fantastic_jackie (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
fantastic_jackie) wrote2010-05-26 11:15 pm
fantastic_jackie) wrote2010-05-26 11:15 pm
Entry tags:
Crazy Borders Guy
*My thoughts at the time in italics
Wednesday nights are Borders nights. Our church building just so happens to be about 10 minutes away, give or take traffic, as opposed to the 25 minutes coming from home. So out of convenience, we go to Borders after mid-week Bible study to browse books and pick up coffee from Seattle's Best.
Tonight, I went with the intention of picking up the book to follow The Magician's Guild, which was recommended last year by![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
gilpin25. Yeah, I'm slow; got caught up in nonfiction and all that jazz. (It's good, btw! :D) So after placing orders for Ter's and my drinks, I headed over to Sci-fi/Fantasy looking for 'C.' Unfortunately, Borders had rearranged the shelves since last week; the empty aisle I thought I would be going down was not my aisle. Instead, I had to go down the aisle with the 30-something guy standing in the middle of the row, looking at the books blankly.
And he just so happened to be standing in front of, though not obstructing, the 'C' section.
Joy.
I ambled onward and hoped to not disturb him, squatting and reaching for the book there that looked like it was from the series. I flipped it over and read the cover: Book #3.
Man. They don't have it.
"I haven't tried her." It was a terrible way to phrase a sentence, coming from a man, so he said again, "I haven't read anything by her."
Uhh.... "She's pretty good." I smiled politely. "She was recommended to me by a friend. Pretty good." Don't talk to me again.
Alas, he couldn't hear my thoughts. (Later this would be a very good thing.)
"So, are you a fan of light fantasy?" he asked. He was looking at me expectantly; I suddenly understood the common phrase 'hope shining in his eyes.'
As I began running a mental dictionary scan on all the definitions of the word 'light,' I cottoned on to what this guy was doing: this was some sort of bizzare mating ritual. Someone had told him a good way to pick up chicks was to hang out in book stores; that had been a conversation starter that I'd walked straight into.
Light as in... Faeries with the "ae?" Light as in elves? Light as in elements...? "Uh...? Light fantasy??" I asked.
He looked at me as if I couldn't possibly be a true fantasy fan. "You know. Light fantasy. Not hardcore. For fun."
Isn't that what all books are for? I mean seriously dude. Not to be arrogant, but I'm not just your average reader. I write myself and intend to be published some day: I have no clue what 'light fantasy' is!
"Uh... Actually, I'm more of a sci-fi fan. It's just," I motioned with my thumb to the book. "My friend recommeded it." I like Harry Potter. Is THAT light fantasy???
"Oh!" he said excitedly. "Well," he spun around and grabbed a book by Tanya Huff from the shelf behind him. I noticed sowed into the grey polo shirt he was wearing, there was a logo from a computer company.
Immediately a quote from Vince of Disney's Recess echoed through my head: geek Geek GEEK!
He handed the book to me; it was purple. I don't like purple. "This is a fun book," he said proudly. "You'll like this one."
Really, dude? It has a cat on the cover. I pretty much hate cats. Most cats. *cue mental list of cats that are cool* Not interested.
But he proceded to explain the entire plot of the novel to me, which involved a doorway to Hell residing in the basement of a hotel somehow being amusing.
Uh, I actually believe in Hell. That doesn't sound funny. The screams would be... I courtesy chuckled.
He didn't take the book back, so I had to stand and place the book back on the shelf behind him. Seriously? I am NOT looking at your hand for a ring, nor are you getting my name. I passed by him, intending to leave.
"Well, since they don't have my book," I started.
"If you're into hardcore sci-fi," he said quickly, and then launched into an explanation of sci-fi websites where books -"Entire books!! The whole things!"- are available to be read.
Come on, Coffee Dude! Call me. CALL ME! Call me call me call me! Say, "Jackie!" Doooooo it! Naturally, Coffee Dude was backlogged with orders.
When he finished his rambling about all the various websites he browsed while at work, -"I'm a computer technician, so I read a lot online." Me, too. Tell me: what are your thoughts on fanfiction. *mental snort*- naming off an "impressive" (or so he thought) list of authors off the top of his head, I politely asked the name of the website again, feigning interest. He brightened up and even told me how to spell it.
"Okay, cool." I smiled awkwardly. "Well, thanks," I said, and high tailed it to another aisle. Because a bookshelf would keep me safe?
As I escaped, he lunged forward suddenly and grabbed a random book, exclaiming, "Here it is!" as if he'd been looking for it. "But wait-" he called after me. I pretended not to hear him, and headed back to Seattle's Best to wait for Ter's and my drinks.
Funny thing is that thinking back on this, I'm wearing a Halo t-shirt today. "Hardcore" sci-fi, as he puts it, actually makes sense to me. Halo is "hardcore." Spin is "hardcore." They're devoted to the tech and worlds as opposed to character development. Unlike, say Iron Man. Iron Man has lots of tech but even more character plotline.
So my book interests were splayed across my chest, and the guy still couldn't get it. Of course, complete confusion and disbelief was written on my face, and the guy was way older than me... If he was younger and hadn't been a creepy psycho geek with retarded social skills, he might have had a chance.
lol Not. XD
Wednesday nights are Borders nights. Our church building just so happens to be about 10 minutes away, give or take traffic, as opposed to the 25 minutes coming from home. So out of convenience, we go to Borders after mid-week Bible study to browse books and pick up coffee from Seattle's Best.
Tonight, I went with the intention of picking up the book to follow The Magician's Guild, which was recommended last year by
gilpin25. Yeah, I'm slow; got caught up in nonfiction and all that jazz. (It's good, btw! :D) So after placing orders for Ter's and my drinks, I headed over to Sci-fi/Fantasy looking for 'C.' Unfortunately, Borders had rearranged the shelves since last week; the empty aisle I thought I would be going down was not my aisle. Instead, I had to go down the aisle with the 30-something guy standing in the middle of the row, looking at the books blankly. And he just so happened to be standing in front of, though not obstructing, the 'C' section.
Joy.
I ambled onward and hoped to not disturb him, squatting and reaching for the book there that looked like it was from the series. I flipped it over and read the cover: Book #3.
Man. They don't have it.
"I haven't tried her." It was a terrible way to phrase a sentence, coming from a man, so he said again, "I haven't read anything by her."
Uhh.... "She's pretty good." I smiled politely. "She was recommended to me by a friend. Pretty good." Don't talk to me again.
Alas, he couldn't hear my thoughts. (Later this would be a very good thing.)
"So, are you a fan of light fantasy?" he asked. He was looking at me expectantly; I suddenly understood the common phrase 'hope shining in his eyes.'
As I began running a mental dictionary scan on all the definitions of the word 'light,' I cottoned on to what this guy was doing: this was some sort of bizzare mating ritual. Someone had told him a good way to pick up chicks was to hang out in book stores; that had been a conversation starter that I'd walked straight into.
Light as in... Faeries with the "ae?" Light as in elves? Light as in elements...? "Uh...? Light fantasy??" I asked.
He looked at me as if I couldn't possibly be a true fantasy fan. "You know. Light fantasy. Not hardcore. For fun."
Isn't that what all books are for? I mean seriously dude. Not to be arrogant, but I'm not just your average reader. I write myself and intend to be published some day: I have no clue what 'light fantasy' is!
"Uh... Actually, I'm more of a sci-fi fan. It's just," I motioned with my thumb to the book. "My friend recommeded it." I like Harry Potter. Is THAT light fantasy???
"Oh!" he said excitedly. "Well," he spun around and grabbed a book by Tanya Huff from the shelf behind him. I noticed sowed into the grey polo shirt he was wearing, there was a logo from a computer company.
Immediately a quote from Vince of Disney's Recess echoed through my head: geek Geek GEEK!
He handed the book to me; it was purple. I don't like purple. "This is a fun book," he said proudly. "You'll like this one."
Really, dude? It has a cat on the cover. I pretty much hate cats. Most cats. *cue mental list of cats that are cool* Not interested.
But he proceded to explain the entire plot of the novel to me, which involved a doorway to Hell residing in the basement of a hotel somehow being amusing.
Uh, I actually believe in Hell. That doesn't sound funny. The screams would be... I courtesy chuckled.
He didn't take the book back, so I had to stand and place the book back on the shelf behind him. Seriously? I am NOT looking at your hand for a ring, nor are you getting my name. I passed by him, intending to leave.
"Well, since they don't have my book," I started.
"If you're into hardcore sci-fi," he said quickly, and then launched into an explanation of sci-fi websites where books -"Entire books!! The whole things!"- are available to be read.
Come on, Coffee Dude! Call me. CALL ME! Call me call me call me! Say, "Jackie!" Doooooo it! Naturally, Coffee Dude was backlogged with orders.
When he finished his rambling about all the various websites he browsed while at work, -"I'm a computer technician, so I read a lot online." Me, too. Tell me: what are your thoughts on fanfiction. *mental snort*- naming off an "impressive" (or so he thought) list of authors off the top of his head, I politely asked the name of the website again, feigning interest. He brightened up and even told me how to spell it.
"Okay, cool." I smiled awkwardly. "Well, thanks," I said, and high tailed it to another aisle. Because a bookshelf would keep me safe?
As I escaped, he lunged forward suddenly and grabbed a random book, exclaiming, "Here it is!" as if he'd been looking for it. "But wait-" he called after me. I pretended not to hear him, and headed back to Seattle's Best to wait for Ter's and my drinks.
Funny thing is that thinking back on this, I'm wearing a Halo t-shirt today. "Hardcore" sci-fi, as he puts it, actually makes sense to me. Halo is "hardcore." Spin is "hardcore." They're devoted to the tech and worlds as opposed to character development. Unlike, say Iron Man. Iron Man has lots of tech but even more character plotline.
So my book interests were splayed across my chest, and the guy still couldn't get it. Of course, complete confusion and disbelief was written on my face, and the guy was way older than me... If he was younger and hadn't been a creepy psycho geek with retarded social skills, he might have had a chance.
lol Not. XD