But What About LOGOS?

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.