Is that a fact?

Does a book really need to tell the story of a change coming about in a character?

I mean, really.......

Moderate to midrange.

Hello.

This evening I helped Lesley sneak a camera into Hard Rock Live and the Kids in the Hall live performance we were attending, this against the wishes of the establishment who instructed her that she was not allowed in the venue with a camera in her purse and would need to dispose of it or check it for $3.00. It wasn't to take pictures, this little fisheye camera with no film, more like an purse-normal oversight. So, I went in, walked down a partition, had her slip the camera over the wall into my jacket hood, and back in. As I walked by the security guard, he asked me to empty my pockets (again), and checked my jacket pockets. Not the hood.

I feel a little guilty, but they were being unreasonable. The camera didn't even have film in it. Ridiculous.

Last night I attended a reading at Infusion Tea in College park. Reading were the writers Lisa Pasold, Dottie Horn, and Illyse Kusnetz (a poet, professor, and friend).

I read, later, as part of the "open mic" section. People liked my stuff, I think. The organizer asked me to come back as a featured writer on June 4th, and I said yes, of course. I'll have 25 minutes to read my work in (as opposed to the 5 allotted for the open-mic readers).

Hopefully people can come out, though recently I have sensed a bit that my "writing" has worn a little on my friends. It is difficult to face that fact, but some folks just can't be supportive. Perhaps it isn't in their nature, and I'm okay with that because I have to be because that's just how it works.

Lesley's and my anniversary is coming up.

Congrats Man Utd on the double - prem and champions league - hell of a game!

merry mum's day

today is a fine day to thank your mom for giving birth to you. You were an awful rotten brat, after all. Call her now.

We went to an awful tourist trap called Dinosaur World. It featured giant dinosaur sculptures of questionable accuracy. It also featured a small staff that didn't pay attention to the visitors enough to notice that we were crossing the ropes and taking pictures with the dinosaurs (notably, me punching one). Maybe I'll post pictures later. It was silly, certainly. We also had dinner at Columbia restaurant in Ybor, this all for Lesley's birthday.

Tampa reminds me so much of a transplanted northern town. I fully expect to see highway signs directing me to Indianapolis, IN or Erie, PA instead of Ocala and Orlando and Miami. Why do I get this feeling? Maybe because of the way the highway is designed.

School is very taxing this semester and is causing me to evaluate how my time is being spent. I'd love to go to school full time and devote all of my efforts to learning. Just think what i could accomplish with that much time... Like two more things a day. Hehe.

Congratulations Manchester United, prem champs 07/08.

Teacher.

Today I have encountered the following awesomethings (yes, that's a word - I just made it up):

1.) Student's voting for the best student project - one student drew a... "John Thomas" and "Balls" as their score. I made an announcement that whoever drew the dick had clearly voted for their opinion not mattering, and the class thanks them for it.

2.) Student sent an email from an ambiguous AOL account asking "hey can you give me my grade? Thx" - no name, no id, no information about who they are. I noted that, yes, I could give them their grade... if I had any flippin' clue who they were. They could, perhaps, be a 70 year old woman in Miami who is very confused. They could be a Martian spy. They could be a student from my class. Also, they spelled "Wedding" wrong - "weding" - nice! I hope they manage to pop out a kid soon so their kid can be awesome, too.

3.) A student that just HAS to get a B in the class to be able to move on to the next degree program (by maintaining a decent GPA). As usual, I have to calculate his grade to 8 decimal places and determine what exactly he needs, and if he fails to achieve I get to be the one to be begged for makeup work (not 8 classes before me that he got D's and F's in, no, he begs for points from the teacher of the class he got a high C in simply because it's the last one!), and if he succeeds, I will never hear from him again because I'm like toilet paper that way. No thanks, just flush.

So, yes, as you can clearly see, I'm very satisfied with being a teacher at this particular institution at this particular moment. Go me.

Put a ribbon on it.

Spring Semester 08: Complete.

No, I'm not joylessly running through semester after semester, I'm getting down and doing my best to enjoy every moment, every class, every benefit each of them provides for me. Bingo. Anyway, no time to celebrate (much, I did go out for ice cream today, and as if in some sort of cosmically appropriate way, I did not experience any unruly stomach issues), since the summer semester begins in a matter of 5 days from now.

I've got some cool opportunities coming up. As with many of my opportunities, they won't be mentioned in detail as the physical manifestation of said opportunities is limited and they carry, by their very nature, no guarantees. If I tend them and they bear fruit, my dear blog, don't you know that you'll hear about them? Of course you do.

Memory: I was thinking about the last car accident I saw. The front of a VW Bug had propped up the end of a pick up truck. There were no injuries. The pickup was later found to be pregnant.

Blog!

Look at me, I'm blogging!

Hi folks, it has been a month and it is time for me to compulsorily (is that a word?) update my life-happenings.

As of this moment I'm on what I hope is the tail end of a ridiculous bout of Bronchitis. Simultaneously, this conniving little bastard of a bug has conspired with my spring-time allergies to create an impenetrable mess of my immune system that involves stuffiness, coughing, headaches, stiffness and a fluctuating temperature.

Am I writing despite all of this? Of course I am. What are you, crazy? Good stuff too, at least it seems good while I'm writing it and later when I read it to someone it sounds crazy and misguided and people look at me the way dogs look at someone who is playing a trombone.

"Hurrr?"

I also got into a nice camera for my weekly adventures and the documentation of said adventures and have been using it liberally. I'll throw a few shots in at the bottom from my Anthropology class that I am currently enrolled in.

Now, if I may muse, I've been thinking a lot recently about hobbies, specifically my own personal tendency to pick up and drop hobbies as though "having hobbies" was my hobby. Maybe the things other folks call hobbies, or devote hobbyist interest to just become assimilated into my world view so that I need no longer spend energy on their pursuit but simply enjoy the collection. Pens, for instance. I haven't bought a new Fountain Pen in months. That's fine, of course, I have TOO MANY as it is. Do I still use them? Of course I do, they're everywhere. Do I still nerd out on forums about them? Not really, simply because the need for more information about pens is no longer there for me. I have the ones I want, I'm content to simply use them and resupply when necessary. Isn't that how a hobby should be, after all? Shouldn't it have some end goal?

I often wonder if one can truly trust one's self, but the key to this riddle is likely to cultivate an understanding of the complex pathways that make up one's logical thought system. The fact is, tracing the reasoning behind every little thought or bias you have in your life is impossible, but understanding your general motivations out of the scope of your own knowledge is DEFINITELY possible. It just takes the time to get to know... you.

Wow, this post is sort of lackluster... lets see........

THE HAM SANDWICH IS THE SQUARE ROOT OF ALL THAT IS. THE FRUIT NEEDS TO SHOW YOU LOVE BACK LIKE A TRUE CANADIAN HERO.

You're welcome.

Pictures.

Drink Until You See Betty:


Fantastic.

Fantastic!

A few things.

1.) Work continues. I'm writing chapter after chapter and I don't know if it is momentum or just inevitable brain-spill, but I've lost steam and picked it back up and THAT is the business.

2.) Fantastic article about the Kerouac Festival readings by fellow Orlando area writer Robyn Weinbaum - Check out the Blogged version over at her site! Thanks, Robyn, for the mention!

3.) Lunch from a can.

Mourning instant photography... sort of.

The announcement by Polaroid of a few days ago saying that they will no longer be manufacturing instant film, combined with their discontinuing their instant cameras has me just a bit upset.

I enjoy the instant photography experience and not just because I'm an impatient bastard. It has a look, I'm afraid, that cannot be replicated digitally.

Also, I can point to a Polaroid taken of me at age 0 - will kiddies of today be able to yank out the photo album and peruse their baby pics? Or, will those be lost on Ma's "old computer," the HD of which is fried.

To mourn, today, on the way to work, I purchased one of 3 remaining Polaroid One600's on the shelf in the back of the photo section of the drug store on the corner (I would say "dry goods mercantile" since I'm being nostalgic, except my drugstore now has a digital cappuccino station built into the end-cap of one of the aisles, so somehow I don't feel the term applies). Someone will undoubtedly pick up the slack (and lets not forget, Fuji has made in the past and still does make instant film that is compatible with modern Polaroid cameras), but I want to remember. I had an old SX70, man.

Here's Engadget's take on the situation.



one of my more recent Polaroid photos.

Reading

I've got a reading coming up on February 23rd.

It's part of the Kerouac Festival at Valencia East Campus, and I'm reading a few of my short stories sometime during the student block (the student block goes from 1-2pm). Also featured will be former Poet Laureate (2001-2003) Billy Collins, who, in addition to doing a reading of his own work, will be signing books. There will also be other local poets and writers displaying their own work from 2-3:30.

Here's the info about the event on Valencia's site.

Here's the info about Billy Collins part in the event on Orlando Weekly's site.

This is completely free and is open to the public, so please, anyone who can come, I could use the support.

Hello Blog.

I didn't post at all in December. Whoops! Time slipped away. Since then I've finished yet another semester at school, one in which I felt like I did some pretty good writing and revising. I'm sure that stuff will lead to either:

1.) Fresh stacks of Rejection Letters (I'm running low!)
2.) Otherwise

So that's exciting.

Done studying Jack Kerouac now. I liked focusing on his work, but I must admit, the proportion of my enjoyment in reading "Dharma Bums" was inverse to my "enjoyment" in reading "The Subterraneans." I guess I'm just not as advanced as ol' Jack, what with liking sentence structure, plot layout, character development that doesn't happen in bursts of forward/backward idea spurting... or something.

Conversely, the "vignette collection" style writing of Irvine Welsh in the novel "Trainspotting" was nifty, and I enjoyed reading the book as difficult as the vernacular was at the beginning of the process (you get used to it after a few chapters).

Right now I'm reading Tim Powers' "Anubis Gates" (for a class, actually), and enjoying it quite a bit. Also on the docket for study this semester:

William Gibson
Jack McDevitt
Vernor Vinge

Sort of a "science fiction literature" class. Enjoyable, for me anyway.

Nothing else new to report, really... have done a bunch of writing, but I've been "refueling" more and scribbling down ideas while I've been working on other junk. There are some good ones, thus far.

I probably am doing a reading of my stuff for a festival at my school (The Kerouac Festival, still celebrating the 50th anniversary of the release of "On The Road"), also... though the details about that are forthcoming still. I'll post them when I have them.

A case of the busy

No lies. I've been busy. BUSY. Writing, working, schooling (in general) and playing video games, sometimes. A number of things have happened, recently.

I've been focusing a bunch on writing shorts and workshopping them and editing them and re-writing them, and re-re-re-writing them and editing them again. I feel like a lot of them have really improved, gotten into shape, as a result. I've been avoiding submitting anything for a while, too. I need to focus on where I'm sending things, probably. I have a few stories I've been crafting for a few certain opportunities, but I have an overall plan in the works. It will take time, but it always takes time, doesn't it...

In gadget related nonsense, Amazon.com released a neat ePaper reader device called the Kindle. It's cool, has wireless access to Amazon's electronic book catalogue and has a dictionary and ability to search text via a keypad... things the Sony Reader doesn't have. Also, a new version of the Sony eBook reader has been released with fancy anodized aluminum exteriour. Nice. I still like mine, but nice.

Pens? I purchased a Waterman Phileas, which I like very well. Its VERY smooth, and not terribly expensive... certainly a fantastic value, if one were to be interested in nice pens.

Thats all for now. Sorry for the extended silence.

Snarling cur!

What on earth have I been up to?

- Beer Drinking - Oktoberfest was last weekend was oom-pa-tastic
- Pen Shopping - Christmas is coming, I know what I'm buying people who I buy presents for... cheap Japanese Fountain Pens! The gift that keeps on giving.
- School - more classes than usual this semester... 3... which is a lot for full time work and school simultaneously.
- Reading - Books for school, mostly. Studying Kerouac for one class, reading Lydia Davis between other things because I find it is pleasant to read in chunks (and pleasant to read in general!)

I was turned on to Book Mooch recently (bookmooch.com), a site for trading books. It is free, and you have to offer up your unwanted books in order to be able to get things traded to you. You pay for shipping when sending something out to someone who requests one of your books (media mail, usually), but other people pay for shipping to send stuff to you when you request it, so it balances out. It is cheaper than buying the books new, or even in a second hand store. It is a nice system. I have gotten rid of a stack of books I didn't want, and scored a few books I did. What I like most about it, probably, is having a productive and interesting way to get rid of unwanted books (ya know, other than boxing them up to send to the thrift store where they will sit around unwanted for a long time). So far I've scored a Helliconia book by Brian Aldiss, some Whitman, a Larry Niven book, and a collection of poetry in Old English.

Writing, for the past month, has been mostly wrapped up in school, and doing re-writes on stuff that one of my professors has been looking at and giving me notes on. I'll be honest: I've gotten two more rejection letters since the beginning of September, but I'm working through the material either way because that is how you have to plug, plug, plug.

It has been torture seeing advertisements for "The Darjeeling Limited" on television and not having one of the limited-release theater locations anywhere within reasonable driving distance. I am very much looking forward to seeing that particular piece of cinema.

I realized, the other day, that I haven't done anything serious with music in a number of months. I wonder if I'm just too busy, or if it is more that nothing is occurring to me where musical ideas are concerned... as though I've simply run through my creativity tank at the end of the day. That is, indeed, something to ponder.

New Story added to site

Well, I promised I'd add it to my site in its entirety if it was rejected again, and I have -

http://jchristophersilvia.com/work.html

"Office Supplies" is up there, now under "Work and Publications." Have a look.

One more story out right now, which still has some life in it... if it isn't accepted by the folks who have it, I'm pretty sure I'll be sending it over to the place that rejected "Office Supplies," since they didn't seem to have any particular problem with my writing. The story just did not have enough support within their staff to make it in. Thus ends the cycle for one story. At least you still get to read it.

It follows the wonderful Eric McBean on his adventures in the future, where Karaoke is a federal offense.

Enjoy.

Curry?

Jump back into the flow - thats the best way to deal with rejection.

Yell "Oh yeah?" to no one in particular, while you slap down your next marvelous words. This shocks the hell outta your cats, trust me.

Just nailed a submission out to another lit mag, going to get another story prepped fo' subbing too (the accepted, wait, n/m rejected one, this time to a different mag).

It doesn't matter, I write this shit for my own entertainment, mostly, and to get it out of my head. They are my little worlds and they only come out of my head to make room for other little worlds that want a turn. I can enjoy them just fine up there, but they get into fights with newer ideas.

What can you do?

bollocks.

Remember what I said about not counting eggs?

Just got an omelet... no chickens to be found there, had to cut me from the issue. I continue, though.

I just got a new desk, after all... that, right there, is reason enough to write...


...isn't it?

A day in the life.

Though I refuse to be the type of person to count any sort of egg-laying fowl before they hatch, I am talking to the editor of a cool magazine/literary zine thingamajig regarding one of my pieces. Exciting. I'll post more info/links to where when I have more info, dates and that sort of stuff.

I had a busy day, yesterday.

Russian Grocery:
Ya know, I never did bother to learn any Polish words from my grandpa, and I suppose I still could ask my mom what she remembers (the basics I remember... basics being anything that sounds vaguely like English, hehe, like how "Thank you" is Dzãkujã, which sounds sort of like "Jane-koo-ya"). Anyway, my apparent inability regarding all things Slavic was obvious today at the local Russian grocery store as I attempted to buy: Pirogies and Pumpernickel bread. I asked if they ever had Russian tea cups (they have a TON of tea at this place, and Samovars all over the place). I attempted to say "Podstakannik," which resulted in the lady at the counter calling over the other lady, them having a spirited discussion in Russian (the speech bubbles for which would look like this - "русский язык!!!!") which concluded with, eventually, one of them making a hand gesture to the other that looked like a tea cup, sort of, and then looking back at me and saying, "No, we don't have those." I snatched my debit card from her hands and bolted out the door, yelling "My peeps invented vodkaaaaaa!" as I jumped in my car and drove away (sort of).

The art supplies store:
Pearl Art Supplies (the nearest art supplies store to me) is a heaping pile of horse crap. You walk through there, and pick something up (often off of the floor) and think to yourself "ah, yes, I shall buy this!" and then remember that, despite the fact that you picked it up from the carpet, possibly dislodged it from between two racks, it will still cost its full retail price. I described the Pen/Calligraphy/Airbrush section to Lesley as feeling "like it should be having a 50% off sale, but isn't." Despite all this, their disorganization and sloppitude has lead to an interesting conundrum, for me. In the course of plowing through their bizarre collection of pens, I found a number of unexpected bits: J. Herbin ink (nice French fountain pen ink that I like a lot), and a Rotring pen that was discontinued about 2.5 years ago but has since become a hot ticket item. It's still new in the box. They haven't discovered this, yet, and the guy at the counter got it out of the back for me. Its still at its normal price. Of course, while I was there I didn't realize any of this, so I didn't buy it. I was hoping that, since its obviously been there for a really long time (I'm estimating 5 years), one day wouldn't make a difference. Its got a black hexagonal barrel with a smooth finish (that warms to your touch), its made of heavy steel and most people say it can survive nuclear attacks and possibly be used as a weapon in an emergency. As for me, I would call it "beefy." I can tell you that for sure because today, I returned and purchased it and even got a 10% off discount.


The movie theater:
So we braved the theater for a little Simpsons movie action. I enjoyed the film, yes. What I enjoyed even more, though, was a couple that walked into the theater. Understand, Les and I were literally the first people in there. We sat down, we waited. Just before the film started, a couple walked in with a stroller. The child in the stroller was already agitated in just the entry into the theater, so, of course, we had high hopes for shrieking and perhaps some "MOMMMMMYYYYYY"'s throughout the film. The lady... well, I'll just come out and say it... she was obese and not in a pleasant, friendly "Jolly" Santa way, no sirree, she was unpleasant. I don't really normally hate on folks who have the extra weight, but when they plunk down into the chair and whip out:

A.) Double Cheese Burger
B.) Onion Rings (with Ranch Dressing for increased health!)
C.) 44oz Cola

Well, I gotta say, I have little sympathy. OH, and she was feeding strips of the burger to her infant, forgot about that part. Ha ha! How did she and her gentleman manage to smuggle these items in to the theater? Granted, I wont criticize theater food smugglers... I descend from a long line of folks unwilling to pay for Butter-Lung inducing pop-shards and wickedly price pointed fruccy goodness. Today, we smuggled in two Ito-en teas and a package of "Panda" Licorice bites. Mmm. Not theater snacks. Even better Mmmm.

Anyway, returning to the burger people, when we left the theater, I glanced down at the floor where they had been sitting and the only thing that was left to indicate their presence in this place was: A single scrap of Bacon.

I saluted it like I salute the flag and sang as I left the theater...
O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!

A Book:
I purchased a book about writing, the other day. Normally I don't do this sort of thing, but I've noticed that I have been having a bit of trouble with my SF/Fantasy style stuff lately, for whatever reason, so I thought a bit of sage advice could help. Orson Scott Card's book on the topic looked interesting. And, so far it has been. I like that his advice is bluntly practical. I have a hearty amount of respect for him.

Lemon Curd vs. Jelly

Forget Jelly, Jam and assorted preserves. Lemon Curd is where its AT.

F'real.

Also:

If you keep writing tons of short stories, eventually you'll have enough to put a book out. As far as getting people to read it? Maybe if it's $3.00.

Snappy punch ups!

The other evening I slapped the notebook shut on a short story that was less short and less... well, story, I guess, than I wanted it to be. Especially when writing a short, if it gets out of control, I think the compulsion is to dump its ass off and forget you ever wrote it. Yet, I can't. Why is that? Duty? A need to finish what I start? No, the actual reason is that they're all in a notebook and I don't know how many pages to budget in case I want to finish it later. So practical. I considered finishing it and transcribing it, doing a bit of punch up work on it to get it to flow, or... change... something? But, on closer inspection, there was a thick layer of "horrible, poorly conceived 1950's horror movie acting" just below the pleasantly broiled "finished story" layer.

So, I just finished it and slapped the cover down on my notebook. It was a labor, my goodness gracious, and in the end it was just as unusable as I suspected it would be. I shamefully read it to my wife who confirmed with a half smile that the "wordplay was interesting" but when asked about the story, offered no comment.

I said, by way of suggestion, "It sucks worse than anything ever, doesn't it."
She blinked and offered, "Well, at least it's done."

She's right, of course... and after a little recharge time I can move on to the next project. Whew!

Even when I'm not actively engaged with the noveling action, keeping these shorts and flash pieces constant has kept me revved on the whole fiction writing side of things. Learning my own habits, my own work flow, my own methods of inspiration and organization and how they work and play together... its been interesting over the last few months. In the past work on projects came in bursts and I hadn't devised any clever methods of working on multiple things at once... instead I was shoving other ideas away after cataloging them in a text document, and forcing myself through other things, leaving these juicy ideas to sit and get stale. Stories are like bread in that sense. Granted, they need time to rise, but eat that shizzy while its still warm, dammit!

We started a writers group, here in town... its small, at the moment (less than 5 people), but its nice to be around other writers every few weeks. Around, I should say, other writers I respect for their constant writing in sub-genres. People who have something to say, who aren't writing just so they can call themselves "writers."

In other news, I bought another pen (and I recognize that this is quite possibly the most boring collection in the world next to "stamps of the world" so I'll clam up about it), I can walk pretty normally and I'm gonna go buy a new book tonight.

The sound of disposable pens being disposed of.

Personally, I experienced one fraction of a second of bliss upon completing the first draft of a book. It is immediately replaced, of course, by a huge crushing feeling of defeat in that I know I will soon be entrenched in editing all of the things I glazed over during the process of reaching this final point.

There's also the side issue of not having my "supposed to be working on" project - you know, the project you're procrastinating on so that all of the other projects you have on the table seem joyous and simple and ever-so-free-flowing? Yeah. I guess I'll have to make something else a priority, slack on that, and get back to writing what I was enjoying, again. Of course, the feeling that whatever I'm concentrating on will become a labor is probably a machination of my creativity drained brain.

The story I finished today landed with the most elegant belly flop I could muster for it. It stands at a whopping 32,000 words, approximately, barely a novella. Yet, that bothers me less than my own concerns over what, exactly, the story is that I've told, here. As with most things, it began with an idea and through the course of my compulsive typings, mutated into a wholly new creature to whom I had not been formally introduced. Standing back and taking a good hard look at the expanse of words I've slapped together, I cannot help but feel a tad concerned that I said not a single thing I intended to. Then again, had I any intentions? I can't honestly remember at this point.

It's a story, after all. A story, dammit! A story is supposed to mean something, even that something it means is ultimately nothing at all! Of course, I doubt I actually believe that.

Now, the fine question I ask myself each time I reach the end of the last line and slap "return."

"What on earth do I do with this?"

The heavy?

You know what I like?

"Witty Plastic Concept Toys, rationalizing the ease with which you abandon your dreams and a style of music called... 'twee pop' is it?"

Someone's been taking their nasty pills.

"Well, I had time to write them. Not doing much else. How about you, did you write today?"

I... not really, write, exactly. I wrote down some new ideas while I was at a stoplight, on the way to work... and I edited a short I wrote a few weeks ago.

"Ah, editing. Is that what you call it when you're too lazy to make an emotional investment in creating something that has the possibility of being imperfect?"

Well... no, I mean... I have to edit things, it's how I refine... anyway, what's your frickin' problem?

"Oh, nothing, nothing. So, tell me... what do you like?"

Ah... well, I was going to tell you about Utilitarian collections, but you're being kind of an asshole, so I think I'd rather not discuss it with you.

"That's cool, I'd probably just find a way to make you feel bad about spending money on a hobby when you're obviously unproductive."

Slow and steady, my friend.

"Slow and TV more like it."

I've been getting back into Star Trek, so freakin' sue me.

"Wonderful... Star Trek, collecting pens and old keyboards... bet you drink Belgian beer, too."

Delirium Tremens is pretty tasty but... what does that have to do with...

"You're not just a nerd anymore, man, you're about one step shy of being a shut-in coke bottle glasses ultra nerdy-dork-dorky-nerd-geek-goober-freak-trekkie. You should pre-buy a ticket for the Forklift ride. It will save time when they are all knocking a wall out of your bedroom to haul your ass to the hospital for your stomach staple."

Trekker is the preferred terminology, actually. Hey, that reminds me... do you remember that TV show "Nowhere man"? It was on the Sci Fi channel? I think he was pretending to be a pizza guy in one episode and had to, like, rescue some skinny hacker dork who was so addicted to bulletin boards that he never left his basement and was all emaciated and atrophied and wearing footie pajamas or something. Maybe it was porn he was all cracked out on, actually... I can't remember. Either way, he was shivering like a diabetic chihuahua and Nowhere Man had to help him shotgun a Capri Sun.

"I can't stand you."

Maybe your standards are too high?

"Maybe. Still wanna go to Borders later?"

Oh HELL yes. Books are sweet.

"Hells yes they are. Also, magazines."