I just stepped in a big pile of sassy!

Yesterday, I hopped over to the other side of the river and went for a walk in Battle Creek Park.
The weather was perfect!
Some of the path was a bit muddied over and other parts were still covered with snow.
The 65 degree temperature and sun are no match for the pine and birch shade, I guess!

I walked and walked - for about 90 minutes.
Here are two photos that I took during the walk.
1) during a rare moment of clouds blocking the sun
2) swamp-tastic

I’m headed outside again today.
I’m determined.
It’s DARK and raining like crazy. I have stuff to do at home, but damn - a girl’s gotta move.

In random news - my VCR/DVD clock jumped ahead one hour.
Now I’m questioning what time I went to bed last night - perhaps I got one more hour of sleep than I thought?
Perhaps. That would be nice.

*I began writing this post on March 1st or 2nd. Whoa. I really need to pick up the pace here!

I’m so glad it’s March.
In honor of this fabulous month and the springtime that is coming closer each day, I am going to write all about me.
ME!

What’s new in my world… well…

I got home late and someone beat me to the punch by posting this in the livejournal twin_cities community, but it deserves to be posted here as well.

I can definitely say that I saw it coming.
Slumping sales.
Selling off their video/dvd rental collection, and so on.

I’ll miss you, Amazon.
I’d buy ya if I could afford ya.
Oldest feminist bookstore.
Super freakin’ awesome.
I’ve been going there since I was in my mid-teens and have seen the store through three different locations.

I received the following e-mail today:
Dear Amazon friends,

I want to let you all know that I have decided to leave the bookstore. I have worked at Amazon for over twenty years and have come to know many of you and cherish the connections I have made here. But it is time for a change in my life, and I want to move in different directions. I had hoped that the younger staff currently working at the store would be able to carry it on, but because of the financial condition of the store, that is not a possibility.

So we have decided to sell Amazon Bookstore. We are hoping to find a buyer/buyers within the next few months.

Amazon Bookstore has been a vital part of the Twin Cities feminist and GLBT community for over 37 years. In recent years, Amazon has also functioned as a neighborhood bookstore, providing a focal point for literary and progressive books and events. We are hoping that there will be an individual or a group of individuals that want to carry on the vision of the store or recreate it into a vision of their own.

Please email me at the store, barb@amazonbookstorecoop.com for a copy of our sale proposal and with any questions you might have.

It has been a great privilege to have worked at Amazon Bookstore for so long, and I feel very grateful to all of you for the support you have shown the store over the years. I hope in the upcoming months that I get to see many of you to express my gratitude personally.

Barb Wieser
General Manager
Amazon Bookstore Cooperative

All books at Opposable Thumbs are $1.
Most vinyl is, also (most, but not all).

Seriously - run, don’t walk to Opposable Thumbs.

They still have a LARGE amount of stuff.
I went there today but didn’t have the time (or patience) to dig through the books. I believe they’re open until 5:00pm.

Many customers were lamenting the closing of the store which is apparently due to multiple factors (said the clerk) - “Recession, Bridge Collapse, etc.” Bummer.

Well it’s a drifty, cold, and snowy day.
I barely made it up all the hills near my house to make the (usually) short trek to my parents’ place.
I’ve never had the “low traction” light come on so many times while driving.
The good news is that the drive home is (mostly) downhill.
The bad news is that it’s still blowing snow like crazy (and still snowing fresh new stuff) so the plows haven’t been out yet.
I’m hoping they’ll make it out before I head home.

In local news, Opposable Thumbs bookstore (on Johnson St. inbetween 28th and 29th Aves NE) is closing.
I can’t find any photos of the store. I need to take one SOON before they take their sign down.
I’m extremely sad about this closing as the store hasn’t been around for long and it had extrememly reasonabe prices for old, out of print, first edition, and signed copies of often hard to find books.
I’ll miss you, Opposable Thumbs. I hope I can make it over there before you close - I can’t pass up 50% off books!
In the New Year, the location will be housed by Crafty Planet (which is currently located on the SW corner of Lowry Ave. and Stinson Blvd).

It’s SNOWING!

In truly Minnesotan fashion, I decided it was high time I write a blog. What better to blog about than GLORIOUS LAZY WEEKEND SNOW? Not much, I tell you what.

Actually - there is one other thing. I saw a perfume at Marshalls last night called “White Shoulders.” - Dandruff perfume? WHAT?!

I’m currently loving the snow. I woke up at 9-ish and lazed around in bed for an hour before getting up and trudging over to the local bank to make a loan payment. The manager there is so friendly. I always seem to get the same woman checking me out (3 times out of 4). She’s an older lesbian, very friendly, always makes good small talk.

After the bank, I drove the three short blocks to my local co-op. Hooray! The place was packed. I picked up a few of the essentials to make sure that I don’t starve (har har) during the big bad snowstorm that is supposedly upon us. I have so little faith in the local weathermen. Well, Paul Douglas (aka “The Goof On The Roof”). There. I said it.

I thought that perhaps if I posted a blog I would be able to approve real comments rather than continue to be annoyed by the insane amount of spam comments that I get on this site every darn day.

Life has been more than fabulous as of late. Including lots of love, relaxation, a healthy dose of self-care (thanks, in part, to my good buddy Richard Simmons), and lots and lots of work.

June can’t come soon enough.