What I Try to Fit into a Day Before I Work Closing Shift on a Friday...

8 am--I head off to Waukesha County to deliver Margaret Peterson Haddix event we are coordinating on Monday.  I'm a little nervous about directions, but with two printed maps and a cell phone, I'm able to get there in a reasonable amount of time. Don't forget we are hosting Haddix at a public event at Franklin Public Library at 5:30 pm.  Why 9:30?  Because several schools in Franklin get out at 4.

9:30 am--I invite myself to a bookseller breakfast at Penelope's in Elm Grove.  It turns out that four of the five regulars worked for me in Mequon in the1996 and the fifth regular worked with me at the office. There's a lot of book talk and impressively enough, no gossip.  For some reason, the theme of the day seems to be folks telling me that they like historical novels but had trouble getting through Wolf Hall  There's a lot of mystery enthusiasm.  We all agree that Louise Penny is the bee's knees, but now that her latest, A Trick of the Light, debuted at #4 on the New York Times, it seems time for me to move on to a new author.  Help me out here.

Anne brings Sylvia some kids books she's ordered.  I talk up William Joyce's Man in the Moon and Sylvia pulls it out of her bag.  She's on top of things, that one.  I think she might like Frank Viva's Along a Long Road and so mention that one. It's good, Sylvia!

11 am--On the way back, I pass Mayfair.  Yes, I'm off to a mall, but to my favorite indepndent soap store, Soaps and Scents.  I love Karen and her soapsellers. Today I have a nice conversation with Lynn and buy out all these German glycerin bars that obsess me. I try to convince Lynn (truthfully) that though we do a lot of close-by business, we are hardly a neighborhood bookstore--we're quite dependent on folks that travel between 5 and 20 miles to shop with us.

Can I mention again how frustrating it is to hear folks complain if they have to walk more than half a block to our store, but are willing to walk the equivalent of five or six blocks to park at at mall?

12 noon--I wait in line at The Soup House for Ivan's Tikka Masala.  I'm a little late, what with it being cooler at all, and when I see my friend Mike about twenty people behind me, I worry whether either of us are going to get some of that heavenly sustenance before they sell out.  They do.  I'm happy with seafood gumbo, but he returns to his office dejected. Next time both of us will remember to get there by 11:30.

Coincidentally Ivan has asked me to meet with him about a book project, but we've put it off till next week.  Ivan isn't at The Soup House anymore, but his soup continues. I'm only making things worse for me by talking up Ivan's tikka masala, but honestly, it's half the reason I close on Fridays.

12:30 until about 5.  I chug through emails, some sign making, book an event and reject a few others, and then a little gift receiving.  This and that.  Anne brought our autumn table up front and we've done a multiple rec Ready Player One display above our staff rec case.  We finally brought out Halloween too, but that's more of a Saturday thought.

5 pm.  Having been to the mall, I visited some clothing stores.  I've decided to instead buy a shirt at Olive Organic, if I see something I like.  In fact, there's a nice multi-hued but mostly brown button down shirt.  Hooray!  I will wear it tomorrow.

6 pm.  Time for Wade Rouse's writing workshop.  We got two more signups today, giving us a respectable crowd.  Starbucks helps me out with some refreshments and they are ready to write.  I didn't book an event tonight, so that everyone could laugh loudly. 

6:20. Oops, the blog is running late again.