My agenda was simple. Get out of work, deposit my check, buy the opera Carmen on CD, buy The Eames Era's CD and buy the Oxford English Dictionary.
I started at Bull Moose per a style writers suggestion. "Do you have The Eames Era?" I asked after shuffling through a few rows of CDs. "No, that's a little under our radar." He said the band popped up on his computer screen and that I should buy it from the band's Myspace. Not only do I not have a myspace, but I could get it off Amazon for $5.
"OK, what about opera? Do you have a section for that?" The guy showed me a dismal rack of their opera selection. No Carmen.
On to Borders, where I had a 25 percent off coupon. After pursing for my Eames, to no avail, I went onto find Carmen. They didn't have it. I guess Borders just couldn't fit one of the best operas of all time onto their shelves, which were instead crammed full of Nickleback. Frustrated, I went downstairs to find the OED.
On the shelves of reference Webster dominated. All types of Webster. I have nothing against the guy, I own at least two of his reference books, but I need an OED -- it's one of those writer things.
"The Concise Oxford English Dictionary." I pick it up. This might do. I look up "excoriate." Yup. "Melee?" Yup. One more to test it, an easy one so I may move on with my life and a $20 book (with my coupon would be $15 plus tax). Easy, "Deterge." NO. I can't own a dictionary that fails my vocabulary test.
No deterge? Well then, my too concise book, I must deterge my hands of you -- not that you know what that means.
On my way out, as I shift along the shelves near the checkout, waiting for someone who looks polite who I can pass my coupon off to - as I won't be needing it - I find a 2 foot by 3 foot book of Ansel Adams' work on the bargain shelf. $19.99 + coupon. Perfect Father's Day present -- we have a shared love of Adams.
I go home to Main Street, Orono and start my reduced fat kielbasa dinner with potatoes and onions. My roommate walks in. He owns many stolen copies of classical music CDs.
"Hey Michael, do you have Carmen?"
"What?"
"Carmen. Oh never mind," I say.
"Is that some sort of food additive?" he asked.
"No, it's an opera."
Amazon it is.
I started at Bull Moose per a style writers suggestion. "Do you have The Eames Era?" I asked after shuffling through a few rows of CDs. "No, that's a little under our radar." He said the band popped up on his computer screen and that I should buy it from the band's Myspace. Not only do I not have a myspace, but I could get it off Amazon for $5.
"OK, what about opera? Do you have a section for that?" The guy showed me a dismal rack of their opera selection. No Carmen.
On to Borders, where I had a 25 percent off coupon. After pursing for my Eames, to no avail, I went onto find Carmen. They didn't have it. I guess Borders just couldn't fit one of the best operas of all time onto their shelves, which were instead crammed full of Nickleback. Frustrated, I went downstairs to find the OED.
On the shelves of reference Webster dominated. All types of Webster. I have nothing against the guy, I own at least two of his reference books, but I need an OED -- it's one of those writer things.
"The Concise Oxford English Dictionary." I pick it up. This might do. I look up "excoriate." Yup. "Melee?" Yup. One more to test it, an easy one so I may move on with my life and a $20 book (with my coupon would be $15 plus tax). Easy, "Deterge." NO. I can't own a dictionary that fails my vocabulary test.
No deterge? Well then, my too concise book, I must deterge my hands of you -- not that you know what that means.
On my way out, as I shift along the shelves near the checkout, waiting for someone who looks polite who I can pass my coupon off to - as I won't be needing it - I find a 2 foot by 3 foot book of Ansel Adams' work on the bargain shelf. $19.99 + coupon. Perfect Father's Day present -- we have a shared love of Adams.
I go home to Main Street, Orono and start my reduced fat kielbasa dinner with potatoes and onions. My roommate walks in. He owns many stolen copies of classical music CDs.
"Hey Michael, do you have Carmen?"
"What?"
"Carmen. Oh never mind," I say.
"Is that some sort of food additive?" he asked.
"No, it's an opera."
Amazon it is.
I feel your pain, but the Eames Era was always going to be near impossible. I don't think they even had a distribution deal, and their final release was self released (and awesome, BTW).
ReplyDeleteGood luck!