Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Mmmm...Books.

At the end of every semester a wonderful thing happens. Textbook sell-back. Now I know most people complain about textbook sell-back because they don't get back the money they paid for their overpriced books. Believe me, I also feel that textbooks are overpriced (secret combinations anyone?). However, I have such a weird sense of money that by the time I sell back my textbooks it has nothing to do with paying me back for those books I already bought. Instead it is a "you-finished-finals!" bonus.

After selling back my books in order to exit the building I have to pass this evil/amazing section entitled "Bargain Books". I usually spend at least an hour there. My loot this year includes:

After The Darkness: Reflections on the Holocaust by Elie Wiesel (and it's illustrated with pictures from the US Holocaust Museum!)
Words That Ring Through Time: From Moses and Pericles to Obama, Fifty-One of the Most Important Speeches in History and How They Changed our World
P.J. O'Rourke on the Wealth of Nations
Great Issues in American History Volume II (collection of primary documents, win for the history nerd!)
Time-line History of the World by Gordon Kerr
Mesoamerican Myth: A Treasury of Central American Legends, Art, and History by Anita Ganeri
November General Conference Ensign

This is a great haul. All for $30!

Of course as soon as I left I saw Daniel Pink's Drive for $16. Do you know how much I want that book? You want it too you just don't know it yet.


Sunday, November 20, 2011

Sometimes I have the best day ever.

Once upon a November, I had the best day of my life. For 3 reasons.

1. Savion Glover (THE best tap dancer alive) in real life in front of my face. This number has two parts.
Part A: A workshop. Savion agreed to come and teach us a workshop. My friend Justin Kelly said it well in his Facebook status after the event when he said "Still in a stupor after one of the coolest dance lessons I have ever had the privilege to attend. How awesome is it that Savion can achieve that distinction without even teaching a single step?" 


That's right, all he did was talk. He did eventually put his tap shoes on about 45 minutes after everything started, but he barely did anything in them. He just talked. 


About time, and groove, and the pocket, melodicizing, tapping your life, reminding me that tap isn't just a dance, it isn't even just an artform, it is a way of life and a philosophy. But really. Anyway, I'm going to write more about this in its own post later on, because I have a lot to say in this post. 

Part B: Savion's concert that night. Him, two other tappers, no music, three miked platforms. Genius.



2. I was helping a professor move out of his office (which by the way, is my job, I get paid to help theater and media arts professors) and he was getting rid of some of his books. 


He turned to me at one point and said "Do you want a nice new copy of the Complete Encyclopedia of Joseph Smith's Teachings?"

Um. Why yes Eric, I would.

10 minutes later.
"What about these leather bound books the university gives me for Christmas"
Now people, I put these white boxes in the professor's mailboxes for Christmas every year and I always covet the beautiful leather bound Church books hidden inside and want to steal them from people that never pick them up. But I don't. So the good karma is coming back to me.
Yes! I want those too!

My loot ended up being, the Encyclopedia of Joseph Smith's Teachings, and leather bound copies of an LDS hymnal, The Bible, and Jesus the Christ. Especially cool because Jesus the Christ was totally on my Christmas list. Now I have it. In fancy form.

3. Whilst I was helping Eric in his office I had a missed call on my phone from my sister, which was interesting. I checked the voicemail when I was done with work and it was from my niece Ella. She looks like this  Ella and I get along pretty well. She's a lot like me, only she happens to be younger and a lot cuter than I was. Believe me.

Anydangway, she left me a long voicemail about an essay she wanted me to help her write. I figure it must be a history essay or something, until she said they were supposed to write about their hero, so she chose me.
!
I almost cried a little bit. I definitely had that "awwwwww" face on

This is an example of the "precious" face with Michelle even though it kind of looks like a disgusted face. It is very similar to the "aww" face I had except mine registered more surprise, so think this with an open mouth. Not necessarily attractive, but effective.


So there you have it. Savion Glover, free wonderful books, and my niece calling me her hero. This is a perfect Thanksgiving post. Yes?