Travel tip for books

Don't put your new book in the same pocket of your pack with a water bottle unless you are ABSOLUTELY sure the water bottle will not open. Otherwise prepare to read that book in about a week when it dries out.

Hidden Talents and Creativity

As I share my bookstore plans with a wider circle of friends and acquaintances, I'm been amazed and blessed with the resounding positive feedback as well as the offers of help.

Talents and expertise that I wasn't aware of have been generously offered and the suggestions and assistance on possible events and promotions have left me amazed at the creativity of my friends (although a number of folks have suggested wine and beer tastings...);-)

Things are moving along and I hope to update the site with the latest (after I actually get some things done this week).

The Wisdom (!?!?!?) of Keith Richards

Here's one for your must-read list: What Would Keith Richards Do?: Daily Affirmations from a Rock and Roll Survivor by Jessica Pallington West.

"What is a wise man? What is a prophet?

Someone with a strange, unflappable demeanor. Someone who speaks in cryptic koans, words whose meanings take years to unravel. Someone who has confronted death, God, sin, and the immortal soul. Someone unfit for this world, but too brilliant to depart it. Someone, in short, like Keith Richards.

Here, at last, the wisdom of this indefatigable man is recorded and set forth. These are his visionary words: “I would rather be a legend than a dead legend.” Or “Whatever side I take, I know well that I will be blamed.” And—indeed—“I’ve never had a problem with drugs, only with policemen.”

Not merely a compendium of wisdom, this book is also a complete guide to the inner workings of a complex and inspired belief system, and the life of a man sanctified by fame. What Would Keith Richards Do? reminds us to learn from our mistakes, let our instincts lead us, and above all, do what Keith has done better than anyone—survive." From Amazon

...a great b'day gift for me (hint, hint...)

a First Class poem

Creased jeans
Gleaming loafers
Open jacket
Casually confident
Disinterested air
First Class

...At least that's how it looked as I waited in the economy/cattle line to get on the plane in London.

More Peeps + Gary Larson

Nope, can't get enough and I have lots of friends and family who feed my peeps obsession. Loved the grand-prize winner from the Pitts Post-Gazette Contest - Nancy Becker with "S'Mores Motel"

"...two uneasy Peeps lying in a foreboding motel room. The couple repose on a chocolate bed with Graham cracker sheets...one bunny is thinking: 'I have a bad feeling about this place.'"

Just like one of my favorite Gary Larson Far Side cartoons about the ill-fated slug vacation to the Great Salt Lake - Slug Vacation Disasters.

The neatherworld (or Heathrow in the wee small hours...)

(...from a few days ago) In the netherworld of travel when you're neither here nor there and nothing exists but the plane and the airport. Every face I see searches desparately for something familiar.

We're all here together, but looking past each other. Where getting a cup of tea can feel like an overwhelming challenge - what currency do I need; how does the queue work; how do I order...

It's strange that when I'm traveling the people I've left and people I'm going to are not uppermost in my mind. It's like navigating and exising in unfamiliar situations leaves me no mind for the normal things of life - whether it's an airport in London, Hong Kong, Lima or Lisbon.

But at the end of the journey, I'll forget all this and hug my sister and have that cup of tea.

A world away

Prague...need I say more??