Old people like me (I'm 32) often remark about the fact that kids these days will say anything while talking on a cellphone - even very private things - even in very public places. I do understand that privacy has been in decline basically since urbanization, which goes back thousands of years, not just a generation or two, but it still bothers me to hear a young person rating another's sexual prowess while browsing in my poetry section. On the other hand, along with the rest of the urban world, I am learning how not to listen to all the background noise, despite its exponentially growing quantity.
What really bothers me, though, is not that kids these days don't think twice about discussing their hidden bits in earshot of total strangers. It's that they really, really don't understand people without cellphones. That's what makes them bubbleheads: not a lack of intelligence, not the personal bubble they appear to imagine around themselves when they are plugged into the audio device of their choosing, but their apparent inability to comprehend that I do not have and do not want a cellphone of my own.
I do not want people to be able to reach me during the few hours I'm not at work. I do not want people to call me and to be forced to pay for the air time at both ends of the call, especially since it is apparently now acceptable for telemarketers to call cell phones. I do not want to pay more monthly bills or to purchase an expensive device that does more stuff. If I were a truck driver or a consultant and had children, I'd want them to be able to reach me, so I suppose I'd get a simple one. But I'm not and I don't.
This rapidly becomes symbolic of the insured-techno-debt-bubble outside which I live. Telemarketers earnestly pitch their plan to help me refinance my debt into one monthly payment. I tell them I only have one monthly payment already - a mortgage, low-interest; no car payments, no credit card debt. (It's one of the few perquisites of being a childless recluse.) More than a few have actually replied, "You're kidding. You've got to have a [big-box retailer] card or something."
Bubbleheads also don't understand why I have a problem with federally enforced purchase of health insurance. I'd rather put my money in a savings account so that I can afford to pay the doctor up front without making him or her do extra paperwork if I do get sick. This concept is apparently even more foreign than being debt-free. They argue that if I willingly buy state-mandated car insurance, I shouldn't have a problem with federally-mandated health insurance. The bubbleheads are completely bewildered by my answer, which is "I can sell my car." But seriously, does this entire generation take for granted that giving money to a corporation will somehow protect them against debt? Don't they hear about the people whose claims get denied? Don't they do the math and figure out how much of each monthly payment goes to administrative costs rather than health care? What kind of bubble are they living in?
A big one, evidently. I keep hearing things that make no sense to me, even from people old enough to know better. That they didn't know that credit cards cost merchants money to process. That they don't know who is running for the House of Representatives in their district. That they can't imagine how I've gone years at a time without buying a single thing at a 24-hour superstore. That they don't understand that collectibles (and cars, and houses, and stock shares) are only worth what someone else will pay for them, as opposed to what they paid or what a guide book says these items are worth. That they're miserable and overworked and afraid of their own debt, all of which I do understand; the economic weather is awful out there; but that they still can't imagine not being able to drive an SUV to an all-night store, call back to the house to check the shopping list and discuss what's on TV, and then pay for a gallon of milk with a credit card.
People talk about the growing gap between rich and poor. I don't know the numbers, so I won't comment. I do, however, see a growing gap between people who pay for the latest in the new standard of living and people who don't have those things/policies/investments, by choice or by necessity. It's a scary gap. Bigger than the generational rift between boomers and their parents. Bigger than the division in computer skills between people born before the internet and people born after. People still talked to each other on either side of those gaps, however hostilely or uncomprehendingly. But how can I even say 'hey, I'm sorry you're unhappy, I'd help if I could,' when everybody's always on the phone?
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Vote for the Haunted Bookshop in the Press Citizen Best of the Area 2010!
Apologies for the lateness of this post, but the Iowa City Press Citizen is hosting its annual Best of the Area contest. The first round of voting is closed as of 26 September, but the next round starts upon 11 October. Help the Haunted Bookshop be one of (if not the) best bookshop in the Iowa City area!
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Friday, September 24, 2010
Banned Books
In celebration of banned books - many of them classics vibrant with genuine life, really great stories, major contributions to literature, and kids' books with titles that make some weirdos think they're evil - this week's window display will show off some of our favorite banned or challenged books.
Want to know why they were challenged? Some of the reasons are just plain flabbergasting. The Egypt Game, for example, promotes dabbling in the 'black arts.' Besides the poor choice of phrase, the pretext for banning here demonstrates a lack of understanding of the contents of this book. Anyway, we have the facts up at the counter - just ask.
Unplug your mind from the rigid views, the misunderstandings, the cultural myths. Get the real thing and learn what these important books have to tell us about real life. Want help picking one you'll like? We're happy to listen to your tastes and recommend accordingly.
Meanwhile, we encourage everyone to take this week to express an important idea: Talking about what's really out there helps people learn to make better decisions. Just forbidding art that represents what's out there doesn't change reality or the importance of learning how to handle it. Start a conversation about your favorite banned book. Get an "I Read Banned Books pin" here or at the Public Library. Get seen reading hot books. Show people that you're not afraid to think for yourself.
Want to know why they were challenged? Some of the reasons are just plain flabbergasting. The Egypt Game, for example, promotes dabbling in the 'black arts.' Besides the poor choice of phrase, the pretext for banning here demonstrates a lack of understanding of the contents of this book. Anyway, we have the facts up at the counter - just ask.
Unplug your mind from the rigid views, the misunderstandings, the cultural myths. Get the real thing and learn what these important books have to tell us about real life. Want help picking one you'll like? We're happy to listen to your tastes and recommend accordingly.
Meanwhile, we encourage everyone to take this week to express an important idea: Talking about what's really out there helps people learn to make better decisions. Just forbidding art that represents what's out there doesn't change reality or the importance of learning how to handle it. Start a conversation about your favorite banned book. Get an "I Read Banned Books pin" here or at the Public Library. Get seen reading hot books. Show people that you're not afraid to think for yourself.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Ghostwriting No. 18: Wiki Edit Me, Please
Everybody knows some stuff about a lot of stuff, and if they have had good and interesting education and experiences, they may know a lot of stuff about some stuff.
One of the reasons that I chose book dealing as a line of work is that I like to learn lots of stuff about lots of stuff. I don't claim to be an expert on anything not involving the purchase and sale of some types of used books, but I love simply by sitting at the counter and listening when people choose to share something about what they know. I can learn so much. Patrons here have taught me things as diverse as the discoveries of archaeology in Croatia, who/what Oulipo is, why pressboard is bad for the environment, what the fine print of the new health care reforms includes, and how to use a certain powder-based drink to clean stains on sinks and other ceramic objects.
And, less specifically, I think it is incredibly important for people to have conceptual outlines of major ideas and some specific information about a scattering of subjects. Not only does this permit people to understand political, social, and personal issues at home, at work, and in the news, but it also gives us a wide variety of perspectives - and a wide variety of problem-solving methods from which we can devise ways to solve new problems.
Knowing how, for example, an archaeologist documents layers of physical information might help one to figure out a means of documenting one of those insidious workplace problems that started too small to notice and got too big to ignore. Knowing the scientific method helps people to evaluate certain clumps of information, e.g., if people notice a trend of feeling icky after drinking milk, they can test a different fat percentage of milk for a week, and soy milk for a week, and repeat until they have a sense for what, specifically, makes them feel icky. If it does, they can stop consuming that, thereby improving their own lives without the need for medical diagnostic procedures.
The more ways you know to deal with information, the more informed your decisions can become. This is important for everybody, since we're all mostly making educated guesses most of our lives. It's also particularly important for people who need to adapt really quickly, like entrepreneurs, e.g., me.
So today, for various reasons, I'm thinking about all the stuff I don't know, and I'd like to ask those of you who drop by, email, or otherwise keep in touch with the store to share if you happen to know things from my current Checklist of Stuff to Research:
1. Um... this is embarrassing, but I'm not exactly clear about the current state of literary criticism. I'm still a little shaky in my understanding of postcolonialism and have no idea whether there are other, recent schools about which I should learn. Help!
2. I tried to read an article this morning about Chinese currency being undervalued. I didn't get it. Can someone explain this to me?
3. Zoroastrianism. What, who, where, when, and how's it going now?
4. Does anyone know what the 1/2" round-bodied, dark-colored spiders with pink and white legs are? I've seen three now and don't know what to make of them, but the cats keep eating them before I get a chance to look closely.
5. If I want a small electrical job done at my house - the installation of a new outlet in a room that doesn't have any - whom should I call?
6. My musical tastes don't really run to the Romantic, but I'm fond of solo piano concertos. Composers? Performers? How about solo violin?
7. What's your favorite free science podcast? I'm a devout listener to Michael Silverblatt's Bookworm and Mike Duncan's History of Rome but need more variety in my audible diet. A good, authoritative news podcast (not Amerigocentric please) would be helpful, too.
8. What is an "iPhone app," and is there any reason I should have one? (Hint: I don't own an iPhone and still don't know what a Droid is.)
9. What are the most important books in current analytic philosophy?
10. Any sign of a fourth wave of feminism yet? If not, what's up with the third wave these days? I failed to pay attention after a bunch of different sources tried to make Ally McBeal the third-wave poster person, so I'm pretty out of date now.
There's a start, anyway. Even posting a link to an authoritative website would help me start learning - can you help me out?
One of the reasons that I chose book dealing as a line of work is that I like to learn lots of stuff about lots of stuff. I don't claim to be an expert on anything not involving the purchase and sale of some types of used books, but I love simply by sitting at the counter and listening when people choose to share something about what they know. I can learn so much. Patrons here have taught me things as diverse as the discoveries of archaeology in Croatia, who/what Oulipo is, why pressboard is bad for the environment, what the fine print of the new health care reforms includes, and how to use a certain powder-based drink to clean stains on sinks and other ceramic objects.
And, less specifically, I think it is incredibly important for people to have conceptual outlines of major ideas and some specific information about a scattering of subjects. Not only does this permit people to understand political, social, and personal issues at home, at work, and in the news, but it also gives us a wide variety of perspectives - and a wide variety of problem-solving methods from which we can devise ways to solve new problems.
Knowing how, for example, an archaeologist documents layers of physical information might help one to figure out a means of documenting one of those insidious workplace problems that started too small to notice and got too big to ignore. Knowing the scientific method helps people to evaluate certain clumps of information, e.g., if people notice a trend of feeling icky after drinking milk, they can test a different fat percentage of milk for a week, and soy milk for a week, and repeat until they have a sense for what, specifically, makes them feel icky. If it does, they can stop consuming that, thereby improving their own lives without the need for medical diagnostic procedures.
The more ways you know to deal with information, the more informed your decisions can become. This is important for everybody, since we're all mostly making educated guesses most of our lives. It's also particularly important for people who need to adapt really quickly, like entrepreneurs, e.g., me.
So today, for various reasons, I'm thinking about all the stuff I don't know, and I'd like to ask those of you who drop by, email, or otherwise keep in touch with the store to share if you happen to know things from my current Checklist of Stuff to Research:
1. Um... this is embarrassing, but I'm not exactly clear about the current state of literary criticism. I'm still a little shaky in my understanding of postcolonialism and have no idea whether there are other, recent schools about which I should learn. Help!
2. I tried to read an article this morning about Chinese currency being undervalued. I didn't get it. Can someone explain this to me?
3. Zoroastrianism. What, who, where, when, and how's it going now?
4. Does anyone know what the 1/2" round-bodied, dark-colored spiders with pink and white legs are? I've seen three now and don't know what to make of them, but the cats keep eating them before I get a chance to look closely.
5. If I want a small electrical job done at my house - the installation of a new outlet in a room that doesn't have any - whom should I call?
6. My musical tastes don't really run to the Romantic, but I'm fond of solo piano concertos. Composers? Performers? How about solo violin?
7. What's your favorite free science podcast? I'm a devout listener to Michael Silverblatt's Bookworm and Mike Duncan's History of Rome but need more variety in my audible diet. A good, authoritative news podcast (not Amerigocentric please) would be helpful, too.
8. What is an "iPhone app," and is there any reason I should have one? (Hint: I don't own an iPhone and still don't know what a Droid is.)
9. What are the most important books in current analytic philosophy?
10. Any sign of a fourth wave of feminism yet? If not, what's up with the third wave these days? I failed to pay attention after a bunch of different sources tried to make Ally McBeal the third-wave poster person, so I'm pretty out of date now.
There's a start, anyway. Even posting a link to an authoritative website would help me start learning - can you help me out?
First Officer's Log No 16: Curiosity Hasn't Killed Me Yet... or, How Knowledge Makes The Bookshop Go 'Round
Anyone who has spent any amount of time around me (i.e. 10 minutes or less) knows that if they ask me a question about a subject to which I have a particular fondness, I may have a tendency to talk their ear off about said subject. Like the lady who came in for the Writer's Workshop Program during the summer and asked me for a good book by a Japanese writer, and I handed her one of Yukio Mishima's novels, all the while babbling about how obsessed I had been in the summer of 2009 with his work. She bought the book, and came back two days later to clean us out of Mishima. So if you come in and there's no Mishima on the shelves... my fault. I probably sold it to somebody. The same goes for Natsuo Kirino, Ryu Murakami, John Connolly, Dennis Lehane, Val McDermid, and about a half dozen other authors, but I've babbled plenty about these marvelous writers.
Lately, I've been diving head first into non fiction, specifically Holocaust Studies. Now, being as that I am so fond of cheerful subjects, I of course did what I do whenever I get interested in something: I don't wade into the pool; I hit the high dive. So I scooted around the general information and headed straight for some of the most controversial topics in this field of study and was introduced to a new term: revisionist history.
This subject alternately fascinates and horrifies me, mostly the latter, because it strikes me as degrading and I feel it violates the memory of events. There is really nothing nice I can say about revisionist history. If anything, it motivates me to go out and find out more information, seeking an answer for why people believe the things they do, and, more specifically, why anybody would even think to try to revise the view of one of the 20th century's most horrific events.
It's akin to someone trying to revise my generation's reaction to September 11th. If someone came up to me and said 'Oh, no, you couldn't have seen what you saw', I'd have to bite my tongue before I could say 'Yes, yes I saw it. I was watching it on television as two airplanes struck the towers, and I watched them fall a few hours later'. I was in high school; it wasn't so long ago. I think it's a disservice, an insult to the memory of that day. Much like anyone who claims the Holocaust didn't happen is insulting the memory of millions of people, and insulting the generations that came later, mine included, who wanted to know why. Why do things happen and what can we learn to prevent them from happening again. The ultimate questions boil down to the word 'why'.
It's one of the main reasons I love reading history: I want to know why.
Humans are curious by nature, and I'm no different. I'm probably too curious, because the moment I learn something that intrigues me on some level - personal, academic, or professionally - I want to learn more, and I don't tend to start small in devouring information. Since it's been my job to describe books on the internet, I've done some of my own personal research into how books used to be made; Nialle has offered plenty of information on why current books don't hold up as well as old ones, and why some books are worth money and others aren't. From reading up on how books are bound (paper signatures used to be sewn together, and then sewn into a hard cover, which was then covered in leather or cloth; most modern books are glued into the boards and depending on who does the binding, it's not the best quality) to what kinds of leathers are used by book binders (goatskin is the most desirable, because it is beautiful and sturdy, and while calfskin is lovely, it splinters and tears as it ages), I've learned the bare basics of bookbinding and what makes a durable, long lasting book.
From knowing that information, I know what things I can describe on the internet to entice people. Knowing key things that make a particular copy of a book better than, say, a half-dozen other copies might be as simple as knowing how to read a piece of copyright information, or perhaps we have a nifty old Modern Library copy with a nearly pristine dust jacket (we have a gorgeous copy of Thoreau's 'Walden' right now in the Modern Library, plug plug). Having a copy with something special about it, just one thing that no other copy has, that's what we look for. Having that knowledge, that information, that's what makes our little world go 'round and 'round.
I've said it before, but I really don't think I'll ever stop learning. Even though I graduated college almost three years ago, I'm still insatiable when it comes to information, new and old. I still want to learn about anything and everything I can. I like having a broad scope of interest because it makes me able to talk with anybody regarding just about anything, and makes it easier for me to know the sections of the shop, so I can know what to do when someone is looking for That One Book. Since I've been scoping out books in certain sections lately for Nialle, I know what's in stock, where it is, and what might pique your interest. So if you're interested in Psychology, Cultural Studies, African History, Middle East History, European History (including the Continent and the UK), or anything Medical or Biology related, come talk to me. Maybe I can help you find That One Book.
Until next week, fellow bibliophiles.
Lately, I've been diving head first into non fiction, specifically Holocaust Studies. Now, being as that I am so fond of cheerful subjects, I of course did what I do whenever I get interested in something: I don't wade into the pool; I hit the high dive. So I scooted around the general information and headed straight for some of the most controversial topics in this field of study and was introduced to a new term: revisionist history.
This subject alternately fascinates and horrifies me, mostly the latter, because it strikes me as degrading and I feel it violates the memory of events. There is really nothing nice I can say about revisionist history. If anything, it motivates me to go out and find out more information, seeking an answer for why people believe the things they do, and, more specifically, why anybody would even think to try to revise the view of one of the 20th century's most horrific events.
It's akin to someone trying to revise my generation's reaction to September 11th. If someone came up to me and said 'Oh, no, you couldn't have seen what you saw', I'd have to bite my tongue before I could say 'Yes, yes I saw it. I was watching it on television as two airplanes struck the towers, and I watched them fall a few hours later'. I was in high school; it wasn't so long ago. I think it's a disservice, an insult to the memory of that day. Much like anyone who claims the Holocaust didn't happen is insulting the memory of millions of people, and insulting the generations that came later, mine included, who wanted to know why. Why do things happen and what can we learn to prevent them from happening again. The ultimate questions boil down to the word 'why'.
It's one of the main reasons I love reading history: I want to know why.
Humans are curious by nature, and I'm no different. I'm probably too curious, because the moment I learn something that intrigues me on some level - personal, academic, or professionally - I want to learn more, and I don't tend to start small in devouring information. Since it's been my job to describe books on the internet, I've done some of my own personal research into how books used to be made; Nialle has offered plenty of information on why current books don't hold up as well as old ones, and why some books are worth money and others aren't. From reading up on how books are bound (paper signatures used to be sewn together, and then sewn into a hard cover, which was then covered in leather or cloth; most modern books are glued into the boards and depending on who does the binding, it's not the best quality) to what kinds of leathers are used by book binders (goatskin is the most desirable, because it is beautiful and sturdy, and while calfskin is lovely, it splinters and tears as it ages), I've learned the bare basics of bookbinding and what makes a durable, long lasting book.
From knowing that information, I know what things I can describe on the internet to entice people. Knowing key things that make a particular copy of a book better than, say, a half-dozen other copies might be as simple as knowing how to read a piece of copyright information, or perhaps we have a nifty old Modern Library copy with a nearly pristine dust jacket (we have a gorgeous copy of Thoreau's 'Walden' right now in the Modern Library, plug plug). Having a copy with something special about it, just one thing that no other copy has, that's what we look for. Having that knowledge, that information, that's what makes our little world go 'round and 'round.
I've said it before, but I really don't think I'll ever stop learning. Even though I graduated college almost three years ago, I'm still insatiable when it comes to information, new and old. I still want to learn about anything and everything I can. I like having a broad scope of interest because it makes me able to talk with anybody regarding just about anything, and makes it easier for me to know the sections of the shop, so I can know what to do when someone is looking for That One Book. Since I've been scoping out books in certain sections lately for Nialle, I know what's in stock, where it is, and what might pique your interest. So if you're interested in Psychology, Cultural Studies, African History, Middle East History, European History (including the Continent and the UK), or anything Medical or Biology related, come talk to me. Maybe I can help you find That One Book.
Until next week, fellow bibliophiles.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
