Unemployment means less books

I find myself, once again, a part of the statistic of the unemployed as the job I did this summer has taken one final blow to my wallet. Though, I did manage to stay in the good graces of the employer which secures a job for next summer. That still means, however, that I have to find another job in the meantime - perhaps writing for a blog that pays? I should really look into that.

What might be my final book purchase of the year - who am I kidding? - Jyg and I went to Hastings and sat ourselves down with a few books that piqued our interests. I always head into the literary fiction aisle, while she heads towards the psychology, which leaves us in that gender bending tailspin with social roles. Didn't I read somewhere that women preferred fiction and men were more likely to read nonfiction?

I plopped down with a copy of 2666 and a few other books, while she grabbed a handful of psychological motivational books. Because we both decided that English should be our major in college - though she did double major in psychology - we both entered a world where the only thing we can do is teach, and even that isn't a guaranteed job. She is searching for a job, all the while attempting to remove herself from the negativity that has encumbered her life. I, on the other hand, enjoy my negativity.

I thumbed through 2666 while she fingered through a used (or is it an used?) copy of Feel the Fear . . . and Do It Anyway. Growing bored of the novel - I was never one who could read in public places - mostly bookstores, though, as I could read in classrooms, cubicles and libraries when I was in college - and the erotic collection I picked up that I thought I'd use as a jumping point for another project I wanted to work on via blog.

Deciding that while I did want a copy of 2666, I didn't want to pay full price for it so I returned my stack of books back to their places which is when I found a(n) used hardcover of Elliot Perlman's The Reasons I Won't Be Coming, a collection of short stories I've been eying for years now. I purchased both Perlman's collection and Feel the Fear, because I knew Jyg wanted it and didn't have enough time to write down every single piece of advice on that small note card she was using - things like that remind me (as if I forgot) why I love her so much.