Uncategorized – 3 Coffees A Day

Alexandria’s Old Town Books #afternoonview

This week as part of my MFA publishing course, we are off to visit a local indie bookstore — I hope you’ll visit Old Town Books soon!

Location: Alexandria (Old Town), Virginia

Open since: November 2018

Owner: Ally Kirkpatrick. See info on all staff members hereLinks to an external site..

Instagram: @oldtownbooksLinks to an external site.

Description: General interest fiction/nonfiction, plenty of local/DC politics/government related books, great children’s section, some gifts. Currently holding a book drive for Campagna Center’s children’s programs Links to an external site.(part of their Book LoveLinks to an external site. program).

On a changing-leaf filled afternoon, my daughter and I headed to Old Town Books to celebrate her completion of her high school poetry class (she’s now 20% done with 12th grade!). Out main decision was whether to get coffee first or books first on our short drive over, and we lamented we hadn’t brought along our Taylor Swift collection for the drive — we are old school, the car is old, it has a CD player. We opted to head straight to the bookstore as it’s easier to browse without the beaded sweat of an iced coffee cup. Luckily for us, as we opened the door to Old Town Books, notes from Swift’s Midnight album wafted right out into the fall air. Win for us! Tunes and books.

If one dreams about the “shop around the corner” — it is Old Town Books. From its entrance at the corner of an historic building, to its light airy feel inside, this store is both cozy and jam packed without feeling stuffy or overdone. It is intentional in its design from its transom level windows to light colored matte oak floors that bounce light from the bottom of each shelf right up to the roof — it’s easy for the eyes to draw to the higher levels of each shelf with this design. Street level window space is used to display books and seasonal “come on in” decorations. The overall interior design, as well as its exterior design, is welcoming — even the outdoor signage font is swooping, like gathering arms.

Old Town Books had a setback earlier this summerLinks to an external site., when owner Ally Kirkpatrick had a major health issue that resulted in a diagnosis of pending blindness. I didn’t want to pry when we visited to learn how she is doing, but the shop is open and plenty of foot traffic when we were there, so it would seem at least for now that the shop will prevail. I did notice on their website that they are currently on the hunt for a book buyer,Links to an external site. so please share this with those you know that want to live/work in a beautiful historic setting just a few miles from the DC line. The job is broad and just as demanding as those from this week’s readings, so it’s an all-in situation; the upside is the setting (back to shop around the corner), the walkable neighborhood, and the charm of it all.

Old Town AlexandriaLinks to an external site. is a destination spot, and as such there are numerous events throughout the year. Old Town Books takes part in town-centered events which ramp up over the next couple of weeks with the pending holidays. For Small Business Saturday, Santa will be present for story time along with firefighters from the station directly next door. “Book treats” and a prize wheel will add to the festivities. In addition to special events related to the town, Old Town Books operates several regular book groupsLinks to an external site. in the store from SciFi to romance and a writers meet-up group (some events come with a charge).

Online, Old Town Books’ website is easy to navigate and lists what is in store and what is not — clearly. This is also a design and accessibility choice to me: each book’s status is listed as in-store, on-order or available to order is called out in color so that the widest number of viewers can see information: in addition fonts are in bold and sans serif. This is often a challenge with online shopping with Indie bookstores; clearly their platform and attention to this detail is dialed in. If I were to meet with the owner I would ask if this attention to accessibility is based on her condition (I would approach this softly of course) – it could be perhaps that the website has always had these features but I’m just now noticing.

Visiting Old Town Books, if you’re in the area, is a good stop. To note there is a flower shop at the end of the block, hotels a couple of blocks away and plentiful restaurants. In my dreams of a bookstore, Old Town Books is it — just enough variety in stock, knowledgeable booksellers, clean/clear design of store and website. And a bonus, several outdoor tables on the sidewalk — just in case you stop for coffee first before heading into purchase.

What I’ve read so far this year…

2019 is a big year — not only did I turn 50 on the first day of the year, but like everyone I know I set out to create the bucket list of things to do. And of course the list became way too long, way too fast; a simpler approach to this year was clearly in order because who wants to over-live it? Fifty is a watershed year without doubt, but I quickly realized that in the rush to stuff everything I’ve not gotten to yet, and all the things I’ve yet to conquer in just 365 days I was setting myself up for goal non-completion. Again, everyone I know is or has recently passed through this phase of mid-life as well. The solution: 50 books. So far so good, and here’s my list so far…hint: most of these can be purchase through my links to Powell’s just to the right –>I may never own my own “shop around the corner” but I can have my own little virtual shop right here.

Currently reading: Hammer’s The Badass Librarians of Timbuktu

Humor

Where’d You Go Bernadette: I just re-read this amazingly funny, sometimes poignant and omg did she ever nail every single stereotype about Seattle.

Nonfiction

Never Can Say Goodbye (compilation): For anyone that loves NYC, this is a sweet read of essays from authors that both love and hate the best city in the world.

Dunbar’s Never Caught – The Washington’s Relentless Pursuit of their Runaway Slave Ona Judge. You’ll never think of the Washington’s quite the same after reading this well-researched and written book-form documentary. Incredibly sad.

Orlean’s The Library Book: Why don’t we know more about the mysterious fire at the Los Angeles Library?

Trevor Noah’s Born a Crime: Having grown up watching the horrors of South African apartheid on television, it was odd to explain all this to my kiddo as she read this for school. Not only does Noah’s book detail his own experience, it makes you wonder how far, if at all, we’ve come. Regimes and governments may change, but so much of our world remains under siege.

Historical Fiction: My favorite genre — plenty of history, some filler, plenty of literary language.

Benedict’s Carnegie’s Maid: The tale of a young Irish girl who inadvertently becomes the maid for one of the wealthiest families in America.

Hopper’s Learning to See: Dorothea Lange. We all know the Depression-era photos, this novel offers a glimpse into her personal life and how the Depression never really left her.

Chiaverini’s The Enchantress of Numbers: Ada Lovelace — Ever wonder where computers really came from? What role did women have in mathematics in Victorian England?

Godwin’s The American Heiress: If you love Victoria, this is quite similar — but the American version with wealth, the hunt for a Duke to wed and plenty of damp English weather.

It’s clear I have a ways to go — luckily the pool is open and summer is nearly upon us. Happy Reading!

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Marie Kondo, Fly Lady and Shel Silverstein

I know I’m not the only one that caught a few episodes of Marie Kondo on Netflix over the past month — January is always a time to clean-out, donate and do a major tidy-up. The idea of tidying isn’t new, but the Zen-like sweetness of Marie Kondo, based on the number of articles on all kinds of publications about the show, is taking organization way beyond, “cleanliness is next to Godliness.” Kondo’s perfection is a contrast to other systematized, ritualized processes for home peace like Marla Cilley’s Fly Lady who has been around for more than a decade. What is it about Kondo that is so different from Fly Lady?

I was devoted to Fly Lady early on in my mothering years: this service teaches you to break down your home into zones, where to focus your attention, emails you a “flight plan” to-do list each day and like Kondo, talks about loving your home. Cilley’s “swish and shine” mantra keeps you and your home on-task, clutter and dirt-free and her method of tackling big projects systematically helps to avoid the overwhelm of whether to tackle the hall closet or the under-bed storage. Fly Lady is the every-woman of how to get dressed, put on mascara and out the door (while tossing in a load of laundry)– she’s almost the home maker version of hiking’s “leave no trace” as a means of showing love to your home and yourself.

Kondo on the other hand, never addresses cleaning — her focus is clearing. I never boxed items within a drawer until I watched Kondo do it, albeit I used leftover containers from our local Thai restaurant and not brand-new boxes from Target. Kondo’s approach to loving each item, then releasing feels a little uncomfortable and I’ll admit — it’s become a serious joke in our house. “Do I love these boots?” “Nope, never have — I love what they do for me, but I hate the way these look on my feet.” Because love is all about gradations — and being realistic, sometimes we must own and buy things we do not love though we can love their function or their service to us in a time of need. This is where Kondo’s method falls apart and plays into that which is so American — the temporariness of love, and the need to feel good at all times — and that high, the seratonin rush, that we feel during this glow of infatuation.

As Americans we are always looking for the answer – today, an hour ago, hurry up. I too feel this high when I conquer a box after moving, and we have plenty of boxes after many moves. But we need both, Kondo and Fly Lady, to live — and survive and thrive — in a modern life that challenges us mentally and physically each day. We need the high, the reward to reach into motivation — but we also need a method to take care of ourselves. So let’s power through the stuff in our drawers (thank you Marie) and at the same time, learn to “swish and swipe” each day under the methodical guidance of Fly Lady — who really needs her own show. With all the “adulting” classes targeting the under-30 to high school set, as a society, we really need the un-glad skill set, the practical how-to, of managing a home.

But now for some humor, as only Shel Silverstein can write — while there’s shame in the mess (we all know and feel it) — why can’t there be a bit of comfort and familiarity in the ramble?

Messy Room by Shel Silverstein

Whosever room this is should be ashamed!
His underwear is hanging on the lamp.
His raincoat is there in the overstuffed chair,
And the chair is becoming quite mucky and damp.
His workbook is wedged in the window,
His sweater’s been thrown on the floor.
His scarf and one ski are beneath the TV,
And his pants have been carelessly hung on the door.
His books are all jammed in the closet,
His vest has been left in the hall.
A lizard named Ed is asleep in his bed,
And his smelly old sock has been stuck to the wall.
Whosever room this is should be ashamed!
Donald or Robert or Willie or–
Huh? You say it’s mine? Oh, dear,
I knew it looked familiar!

The Domino’s Driver that loves Frozen

So this is our front window — and it is only a window into the Frozen inspired decorations that have adorned the front of our house since my daughter’s birthday in October…yes, we are the people with the blue lights on our shrubs for the past three months that I’m sure a nervous, particular nelly nearby cannot stand. We live in one of those neighborhoods that still has “yard of the month” and “best daytime decorations” during Christmas. I do enjoy the caroling, though it has its ups and downs as an event (kids run amock, a fair amount of Scrooge-ish behavior, lack of cultural sensitivity, etc. – your basic suburban folly). On the upside it is lovely and green here, when not covered in snow — and I like to think our signage has helped to welcome the abundance of the white stuff this year.

Last week, we indulged…in Domino’s — the forbidden fruit of the pizza underworld. I’ve had my troubles with Domino’s and their politics over the years, and nutrtionally it’s a bomb but given where we live and there’s no place to pop in for a slice within several miles — we occassionally feast on this treat of sodium-riddled chessey-ness. And a glory their system truly is: order online, and watch the pulsing red bar graph and the bottom of the screen chug through your progress from successful order to “Tim” is on his way with your piping hot deliciousness. We can already taste the crispy cheese overrun that adheres pizza to box (not compostable here in the near South) from which dinner will soon produce.

It’s quite here so we totally here “Tim” pull up out front and greet him at the door — it’s a frigid night so I have a $5 ready for his speedy service — less than 20 minutes from “press order” to delivery. He’s a tall young man, blonde and immediately reminds me of boys I grew up with — clean and sporty — so if you imagine the usual Domino’s characters, he is completely not that. The first thing he says is not, “Here’s your pizza” but “I just love Frozen! I sing the songs at work all the time…some of the guys think I’m crazy, but I just love it. And I love your decorations.”

Well there you go…he is like the boys I grew up with in so many ways — loves a good musical, a Disney princess or two, a strong female voice in song. It’s not everyday you meet a pizza driver that does anything but grunt, but “Tim” (if that’s his real name and not just his Domino’s website identity) has the gift of gab and the love of music in his hear. I like to think maybe he put our little house and its decorations on his pizza delivery houses of charms…a nice view for a few minutes where a weary pizza driver in near zero temperatures can catch a breath and hum a few bars in the icy night.