Gettin' It Done

I have two things to cross off my list now-

Sell those books and Take someone out to lunch for no reason. I think in the future when I do the round ups I'll just eliminate the ones I already marked as done and only mark the ones done that are new. I think it will be motivational to watch the list shrink. Anyway-

I packed up my three bags of books and put them in the back of the car to make sure I would definitely get these to the bookstore. I also had a bag for Goodwill. First to Goodwill where I got a fantastic parking spot. Then off to the bookstore where again I got a fantastic parking spot. My luck was high and I must have been doing exactly what I should have been doing at that moment. (ah, sympatico)

With only minor difficulty, I hauled the three heavy bags of books into the bookstore and was told to take them downstairs. Perfect timing as I reached the desk and one of the handles on one of the bags tore and became no longer functional. At first I had to wait for someone else to be helped. Not all of his books were being bought and he seemed a bit insulted. As the guy behind the desk pushed books back to him, the seller said, "Can I ask why you are rejecting these? I mean, what's wrong with the biography of Eric Clapton?"

"Well," the guy behind the desk said, "We don't take hardback."

"They're a problem?" the seller asked.

"Yes, they are a problem."

"What about this book?" the seller asked in a surprisingly indignant tone.

"We already have a lot of that one," the guy behind the desk said.

I wanted to turn to the guy and tell him this wasn't an evaluation of his taste, but I refrained myself and instead felt amused. Good thing he didn't have my luck.

A different man came over at this point in the conversation next to me and began sorting my books. Of the three bags, just more than one bag was bought. It was still a nice $42 bonus for me. I guess 10 year old Feminist Studies books are not as hot as I thought, so those were all returned to me except for one. Nonetheless I perceived it as a bonus and will take other books to them in the future since the majority of my current book purchases are fiction, all of which they did buy.

So, rather than shop around the Feminist Studies books, I decided to take a trip back to the Goodwill and drop them there. I got the same fabulous parking spot with time left on the meter by the last person. Then I took my two bags remaining and (perfect timing again) dropped them off in the donation bins just as another handle was breaking. Since the handle was breaking, the books shifted around and the cover to "The Gay and Lesbian Studies Reader" came out on top. I wondered if Goodwill had any weird religious beliefs about selling such a book, but I left it for them to ponder and went home with a little extra cold hard cash in my pocket. If my local library had been taking donations, I would have dropped them there, but they currently have a hold on donations.

And for my second thing done, I met up with a friend for lunch. It was really tasty Taiwanese food and I was having a really nice time. When the check came, I put down my credit card my friend began looking for money. I told her that she didn't have to pay. She said she could certainly give me money. I told her I really enjoyed my time with her and that I would pay. And she let me. She didn't expect it and I didn't really plan on doing it when I walked in, so it was a good surprise for both of us.

Lastly, a note on making aioli. I made some tonight for a basil and tomato sandwich I will be eating tomorrow for dinner. Making mayonnaise is really easy, I learned. Starting out with raw egg yolks, even if you understand it academically, is a little different once you begin thinking about salmonella. I'm not too worried- I mean, people eat this stuff all the time, right? I'll be keeping this refrigerated though, don't worry.