My Strangest Garage Sale Buy Ever...

I spend almost every Saturday trolling the Heights garage sales for books to sell. Along the way I pick up other treasures, many of which find their way into my library. I’ve the only library in the district with 10 Lava Lamps and a complete zoo of puppets and stuffed animals.

Saturday I came across a Book Cart. A brand new, metal, retails for almost $400 Bretford Book Cart. How it arrived at a modest Heights rent house is beyond me but there it was.

“How much” I asked the seller, expecting a quote for $25 to $50.

“Ah, I guess $5” he said.

Sold!

I think every librarian turned bookseller needs her personal book cart.


P.S. It was a day for a strange buys – another sale turned up the contents of a newly closed gourmet grocery store. $10 bought $50 worth of fancy salad dressings.

15 Perfect Gentleman

Thanks to a bizarre chain of events that fell into place without a hitch (Hey, there really is a Goddess who looks after librarians) I hosted my first “name” author last Friday. We’ve had many author visits over the years, but they are mostly the self published type. Pleasant enough folks, but it’s very apparent that the main source of their income and their book sales are their school visits.

Not so Justin Somper the author of The Vampirates series. He’s from London and his American book tour included a stop in Houston to hobnob with librarians during the Texas Library Convention. Conventions aren’t my thing which meant I was the only librarian in Houston who could cobble together a school visit on 2 weeks’ notice.

I tossed up a display and a created Flipchart. I prepped, book talked and handed out the tomes. It helped that the books have very, very enticing covers and subject matter and that Justin has an enjoyable and informative web site. The kids enjoyed the books and looked forward to the event.

All the work paid off. Justin’s visit was worth every bit of effort and more. His rapport with the kids was excellent and he had them mesmerized. We sold over 100 books and made some money Blue Willow Books, the local independent bookstore. Owning one of his books became the newest status symbol and having all 4 meant you were at the top of the heap.

I’ve a group of 5th grade books who are devoted fans of the Cirque du Freak books and since there are some similarities in the two series I invited them to eat lunch with the author. I’ve always catered a lunch for visiting authors (have Crockpot, will cook) and included students. One advantage to not having an active PTA is that I can do my author lunches just as I please. At other schools author lunches are the province of the PTA and consist of the PTA Moms and their own offspring.

The menu is always simple – pasta with meat sauce, good French bread, butter, a tossed salad and something chocolate for dessert Every time I do one of these I’m always amazed at what’s novel.

Once year it was the “real forks”. I hate to eat with plasticware so I always bring my stainless from home. Another year it was the homemade salad dressing and the “real” whipped cream. This time it was the crusty French bread and the unsalted butter. The boys ate their way through 4 loaves, each slice slathered with butter.

"This doesn't taste like the butter from the cafeteria Ms. Moore".

I provided table cloths and we helped ourselves to tables not yet picked up from the carnival and set up a large, square banquet table. 15 boys sat round it, ate massive amounts of food, asked respectful, thoughtful and polite questions and brought tears of joy to the eyes of their principal.
Not one descended into horseplay, acted silly or did anything goofy. There were perfect gentlemen and did themselves and their school proud.

It's days like this that I love really, really love my job.

Tomorrow I'm doing a presentation about "Strong Principals / Strong Schools - along with my ex-principal (who is so good at her job that she got herself promoted) at the Texas Library Association. After I made the list I realized that I'm one busy librarian!

I'm being radical and not doing a PowerPoint. Instead I made an Animoto and a bulleted list of the assorted libray activities I done - at least the ones I can remember!

Principal Supplies/Supports:

Keeps the library "off"the block / teacher planning rotation
Good Budget & an Assistant
Decent computers
New technology
Space
Freedom to decorate and set up the library as I want (Lava Lamps, suffed animals, puppets)
Accelerated Reader
Doesn’t worry about stains on the carpet or messy shelves - kids come first

Librarian Supplies:

Informal teacher colloration
AR T-shirt Day
Library Lunch Club
AR Parties
Trips to Ci-Cis
Trips to Barnes and Noble
GT & PGP Passes

Freedom to experiment with Technology
High AR Point PassesLibrary Lunch Club
Book Swap

Open Checkout
Author Visits
Blogging
Hat Day
Slip into Reading Day
Library Lock In
20/20 Day
Reading Challenges with classes-Allow Food
Family Library Night
Field trips to see authors
Popcorn in the pocket park
Cake decorating

Green Eggs and Ham Lunch
Sugar cookie decorating
Mix it Up day

Author Visits

“Come on Down” for high AR Point passes

Water, Water Everywhere

Or rather garage sales, garage sales everywhere but not a book to be found.
It was gorgeous day – sunny, no humidity, not a cloud to mar that beautiful Texas Blue Sky.
Craigslist was full of enticing ads and garage sale signs sprouted on the telephone poles like mushrooms after the rain.

And I found not one book worth buying.

In fact were it not for a Lava Lamp for school and a kitty condo for the cats I’d of come away empty handed.

Some days are like that…..even in Australia….or Houston.

Good News / Bad News

The good news: I just sold a $110 book
The bad news: It’s heavy and oversize
The even more bad news : it’s going to France

Gobble, Gobble, Gulp, Gulp,…that’s me eating postage. Will I ever learn to uncheck “international” on oversize books?

Bizarre Buyer

I always enclose a card with my name, phone # and e-mail address with my orders. It’s saved my bacon more than once when I’ve had an unhappy buyer.

Yesterday I received a phone call that resulted in one of the most bizarre conversations I’ve ever had.

Me : “hello”.

Buyer ; Is this a bookstore?

Me: "Yes, I sell books ."

Buyer: “You sent the wrong book”

Me: “Oh, I’m so sorry, let me get upstairs so I can check my records. What book did you receive?”

Buyer: “Katherine by Allison Weir”

I tromp upstairs, pull up my Amazon orders and see that the order was for Katherine by Alison Weir.


Me: “ I see the order and it was indeed for Katherine by Weir”

Buyer (very irate) “I told my son to order Katherine by Anya Seton and you didn’t have it so you talked him into buying Katherine by Alison Weir.

Me (thinking to myself - I talked to the buyer? Amazon doesn’t let me talk to buyers, they won’t even give me an email address)


Me – out loud, “I’m sorry but the order was for Katherine by Weir. I’m very familiar with the Seton book (which I own & love) and I know the order wasn’t for that one."

Buyer (even more irate) “yes it was, and I want you to send me the Seton book”.

Me: I’m sorry, I don’t have a copy of that book for sale. If you’ll return the other book I’ll be happy to refund your money”

Buyer (still irate) “I want the Seton book first, then I’ll return the other one”.

Me “I don’t have the Seton book”

We go back and forth for about 10 minutes and I finally convince her I really, really don’t have the Seton book. She tells me about her son, her family and why she wants the Seton book. By the time we are done I know all the names of her daughters and granddaughters and how she wants the Seton book for Anastasia because she’s named after Katherine. I didn’t ask her to elaborate on that statement! She agrees to return the Weir book – after I tell her all about that unfamiliar institution called the Post Office and how you can take packages there and mail them.

I hang up and send son an e-mail via Amazon telling him Mom is not happy and that when I get the Weir book back I’ll issue him a refund. I am really glad she can’t leave feedback and hope that son is saner than his mother. I haven’t heard back from son yet.

I wonder if I’ll get the Weir book back?

Playing with Wordles

Just for the pure fun of it I used a Wordle as my Laptop's wallpaper. It's turned into a teaching momemnt - the kids are most intrequied. So I've shown them how to make Worldes - which are actually a fun way to practice one's spelling words - or make a TAKS poster.

Big Universe

I really should read School Library Journal more often!
The December issue featured a story on electronic books and introduced me to Big Universe.com.

Now this is a fine example of the Web 2.0 at its best! I can so see kids getting creative.


Here's my first published effort : The Library Lunch Club

Thursday 13 - 13 Good Things About 2008

The general opinion of the Blogsphere is that 2008 was a year to forget, to kick out the door and one many people hope will never come round again. In my standard glass half full mentality there were some positive events.

1. Daughter #2 got married to a delightful young man. We couldn’t be more
pleased with our new SIL.
2. We visited Daughter #1, meet her boss, viewed her workplace and were impressed.
She’s happily settled (and has health insurance!)
3. The wedding of Daughter #2 went off without any serious hitches and a
wonderful time was had by all.
4. My book business continued to do very well and it continues to grow.
5. Progress was made at chipping away at Mount Debtmore (see #3)
6. Given I work in a school that serves this country’s fastest growing ethnic group
I’d say I have pretty good job security.
7. My beloved works builds medical facilities - whose demand grows as
the baby boomers age . She has job security too.
8. As much as I hate my alarm clock I still really do love my school, my school and
my fellow teachers.
9. I still work with the best bunch of librarians in the state. Our director continues
to challenge me.
10. Web 2.0 delighted and astounded me. It makes life-long-learning fun.
11. We stayed healthy
12. Hurricane Ike did not destroy our house or disrupt our life to much.
Many others were not so lucky.
13. We have a new President Elect – and he’s one reason 2009 will be outstanding!

The Thursday Thirteen Site is suddenly MIA. I hope it returns PDQ!

Score de December

December seems to be the month to score inventory windfalls. . Last year it was the Jazzman, the year before it was The Bookman. December, 2008 ended with the Shady Doctor buy.

Shady Doctor was a psychiatrist who made a pile of money back in the1990s as a proponent of "Repressed Memory" syndrome. A Google search of the dearly departed showed he was most controversial, involved in a number of lawsuits and that his license was at times, questionable.

Shady Doctor apparently had a number of mental problems himself. He was anal to the extreme - every one of his hundreds of CDs was alphabetized, he had a 5 foot stack of binders with the warranty papers for every electrical appliance he ever bought and his shirts were arranged by color. He was a compulsive collector - multiple DVD players, VCRs, exercise equipment, camping equipment and enough Pfaltzgraff dinnerware to outfit a small department store.

His house was in a very sketchy part of town, one where even I felt compelled to lock my car doors. It once belonged to his mother and started out as a simple 5 room workman's cottage.

For reasons known only to him he left it entirely as is (and it needed a makeover)and built a sprawling garage and second story addition. Other than the library (which was a secret room) the addition was all white paint and grey linoleum. Very drab, very depressing.

The library was amazing- it had 2 secret entrances - one from the master closet and the other from the wet bar. The walls were lined with custom made library shelving and the shelves were filled with books. One side held his 30 year old medical books and 20 years worth of bound issues of Newsweek, the other side was full of Easton Press Books. Easton Press is one of the Holy Grails of bookselling. And these weren't just any Easton Press Books, these were all signed first edition Science Fiction Easton Press books.

The sale didn't attract many buyers with interest in custom leather books. Many of shoppers were neighbors who bought armloads of CDs & sports memorabilia but just rolled their eyes at the books. The book room was filled with very overweight young men, wearing backwards baseball caps & baggy pants and in need of a shave, accompanied by their girlfriends who wore very tight, very low cut pants that showed off their “muffin tops” and thongs all talking on their cell phones and trying to describe what they were seeing. In their words the room was full of “old books and other old s----“!

Science Fiction isn't my forte though I know it sells. I called a fellow bookseller, who prowled around on E-bay and we zeroed in on 17 books with potential. At $25 each I didn't want to buy any duds. Come Sunday everything would be 50% off so a return trip was in order.

Turned out that most of the Easton Press books were still there. I bought 10 and some audio books for Lou and left.

Upon delivery of the audio books Lou asked me 'Why didn't you make an offer for all of them?"

"Humm" I thought upon arriving home, "why not"?

I e-mailed the estate sale proprietor and offered to buy and haul away all the remaining Easton Press books at $10 per book. I estimated maybe 100 books were left. Wrong. There were 210 volumes and she accepted my offer.

Gulp. Very Big Gulp. Very, Very big Gulp.

Didn't think I could back out without incurring the wrath of the Estate Sale Dealer. Whose wrath I could not afford to incur - she's an important cog in my inventory strategy wheel. Oh well, I'll just pay the minimum on my Visa bill this month.

13 boxes later I was the giddy but scared owner of 250 Easton Press Books.

I think I've just advanced a step or two above my usual bookselling rank of bottom feeder.

They are all headed for E-bay. Stay tuned.

By Their Books Ye Shall Know Them...

I think a person's books can tell more about them than almost anything else in their household. Saturday I went to an estate sale in search of books to sell.
The ad promised "1000s of books". There wasn't even 1000 but there were a great many. I find that estate sale givers always overestimate the number of books.

The former owner was a life time member of Weight Watchers, a Methodist, a diabetic and had a superficial interest in architecture, decorating and drawing. She was very fond of anything published by Rodale Press (a notorious publisher of penny books) , dabbled in natural healing and did a bit of travel, all of it domestic. At one time she'd practiced law and officed out of her home. Given the number of "how to succeed as a solo lawyer" books she wasn't very successful.

She also spent more time at Half Price Books than I do, which meant the bulk of her books were worthless on the resale market. Oh well. I did find a few gems but some days are like that.
Even in Australia.

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!

Thursday Thirteen

What does one write about for the Thanksgiving Thursday Thirteen but 13 Blessings? It may be a cliche but that's what Thanksgiving is, a holiday full of cliches.

1. My family. We may be quirky and our family reunions gather up the most eclectic group of individuals on the planet but we all respect each other's differences and get along.

2. My partner. 12 years and counting and she's as wonderful as she was when we first connected.

3. The Internet - it gave me my partner, my second job and it makes my first job every changing and ever interesting. Can't imagine life without it.

4. My job. In these uncertain times I feel blessed to have a job that is relatively safe. That I thoroughly enjoy it is an added bonus.

5. My two daughters. On their own with college degrees in hand. Supporting themselves at jobs that don't require them to say "and would you like fries with that?".

6. My new son-in-law. The wedding was delightful from start to finish. Every woman should have husband as sweet as Jason. She's in good hands.

7. Our new President. Finally someone I voted for won. The new feeling of hope in our country and the new interest of the young in politics is a refreshing change from the same old same old.

8. My On-Line book sellers group. I've learned so much from them and they have had such a positive impact on my book business (and its bottom line).

9. My fellow teachers. A few drive me round the bend at times but all in all you'd be hard pressed to find a harder working group of folks who do it for the kids.

10. My blogging class - Lordie those kids are fun! They keep me on their toes and the growth in their writing is joy to behold.

11. My kitties. They always greet us at the door with purrs and meows.

12. Electricity - Hurricane Ike reminded the entire city of Houston that Ben Franklin's birthday ought to be a national holiday.

13. My life. Other than an occasional ache and pain it's all good.

When Does Parental Choice Become Neglect?

We have several students who NEED to be on medication. Badly. Not just your ordinary run of the mill ADD medication but serious drugs. The kids throw things, run away, defy all authority, refuse to learn and do their very best to ensure their peers can’t learn. They can’t control their behavior – they have severe emotional issues.

The parents can’t or won’t agree to medication. Some pay lip service to the idea and then they don’t fill the prescriptions, they let them lapse or they “forget” to administer them. They send the meds to school but don’t follow through on the weekends. The school nurse goes as far to driving to the pharmacy that accepts Medicaid to personally fill the scripts. Money can’t buy the service she provides.

One parent keeps talking about “that diet I read about on the Internet”. Only problem is, the gluten free, additive free , sugar free, diary free diets that are suggested as possible alternatives require great discipline, organization and vigilance on the part of the parents. The Texas food stamp allotment doesn’t stretch far enough to cover organic produce and hormone free beef and this is a parent who can’t manage to get their child to school on time..

Another parent wants to “home school” because the child never has any problems at home. Of course the child doesn’t – they get to do whatever they want to at home. Technically we can’t stop the parent – the home school laws in Texas are pretty loose. We try to squash the idea since the parent is a high school drop out with poor parenting skills. They are sober now, but a past substance abuse problem took a toll on their cognitive skills.

Yet another doesn’t want their child to carry the “special ed” label. She fears it will mark her for life. Once a school wants to apply it, she ups and moves and enrolls her in a new school without telling anyone about his prior problems. She knows it takes time for the records to arrive and the wheels of school administered testing grind very, very slowly. The child doesn’t have a special ed label yet, but she’s has a number of others - “holy terror”, “spoiled”, “better your class than mine” – none of them flattering.

These kids take up some 90% of their teachers, the nurse, the counselor and the Principals time, leaving the rest of the children to muddle along on their own. They keep their classrooms and the school in an uproar. Everyone walks on eggshells waiting for the next explosion. They aren’t learning and they aren’t happy – they have no friends and the other kids shun them.

So when is it parental choice and when is it neglect?

My next gig?

Who thinks up these things? And why are they so addictive?

Are You More Qualified than Sarah Palin?
	You are 92% more qualified than Sarah Palin. You're no short-term political stunt, you're the real deal, the VP the American people deserve. I guess your phone was off the hook when John McCain was calling around looking for a running mate... must've been one of those pesky robo-calls.
Find Your Character @ BrainFall.com

At least I'm not PigPen!

Which Peanuts Character Are You?
	You are Schroeder. You are brilliant, ambitious, and brooding; you tackle tasks with extreme focus. People don't always interest you as much as other pursuits, though, so you can come off as aloof.
Find Your Character @ BrainFall.com

Obama supporters sing national anthem outside White House

Celebrating in the Streets

Part 1- Barack Obama Victory Speech Grant Park Chicago, IL

An Amazing Night

Joan Baez - We shall overcome

Can't get this song out of my head!

It's been a tumultuous couple of days. Days filled with smiles and hope, tears of joy and unabashed sappiness and patriotism. Last Tuesday night is a jumble of images.

Grant Park filled with thousands of people - young, old, black, white brown - a cross section of America cheering their new leader. It's the first time I can remember a President acknowledging his victory, not in a hotel ballroom where only a select few are invited to the party, but in a public park, open to anyone regardless of the thickness of their wallet. A speech that reiterated that in America anything is possible.

For me, though one of the most memorable pictures was that of the jubilant crowd storming The White House and dancing in streets outside the gates. I wonder if His Shrubness had a flashback to Marie Antoinette and mob who marched on Versailles? Nah, history was never his strongpoint. Nor was being President.

So many thoughts, so many songs...the old anthem of the Civil Rights Movement says it all..

We Shall Overcome