Hot

Heat is subtler than a storm. A storm blows through, makes its mark, and eventually dissipates. A heat wave... lingers. And slowly, slowly, everything else heats as well.

If you're in the Midwest, please take care this week. We're supposed to be hitting 90+° every day, with "lows" in the upper 60s and 70s. There might be a little rain, but not enough to break the heat. Drink water; use the AC. Be safe.

I have a lot of stuff to do this week, including finishing a project for a friend that's been on the back burner for too long, and (thankfully) making some progress in a few new songs. And cleaning. Oy, this place is a mess. But I shall make it less so. And, if opportunity presents itself, I'll finally go see Green Lantern. I will not be seeing Captain America until next Thursday, so I'll put a spoiler thread up for that.

How's your week looking?

Arrakis... Dune... Desert Art Gallery

Grains of sand multiplied 250 times.

Borders To Liquidate

End of an era.

When I moved to Washtenaw County, Borders was one book store, at the intersection of State and Liberty Streets. Best bookstore I'd ever been in to that point, certainly the biggest. (Yes, yes, Powell's in Portland, OR is much bigger. That's Portland's store. Borders' was mine.) First two-story bookstore. First bookstore I'd ever seen with sitting areas, with a dedicated childrens' section with a play area, with an amazing number of maps, with so very much on so very many subjects that it was like a library except libraries were nowhere near so up to date back then and the employees were smart and friendly and helpful and knew their stuff and it always felt like Christmas dammit and that's why people bought so much at Borders.

I have rooted for Borders ever since they became a chain, a goliath, a behemoth. But now the whole thing is going to go away, and that makes me very, very sad. Because, while I always loved books, Borders really cemented that love, made me want to take a whole hell of a lot of books home to keep, and now it's going to be nothing more than another brand name that's going away.

What are your favorite bookstores? Chains and local.