bookstore rant

Snark is having a migraine. He and Vdog just went to lie down in our bedroom.

I just got home from volunteering at the local bookstore. I do this every Wednesday morning for just a few hours. Especially now that it is Autumn/Winter, I always seem to feel crabby when I finish. I'm not really sure why I keep doing it, except that I don't know how to say NO. Well, I know how to say it in theory, but in practice I fret and worry about the best way to say it without sounding rude or ungrateful or whatever, and so it never ends up getting said. Plus, I have this huge fear of people being mad at me or getting angry, and that clamps down on my mouth's ability to just end it. The owner needs the extra help . . . and so every Wednesday I show up again, not wanting to let her down and reasoning that it's only a few hours of my time and what's that?

At the bookstore, I often begin with the thought that I enjoy the work. I WANT to enjoy it. I mean, I really dig being able to organize and alphabetize things. But 90% of EVERYTHING in this bookstore is disorganized! (And, as far as I can tell, absolutely nothing is inventoried on the computer.) So after a while, the grumpiness sets in. It's because obstacles block my every attempt to put things in order.

The supplies to make the signs/categories are hardly ever present. It feels like a ridiculous ordeal when I look for a working marker or pen or, heaven-forbid, ask the owner for another piece of cardboard (oh, but it has to be white cardboard! And, of course, we don't have that!) as if I were asking for gold-engraved signs. The bookshelves are cram-packed, so it is nearly impossible to put away the stacks of books overflowing on tables and floor space. The bookcases are all different sizes and heights, which makes moving sections of books to a bigger space a frustrating feat. And most of the sections are not alphabetized and/or labeled OR the sections are almost completely hidden (try finding philosophy in that bookstore and I bet you can't; it's on the floor under old VHS and records away from most of the other books). The real kicker is that the furnace is broken and there is no heat, so it's usually colder inside the bookstore than it is outside. The overall atmosphere of the bookstore is confusing and uninviting: cold, dim-lighting, no background music (though the owner sometimes listens to congress in session--need I say more?).

I could say more, but I think it is best just to take a deep breath and let the frustrated energy pass until next week.

The point of this post was actually supposed to be putting up some photos of our new arts and crafts studio. And, also, in saying I still don't have one of the bedroom. As I began to say (up there in my first sentence or two) Snark's in the room not feeling good and a camera flash wouldn't be in his best interest. So another day. The studio isn't fully organized yet because we still need to put a shelf system in for supplies and such, but here are some photos of it in the raw.