What I have not put in Facebook status updates or tweets.

I was at a Barnes and Noble recently, looking through the magazine rack I noticed about half a dozen soccer magazines, none of which were there when I worked there six years ago. I know print has changed, but you know the subject is gaining in popularity.

During last month's storm, the gutter on the front of my house was partially ripped out and hung there in the snow and ice. No way I was going up there. No way a repairman was going up there. Luckily it hung on until the snow and ice melted and I was pleased to find out it was repaired yesterday afternoon. Yes, I have to pay for it, but it's peace of mind.

This last month has been a struggle. Grief is all around me, and it's hard.



I really do not give a shit about who has and who has not been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame this year.

Hey, we've extended the deadline to apply to read at the 2013 Columbus Arts Festival. Poets, you have until January 28th to submit. You can do that here. It's quick, fun, and free. Showcase your work in one of the coolest venues the city offers you.

The 6 1/2 - 7 Job

The job at the campus bookstore may have been full time with benefits, but the pay was not very good. To supplement my income, and to keep myself busy during a lonely, depressed time I looked for work elsewhere. I managed to get a job here.



The work was part time, mostly nights. It meant quite a few late night walks home. It kept me active and current. For the most part my coworkers were bright and easy to get along with. There was one manager during my first stint there who was deliberately a dick. He'd keep us late after closing past the time the last bus went to campus. He'd knock books on the floor and announce on the store PA that there were books on the floor in the department. He'd schedule you so you work late, have a day off, then come in to open on the day after your day off. A petty tyrant, and he was the reason I left the first time.

I was making better money at job 8 (next post) and really did not need the money, but the store discount was very generous. I resigned.

A few years later, I needed the money after my son was born and applied here again. One of my old managers was still there, called me up and I started again.

The pay was never good, but again, the discount was excellent. For the most part the working conditions were good, especially the second time around when I rarely worked the cash register. I lent a pen to John Glenn, steered an under siege governor to pick up his reserve at the cash register and watched a smug Secretary of the State of Ohio pick up a bunch of copies of the New York Times because his picture was in it.

Left again, on good terms. Was here on and off from 1999-2007. The book business has changed so much in the last five years. I doubt I could go back.