trips to bookstores .  

A QUICK RANT

Speaking of trips to bookstores, a bookstore I loved, and did not frequent enough or buy enough from when I did go there was Book Zoo .  Here is the closing statement from its proprietor:

Let me be clear: There were simply not enough people buying enough books from Book Zoo at this location. This is the main reason we cannot stay. Wrong time? Wrong place? Wrong books?

With that said, there are a lot of thanks to go around...

First, thanks to all our fans and hanger-arounders. I'm glad you liked having us in your circuit. We, too, for the most part, enjoyed your visits. Every last one of you played a part, however long-winded or insufferable. You all added "character" to the bookshop, which is essential to the mix.

Thanks, too, to all the musicians, writers, artists, poets, and other creative types that performed, spread the word, brought crowds, and improved the vibe; in almost all cases for FREE or for a hatful of chump change. The importance of the public event component of Book Zoo's ongoing history cannot be overestimated.

Thanks to most people who sold, traded, or donated books. A flow of new arrivals is critical to what we do. Donations were often crappy, but I think you usually meant well, or just needed to dump books.

Thanks to everyone who was nice to my beautiful, smart, funny, kind, strong, generous, and creative daughters (Ramona and Roxanne); who chatted with, played with, gave them stuff, or read to them.

Too many names to mention, but massive appreciation goes out to every Book Zoo staffer, volunteer, intern, money- loaner, and the like. Having survived the "Tyranny of the Zookeeper" is no small thing.

The BIGGEST THANKS goes to those of you who consummated the Book Zoo experience by BUYING BOOKS. Hats off to those of you who actually BOUGHT BOOKS regularly. 

How could you not like a bookstore run by such a cranky soul?  

If you like a thing that exists for pay in this brutal capitalist nightmare, you have to support it with money.  If you don't support that thing with money, it will, in this brutal capitalist nightmare, stop existing.

If you have better ideas for how to live and how to support things, I urge you to put them into practice, right where you are, right now, today.  But if you don't, please: spend your money where you live.

THANKS 

We recorded two episodes today, in between pets being obstreperous and Clsn pointlessly picking online fights with people he agrees with more than he doesn't, and we can't wait for you to hear them! Please, allow us to tantalize you: you'll need to TRAIN to handle the RUSH.  Anyway, we love you!  Keep an eye out for bad books and don't forget to buy the occasional good one from the grumpy shopkeeper who lives down the street from you.

--Collision for IDEOTVPOD