#a day in the life of televinita

[televinita]

my superpower is remembering where I've seen things. cleaning, on the other hand...

Husband: Have you seen a game in Wal-Mart packaging? [unopened] I ordered it online but I don't know where I put it. It's been here for a while...

Me: Hm. Doesn't sound familiar.

Me, 3 seconds later: Actually...

Retrieving a package from just underneath the sofa, invisible without crouching down: This yours?

[televinita]

WHAT A DAY!

I went to bed at a reasonable hour, woke up at 9 AM and with truly unprecedented energy for a Saturday during working times, resisted the siren call of "wanna have a 3-hour lie-in?" Squeaky, went out the door and had a 7.5 hour Adventure Day.

Things I did (saved the best for last):

-An estate sale (only because I drove right past, having entirely forgotten estate sales exist because my focus today was so single-minded, but I scored $1 worth of good birthday-present-wrapping paper -- currently all we have is Christmas themed)

-Library stop (obviously)

-Roughly 30 minute drive off to the town with all the antique stores, two of which have cats! Except the one with ragdoll cats is gone -- not too surprising, it was a small store with not much to it -- and another store is closing, but the most IMPORTANT store with THREE cats is still there, even if I only got to (briefly) pet 2 because Saturdays are more crowded than the Fridays on which I usually go.

-Went to the local thrift store too & managed to find a spring jacket (I've been looking literally all winter lol), and a dress that might work for a wedding I'm supposed to attend in mid-June have been DREADING how the hell I will find time & energy to shop in the midst of intense work times. (I also got the deluxe version of Lucy Hale's CD "Road Between" that I love, for under $1)

-Walked for an hour on nature preserve trails nearby

-Sat & read on a bench overlooking the river for an hour

-Figured I better hop along and get to the whole reason I planned this trip today, even though I tried to wait until I'll be back here in 2 weeks for the library sale, weather permitting...a new used bookstore!! I couldn't find much info about it online, I just saw that there was one and immediately began planning.

And y'all. Y'ALL. IT'S THE DREAM BOOKSTORE.

I don't know how long they've been open -- the guy who introduced himself as the owner sounded like he'd maybe had a stroke or a speech impediment so I didn't want to pester him with too many questions -- but it can't have been long because it is just this little hole-in-the-wall shop I drove right past the first time, and there is like, almost ZERO organization, no signage, only like 10% of the books had prices (work in progress?), and not even a cash register; I don't know what would have happened if I hadn't been able to pay in cash or needed change because he literally just took the money and put it in his pocket??

But more to the point:

This store was FILLED with books, floor to ceiling, stacked sideways on the tops right below said ceiling, and even some extra piles on the floor in front of them. Several little nooks of rooms, and narrow aisles -- to fit in more bookshelves of course.

I swear no more than 10% of the books had been published in the last 15 years. Solid mix of retro & antiquarian -- the juvenile section must have had hundreds of my beloved 70s-90s paperbacks, mass market and otherwise, and a lot more 60s books than 21st century ones beyond that. It's literally all the books that I simply cannot find anywhere in person anymore, except sometimes at used book sales. Did this store fall out of the early 2000s, because it seriously feels like it.

AND THERE ARE BOOKSTORE CATS.

One of them stayed out of reach, and the other was extremely new (literally, they'd had her for 3 days, and I'm guessing not just new to the store but newly adopted entirely because she was skinny like a stray), but she was a beautiful gray and white longhair. She periodically walked around the store, looking for the helper, with a perfectly musical little high-pitched questioning meow.

Unfortunately, I was also told "we're still working on teaching her that her teeth and claws are sharp...she likes to grab your hand when you pet her," which I found out after the cat sought me out, brushed against me sweetly, let me pet her for a bit, and then suddenly was leaning her head back with an open mouth and tracking my hand like it was prey that needed killing. Started to swing a paw up too, so I immediately moved away.

But when I did get to pet her she was so so soft!!

I also got to watch her sprawl enticingly on the floor while making direct eye contact (straight up dare to touch her stomach), and I had to laugh when her paw tapped the book Cats of Instagram. Please note that, per previous comment on organization/lackthereof, this was the only cat book on a shelf full of random assorted nonfiction.

As for what I got, I was so bummed that I STILL couldn't find a Lynn Hall book (if ANYWHERE was going to have her stuff...), but to my VERY GREAT JOY, amidst all the clutter I managed to spot a semi-vintage (1980) horse book on my wishlist that I haven't read yet, with lovely dust jacket and not even ex-library, Horses of Air by Lucy Rees!

...man, I am not even going to feel bad about the fact that I got it for $7 (it was unpriced; when I brought it up wondering if I could still buy it he eyeballed it & gave me a number), and BookFinder.com is currently returning results starting at FIFTY! Yeesh, I didn't know it was hard to find!! I don't even know if I could get it through Interlibrary Loan; WorldCat says the only libraries in state that have it are two extremely lucky/smart public schools.

What. A. Great. Day.

(the only flaw in my plan, really, is that I waited until 2 hours before closing to check it out -- I reasoned that it was open an hour later than the antique shops, so I should do those first, and then get in my outside time during peak warm afternoon hours too, before the bookstore. Fool of a me!! I could have sat in front of the juvenile section alone for at least an hour to carefully check every title.)

[televinita]

Guess who just spontaneously & successfully made mashed potatoes from scratch for the first time!!!

(oh my god these are AMAZING)

[televinita]

in my enthusiasm to grab a book so I could transcribe a quote, I bounced onto the bed while leaning over to grab it from the far corner, FULLY FORGETTING that I put the crazy cat under covers a couple of hours ago to calm her down and apparently she hadn't moved yet.

This close to kneeling on her head 😭 But fortunately I only startled her out of a deep sleep (and sent her scrambling to get out and find out what was going on)

[televinita]

I have had a very productive night!

Finished a book

Made soup (inspired by @saltwaterandstars; I didn't have all the ingredients for this soup but I DID find, to my delight, an unopened bag of lentils I've had in the cupboard for like a year so I made a basic lentil soup w/ carrots & celery that was still great)

Made brownies (from a box mix)

Did all the dishes that have been put off for 2 days

Washed my hair

Wrote a few Goodreads reviews

And now GOODREADS CHOICE IS LIVE?? Should I go have fun or should I suppress the urge as long as possible because I know I will feel rage in this Chili's tonight at the poor selection...

[televinita]

Husband went off to the movies & general being-out business so I spent 4 hours today being Ultra Productive:

Made pasta salad

Did all the dishes

Cleared & organized the counters

Took out all the recycling

Cleared the fridge of leftovers and food past its prime (we are mostly good at not wasting food but we never quite seem to get through all of our dips, spaghetti sauce and/or fruit on time)

CLEARED OFF & CLEANED THE DINING ROOM/WORK TABLE! (untouched for two months, increasingly disastrous)

While I had a plastic bag serving as a portable lightweight trash container, also went through some other high traffic areas and scooped up various scraps and debris

Photographed all my book sale hauls (effort!!)

Dropped two books off in the nearest Little Free Library

[televinita]

Highlights of my Half Price Books Labor Day sale store tour (sightings & purchases edition):

Things Of Interest I Saw & Didn't Get:

-Both Flawless and Heartless by Elsie Silver. flipped through one out of curiosity, and JESUS CHRIST no I will not be reading those ever, ew.

-Magnolia Parks (incredibly ugly what-in-the-generic-2000s-chick-lit newer/traditionally published edition)

Side note: I really appreciate that at least my local branch has committed to putting the smuttier romance novels, even the popular ones (ex. Anna Huang's Kings Of... series), into their "erotica" section. It doesn't mean the ones in regular Romance are necessarily better, but it does help confirm which ones are guaranteed eyeball poison. I hope it also gives some people enough pause to think about their life and choices, confront what they're actually into instead of tee-heeing about ~spice~.

-The Bright Side by Kim Holden, newer & prettier cover edition, a book on my TBR that I can only get through I.L.L., but alas, the spine was not only wrinkled but fully bent into a backwards C. No, we're not spending more than $2 on that condition. >:( (bonus, now that I've had a chance to flip through it...eh, maybe I'm not that interested after all, the writing style doesn't feel that polished)

-The paperback edition of Fangirl with green sprayed edges and 2 color illustrations...which I should have but didn't realize were new for this edition, along with a new introduction, and damn, now I'm kinda mad at myself.

-If one were so inclined, one could have bought nearly the entirety of Colleen Hoover's backlist, including novellas, at a single location. You could do that at one of two locations, in fact.

-The Once Upon a Book Club special edition of A Diamond in London, in the regular section so I think no more than $10, with all its paper ephemera tucked inside. (tempting, but I already turned down an option to buy the full box on eBay for $30, in part because while beautiful, I'm not that enthused by the story. btw, fascinating that it's not listed on their website -- unless it was bought in the last 6 hours, they only have the trade paperback listed, and then this edition at $40).

-Dorothy Lyons horse book! Midnight Moon, for $35. It IS rare, but that's still more than I paid for my copy, and this one had a bit of the top of the spine bitten or torn off, no dust jacket either.

-Young Warriors: Stories of Strength, ed. Tamora Pierce, even though it was under $4, because I practiced miraculous restraint and reminded myself that I can get this through interlibrary loan and I'm literally only interested in her story and her introduction. How I had the strength to do this and still lost my mind later on is unknown, but at least I showed ONE ounce of restraint today.

-The massive Harry Potter World of Stickers book (truly tempting. but even $11.20 (the price after discount), while a great deal objectively, is a lot for stickers I know i won't use / a thick, heavy hardcover)

THINGS I GOT: (might photograph later but absolutely cannot guarantee it)

-A Mimi Matthews book! (Gentleman Jim, regrettably in its uglier original cover rather than the series-matching Perfectly Proper Press one but I'll still take it for access reasons)

-TWO Betty Cavanna books! (ugly Berkley Highland mass-market photo cover editions, and not ones I know or or am that excited about -- A Time for Tenderness and Stars In Her Eyes -- but I will literally buy anything from her. Also they were $3 each and came in plastic sleeves and, if ugly, are at least in perfect condition).

-Speaking of mass market vintage children's paperbacks in plastic sleeves, The Ghost of Five Owl Farm by Wilson Gage because I read another one of her books earlier this year and liked it. Also it was only $2.

-Did You Hear About the Morgans on DVD (clearance) so now we shall never be parted. 🥰

-I did in fact get the $3 pink edition of Fangirl, even though its spine is sun-faded, because I have spent fully two years now looking at the regular price of $10 and continually saying no to it. I just wanted the interior art!

-The Once Upon a Book Club special edition of The Lost Melody by Joanna Davidson Politano, also with its paper ephemera tucked inside, because that one I was somewhat tempted by when it was new, just not enough to get the full box. And it's even prettier than The Diamond of London, and it was only $6, even before the sale.

-Book 3 in the Alanna quartet by Tamora Pierce, in the pretty Atheneum trade paperback editions I'm collecting, on clearance for $2! Just one more I need now, I think. But should probably double-check.

-The Princesses of Iowa which wasn't even on my want-to-own list, but I happened to randomly spot it while walking past, where it was misshelved in adult fiction, and that felt like...a sign? Tell me why I spent $4.20 + tax on this though, even if it IS a pristine paperback, just because I felt surprisingly fondly toward it when I read it. (and it's pretty i guess)

-Scripted Unscripted, a random young-end-of-YA novel on clearance because damn it the cover is so cute and also I simply could not walk away from a premise of "daughter who normally helps her dog-trainer father on Hollywood movie sets randomly gets pulled to work in front of the camera."

[televinita]

As promised, the fruits of my book-shopping labors. (with stories!)

I didn't really mean to be out for 5 hours or go so many places, but I'd been meaning since Christmas to get back to the Barnes & Noble with the used-book section, which I haven't had time to browse since even longer before that (maybe September??), and when I didn't get anything there, I decided to also go to the Half Price Books and TWO Goodwills that I also haven't been to since before Christmas.

One of the Goodwills yielded me Safekeeping -- a story enhanced by black and white photographs on every other page, which I expressly wanted in hardcover after checking it out of the library last year, and am secretly thrilled to have in a non-ex-library condition -- and Girl Online Going Solo, the last in the silly yet adorable little YA trilogy I retain a soft spot for. Now I have the whole set! None of the editions match but that's okay, it's not like they're on a shelf anyway. This one is a UK edition and $2 is the correct price point.

The Half Price Books finds, however, are even more exciting.

Half Price Books finds:

I Hate You More - Lucy Gilmore: It was $3 on clearance in near-perfect condition, and there was a dog on the cover (see below). I haven't read her before, so the content may prove too much for me, but despite the less than promising title I cannot say no to the prospect of a dog-centric romance.

The Diamond of London - Andrea Penrose: I have eyed this book so many times, never quite committing to a purchase because I don't know if I'll love the story, but today it was in CLEARANCE. $3 for the beautiful stenciled-edge edition, a price that cannot be beat (and it came with the OUABC poster that includes an author interview, historical context, etc). Only after I got home did I notice the text block was a bit...wonky. Oh well! Still worth it.

P.S. Just noticed that according to the sticker it was literally put on clearance THAT DAY. Amazing.

Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries - Heather Facett: Squee! Now, $9 is more than I would usually pay for a paperback that isn't even perfect, and I also feel like if I am patient, in a few years I will find copies of this regularly for much less. But I had a gift card, and I am not patient, I want to own my beloved NOW -- and it's not going for any less online. Considering doing a reread and/or annotating this one while I wait for book 3 to come in from the library.

Also: I've looked for this book every time I've gone into a Half Price for the past year. It's never in stock. This one was just tagged three days prior to my visit, so it extra felt like fate.

Bonus cover shot:

FINAL NOTES: there is a book I'm still thinking about -- at the Barnes & Noble, they currently have a first edition w/ excellent dust jacket of 1965 teen book Hollywood Kid by Maia Wojciechowska [better known for Shadow of a Bull] that is signed/inscribed by the author, marked down to a dollar. I didn't get it because the story doesn't look that interesting, and I'm not a collector of her work.

But god. I wish I could get this into the hands of someone who is. I halfway wanna buy it just so I can make sure it's kept safe and not tossed out if unsold for too long...

[televinita]

I went to Goodwill today...

...and had the most fun 15-20 minutes browsing the book section and listening to 2 girls somewhere around age 18 exclaim about different titles. Highlights:

-"Ooh The Fault In Our Stars!" / "Don't get that, it sucks." / "I thought you said John Green was good?" / "He is, but not that one. It was like...really popular with the kind of teenagers who were on Tumblr back in the day." [derogatory]

-"It canNOT be this hard to find Stephen King books!" [side note: it can. It's actually nuts how rarely I see any of this books, especially ones 10+ years old, at thrift stores or used book sales, even in mass market paperback.]

"Ohhh this is a Miss Peregrine book! Is it the 2nd one or the 3rd?" / "No, I think that's the next one actually." / "HOW MANY ARE THERE??" [side note: and then they sniped A Map of Days, Barnes & Noble Exclusive Edition, right out from under me because I hadn't gotten to that shelf yet. boo-urns]

"There are THREE copies of Milk & Honey here! Is it good?" / "Eh...I thought it was kind of pretentious." [lmao]

"ANNA KENDRICK HAS A BOOK???"

"Oh my god, The Spectacular Now! That was SUCH a good movie. Have you seen it? With Miles Teller and Shailene Woodley!"

(moving over to the DVD section) "They have the complete series of ___!" [I missed the title] "I wanna get it. I enjoy having physical media."

Dang, we've hit the limits of my feeble memory banks, but there was even more. Such a fun time. (BONUS: one of their moms apparently brought them here, because when she came to round them up, SHE TOO excitedly came bearing news: "There's a giant Calico Critters dollhouse here that if you were 7 years old, I would have just had to buy for you.")

[televinita]

Got a covid shot for the first time since 2021, and moderately annoyed that while it felt like absolutely nothing going in, not even a little sting, I have now developed a firm and slightly warm, reddish swelling at the site of injection. Boooo!

I mean I can't complain too much because it doesn't actually itch or hurt (unless pressed), but it's the principle of the thing. (also it's where my hand naturally goes to rest out of habit when I need a moment to think while at the computer, so I am constantly reminded of it)

[edit: it did in fact go away after 5-7 days (noticeably started fading/getting less swollen on day 5)]

[televinita]

To make up for my terrible Monday, I had an AMAZING Friday, which I randomly had free of work and so I went to TOWN, going to bed early enough that I was naturally awake by 8:30 and ready to leave before 11 (even dawdling and having a nice breakfast), plotting an efficient garage sale route of six stops with an estimated ~45 minutes of driving (roughly in a circle, even, so it was only 10 mins to home after that), and then having such an absolute blast stopping at every additional sale AND Little Free Library I passed along the way that I was out for five hours.

Even with a 25-minute diversion to a dollar store, because I hadn't originally expected to be out for more than 2-3 hours max and so hadn't brought anything to drink and was FEELING the humid, 90-degree weather by mid-afternoon (even though for most of the day, there was enough breeze that, driving in air conditioning, it didn't honestly feel too awful!)...I managed to fit in every stop I'd planned, getting to my last one at 4:15, because they were the only ones open 'til 5 instead of 4. Perfectly timed!!

Got back, had a nice cool shower that felt AMAZING, then did the dishes, and am now preheating the oven (yes despite the heat :P) for a Hawaiian pizza + Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire** viewing night w/ husband and it's gonna be great!

(**have I ever seen a ghostbusters movie in my life, including the one to which this I think this is a sequel? Nope! But all I need ever is a good cast and a rating below R, and I like this cast, so I am excited.)

And I got some things, too, but I actually can't remember them all because I just scored left and right and it's almost pizza time, so I'm gonna do Neopets dailies and then log off. Will round up tomorrow, I guess.

For now, just gonna say: the absolute best part of my day was petting a black and tan longhaired mini Dachshund, who was so petite and trim I think even our cat is bigger than her, and we do not have a large cat.

She was wearing a snazzy pink harness, which sadly blocked some of her fur, but she was still SO very sweet, climbing up on my leg while I was crouched to look at a box of books, accepting head pats, and then turning around to flop into a classic Dog Lean pose, resting her tiny weight against me to accept further petting.

Long-haired dachshunds: officially added to the short list of Small Dog breeds I'd be cool with owning.

[televinita]

I am back very briefly to announce a MOMENT OF JOY: I got to pet a fluffy gray kitty!!

I've never seen a cat other than ours escape/get locked out in the apartment hallway before, but I heard meowing and even though I was 95% sure I'd just seen our cat and nobody had opened the door since then, I peeked out to check and oh! Regrettably I could only take a couple of minutes because work, but she was so sweet and friendly, so I stole Maximal Petting Time before I let her lead me over to a door that wasn't quite shut & knocked on it to return her.

Thanks universe, I needed that today. :')

[televinita]

I don't know if it's the fact that they're freshly opened or she just really likes the Rockin' Lobster flavor we haven't gotten before, but my cat is OBSESSED with these new treats. She is screaming for them, actually angrily going into the kitchen and screaming in outrage like I just called her mother a dog, even when she was given two treats ten minutes ago. (we are no longer responding to demands)

And just now, she did her usual jump from kitchen table to bar counter, but then immediately made a beeline for the lower coutner where the treats are instead of loftily gazing over her territory. She then sat importantly beside them, and when I looked over and made eye contact she yelled at me again, clearly announcing that she had FOUND the prize, damn it, now open it and give her some.

I did not give in, and she spent literally the next two full minutes fixedly staring at me in disbelief / attempting to mind-control me before giving up and going away to sulk somewhere.

[televinita]

WHAT A GREAT DAY

Despite being too excited to sleep until at least 2 AM, reluctantly getting up at 9:30 after having been bothered and harassed by a cat waking me up multiple times starting at dawn, I finally got out the door for my Adventure Day and proceeded to enjoy the following:

1. Library sale! (I was good, I was restrained, I only spent $10) This biannual event is the only reason I ever go in this direction, since it's almost a 30-minute drive, but that means I make the most of it!

2. The last of the Half Price Books in this state I've never been to (I was as restrained as I could be under the circumstances and only spent $15)

3. Savers, because it was basically right next door and I wasn't even aware of that fact until I got there. [I bought nothing here, though I was tempted by Strongheart: Wonder Dog of the Silver Screen (missing its jacket, though the glossy hardcover below still has the same image, just no text), the first pretty copy of The Scarlet Letter I've ever seen for less than $5 (but decided I don't like the matte textured cover), and a bind-up of Love & Gelato plus its sequel.

4. 2 different Goodwills (continuing to stay strong and only-window shop!! skipping the clothes section helped, in addition to saving time -- just a skim through to look at books, stuffed animals, office supplies, check for small cheap bookshelves (or my dream, a Target shelf I can steal the shelves out of to make ours more efficient), and maybe some random decor.

5. Some time reading outside (it was of course too miserably hot by early afternoon to enjoy any walking in the massive park by this particular library)

6. Some time -- not as much as I would like, but about an hour before dusk when the heat broke -- exploring just a tiny part of a massive regional park I've never been to before, and didn't even know was there before today because I don't usually go any farther than the library but now I DEFINITELY will.

7. Not having a headache because I drank water before I left, packed 32 oz. of water and sipped it appropriately!!! Also had packed both a sandwich for lunch and a foil-wrapped potato for dinner, plus a muffin for a treat, so I didn't even have to stop anywhere for food.

8. Heading on home at only 7:45 (because everywhere interesting closes at 8), leaving me plenty of time yet to relax before bed!

[televinita]

Highlights of my Half Price Books Labor Day sale store tour (quotes edition):

A woman around my age immediately engaging in conversation when I saw the pink collector's edition of Fangirl in clearance and picked it up for examination. "I've read that, it's really good!" she gushed, whereupon I agreed, and we commiserated over Rainbow Rowell spending all her time lately on graphic novels instead of prose. I was very excited to inform her about new release Slow Dance.

A staff member in his 20s holding up The Spellshop and informing his coworker, "You should read this! It's so sweet and relaxing. It was the perfect palate cleanser after reading a bunch of really heavy sci-fi."

As much as I don't want to remember that her response was, "Maybe, but I'm kind of in a reading slump after ACOTAR because it was SO GOOD that I kinda, almost don't want to read anything else for a while. You should try it!" But I'm adding it because his response to that was amazing: "Maybe... I'm kind of skeptical of books I've only heard of on White Girl Tiktok."

A teen girl urging the guy she was with to try A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, her favorite series.

An elderly man who came in to sell his books, after being asked if there was a particular name or nickname he wanted to be called by on the loudspeaker when his offer was ready, proudly keeping the "just don't call me late to dinner!" joke alive.

Got to direct a married couple, unable to find Riley Sager where he was "supposed to be," by suggesting they also check the Mystery aisle.

A little boy, maybe 5 or 6, very excited to hear his mom say that he could pick out up to FIVE books today if he wanted.

A pair of Black teens, one very excited to find Legendborn and enthusiastically recommending it to her friend (race relevant as the MC of this book is also Black and sometimes it's cool to see people appreciate rep in real time)

honestly just the fact that I heard so many book titles today and I knew every single one of them was kinda fun, even if it was because they're all relatively new and or super mainstream.

[televinita]

I've spent this entire 2.5 weeks cosplaying as a level 1 supervisor because one of the actual ones wasn't technologically ready to manage his own team yet (at lvl 2 pay tho), and suddenly I'm told he's ready to step up TOMORROW and I can't believe I'm over here (secretly) like "NO...these are MY team members. Mine! u no touch!"

At the very least I want a two-hour session to tell him all about these ladies and who's good and who needs extra reassurance or help and and and...

(It's possible I have taken my husband's observation that "it seems like a large part of your job so far is basically acting like a mother dog picking up escaping puppies by the scruff of their neck and putting them back where they belong" a bit too much too heart.) (he's not wrong tho)