i can't really sing, so

my weekly book purchases i have imposed a strict regulation on my book buying because i own too many books i haven't read and because i work at a bookstore and don't make enough money to buy both books and food. i choose food. the regulation has been modified since i first spoke of it, modified and perfected. i had initially limited myself to one book purchase per week. this didn't seem too difficult considering a) i am poor and b) we are only allowed to buy books on fridays and saturdays. though last week i didn't purchase any books at all, this week i found a few. the thing about one-book-a-week is that it allows me to consider my purchases for longer. it allows me to truly decide which book i need at-this-moment. but i decided one-a-week-only-no-exceptions was a bit harsh for a lover of books. at Strand Books where i work, we have a number of carts lining the store that contain both "dollar books" and "forty-eight cent books", the adjective being...

i am getting better at this. this is not going to be an epic account of anything, but a selection of things that i think you should check out because they are important. things that don't piss me off: this weekend, i met some kind of fantastic people. our magazine, gigantic magazine, has been involved a small nomenclature and turf scuffle to which i have come up with a maybe permanent, maybe temporary solution. we'll see. meanwhile, we are still getting ready to go to print in march for an April 2009 release date. we are still trying to connect our domain to a wordpress page i can't figure out. check back here to read more about the magazine, though, when we have more. production doesn't afford us time to delineate every step of the way, for most of it is not too interesting. meanwhile, my friend Geoffrey has informed me that there is a movie called Gigantic . you can watch the trailer here . it won a Spirit Award, and is coming out April 3rd, 2009. (yes. i am not kid...

the following is a list of questions that i found rather amusing. most of the answers we had were "no" or "we wish!" i think they are even more hilarious out of context: Select "Yes" to this question if your business is involved in one or more of the following: * Does your business involve the sale of local telephone service, toll telephone service, or teletypewriter exchange services? * Do you transport persons or property by air for compensation, including the officers and employees of your business? * Does your business own or lease an aircraft or a fraction of an aircraft? * Does your business mine coal (underground or surface)? * Does your business sell the tires you manufacture? * Does your business import vehicles that do not meet the standards for fuel economy? * Does your business sell or use vaccines that were manufactured, produced, or shipped from another country into the United States? * Does your business ma...

Gigantic would like to thank everyone who came out to our benefit on Friday the 13th of February, 2009. Your support was much appreciated. We hope, also, that you had an excellent time.

$1 to get in! // this gets you entry, PLUS one raffle ticket // the show is at apartment 507 Join us for a night of dancing, music and fun. We'll be selling raffle tickets and drinks, all proceeds go towards Gigantic! Raffle tickets are $1 each. You can bring your own drinks, but ours will be fancier. Come hear four amazing bands for whatever you can manage to donate to our cause: Print is Not Dead. Doors at 8; Music at 9. The earlier you get there, the more chances you have to win a prize from our raffle! And the longer you stay, the more fun you'll have-- guaranteed.

I remember the plane ride back. I remember him, a fellow fan who was in my History of Photography class, and an unfurled copy of the Philadelphia Inquirer. We sat there, in unity and silence, and read everything we had seen the night before, every devastating sentence, every word that acquiesced defeat. I remember the speechlessness we shared waiting for our plane to arrive, so that we could board, so that we could fly back to Boston. The plane ride always went so quickly, shot you from Philly to Boston in a good nap's worth of time. It was the transition, the bag check, security check, all that getting to the waiting and then the waiting itself, that was the worst. And Dave and I sat there, sharing that newspaper, shaking our heads, knowing that was all the other expected. In 2005, the Philadelphia Eagles lost the Superbowl to the New England Patriots. I had flown home to watch the game with my Dad at his local South Jersey bar. We went to Antoinetta’s around the corner from...

Dear Mr. Salinger, I assume you don't have the internet, though I am unsure why I am so near to certain that you would not. If I were to hermit myself away in New Hampshire for decades, I think I would still like to subscribe to the New York Times , The Believer and, well, the internet. But my seclusion habits and yours perhaps differ. You were born in a time before the internet, before The Believer. The New York Times has been around, though, since 1851, so. Perhaps I have already lost your attention, Mr. Salinger, talking about myself and technology. Allow me to continue. I first read all four of your published books when I was a senior in high school. I started with Franny & Zooey , after my friend Alex threw me a copy (literally) while digging through his parents old books from their college days, giving me his opinion on each of them. He had two copies of Franny & Zooey , chucked me a copy and said "read this." I don't take everyone's "read this...