voyage! to the far reaches of B & N

So I undertook a "voyage" driving by myself today. It was the first time I'd driven alone, other than five minutes from my aunt's house to karate. I wanted to go to Barnes & Noble today but my parents were busy. So the idea was proposed that I go by myself.

I spent a long time in deliberation, wanting to go but wary of traffic, lack of parking spaces, and such. Finally I decided to go. With a weird feeling I left the house and got into the car. I started it and said, "This is weird. Weeiiird."

So I embarked. Along the way, I considered chickening out, thinking I might instead go to one of the various places along the way: Blockbuster video, Dels lemonade, A.C. Moore craft store, visit a best friend who lives near the road I was on. But I bypassed all of these places, the temptation of the immaculately beautiful carpeted aisles of books being far too alluring to pass up.

So I kept going. Despite warnings that the road might be crowded, there wasn't much traffic. I got there without trouble and parked easily too (way out in the far reaches of the lot where no other car parks). Then I went in with an incomparable sense of independence. It was nifty.

Upon entering, I decided to first look at the journals. I was waylaid briefly by the magnetic poetry, but was soon holding in turn some beautiful journals and diaries, imagining what kinds of thoughts I might write in them. There were the cute, wee ones, the grandiose gold-edged ones, the lovely ones made from recycled paper or by craftsmen in the Himalayas, the Moleskines which were once used by Hemingway and Picasso. Lovely.

Then I dove into the world of books. I thought a magazine might be best because I could read it on the spot. (I don't have money. Not money that will last. I couldn't buy anything.) I got one. But I couldn't stop there. I ended up with a huuuuge stack of books, some large and unwieldly, thick, and some small and petite. I took them to a table in a corner of the café and started reading some. I perused them joyfully.

Finally I took them back when it was time to go. I left with a feeling of accomplishment. It was a very great afternoon.