Yesterday afternoon, I call up Catherine, the owner of Community Bookstore in Park Slope, Brooklyn:

“Hello.”
“Hi. My name is Rob Christopher. I don’t know if you know who I am, but I sent you a copy of my book ‘100 Spinning Plates.’ I was wondering if you got to look at it yet.”
“Oh yeah, I did. The one in the cardboard box. (to someone else in the bookstore): Hey, did someone see that cardboard box around here?”
“That’s great. What did you think?”
“Well, I thought it was really cool.”
“Great! I’d really like to stock it in your bookstore.”
“Okay. Can I get three copies? How do you usually–?”
“Well, I’ve sold on consignment before, also at a wholesale rate.”
“Why don’t you just send me three copies and an invoice. It’s easier for us to just buy them.”
“Wow, okay. I usually sell them wholesale for $8.99. Does that sound okay?”
“Yeah, that’s fine.”
“And you know you can use the copy I sent you as a browsing copy so people can see what’s it like.”
“Yeah.”
“Well, great! I’ll get those out right away. Let me know what people think!”
“You bet.”
“Bye!”
“Bye.”

It was all so easy! Rumor has it that Paul Auster frequents this bookstore. Best case scenario: copy #037 ends up in his hands and then …

So why is that a complete stranger in Brooklyn will buy three copies outright for her bookstore but the owner of Unabridged Books, which is 4 blocks from my apartment and who I’ve spoken with twice, can’t even bring himself to read it, let alone accept the three copies I offered him FOR FREE to stock at his bookstore?

Rhetorical question.

So little time before I leave for NYC on Thursday. I don’t even completely know what I want to do once I get there. Well, as always I want to play a lot of my time by ear and just see what happens. I mentioned going to the Guggenheim to Nick, and his boyfriend David has gotten us some cheap cheap theatre tickets to a show which combines three versions of Greek tragedies.

Andy was all morose last night because we went to Reckless Records for their 25% off everything over 3 months old inventory sale and he found absolutely nothing he wanted. They really didn’t have much. But I did find a 2-CD, 60-track Sun Records compilation for $10 that I snapped up. I’ll never need another Sun collection.

I’m anxious about the Iowa primaries. I wish it was the eve of the first Bush/Dean debate already. I look forward to savoring each of Bush’s stupid, inarticulate answers.