How to Live a Sitcom Life

I got to spend time today with some good friends, Emily and Kelly, who I only get to see a couple times a year, when they come back to Michigan to visit me. And by me, I mean their family. Well, it's like 40% for their family and 55% me (and 5% miscellaneous). But anyway, today after we went out to lunch we decided to tour around their hometown of Adrian and check out what the downtown area had to offer.

We spent a lot of time in the local used book store where the proprietor offered wayyyy too much information on how to use her store. I think she said something like,

"Hard cover books are four dollars, everything else is half off the original price, and if you bring in a trade you get half off your total order, then you also get these punch cards which you can share with each other and you get three free books when you fill this up. If this is your first time here you get five free punches."

She repeated that every time you made eye contact with her.

At one point, while looking at a book I found interesting, I said quietly to Emily, "how much was this? That lady gave me way too much information and now I can't remember." At which point the "lady" shouted over the shelves, "FOUR DOLLARS!"

I left with a bag full of books which I honestly have no shelf space left for. Mostly Agatha Christies with a couple Garrison Keillers, and one by Charles Frazier, which Kelly swore by.

I almost bought a silly looking book called, "How to Live a Sitcom Life" simply because the inscription couldn't be beat:

In case you can't read it, it says,

"Dear Julia,

We know we should have given this

to you much earlier,

but as they say on

Golden Girls, better

late than later.

Happy birthday

Love,

Mom and Dad

2003"

I have so many questions about that inscription, and the book itself, I don't even know where to begin. I just know I love it.

After leaving the bookstore, we wandered all over town, checking out the library, the opera house, the Running with E's store, and the local candy and magazine shop. Unfortunately, even though I remembered to take a whole bunch of pictures of the used book store, I forgot to take any of actual humans, except one. A stalker picture I took of Emily.

I told her she should make this her new Facebook profile picture but I'm almost positive she won't. How's that for gratitude?

Anyway, if any of you are going to be in Adrian any time soon, you can borrow my used book store punchcard. After using it for one day, I'm already on my second punchcard.