10 Comments on “TAD Photo Fun”

1. You call that a messy desk? *pft* Dilettante!

2. Yeah, you can still see some of the desk surface. That’s not even trying.

3. Haven’t gotten TAD yet, as, unlike some people, I respect release dates. Oh, and I’m low on funds until the weekend – damned rent getting in the way of new Scalzi goodness…

   But I found a fun link on Wil Wheaton’s blog: Cthulhu will go for the kids first. I know Athena can take care of herself, as she seems to be good at redirecting Cthulhu’s hunger to others, but it’s still something to watch out for…

4. I’m getting rather upset with my local Barnes & Noble bookstore. I guess sci-fiction isn’t very popular in my neck of the woods, since I’ve had to order The Ghost Brigades and The Android’s Dream, via the intraweb.

   This is my first post here, my friend Peter Hodges suggested I read Old Man’s War, and I was happily surprised. As I got to the end, I saw that the next book was out! I rushed to my B&N only to be turned away like an illegal alien. When I called today, to see if I could sneak off with Android, I hear, “We don’t have any coming in… but I can order it for you.” “Harruummmpph! I guess it makes total sense to you that I would have no idea about online ordering since I figured you’d have a new-hugo-nominated-award-winning author on your shelves ready for mass consumption.” Click.

   Was I rude? *shrugs* I just want my Scalzi fix, and I want it now! ;)

   Can’t wait to read it John. Keep up the excellent work.

5. I always tell clueless bookstores that if I have to order something, I’ll just order from Amazon and save enough money to buy a whole paperback book (or two) at the same time. If I buy enough (and yeah, I pretty much always do), I can get free shipping, too. Brick & mortar stores are for *convenience*. Either get convenient, or get lost.

   That said, you don’t get any discount on paperbacks from Amazon, generally, so I use my discount cards at the b&m bookstores to save a little bit of money here and there. Hardbacks I pretty much always just get from Amazon (I mean really, when I can save over 30% off the hardback, yeah, no way am I gonna bother with the measly 10% I get from my Waldenbooks/B&N card), you know, unless I just can’t freaking wait.

6. I like bookstores (big ones, little ones, you name it). I even like the fact that if you go the the Court St. B&N in Brooklyn after school lets out, you’ve got to step over all the teenagers sitting, lying down, etc. while they devour the SF section.
   Amazing that some corporate moron hasn’t decided to toss the hooligans out.

   As to the discount card, I realize it’s totally irrational, but I don’t want to plunk down the $25 (or whatever it is now) in advance and then spend “X” dollars before I break even. If they want to give me a discount so bad, give me a card for free and then start giving me the discount after I’ve spent some pre-determined amount.

7. A desk surface isn’t messy enough until the cat can’t find a comfortable place to sleep on it.

8. Some cards are free (Borders/Waldenbooks), FYI. Some aren’t (B&N). Unfortunately, my new living/working locations dictate that I now walk to work, and pass a B&N enroute, so B&N is where I mainly shop as far as b&m bookstores go. I save sooo much on fuel these days, it’s crazy.

9. I had actually CLEANED my desk a day or two before I took that photo, so it wasn’t at its usual height of messiness. Tucker, the cat, was annoyed because the book was in the way of his usual spot, the keyboard.

10. Barnes & Noble on Westheimer in Houston had four copies of TAD on the shelf, but they were filed alphabetical-by-author. They should have put at least one copy over in the “New Science Fiction” section!

    I know they’ve got a clueful SciFi buyer though; when I bought TGB the guy was like “we just got that in but I haven’t put it out yet; lemme go grab you a copy out of the back…”