Last Sunday, October 10, 2010, I took my annual trek up to the Seattle Antiquarian Book Fair with my friend Dave.
One of my passions in life is books. I love all kinds, especially novels, biographies, and autobiographies. My early school career was less than glorious, but I had an English Literature teacher my last year in high school that sparked something in me. I also had an uncle, one of several colorful, eccentric, passion driven characters in my family who engaged me and my intellect. He was an insatiable reader and loved discussing everything he read. He was the one that kind of lit my rocket when it came to the world of books.
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If I could I’d have several rooms with books lining the walls. There was a time in my late 20’s when my friends all decided they were never again going to help me move. I had 20 or so boxes of books, again as many filled with music, 6 guitars, 4 amps, a piano, tape recorders, a PA system, 4 apple crates full of long play albums, a couple of accordions and a collection of woodwind and brass instruments, several paintings, drawings, art supplies, and miscellaneous electronics. Can you blame them?
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With the advent of computers, the digital age, and life insisting I move several times I’ve trimmed down substantially. The big equipment is gone. I can pretty much do everything that filled a few rooms on my 2 computers now.
Books to me are my friends. Even after I’ve read them I love to have them around me. They’re what I refer to as my friends on the shelf and I talk to them. I imagine this elite group sitting in the bleachers off to the side talking amongst each other and to me. They prod me along giving me guidance and ideas. They’re a great sounding board while I work things out in my head.
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I’m not sure what I was expecting this year. I didn’t really think about it much. I was just happy it was on the calendar and I got to hang with my friend Dave. We were there about ½ an hour when the unexpected happened. A weird kind of Déjà vu / culture shock smacked me right in the head as I came to the sudden realization that the “antiquarian” part of that book fair was predominately the books written by my elite group of friends.
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It hit me that I’ve been so busy in the digital world of the virtual I lost touch with my group. There they were, my friends, scattered amongst the many vendors. I imagined them scolding me,
“So where in the heck have you been?”
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They reminded me I wouldn’t even be the me that’s me without them. I snapped back to the present as my mind flooded with thoughts from the past, present, and perhaps the future.
hmmm...
Time Travel in Seattle...
indeed...
Rene...
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