Where did all the bookstores go?

Bookstores, the ones built of brick and mortar anyway, are in serious trouble. The two big heavyweights, Barnes and Noble and Borders, are suffering and they're struggling to survive. Given that Amazon.com now sells close to 50% of all book sales in North America, it looks like the only place someone might see Barnes and … Continue reading Where did all the bookstores go? →

Major Diskovery

I haven't been to a used bookstore since I left Durham. I used to go to Nice Price Books when I lived down there, but lately I've been deprived. I missed the smell of old books and browsing through stacks, not knowing what I'm going to find. That's the major appeal of a used bookstore: … Continue reading Major Diskovery →

Jazzed

I generally consider myself fairly open minded about music. I listen to stuff that hasn't been popular in almost fifty years. I occasionally listen to an indie rocker or two. Hell, bring on a rapper and I'll give 'im a try. But the one type of music I've never been able to get into is … Continue reading Jazzed →

Going the Distance

I have a huge problem with exercise: it's not instantaneous. I've always had this problem. I'd run for a few days and I'd still be winded or my time wouldn't dramatically increase and then I'd get discouraged and stop. I couldn't see any real progress being made and that was inordinately frustrating. And I'm running … Continue reading Going the Distance →

Ringside Fascination

This is going to sound a little bit silly, but I'm not sure why I want to box. I have no clue where my fascination in the sport comes from. I'm not sure why I've read two books on boxers (Unforgivable Blackness and Sweet Thunder) and ordered two more (Hard Times Man and King of the … Continue reading Ringside Fascination →

Dressing the Part

Today I made my first step toward my boxing goal. I went to the store and purchased running shoes. As mentioned last time, I'm no where near in shape. So I thunk to myself. What would be the best way to start getting into shape? Why running of course. With running I could increase my … Continue reading Dressing the Part →

On Boxing

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I'm going to take up boxing this year. As I also mentioned in that earlier post, it's because I watched Rocky a whole mess of times. That's only about 90% of the reason why however. I've never been in shape, except for that one time that I took … Continue reading On Boxing →

A Long Walk

Yesterday, in spite of the snowy conditions, my work remained open. Since I am committed to my job, I solemnly and stoically prepared for the trip. Gloves, hat, heavy coat: all would be needed to keep the deadly conditions at bay. I made sure that I packed plenty of food. I narrowly avoided starving to … Continue reading A Long Walk →

No Snow Days for Dylan

My feelings about snow has always varied depending on where I'm living. In North Carolina, snow was a magical force for good. If it snowed, even a little bit, you could count on all the schools in the area shutting down indefinitely. There would be panic in the streets if everyone wasn't too terrified to … Continue reading No Snow Days for Dylan →