Notes on My Vacation and Borders

You get up at dawn on vacation.   Since your husband is up at 7, he thinks you should be up at 7.  He says the two of you must take a bike ride before it gets too hot.   IT WILL BE 97 DEGREES BY NOON.

You say you won't ride without coffee, and point out that even the Deathless Man in Tea Obreht's The Tiger's Wife gets to drink coffee. Your husband says you should sell The Tiger's Wife. 

Starbucks at 7:30 isn't much as much fun as you'd hoped. You read in bed till 3 and didn't expect to get up till 10.  There are a lot of people in suits, looking as crusty-eyed and exhausted as you feel.  (Don't they wish they were going on a bike ride at 7:30.)


Then you realize you don't have to bike ANYWHERE unless he drives you to Borders afterwards.  He agrees.

Borders.  Our Borders closed recently, and I just read at Reuters:

Borders Group Inc inched closer to liquidation on Sunday after a bidding deadline passed without offers, the Wall Street Journal said, citing people familiar with the matter.
 
Bids for the second-largest U.S. book store retailer Borders were due at 5 p.m. Eastern Time Sunday ahead of a bankruptcy court auction scheduled for Tuesday, the paper said.

I inhaled Borders, have missed it the last few months, was happy with the ambiance, noted the number of people hanging out in the cafe, and felt sad that  it will probably be the last time we're in a Borders store.  The book selection is small now:  no more Trollope, no John Sayles, and much more pop lit.  Some plastic plants by the information desk were partly wrapped up in garbage bags.  Somebody was taking books OFF the shelf.  


They did have the book I wanted, though.